How we can help you

  • Trip and itinerary suggestions  from our team of ex-guides and tour leaders to help you build your adventure
  • If you already have a tour in mind we’ll help you book it at the same price as going direct and then you’ll have access to our Adventure Planner which is laden with information to prepare you for your trip. 
  • Just want to do self-guided hiking or self-drive road trip? We'll handle the logistics, so you can focus on kit and honing your map reading skills!
  • Already have your eye on flights and accommodation? We'll help with the tours, and can leave the rest to you.

5 travel tips for independent travellers

1. Best places for independent travel

Much of Patagonia is remote and hard to reach, however Los Glaciares is one place that bucks the trend. Here you'll find the magnificent Perito Moreno glacier and the hiking/climbing town of El Chalten, both easily accessed by public transport. El Chalten is also unique in Patagonia for being a town right in the mountains, where you can walk onto the trails from your hotel front door. Accommodation options are plentiful, if a little rustic.

How we can help: We'll help you save some budget and design your itinerary to include a few days in El Chalten exploring independently. We'll be there to look after you when you need it for the more logistically complex parts of Patagonia.

El Chalten Day hikes

View of Cerro Torre, Los Glacaires

2. Best place for self-guided hiking

Torres del Paine is logistically more complicated than El Chalten, but once you're there, the W Trek is an iconic hike that can be done completely independently. Trek at your own pace, choosing your own photo stops and snack breaks.

How we can help: Refugio accommodation en route needs to be booked well in advance through a complicated system of waiting lists and space distributions. We'll help you book your places and can organise your transport in and out of the park from the nearby town of Puerto Natales, so all you have to do is hike.

Independent Travellers

3. Best ways to travel in Patagonia

The buses in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia are relatively safe, frequent and reliable. If you fly into the southern airports of Punta Arenas (PUQ) or El Calafate (FTE) then you'll be able to access Patagonia's most famous sights without breaking the budget. 

How we can help: Decided on a destination already? Ask us about getting between places by public transport, and how to make the most of the places along the way.

Independent Travellers
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What our customers think of Independent Travellers

We were excited but unsure of what to expect regardless of what we read. We were blown away by what we found there. Read the full review

Travelled: March 2023

Chris Gibbs - UK

Traveling to such a remote place can be daunting and the logistics of doing the trip without as company would have been much harder, especially if you do not speak Spanish. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Brett floyd - USA

Book through Swoop. They thought of every detail and it made our time carefree and amazing. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Brett floyd - USA

We absolutely adored our guide. This was the first tour/hike I've ever taken with an actual guide, and he really made the experience a positive one for all of us. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Krysondra Esposito - USA

Swoop set us up for an excellent adventure. We had the best accommodations, transfers, and experience. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Brian Baird - USA

Use a travel agent/tour company like swoop. Stay at a hotel or campsite inside the national park so you don’t have to travel in. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Nicholas Hops - South Africa

We don't typically work with agents and outfitters but enjoyed the fact everything was arranged and all we had to do was show up. We ended up seeing more and doing more than if we had just shown up and figured it out on our own. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2021

Greg Schipper - USA

I don’t think we could have managed all the specific logistics ourselves. There were so many details that we are grateful for swoops coordination. The itinerary and recommendations were utterly perfect for us! Read the full review

Travelled: December 2018

Anne Marie McGonigal - United Kingdom

If you're doing a 2 week trip, either use Swoop or talk to a friend who's done it before and properly work through your itinerary. It's tricky to get the balance right between squeezing enough in, and packing it too much. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2018

Oli Feldwick - United Kingdom

Booking the refuges / camping independently is stressful! If you don't want to spend a long time watching the websites for availability, Swoop and their local partners provide a welcomed solution. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2018

Clare Hodgson - United Kingdom

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We are independent travelers and I'm used to booking everything myself, but when it came to Patagonia I got overwhelmed with all of the possibilities, so I would highly recommend Swoop to anyone!

Travelled: January 2016

Heidi -

Swoop were incredibly responsive, with thoughtful and generous advice, honest feedback...we were thoroughly impressed and happy with the service provided.

Travelled: January 2016

Ariel -

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We really valued Swoop's expertise, and the fact that you had been to the places we were going.

Travelled: December 2015

Greg & Michelle -

Review:

4. Best highways for self-drive road trips

Ruta 40 and the Carretera Austral: Patagonia's north-south highways take you down the spine of the Andes through verdant hills and glaciated mountains in the west and arid steppe in the east. A self-drive road trip allows independent travellers to fully explore Patagonia's wild and varied landscapes, and meet some of its characters too. We can help with the route selection, accommodation and car rental.

How we can help: Our specialists have spent decades exploring along the main roads, and a great deal of the smaller, less well-known roads besides. We can help book your car and accommodation and give you some great pointers of highlights, and some more hidden gems along your route too.

Independent Travellers

5. Best way to treat yourself

Independent travel needn't mean roughing it every night. If you'd like to treat yourself for one or two nights then Patagonia has some extraordinary lodges and eco-friendly camps. You'll get more 'bang for your buck' in the north of Patagonia than in Torres del Paine. 

How we can help: Whether you're looking for a treat at the beginning or end, or all the nights in between too, we can help you book nights in some of the most sought after hotels in Patagonia. Some specialise in excursions such as hiking, fishing, horse riding, others are just wonderfully relaxing.

Independent Travellers

Aguas Arriba Lodge, El Chaltén

Top places to go in Patagonia

Entrance sign to Los Glaciares National Park, with view to Fitz Roy massif

Los Glaciares National Park

Los Glaciares is Argentina’s greatest national park. It’s home to Perito Moreno glacier and the Fitz Roy Massif, offering visitors explore epic ice and world-class hiking.

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Aysen

Aysen

Remote, beautiful and with one of the most famous road-trip roads in the world, Aysen is a destination for those seeking the best of Patagonia without the crowds. 

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Magellanic penguins on Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia, Argentina

Peninsula Valdes

The Valdes Peninsula is a unique land formation and global conservation site, home to an abundance of marine life as well as countless weird and wonderful land mammals and birds. …

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Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego

As you reach the end of the continent, the rugged landscape becomes wilder and wilder, finally crumbling into thousands of rocky islands. Tierra del Fuego is a region of …

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A pink sunset in Chile's Atacama Desert, with the peak of Licanabur volcano surrounded by clouds

Atacama Desert

Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth, but it's extraordinary diversity of landscapes make it the ideal add-on to a Patagonia adventure.

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Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls

This chain of gigantic waterfalls set amongst a teeming rainforest in northern Argentina, is one of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders. Nothing can prepare you for the …

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How can Swoop Patagonia help you?

Specialist Trips

Specialist Trips

Our network of guides will ensure you have the local knowledge, technical expertise and equipment you need for that specialist adventure.

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Private Tours

Private Tours

A trip fully supported and tailored to your needs and dates. Great adventures by day and comfortable accommodation each night.

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Trekking Holidays

Trekking Holidays

Explore the different landscapes of the Patagonian Andes. Challenge your body and mind amongst some of the world's most dramatic peaks and glaciers.

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Group Tours

Group Tours

Join like-minded people on a 1-4 week journey across Patagonia, a cheaper way to see the most popular places in the region.

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Ready to plan your Patagonia adventure?

1
Listen

Listen

We'll spend some time listening to your aspirations, then discuss the kind of experience that might suit you.

2
Match

Match

Next we'll discuss the options, shortlist the best trips for you and present you our impartial recommendations.

3
Reserve

Reserve

We'll place a 24 hour hold on your preferred option - without obligation - whilst we talk through the details.

Whatever your budget, group size, length of stay, preferred activity or appetite for adventure, we can help.

1-855-369-7866