Ellen and her friend returned last week from a trip to Torres del Paine where they embarked on a 3 day Fast Track W Trek prior to visiting the Lake District and the Atacama. Here she tells us about their trip…
How did you find the trip?
The trip was spectacular, Chile is such a beautiful country. I wish I had more time to explore more of the country…there is never enough vacation time!
My friend & I were really pleased with the operator and their guide Victor Matus.
Did you manage to visit anywhere else in Patagonia?
We did stay in Puerto Natales a couple of nights, a night in Punta Arenas, and 5 nights in the Lake Region before I headed up to Santiago and the desert…We had an amazing time in Chile.
What was the highlight of your trip?
Torres del Paine was definitely one of our highlights, Luke, you were so right in suggesting that we do a trek. Originally we were just thinking of day trips to the park but we took your suggestion, even though it was a little pricey, it was so worth it. The Fast Track W was perfect for us since we weren’t flexible in time and dates.
I would say the highlight of the trek was the first sight of the Towers as we got up to Mirador Las Torres, seeing the glaciers when we were in the French Valley. I even told our guide, Victor, that I could have stayed there all day staring at the mountain & glaciers. He almost set up a tent for me.
The 3rd day we changed it up a bit. We didn’t trek all the way to Grey Glacier but only to the lookout point at Lago Grey. Then came back down to the beach area of Lago Grey where all the icebergs were. That was incredible to see them so up close.
Do you have any tips for other people who are planning a trip?
Parts of the trek were steep and hard on your knees so I would advise taking poles if you think you’ll need them. I didn’t use them or have them and suffered a bit of soreness.
How well did Swoop do in helping you plan your holiday and in finding the best operator for you?
Swoop Patagonia was very helpful, response time was quick in answering my questions, and a great kit list was sent when I asked about what to pack.
The trip was the perfect one as we saw all the highlights in the 3 days we were there.
The operator that Swoop recommended was very professional and prompt in replying to us.
How were your guides?
Thank you again for getting me in touch with this operator. They did a wonderful job & I would highly recommend them, as well as their guide Victor Matus, who was fabulous!
He was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, punctual, had a great sense of humour, great listener and flexible to change the itinerary to what we wanted to see and do.
Victor always checked to make sure we were okay, had treats along the way to give us a boost of energy & always took such good care of us the entire time, from morning when we met for breakfast until the end of the day. He gave first class service.
Was there anything that you wish had happened differently/or not happened at all?
There’s nothing regarding Swoop Patagonia or the operator. Both companies did a superb job.
I wished I had better knees, and that we’d planned an extra day in Punta Arenas to go and see the penguins.
Other than that, our trip was fantastic!
