Customer Reviews

Loved Peninsula Valdez. It is wild and full of such a variety of animals......birds, marine, and wildlife.

My trip was incredible. It has really left me at a bit of a loss for words. While I tremendously enjoyed every piece of my trip (hiking, kayaking and then day hiking with an afternoon of horseback riding), I really loved hiking the W. I was traveling solo, but I enjoyed my time with our small group during the W trek. We were incredibly lucky with weather and very fortunate to have a group that was made up of all positive, excited people who were up for whatever each day brought our way. Our guide, too, was incredible. The Patagonian landscape was breathtaking. Every single bit of it. I've never been in a place quite so beautiful.

The whole trip was memorable! There are so many moments it's so hard to pick one. Our trip began in the city of Buenos Aires and most memorable there was our dinner at Fogon Asado. Absolutely wonderful!! In El Chaltén, our most memorable hike was Laguna de Los Tres. Fantastic hike and we got lucky with the weather - clear and no wind! Our guide, Emi, was outstanding! But of course, we loved Huemul Glacier as well. We went early and had the unique opportunity to view the glacier in complete solitude. Breathtaking and peaceful! The ice trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier was also fantastic - and the opportunity to drink water from the glacier was mind blowing! Unbelievably refreshing! In Torres del Paine, our most memorable hike was the Base of the Towers. We couldn't do this trek the first couple of days due to weather, but finally able to do it on our last day in Patagonia Camp. For a couple of 60-somethings, this hike was challenging and we felt a huge sense of accomplishment afterwards. An added bonus was the puma sighting on our return trip to Patagonia Camp! Views were breathtaking and the glacier water refreshing to drink! Our guide, Bruno, was phenomenal. In Santiago, William-Cole winery tour was the best we'd ever had - and of course the tasting was excellent! Then there is Atacama - truly otherworldly and very different from Patagonia. There were hikes in which we felt like we were on Mars, but others with so much wildlife! Hot Springs, geysers, volcanos! Too many to choose as a memorable - all so different!

The landscape with vast open spaces, snow capped mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, shrubs with edible berries, delicious food and wine and world class hiking and horse riding. The light was very different to the light in Australia which allowed for excellent photographic opportunities. The wildlife was great. We saw an armadillo, but alas, no puma. I lost count of the number of condors and we saw many other animals including skunks, foxes, guanacos, rheas and domestic animals such as horses, sheep and cattle. We met no locals but the staff at the hotels and lodges were all delightful.

Having a nice lunch in the sun amidst gale force winds close to the Penon Glaciar at the top of the Penon Pass with Cerro Castillo and all its glory about a mile away.

Too many to list

Cresting the John Gardner Pass and looking out over the incredible expanse of the Gray Glacier.

The hikes at El Chalten and the hikes/views of Torres Del Paine National park were spectacular, as was the day spent seeing the Morena Glacier. The town of El Chalten is an experience all it's own! We also really enjoyed El Calafate and Puerto Natales. Even the drive from El Calafate to Puerto Natales was very beautiful and memorable. I can not pick one most memorable moment.

Our stay at Patagonia Camp was fantastic. The staff, to a person, were all extremely friendly, helpful, and courteous. The food was delicious and presented with Michelin star care. The accommodations were very comfortable, and of course the setting, and hikes, in the foothills of the Torres del Paine massif, was unforgettable.

The time spent in the wild in each of the three major destinations--El Chalten / Fitz Roy, Torres del Paine, and in the channels and fjords between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. Of course, we had remarkable luck with weather and visibility in each location!

Everything went to our itinerary. Highlight had to be a perfect day at Cape Horn in weather to die for. Landscapes were stunning and wildlife aplenty ( except Puma ). Chilean people were so welcoming and in particular the owner of the restaurant in Porvenir who took a photo of us Australians to hang on his establishments wall. We have already told of seeing 'mingos' ( flamingos) to my 3 1/2 year old grandson who was full of questions. Surprises were everywhere while travelling down to the Cape, glaciers that eclipsed those in Alaska wildlife to be seen on all our excursions with Protours.

BBQ'd lamb lunch at Helsingfor's Estancia! Landscape was nice, wildlife was OK. All the people (travelers) we met along the way were cordial and all staff members of every accommodation were engaging and helpful. We have been telling our family and friends what a great job SWOOP did putting our trip together. No surprises which is a good thing! The most magical moment was finishing the whole series of hikes we planned.

Landscapes and hiking were the highlights, very happy with all the people in my Swoop Group.

Wow, only one? Probably reaching the top of the climb to peak over and see the Base of the Towers and the glacial lake after hiking for 4.5 hours from Ecocamp. We’d had good weather all morning and I was eager to reach the top before the weather shifted. Alas, it did not and we were rewarded with a long lunch, lots of photos and quiet time to enjoy the view before heading down.

Seeing Puma

Santiago EcoCamp and W track - the guides, the food, the whole experience, the group we were with were awesome and we all had a stack of fun Australis 4 day cruise - simply astonishing - and incredible experience, again the food, the guides/crew, the whole pace of the adventure and on back of hiking was really perfect

I cannot pick just one. When you finally reach the base of the Fitz Roy in Chalten and the Towers in Torres Del Paine one is struck with overwhelming emotion. Though cliche, no photo could possible display such beauty. There is a sense of real accomplishment. The time spent traveling the Strait of Magellan to Francisco Coloane III Island gives one time to reflect on just how remote your time spent seeing wildlife will be. Then there they are--the Whales. So amazing.

Cape Horn was the most anticipated and most memorable experience but the other zodiak trips were truly exciting as well. Table 15 was the 'best' in many ways as it was chock-full of interesting people telling stories about their lives on four continents; best too because we won the trivia contest (with a little help from our excellent waiter, Manuel). I loved not only what I saw, but also what I learned. The emphasis on new knowledge about the environment was much appreciated. The views from the cabin window were a plus as I saw great vistas of beauty right from my bed.

Making it to the beautiful endpoints of our two very demanding hikes (Laguna des los Tres & Mirador Base Towers).

Highlight: its hard to pin point what my highlight was because everyday was absolutely incredible. But if i had to pick our day and night (we got stuck in the park!) was amazing. The scenery, the people and the whole experience is something I will always remember! The Landscapes were unreal and beautiful. I felt like I was in a dream. the views were not to be believed. We saw foxes, birds and thankful I never saw the infamous Puma. We loved each and every person we met - the tour guides, drivers, people on the trips and tours and the random people we met along the way. I have already started telling people it was the most amazing trip Ive been on!! we had one huge surprise. we missed the boat back to the entrance of the park so we ended up sleeping in a tent in a refugio that night. it only made our trip more memorable! the most magical moment was watching the sunset in the park the night we slept there.