Customer Reviews

In three and a half weeks we packed in an incredible amount; it is almost too soon to say what the highlights were. The landscapes were awe-inspiring; the wind, literally, took your breath away. The people that bother to live, work and even travel so far away are almost always delightful. It is a physical challenge: you could experience a limited Patagonia without exerting yourself, but you would miss so much. It's the sort of travel that at times makes you wonder, "Why aren't I lying on a beach in Thailand??", but that you appreciate so much more after the event.

We loved Argentina and Patagonia. The views and hikes were incredible. Truly. The day and hike to Mt Fitz Roy will remain a lifelong memory. We did not see any wildlife - so I am sorry about that. The people were generous and warm and welcoming. Surprised by how closed down things were over the holidays - Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Things just shut down. Good to know if you are planning a trip to have other things planned.

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 trip was great. The Stella Australis was wonderful as was the crew, above and beyod expectations. The Glaciers were amazing. The scenery was breath taking and memorizing. Should be on everyone's "bucket list". Eco Camp in Torres del Paine - AMAZING!!!! The views were out of this world. The wildlife that we did get to see, beautiful!!!! The accomodations were as expected and were fit for a trip like this. Everyone that worked to put this trip together for us did a great job and exceeded our expectations. Thank you so much. A trip of a life time that will forever be remembered.

Fantastic. I don't know if there was a 'highlight' but we loved the Singular-AMAZING place to stay, and waking up next to glaciers was really rad. We met some really interesting people there, only another American couple but I enjoy meeting new people so it was really interesting to connect with them, but overall I loved it.

My trip was amazing - I hadn't done any research before I went down so I didn't know what to expect. It blew my mind - the landscape was so diverse that no hike/day was the same. My favorite trek was the one in Ushuaia because I was tired and we were allowed to choose between hard/less hard treks which was nice. It allowed more picture taking time

We deeply enjoyed the trip and the landscape. We felt the trip gave us a good overall impression of the region. Having done most of the standard hikes we'd only come back to do some of the longer, crazier things (like 7 days on the ice field).

Highlight was waking up to see Mt Fitzroy, bathed in the glory of the morning sunrise, with a surreal deep golden reflection, in a cloudless blue sky. It happened to coincide with my brother's birthday, which was an added bonus, and a priceless bitrthday gift at the same time. Landscapes were vast, stretching way beyond normal horizon spans with all manner of varied terrain and topography. Colours were vivid and weather changeable, with high winds I have seldom encountered before. People were friendly, accommodating and helpful and despite limited Spanish, we managed very well.

The landscapes of Patagonia are literally other-worldly. When we left the park, my nephew said it was like leaving Jurassic Park--it was so unreal. We saw grey foxes, condors, guanacos, and hawks (not to mention many other birds). The weather is as INTENSE as the beauty...every minute, it changed. The trail, though well-traveled, is not for the faint of heart. As times it was difficult. But never once did we regret the strain or aches. The people we met along the way were diverse and friendly. If we said "hola" one time a day, we said it fifty. it was truly a spirit-lifting trip!

-- Highlights were day hiking out of El Chalten, and glacier at Lago Grey! -- Hiking is rugged, trails are rocky and often steep, not much wildlife in that part of the world....did see guanaco, red foxes, condor's, parakeets, woodpeckers. -- Had a good group of folks in our group and also met a culturally-diverse crowd along the way! -- Surprises? Hmmmm. You can definitely drink water out of any stream in all parts of Patagonia without filtering. It wasn't as windy as was expected, and overall our weather was fantastic!

See detailed answers for highlights. We were amazed and delighted by the enormous variety of landscapes we travelled through. The Chilean and Argentinian people we met were, without exception, warm and welcoming. Our grandchildren will be subjected to the full photographic record once they are old enough, and urged to visit for themselves. There were endless surprises every day!

The highlights were the beauty of the nature and wildlife We met some very interesting and kind travelers from Germany, South America and North America

Highlights: Torres del Paine/Explora Casa Bouchon Erasmo Winery Tour to Tatio geysers Loved the altiplano of Atacama desert Good guides at Atacama, Sergio in Santiago Wildlife in Atacama desert and torres del paine

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.

The Torres and the Australis cruise were highlights.

Overall our trip was wonderful, with only a few snags. The highlights of Argentinian Patagonia were the Perito Moreno Glacier and the Estancia Christina in El Calafate, and the Fitzroy hike in El Calafate. The Perito Moreno Glacier is breathtaking, and easily accessible from the raised walkway in the park. We also did the boat tour, which offers history and closer view of the glacier. Beware though, once you see it, other glaciers in Patagonia will seem less impressive. Estancia Christina was fantastic, but only because we opted for the fossil hike. Others on the excursion had lots of waiting around and did not seems as impressed. Not so great- The scheduling from El Calafate to EL Chalten- we would have preferred a later transfer. With the sun setting so late, you can easily hike until 7 PM...therefore there was no reason to leave so early for Chalten. Chalten was beautiful. Liked the wild dogs and friendly locals. The Fitzroy hike was spectacular....we were on the trail early so it wasn't too crowded but I imagine during peak season it was be a little unpleasant as it is narrow and you need to step aside to let people pass. Our best meal in Chalten was at La Tapera, wish it had been recommended. Avoid La Senyera, worst meal of our entire trip. Australis Cruise- This was a mistake. After having days filled with hiking and enjoying the riches of nature, being confined to a boat was very frustrating. The boat itself was nice, the rooms clean and comfortable but the excursions were short and underwhelming and most of the time on the boat was spent waiting....waiting for a short presentation, waiting for lunch, waiting to get off the boat, waiting to get on the boat etc....The penguins were the highlight of the cruise but, we found out you can take a day trip from Puntas Arenas to visit them. That would have been nice to have known. Highlight of the entire trip was Torres del Paine. The Explora hotel is beautiful and the hiking on the W was the best we experienced. The spa, the guides, the surroundings were all unbelievable. If I could redo the trip I would nix the cruise and spend an extra 3 nights at Explora.

My group had a fantastic time even though our weather was less than ideal and un-Patagonian (according to our guides). We had no wind at all, and soaking rain for almost two days. That said, the glacial lakes are amazing, the snow covered peaks are awesome, and the magnificence of the environment is remarkable.

The resort itself, the magnificent view, the beautiful weather, the guides and tours and service and personableness of the resort itself, the precious people that we met.

Highlights-- time in Bariloche and Torres del Paine Landscapes etc----immense and spring was lovely time to go with all the flowers. Also saw new born chulengo and Torrent duck family :). All Chilean & Argentinian people were great, helpful & friendly

The hikes and overall beauty of Patagonia was definitely the highlight. But the hotel and people we met were a close second. Everyone working at the hotel, from the staff, to the bar tender and waiters to the guides, were all so accommodating and gracious. We really could not have asked for a better trip.