Customer Reviews

Fantastic trip, hugely varied in landscapes and experiences. Great. Lots of highlights not just one - but the Stella Australis was very special. Landscapes were huge, dramatic, inspiring and beautiful. We found the wildlife varied and interesting - including two pumas! All the people we met were helpful and friendly. We always felt safe. Iguazu was more dramatic in size and scale than photos suggest. There were many magical moments. So much to like.

The highlight was our puma tracking trail with Antonia in TdP (6.2km) which also took us to ancient cave paintings or the condor trek we did where we got to "soar" in the Patagonian wind at the top of our mountain and condor lookout. She tailored made an experience for me (a non-hiker) that made me absolutely fall in love with the park. She found was to get us to taste, see and smell all the truly wild and magical pieces of this special place. Without her wisdom and enthusiasm, our experience would have been so different, and I'm certain it would not have been as good. Whether we got Antonia by luck or by a plan, she was absolutely perfect for us. We are looking forward to keeping in touch with her.

Puma Tracking was an incredible experience. Our guide Matias was a skilled tracker and knew the animals and their behaviors. He was extremely respectful and knowledgeable of land, flora and fauna. Having Petaca and her cubs approach us on her own and accepting us into her world was very moving and humbling.

The Patagonian ice field when we first saw it after .John Garner pass Stunning scenery and surprisingly varied with the steppes, mountains ,glaciers, mountains and lakes. The animals and birds were very different from any I had seen. Many species of birds. I enjoyed the wild flowers which were flowering as it was spring. In Buenos Aires generally the people were not as friendly but the taxi drivers and reps were fine. The guides, hostel staff, porters, etc were all very friendly. Being able to drink from a mountain stream was a surprise. If I have grandchildren I will tell them that this trip was one big adventure.

TdP was our main goal, and undoubtedly a highlight, but not the only one. We loved the wide open spaces (we do live on the Prairies!) and the spectacular, unique TdP and area mountains. We saw lots of fauna and flora, especially birds. No Pumas though. Our guide and hiking companions were great -- and most others we met and chatted to were on similar trips. We learnt from them early on and later gave them advice. No grandchildren, but paramount in our memories is wind. Several surprises, mostly good.

It was amazing! Every aspect of it was phenomenal (except for the king penguin excursion, will get to that). I was really impressed with how well it went, logistically. I think Swoop did a great job of making sure that there wasn't a lot of downtime (other than the travel from point to point, which couldn't be avoided and was still minimized as much as possible). And I appreciated that there were multiple guides so the group could split up and be flexible if necessary. The group, for the most part, was phenomenal. Everyone was excited and enthusiastic and for the most part very supportive of each other, emotionally and physically. I've made some good friends for life!

One highlight completely impossible to single out; there wasn't one day that I wouldn't do again. Wildlife - the day with Marcel in Ushuaia National Park was brilliant as he 'inducted' me into the world of birdwatching which itself greatly added to the rest of the trip; but I guess the wildlife 'highlight' has to be sighting two pumas at relatively close range over a fresh guanaco kill as we were driving out of Torres del Paine on that last morning - a wonderful sight on its own, the more special for knowing that it's so rare, and we were so lucky, to see a puma at all!

Patagonia camp was THE highlight. Brilliant place to stay. Excellent service. Fantastic walks. Brilliant staff. Liked the fact that there were walks at different levels so able to pick and choose to meet your needs. Loved looking for pumas - and seeing all the other wild life - eagles. condors, foxes, skunks as well as lama guanaco. Stella Australis cruise also awesome. Some poor weather but going to Cape Horn was a highlight - and seeing the many glaciers. Talks on ship were truly excellent. Had read This Thing of Darkness (Harry Thompson) in advance and the cruise really brought it to life. Perito Moreno glacier also a highlight.

We felt very fortunate to have fantastic weather in Patagonia from start to finish, which meant that we were able to do everything we'd planned and more. We weren't sure what to expect of the wildlife, but were blown away by the diversity of animals we saw in Patagonia and even in Mendoza. Our guides were all very friendly and knowledgeable, and having them with us ensured that we truly appreciated what we were seeing, rather than rushing through the scenery. It's hard to say a specific highlight or magical moment, because each part of the trip had its own highlights. The glacier hike was surreal, seeing all those shades of blue. Cantering through Torres del Paine. Hiking up to stunning views of Mount Fitz Roy. Celebrating Christmas Eve at a family-run restaurant with the local community. Learning to really taste the different flavors in Argentinian wine. It may sound trite, but we have been on some fantastic trips and this was truly the trip of a lifetime.

Highlight: Puerto Varas generally and Valparaiso - loved both "cities". With F & F the activities are being talked about the most - kayaking, trekking, riding, fishing etc - not all enjoyable while happening (trekking and kayaking were hard work) - but great achievements once done! Dolphins circling kayaks one highlight and watching them in the bay the next morning from our tent. Seeing Darwin frog in Tagua Tagua another. Barraco Lodge generally enjoyed by my 10 year old - dogs, hot tubs and watching helicopters taking off and landing!

The Heumal Circuit trek was a real highlight because athough it is very close to the very populated El Chalten it feels like truly remote wilderness. We met just 8 other trekkers during the whole of the 4 days and then only in passing.

Whilst there were clearly great highlights (“Big Ice” and the French Valley being our favorites) and everything was well organized in terms of transfers /pretrip logistics we have to admit that we were fairly disappointed in the overall experience provided and would like to share some areas for significant improvement in our Patagonia trip. Our general feeling is that we paid a very high premium for Swoop to organise this trip (in comparison to the costs we saw on the ground and what fellow travellers were paying for the same activities) and as such would struggle to recommend the company to our friends. 1. We specifically asked before the trip the trekking logistics and what we would need to carry (as from previous experience we knew that the enjoyment of trekking can vary greatly with additional weight), and were advised that all camping equipment and lunch during the El Chalten would be provided each day, and that therefore we would only need to carry our personal belongings / clothing. It was therefore a surprise to arrive at the office on day 1 and be passed and asked to carry a (heavy) sleeping bag and lunch for all 3 days, which we did not have space for considering we had brought appropriate bags sized to carry only our own things as advised. This meant that we had to hang the sleeping bags off our rucksacks which was extremely uncomfortable, and that lunch was a) squashed and therefore partly ruined throughout the 3 days, and b) nowhere near enough in quantity to keep us energised throughout the days considering the level of energy we were using trekking and the cold weather (a tiny roll and small empanada per day with a few snacks), leaving us hungry every afternoon. We saw many other groups trekking who were having hot soup / drinks prepared and lunches carried by their guides that were clearly more plentiful and of a much higher quality. As well as this, the dinner on day 1 at the refugio that we were given was a bowl of polenta with a dollop of tomato sauce on top, so again not substantial as well as extremely unappetising (considering we were asked what we wanted, requested something with meat, but were provided this whilst the staff ate a meat platter next to us). The second night camp and food were much better but the first night was a disappointment given we thought we had booked a premium operator. 2. At the time of booking we were told we could choose the Estancia day trip. We asked about this a few weeks before the trip and were told “we have already booked you on the Estancia Cristina trip” and so we trusted your judgement given that you already knew we were adventurous and liked trekking. However the trip selected involved a 1 hour coach journey, 3 hour boat, 1 hour 4x4, some time for lunch, a museum tour and then 3 hours back on the boat / bus. Given that we had to wake up at 6:30am to do this trip this was not a pleasant experience and we would never have chosen this if we’d known the itinerary of the day, which we didn’t even find out until on when on the boat. Here we heard that there were two other options for the trip that included trekking which we clearly would have preferred (our option was full of older travellers and families who were unable to walk distances), but were advised that it was too late to switch at this point. Other guests we spoke to had a similar perspective that it was a very long day of travel for not very much. 3. Ecocamp is in a wonderful location and the food and accommodation is fantastic. However we had 3 significant issues: a. One of the major reasons for selecting this option were the different activities that we could do each day. On the first day we selected the “Towers trek” only to find out that we were in a group of around 20 relatively slow walkers which was extremely frustrating for us. After a lot of tedious and tense back and forth with the guides, we eventually persuaded them to let us go ahead if we signed a waiver (the experience however left us with a sour feeling considering the staff appeared to be annoyed). Seeing us do this, a couple of other guests also joined us on this saying they also wouldn’t have been able to cope with the slow speed. The second day was a Sunday and even the guides themselves admitted that the choice of tours was poor so we spent the day at the camp (again, with other guests who agreed). On the third day we did the French Valley trek but were disappointed to learn that the guided section did not go all the way to the French Valley, but only to the Italian campsite and hence not to the French lookout. So again we asked to sign the waiver (which again took a lot of time and convincing) so we could go ahead and see the French Valley itself. It was amazing but when we returned to the boat we were asked by the guides not to talk about our experience with the other guests (as they knew they had all missed the best part). On the 4th day the tours repeated themselves from Day 1 so we booked ourselves on our own horse riding experience. So overall we didn’t use any of the guided excursion throughout our entire 4 day stay at EcoCamp. b. There was a frustrating atmosphere amongst the guides of “rushing” everybody to be on time. We fully agree it is good to be punctual but felt we were constantly being “chased” by the guides to be on time with say 3-4 reminders during breakfast (despite never actually turning up late!) of when we needed to leave which does not make breakfast a very pleasant experience. Similarly for example on the French Valley hike described above, the guides were far too conservative with the time it would take to do things which meant either guests missing out or lots of standing around waiting for boats / buses. We personally also didn’t head to the final viewpoint specifically because of this, despite other walkers having been able to make it. c. Other guests were on “Adventure” packages which involved kayaking / horse riding whilst we were on a “Classic” package that we were not aware of until we arrived (aware of the activities, not aware of the different options and the name). In fairness to Swoop none of the other guests knew the names of the packages or that other options were available so I think this is the fault of EcoCamp but we would have like the option to do other things (we ended up walking down to the visitor centre to book our own horse riding and paying an additional $90 each) d. At dinner one of the guides said to us “this is quite an expensive hotel but not so expensive” which unfortunately for us summed up the attitude of the guides and the general way the hotel is run. They are correct it is not as expensive as some of the luxury hotels in the area but that is not a good benchmark. It is a very expensive hotel by any measure and the standard of the service and general desire to adapt to the needs of different types of guests just was not there. We were with other younger people who felt the same, that the EcoCamp is well catered for older visitors on the “classic” package or people doing the W Trek but not for younger people on the classic package. Overall for the EcoCamp experience which was a significant part of the cost of the trip we were left disappointed and we would like to request a part refund for our stay, given we were not given the option to select our package, did not do any of the guided excursions and had to pay additional fees for the horseriding. We would also like to request compensation for the Cristina Estancia tour considering the quality of the experience and trip which we hadn’t chosen ourselves. Please let me know if you have any questions and we look forward to your response.

There were many highlights but the wildlife would have to be amongst our favourite experiences. To see twelve orca up close in the wild was a real treat. Kayaking up close to a sea lion colony and walking amongst the burrows of thousands of magellanic penguins were absolute highlights. Watching condors circling overhead as we were being blasted by the wind on rocky cliffs was memorable. Stumbling across a family of upland geese feeding and seeing a family of huemul were real treats. I could go on and on about rheas, guanaco, mara, king penguins, torrent ducks etc.

Our trip was GREAT! Some of the biggest highlights were the Towers in Torres del Paine, Mirador Britannico in the French Valley, Perito Moreno glacier, and the hike to Laguno de los Tres in Los Glaciares near El Chalten. Oh, and how could I forget the Zodiac boat ride and "glamping" at the Serrano campsite... that was awesome! I have already begun to tell my family and friends, basically the moment I touched down! I was surprised at how full the schedule was... I expected day hikes and then time to rest, but they were full, good days, and that was wonderful! We had some fantastic guides, and the landscapes were grander than I thought. More glaciers than I could have imagined! We didn't see a puma, but saw so much other wildlife, and at every turn, which was really great.

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.

The Chilean fjords had just about everything: humpbacks, penguins, sealions; remote location; great scenery; glaciers; boat trip; small group, no crowds. Trekking from El Chalten was somewhat hampered by the weather, with some wet walking to viewpoints with no view! But managed to see Fitzroy and Cerro Torre on the last day. National park felt over-managed: signposts, guides, large numbers of people. Enjoyed the Viedma Glacier trek but group too large and disparate (approx. 30). Retreat of glacier now means longish scramble to access: not a problem for me but there were three falls (and one submission!) among the party, and I heard that the subsequent trip herded 60 people around together, with one person requiring x-ray after a fall. Better to split into small groups of similar experience. Packed lunches in El Chalten dreadful: unimaginative and repetitive. Sailing to Cape Horn excellent, with great landscapes, wildlife, and charming and highly experienced skipper. Hadn't expected tourism to be so highly developed, but met some interesting people from all over Europe, as well as locals, and overall a great combination of varied activity with good accommodation and restaurants.

The trip rated 12 out of 10. Its very hard to pick a highlight - but (before I change my mind) the walk in French Valley in the Torres del Paine NP. Or maybe the day we drove into the Perito Moreno NP, or sea kayaking in Chiloe or walking the Aviles trail in Park Patagonia or visiting the Marble Caves or... The landscapes were sensational - I'd love to see them in Autumn. 🍁 We really liked the Chileans - they have a great sense of humour! Of all the many lovely places we stayed Mirador de Guadal was my favourite.

The itinerary, transfers, tours, sights were all top quality. the trip exceeded my expectations. we were so fortunate that for 16 days , there were no weather problems. every tour, sight , planned activity was available to us. this, i understand , is the exception not the rule when traveling in march. if we experienced bad weather, i would probably be disappointed, but i am not.accommodations were interesting, especially staying in a yurt. the views, trips, food, guides end all wonderful. the only surprise was on the stella where we had assigned seating for meals. biggest surprise for us was the length /distances we had to walk . not all the trails were in great shape and 2 of us suffered falls, one fall requiring a doctor (not me). the only animal we didn't see that we wanted to see was the puma, however, we did see results of puma hunts.we met people that we enjoyed talking with and maybe see again, we'll see about that. what i was most pleased with was the itinerary. being able to travel in both chile and argentina and cruising the wild waters of the straits and fjords, for us, truly demonstrated the wild beauty of patagonia. we felt we didn't miss anything while fulfilling a dream to visit this part of the world. we did have airline issues but it was not due to anything swoop did. AR is a cheat airline, charging for bags and not even offering water to passengers on one flight. they also striped down planes of all amenities that i would normally find on similar aircraft if flown in the US. LATAM was OK , however, they did switch my reserved seats and i was unable to check in online. once again, this has nothing to do with swoop. highlight was camp patagonia. we were able to customize our hikes where as we couldn't do that in chalten . totally liked the day cruise in calafate. perfect for us. stopping at sights and taking short walks with spectacular views. i want to emphasize that ALL our guides/ tours were exceptional. we were delighted with each person who took us around showing what patagonia has to offer. we also discovered the most delicious candy bar that the guides gave us. we looked for this bar and bought it wherever we could. just know, you guys put together a fabulous trip.

It's impossible to pick a highlight because we enjoyed so much of what we saw and did, for many different reasons - the landscapes, encounters with wildlife, chatting with people, our activities, the weather, the food. We were surprised by the quality of the huts we stayed in (more like basic hotels really) and the coaches we travelled on (so smart and comfortable). Also, the weather was far better than we expected! We really feel like we made the most of our time in Patagonia, which was important as unfortunately it could be some time before we can go back.

I am a penguin liver so for me the highlights were our visits to the penguin colonies at San Lorenzo and Punta Tombo. I also really enjoyed my ice hike on Perito Moreno Glacier and the Laguna de Los Tres hike. The views from Laguna de Los Tres was the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. For me, the most magical moment was sitting on the beach at San Lorenzo penguin colony with no one else around for at least an hour. The peace and quiet really helped us feel at one with nature. We sat and watched the penguins. A baby chick came up and rested his head in my husband’s lap. Sea lions were swimming along the shore and the penguins all ran up and surrounded us as they fled the shore. It was fantastic!!!!