Kristin Mitchell
United States Of America
Customer
Rating
8
Customer Rating On return from their adventure we ask customers: “On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?”
Kristin Mitchell's Trip:
The Huemul CircuitKristin Mitchell's Trip Date:
20th Jan - 25th Jan 2019
Overall, how was your trip?
Too windy to do initially planned itinerary; still had a great experience. Guide (Jaime through Serac) did a great job of outlining alternatives, including 3 unrelated hikers in decision-making Dramatic weather Super curious and concerned about the caterpillar infestation of the Lenga forests Watching a new friend be speechless at the expanse of ice at the top of El Paso del Viento.
In one sentence, what did you think of Patagonia? Did it live up to your expectations?
I loved it! Even windier than I expected (can't say I wasn't warned by previous Swoop travelers)
Would you visit again?
Yes
How was the service that Swoop provided?
The facilitation was welcome. I appreciated answers to questions before I left, especially since my itinerary started a full month before arriving in Patagonia. Having been there, I might wing it on my own next time - it was not as prohibitively complex as I anticipated. Now I have a better sense of the area. I wish I could have tipped my guide with the refund of the trip overpayment (due to other hikers joining). Serac said that was not possible because of Swoop
How did you feel about booking directly with our partner(s)?
Serac was very good The local Hostel Patagonia misplaced an item I acquired in Antarctica, and then found it after I had returned to the USA. Difficult and unfortunate - not at all sure if this was one careless employee or a pattern. If it is a pattern, perhaps send travelers elsewhere to bunk for the night.
How likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend?
8 out of 10
How was your experience in El Chalten?
Guide Jaime Bariloche was great - professional, flexible, good sense of humor, good knowledge base. Hiking was challenging in the wind, 25 km days I would have appreciated more guidance on tipping etiquette, knowledge about how guides vs agencies are paid before I went. We did not actually do this circuit - due to weather Hostel Patagonia told me they would call for a morning taxi to get me to the bus - and then there was no morning taxi, and the person at the desk was super slow and took her 10 min to call a backup taxi, plus she couldn't find a bag I had left for safekeeping and ultimately left without, although the hostel later emailed me to say they had found it but could not send to the US.
How likely is it that you would recommend this trip to a friend? (where 0 = Not at all likely, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Extremely Likely)
7 out of 10
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Patagonia?
Swoop takes the anxiety out of planning a faraway trip. They were very responsive to a variety of pre-trip questions, and the hike itself was great, even though we changed routes due to weather. It is hard to anticipate just how windy this region can be - we couldn't walk on relatively easy terrain due to 100 kph gusts.