The highlight was the shear beauty of the landscape - and the opportunity to experience it free from crowds, at our own pace and with excellent and extremely generous guides. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, great views and daylight until 9 PM...so we could take our time and truly absorb the surroundings. We met lovely people - not many, but everyone was in the spirit of the surroundings. I think my husband was surprised by the difficulty - but our guides were incredibly supportive. the most magical moment - day three as we got close to Cerro Castillo and the blue lake and the spectacular campsite that night! We will absolutely tell friends and family...and already have!

It surpassed our expectations! It was more beautiful, more challenging, more rewarding and more thrilling than we anticipated - all in a great way!

Yes

We would not have known about this area of Patagonia had is not been for Taylor Carlin - who steered me in this direction as an alternative to Torres de Paine. And I am so thrilled that we took his advice...it combined the solitude, spectacular and diverse terrain, the challenge and the length we were looking for. The additional days in Rio Traquilo were also excellent - particularly the hike to the Leones glacier...again recommendations by your team. I mentioned to Mary that the packing list could have been a little more specific about the need for water shoes - since we needed them four times on the first day! Also, it wasn't immediately clear that we would be carrying everything - that was fine, but because of previous treks with porters, we needed to ask about that.

Yes - the balance of support was great. I had a lot of questions and both Taylor and Mary were always responsive and came up with creative solutions. The team on the ground was just great - they had all the supplies we needed, which meant we didn't have to carry sleeping bags from the US. The equipment was excellent - we loved our tent and sleeping bags!! We felt that the team on the ground, Senderos Patagonia, were truly experts on the area and the region - as well as expert trekkers.

I came to love Chile and definitely want to return to discover more of Patagonia. We were extremely aware of the impact of climate change and have thought a lot about what we can do in our personal lives to limit our carbon emissions. I loved carrying everything in and out and camping - although I don't think i converted my husband into a camping enthusiast (to be fair, I've been trying since 1988!)

You need less than you think! We probably brought one set of clothes too many. Waterproof boots are essential. I learned this on past treks, but I can't stress enough want a difference they make. Bring poles - I usually don;t use poles, but on this trek was glad I grabbed a pair from Senderos. Have good rain gear...we lucked out and only had rain the first day when it mattered the least...but our rain coats were great insulation from the wind.