Nikolas
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?”
Nikolas' Trip Date:
5th Sep - 19th Sep 2022
What was your most memorable moment?
First puma sighting!
Which of the following best describes your adventure?
Great holiday
On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is it that you would recommend Swoop to a friend or colleague?
8 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: Classic Santiago, Wines and Valparaíso?
10 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: W Trek from Comfort?
5 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: 2-Day Puma Tracking?
9 out of 10
Tell us about Explora
The facilities are wonderful as is the food and the stuff and most key, the LOCATION!!! But their activities don't cater for second time visitors in the park that may be looking for something different. We only used their guides and activities for ~2 of the 6 days since we had puma tracking booked separately. We really wanted to do the hike+boat to grey glacier, but it was unfortunately cancelled the night before as they rely on another company. So for our last morning (our departure was at 12pm) we really wanted to go back to the steppe area and Lago Amarga, but we had to start early, before sunset, to make it back on time. They completely refused to provide that flexibility because it was outside of their activity schedule. So after a very unpleasant last evening of negotiations (where they asked for $450!!! for this), we ended up booking another short hike. We ended up being alone with a guide + driver...so really, they could have easily catered to our request, but refused to do it out of principle. As the lady told us "we need to draw the line somewhere". Given we paid for a full activity stay for 6 days and used their activities half the time, and after the ONE activity we wanted got cancelled, the fact that they wouldn't satisfy this small request on our last morning and made such a big fuss about it on our last evening was truly an awful customer experience. If you put aside this black spot, everything else was wonderful.
Tell us about Torres del Paine
Tip: the puma trecking company should make deals with the few farm owners outside the park. If we were able to hike into those properties, like others did, our puma trecking experience would be 10 times more rewarding!!!
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Patagonia?
Go off season!
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
The hotel in Punta Arenas was under restoration (the bar/lobby/restaurant area) which would have been good to know ahead of time as we would have probably chosen to stay somewhere else. Also, in hindsight, I think when we arrived in Punta Arenas at 4:30, I would have opted for driving straight to Puerto Natales and stay in one of the more comfy and stylish hotels there. And then also cut down the long drive in half.
Was there anything else Swoop could have done for you to help you prepare for your trip?
Per #3, a little more brainstorming on better understanding of the different options/logistics from A to B. We also later found out that flights opened up from Puerto Natales to Santiago directly. We ended up foregoing out original flight and book new flights to spare us the 5hr drive for a second time. Last but not least, sept 18 is Chile's national holiday and we were in Santiago....that meant that EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED!!! We walked for 2hrs to eventually find an open restaurant for lunch.
Would you consider another trip to Patagonia with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to Antarctica with Swoop?
Yes
Would you be interested in travelling to the Arctic with Swoop?
Yes