Impossible to pick just one! Cerro Torre lookout? Laguna de los Tres? Reaching the glacier at Aquas Arriba Lodge? The spectacular underwater calving at Perino Moreno glacier? The adorable penguins in Ushuaia? It was ALL amazing! I must say something here - Natascha told us we must not miss Aquas Arriba & so we planned our trip around the available dates there! She was SO RIGHT! It is a magical, special retreat & we both cried when we left. Natascha I am so very thankful to you - being able to take my daughter to such a place makes my heart sing. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I wish we had stayed another day - as you suggested (!) & skipped a day in Ushuaia.

Life changing

Yes

We loved El Chalten. If felt like a frontier town. When we arrived, my daughter went for a run along the main street & out of the town & it was perfect. Our hotel was really lovely. All the people we met were happy & helpful. The pub, ice cream shop, & the little restaurant we went to off the main street were all great. I would have liked to stay longer. There was a happy, fun, 'enjoy life' feeling. Yes, there were tourists, but they were young & happy & there for a reason - to climb & explore & have adventures! El Calafate was busier. Thank goodness we lad a little boutique hotel off the main street. We went to the bird refuge & Jenny went for a nice long run along the waterfront so we did enjoy that Our concierge suggested two places for dinner & we went to both, quite pleased they were places with mostly locals. Everyone we met was friendly & helpful. It just felt too touristy for me, with too many souvenir shops, & I'm glad we were not there too long. Don't know where to put this - On our Perito Merino day, we could have done without the visit to the ranch for the sheep shearing & the lunch but I think others would enjoy it & it was fine. The boat rides were such fun & the best thing was that we arrived at the glacier late, when the big tourist buses were leaving which was a huge bonus!!

We only went to Ushuaia because I wanted to see the penguins. "We can't go that far & not go a bit further & see the penguins!" The penguins were magnificent! We absolutely loved the hour we spent with them. The boat ride over to the island was fun, the guide was amazing with her loud voice, control of our small group, & total knowledge of those gorgeous wee animals. I really wish we had flown into Ushuaia, seen the penguins, & flown out again. I found the town depressing & our hotel adequate. I can't believe we spent three nights in Ushuaia which I quite disliked & only one night in Chalten which I loved! The "treks" (nice walks) we took were just time fillers. I do realize this was my fault as I had mentioned the National Park to Natascha but it was a disappointing way to end a magnificent trip.

Yes

The trekking was AMAZING! We absolutely loved every single minute. In Chalten our guide Juan was simply fabulous! He knew everything so we learned all about the mountains, the flora & fauna, the people, the history, the difficulties - everything! At times I felt like telling the people we met who kept asking him questions if they'd like to contribute to the big tip I planned to give him! And he was such a lovely person. He had a difficult pair to take up the mountain - my daughter, a young marathon runner, & me, an old lady! And he handled the challenge with grace, kindness, humour, & sincere caring. We adored Juan. I also loved my porter, Austin. What a kind, thoughtful, helpful young man he is! He was hired to look after me & he did so with a mature & loving grace. I am so blessed to have shared my last trek with this fine young man. Then in Calafate we got another super guide! Pablo was amazing! Such joy in his presence! We were very lucky to have spent the Perito Moreno glacier day with Pablo! Oh the fun we had - totally because of this fine man & his terrific driver. Again, we feel blessed that Pablo was the one to share the experience with us! (This isn't 'trekking' but it's about the guide)

This was a BIG trip for us And we LOVED it! I am thankful to Natascha for her dozens of emails, immense patience, & wonderful advice in guiding us through the process! Jenny & I were so grateful to everyone along the way who were so very kind to us! From drivers, guides, assistants - everyone we met enriched our lives & made our 'trip of a lifetime' very special. Thank you to Serac for all your superlative, caring efforts for us. Thank you Reservas Tierra for doing your best to make our trip memorable.

Well now I know where Patagonia is! I'm so happy we went now as I get the feeling the area is going to have a "boom" - a lot of growth as people discover what a great area it is!

Just do it! I actually preferred it to Machu Picchu!

I think you did a great job. It's not easy dealing with people who know NOTHING about your area & don't speak your language. I'm thankful we had you looking after us. My only advice would be to help everyone, not only Natascha & the gal who looked after my wire transfers (sorry I've forgotten her name!), to be aware of how important clear communication is to people. The things you take for granted may be completely unknown to your customers. Repetition is annoying but necessary I think. One of the best things I got was the clear, complete outline, designed by Natascha, that showed us what we were doing each day, where we would be staying, the local contact, etc. I printed this & carried it with me everywhere. I have hundreds of photos but they're on my phone!