Dot
United Kingdom
Customer
Rating
10
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?”
Dot's Trip Date:
3rd Feb - 23rd Feb 2020
What was your most memorable moment?
I was unexpectedly moved to tears as we suddenly saw the moai quarry with unfinished/half-buried heads -The futility of human effort and faith.... and (if I can have a second most memorable moment) a cloudless flight North up the Andes with ice sheets, glaciers, volcanoes ...
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?
10 out of 10
Tell us about Patagonia Camp
Yes, lovely, brilliant,perfect... Need I say more..Martin even remembered my name throughout our visit... meticulous planning, selfless well trained generous hearted guides, super food...Wine...Welcome and good bye board, picnic lunch facility so you made what you wanted, they really fixed everything( even two days of perfect weather!!)
Tell us about the Atacama
Yes but it is a more subtle environment- muted colours, heat, Interpreted by Pilar our pitch-perfect guide we learnt, were amazed,and delighted- even getting up at 4.30 am to plunge into 30C water in -3C air was great. Austere, handsome landscape, San Pedro a cowboy-tourist town, or is that a tourist-cowboy town? Copper and Lithium!
Tell us about Torres del Paine
When your guide tells you there is one cloudless, calm, hot day in 100, and we got two on successive days .. that is Absolute Luck, so our memories are tinged with gratitude and coloured by rose-tinted specs. We also had a typically gale -force, walk cancelling grim day, with hardly any glimpses of the mountains, and wore ALL our clothes. To go to such a wild place you have to drive- don't resent the journey time (we were nearly blown off the road), but to then have such responsible luxury, enthusiastic support staff, and dedicated cheery guides was a wonder. Hurrah!
Tell us about the Chilean Lakes
We had a damp bird watching day which was excellent, and enjoyed a walk along the lake .. needed longer to really open up all the activities and beauty of this vast area.
Tell us about Easter Island
How different is Rapa Nui from the rest of Chile!! Don't go to Hawaii.. this is like Polynesia 50 years ago I suspect. I walked around with a smile on my face. Lovely hotel made a difference too..Hare Nua, convenient, small, friendly- our names written up at our breakfast table.. Worth the journey- wept at the moai stranded an the quarry slopes ( the highlight !)
Tell us about the trekking
Nacho at Patagonia camp... the atomic ant.. although I was last on our fast and furious walk to Grey glacier, he was the best trekking guide ever subsequently- Safe/challenging/committed to his guests/ambitious for the camp/ sensitive/ encouraging/informative/generous...
Tell us about the road trip
Chiloe self drive - gentle, Irish -type of countryside, plus churches, stilt houses/palafitos Boutique hotel Sigizia Excellent5* lonely beaches, Once again a real success
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Patagonia?
.Not really - you do it all so well, and adapted your usual sphere of effort (Patagonia) to encompass our wider Chilean trip seamlessly. . . We liked the people we met very much, and they spoke about their concerns for the future
Has your experience changed your perspective in any way?
Yes- Politically we're more alert to Chile's future, because we met people we liked. Yes- Historically we learnt about vulcanicity, glaciology, Darwin and Fitzroy, and a lot more besides. Yes- Global warming is clearly changing remote and beautiful places. Yes-Youth is courageous. Yes- Animism has a point! Lonely and wild places affect the spirit.
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
Sorry No... All excellent.. I know this isn't helpful but we had such a great time , and it felt like a holiday .