Mariel
United States Of America
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?”
Mariel's Trip Date:
19th Nov - 23rd Nov 2022
What was your most memorable moment?
There are too many to choose just one! One of my favorite days was day 1, when we first got to see Fitz Roy on the way to Lago del Desierto. This say was when our group kayaked at Lago del Desierto, hiked up to the Huemel Glacier and into the forest surrounding Desierto. No one realized at the start of the day that we would be able to all the activities - we thought we needed to choose between kayaking or seeing Huemel. Thankfully we were mistaken! Both activities were so incredible, and the forest on the way up to Huemel and surrounding Desierto is something else - nothing like our group was used to seeing in the Rocky Mountains. Because we had a big group, we split up into 10s between the three activities and would see each other at the exchange times, enjoy a beer from the little snack shack and our very good bagged lunches. We ended the day at the lodge to have some tea or wine and plan the next day with our incredible guides from Walk Patagonia - Nico and Sebastian. This first day was just an incredible way to start the trip and be introduced to this beautiful region all together. Wish I could go back and relive it!
Which of the following best describes your adventure?
Life changing
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
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: Highlights of Los Glaciares?
10 out of 10
Something Else?
We felt bad that we had missed a special welcome happy hour that Swoop / Walk Patagonia had arranged. In hindsight, I wouldn't have said we'd be able to make it there since we were just arriving that day - many coming off the back of overnight flights to BA. I'm so sorry that we missed it and hope the food and drink that Zoe and team prepared did not go to waste!
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Patagonia?
Pack for comfort and various weather conditions; go for 4-5 full days if you can (we had 3 full days); if you have a bigger group, call ahead for reservations (or talk to Walk Patagonia)
Has your experience changed your perspective in any way?
It was a once in a life time trip because of who I was there with and the beauty of the region and our incredible guides...would love to make it happen again, but also makes me appreciate the uniqueness of it and the friends and family that agreed to go to the other side of the world with me.
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
- This is my fault because I didn't think through how our group would be feeling on day 1. The welcome happy hour ended up being too much; everyone was in chill mode when we arrived at El Chalten and wanted to hot tub/pool/hang at the hotel bar. By the time I realized we missed the welcome, the group was too far into their chill activities to rally. - Dinners: I didnt think through how this would play out (or maybe I was being too laissez-faire), it would have been nice to have a couple bigger reservations each night for the people that did want to eat together - something like two 8-10 person reservations and then let the people who wanted to eat on their own do that. Also one bummer was that two of us booked 6 person reservations when we were in El Calafate, but the people that booked them have fairly similar names (Saurey and Sabraw) and the restaurant just thought it was one and the same reservation.
Was there anything else Swoop could have done for you to help you prepare for your trip?
Maybe just a little dinner help
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