The 4-huts hike outside Bariloche - every time we got to the top of a ridge or peak and had amazing 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and lakes. It was breathtaking!!

Great holiday

Yes

No

No

I thought that the organization and coordination for the Torres del Paine circuit and related transportation was great! I did not realize that Swoop subcontracted out all of the planning services in Argentina to other local tour companies, so did have a couple of issues where I struggled to get in touch with the right person (for example, when checking in to my hostel in Bariloche, I was told that there was no reservation under my name, and then spent an awkward hour or so trying to reach someone by phone, email or WhatsApp to figure out what happened with my reservation; there were also some communication issues getting in touch with my guides in El Chalten and Bariloche). Those communications definitely could have been handled much more smoothly. I was very disappointed to learn that the trips in El Chalten and Bariloche were solo with just me and a guide, because I really enjoyed the experience of being part of the group for the Torres del Paine circuit, and as a female traveler it was a little uncomfortable to be hiking for several days alone with a man I'd just met (and sleeping in the same tent, for a couple nights). During the planning phases of my trip, the Swoop contacts said something like, there weren't fixed dates for those trips, but once my dates were confirmed, they would be advertised as "guaranteed dates" so that more people could join for those dates. I kept asking Swoop to confirm that I'd be with a group and asking whether the dates that I proposed would work for a group (especially since I had flexibility in my dates) and would be advertised on the Swoop website, and I was assured they would be. However, I never saw the dates show up on the Swoop website. Perhaps they were advertised on the local company's website, but at the time I didn't realize that the logistics were all subcontracted out, so did not even know to check. My guide in Bariloche was awesome and super personable, so that turned out well, but I just didn't get along as well with the guide in El Chalten (no fault of his - he was very nice and professional) and that really made for a disappointing experience. If I went back, I would book directly with local companies, as I think that would have been cheaper (I know the glacier hike in El Calafate would have been much less expensive booking direct) and I think the communication might have been better/clearer.

Pack as light as you (reasonably) can - I had a 46L Osprey pack and a carry-on sized rollerboard (which I ended up checking given the small overhead space on some planes, plus it was just easier not to have with me all the time). My trip was ~4.5 weeks and while I was often very grateful I didn't have a larger suitcase, I wished I could have fit everything into a smaller one! My sleeping bag is pretty bulky so it was the main problem. Also, self-service laundromats aren't really a thing, but all hotels/hostels have laundry services and it was very inexpensive to send my laundry out to be washed a few times. I didn't understand the "blue market" exchange rate for US dollars in Argentina until I was there, and did not really plan appropriately for that. I knew it would be helpful to have US dollars to pay for things in Argentina, but assumed that this just meant I would be paying at restaurants, etc. in USD, and that (like in the US) it would be harder to use larger denominations. Wrong on both! The largest bill I brought was a $20, and some of the exchange places wouldn't even take bills that small (the preference was for $100s). For those places that would take $20s, the exchange rate was worse than it would have been for larger denominations. My first city in Argentina was El Chalten, and many places - restaurants, convenience stores, barber shops, etc. - had handwritten signs on the door with the current exchange rate. In Bariloche and Buenos Aires, there were hawkers on every street corner asking if you wanted to "cambiar dolares por pesos". You just go in with your USD, and they give you pesos in exchange, which you can then spend everywhere locally. Some larger establishments take credit cards, but many smaller places did not, and you'll end up with a worse exchange rate than changing cash locally and paying for everything in cash. I also ended up getting some pesos from an ATM in Bariloche, and the exchange rate for the ATM was better than the "published" rate but worse than the "blue market" rate.