Klaus
Customer
Rating
7
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?”
Klaus' Trip Date:
28th Feb - 15th Mar 2024
What was your most memorable moment?
Hiking while surrounded by incredible snow-covered peaks and glaciers on all sides.
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?
7 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: Classic El Calafate and El Chalten?
9 out of 10
On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate your trip: Experience Paine's Nature and Wildlife?
8 out of 10
Tell us about Torres del Paine
Fernando of Chile Nativo was fantastic and made this portion of our trip a wall-to-wall thumbs-up. It was a real treat having such a knowledgeable guide and dedicated van and driver at our disposal the entire time. The hikes, sight-seeing and puma tracking were all excellent, with ample breaks provided throughout the days. We feel we got a real sense of what this terrific park has to offer.
Tell us about Los Glaciares
Bountiful and amazing, including being able to get so close to Perito Moreno from a walkway. Great place on the planet to visit so many glaciers up close in one trip!
Tell us about the Wildlife
Guanacos were plentiful, puma(s) not. Multiple condor sightings, which was nice. Handful of hares. Not really a wildlife-centered trip.
Tell us about the Excursions
Overall we were delighted with our excursions, with the exceptions as noted above.
Something Else?
Details on itinerary problems: March 2 - Walk Patagonia hike - our guide showed us that they were NOT expected to provide lunch or water, but itinerary states, "You will be provided with a box lunch by your guide". Luckily we had been given a bag lunch from El Chalten Camp, else we would have had no lunch, or had to make other hasty arrangements before starting our hike; March 3 - check-in at Mirador El Calafate was seriously difficult, as our rooms were reserved under "Betsy", with no last names - desk agents couldn't find our reservations and had to call their central office to straighten this out. March 8 - bus transfer to Chile - ticket agents spoke no English, but kept demanding to see our tickets and rejecting the BUS SUR reservation codes we were provided; finally found us on the bus list but rejected the online form that we had filled out for Chile, pointing us to a QR code that required online access to fill out the form in a different format, all with poor internet service. We very nearly missed the bus, which was already leaving 30 minutes late. This was extremely stressful.
Do you have any tips or advice for other people planning a trip to Patagonia?
Bring more layers than you think you'll need. Good raingear, including pants, are essential. Plan on a huge wow factor :) Bring a roll of two of toilet paper - it's always provided in the accommodations, but frequently missing elsewhere in public restrooms! Bring headlamps for middle-of-the-night nature calls. Microfiber towels (20x60") take minimal space and are terrific for wringing our excess moisture when you need clothes to dry overnight. Compact binocs are a nice extra when scanning for pumas, etc.
Has your experience changed your perspective in any way?
Not really - we're pretty seasoned travellers.
Would you consider another trip to Patagonia with Swoop?
No
Would you be interested in travelling to Antarctica with Swoop?
No
Would you be interested in travelling to the Arctic with Swoop?
No
Do you have any recommendations for Swoop, or feedback about the team?
Please make sure the details in the itineraries are clear and accurate. We were repeatedly troubled by language that suggested that we could pick from the full list of excursions, only to find out onsite that we were sometimes limited to one activity choice for that - do it or don't. This was the case at both Estancia Cristina and Patagonia Camp, and caused more confusion and disappointment. The language regarding excursion options must be more clear that not all excursions are available every day.
How prepared and excited for Patagonia did you feel?
Very!