The landscape with vast open spaces, snow capped mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, shrubs with edible berries, delicious food and wine and world class hiking and horse riding. The light was very different to the light in Australia which allowed for excellent photographic opportunities. The wildlife was great. We saw an armadillo, but alas, no puma. I lost count of the number of condors and we saw many other animals including skunks, foxes, guanacos, rheas and domestic animals such as horses, sheep and cattle. We met no locals but the staff at the hotels and lodges were all delightful.

Patagonia far exceeded my expections. The scenery is spectacular, there is more wildlife than I expection, the accommodation was generally of an exceptionally high standard and the people were delightful.

Maybe

I am very impressed with Swoop's services and itinerary and recommendations of accommodation was fantastic. Our itinerary was back to front compared with most people travelling in Patagonia but I remember it needed to be reversed in order for us to secure a booking at Tierra Patagonia which was a definite highlight. I would have preferred to stay there at the end of the trip but understand and appreciate why it was first as I think it was booked out for the dates we initially expected. The standard of service was so high at most of the places that we became very spoilt and the accommodation and guide in El Chalten was not of such a high standard. The only advice which was a little misleading was the cost of the taxi from the punta arenas airport to our hotel which was quoted at 6000 to 12000 Chilean pesos. We took a taxi with a meter and it cost us 18600 pesos. I understand that Chloe arranged the itinerary and then handed us over to Zoe and it would have been nice to stay with her until the end rather than being handed over to a 3rd person. We didn't need to call for support as everything Swoop organised went perfectly to plan.

The mini ice trek on Perito Moreno glacier was amazing and sufficient. I am pleased we did this rather than the 6 hour hike on the glacier. The hiking to Fitzroy was good as the scenery is spectacular but the guide was not as good as those we experienced at other places. The guide ensured that we did not get lost but added nothing else to the experience. Perhaps we were spoiled by the excellence of the guides at other locations. The accommodation was average but I am sure there is less choice compared with other locations in Patagonia. The transport worked well. It was punctual and comfortable. We always had significantly more time than we needed which is better than being late.

Torres del Paine is spectacular and we loved the hike to the base of the torres and the french valley. No photographs can capture the magnificence of the 360 degree views. The hike to base del torres was very busy but the other hikes were much quieter. The horse riding was also amazing with well trained horses. Tierra Patagonia is in my top 10 all time favourite resorts. I loved paying for everything up front with the only extra on our bill the laundry. The guides were fabulous, the location amazing and all the little extras made us feel like royalty. All the rooms had amazing views, they were really comfortable and stylish, the food was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed the beer and snacks at the end of each hike. We saw more wildlife in Torres del paine than in any other place in Patagonia that we visited. I would definitely rcommend Tierra Patagonia and Torres del Paine.

If possible I would leave Torres del Paine until the end. The 2 nights at Estancia Cristina and Aguas Arriba were also highlights and highly recommend staying at both places. The horse ride in Estancia Cristina was the best horse riding of my life and I have been riding for 50 years!

Overall, I am impressed with the local knowledge, the reliability of transport and service provided by Swoop. I usually travel independently, booking everything myself, and outsourcing this to Swoop made my holiday much more relaxing.