December Reviews

The highlight was the cruise around Terra del Fuego on the Australis. The landscapes around El Chalten and in Torres del Paine were exceptional, the glaciers were amazing. On the trekking part of the holiday the best day was when we went to Britannico

Our three day trek around El Chalten and our two hikes in Torres Del Paine. And our trip to the Moreno glacier was a close second.

The highlight of the trip for me was definitely the riding on the Grey III and getting to experience the Glacier super close up. I also really enjoyed the day hike from Refugio Chileno to Domo Frances. Even though it was one of the longest hikes, it was the most scenic in my opinion. The landscape was just mesmerizing. I literally couldn't stop looking at the granite peaks to the right and the turquoise blue glacier lakes to my right :) I was able to see a few animals. Condor, Guanacos and I spotted a pair of Gray Foxes. We were blessed to meet some really cool people. I ran into a bunch of people ironically that were from San Francisco / The Bay Area. We met a couple of British Couples, a group of Norwegian friends travelling the world together and I met a REI Tour group that had previously visited MachuPichu. I personally documented my whole trip with my iPhone by taking a bunch of 4K videos and using my Nikon D750 DSLR to take a bunch of photos. I also took this opportunity to journal as much as I could everyday and I hope to release everything in a blog :) - Also want to add that thanks to my apple watch. I was able to constantly record my hikes and track the journey of my heart rate throughout the trip. I think it will add a really cool layer of visibility when I share it with my friends and family. The most magical moments for me were split between two scenarios. I was blessed to have to of my very close friends join me and share many of the experiences throughout this trek. They were also much more conditioned than me and at times hiked faster than me which provided me with times of solitude. Being able to experience both of these moments allowed me to truly enjoy the hike at my own pace.

It was great to be out of internet range for a few days to completely relax. Even when I arrived at the estancia it felt as if walking onto a movie set. The peace and quiet and absolutely vast landscapes during the ride were mesmerizing. Felt one with nature

Watching my dad do the hike to Torres del Paine and getting to the top together.

The circuit trek in Torre del Paine was by far the highlight. The remoteness and the untouched nature were amazing. Both of our guides on the hikes were amazing! The simple and quiet beauty is what we will remember forever.

We loved Argentina and Patagonia. The views and hikes were incredible. Truly. The day and hike to Mt Fitz Roy will remain a lifelong memory. We did not see any wildlife - so I am sorry about that. The people were generous and warm and welcoming. Surprised by how closed down things were over the holidays - Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Things just shut down. Good to know if you are planning a trip to have other things planned.

Patagonia was full of the most gorgeous landscapes, wildness, and authentic people. We had adventures, ate amazing foods, and made friends that we still keep in touch with. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.

We loved our time in Patagonia and appreciated all the diverse experiences we had while there - hiking, kayaking, socializing with other international travelers. The landscape was stunning and our fellow hikers made for great traveling companions.

The trip was great. Unfortunately there was a bridge broken so we were unable to complete the actual W Trek and had to do one of the hikes 2 days in a row, which was very disappointing, but that wasn't something that could be controlled. The guide offered to let us cross the river, and half of the group wanted to but the other half was against it so it would have been nice to just have the guide make the decision for us instead of leaving it up to individuals totally unfamiliar with the area. Also the mandatory upgrade to semi private cabins on the 3rd night was very disappointing and inconvenient as the bathrooms were broken and we ended up having to trek down to the main part just to use the bathroom and showers. We got to see a lot of wildlife- including a puma, foxes, and guanacos! Very cool! The accommodations are in stunning locations as well and glad I wasn't camping!

Seeing condors and beavers, nice camp sites,beautiful scenery.

W trek was spectacular, all the locations were wonderful. Felipe and Hector (guides on W Trek) were standouts. Trip was exceptionally well planned and executed by the Swoop team and partners. Communication was excellent and we were impressed.

Hiking the Torres

Our 3 day, 2 night hiking experience with Christian was our highlight (although everything was so amazing-it is difficult to choose). The afternoon hike on our first day took us to the celestial lakes in front of the Fritz Roy. Absolutely breathtaking colors and views! We will always picture this moment when reflecting back on our visit to Patagonia.

Base of the Towers! Grey Glacier! Condors! Foxes! Darwin's Frog!

Everything was amazing! The Estancia was such a special experience that was so unique. It felt like we were on the edge of the world in the most beautiful place on earth. We also loved the big hike in El Chalten!

Kayaking up to a glacier in a lagoon near our campsite

Magellan penguins on Magdalena Island were super fun. The Explora Hotel offered fabulous views, activities, and fellow guests). Interesting time-effective tour of Santiago...loved our guide. Skorpios cruise offered fabulous scenery and close encounters with glaciers. The hotel in Punta Arenas was interesting and fine BUT the room we stayed in the first night (but not when we returned from our cruise) had SUPER squeaky floors, so ask about that when booking rooms. Tell guests that Explora and Skorpios provide water bottles so that we don't bring them.

Standing at the Albatross monument with Cape Horn in the background.

The stay at the Explora Patagonia Salto Chico Lodge and the adventures had in Patagonia were absolutely exceptional - The service provided by Swoop to confirm details of the trip with me were helpful planning the trip, in an area I was not familiar with. We left with confidence that all the details planned would come to fruition, and they did. We were seeking an incredible over the top experience with this trip and it exceeded our expectations!