January Reviews

Impossible to name one: Riding to the Chilean border from La Rosada outpost Being shouted at by a guanaco The awesome, sublime views from the kitchen window at Puesto Laguna 3 de Abril The companionship Getting back to the USA and smelling like a combination of horses and sheep

Walking into our Explora guest room for the first time. Unbelievable.

Our hikes and interaction with our guides.

Highlight was summiting on day 5 and seeing the glaciers. The landscapes were incredible, and we finally saw guanacos on the last day. The people were very friendly and welcoming of trekkers, and I appreciated their hospitality. I would tell my friends that they need to put this on their bucket list.

Driving into Torres Del Paine.

Almost too many to choose from...but the first time I viewed the Torres del Paine from Explora lodge in person I felt like my dreams had been answered. Absolutely breathtaking and I must have taken 100 photos of the same peaks in all kinds of weather and light.

My trip was amazing. The weather was exceptionally good with rain only 1 day. The mountains and granite peaks are unlike any other mountain region I have seen. There were some long days of hiking, but always balanced with a following less demanding day! We saw wanaco, little foxes, woodpeckers and various other birds. I really was hoping to see a puma but that is quite rare. The group we had was great. Everyone had wit and humor that make the hike all the more enjoyable.

The landscapes and the scenery are out of this world. We had a great guide in Lalo. Well organized and went to plan

Achieving all 3 legs of the W Trek and the experience of what those treks contained is what I’ll never forget. The experience of doing those from the Hotel Rio Serrano was also a real highlight.

Kayaking next to a huge blue ice berg, struggling upp the final rocky path and suddenly seeing the majestic Tres Torres rising above the blue glacier lake.

Hiking through all the different beautiful landscapes was amazing. After hiking up each different hill, you would come to a diffeeent area with a valley and landscape that was unwise that area. There is such a stunning variety in color of all the lakes, and the trail ranges from dirt to rock and suspension bridges. The W trek was a perfect balance of adventure and beauty. We saw multiple condors flying around the towers and a Fox trotting in one of our campsites. We got super lucky with out weather and would definitely recommend going in March like we did. We only had about an hour of rain the entire hike, and the wind wasn’t strong except during the first day. Otherwise the temperature was between 40-60f and was very comfortable!

Trekking from El Chalten

The highlight was the trek in the Torres del Paine national park. The landscapes were breathtaking. Wildlife not so spectacular as there wasn't that much of it. People we met were helpful and friendly especially our guides That they should go and have a look for themselves. No negative surprises only positive the scenery etc Viewing the three towers in thew Torres del Paine

I did enjoy the trip, though I was surprised by the group I was with. From conversations before I booked I did expect to be the youngest but for the average group age to be 40-50. On my group the average was 60+. Luckily some members were up for the more physical treks so I didn’t think my time was impacted by that. I was, however, roomed with a woman who was 70+ and we did not make the best roommates due to our age difference. Not enjoyung the rooming situation did negatively impact my trip.

I had a fall on day 3 and hurt my MCL. I woke up on day 4 having a hard time walking, but only had one more hike to complete the W-trek (plus another day to return to Paine Grande). I made the difficult decision to start the hike that day, with the intention of turning around within a quarter mile if necessary. I was able to work through the pain (which eventually went numb) and the hike itself that day was absolutely stunning. The viewpoint mid-way to Grey was stunning, and the final viewpoint at the Grey campsite was equally moving. Finally, we were able to do kayaking up to the glacier. The entire day was perfect and I felt a great sense of accomplishment for finishing the entire W and working through the pain.

There were two! Seeing condors flying below us from El Filo hike at El Chalten, and seeing the clouds part just as we reached the Base of the Towers in Torres del Paine

Hiking through the French Valley and being surrounded by the mountains and glaciers. It was also not very busy there, it felt more peaceful and we were able to sit and have a quiet lunch.

The trip was great. The highlight of the Swoop portion was definitely Easter Island.

The scenery throughout the W trek was continually AH-MAZING! So awesome and awe-inspiring.

We had so many that we really can't choose! But - we loved poincenot camp, laguna condor refugio, patagonia camp, and the base of the towers trek!