October Reviews

One highlight completely impossible to single out; there wasn't one day that I wouldn't do again. Wildlife - the day with Marcel in Ushuaia National Park was brilliant as he 'inducted' me into the world of birdwatching which itself greatly added to the rest of the trip; but I guess the wildlife 'highlight' has to be sighting two pumas at relatively close range over a fresh guanaco kill as we were driving out of Torres del Paine on that last morning - a wonderful sight on its own, the more special for knowing that it's so rare, and we were so lucky, to see a puma at all!

The resort itself, the magnificent view, the beautiful weather, the guides and tours and service and personableness of the resort itself, the precious people that we met.

Highlights-- time in Bariloche and Torres del Paine Landscapes etc----immense and spring was lovely time to go with all the flowers. Also saw new born chulengo and Torrent duck family :). All Chilean & Argentinian people were great, helpful & friendly

I think we would both agree that the accomplishment of completing all the hikes, especially the Mirador Base las Torres del Paine was the highlight of our trip. The landscapes were so varied and each beautiful in their own way, stunning. We were lucky enough to have clear and beautiful weather, so we were able to see all the ranges clearly, which was fabulous. Our guides, the other visitors, and the locals were all really interesting and nice. The guides were all very knowledgable and conversational about their areas of the parks and were very open and willing to answer questions. We've been telling our family and friends about how this was a once in a lifetime trip!

Overall our trip was wonderful, with only a few snags. The highlights of Argentinian Patagonia were the Perito Moreno Glacier and the Estancia Christina in El Calafate, and the Fitzroy hike in El Calafate. The Perito Moreno Glacier is breathtaking, and easily accessible from the raised walkway in the park. We also did the boat tour, which offers history and closer view of the glacier. Beware though, once you see it, other glaciers in Patagonia will seem less impressive. Estancia Christina was fantastic, but only because we opted for the fossil hike. Others on the excursion had lots of waiting around and did not seems as impressed. Not so great- The scheduling from El Calafate to EL Chalten- we would have preferred a later transfer. With the sun setting so late, you can easily hike until 7 PM...therefore there was no reason to leave so early for Chalten. Chalten was beautiful. Liked the wild dogs and friendly locals. The Fitzroy hike was spectacular....we were on the trail early so it wasn't too crowded but I imagine during peak season it was be a little unpleasant as it is narrow and you need to step aside to let people pass. Our best meal in Chalten was at La Tapera, wish it had been recommended. Avoid La Senyera, worst meal of our entire trip. Australis Cruise- This was a mistake. After having days filled with hiking and enjoying the riches of nature, being confined to a boat was very frustrating. The boat itself was nice, the rooms clean and comfortable but the excursions were short and underwhelming and most of the time on the boat was spent waiting....waiting for a short presentation, waiting for lunch, waiting to get off the boat, waiting to get on the boat etc....The penguins were the highlight of the cruise but, we found out you can take a day trip from Puntas Arenas to visit them. That would have been nice to have known. Highlight of the entire trip was Torres del Paine. The Explora hotel is beautiful and the hiking on the W was the best we experienced. The spa, the guides, the surroundings were all unbelievable. If I could redo the trip I would nix the cruise and spend an extra 3 nights at Explora.

Incredible. Flawless. Personal. Our adventure was nothing less than a novel of memories. My highlight could never be just a moment, but rather a new lens of of beauty from the culture, the wilderness & the incredible people we met. The culture, deep with love and incredible care that you would not just see but feel the blessing Patagonia has to offer. The wilderness, the most dramatic scenery you can experience and the people, warm with compassion and incredible depth of care for their communities. If the face of God was reflected in the wild it would be Patagonia. It's said that true adventure starts when the plan ends and that was the truth of our trip. Of course planning such a detailed adventure you know in your head the risks you are taking but until your faced with the choices of change and the out of your hand shifts due to storms, the truth whether you love adventure or not comes to a refining moment. And though not all went to plan, all went more than perfect.

Getting up close to the penguins! Being able to learn about and walk through the area where they live was amazing!

Everything went to our itinerary. Highlight had to be a perfect day at Cape Horn in weather to die for. Landscapes were stunning and wildlife aplenty ( except Puma ). Chilean people were so welcoming and in particular the owner of the restaurant in Porvenir who took a photo of us Australians to hang on his establishments wall. We have already told of seeing 'mingos' ( flamingos) to my 3 1/2 year old grandson who was full of questions. Surprises were everywhere while travelling down to the Cape, glaciers that eclipsed those in Alaska wildlife to be seen on all our excursions with Protours.

Walk on and view of Perito Mareno glacieer Moon Valley walk in Atacama desert Staying at Explora hotels in Atacama and Torres Landscapes were extraordinary, as were penguins and flamingoes Guides were all fabulous Definitely recommend Patagonia, Atacama, Explora and Swoop Most magical: Mareno, Moon Valley, Salt flats at sunset

3rd morning at Explora Torres del Paine. Magical sunrise casting a fire red/orange/pink glow against the towers.

It’s hard to chose one memorable moment but I think sitting at the top of the British gardens view point after traversing the Frances valley was a key highlight The terrain was challenging and spectacular all at the same time. Seeing the blue lake in the distance and hearing the cracks of the glacier as it calves off small looking avalanches shards of ice was exhilarating. In conjunction with all those sites and sounds to be able to drink from the icy river cascading down the slopes was refreshing and so fresh

Completing the W hike. The W hike was not only a test of the body (and believe you me, this pushed my city-style body beyond what I thought I was capable of), but also of the mind. I attribute my constant smile not only to the overwhelmingly beautiful mountains and scenery, but also to the group of people we (my husband and I) were so fortunate to have met.

The weather was the best part as we got lucky and out of 17 days had about a half of a day of rain. Beyond that, the hiking and landscapes were spectacular, the people were friendly, the guides were wonderful, the food and lodgings were all spectacular as well.

I loved the hotel, The Singular. I took two day trips offered by the hotel, one the tour of Torres del Paine that was included as part of my package and another, a boat trip to the glacier and afternoon at an estancia that I paid for. Both were excellent. Service at The Singular was great, they remembered my name and greeted me whenever I went by the desk. The most magical part was seeing the condors at Torres del Paine as we visited a glacier. It was also magical just looking out at the spectacular view from my room.

This is a really hard question! There were special moments every step along the way, in every location. But….I would have to say that waking up around 6:30 on our first morning at Chalten Camp (that is, our first morning in Patagonia) and seeing the pink sunrise light on the peaks was my first glimpse of just how incredible this trip would be. And that was just the first most memorably moment! Truly awe-inspiring.

We had dinner with our guide and driver at the Serrano camp- we laughed and shared stories by a fire. The food and beverages were great and the company was even better. I was so pleasantly surprised to meet so many people who spoke English and translated for us. Our Chile Nativo guide was AMAZING- his name is Vincenzo. He has so much passion and enthusiasm for Patagonia- the land, flowers, trees, animals food etc. I feel so lucky that we had him.

I was especially appreciated the guide support on the 'moderate' hikes both at Eco Camp and at Explora. We had the ability to choose different activities (although many we did together) and everyone was able to do the things that they most wanted to do.

That’s tough, there were plenty. Probably being knocked off our feet in 100km/h winds on the final hiking day of the W-trek to the towers. After having had exceptional weather this felt great to see Patagonia in all its varieties. The guides were great at managing everyone’s safety and comfortability with the weather and we didn’t finish the trek but that didn’t matter!

The hikes and overall beauty of Patagonia was definitely the highlight. But the hotel and people we met were a close second. Everyone working at the hotel, from the staff, to the bar tender and waiters to the guides, were all so accommodating and gracious. We really could not have asked for a better trip.

Cape Horn on the Ventis Australis