Felt in good hands
Patagonia
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Jan 5 - Jan 24, 2025
We visited Patagonia in Chile and Argentina. Undoubtedly, Patagonia is the most spectacular environment I have ever visited. Biodiversity is still noticeable in that part of the world and I hope it will be forever preserved that way. The Andean Condor, Uppland geese, culpeos and guanacos are still common sight. I wish I had seen the timid armadillo!
It was suggested by Lorena that we rented a car to travel within North Patagonia and then Punta Arenas to Torres del Paine. The roads from Balmaceda Airport to Puerto Guadal and around Torres del Paine were unpaved or filled with craters in the paved roads, which made the driving conditions dangerous and so it became necessary to drive between 20 - 60 km/h. Nevertheless, the scenery in those areas were breathtaking! Also, petrol stations are hard to come by and we needed to make that planning ourselves. We were not given this information beforehand. A bus trip from Puerto Natales to El Calafate was added to our itinerary and it was not the 4 h stated on our itinerary, but 6 h. It was the most uncomfortable part of the trip, as we were crammed in like sardines.
In the plus side, all hotels suggested were excellent. My top picks were Lago Grey Hotel and Mirador Puerto Guadal, plus the food at the Yegua Loca restaurant. The best boat trip was to Spegazzini glacier.
Lorena was always very prompt at helping us when needed, even when we were still in Santiago. We felt safe under her care and she sorted issues very quickly. On the improvement side, the itineraries could have been checked a few hours in advance to avoid some of the issues.
Hotel Reviews
Stephan was an amazing host, always checking in with us to provide us with local tips on what to do or just have a friendly chat. The local chef was excellent and we enjoyed the quality of the breakfast and dinners. The best of all was the superb view from the cabin and the amazing nature surrounding us.
Incredible location! We could still see the glacier from our room. We saw so many wild animals, like the caracara, culpeo zorro and Magellanic woodpecker. It is a walking distance to easy walks in the forest through Rio Pingo and Grey Glacier. Restaurant staff were very friendly.
Good location and good facilities. A hotel working towards environmental sustainability.
Activity Reviews
The marble caves are really worthwhile a visit! The guide gave some good basic scientific background as to how they were formed and those not listening could still take some amazing photos of the beautiful geological formations.
The guide was excellent at covering the information in both Spanish and English. It was good to see the park rangers on watch on the island to protest the welfare of the animals. We saw other bird species, like the Upland Geese and Seagull. The trip to the Marta island was shorter than to observe the penguins, because we needed to stay on the boat not to upset the sea lions, which was sensible.
The guide was exceptional! She knew so much about the birds in the area. We observed several species and watched several condors fly!
When we reached the National Park, we could view the glacier from the wooden platforms from the yellow and blue trails. This was also during the time allocated for lunch break. After that, we took the boat to enjoy a walk closer to the glacier where we could touch it and even ‘drink’ a piece of ice from it. It is a real shame that these beautiful glaciers are disappearing as a result of anthropogenic climate change.
The guide was wonderful! She had great knowledge of the area and very happy to answer extra questions in English. Before we reached El Chalten, we stopped at the Hotel Las Leonas for a coffee, photo, souvenir opportunity and/or toilet break. And she stopped for two other photo opportunities on the way. There was only one hike going up but not for that long. The second walk was at ground level towards the waterfall.
This is a must tour! We loved it! The catamaran was really modern. We loved the iceberg sculptures. It is a real shame that these beautiful glaciers are disappearing as a result of anthropogenic climate change.
The trails were great but we were rushed throghout the whole experience. It was very busy with lots of tourists queuing everywhere. We also did the Great Adventure in the boat where we soaked from being underneath some of the falls! We loved that part of the day. Beautiful place and it would be great to do it without a guide rushing through, so that we can enjoy the natural surroundings. The guide should have also spoken in Spanish to the group member who did not speak English but he ignored her most of the time.
We only spent two hours on the Park and we were hoping for at least 4 h. We felt rushed again and could not enjoy the beautiful sight standing before us for long enough. We stayed in the Argentinian side so had to travel to the Brazilian side and be subjected to passport control, but we stayed inside the van and the guide handled everything. We also stayed in the van to enter the park as opposed to take their double decker bus.
Dear Bruna and Rod, I sincerely appreciate your insightful review and am glad to know you enjoyed beautiful Patagonia. We will take into consideration all of your comments to offer a better experience for future travelers. We are always happy to provide in-trip support to ensure a smooth holiday.
All the best to both of you,
Lorena