Patagonian Highlights of Argentina and Chile

Our Clients’ Reviews

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Average Review Rating: from 22 reviews.

Christine Gau

PATAGONIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Written February 2010
I had a great time, with a great group of Exodus Travellers, the days were varied and gave you something new each day to look at, with varied landscapes to keep your interest.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Mount Fitzroy was the highlight of the trip and we were lucky enough to have a clear sunny day to enjoy the view.
At Perito Moreno Glacier we also had a fantastic day and happened to be all together when we had the carving that we had all been waiting for.
What did you think of your group leader?
Dennis was lovely, he took a bit of getting used to! but once you understood him he was great. Happy to answer any of our questions and when anyone in the group wanted something different he was able to offer alternative options for them.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take ear plugs for the refugio at Torres Del Paine!
Sort through your lunch bags before each days walk, as you may find that you have more food than you can actually manage, and seems poinltess to carry it all up to the top of the hill to carry it all back down again.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Had a great time and the mixed group that we had were excellent.
David Pond

PATAGONIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Written January 2010
A wonderfully varied holiday: boats, buses, ferries and some classic walks. A great diversity of beautiful scenery.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Trekking on the Viedma glacier
Fitzroy in the snow
All of Torres del Paine (especially the trek to the Towers)
Boat trip on the Beagle Channel
What did you think of your group leader?
Dennis was friendly, knowledgeable and experienced. 16 well-travelled people each with their own idea of what they wanted from their holiday is a lot to handle. He managed everything and everyone with diplomacy and good humour, and it was a happy group.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
We started each day early and finished late, but we did so much!
Be prepared for long bus journeys, and there are 2 long walking days (8-10 hours plus).
Weather: (mid-November) was snowing at Fitzroy, Moreno & Ushuaia, so views were obscured, and some activities not possible. However it was sunny and clear in Torres. Take plenty of layers - especially windproofs, and sunscreen.
Take ear plugs for the long bus journeys and the Refugio Torres.
Final day: Travel by train to Tigre, then by boat for a day exploring the waterways of the Parana Delta. Stop off in the suburbs of BA on the return journey.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
All our accommodation was very clean and comfortable - much better than expected.
But our hotel (Panorama) in Buenos Aires was unexceptional and over-used, the staff were unhelpful.
Ewa Warrick

PATAGONIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Written January 2010
It was an amazing trip. Both my husband and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Beautiful part of the world, great tour leader and a nice group. We loved the variety and flexibility the trip offered. We got to do everything we wanted to do and more.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
There were many. The top three in no particular order must be the Perito Moreno glacier, wildlife and lots of Argentine Tango experiences in Buenos Aires.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very knowledgeable and well-educated. Did very well trying to accommodate everybody's needs.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take lots of layers as it's extremely windy everywhere you go in Patagonia, which makes it feel much colder than the temperature would indicate.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The only thing that I was not very impressed with was the fact that despite indicating that I'm gluten intolerant before going on the trip the options most of the time were VERY limited. I spent many days survivng on just nuts and fruit. When you trek for 10+ hours it's just not adequate.
Also, on occasions the tour leader had difficulties communicating with the local offices, which was clearly very frustrating for him. He ended up telling us what we're going to do and then having to change it at the last minute. He was concerened it made him look unprofessional.
Yvonne Doyle

PATAGONIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Written December 2008
The Patagonian hightlights trip was fantastic - we fitted so much in, Patagonia is amazing and the trip leader and group were great!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
There were quite a few inspiring moments - 1) the trek in El Chalten to Fitzroy - the views were amazing and we had fab weather - the walk was lovely - and we had a great guide who explained all about glaciation and the flora and fauna on the way back - the lake was great - and we saw woody woodpecker as well!!!
2) Torres del Paine National park - what an amazing place. The accommodation for a hostel was great - the trek was beautiful along the river and the views at the top were beautiful. Would happily live here!!!
3) Ushuaia - southern most town in the world. We went on a bus and zodiac out to the island where the magellanic and gentoo penguins live. We were about a foot away from the penguins - they're sooo cute.... had a lovely hot choccie on the estancia when we got back also. The photos are fantastic!
4) Trekking on the moreno glacier... we went out to the Viedma glacier the day before and as it was windy we couldn't do the trekking on it. The Moreno glacier was gorgeous and trekking on it was fab!!
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader was Santiago and he was fantastic.. there were 16 of us in our group and every request, question and query was dealt with brilliantly. It could have been hard dealing with a group of this size but he organised everything great! Our bus broke down one day and within 10 mins we were sorted, no panic, no drama and we ended up having lunch in a beautiful restaurant in the torres del paine national park that we wouldn't have seen at all had the bus not broken down - every cloud....... We hope to keep in touch with Santiago as he became a friend to everyone on the trip, he also helped deal with the recovery of a lost camera - much to Carrie's delight!!! I would most definitely recommend him for future trips and admire him greatly! He had a great way with people both the group and everyone we came into contact with (i.e. locals and guides!).
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Go on this trip!!!!! ... Be prepared for a long bus journey to Ushuaia but well worth it. Layers are a must - although we had fab weather we needed our layers. Bring blister plasters just in case. We went to Iguazzu falls before the start of the trip and had a few days in Buenos Aires at the end - this was a great idea and we really enjoyed having the extra time both before and after the group tour. Although you don't really need spanish that much - it would have been great to have had some before travelling to be able to speak to people more. A phrase book is very handy.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you could ask the boat trip (glaciers) to change their music - poor Jane & Nora had to listen to Celine Dion over and over again!!!!!! (just joking!) We'd like to go back and live over there any jobs??? (only joking the landscape and people are great though!)
Thanks a mill for a great trip! :)
The hotel in El Calafate was good in general, but James got bed bug bites (as did a few other people in the group!) so just to note this for future reference.
David Griffiths

PATAGONIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Written April 2008
Overall a very good holiday - covered a lot of ground and saw an awful lot. Only downside was a LOT of travelling on a couple of days towards the end - but can't see any obvious way around this given geography, and it was certainly worth the trip.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Walk to Mount Fitzroy.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very knowledgable and personable - felt in very safe hands.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Even in pretty good weather in the Autumn it got pretty cold (mainly due to the wind) - be prepared to wrap up!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Accommodation was generally OK, especially outside Buenos Aires - while our rooms at the Waldorf in BA were fine I understand some of the party ended up without air conditioning etc., and the whole hotel felt a little tired (though the service was friendly). Also, the area the hotel is in is not particularly inspiring (v touristy and a little run down). Perhaps, cost permitting, consider relocating this part of the journey?
Generally, though very happy.
Greg Tebble

PATAGONIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Written April 2008
Really good group and tour leader, astonishing diversity of scenery, breathtaking views, excellent weather, much better than anticipated and Buenos Aires, up there with the best cities in the world.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Climbing to the Cerro Fitzroy base camp on a day of exceptionally fine weather.
Sailing down the Beagle Channel in the wake of Darwin and visiting the penguins
Walking around Buenos Aires and taking in the sights and sounds
What did you think of your group leader?
Knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, laid back and amusing.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take all your spending money in UK dollars and don't change any at the airport - the rate is significantly low.
Get Chilean currency. Only large places will accept US dollars
Even in Avenida Florida in Buenos Aires, a lot of the shops do not take credit cards
Most importantly, despite what you read everywhere and what everyone will tell you, Argentina is only TWO hours behind GMT and not three.
March proved to be a fantastic time to go, avoiding the crowds and enjoying excellent weather
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you ever get a chance to do this tour, grab it with both hands.
Karen Riddle

PATAGONIAN HIGHLIGHTS

Written April 2008
This was a fabulous trip which met all of my expectations. I would thoroughly recommend it.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
We were blessed with great weather on our trip which really made the best of all the fantastic scenery that was on offer. There were so many great moments that it is difficult to choose the most inspiring, but for me it was probably the views from Mount Fitzroy base camp, with the Moreno Glacier a very close second.
What did you think of your group leader?
At times I felt he could have been a bit more forthcoming with information on practical arrangements, but having said that everything went to plan and he was very knowledgeable about the local areas.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Do this trip!
Make sure you make the most of the optional excursions that are on offer, particularly the boat trips in Los Glaciers National Park and the Beagle channel - I would really have felt as if I had missed out if I hadn't done these trips.
Be prepared for small breakfasts and having your main meal quite late in the evening.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The standard of the accommodation was pretty good throughout, and actually much better in the hostels/lodges than the trip notes suggest. The lodge nights are spent in youth hostels, which were as good as any youth hostel that I have stayed in in Europe.