Client reviews our Fitzroy & Paine trip

29th August 2008

A fantastic destination. Beautiful. You are in for a treat.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Crossing the Paso del Viento and seeing part of the southern ice sheet for the first time, stretching out into the distance. We all had open-mouthed smiles as its vastness sank in.

Dawn at Lago Toro, standing alone as the sky assumed a perfect azure and golden clouds were stirred by mountain winds. You forget just how wonderful the colour of the sky is until you get moments like that.

Mount Fitzroy glowing in the predawn with Venus and Mercury bright above the mountains opposite.

The vast open patagonian steppe with huge horizons and dazzling skies.

Walking on glaciers, ice climbing, canoeing, tyrolean traveres, horseriding. Good company.

There are to many to list. Every day of the trek was bigger and better. From the amazingly clear sky and view of the stars on the first night to the sense of achievement at reaching the top of dead woman’s pass on a very hot second day, to waking up at 4 am on the 3rd day to watch the sunrise above the clouds over machu pitcchu with a warm cup of black tea, to finally getting a first view of machu pitcchu from the sun gate, to relaxing in the thermal baths with a cold beer in the torrential rain and to saving the energy to climb waynapicchu after 4 hard days trekking.

The trek was just as mentally challenging as physical. But for me the most inspirational part of the trip was the group of people I was with. Each one of them contributed to making the atmosphere really friendly. I really have made friends for life.

What did you think of your group leader?
Christian, from Fitzroy Expeditiones, was firstclass. He was very knowledgeable on just about everything and keen to learn more. He was highly trained and experienced in mountain leadership as well as making everything run smoothly on a day to day basis. Christian had a very quiet and gentle sense of humour and made sure we all (6 of us) were well looked after.

Our other guides, assistants and cooks were also very good.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
This is a brilliant expedition. Expect lots of walking, even our rest day involved a 7 hour walk (at our request and one of the group made an ascent of the challenging Cerro Huemul with Christian) but it's at a steady pace. The terrain is largely easy, by UK mountain standards, but there were some exposed sections of scree, a few spots of scrambling and some long ups and downs.

Expect all weathers (we were lucky with only one half day of rain and one half day of drizzle that fell as snow once we were on the tops).

Make sure your hat will stay put in a gale. Bring wrap around sunglasses. Don't forget extra memory for camera and battery charger. A polarizing filter for your camera helps bring out the rich colour of the sky (and everything else). A good travel towel and thick thermarest make you feel pampered.

Be prepared for a few days living out of a smallish drysack - that capacity includes your sleeping bag and your sleeping mat as well as everything else you'll want for a few days. You'll have your day sack too.

I took a large Camelbac bag to keep me hydrated (plus 0.5l bottle) but everyone else managed with just bottles which are easier to fill from streams but more difficult to access on the hoof. The water was lovely.

The food is generally fantastic if you are a carnivore and even as a veggie I was very well catered for by the Fitzroy team - the meat eaters often looked with envy at my plate.

Be prepared for basic camp facilities at some sites. At others, be prepared for a pleasant surprise.

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