Trip Review of the W Circuit in Torres del Paine

Posted on April 23, 2012 by admin

Paul hiked the 5-day W Circuit in December 2011 and has been kind enough to answer our questions about the guide, highlights, logistics and Swoop’s service.

Where abouts did you go and what did you do whilst in Patagonia?
I was in Patagonia for less than a week for the purpose of doing the 5 day/ night W-Trek in Torres del Paine in mid/late December.

What were the top 3 highlights of your trip?
An unexpected pleasure of my trip was being part of a group during my trekking experience. It was myself and one other solo traveler plus a group of  four travel buddies (and our guide), and while I generally prefer to hike alone, it was nice to have people to talk to and share stories with, especially because people were from all over the world in my group!

One of my two favorite hike-specific experiences was, not surprisingly, the Towers themselves. We had GREAT fortune overall with the weather, there was no rain 99% of the time, and when I reach the Towers, they were slightly obstructed by clouds, but eventually the clouds cleared away for some spectacular views.

My other favorite hiking portion came when we hiked into the French Valley and then got to look back over Lake Nordenskjöld. It was very windy up top, but it was also one of the least crowded portions of the entire W-Trek which gave it some added serenity.

Also worth noting, my favorite ‘passive’ activity by far was visiting the ice field at the end of the trip, which was probably the single most anticipated part of the trip for me and it did not disappoint to say the least. You were up close to the glacier for quite a while giving you ample time to breath it all in and still get loads of great photos. The only sad thing was that when we just a few minutes away from docking at the end of the boat ride my hat was taken to the depths of the lake by a gust of wind…


How was your guide?
My guide (Cote Marchant of Chile Nativo) for the trip was absolutely amazing. It was my first ever experience doing a multi-day guided hike, and her knowledge of the region and general demeanor were A+++. The people in my group had a wide range of hiking abilities, plus half the group was stricken with a virus, and yet she still was able to keep everyone moving along at a decent clip. She was super friendly and helpful ever step of the way.

What could have made the trip better?
Aside from wishing I had not gotten sick, and therefore could’ve down some extended hikes by myself, I do not think I would’ve changed anything about my experience in Torres del Paine. My overall experience from the moment I landed at Punta Arenas to when I took back off was very well organized.

Did the logistics run smoothly?
Very much so. Considering my limited Spanish speaking abilities, I am very glad I had everything from my bus fare to/from the airport to my hotel accommodations taken care of ahead of time. It took a lot of stress out of the situation.

Would you go back to Patagonia? If so, where?
Thought my immediate agenda is to see as much of the world as possible, and for that reason I don’t see myself heading back to Patagonia anytime soon, I would definitely go back to the Patagonia region at some point to see other areas I did not get to visit during my limited trip this time based on all the positive feedback I heard from other vacationers during my time in the region.

What do you think of Swoop and the operator that we recommended?
Charlotte was very helpful in answer all my questions upfront and setting me up with a top-notch outfitter (Chile Nativo) for my trip. Chile Nativo did a spectacular job based on what I was looking for and I left with no complaints about their level of service. I specifically worked closely with Gonzalo of Chile Nativo when setting up my trip and he was most helpful.

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Cruise of a lifetime – Antarctica on the Cheap

Posted on April 18, 2012 by admin

When I hear the word ‘Antarctica’, lots of images are conjured up in my mind, but those that stand out most are icebergs, penguins, whiteness and standing in the middle of nowhere in complete silence. But Antarctica means different things to different people. Many think of its explorers and adventurers, from Shackleton and Scott’s failed mission to reach the South Pole, to the Norwegian Roald Amundsen’s triumphant voyage to reach both the North and South Poles first.

Many people visit Antarctica to see its haven of maritime animals and capture them in action. You won’t see any polar bears here, but you will see an abundance of seabirds, seals, whales & penguins that gather here in their thousands to breed and rear their young. Antarctica is also one of the planet’s last places of pristine natural beauty and it’s the largest single mass of ice in the world, stretching some 14 million square kilometres, making it 1.4 times greater than the United States.

Although top of a lot of peoples’ ‘Must Do Before I Die’ list, many find that this trip doesn’t come cheap. The cost of ensuring people’s safety in such an extreme and remote environment means that many ships charge a standard fee of around £10,000+ and what’s more, the season is relatively short for the operators with Antarctica shrouded in 24 hour darkness, and its frozen waters impenetrable from mid May to October. In order to avoid spending 4 days at sea, some operators have created an antarctica fly and cruise, which allows you to fly direct from Punta Arenas in Southern Chile to King George Island, in Antarctica. Although more expensive than other options, it’s often a good way of making the most of your precious time and particularly important for those prone to sea sickness across the Drake Passage.

It is possible, however, to do Antarctica ‘on the cheap’. A once in a lifetime experience shouldn’t have to cost the earth. If you’re looking to visit on the cheap, we would recommend that you take the following steps:

  1. Make sure you find a cruise that departs from the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, as Patagonia is just a short distance from Antarctica in comparison to many other ports across the world.
  2. If you’re travelling alone, the cost of an Antarctic cruise will be greater for you as most operators whack on a single supplement. If you can find someone to travel with either through Swoop Patagonia, social networking sites such as Trav Buddy or request that the operator itself pair you up with another solo traveller, the reduction in price will be mutually beneficial. Some Antarctic cruise operators let you share with another solo traveller, to avoid paying a single supplement.
  3. People pay premium prices to witness 24 hours of sunlight in December and January, but you can check to see if the cruise you’re interested in offers shoulder season departures. These are trips during the 4 months of the year between summer and winter that experience both light & darkness in Oct, Nov, Apr & early May.

It’s during the “low season” that some Antarctic cruise companies offer trips for a reduced price. For example in November, as the ice is beginning to melt, there may be fewer penguins in the rookeries but there are some fantastic discounts available. You can enjoy an 11 day cruise with Antarctic Dream taking in all the highlights of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands for all little as £3350, excluding flights.

If you can afford to stretch your budget a little further, you could cruise for 11-days at £3,900 on the MV Ushuaia which sails through, amongst other beautiful spots, the Gerlache strait where you’ll see towering icy peaks. On both these cruises you’ll stay in comfortable cabins, some of which have several large windows, but even the smallest cabins on offer have a porthole.

If you’re thinking of visiting Antarctica or you’d just like to know more about the Great White Continent, see http://www.swoop-patagonia.co.uk/antarctica/cruises/

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Trekking in Patagonia: Top 5 Trails

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charlotte Brown

With so much to see in Patagonia and so much diverse and conflicting information on the internet, it’s often difficult to make head and tail of all the trekking opportunities available in Patagonia. As part of our ‘Top 5′ series, we’ve come up with our top 5 favourite trails, after spending time out in the mountains, trekking in Patagonia. Think glaciers, lakes and stunning peaks and hiking in one of the world’s practically untouched lands…

1) The Big ‘W’ of Torres del Paine – Our first and favourite trail is a fantastic way to see this National Park in all it’s glory, and the W trek takes only 4-5 days to complete depending on your appetite for hiking. It takes in this Chilean park’s most famous spots; The Torres (that give the park its name), Valle Frances and Glacier Grey. With comfortable ‘refugios’ (mountain lodge/hostels) dotted along the route and plenty of spots for camping, this is a great way to get out into the mountains and trek from the east to the west of the park. One of our favourite things about Torres del Paine is the plethora of native flora & fauna you’ll come face to face with, from walking amongst guanacos to eating ripe El Calafate berries. Plus, the water is so clean that you can fill up everyday from the park’s rivers and lakes. If you want to feast your eyes on sprawling glaciers and granite peaks, the Torres del Paine W has to be on your list…

2) Laguna de Los Tres - A second and important trail to hike is to Laguna de Los Tres in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentinian Patagonia. The hike to this lookout is one of the main trails in the park and it’s not hard to see why. The trail leads you to look out over Mount Fitz Roy, the infamous granite spire that remains one of the most technically challenging climbs in the world. Although a reasonably easy hike (apart from the 1 hour uphill climb at the end), the spectacular view of the blue lake, the snow and Mount Fitz Roy behind it, make Laguna de los tres a must do.

3) Southern Patagonian Ice Cap – Looking for that spectacular and once-in-a-lifetime trek? head out to Chalten and get out onto the ice on a Southern Patagonian Ice Cap trek for 9 days, with the opportunity to summit a mountain. The Southern Patagonian Ice cap is the second biggest in the world after Greenland and trekking on it for 8-9 days is both physically and mentally demanding. You’ll be surrounded by white snow and ice and camp each night but it’s an incredibly exciting and rewarding way of seeing glaciers and mountains up close (and something you can brag about for years!)

4) The Full Circuit - 4th place goes to a challenging but less strenuous trek; the Full Circuit of Torres del Paine, camping for 8 nights in the national park. You’ll cover the same route as the W Circuit and also visit the northern part of the park, seen by on 5% of visitors to Paine. Along the way you’ll stop at Dickson and Perros Glaciers, possibly see the endangered Huemul deer and hike through Paso John Garner, a challenging pass that brings you out to look down on the sprawling Glacier Grey.

5) Mount Tronador - For another beautiful trek, head north to the alpine town of sunny San Carlos de Bariloche and the location of Argentina’s first National Park created in 1937. ‘Nahuel Huapi’ National Park is a wonderful place for mountain biking and hiking, and in particular the hike to Mount Tronador is breathtaking. As you follow the trail upto the peak, you’ll come to a wonderful amphiteatre of mountains before carrying up to climb Tronador itself.

We’ve got lots more inspirational blog posts about holidays in Patagonia coming your way, so watch this space.

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Volunteering in Patagonia; Alain’s experience with Conservacion Patagonia

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Charlotte Brown

Alain volunteered with Conservacion Patagonia from 8th October 2011 til 6th November 2011, which is the beginning of spring in Patagonia. We asked him about his experience of volunteering and what he did to help make a difference.

If volunteering is something you’d like to do, find out more about Volunteering in Patagonia.

   Volunteers doing invasive plant species removal work in Valle de los Guanacos

What made you want to volunteer in Patagonia?

I heard of Conservacion Patagonica and their effort to create a National Park in the Chilean Patagonia through the documentary 180 Degrees South. I admire the conservation work done throughout the world to create and maintain wilderness areas and visit them regularly in my spare time. Unfortunately in most places we tend to be just users, but Conservacion Patagonica lets you take part in the creation stage of a national park and exposes you first hand to all the hard work and complex social and logistical challenges that must be overcome in such an ambitious project. It being set in beautiful Patagonia is a nice plus. I had also heard you could drink the water from the local streams without needing any purification and I had to see it to believe it. Any place left on earth where that is still true was a place I had to experience, and it was certainly true.

How did you conduct your research?

CP does a superb job of preparing future volunteers for what they are to expect, what to bring, how to get there, etc. Besides that, web travel forums were a crucial source of opinions and suggestions from fellow travelers and volunteers.

Was the cost an issue for you?

I was backpacking for a few months throughout South America so cost was definitely an issue. CP charges volunteers US $20 per day, which goes towards your food, utilities, in-park transportation, etc. I wanted to make sure it felt like a volunteer opportunity and not just a paid work-cation, but after being in Chile for a while and seeing the logistics they take care of for the volunteers this definitely seemed reasonable.

What made you choose CP and would you recommend them now?

See above for the answer to the first part of the question. I would definitely recommend CP without hesitation, as it provides a deeply memorable combination of hard work with tangible progress, stunning natural scenery, and unforgettable interactions with the locals that are collaborating along the foreigners as one big family. However I would make it clear to potential volunteers that the work is physically strenuous, many times tedious and frustrating, and in the highly volatile Patagonian climate. It’s important to want to be there and to understand why you are there.

A typical back country campsite

What were the other volunteers like, many foreigners?

During my stay of one month I saw three different groups of volunteers rotate through, most of which were foreigners and evenly composed of Americans, Europeans and Australians. The volunteer corp is capped at ten at any one time plus the volunteer leader, whom is a season long intern at the park. The small group definitely makes it feel like a small family and you typically end up spending an entire month with those that arrive on the same weekend as you do. That said, during your work you get to interact closely with many other locals that are employed by the park to perform more permanent jobs, such as park rangers.

What could have improved your experience?

Staying longer! Valle Chacabuco is a place where time slows down and life becomes beautifully simple. I definitely wish I could have stayed longer. They wanted me to but I was due back home, alas! I can’t recommend any stronger to learn at least basic conversational Spanish before you head in, as this will significantly enrich your experience and level of immersion. The locals are eager to talk to you and share their experiences and knowledge if only you can listen.

                                Tracking Huemuls with one of the park rangers

Do you feel like you made a difference?

Definitely. Even though the task at hand is monumental, at the end of every work day you get to see your progress. I spent the first three weeks at the park camped out in the mountains one week at a time. We would rise with the sun and get to work pulling out endless kilometers of old cattle fences for eight hours with a lunch break and a nap somewhere in between. At the end of the week when our group had to hike back down the mountain to our rendezvous point we would find ourselves having to navigate the landscape instead of following a now imperceptible fence line. Every kilometer that we cleared out was a kilometer through which the native Huemuls and Guanacos could freely
move through. Besides the difference towards the park effort, the experience lends itself to endless hours of meditation and thought. There just isn’t much else to do but to perform manual work, hike, read and think!

Would you ever go back to Patagonia and volunteer again?

Is that a trick question? No really, I still dream from time to time that I am going back to the park and talk to the gaucho friends and fellow volunteers that I met there. I like to say that Patagonia and its people stole my heart and I must go back to reclaim. From the moment you get to Puerto Montt you start to feel the warmth of the people there. While traveling through the region I was picked up numerous times by locals while hitchhiking my way up and down the
Carretera Austral. People are genuinely interested in you as a foreigner and not just to take your money, and are eager to ensure you have a memorable experience while in their land, of which they are very proud. While moving around the area you can’t help but constantly think ‘I would like to camp there, kayak down that river, hike up that slope, explore that ice field, etc.’ Patagonia really is that beautiful and inspiring.

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Customer review of Hosteria Las Marianas, Bariloche

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Charlotte Brown
Anthony visited Bariloche in early 2012 and whilst there stayed at Hosteria Las Marianas, run by several generations of ‘Marianas’.
I spent 6 very happy nights at the Hosteria Las Marianas. It is clean and the rooms are nice. I felt utterly secure there to the extent that I left many of my possessions there for the 2 days that I went kayaking. They serve only breakfast but it is a good one.
Both the owners and the staff are really delightful; nothing is too much trouble for any of them.
Las Marinias is 10 minutes walk from downtown and so very convenient.
It is very good value and, without hesitation, I recommend it very strongly as a great place to stay. Thank you for booking me in.
Las Marianas is certainly a favourite of ours too, Luke stayed there last October and agreed that it’s a great place to base yourself whilst in Bariloche. If you’d like to stay there, get in touch with Swoop or book online.
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‘A Few Memories of Our Own’, Tim Moss Walks Patagonia

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charlotte Brown
We were very excited indeed when, in early December, Laura and Tim Moss contacted us about their plans to walk all the way across Patagonia from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Not an everday request at all, but for Tim and Laura this expedition is the latest in a long line of extraordinary adventures.
I was lucky enough to meet them in Bristol and look through the maps with them, however many places on their itinerary were new even to us. It was a pleasure to help out such bold explorers, and I’m delighted that Tim has taken a moment to share his story here.
————————————————————————————————————–
The word “Patagonia” will mean many different things depending on who you ask but I suspect in any game of free association, it wouldn’t take long before the words “beautiful” and “mountains” sprung up.
So why then had we decided to spend our precious time in the region marching along a dirt track away from those beautiful mountains?
Well, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 Or, for a less trite explanation, it’s because I enjoy approaching things from a different angle to get a novel perspective. Let me give you some examples:
After living in London for many years, my now-wife, Laura, suggested that we explore some new areas of the capital by following the route of all the London Underground Tube lines. We did it by running (above ground!) and not only did we get to visit new parts of the city and connect those coloured dots from the map, but we formed many new memories for places already familiar.
A few years prior, I went on a climbing expedition to Bolivia – a country with four major mountain ranges. Rather than going for the biggest and best mountains, we deliberately picked the smallest and least popular of the four areas because we knew no Britons had been there before. As a result, we were the first team to wave a Union Jack on their summits (metaphorically speaking, you’ll be pleased to hear).
Then, last January, my wife and I set out to walk across Patagonia. We didn’t know anything about the area. We selected our start point – Rio Bravo – not because it was a well known tourist destination with things to see and do (on the contrary, no one seemed to have heard of it) but simply because it was the only way we could reach the Pacific coast without crossing the ice cap.
It’s a pretty boring place – nothing more than a single building and a dusty trail – but it was disproportionately exciting for us as the start line for our adventure.
Similarly, we spent many days slogging alongside roads that could just as easily have been driven at 20 times the speed. Sometimes this was debilitatingly demoralising, undermining any purpose for being there. But it also provided a challenge and a sense of achievement at the end of each day as we rose to it.
We weren’t completely blinkered though. We did see some of the better known areas. We diverted our route to spend the first week walking parallel to the mountains on the recommendation of others and spent a few days in the stunning Torres del Paine National Park too – some truly beautiful areas. But it was nice to add to these well-known beauty spots, a few memories of our own, wild camping and walking on paths less trodden.
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Customer Feedback: Patagonia Trip

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Charlotte Brown
There’s nothing more rewarding than knowing that a client has had a fanstic trip. Thanks for your email, Michael!
Dear Laura,
We are just back from our adventure. Thanks for your pre-trip advice and sorting out the Torres leg for us. Thanks too to Charlotte and Luke at Swoop Travel for advice and contacts.
We had a great time with decisions, weather and logistics all working out well. We had all sorts of weather but crucially had excellent views of both Torres del Paine and Fitzroy. We also had wonderful hospitality and friendliness in both Chile & Argentina. We did two thirds of the “W”; the rest opened while we were in the park but there was no camping west of the French Valley, transport back was doubtful and we were advised to wear mouth scarfs because of ash poisoning. No thanks!
In Fitzroy we climbed Cerro Madsen (1806m due east of Mt Fitzroy) on probably only one of a dozen days when the weather would have allowed it (we are trekkers not climbers). We got a permit and gave it a go on 3rd Feb gaining the north summit. This was one of our highlights amongst a wonderful experience. The crowds were not a problem; it was busy on maybe three half-days but we did Torres late evening and got amazing pictures of Fitzroy as well. Everything worked well ~ we hired a car from El Calafate to do Moreno and, thanks Charlotte, Lautaro hostel and our hosts there were just lovely. Ushuaia was amazing too; we were so pleased we had included it.
Thanks again and I can certainly recommend you to anyone thinking about Patagonia.
Michael, Ben, Ju & Tony.
Here are a couple of photos that Tony was kind enough to share with us. We hope you like them.
                                              Climbing Cerro Masden
                                            Las Torres, Torres del Paine
 
                          Sea lions & comorants in the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia
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Antarctic Cruise Review

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Charlotte Brown

In February 2012, Ronnette did a 10-day trip to explore Antarctica in Feb 2012 on board the Ushuaia, as part of a wider trip round Patagonia and beyond. She talks penguins and ice bergs and tells us about some of her most memorable experiences on the Great White Continent.

If you’d like to read more about her trip to Antarctica, visit Ronnette’s blog or if you’d like to do this trip yourself, check out our Antarctica Cruises page.

In one sentence, how would you describe your trip to Antarctica?
An adventure on the (sometimes) high seas, that was varied, interesting, thrilling and awe inspiring.

Would you recommend this trip and operator?
I would recommend the trip highly

What do you think about Swoop?
I have found Swoop’s service first class too – you guys are very responsive and incredibly helpful.

How did you find crossing the Drake Passage?
The Drake’s Passage coming home was pretty rough, and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Going over it was so smooth we got there early enough to have an extra landing.

What was walking amongst penguins on Brown Bluff like?
It does quite hurt when a baby penguin bites your finger. More nips than hurts perhaps. A few hours later I still had a little bruise on the knuckle of my finger where I was bitten. It was an enchanting bite though – we’d landed on Brown Buff, a volcanic point and home to a largish colony of Gentoo penguins with a few Adele, some seals and other seabirds. The only place to walk was through the middle of the colony. We found the baby penguins quite inquisitive. whilst we normally kept 5m away from the penguins, here they approached us, so there was no getting away.

By the end of the couple of hours we spent on the beach, most people had had a close encounter with a penguin. A couple of the lads had baby penguins sleeping on them – one penguin became quite territorial about the warm “rock” it had found, fighting others off who came near. We climbed the hill to see a Snowy Petrel. It was deep in a crevice in some rocks. It was a bit like visiting a religious icon – everyone got to have a look for a few seconds before being moved on so the others can see.


You went swimming in the Antarctic??
The sea in question was lapping on the black beach of Deception Island, an active volcano in the South Shetland Islands. This beach is heated by the fires deep in the earth. Stream rose from the surface of the water. The air above it was freezing. It was in this air that we had to get undressed and re-dressed for the trip back to the boat. Weather wise it was one of the worst days we’d had for a landing. Cold driving rain and strong winds. We’d trudged through this to get to the crater of the volcano on another part of the island. The landscape was what I would imagine the moon to look like, but that the moon has less rain. The shoreline was the warmest place – the sea was very very cold, but the stones on the shoreline were hot, almost too hot to touch. So as long as you sat still and there were no waves from the boats, it was actually very pleasant.

How was Neko Inlet?
The Neko inlet is  beautiful. 2/3rds of it is a glacier, the sort which makes great big icebergs. These are made when the 200 meter high ice breaks off straight into the sea. We were warned that if this happens we needed to get away from the beach as a little tsunami might happen and we may be swept away if we didn’t make immediately for higher ground. In spite of this warning, I’m sure we were all preying for a major shearing.

We climbed a fairy steep hill.  It was worth the trek – even though it was overcast, the view of the glacier and the sea was fantastic. The true highlight was the journey down. The pioneers had carved out a toboggan ride down the side of the mountain. By the time we slow coach latecomers got there, it had become icy and really fast. I went down three times.

When we visited Neke bay, I broke some ice off an iceberg and brought it back to the ship for our evening cocktails. There are few things that make 6 year old Jim Beam better than drinking it with millennia old ice.


What was your top highlight in Antarctica?
I forgot the cold when a fifteen metre whale “crested” within 5 metres of the ship. Amazing. Another joined it. Lifting it’s head fully out of the water. It had little spots, I assume barnacles on its head. It’s underbody was a blueywhite, whilst the top was dark grey. It rolled back into the water. For the next half an hour they played around the ship, going under at times when we got to see their huge tails. Sometimes they behaved like synchronised swimmers, blowing and diving in unison.

They made a throaty snorting sound – called trumpeting and a very special thing apparently. They played up to the 80+ cameras trained on them. They ignored the excited whelps of the Australian guy declaring how incredible they were and shouting to his wife about how well they compared to the whales he’d seen off the coast of Christchurch. They circled the boat so that we all got a view. Then they swam off. They left a ship full of contented people. The poor old penguins on the island we visited once the excitement died down didn’t stand a chance.

But my other highlight was the people. Travelling alone I’d been paired up with the most fantastic room mate in Louise, a fellow Arsenal fan from London, who’d booked this return cruise the day she had landed from her first one. I also met some great people from all over the world, some of whom I know I will be friends with forever.

The people on the MV Ushuaia were more adventurer than cruise line types.  There were 21 nationalities in the 82 people on my adventure, but who all shared a love for the beauty and wonder of the Antarctic. More my kind of people.

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Books and films About Patagonia

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Luke Errington

So the trip’s all booked, you’re fantasising about the new trekking gear you should (or maybe could) get, and you’re hungry to find out more about Patagonia.

Here are a few recommendations that we think will inform and inspire you before your big trip, you may also be interested to read our Patagonia Guide.

Books

1. In Patagonia, Bruce Chatwin

Chatwin’s collection of stories about his journeys through Patagonia, written in 1977, is a literary classic. Whilst it’s not exactly an easy going travel journal with a clear view of places to visit and things to do, it does provides some wonderful stories about the characters that he met and their own history in the region. http://tinyurl.com/6w2ec6k

2. Patagonia – a Cultural History, Chris Moss

Chris Moss has lived in Argentina for years and provides an insightful view of Patagonia’s history right from the start. You’ll get a sense of Patagonia’s influence on everyone from its indigenous people to 19th century explorers, the Welsh pioneers and even Butch Cassidy. http://tinyurl.com/7dtzc76

3. Mischief in Patagonia, Bill Tilman

This is out of print, but you should be able to find a copy and I’d recommend it wholheartedly. Tilman sailed from Britain, through the Magellan Straits, and up the Pacific Coast. He then embarked on an expedition across the Patagonian Ice Cap east to west. A wonderfully understated account of what must have been a truly extraordinary journey. http://tinyurl.com/7p4yxqt

4. Trekking in the Patagonian Andes

For a more practical guide to hiking in the region this is an excellent refernce and, in fact, I still have my 1998 edition on the bookshelf from my first visit. http://tinyurl.com/7383yhl

Films & Videos

1. In Patagonia (2010)

In Patagonia charts the journeys of an elderly Argentine lady exploring her roots in Wales, and a Welsh couple visiting Patagonia . It is filmed mainly in northern Patagonia around the Chubut Valley with some beautiful shots of the steppe, and in Wales. It received mixed reviews, but the shots of northern Patagonia are stunning and we certainly enjoyed it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020559/. More about the Patagonia film on the Swoop blog. One of our partners runs a trip to all the top locations in the film – a great way to see the area.

2. Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2011: The Last Wild Race

The 10 day race may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but this is a good one to enjoy from your armchair. The race is run in Southern  Chilean Patagonia every year, through both iconic national parks and areas that are very rarely seen. You’ll be wowed by the landscapes as much as by the endeavours of the participants of the race.
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/wenger-patagonian-expedition/id498965561

3. A story for tomorrow, Gnarly Bay Productions

We only came across this beautiful short video of Chile and Patagonia today, but Charlotte and I were both mesmerised. http://vimeo.com/36519586

 

Of course, this is just a selection. Please do add your own suggestions and comments below.

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Why do we do what we do?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Luke Errington

This is what it’s all about…

[we recently contacted someone to ask about their trip - and have received the following reply...]

Luke and Charlotte – Hi!
 
Probably better if we talk as I can’t express my exuberance well enough by e mail to say we had a fantastic time in Patagonia both walking and paddling.  Not a complaint or criticsm of any sort but plenty of groans from my joints and me because every muscle aches.
 
The guys you work for are FANTASTIC and provide a faultless and very wonderful service.
 
It’s impossible to express the brilliance of teh whole holiday!
 
Thanks for all you did,

Our friends and family may think that we’re just in it for the trips to Patagonia, but reading emails like this makes us very happy indeed

:-)

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