We travelled to Patagonia in the group, departing November 16th 2015. I had waited a long time to visit and was not disappointed. There was a lot of travelling to do, but it is such a vast area, this was ineviatble and the long days by bus were limited to two on rough roads. Fortunately, the weather was good and this only enhanced the stunning scenery. Generally, the accommodation was good, Calafate is worth mentioning as I thought the accommodation was exceptional and staff extremely friendly- and had the best room views from my perspective. The activities were well considered and there were lots of opportunities to stop and admire your surroundings. Most memorable will always be the long walking days, because there was no rush and they took you to places of incredible beauty. Buenos Aires was an interesting city, with hidden gems for us, which included an area to have luch and watch tango in the day time. I would struggle to find fault with this trip, only that it would have been easy to extend and stay for longer.
Another tick on the bucketlist! Outstanding hiking holiday in a very beautiful part of the world. An expensive holiday, and a long way to travel, so it needed to be good. It was! This trip manages to efficiently fit in the trekking highlights of Patagonia with some sightseeing. Add on time to explore Buenos Aires and the optional trip to Iguassu Falls and you have a really well balanced, satisfying holiday.
We found the hiking to be easier than expected, but we did have great weather. We were surprised how busy the trails are - this is not a holiday for those seeking solitude.
Accommodation was relatively basic, but functional and adequate throughout. The Refugios in Chile are of a high standard - much better than European mountain refuges. Food throughout was excellent if you eat meat, possibly less so if you don't.
We decided on Patagonia as Sandy had been there 11 years ago and had trekked around most of the Torres Del Paine. Things had changed - the roads were all (mostly) completed and the villages and towns had expanded. The highlights had not changed and we were fortunate to have good weather throughout all the walks. The road journeys were long and dusty but an essential part of conveying the scale and size of the Patagonian Steppe. The reward of arriving at the Torres del Paine and Ushuaia erased the discomfort of the journey! Overall we were hugely impressed by the organisation and the leadership.