South America Walking Trips

Excellent trip overall. The itinerary is quite full on, but worth the effort as the scenery, hiking and sightseeing were all superb. Torres del Paine and Perito Moreno glacier were stunning. The hotels were all comfortable and well located. Special mention for the Hotel del Paine, beautifully located on the edge of Torres del Paine. Our in country guide Marcelo made everything run like clockwork, with good humour and positivity.

The perfect way to experience Patagonia. Full on but you won't want to waste a moment . Don't worry about the long days travelling - the scenery is magnificent and all the transport very comfortable - the "public bus" more of a luxury coach with loo and wifi. The boat trip from Ushuaia to the penguin island was a long one but stunning scenery and the boats go onto the beach although you don't get off. How many can say they've sailed the Beagle Channel... The Perito Moreno glacier was a highlight - do the boat trip to the glacier face there. We spent 3 hours wandering the walkways and it was difficult to tear ourselves away - We saw several calvings and were mesmerised. The Serrano river glacier trip was expensive and somewhat disappointing as weather conditions did not allow our boat to actually reach the viewpoint -worth checking on the chances of getting there before embarking on that trip. No refund for a reduced experience either. The Hotel del Paine is in a stunning location but check bills as they add a tip to everything , including the pricey packed lunch and excursion. The 2 long hikes -Bas de Torres and Laguna De Los Tres- are as described. Challenging but so rewarding. A google will find them on several blogs if you want to research. Don't underestimate the weather - we had clear blue skies for one and rain sleet and sun for the other! Really loved being in EL Chalten - a hikers paradise and would've liked another day there. Everywhere took credit cards - we changed $100 each to Arg pesos and didn't need any Chilean. USD cash accepted in most places too. Marcelo our leader was a force of nature from day one. His enthusiasm and excitement for the trip were evident and infectious. We knew we were in for a fantastic time from day one and throughout the whole fortnight that energy level  never dropped. He has an incredible  breadth of knowledge , from the geology, flora and fauna of Patagonia to the geopolitical issues that have shaped the region. I don't think a tour leader has ever made us laugh so much - a crazy Argentinean Italian who's love for his job was evident. He absolutely made the trip - the comedy love/hate for Argentina/ Chile gave rise to many hilarious moments making for a most memorable experience. All in all probably the best Explore! holiday of the 15 we have done, and we've done some crackers!

The trip was amazing. I appreciated the effort our guide, Elio, and the True Mountain Travelers put in to introduce us to the Quechua culture. The hike, camping and exploration wouldnt have been the same without them

This was a fantastic trip with a great group of people and a terrific leader. I thought the hotels were fine and well located. The highlight one was in Torres Del Paine with views of the mountains. The meals here were included and they were delicious. The weather fully cooperated aside from one day in Torres Del Paine. But this didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and our leader was able to adjust so we didn’t feel we missed out. Some of the listed optionals were not running. But I didn’t feel this effected anything as we were so busy and the catamaran trip to see the penguins was a highlight and we got very close to the, so I didn’t feel I missed out by not getting to walk on the island with them. This is a busy and very active trip that does require a certain level of fitness to enjoy the walks especially the last one in El Chelten. Hiking poles helped. I used my credit card in most places without issue. The suggested budget for meals and that is a bit low. Argentina, in particular, is very expensive and meals are not super cheap.

This was an amazing trip with great people, and we were lucky enough to have the fabulous Carolina as our tour guide. You see so much of the region and some spectacular sights and I would highly recommend doing the optional excursions. The only way to achieve this is to put in the travel time, so read the tour notes as they are an accurate reflection of each day, but you also get some opportunities to have some time to relax. If you can, the Iguazu extension is worth every minute.

This was an excellent, short, if intense tour. So many amazing highlights in this incredible country, crammed into just shy of 8 days. Every national park we visited was amazing; the optional activates varied. Major highlights were the hanging bridges in the cloud forest in Monteverde and the unforgettable Manual Antonio National Park. Our guide (Tyron Vargas) was absolutely outstanding (and our driver was brilliant too!). Tyron was unbelievably knowledgeable, not just about the flora and fauna, but also about the country - its history, its people and its aspirations. All in all, a totally unforgettable experience. His ability to locate animals high in the canopy wasnamazing. He also took photos and videos of the animals via his telescope and then sent the resulting photos and videos to us on WhatsApp, so we could add his incredible photos and videos to our blurred ones! Pura Vida!!!