Adventures in Patagonia

I had a fantastic time in Patagonia and I wish I could have stayed longer and would love to go back some day. The scenery is absolutely stunning and it was a really fun trip. Marcelo, our tour leader, was brilliant - good fun, very efficient, kind and with the patience of a saint! He went above and beyond on several occasions. All the guides throughout the holiday were excellent - especially our guide who took 3 of us on the day trek to the base of the 3 Torres. He was so kind. I recommend doing both the 3 Torres and the Mount Fitzroy treks. It’s hard to describe the feeling of getting to the base of the 3 Torres (which was the first one we did, so it made the biggest impression) and seeing that incredible, iconic view spread out in front of us. Also, do the optional Lake Serrano zodiac trip! It far exceeded expectations, the guides were great and the scenery (including the walk to the glacier) is beautiful. Marcelo rightly persuaded the whole group to do it. Some of the accommodation felt a bit average but all in all it was fine. The best was the hotel we stayed in at Torres del Paine. My tip is to budget to spend a lot more a day in Patagonia than the trip notes suggest. The figures quoted must be really out of date. The cost of food, drink, etc is on a par with, and in some places higher than, London.

Marcelo was outstanding as a tour leader, confidant and friend throughout the Explore experience. He was knowledgeable and kind, resolving all manner of issues with aplomb. He had a great relationship with the hotels and guides on the tour and always negotiated the best prices and experiences on our behalf. If anyone was unhappy with a hotel room or tour experience he went out of his way to seek the best possible solution. Explore is lucky to have Marcelo as part of their team and he is an exceptional representative for the company.

We had excellent ground services, on an excellent itinerary.

Very well organised trip, to a beautiful part of the world. Suitable for those who love natural beauty, remoteness, lots of trekking and a cool climate. we were lucky with the weather but be prepared for rain and wind.

Fantastic trip, one of the best I have been on. Beautiful country, amazing landscapes, lovely friendly people. Plus we had a fun group and an excellent guide, Marcelo. And we were lucky with the weather too. Yes, it’s expensive but worth it. Spend the extra to do the optional activities to make the most of it. Loved the walking with penguins, the zodiac trip on Rio Serrano and both the big walks. The days are very long but you can always sleep on the bus/back at home! Contrary to previous reviews I thought the hotels were all fine and the breakfasts were great and a good start to each day. The tango show we went to was in a small venue and great. Wish I’d added more time in Buenos Aires before the trip as it’s a lovely city and there’s a lot to see and do there - I will be back.

Saw some amazing scenery at Mount Fitzroy and Torres del Paine. The penguins were great at Harberton Estancia and loved the Perito Merino glacier. Some of the extras were extortionate for an already expensive trip. Torres del Paine hike should be included in the trip price. The Perito Merino glacier was best seen on land not by boat. Avoid the tango show or at least the one suggested. It was very commercial and again a ridiculous price. A more intimate venue would have worked a lot better. A beautiful part of the world!

Andres was an excellent tour leader and we had a great experience

Great trip with excellent tour guide despite long distances. Beautiful country side.

Amazing trip but long days of travelling. It would have been good for the explore leader to give a bit more info on the bus to break up the journey, for example about the history, natural history of what we were passing. Good organisation and arrangements but considering the price some of the accomodation and breakfasts very basic.

CAROLINA was a most thorough and helpful guide, really outstanding. I wasn't well on the trip and she did so much to help me. The itinerary was great and it was just fabulous to stay right in the park at Torres del Paine- the hotel there was superb with its dining/lounge room and wood fire. After the trip I stayed on in El Calafate and I would strongly suggest that 1-1/2 hours be fitted into the itinerary to visit the fabulous Glacerium preferably before all the glacier viewing to give people a really good understanding of how it all works.

Carolina Escurdero our tour leader was fabulous and went that extra mile for the tour participant's. One of the best I have had. 5 stars. The trip description as full on was accurate but could have said more about the fitness level required when doing the mountain treks as was challenging at times. Great trip otherwise would fully recommend to all

The trip was mostly as expected, however, the flight to Ushuaia was cancelled (no fault of Explore) which seriously disrupted the first few days of the holiday. Once we are fully back on the planned itinerary the holiday was great with the trip to the glacier being the highlight and an experience I will never forget. Walks to Torres del Paine and the bas of Mt Fitzroy were also unforgettable experiences.

Our Patagonia trip was amazing with loads to see and our guide Luciano was passionate about this region. Other guides were also great and we could see a lot in two weeks. However we faced flights cancellations which made us have a day delay in our itinerary and 3 of the optional activities advertised on the website were actually not available. I would still recommend the trip but be prepared for last minute changes.

Hugely memorable experience - stunning scenery, lovely people, food and wine! There was a LOT of travel by road but it gave you a sense of the vastness of the place. Our guides and drivers were all great - especially our tour leader Luciano who really made the trip for us and dealt exemplarily with the vagaries of the Patagonian weather! A fascinating tour.

All was perfect as always with Explore.

An enjoyable tour around Patagonia

Excellent trip with an excellent guide. The only thing I would change is the number of extra guides used in every location. I don’t think they necessarily provided extra value or information. The tips for the guides are optional but we had to pay for the tips in advance not knowing what we were going to get! I have traveled with Explore before and have never seen so many additional guides used for every excursion in every location. I am sure our tour leader would have been sufficient as he has excellent knowledge and capability. As a general suggestion I would recommend that Explore trains the additional guides in their use of the English language as their command of English was frequently inadequate and as a result it was difficult to understand their comments.