Patagonian Highlights

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving at the base of Torres del Paine - thanks to J.P. our guide!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Luciano was great. Very knowledgeable and he always had a solutions to unexpected issues, such as several of our group removed from our flight from Ushuaia. He also had many great suggestions for activities.

Most Inspirational Moment

Hard to narrow it down but Fitzroy Base Camp & Torres del Paine were pretty spectacular

Thoughts on Group Leader

Pepe was fantastic!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dress in layers and bring protection from the wind.

Most Inspirational Moment

Perito Moreno Glacier

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tomas Toro was very supportive and helpful

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prepare well before holiday to enjoy it fully . For many weeks before the start of our holiday we walked for 2 hours in morning and 2 hours in evening whenever we could . However , this was not enough aswe practiced on flat ground and we found it tough walking uphill in Patagonia . Be prepared for very strong gusts of wind .

Most Inspirational Moment

Completing Torres del Paine Hike

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant , just the best.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't take too many US dollars most places take credit cards

Most Inspirational Moment

The challenge of walking upto the lake next to Fitzroy, and seeing it out of the cloud. Well worth the long slog up!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Tomas was just the best guide you could have asked for on this trip! He was companionable, thoughtful, knowledgable, caring and great company. I would suggest that you use him as a model for all your guides - no negatives at all

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be properly aware of some long journeys in the minibus on the second half of the trip. Also that the two 'long hikes' are definitely only for serious walkers and can't really be classed as 'moderate' due to their duration and steepness in parts

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the Torres del Paine Trek.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Luciano was very caring and diligent, amusing and knowledgeable. We all enjoyed his company and he made sure our holiday was a success. He communicated with us well. Good wine knowledge too!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't underestimate the trek to Fitzroy base camp. For us the day was very long and very hot. Make sure you are properly fit and well enough to do this. Some in our group were not. Buy snacks, fruit etc when you see it because it's not always easy to find. Keep it ready for your hiking days.

Most Inspirational Moment

Mount Fitzroy Moreno Glacier Penguins Iguazu Falls The views generally

Thoughts on Group Leader

The best. Exodus is lucky to have him. Don’t lose him whatever you do.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Couple of tips. When walking ten hours - Mount Fitzroy take a water pack ie a tube that you can sip on frequently. I got heat stroke that day and think this would have been a much better idea to keep permanently hydrated. Of sun out that day. Keep back of neck cool with damp cloth which you can regularly dip in all the streams you pass climbing up. Lots of snacks for energy. Also if exodus are to stay in Puerto Natales again as we did. There is a wonderful museum at the. Hotel Singular And the most amazing lunch. 5 star it was amazing . Some people might not want to climb Torres Del Paine like me and this is brilliant. The hotel is so unique . Something you might find in Europe and it is built in old meat packing factory but has kept it authentic and the history there is really interesting. Museum attached . Also another museum in port natales as well which is interesting.

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to pick out one as the whole trip was inspirational. The first sight of Mount Fitzroy, the Moreno Glacier with the thrill of seeing it calving, crossing the Magellan Straits, a 'navigation' on Beagle Sound almost within touching distance of basking seals and penguin colonies with a the solitary King Pengiun in their midst. Birdwatching opportunities everywhere, beautiful spring flowers, the immensity of the steppes. And then just being there, down at the 'Fin del Mundo.'

Thoughts on Group Leader

Xavier was excellent. He was cheerful, knowledgeable and very efficient. One of the main reasons I travel with Exodus is the quality of the local group leaders and Xavier was certainly one of the best. I could not recommend him more highly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip notes say 'while the trip is graded moderate we recommend you have a reasonably good level of fitness to really enjoy the hiking opportunities available.' The two long walks - the one at El Chalten was 23km are serious hikes with significant climbing. I am over 70 but more than reasonably fit, used to hiking long distances and skiing, but the final stage of that climb was obviously going to be very challenging so I gave it a miss (perfectly possible to do that) meaning I only had an exhilarating 20km with most of the staggeringly beautiful views and only moderate climbs to deal with. The second long walk was going to be to base camp at Torres del Paine in Chile. My guide book written by locals said this was very steep and only recommendable for 'those who are physically very fit'. A strike by local National Park staff meant walk was unavailable much to the disappointment of the serious hikers amongst us but the alternative second walk was clearly going to be equally challenging so I gave it a miss, but easily found other things to do around Puerto Natales. I think these walks should be flagged up as the challenging hikes that they are.

Most Inspirational Moment

Fitzroy & Torres Del Paine hike are difficult but the views when you get to the top are amazing!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Xavier was an excellent guide - one of the best I've had. He was very knowledgable about the history of Argentina in all the areas that we visited. He was always upbeat & calm - especially during the COVID-19 outbreak he ensured that we were well informed for our travel back home. The whole trip was very well organised with no disappointments!!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hikes are long and difficult, Be prepared for all weather; take good gear and be prepared to use it! There are some long travel days which can't be avoided if you want to experience the best of Patagonia so bring a book or download some movies / music / podcasts in advance for the coach journeys.

Most Inspirational Moment

Three top days. 1 - The Mount Fitzroy Massif. It's s gentle walk apart from the ascent up the morraine (about 400m in 1 km which is tough). We had great weather and the views at the top make it worthwhile. The guides are supportive and encouraging. Expect to see condors and be refreshed by topping up your water bottle from glacial streams. 2 - The Perito Merino glacier. We were mesmerised by watching the glacier and saw a couple of carvings which sounded like gunshots. This is a relaxing day as you can go as far or little on the balconies to observe the glacier. Again we had fab weather which helps but isn't essential on this day. 3 - The Torres del Paine. We would say this is challenging in terms of the length of the walk and the climb at the end but oh boy is it worth it! If you are in doubt about your fitness level I wouldn't worry so long as you have staying power. Again the guides are patient and will go at your pace. We were really lucky with the weather again and the scenery at the top is amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Luciano was very enthusiastic and helped to make each day as rewarding as possible. He will make arrangements for those who don't want to walk and gives you alternative options. He was always there to help with any problems and advise on good restaurants. He's a meat man and loves his steak and will help you out with ordering if needed. He speaks a little quickly so you might have to ask him to repeat himself sometimes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We went out a couple of days earlier than the rest of the group and had 2 days in Buenos Aires. We're glad we did this so that we could adjust to the time difference, get over the travelling and see something of BA before we flew down to El Calafate. Be prepared for WIND+++. Patagonia is like no other place I've ever been for experiencing wind. Although we had good weather you should expect rain, hail, snow and sunshine all in one day so make sure you have appropriate gear. There's not a lot of down time on the holiday but if you're prepared for that it's not a problem. We didn't get the option of walking on the glacier but had a lovely boat trip instead to see 2 waterfalls fed by glaciers. If you do this trip you don't need to do the optional afternoon boat trip on the day that you visit the Perito Moreno glacier. We found that most places in Argentina and Chile take credit cards and US dollars although you should be aware of the exchange rate to ensure you're getting a good deal. We changed our US dollars to Argentinian pesos at the airport on arrival for a reasonable exchange rate. You don't need many Chilean pesos and again you can get these when you cross the border into Chile. Chile tends to be more expensive than Argentina. It's usually better value to buy 1 bottle of wine between 2 of you in Argentina than 2 large glasses! If you're eating a steak ask for a tenderloin (our fillet). It can be divided between 2 of you if one steak is too big. The only reason we've given the holiday 4 starts instead of five is because we thought the food would be of a higher standard and one of the hostels had very dirty linen. However, this was changed immediately when we complained. If it was just based on scenery we would have given five stars. Although we saw lots of guanacos, horses, sheep and cows, it's not a holiday where you're going to spot a lot of wildlife.