Patagonia is a land of unspoiled beauty—and, as many travelers can attest, provides a truly unique experience for many that visit the region. As traveler Carol Bowman describes in Traveler Stories, in the course of an hour, you may encounter all four seasons—whether you’re trekking through the icy landscapes near Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier or standing before the soaring, granite peaks of Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park.
But don’t take my word for it: Just listen to your fellow travelers. After reading through our online Traveler Reviews, I found that OAT travelers are simply captivated by Patagonia. Here, Margery & Erwin M., Thomas L., Sheri W., and Patricia & Mark E. share their thoughts about journeying with us to The Wilderness Beyond …
In view of the cautions concerning weather contained in the OAT pre-trip materials, we were thrilled to have better-than-expected conditions, permitting “once in a lifetime” photos of spectacular scenery. Even a landing at Cape Horn was possible! Our OAT Trip Leader, Pedro Porqueras, was articulate, informative, caring, and a master at handling the many details of travel in this part of the world. Our local guides were also excellent and the lecturers and field guides presented helpful, illustrated talks on the history, geology, fauna, and flora of the areas we were to visit on our zodiac excursions off of the ship. Attending the optional tango performance was a fitting conclusion to our visit to Buenos Aires and Patagonia.
Margery & Erwin M.
7-time travelers
Worcester, Massachusetts
Along with the main Patagonia trip, we went on the pre-trip to Easter Island and the post-trip to Iguassu Falls. We were traveling for 23 days, but came home energized by the amazing experiences.
Graciela Rubin, our Trip Leader, was wonderful! She was a great organizer, always ready to help with any issues or questions we had, and was insightful and interesting as she taught us about her country and Chile. She not only helped when requested, but stepped in even before we asked. Clearly she loves her job. Of all the OAT Trip Leaders we have had, Graciela was at least equal to the best.
Visiting Easter Island during the Tapati Rapa Nui festival was probably the highlight of the trip. We didn’t even know until just before leaving that we had lucked out on this. The group went to an evening children’s performance and we saw the children sliding downhill on a banana tree (it’s like a luge on dirt—and absolutely crazy), swimming races, and other events. It was great that Graciela arranged for us to get to some of the events. If you can take the pre-trip during the festival (the first two weeks of February), you will have a truly exceptional experience. This festival is non-touristy and really run by the locals—it seemed like the entire population of the island took part in the event.
There were lots of other exceptional experiences. One highlight was the home visit that we made in Buenos Aires—which was probably the best we have experienced with OAT. The woman we visited taught us a great deal about Argentina, her adopted country for 40 years. She was elegant and gracious in sharing her home with us. The interaction between Julio, the local guide we picked up at the Chilean border, and Graciela was also fantastic. Between the two of them, we learned about the quirky friendship between Argentines and Chileans.
The estancia visit was another wonderful experience. We enjoyed seeing and learning about life on a sheep ranch. Our hosts were friendly and lots of fun. Seeing the workers handle the sheep was a new and interesting experience, and the setting was truly fabulous. There was a certain amount of warning ahead of time that the accommodations might be less than we were used to, but that was not a problem at all. It was what we have come to expect from OAT—a true and fun adventure.
Thomas L.
8-time traveler & Vacation Ambassador
Vallejo, California
OAT came through again with a wonderfully well-organized and value-worthy trip in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
If you like undeveloped landscapes, towering mountains, glaciers emptying into the ocean, and unusual wildlife—like condors, guanacos, and rheas—then this might become a must on your travel list.
I especially appreciated that both easy and more difficult hikes were offered. Since we always had local guides in addition to our excellent Trip Leader, no group was left on their own.
As for highlights, one was definitely the expedition ship, where we spent four nights cruising through the islands of Tierra del Fuego to Cape Horn. The accommodations and food were wonderful and the sightseeing was spectacular.
Sheri W.
7-time traveler & Vacation Ambassador
Portland, Oregon
This is one of the most adventurous trips we’ve taken with OAT. We love to hike and we got our wish—and more. Hikes at Perito Moreno Glacier, Estancia Rio Verde, and Torres del Paine were awesome—not too difficult, gorgeous scenery, wildflowers, and wildlife—and lots of fresh air. Patagonia is not to be missed!
The highlight, of course, was four nights on an expedition ship. We’ve been on lots of ships, but the Via Australis is the best. It’s small, clean, had incredible food, and the crew was young and vibrant. We had five Zodiac landings and each was unique. We hiked, saw penguins and baby elephant seals up close, walked near glaciers, and went ashore at Cape Horn. Spectacular!
Our Trip Leader, Analia Anselmi, loves her country and was excited to show us everything it had to offer (along with Chile). We highly recommend this trip!
Patricia & Mark E.
15-time travelers & Vacation Ambassadors
Lake George, Colorado
Our Traveler Reviews aren’t the only place on our website where travelers have been sharing highlights from their Patagonia adventures: They’ve also been sharing their insights and experiences directly with each other through our new Traveler Discussions forums.
Here, Musiclady shares some of her favorite things about Patagonia …
Musiclady says, “I went on the Wilderness Beyond adventure. It was my ninth OAT trip and would certainly rank among the top adventures I've taken. It’s three trips in one: Buenos Aires, Patagonia, and the cruise along the Straits of Magellan and Beagle Channel. Wonderful scenery, great pacing (lots to do each day, but not too much), and opportunities to be as active as you want (for example, it was always OK not to do the entire hike). The shipboard experience is unbelievable—the crew go beyond all expectations to take care of the guests and are extremely knowledgeable about the area. We had the great fortune to have calm waters and not only got to land at Cape Horn, but also got to sail around it!
I also did the pre-trip to Easter Island. It was truly one of the highlights of the entire trip. We had two half-day tours, plus an all-day tour, and managed to see almost the entire island. Seeing all of the moai (stone figures)—including the sites where they were carved—learning about the history and culture of this remote place, and meeting the people … it was all wonderful. Also, go into town and visit a church (with singing in the language of the Rapa Nui), or just walk along the coastline right outside the hotel. I certainly recommend this trip—and would take it again, given the opportunity.”
If you haven’t already visited our Traveler Discussions forums, I encourage you to do so. Judging by the amount of activity I’ve seen on the site in recent weeks, our travelers are really enjoying this new feature!