Customer Feedback

Holidays to Argentina arranged by Condor Journeys and Adventures

Instead of displaying only one-sentenced-flattering and useless comments, we decided to publish the whole message of out customers as they wrote it. This page provides you with valuable information about our holidays into Argentina as well as about our organisation skills and the feedback is written by people who experienced it during the past years. Our customers being international, comments are published in the native language of the writer.

David from Bordeaux, France - Aconcagua Expedition 22/12/2000
Malheureusement je ne fais pas partie des 6 qui sont arrives au sommet. C'etait un peu previsible a cause de mon manque d'experience de l'altitude, et ca sera donc pour une autre fois...
J'ai ete sidere par la qualite des services proposes. Jamais je n'avais ete en montagne dans de telles conditions!
S'il faut faire un reproche, ca sera peut-etre justement l'exces de luxe: je ne pense pas que les 2 nuits passees dans un hotel 4 etoiles a 80$ la nuit soient necessaires (je veux dire dans un tel hotel). Le prix de l'expedition pourrait peut etre etre un peu abaisse en preferent un hotel plus modeste. Je crois que c'est une opinion partagee par pas mal des membres de l'expedition pour lesquels l'Aconcagua a necessite un gros effort financier. A part ca, encore bravo pour l'organisation!

David from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Aconcagua Expedition22/12/2000
Je suis globalement satisfait de l'expédition et je trouve que tout a été fait pour que nous puissions arriver dans de bonnes conditions au sommet.
Je pense aussi que les nuits à l'Hôtel trés confortable sont un peu superflus, autant à Mendoza qu'à Penitentes.
Je pense d'autre part qu'il serait bon de prévoir un petit trekking lors d'une des 2 journées de repos à Plaza das mulas. Par exemple une montée à la Bonnete qui est un petit sommet à 4900m. Ce n'est pas fatiguant et ça pourrait compléter l'acclimatation.
Je garde un bon souvenir de cette expédition.

Margot from the UK Hiking in Patagonia 01/2005
Gilles,
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. The guides in Patagonia were fantastic (Ana the whole way through, Mariano in glacier park, and Andrew in Torres) but the tour operator really tried to shave costs and put some us in some really not so good accommodation in El Calafate and Ushaia [ Note, as you say later, that it was a late booking, and as in Patagonia everything is booked up months before, in some case we have no choice about hotels ] . K.... in Buenos Aires were not so good as they were constantly late picking me up from the airport. One thing that wasn't clear, was that when you agreed to shared accommodation that did not mean sharing with people in our group, it meant sharing with all and sundry - does not work so well when you have to be out the door to catch a bus at 6:30 am and your roommates are coming in at 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the morning.[ In the standart trip, participants are lodged in double room, sharing with 1 person from the trip. Only the economic version, we never proposes directly, offers that kind of shared accommodation]
Unfortunately for me I underestimated your warning about cold, windy, and rainy weather and was a bit short of waterproof clothing but I muddled by and had a really great time. Thanks for organising everything at such late notice - I had a lot of fun and met some really wonderful people at all stages of the trip.

Mike from Ireland Hiking in Patagonia 12/2004
Hi Giles,
Returned last week from our trip to Patagonia. A trip enjoyed by all seven of us. A great contribution to to the success of this trip was the excellent service provided by the companies you deal with in Argentina/Chile, as well as the help with the bookings from all in Condor Journeys.
Kallpa's services in Buenos Aires could not be faulted and the representative, Deborah, was most helpful.
In Patagonia, the guides Federico and Amber were top class, Federico in El Chalten and Amber, who stayed with for the ten days of our visit to Patagonia, ensured everything ran smoothly. Amber because of her long stay with us became a firm friend of all and her professionalism, knowledge and love of the area as well as her concern for our well-being made the trip a brilliant one.
We have no problem in recommending the companies you use in Argentina.
Thank you for all your help in doing the bookings for this trip.

Michel from Belgium. - Glaciares National Park and Fitz Roy Trek 11/2004
Nous sommes effectivement rentrés, le 16/12, de notre voyage qui s'est globalement bien déroulé. Voici quelques points d'appréciation.
Très bonne prise en charge sur le terrain (El Chalten), très bonne guide, excellente nourriture au campement de la Laguna Capri, un rien moins extra à la laguna Torre .
L'accompagnatrice qui accompagnait ensuite le groupe aux Torre del Paine était également aimable et prévenante.
MOINS
- Chambres "standard" un peu vieillottes, quoique propres à l'Hostel de Patagonia Pioneros(*). Je suppose que c'est choisi par C...... Comme nous sommes arrivés plus tôt, nous souhaitions un autre type de chambre, ce qui s'est arrangé à l'Hostel même. Entretemps, contact inutile chez Pablo Navarro qui ne parle qu'espagnol et contact utile avec le bureau de Buenos Aires. (*) il y a aussi un Hostal de Patagonia Libertador, même direction
- Information plus que superficielle et incomplète, donnée à la va-vite par la représentante à Calafate. "L'information" s'est limitée à la remise d'une liste d'affaires pour le sac et l'heure du rendez-vous le samedi soir.
Le samedi soir, il a fallu tirer les vers du nez sinon "tout avait été dit".
- Au niveau du sac à dos à utiliser pendant le trek, l'info fournie est confuse et induit en erreur * dans votre note reçue avant le voyage, on demande de prévoir, "Sac à dos contenant vos affaires pour la randonnée de plusieurs jours à El Chalten"
Petit sac à dos pour transporter vos affaires de jour ...
Or, la liste remise par la représentante prévoit un sac à dos à porter chaque jour comprenant TOUT sauf le sac de couchage et la tente fournis. Il n'y a donc pas de sac "de jour" au sens ou cela se comprend en trek.
J'ajoute que pratiquement tous les participants étaient surpris de voir ce qu'ils avaient à transporter et que beaucoup ont dû effectuer des coupes sombres pour loger tout le nécessaire dans le sac parfois "léger" qu'ils avaient prévu (ce n'était pas notre cas puisque nous revenions des Torres del Paine effectués en autonomie et refuges, donc avec un "grossac"). Il conviendrait donc de bien préciser ce qui sera à porter personnellement et qu'il n'y a aucun système de portage prévu pour de gros sacs. La représentante était absolument ahurie et ne comprenait pas quand je lui parlais de "l'autre sac". [ Effectivement des changements dans l'itinéraire et sur le portage ne nous avaient pas été fourni ]
Par contre, l'autre info qu'elle aurait pu/dû nous donner est que nous pouvions laisser à El Chalten, un sac avec des vêtements frais à retrouver au retour du trek. Pour rappel, nous avons encore passé 24 heures à El Chalten avant de repartir vers Calafate. Résultat : un 5è jour en vêtements de trek pour glander à El Chalten : pas vraiment grave mais évitable.[ désolé mais cette information est fourni par nous même dans notre carnet de voyage ]
* Les tentes prévues dans ses campements ne sont pas adéquates. Je suppose que C..... se dit que comme ses camps sont situés sous bois, le vent n'y sera pas trop violent mais il y en a quand même. Or,la toile de tente extérieure ne descend pas assez bas et le vent s'y engouffre et comme la toile intérieure est largement composée de moustiquaires, vous imaginez le résultat..[ les tentes sont de trés bonne qualité, hormis, je note, les jours de grand vent ]
Attention si, explications obligent, les moins dépassent en volume de texte le plus , nous sommes cependant globalement très satisfaits de ce trek.

Alicia from Canada Hiking in Patagonia 01/2004
Hello Gilles,
I know you weren't able to assist us in the final weeks before our vacation since you were off in the Antarctica yourself (hope you had fun?), but I wanted to let you know that Mark and I had a "Picture Perfect" honeymoon in Argentina. We enjoyed everything (except the Delta Cruise - too many seniors) and couldn't believe how seamless everything went together. There were very little surprises and in most cases we were surprised at how comfortable the hostels and camping was. We were a bit over prepared/over packed. The weather was amazing as well, in one month we had 1/2 a day of rain. No complaints from us only great big smiles!!!!
Thank you so much and we look forward to planning another vacation with you and your company. Please pass this along to Danielle, I seemed to have deleted his email address.
Thanks again

Rose from the UK. - Hiking in Patagonia 01/2004
Had a great time in Patagonia. Another place on the list of places to return to. Thanks for all the last minute letters. Hope your time in the south was as enjoyable and rewarding as ours. Yours,
mary & i are inclined to return. there was not enough trekking, more touring. we're not the city type. we love wild, raw country. we're thinking kyrgystan next. i've been canvassing more years.
in fact the whole group felt likewise. we had a great group. girl from rotterdam, couple from milan (they loved the snow & helped us with advice on how to walk on different types of snow), girl from brazil, guy from montreal, another chap from devon, UK, a smartass but really brilliant girl from washington.
please keep us informed if there are longer treks.
[Remark : This tour changed in Nov 2004 and there are also now tougher trekking in the area, more adventurous - check our Argentina page, hiking section]

Faiza from France. - Glaciares National Park and Fitz Roy Trek 25/01/2003
Hi Gilles,
Je suis de retour d'argentine, j'ai fait le Trek de 3 jours à El chalten tout c'est bien passé les guides ont etait très bien et la qualité du service impeccable

Anastasia from the US Hiking in Patagonia 30/11/2002
We had a good time in Argentina and enjoyed our hiking in Patagonia. The Hotel Waldorf in Buenos Aires was conveniently located for our sightseeing adventures. All of the taxi drivers showed up promptly to pick us up and to bring us to the airports for our flights.
The hiking from El Chalten to Fitzroy was spectacular. Our guide Guillermo was friendly, knowldegable and we had a great time with him. The group size was small (6 people) which was very nice. The campsight was wonderful and we were very fortunate with the weather. The campsite in Chile at Torres del Paine was also great. However, we spent more time driving from place to place rather than hiking, but I suppose that this is due to the immense size of the park. The food provided while camping was outstanding. However, our bus ride to Rio Gallegios was long and felt like a wasted day.[Usually people fly from El calafate to avoid the 4 hours of transportation, but of course it can be done only if you book rather early and do not wait the last moment when most flights are booked up] It was a shame to spend such a long period of time traveling just to catch the flight to Ushuaia. Our time in Ushaia was nice. However, after such great hiking at Fitzroy and Torres del Paine, we were a bit disappointed that we did not have a peak climb in Ushuaia. I would recommend that a peak climb be included in this part of the trip as well. Overall, we had a great time and would return, especially to do more of a circuit hike with less traveling.

Laurent from Switerland Hiking in Patagonia 13/12/2002
Selon votre demande nous vous faisons part de ce beau voyage.
Tout d’abord, nous désirons relever les bonnes relations et les bons services que nous avons eus lors de la préparation de ce voyage.
En cours de voyage l'organisation et la logistique ont parfaitement fonctionné. Nous avons eu des contacts très conviviaux avec les différents responsables et personnes de contacts.
En ce qui concerne le programme du voyage, les randonnées en montagne de la première semaine ont tenu toutes leurs promesses. Les journées de marches étaient bien remplies. Il faut relever que nous avons eu la chance que les participants ont rapidement formé un groupe homogène.
La 2 ème semaine était nettement moins intensive et il y avait trop de temps morts. Par l'arrivée d'un groupe n’ayant aucune expérience en montagne, le trekking de la 2ème semaine s'est rapidement transformé en promenade ! Cette situation à tout de suite crée une certaine tension entre nous, car le programme prévu dans la région des Torre del Paine, n'a pas pu être respecté. Cette situation a mit nos guides dans l'embarras. Ils nous ont dit qu'ils rencontraient régulièrement ce problème. Leur agence ne tient pas compte des différences d’expérience en montagne, et mélanges les gens comme bon leur semble [ En règle générale, il y a deux guides, pour les plus rapides et pour les autres ].
En ce qui concerne les excursions facultatives nous avons été très mécontents des prestations fournies par l'agence Upsala Explorer ainsi que des intermédiaires qui vendent l'excursion au glacier. les intermédiaires connaissent mal le produit. il faut payer à l'avance. lors du payement on nous précise que le prix est en US $.le payement en monnaie local nous est refusé. En fonction de ce qui précède nous avons émis le désire de ne pas participer mais aucune discussion n'a été possible. Pour éviter d'envenimer la situation nous avons décidé de tout de même y participer vu que nous avions la possibilité de faire une excursion de 3 heures à pied. Une fois sur place pas d'excursion ont nous n'avions plus que le choix entre 3 heures de camion tout terrain ou une sortie à cheval! Bref pour l'Argentine nous pensons que nous sommes en présence d'un rapport prix-prestation complètement hors norme. Evénement à oublier le plus vite possible.[ En effet cette excursion est trés chère comparé aux autres prestations en Argentine]
En résumé, ce fut de très belles vacances même si pour la partie physique ont était plus proches des promenades dominicales que d'un trekking proprement dit. L'hébergement était propre et correct. En fonction du contexte la nourriture était très bonne. Les accompagnant, guides, cuisiniers se sont donné beaucoup de peine et c'est aussi grâce à eu que nous avons passé de belles vacances.
Avec nos remerciements et nos salutations les meilleures

Nigel from NY, US. - Hiking in Patagonia 22/12/2001
Before departure...
I must say that I have been very satisfied with the way you have responded to my e-mails immediately, answered all my questions in an informative and friendly manner and arranged the trip as I wanted. So, I am delighted with Condor Adventures at the moment and in anticipation of a successful trip, I will be asking you to arrange more trips in the future. Your itineraries fit my inclinations very well.
...once back in the US.
Dear Mr. Gilles,
Thank you for your concerned e-mail, which arrived just after we left for Buenos Aires.
We had a wonderful and adventurous trip. It all started with the outward United Airline flight to Buenos Aires being overbooked by 64 people! So we flew via San Paulo in Brazil. The taxi from the Airport (we were too late for the prearranged pick-up; Tango reimbursed us the taxi fare later) drove us to the Hotel right through the demonstrators, the mounted police and the tear gas.. The Florida Hotel was excellent and right Downtown and suited us perfectly. So thank you for your recommendation. At the hotel, everyone was glued to the TV screen watching the riots, a bit like Sept 11th here not so long ago. Julian from Tango contacted us to check that we were all right. (we were). We walked the city in the evening and took the prearranged bus tour the following morning. The first part of the tour was through the Banking District near the Presidential Palace where the riots had taken place. All the banks had broken windows and City Bank was completely smashed up. The rest of the tour was a bit of an anticlimax, but a very good one, which you can recommend with confidence to other travelers. Transfer to the airport, the flight to Calafate and the bus to El Chelten all went off like clockwork with everyone seemingly knowing all about us. The hiking was spectacular, with a mixture of wild weather, which seemed to hold off on the hike to the FitzRoy when we had one of the few glorious sunny days (about one per week, if at all, they said). The Pandolfi part of the trip was fine and excellently managed, but we were alone as the Argentinan part of the group seemed to have disappeared. The Hotel in El Chelten ((Pandolfi's) was very good and Mrs. Pandolfi was supportive and attentive to our needs. The Hostel in El Calafate (Glacieres) was terrific and excellently run. The front desk was on top of all our arrangements and sorted every thing out quickly and effectively (see below) with a few phone calls. We did two side trips, one taking the boat across Lago Argentina past the Uppsala Glacier to an Estancia (farm) in the National Park. It was spectacular. Back in Buenos Aires, Tango looked after us well, changing our Hotel reservations, meeting us at the airport etc.
So this note is to let you know that the trip went well, despite the unusual circumstances and that the machinery you had set up for our travels worked efficiently and flexibly when necessary. The only suggestion I have is that you alert your clients to the importance of obtaining "vouchers" for all the paid parts at the various stages of the trip. In El Chelten, we were given vouchers for the El Calafate part of the trip that did not include dinners or transfer to and from the airport (all prepaid). We did not realize that until too late and it required a few phone calls to sort it out. It was with no problem, but was a nuisance.
Any, thank you for your efforts in organizing our trip and I am already looking at your list of other hiking trips, many of which do not give dates (e.g. "Cordilleria Real Llama Trek" in Bolivia does it run in July?). Happy New Year.
Sincerely, Nigel

Lena from Sweden. - Glaciares National Park and Fitz Roy Trek 29/12/2001
Hi Gilles,
The journey in Patagonia was great! However, the price we paid you appear to be too high, to be frank. Once we were down in Patagonia there were a lot of additional costs [ Some optional excursions are very expensive, and meals in cities are also expensive but since January 2002, prices go down fast ] so it ended up being a very, very expensive week. Part from the expenses, it was great; lovely scenery, very nice people, terrific guide, good food, nice hostels etc. One more thing to add is that the trekking was very easy - it is certainly an exageration to call it moderate.
Best regards,

Elisabetta from Italy. - Glaciares National Park and Fitz Roy Trek 23/11/2002
Hi Gilles,
the trip was fine, all the services included was good. The guides are friendly and kindly. We appreciated all the trip/trekking services. We hope to contat your agency again in the future for a new trip.
Thank you very much

Richard from the UK. - Hiking in Patagonia 10/01/2002
Gilles,
Thank you for your message. I have had a wonderful holiday. The scenery was breathtaking and i met some lovely people. All very relaxing which is just what i needed. Thank for for all your help in setting this up for me. I did not find the contact in Buenos Aires airport so i did pay for all the transfers myself so i look forward to receiving the last cheque i sent to your office.
I was not able to use my ticket (purchased in the UK) from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires ( AR 2885Y - 26 Jan). When a got to the check in desk i was told that Aerolieas Argentinas airline no longer worked with Lan Chile (who had issued the ticket) and i ended up having to buy a new ticket there and then. I have the relevant recipts.I wonder if you could take this up with the ticket agent you use as i would like to have the UK cost refunded! [ A good argument to let us buy lovcal flights]
The only other small thing is that the itinary for the trekking said that evening meals would be provided on a number of days but in El Calafate (Day 6,7) and in Ushuaia (Day 14) these weren't actually provided.
I hope to return to South America. I would be keen to do the ice cap trek or other travelling so i would be grateful if you could keep me up to date with any offers, changes etc I look forward to hearing from you.
Richard

Michel from the UK. - Hiking in Patagonia - 01/12/2001
Hi Gilles,
It took me a while to adjust back to civilisation and everyday's life, but here we are... I think the main feeling is that this was really an extraordinary experience, for the landscapes of Patagonia, the people I met there, and the adventure to set foot on Antarctica.
Those 4 modules in Patagonia really give you a sample of this incredible land, and of course leave you with the need of coming back to see more (anyway I ate Calafate there, so according to the legend I have to come back). To me Torres del Paine offered the most beautiful landscapes. You really sit for hours in front of the mountains with your mouth open. The most challenging was the part near El Chalten, in Cerro Fitz Roy. I was lucky to be the only one at that time, so I was alone with my guide meaning we could go ice trekking and climbing as long as we wanted. The ice climbing in particular left me drained of all strength and adrenaline, but it was really worth it.
I enjoyed the glaciers near el Calafate, but of course I hadn't been to Antarctica yet, so they probably would look less spectacular to me now. I did the two excursions to Perito Moreno and Upsalla, and I do recommend the Upsalla Explorer one. It's quite expensive, but you get a trip in a ship to stand next to the glacier, then in a 4 wheel drive up to a wonderful lagoon, and then you get a nice "parrilla" with all the people there. The organisers are very friendly and enthusiastic, so it's really a great day.
After all that, I was a bit disapointed with Tierra del Fuego in terms of landscape. It's very nice, with blue lakes and wild mountains, but it didn't leave me with the impression of wonder I had from the rest of the trip. Also Ushuaia is not a very exciting city, and I wouldn't stay there for more than a week. I was also probably anticipating the trip to Antarctica, so I couldn't wait any longer...
Hope these impressions will be valuable to you, and I will probably contact you guys in the near future for more South-American adventures.

Jean Pierre from France - Patagonia Explorer 01/2004
Nous sommes revenus satisfaits de notre voyage, de vos services, de ceux de vos correspondants locaux ainsi que de la solution globale trouvée au hiatus sur l'hôtel à Igassu. Le groupe très international était agréable (à un exception inévitable dans tout groupe) L'achat du voyage par votre site était également plus performante que la vente du même tour par les circuits traditionnels en Allemagne ou GB.
Nous l'avons fait savoir. Amicalement
[ pas beaucoup d'info d'accord mais notez que les groupes sont tous trés internationaux, guidés en anglais et moins cher qu'ailleurs...]

Claire from the UK. - Patagonia Explorer 08/12/2002
Had a great time. Thank you very much for all that you did.
We got the rooms we wanted in Buenos Aires. They were very good at the hotel.
Just a few other comments/observations for future travellers:
* there was no problem using credit cards in ATMs in Buenos Aires and other larger cities e.g. Ushuaia. In most places, it was much easier to use pesos than dollars. We found that some taxis, even in Buenos Aires would not take dollars
* your packing list includes sleeping bag which is not necessary
* accommodation generally good - basic at times but always clean and pretty much what you would expect for this type of trip
* two of the best parts (Perito Merino glacier trek and Beagle Channel) are optional extras. Would strongly recommend these, even to the extent that they should be included as part of the main itinerary
* there was far more 'overland' than is evident in the programme. Generally, the overland travel took much longer than anticipated. The vehicle used by Kallpa was not, in my opinion suitable for the journey. The roads are unpaved in the main and really require a 4-wheel drive to make the journey reasonable. As it was we had a Mercedes mini bus which was only just large enough to take all of the group. Much of the journey was done between 20-30km an hour. When the distances are so vast, this means that the road travel is very long, tedious and uncomfortable. One day we were in the bus for 13 hours. [ True but travelling in Patagonia always implies lots of driving, no way we can avoid that, specially this journey as you visit the most remore areas ]
* Because of the length of the road travel, I would question the value in spending 2 days in Lagos Posadas. There is not a great deal to see there and the time would have been far better spent in El Chalten or Torres National Park (which were both stunning but we had too short a time there). With hindsight, would have been better to take internal flight to El Calafate and then by road to El Chalten from there. The visits to the lakes on the way to El Chalten were just a quick photo stop.
* The programme suggest that you should arrive in Ushuaia in time for a free afternoon. Not withstanding a very delayed flight (by about 9 hours), even if the plane had arrived on time, we would not have got to the hotel before 8pm in the evening. This is somewhat misleading. [ You should have arrived in Ushuaia around 3pm and enjoy daylight till 10pm]
* The local guides we had at each location were very good; particularly those in EL Chalten and Torres del Paine.
Looking forward to planning next year's excursion!

Ken from the US - Tailor made arrangements in Mendoza and San Juan (Triassic Park) region 10/2004
The one change you should make for any itinerary like ours is to book the party in a hotel in Uspallata rather than at the Inca Bridge. The facility at the Inca Bridge is run down, dirty showers, bad food and lots of teenagers. There were several very nice looking hotels and lodging facilties in Uspallata and it is only one hour away.
We just returned and had a wonderful time. Great 2 months. Thanks for your help. We were impressed.

Elaine from the UK. - Tailor made arrangements in the Lake District & Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego 11/2003
Hi there, we had a lovely time thank you. I did email you on our return but not to worry. Argentina was lovely, the people were really friendly (even if they didn't speak any english) and the food and wine was great, even for vegetarians. A few comments, not complaints, but they they might be useful for future visitors:
30-Nov-03 Arrive in Buenos Kallpa tours (Percy) very helpful and all went as planned. Did City Tour with them that afternoon and very good.
Hotel Claridge - Excellent Hotel, no more to say. Room good, food good, pool good and location excellent.
Bariloche - In hindsight would have spent 1 night there at beginning and 1 night at end. Very touristy and NOISY! Hotel Edelweiss very poor. Rooms ok, but hot, couldn't leave windows open as right on main street and very noisy at night and till early hours of morning (4.00 am!) Breakfast apalling, food kept warm for hours, dried up bread and rolls, no fresh orange juice, coffee terrible.
03-Dec-03 Drive to San Martin de los Andes (185 km) - Wonderful journey and to be recommended. San martin a lot nicer than Bariloche, hotel La Cheminee perfect.
Would strongly recommend that people take the alternative route back to Bariloche, through the valley rather than the 7 lakes, it was spectacular and I think better than the lakes route.
Car was finally resolved by car company when we returned it though it was only a 4 door saloon and a little cramped.
07 DEC El Calafate town basic but would strongly recommend the Casamiro restaurant - excellent food! Wish we could say the same for the hotel - Posta Sur Hotel. We realised it would be basic however it was right next to a disco which started at midnight and went through to 6.00 am, and it felt like it was in the next room, impossible to sleep. Breakfast was inedible.
Had same problem with car and they insisted we paid for it, after many phone calls and lots of arguments it was resolved and we only paid for the excess mileage (over 150 miles unlike the 300 in your confirmation). Would suggest you didn't use localiza again.
Guide who drove us to el chalten although ok on the way out was obviously unwell on the way back as the journey was a little scary, a couple of near misses and a stop for him to be sick.
09-Dec-03 "Upsala Explorer". PERFECT! well organised, enjoyable and not a single complaint other than there was too much vegetarian food, we couldn't eat for the rest of the day.
10-Dec-03 El Pilar Lodge - wonderful, great location, wonderful rooms and great veggie food.
14-Dec-03 Ushuaia Overnight in Las Lengas - ok. Town a little disappointing apart from the parade when the BOCA Juniors won some match against Milan. But the boat trip and the tour of the national park by far made up for it.
If you have any vegetarians asking for advice then we had no problem, even if nothing on the menu the chef would prepare something (unlike in England).
All the scenery, bird life and sites were spectacular, pleasantly surprised by the people and the food (we all put on several pounds). Thank you for helping organise the holiday, we now plan to do Chile and northern Argentina so will drop you a line probably next year.
Thanks Again

Maryse from France - Tailor made arrangements in Salta and the North West & Patagonia 01/2004
Bonjour,
De retour de notre voyage en Argentine, nous souhaitons vous faire part de notre satisfaction par rapport aux prestations qui nous ont été fournies : ponctualité dans les transferts, excursions intéressantes, hôtels bien situées (en particulier à Buenos Aires) ...Nous sommes enchantés de notre voyage (alors qu'une réservation sur internet nous avait parue au premier abord et avant nos échanges de mails un peu risquée !).
Nous souhaiterion vous faire part de 2 remarques afin "d'améliorer" vos prestations : - dans le parc des glaciers à El Calafate, nous aurions souhaité faire une marche sur le glacier. Nous ne savions pas très bien si c'était prévu ou pas dans nos excursions et nous nous y sommes pris trop tard sur place pour réserver une excursion de ce type. En fait cette possibilité existait dans l'une des excursions mais il fallait le signaler avant au prestatire local. Il y avait également possibilité de faire du cheval. Je pense qu'il serait intéressant de proposer ces options.
- nous avons été un peu déçus par l'hôtel Portezuelos à Salta qui est un 4 * mais n'a pas de charme et est un peu éloigné du centre ville. (En revanche, nous avons beaucoup aimé l'hôtel de Molinos et l'excursion de 2 jours à partir de Salta).
Encore merci pour votre réactivité dans l'organisation de nos vacances! Nous ne manquerons pas de vous contacter si nous envisageons de nouveaux voyages en Amérique Latine et avons déjà transmis vos coordonnées à des amis.
Cordialement

Peter from the UK. - Tailor made arrangements in Iguazu & Patagonia 07/12/2002
Hi Gilles & a happy new year.
We had a fantastic holiday - thankyou very much. Patagonia was really spectacular and we were very lucky with the weather most days were gloriously sunny and clear skies giving us fantastic views (although I did get caught in a snow storm in Torres Del Paine one afternoon !!). Finishing off in Iguazu was inspired also - really good to have the contrast. The boat trip into the falls and 4WD journey through the forest was an excellent way to spend christmas day (we also met another couple of your satisfied clients there!)
All in all everything went very smoothly and we have no real cause for complaint. In the most part the guides were excellent (especially in Chalten) and accomodation first class (especially Estancia Alice which was wonderful, Los Nires in Ushuaia was also very nice).
We loved Chalten / Fitzroy especially and felt quite priviledged to see it now, the amount of building works suggest it is due to change a lot ! One small point to note is that the bus to Chalten does not stop at the hotel (Los Nires) as the itinery stated, in fact it stops at the other end of town (Hostel Rio Grande) leaving an approx. 1.5km walk with all your luggage down the rough (& v.windy!) main street, not a big deal but others may want to know [ We missed the transfers....it will never happen again ]. The owners of the Los Nires in Chalten are charming and very helpful but some may want to be warned that they do not speak a word of English and also to give dinner a miss even though it is included in the price (there's no menu & the food awful !) - The little Patagonicus restaurant over the road on the other hand serves just about the best food we tasted all trip !
We were a little disapointed in Ushuaia. Having arrived in the evening the local tour company announced that our tours had changed. Instead of half day tours on the next two days they'd both been included on the second day. The next day was a free day but could book a tour with them if we wanted to pay extra. As this was late in the evening we had little choice. The Beagle channel navigation was also not to the penguin rookery as per the itinery which was disapointing (luckily we got to see some penguins whilst in Punta Arenas on an excursion to Sen Otway we booked ourselves when we got there). Also each day included extra cost "optional" items such as the train ride through the park - alternative sit on the coach, lunch at some place - alternative to sit on the coach for 2 hours etc. At the end of the day we had a good time but it did seem a bit like blatant profiteering by the local operator (TAP S.A) [ We take not of this for future travllers as this is unaceptable].
We also had to speak to Kallpa to rearrange transport from Punta Arenas to Rio Gallegos to get the flight to ushuaia as we had been booked on a bus that arrived in Rio Gallegos far too late. On a general point I would say that it would be generally very helpful if we'd been told the times of buses /pick ups etc earlier. Everything was planned perfectly but often this information wasn't getting to us. Sometimes we wouldn't know the pick up time for the next day until the night before and sometimes only then after phoning around. It was a pain and also made it very difficult for us to make the most of our time by planning what we could do with our free time in advance.[ It generally works this way. When arriving at the hotel we confirm the next day pick up time. No need to worry as you say; "Everything was planned perfectly" and our travel log we give you weeks before departure indicate approximate pick up time ]
Finally, one more serious complaint which really is not the fault of yours or the local operator but you should be aware of. Concerning the guide in Torres Del Paine. The guide was clearly inexperienced. His knowledge of the area was not great and he had difficulty translating the spanish at times (he was from the USA I think). This is by the by. However at the points where we walked he and his co-guide were seriously irresponsible......comments cut. [ It is true that Torres del Paine hotels have a rather bad reputation for service. We do recommend Lago Grey hotels (full at that time) or just campsites that provide far better services ]
None of this detracts at all to what was a fantastic & unforgettable experience. We are both keen to go back to S.America (we are even planning to learn Spanish properly in preparation) and wouldn't hesitate to use your company again or recommend you to others.

Claire from the UK. - Estancia El Ombu de Areco (110 km from Buenos Aires) 01/2004
Our holiday was very good. The travel arrangements were prompt and couteous and the Estancia was wonderful. The rooms were beautiful and the service good. We enjoyed the riding and had a very relaxing time. We would reccommend it to anyone. A very good end to our holiday.

Christopher from Switerland. - Estancia Alta Vista (Luxurious - Patagonia) 01/01/2003
Alta Vista was beautiful with a most charming host couple (he well known and author of a book on the local scene)Luxurious rooms, lovely location. Food, set menue, simple but good, excellent wines free of charge. Nice sitting room and balcony. Has an impressive list of visitors, including royals. Is the owner's hobby (wealthy banker) and does not make money.The estancia is one of the largest and must be profitable

Chris from the UK - Mare Australis Cruise 10/2003
Mare Australis was very well organised, and enjoyable – I am not sure I am really a cruise-type person, but it was the only way to see that part of Tierra del Fuego.
[ This is indeed the only way to explore deeply the remote Southern Patagonia Fjords and observe so much wildlife]