PataGOnia (Team Go Overseas Review)
Ratings
Review
I spent 5 days with Zoe and her team visiting Patagonia for the first time. A quick overview of our itinerary -
Day 1: Land in El Calafate and get picked up at the airport. I got in a little late so I missed the Glaciarium but made it in time to see the sunset over Lago Argenino. Dinner was served in one of the caves where some of the first indigenous populations lived. It was a delicious warm stew with plenty of Malbec to go around.
Day 2: Wake up and drive a couple hours to see the Perito Moreno Glacier. We arrived on the bus with our guide and got to take a couple 'first look' pictures then proceeded to the boat which would take us to the glacier for ice trekking. We trekked for about 90 minutes with whiskey and chocolate waiting for us at the end! I have never used crampons before but the team was really helpful and everyone in our group was able to participate.
After the hike we ate lunch and went on a walk around the glacier for more photos. Overall one of my favorite days of the trip.
Days 3 - 5 Head to El Chalten! We caught a view of Mt Fitz Roy as we were approaching and had a nice dinner at the first microbrewery in town that night. When it came time to hike (we were doing a 2 day/ 1 night trail) it was a little rough since we were there in the off season (August) and the weather was bad. In the end we had to bail on our initial course early and head to camp due to rain/ lack of visibility. Zoe & team were great about making sure we were all kept warm and had any supplies we needed. Hot dinner was served that night and they even went out of their way to bake a cake for one of the participants birthdays.
The one draw back is that the tents are tiny and we were sharing them with another person -- the upside was that it was freezing when we were there so extra body warmth ended up being a good thing.
When we got back from the hike we had a steak dinner, wine and a chance to reflect on a crazy couple of days for our 10 person group. If you are looking for a more autonomous trip with daily flexibility this is probably not the right experience for you, however if this is your first time in Patagonia and you are looking for someone to show you the ropes and make sure you have everything you need I would highly recommend Walk Patagonia!
*I was invited as a guest on this trip and this post is a result my partnership. If you have any questions please feel free to message me directly and I'd be happy to help! Mallory@GoOverseas.com