Patagonia - how long are days?

ROGERE

Hello all,

We are interested in going on the Patagonia tour but worried about long days of driving. I get car sick and restless. Are the days really long?

What about the Essence of South America tour, is that any better?

Thanks!
RogerE

AlanS

I haven't taken either tour, and the tour may have changed some, but I do remember some older posts that addressed this topic for the Patagonia tour. I believe there may be some long days! You'll need to do a search and check the Patagonia forum archives.

Here are a few.

This one from May 2016 by Ken from Vegas: https://www.tauck.com/yaf/default.aspx?g=posts&m=31774#post31774

His review includes these two points:

"Pace - Long days on this trip. Early morning departures and late dinners (finish 10-11pm) on many days. Be sure to pack before dinner on the nights before travel days.

Travel time - Lots of time spent getting places on this trip. Days 2, 6 and 9 are basically travel days with just a little sightseeing. Quite a bit of time will be spent getting to and from the parks, as well."

This review by Dixie Chick from 2015: https://www.tauck.com/yaf/default.aspx?g=posts&m=24067#post24067

includes these comments:

"4. This trip is VERY, VERY demanding and challenging. Practically every day is a very long day. Many days were had to get up at 5:30 to be at breakfast at 6:30 to depart at 7:30. We often did not return to the hotels until 7 or 8. Then a late dinner and in bed at midnight to start over again at 5:30.

5. There are great distances covered and lots of time spent on the coach."

And this one by PEchols in 2014: https://www.tauck.com/yaf/default.aspx?g=posts&m=16155#post16155

"The distances traveled are great. Saturday morning we flew from Santiago to Porta Arenas, about three hours with one stop, and then had an almost four hour bus ride to Porta Natales to The Singular Hotel Patagonia. The following day was an 8 am to 8 pm day, as we left the hotel and it took two full hours to get to Torres del Paines National Park. And then we had to get to all the places we wanted to see. Well worth it, mind you, but long distances.

The distances in Argentina were also great. One day there was 7:30 am to 7:45 pm, again well worth it! That was the day we drove a long time to get to the catamaran on Lake Argentino, then a long ride to the ice berg field, then a long ride to where the four wheel drives picked us up for the trip up to the most beautiful vista EVER!"

From another post by PEchols:

"4. The distances you cover each day are extreme, both by plane, boat, and bus. If you can't hang-in there for 12 hour bus rides, pass on this trip."

sidecar

We did this trip in 2016. Yes, there are long travel days, but Patagonia is one of the most beautiful places on earth and well worth it. Our tour guide, Carla, was wonderful and made even long bus rides fun and interesting. There were enough stops to stretch your legs and use facilities. I enjoyed the long days -- I can sleep all day when we get home. We have done seven Tauck trips, and this is one that really stood out. I'm in my 70's and had no problem with the pace. A trip not to be missed with nice Tauck surprises.

CatLover8

Sidecar - My husband and I are considering this trip. We've done Tauck's trips to Kenya/Tanzania and we are off to Australia/New Zealand soon. We've been to Norwegian fjords on our own. What other Tauck's have you done such that you consider this one of the best? What were the best parts about the Patagonia trip?

sidecar

CatLover8, Tauck trips are all "best," but what made this trip really stand out was the beauty of Patagonia. It was breathtaking. Santiago and Buenos Aires were interesting and fun, but the highlight for us was Patagonia. Each trip has something different to offer, so it is hard to say which is best. We enjoyed them all. HIgh up on the list was Botswana, South Africa and Zambia. We also did Empire of the Inca's (amazing), Australia/NZ, Cruising the Seine Plus Versailles Paris and London riverboat trip, Treasures of the Aegean and The Rhine, Swiss Alps and Amsterdam riverboat trip. We have two trips booked for 2018 -- Spain and Portugal and then Israel and Jordan. Lots of them still on our bucket list.

CatLover8

Thank you sidecar. We just did Israel and Jordan and it was phenomenal from a historical, cultural and religious perspective. We learned so much. We are also considering Spain and Portugal. I'll be interested to hear what you think of that one. Please write a review! I'll look into Botswana, South Africa and Zambia. What did you most enjoy on that one? We did Kenya and Tanzania and that is certainly among our top trips ever.

sidecar

CatLover, its hard to say what we enjoyed most. Every day we said "this can't get any better" and every day it did.

CatLover8

Sidecar - How was Cape Town? It seems at odds to suddenly be touring a city. How big was your tour group and what month did you go on the Botswana tour?