Hello, my husband and I (active hikers in our mid 60s) hope to join a small (<16 people) guided hiking tour to explore the Patagonia region in Fall 2025. We would like to visit several major NPs in BOTH Chile and Argentina. We were seriously considering the Ultimate Patagonia tour with Wilderness Travel, unfortunately its Nov 2025 trip is already at capacity. We did find a few nice guided hiking/trekking tours (i.e. Backroads) but the itineraries only cover either Chile or Argentina, not both.
Does anyone have good experiences with other adventure operators who cater to active older adults? We are not keen on shared dorm rooms (i.e. refugios) or camping; comfortable beds and hot showers after a long hiking day mean a great deal at our age. :-)
Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.
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Seattle, WA
17417 posts
Yes! We had a wonderful experience with MT Sobek on their Patagonia guided hiking trip. They include the W in Chile and Fitzroy circuit and Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina. The lodging was wonderful, especially the rustic lodge near El Chaltén. There were only 9 people on our trip. Maximum is 12.
https://elchalten.com/refugiolagunacondor/en/index.php
There was one Refugio but we weren’t sleeping in a big dorm. We had a 4-person double bunk room we shared with my sister and her husband. This is the place:
https://www.vertice.travel/alojamiento/paine-grande-shelter-and-camping/
The rest of the lodging was private rooms in nice hotels, with ensuite bath; or private cabins with a shared (and very clean) bathhouse with showers. It was all very comfortable, even at our age. And they also offer a “premier lodge” trip with no Refugio if you choose.
https://www.mtsobek.com/trips/central-and-south-america/patagonia/
MT Sobek, formerly Mountain Travel, actually pioneered the W route and their trip has since been copied by others. They are a long-established and well regarded adventure travel company based in Berkeley, CA.
We were 70 and 73 when we did the trip in March 2017. Some of the hikes are 14 miles and fairly steep, so you need to be prepared for that. We had great weather, although one day it was so windy I was blown down twice. I am small and lightweight, but this surprised me!
I would recommend this trip and MT Sobek in general without hesitation. (since that trip we have done two hiking trips in Japan with them). I can write more later, but now it is time for dinner.