Patagonia-anyone use Cascada Expediciones?

Discussion area for peaks outside of the USA
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
ketel1
Posts: 398
Joined: 6/28/2006
14ers: 28 
13ers: 8
Trip Reports (0)
 

Patagonia-anyone use Cascada Expediciones?

Post by ketel1 »

In the early stages of discussions with friends on doing this next year, a 9 Day Torres del Paine Circuit:
http://www.cascada.travel/places/progra ... =115&ID=40" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Has anyone used this group before? I would appreciate any input, feedback, ideas about other groups..etc. Time to start crossing the big trips off the list!
Beth
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." ~Christopher Reeve
User avatar
robco
Posts: 82
Joined: 4/20/2009
14ers: 57  3 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Patagonia-anyone use Cascada Expediciones?

Post by robco »

I saw this topic, and thought that Patagonia released a new type of jacket. I'm so disappointed :roll:.

And I apologize for the completely un-helpful and troll-esque reply, but at least it's a free bump.
gregS
Posts: 13
Joined: 9/26/2011
14ers: 19 
13ers: 6
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Patagonia-anyone use Cascada Expediciones?

Post by gregS »

I did this trip last January. Was pretty easy to coordinate ourselves, and we didn't use a guiding service. If you go that route, the logistics of getting from Punta Arenas to TDP are interesting, but doable. The hardest part in my opinion was finding adequate food for the trip, given the length and the lack of selection (from an American perspective) at the local grocery store in Puerto Natales.

The "W" is easily doable in 2-3 days, but you may want more in case of bad weather, which is a constant down there. If you are doing the loop, I have less information for you.

The places to stay are expensive, but make the trip pretty easy. They have food, and are a nice respite from the rain and wind. We camped 1 night and stayed at the places two nights, bringing all our own food, aside from grabbing a couple of bottles at one of the "huts". We had 3 days of rain, and 1 day of clear skies. Scenery is amazing. Enjoy!
User avatar
ketel1
Posts: 398
Joined: 6/28/2006
14ers: 28 
13ers: 8
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Patagonia-anyone use Cascada Expediciones?

Post by ketel1 »

We are still very early in the stages of research and planning. I will send your comments to my friends and go from there. Thanks!
Beth
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable." ~Christopher Reeve
I fall a lot
Posts: 349
Joined: 1/1/2008
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Patagonia-anyone use Cascada Expediciones?

Post by I fall a lot »

I did not use a guide service and don't think you need one for route finding as the trails are all clearly marked (although the distances on the map seemed a bit off). Logistically of course, the guide service will be a great help, but I guess it's whether you think it's worth the money or not. If you speak a decent amount of Spanish I would probably recommend not going with a guide service.

Prepare for all weather as the previous poster said...the mountains truly make their own weather down there. And don't get discouraged if it rains, it can clear up in a heartbeat! And as a side note, when I started my hikes later in the day (11am) I was lucky enough to get better weather than starting early.

Have a great time!
User avatar
nyker
Posts: 3231
Joined: 12/5/2007
14ers: 58 
13ers: 25
Trip Reports (69)
 

Re: Patagonia-anyone use Cascada Expediciones?

Post by nyker »

While I have no experience with Cascada, I do have experience with the following:

http://www.Visitchile.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (while we did not use a guide for this trip, they helped us with flights, cars and lodging and got VERY reduced prices) Very nice people and very helpful.

http://patagoniatravelco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (we used this one for setting up some details in Torres del Paine and they were generally very helpful, though not as flexible as we would have liked in a few areas)

Andes Expeditions (http://www.andesmountain.cl/index_ing.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) - Very disappointed with several aspects of the trip. We used this for trips into the Atacama region and into Bolivia with the objective of climbing 3-4 volcanoes in the region. I cannot recommend them and would have fared better alone with a horse and a box of powerbars.

One word of note with using guide services in South America, at least from my minimal experience there (four different outfits on five trips), including one to Torres del Paine and one to Chalten area. Some trips we did completely ourselves including driving, and planning all routes and transport, others we used a guide when deemed appropriate. When possible, do everything yourself.

Budget some extra time for "Latin American time" which is at the opposite spectrum to what I am accustomed to in NYC. If you're expecting to be picked up at 3PM, that could mean 4:30 in local time, with no explanation or apology upon being picked up, or your driver may meet someone they know while getting gas; and 40 minutes later, you leave the station. ...meaning you may miss a flight or connection or not be able to do a hike in the afternoon if you arrive someplace late. This includes flights, taxis, guides, etc. On one trip to a Bolivian volcano climb where it was necessary to have a local guide, we were up at 3AM for day one and he never showed up, at all. No climb for the next two days. Of course this is not everyone and I've had some wonderful experiences there and met some great people in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador.

Also, confirm any time you are given; i.e. time for any openings or closings of natural areas (some of which do actually close by gate), confirm train times, and if roadwork is blocking a major road (in many cases, the only road out or in someplace). Often nobody will tell you or even know themselves, so double check before driving 8 hours somewhere.

In TDP, we did the W Circuit plus 3 days of hiking on private lands where there were no other people which was nice. Two days of ice climbing were cancelled due to winds and bad weather. Spent 9 days in tents backpacking here. At the time, the normal route (a bit longer) was very muddy and was not recommended. Also, from what I understand from a friend who has been there more recently, is that many of the roads have been paved around the area making rental cars easier to deal with, though crowds have increased.

We spent four days in Chalten around Fitz Roy - the wind in that town was fierce and the unpaved roads (in 2008) made for sandblasting experiences walking anywhere.
Also spent a full day hiking on the Perito Moreno glacier, which I'd recommend highly. The whole region is spectacular.

In case you're interested, here are some photos I took from the area you are considering.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14885228@N ... 48/detail/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Enjoy your trip!
Post Reply