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63TW
We used Paredon Andes Expeditions for a one-day attempt on Villarica volcano just outside of Pucon. From the moment of contact with Paredon I could tell that this was a well-run, prompt, responsive and safety-concious mountain guiding company. I've used many mountaineering guide services in the United States and Paredon offers comparable quality. Mauricio Bustamante led our outing along with several other of his guides. While on the mountain Mauricio and his guides were very friendly, informative, safety aware and also passionate about teaching. Even though we didn't summit due to weather, Mauricio made the correct call in having our group go down. This judgement only reinforced my observations about his professionalism. Mauricio's wife Isabella is very prompt, friendly and professional in coordinating trip information and logistics as well. Paredon Andes Expeditions is a small, family run company and it's nice to be able to support a small business in Pucon that is very attentive to those passionate about volcano climbing. I totally recommended them.
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RichardRutland
On Volcan Villaricca Mauricio and Alvaro were our guides to a party of 4, a ratio of 2:1, and in the fresh snow they roped us up for safety. This proved to absolutely correct. Other groups were large, with few guides and no discipline despite the dangerous conditions. Our guides feared for these groups and said it was too dangerous to slide down as the slope was unstable. The following day 2 persons were killed on the volcano.Paredon are extremely conscientious, with excellent equipment, and they managed the whole trip with friendly good humour.Cannot recommend them highly enough - they provided the highlight of a long holiday in Chile and Argentina.
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GeorgeC905
What a fantastic experience. After reading about the recent accidents which happened on the volcano we were cautious of who to go with and were looking for safety first. Our experience with Paredon Andes Exhibitions was second to none. We were the first at the mountain, and the ratio of guides to tourists was 1:3, with the group never being more than 12 individuals. That means you have expert and focused advice and attention whenever you need, and your group is never too big. The equipment provided is fantastic. Really top quality and they provide absolutely everything you need, you are just expected to bring clothes and food. Looking at the other groups on the mountain I felt embarrassed for them. Huge packs of 20+ people, guides who fooled around and equipment which was lacking. After the accident I expected extra caution, and I only saw that in our group. One example of this was that we took a completely different route to everyone else half way up the mountain to stay clear of rock fall on the glacier. The other groups followed each other like sheep, whilst we took the extra precaution on solid ground. From our safe vantage we watched rocks tumble down the mountain with whistles being blown as warnings to the people below.The guides were great, professional and focused throughout, walking to the slowest pace, not focused on rushing or getting to the top first - safety first.I'd recommend these guides to anyone and everyone. Great walk. Great views. Great experience.
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feet_in_our_shoes
My husband and I booked the trek up the volcano with Maurismo and we were so impressed by him and his knowledge and guidance. We were witness to many other groups climbing the day we went up and ours was definietly a stand out- Maurismo came to our hostel the night before to completely prepare us for the climb and fit us with our gear (which was in such great condition- and very clean!) and so we were the first on the mountain the next morning.The intuition he used made us get up and down the mountain really safely as- when we got to the bottom we found out that a few people had suffered really bad injuries that day because of the sudden weather change..I would completely recomend him- because it is a hard climb and steep, its worth investing in your safety on this one
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JuliaF542
This company is outstanding! I really owe them the best testimonial I can get them, for the outstanging service I got. It's director, Mauricio Bustamante is amazingly skilled on the tours to ascend volcanos in the region and responsible with his clients' safety. I 100% recommend Paredón Expeditions. On the day we climbed Villarica, only around 15 people (only 2 agencies, Paredón and another one), of hundreds that tryed to reach the top, got there. Mauricio (together with his staff) is highly experienced and he took the right and prudent decisions while ascending the volcano. We waited for about an hour, until he got assured of good forecast for the volcano's top, because the wind was very strong. Then we tried to go up a little more, and by the time we got to the top, everything was ok. While we waited though, all other groups gave up. Their service is a little more expensive than some other agencies, but it is worth it to spend this extra amount. We had four guides for the group, and no one was left behind. They were very careful about meeting our expectations (getting to the top securely) respecting everyones' limitations. DOn't hesitate, contact Paredon if you want to get the best you can in Pucon. www.paredonexpeditions.com or chile@paredonexpeditions.com
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saskiab610
I did the climbing of Volcán Villarica together with a friend and and were very pleased with our decision to chose Paredon. Our guide came to our hostel the night before and explained us everything. They only take 5-6 people on each tour and we could definitely see the difference the next day when we watched other groups who seemed to be spread over the snow and nobody seemed to care. We instead always felt safe. The equipment was in good quality.After the day, they took our group to their house and we could relax, talk about the day while drinking tea and eating popcorn.I would deefinitely recommend to do the climibing with Paredon Andes Expeditiones, even though it might be a little bit more expensive than other tour agencies.
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torpedo0511
While traveling in Chile we knew a "must-do" was to climb Volcan Villarica. Through Lonely Planet's advice we decided to stay at the Tree House Hostel in Pucon which partners with Paredon Andes Expeditions, and we had a really good experience with both. First of all, Paredon only takes groups of 5-6 people, compared to the groups of 20+ you will see climbing the mountain. We were together during the entire climb and I felt like we were constantly being looking after compared to other groups where people were being left behind to climb alone. Mauricio, the lead guide, was extremely knowledgeable about the mountain and offered advice to other guides in other groups along the way. Although the clouds moved in at the summit and we couldn't see anything for the climb back down, we felt secure and safe the whole way. All the necessary gear was provided and it was top quality. Even though climbing with Paredon is a little more expensive than other groups, it is definitely worth it!!
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Harry7777
While attending a conference in Pucon I was told that “A Must” is to climb the Villiarrica Volcano. Although I am an experienced hiker, I decided to hire a guide, as I wanted to make sure I could completely enjoy the experience. Also, as I was organizing the climb for others who were attending the conference, I thought it prudent to use a guide service. I searched the internet and fortunately chose Paredon Expeditions. Mauricio and Isabel and their guide team were fantastic. They provided us with everything we needed – boots, ice axe, ‘sliding pants’ and all outer gear – all of high quality and in great condition; all we had to provide was warm under garments, lunch and water. We had excellent instruction, and I appreciated the fact that Mauricio and the guides all took their responsibility very seriously, yet were still able to joke and have fun with us. Since the weather forecast for our departure day was ‘Perfect’ Mauricio got us off to an early start, as he knew there would be many people climbing. I am thankful for the early departure, as we were the first group to summit, making it a much more enjoyable experience. It also allowed us to get back to Pucon mid-afternoon, where we were treated to lots of beer and enjoyable munchies.
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DenisMichellim
Uma boa opção de agência de turismo em Pucón, contempla quase todos os tipos de passeio na região a bons preços. Bom atendimento. Recomendo.
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fabr_cior978
Quando pesquisamos agências em Pucon, vimos que a Paredon não é das mais baratas. Porém, como tínhamos indicações, resolvemos fazer o Villarica com eles. O guia Maurício é fantástico. Estávamos num grupo de 3 pessoas. Como uma das 3 tinha um ritmo maior, Maurício a colocou em um outro grupo que estava andando com mais velocidade e acompanhou a mim e a minha esposa com toda a paciência do mundo. Também nos contou muito da história do Villarica. Mesmo não chegando ao cume, ele fez com que a experiência fosse inesquecível.
