Kimkim Trip Reviews for Chile

This was our first trip to South America. We decided to visit Chile because our son had been on a 4 month study abroad exchange program in Vina del Mar, Chile and his time there was coming to an end. We did not really know how to tackle our vacation planning, so we scanned the Internet and found KimKim. We decided to go with this approach of travel because we wanted to plan our own agenda and did not want to be locked into a group tour. It was also an affordable solution for the quality of service we received

Virginia Crivelli was our trip organizer. She did a fantastic job throughout the entire experience. She helped up plan and was in contact with us during our trip. She was very professional and gave us good advise. She even calmed my fears about traveling to Chile during this time of protest and unrest that started in October 2019.

Our time in Chile included the following locations: Santiago, Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, San Pedro Atacama, Casablanca Valley, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Natales. Virginia booked us wonderful hotels, fantastic tours and plane flights in country. We had local guides who spoke English and provided excellent insights into their country and location.

This was one of the best experiences we have had traveling...and we have traveled quite a bit. I would highly recommend KimKim and their local custom service model. We never felt like a tourist lost in the crowds. The local guides were friendly, knowledgeable and made us feel welcome. Thanks for the attention to details and making our trip to Chile a memory we will hold in our hearts forever!

Melody, Neil and Tanner Buckner

Kimkim has been very helpful in organizing the trip while able to offer the best value for money service. Daiana has been very responsive also for small details. Huellas Del Desierto has been able to organize a short trip that was at the same time able to touch the most amazing areas in the time. The most beautiful one being the Altiplanos Lagunas.

My son and I had a wonderful trip to Chile. We travelled from the Atacama Dessert to the Lake District and finally to Patagonia. Isla de Magdalena and Torres del Paine National Park! Thanks to Nicholas, the trip was planned perfectly. We had a lot to see but we also had our down time and time to tour on our own. Ending in Patagonia was awesome!

Such a beautiful country with wonderful people. We hope to return someday and see more of the National Parks!

Thank you NIcholas!

We recently came back from a great trip to Chile

While we had a general sense of what we wanted to see & do, we elected to utilize Kimkim to assist us in our planning

They put us in contact with Nicholas at TURISMO MILODON travel based in Santiago Chile who did an especially great job and promptly responded to all emails and text messages

Prior to our trip we inquired about some of the excursions that we were interested in (Santiago, Valparaiso, Atacama, Torres del Paine)

Nicholas came back with an assortment of suggestions that met our needs (especially since we can't stand some activities on the high elevation in Atacama)

We also needed some guidance on hotels. Again, he provided multiple options (at different price points). All the hotels met or exceeded our expectations. The Hotel Vendaval in Puerto Natalas deserves special attention. The staff was extremely accommodating, and the hotel construction was unique – natural wood, minimal carpeting and a large rooftop deck/lounge with great views

Roberto (our guide for the Santiago and Valparaiso excursions) was very knowledgeable on the history and various sites we visited. Language was not a problem as he spoke excellent English

One other excursion we had was a full day private tour at Matetic vineyard which included horseback riding, winery tour and tasting and a great lunch at their Restaurant (Equilibrio’s). Their Sovereign Blanc and Syrah wines were both excellent and are recommended

Our guide for the Valle de Luna excursion (Oct 16) was very thorough and gave an excellent tour

More importantly, a BIG THANKS to Nicholas who was proactive in monitoring the civil unrest situation that developed in Santiago during our visit and suggested we switch to a different hotel for our last night. He was able to get us a room at an airport hotel which worked out great since our return flight was moved up 10 hrs. to a morning departure

All in all, we had a great experience and highly recommend using Kimkim

We are looking forward to returning to Chile

Edwuardo was good, at times a bit condescending. I think he needs to show more background info on the trips he guides in other words plants and animals. Trips were to short. Back to the hotel by 14:00. I paid a lot of money not to have short days. On one day we did the geyser basin plus the 10km hike that was to be schedule the next day. back to hotel by15:30. because of this I pointed out to my guide that I had an empty day. We ended doing a hike up this volcano. Again back early. Your rep. Santiago should have met me, not talk on the phone and give me a number to contact. You should REALLY stress with your clients in Chile not to lose their PDI and were to get a replacement. This will avoid challenges I had to put up with hotel manager in San Pedro(19% surcharge on hotel cost if I could not get one by the end of my stay)

It was a great pleasure working with Daiana. She replied to all my questions throughout the planning phase and helped me customize my trip. I will give her a wave on top of the 5 star rating.

Atacama:
1) Our private guides Alejandra, Frank, and Javier (driving us) to the Moon and Mars Valley and the Rainbow Valley were absolutely fantastic. They had the passion and experience to match that of ours. They took pleasure answering our questions or even look up the internet to do so.
2) The group tour guides for the Cejar Lagoon and Tatio Geysers were great too but were not of the same quality as those on our private trips. They were friendly an responsive though. Although not too knowledgeable about the geology and scientific facts that they were explaining.
3) Star grazing was out of the world, I wish we could do more.
4) Location of the Hotel, friendliness of staff, proximity to major restaurants an town center was great.

Easter Island:
1) Stunning group tours at Easter Island. Great organization, improvisation when it started raining to add two trips into one helped us see everything planned.
2) Durande (might be butchering his name), our tour guide was a native Rapa Nui with the great depth and breadth of knowledge that impressed us.
3) Private tour to watch sunset at Tahai need not be a guided tour. All we needed is a vehicle to go to the spot. The tour guide was friendly and did his job, but there were not much to guide.
4) Location of the Hotel was too far from the town center. I would recommend giving us a choice even that makes a price difference. One option should be near town center or near beach the other option could be the one where we stayed.

Overall a 5 Star experience. Appreciate Daiana's willingness to help, good organization of the tours, and reasonably priced for the value we got.

Will highly recomment Kimkim and Say Hueque and will use them for our next trip to South America.

Best regards,
Soumava Adhya
[email protected]

Chile is an outstanding travel experience. I have traveled extensively in the world and I believe the country of Chile is one of the best. The scenery is stunning and the people are warm and friendly. My wife and I returned from a three week trip yesterday and are basking in the afterglow.
Our guide and driver in the Santiago and the Elqui valley areas were Alejandro and Luis. There can be no better guide than Alejandro with Senderos Nativos and no better driver than Luis.
Alejandro is a personable individual whom I immediately felt comfortable with on an interpersonal level. I feel privileged to be shown the country of Chile by a person of his stature. He is brilliant in his knowledge of all aspects of Chilean culture, history, flora, fauna, and landscape etc. Luis is likewise easy to get to know and is extremely efficient and dependable. He has raised the level of driving to an art and I never once felt uncomfortable with him behind the wheel.
Travel to the Atacama area is a must. It is a travel experience that is singularly unique and powerful.
Our guide and driver in this area was Javier with Huellas del Desierto. Like the two individuals just mentioned, he is easy to communicate with and is completely knowledgeable of the Atacama area. He went above and beyond to make our experience in San Pedro both fun and informative. He is a professional in every sense of the word.
Our guide in Valparaiso was April who was perfect in every sense. Valparaiso is another must visit travel destination. April brought the city alive in a manner that would have been impossible without her.
Mery ( primarily) and Daiana (backup) worked hard to make our travel experience happen the way I wanted. Mery was critical to the success of the trip and she came through perfectly. Daiana also provided assistance at critical moments. Everything that was arranged happened as planned and occurred like clockwork. I have friends and family considering a trip to Chile and Argentina and I would not hesitate to recommend either one of them for travel assistance.
All of these individuals are complete professionals and are excellent at their respective skills. I have never written a review before but I can honestly say if you are planning a trip to Chile and/or Argentina, you can have complete trust and confidence in them to provide an unforgettable first rate travel experience.

The first two nights of the trip were terrible. Our original campsites were indiscriminately closed without warning. As a result all the campers were forced to use the facilities of much smaller refugios, which were inadequate for the number of people. We were herded in and out of the eating areas like cattle, with strict time limits for consuming our meals.

Furthermore, I was dramatically overcharged compared to other people in my group who booked directly with the tour operator, Chile Nativo. I was charged approximately $2500 US, including KimKim's fee, while others in my group paid approximately $1700 US!! I have requested a refund and will not use or recommend KimKim's services to my social network unless I am properly reimbursed. This is very unprofessional.

This was my first time in South America and Chile, and also my first time as a solo traveler. Mery put together a fantastic and thorough 15 day itinerary for me in Chile covering all the highlights and more that I had not thought off. I am grateful and privileged to have covered so much of Chile in such a short amount of time. All credit for this goes to Mery and her team.

The tours that were arranged were on-time, professional and very informative. The guides, whilst mainly catering to Spanish speaking passengers, also took the time and patience to explain the same to me in English.

I was also impressed with the accommodation that was booked, it felt like someone had really thought about the location and quality of the places. The accommodation in the various towns/cities was centrally located, close to shops and restaurants and very comfortable.

The highlights of the trip were the San Pedro de Atacama desert (would recommend the Altiplanics Lake tours, Laguna Cejar, Moon Valley tour & the Night Sky tour) which has so many varying and unique landscapes. Patagonia including the Torres del Paine national park and Balmaceda/Serrano glaciers are a must see, these are truly spectacular.

Overall a very well organised and thought out trip, that exceeded my expectations. Thank you for putting this together and ensuring I had a great experience. Would not hesitate to recommend kimkim/Say Hueque again.

Chile 2019 - thank you to Daiana and all the drivers and tour guides who made this a trip of a lifetime. Hotel Ismael is Santiago is perfect. Matetic Winery is a must see. Atacama desert experience was beyond expectations. Judy

I liked that kimkim provides suggested itineraries. It helped me to decide what to do on my trip. It resulted in my choosing to start in Buenos Aires, going to Ushuaia and finishing up in Chile. This was my first time using kimkim, so I was unsure of the quality of the service I would be receiving but I was happy with how things turned out.

My reason for giving only four stars is that there was quite often a lag in communication. I would request something or ask a question, and sometimes would only receive a response days later. An immediate response, such as “We got your question, please give us a few days to get back to you”. would have been helpful.

As well, a breakdown of the costs would have been helpful. I only received a total dollar amount with no idea of the costs for the individual tours and accommodations.

Daiana’s service was good. The tour companies she chose were excellent. The tour guides, Sandra in Buenos Aires, and Gabriel in Ushuaia were first class. Sandra spent more than a half day with me. She was flexible in that she was able to start the tour right away instead of waiting until the afternoon. She was very knowledgeable about the city, took me to places that matched my interests, and gave me good advice for the next day when I was on my own.

Gabriel of Nunatak was fantastic as well. I liked being in small groups, he was also very knowledgeable, and provided a good insight into life in Argentina. The lunches provided by Nunatak were very good as well. Daiana picked excursions for me that I found very pleasing. I was happy with everything that she organized.

Again, the area for improvement would be communication. The pickup in the airports were difficult as it took time before I was able to find my driver. Maybe I should be wearing a sign and stand somewhere near the exit of the arrivals area instead of trying to find the driver.

I had difficulty using the emergency numbers provided with my cell phone while at the airport. Nothing seemed to work. At the Buenos Aires airport, the number that finally worked was the one for outside of the city but still in Argentina. It would have helpful to know that at the airport, one should use that particular number.

In Calama, it was particularly difficult. The written instructions sent me to the wrong counter.
Transfer Andion had no idea who I was, and it was only by accident that I found out that arrangements had been made with another taxi service. As well, I didn’t really need a pickup as the resort I was staying in (Awasi) always comes to pick up their guests. I am not sure why Daiana was unaware of this and made these other arrangements.

Finally, on the day of departure for going back to Canada, the written instructions indicated my driver was to pick me up at 2:15 pm. His understanding was that the pickup time was 3:00 pm. Another communication breakdown.

So on the whole, the service was good, but I can’t give it an excellent rating because of these communication issues.

My two trips within Chile which were organised by Oxana were fantastic.The first was a full day outing from Santiago , where our fantastic guide Paolo led a very memorable and stunning day hike in the El Morado national monument and then we had a soak in the hot springs topped offwith a picnic watching the land changing colours in the sunset. Then I had 3nights in San Pedro de Atacama, an amazing place. Oxana organised my transfers from Calama , a great hotel and two full days of experiencing that wondrous region. I found Kimkim to be very helpful, responsive and flexible when I had an issue I unexpectedly needed to resolve which required their understanding. I highly recommend Kimkim.

It is difficult to award “stars” for this experience – but something like 8 out of 5 would perhaps do it justice!

Equally difficult to pick a highlight in a trip full of them:

It started with a warm welcome from Ingrid in Puerto Varras. After a spectacular flight to Chaiten the next morning, a walk to a glacier and a first night in a nice lodge at Lake Yelcho, the trekking started in earnest the next day.
We started at our lead guide Ricardo’s family home in Futaleufú before setting off on a strenuous trek to Lake Las Rosas where we set up camp in an untouched wilderness area. Dinner was great Italian home cooking on open fires! Next morning Ricardo rustled up a perfectly cooked breakfast before we embarked on an exciting horse ride over a steep, rocky and exposed path and eventually out into the valley to Lake Espolon for a paddle across the lake.
Accommodation this day was with a local family, dinner in their home and an interesting stroll the following morning.
A strenuous walk then got us up to the Tree House – a fantastically set out camp with cabins clinging to trees that leave you just about out in the open, overlooking a little pond – and the first of the wood fired spas we came to treasure in the next two camps!
Then came a walk down the ridge for some zip lining into the Futaleufú River! Another great camp – Cave Camp – with cabins open to the rapids just outside. After lunch, a short climb up a huge crag lead to some phenomenally spectacular abseiling. Another spa to bring down the adrenalin before - another - great open-fire dinner!
Rafting some of the serious rapids on the Futaleufú was the main, crowning event before the last stop in Nun Camp – named after the mountain opposite; and my cabin hanging right at the cliff’s edge over the river! A relaxing spa was followed by a lavish feast with a lamb on the spit and a selection of great Chilean wines as the farewell from the whole team and families.

I cannot think of much at all to improve this trip - it went so completely well: First there is Ricardo’s great leadership – making me feel safe (and pampered!) all the way through; the continuous help with a smile from his father-in law Claudio; then there was the flawless execution of the logistics in an exceedingly extreme terrain; and absolutely excellent professional help from all of the team all along the way.
If really pressed I could perhaps comment that paddling on Lake Espolon is good exercise – but is it equally good adventure value?

But, in a nutshell: this was one of the very best trips of my life.

With the help of Mery, I had a wonderful time in Patagonia. She planned a 14day trip of trekking in Patagonia and suggested locations I had not considered that ended up being incredible. El Chaltén, Argentina, was a wonderful addition to my original plans and I would have not discovered this wonderful town if not for Mery. She and her team at Say hueque deserve all the credit for my visit to the Argentine side of Patagonia being a success. Mery also booked a guided trek of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, with Chile Nativo that was incredible. The park itself is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. But the treks were great in large part because of my guide Josefa aka Pepa. She was incredibly nice, helpful, and knowledgeable about the park and Patagonia in general. I am so greatful to have had her as my guide, she did an amazing job. Thank you Mery, Pepa, and kimkim for making my trip to Patagonia a success!

Really fantastic experience booking my trip to Chile with KimKim. Oxana was very knowledgeable and helped me plan the perfect trip and every detail seemed to be taken care of. The transportation services were excellent and I was able to experience all the parts of Chile I had hoped to visit. I was even automatically checked in for domestic flights I had while in Chile, which was super convenient. The accommodations were also superb. My only quibble would be that some of the tours I was on were with people that were about twice my age (I’m 29 and the median age of a lot of my fellow tourists seemed to be about 60). I would have enjoyed being around those more my own age, but also realize that as a solo traveler, I am being accommodated by tour groups that are able to take me and it’s not necessarily within KimKim’s control as to what age group I end up touring with, and it didn’t negatively impact my experience- just something for others to bear in mind. And in some instances I was the only person signed up for a tour and the tours still went, which was really appreciated as I know some tours won’t go if they don’t get enough participants. Overall excellent experience and service and I will definitely consider traveling with KimKim again in the future!

Marina was very tentative from the very beginning. She’s very responsive and explained very details to us. At first I was a bit nervous using online travel agent since we didn’t have any in person interaction but after a while Marina made us feel very comfortable. I would recommend Kimkim to my friends and our future adventures.

Overall we had a great holiday. Chile is a diverse, amazing and civilised place. Everywhere we went people were friendly and we didn't feel threatened at all. Highlights were the Atacama Desert and the trips run by Rutas Andinas (especially Andreas); they were very laid back and informative. We also loved Torres Del Paine and had the bonus of being on all inclusive, which we didn't realise until we were on the transfer from Punta Arenas. We did a number of trips from the hotel - Grey Glacier, Base of the Tower, Patagon and Laguna Azul, and all of the guides were excellent. If we were to go again I would probably give the Lake District a miss - Puerto Varas is really nice but the Chiloe Island trip, although there is nothing wrong with it, is a long way (400 km round trip) for not that much return. Osorno Volcano trip was good.
We spent 5 nights (in 3 blocks in Santiago) and the Ismael Hotel is in a great position. Lots of positives about the hotel - staff, atmosphere, breakfast, comfortable bed and pillow but be aware there is not much sound proofing in the glazing, so if you are in a room that is low down and either on the noisy side (back of hotel is on a busy street) or in room 413 (next to apartment that has all night parties on a Saturday - till 0700), try to get moved higher. Walking tour of Santiago was good and the Valpariso/Wine Tour was great. Felipe is a good guy. We also went on a Colchagua Wine Tour, which was the only one where we felt we were pushed along by the guide (Vivi). The vineyards were excellent and we had plenty of wine and a good lunch but we kept being told 'we need to move on in 8 minutes; 5 minutes etc', which isn't great considering how expensive it is.
Oxana (supported by Marina) was excellent and planned the whole thing around our wishes. Also, when we had a couple of scheduling issues with transfers they were resolved immediately. One other thing to mention, throughout the tour, regardless of operator, all of the drivers were good and we both felt safe on all trips (bus drivers in Cambodia please note!!).
An excellent trip and I would use KimKim and EcoChile again.

THE BEST
* Advance planning with Erin was very good and was personalized. Enjoyed working with her
*Ohmar was very good and was an excellent guide with excellent park history and knowledge.
Enjoyed being with him.
*The two transfer drivers were good. Carlos was particularly helpful in getting us to an earlier bus
departure back to Punta Arenas. He was very pleasant.
*The Aquaterra accommodations were good.
*The Grey Glacier Hotel and later glacier boat tour were both very good.
*The day tour of the park was very good.
*The Refugio Torre Central was a good staging point for the long hike, but there were some other
lodging options one might have considered to shorten hike a little.
*Even though we only had one clear and one partially clear day of the three, the views were
spectacular and what we came to see.
THE OTHER
*Two boat rides are unnecessary; the Grey Glacier tour was much better.
*The two options provided because of the last minute zodiac cancellation wee not good; like take a
chance on another company which may not go, or take an all day boat ride for a 1 hour walk. A
better option would have been to go head and do park tour or have a extra day in the park. Still
had to pay for transfer even though luggage would have been transferred under original plans.
*During the tour day, the hike was a pretty serious climb, considering the long hike to next day.
Might have considered another hike considering our ages and experience.
*For someone my age, a stay at the refugio 2/3 of the way up the Torres Base hike would have
been better. Also provides a weather option.
*The Patagonia B&B was very basic and would not be recommended.
*Lodging in Punta Arenas could have been nearer the penguin boat dock and airport. It was a 50
minute ride from town and back plus long boat ride for 1 hour with penguins at the end of the
season.
*Other than the lost day with the boat ride, the trip was a success.

Really enjoyed the trip that Mery coordinated. Drivers were very professional (some spoke only Spanish and some were fluent in English- all were fabulous and went out of their way to make sure we had the best experience). Note, be very specific with your wishes if you don’t want to take a long (South American style) lunch and would rather finish up earlier in the day. Sometimes a late afternoon vineyard tour and tasting makes for a sleepy evening. We had some last minute schedule changes and the team went above and beyond to accommodate our requests. Would definitely go through kimkim again!

Patagonia was a trip of a lifetime!
Argentina experience:
The Perito Moreno Glacier ice trek was a truly unbelievably experience. I have never seen anything like it, definitely a trip highlight. Our time spent in El Chalten/Fitzroy was magical. The hotel was very nice and accommodating. Oscar the bartender/ server/ host was our favorite. The scheduled hikes were perfect, tough but perfect. It was the perfect amount of time to spend there.
Chile experience:
The glacier cruise out of Puerto Natales was canceled due to wind and we weren't sure what to do. The people at Ditmarr/kimkim helped us quickly change our plans. We had a guided trip to explore the caves. Juan was our guide and we thoroughly enjoyed him and the cave experience.
The "W" hike was outstanding! Patagonia is so vast and diverse. The hiking is challenging with a lot of bouldering. We hiked in the perfect direction, I wouldn't do it the opposite way. Torres del Paine was full of people but the rest of the hike was less so. The refugios were a bit rough with the exception of the domes in Frances which we LOVED! You will get tired of bread, I suggest bringing some protein supplements along. Bring earplugs you will need them to sleep. The "staff" at Refugio Chileno were up until 2:30 AM playing loud music and partying...plus tired snoring hikers can happen. Hot showers are hard to come by so bring wipes etc, also suggest to bring a towel. The weather is unpredictable so bring layers for hot and cold. If you don't want to carry a really big pack you can rent sleeping bags. I would recommend that option. I can't remember if we were offered that. They do give you pillows. All the bus arrangements etc went smoothly.
We loved our trip!!! Patagonia is awesome. Kimkim and Dittmar were great to work with.