Kimkim Trip Reviews for Chile

We had a great time on our tailored trip to Chile. we started with a quick jaunt to wine country and then an amazing time in patagonia. Erin was instrumental in arranging the tour for us beforehand and then a lot of the details on the ground from Nara. We had a few minor hiccups with secondary vendors but were able to easily rearrange things conveniently. we unfortunately got part of our activities cancelled due to weather but had quick alternatives arranged and that portion refunded to us. The convenience and coordination is worth the time

This was one of our life time trips. Overall this trip was wonderful. Local specialist Angel put together a very good trip plan for us. He listened well to my wants and expectations as he designed the trip and made changes to the plan as I communicated with him during the planning process. During the trip, he was always there and ready to jump in to facilitate any last minute situation. We speak zero Spanish. Communications had created glitches through out the trip. As much as we tried to use Google Translate, sometimes it was just hard to get our points across through an App. Angel would always come online through WhatsApp to talk to people on our behalf when we needed it.
In the middle of the our trip we had planned a free day in Santiago, and it was a Sunday. I wanted to visit the top of San Cristobal to get a view of the city and snow-capped mountains. Because it was a free day, we were supposed to handle the day on our own. Not until we got to the Pin No No entry of the park did we find out the top was closed that day for a certain event, and the cable cars were not running. We struggled to communicate with the park staff who was trying to tell us what was going on. So we called on Angel and he came to our rescue. In a few minutes of time he came up with a different way for us to access the hill from a different entry, which was open for walking. As it turned out, we were able to get very good views of the city skyline as well as the mountains in the background.
This trip would not have been as smooth and successful without Angle.

Hotel Reviews

NH Ciudad de Santiago

Santiago

Authenticity & Character

Location

Safe and close proximity to everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

This hotel serves very good breakfast. Rooms were clean and spacious.

Hotel Costaustralis

Puerto Natales

Authenticity & Character

Location

We enjoyed the views of the tranquil harbor

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Diego de Almagro San Pedro

We showered in lukewarm water during our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Baltinache Hidden Lagoons and Vallecito(magic bus).

Chile

This was an OK tour in and of itself, not as impressive as it was marketed. But the guide and the driver were very nice. For us, what made this trip good were the tourists who did it with us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon Visit to "Valle de La luna "

Chile

The sunset was the best part of this tour. The lunch was very good. The guide could be a little friendlier.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Trip- Red Rocks, Lagunas Altiplánicas & Atacama Salt Flats

San Pedro de Atacama

These lovely birds were worth it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sandboard in the Atacama Desert

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Astronomical Tour - Atacama Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

I really appreciated the way our guide always repeat her presentation for us in English. We were the only two members of the tour who didn't understand Spanish. So she had to rerun all her presentations for the two of us. The photographer was professional and nice. We loved the chilean red wine served at this tour. It was our best red wine experience in Chile. In my mind what can be improved of this trip was the location of the showing. It was too close to the town San Pedro and the town's light had some negative impact on the view of the Atacama starry night sky.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Mirador Base Torres del Paine - Full Day Tour

Chile

This was one of our lifetime trekking experience which will stay with us in our memories. It might be a bit too challenging for us (10 hours of almost nonstop trekking and a good part of it involved steep ascending). My husband and I are in our high fifties. We were the oldest of the five members of our team. From the start the younger part of our team had to frequently stop to let us catchup. At one point we almost decided to turn back. We had to let the younger members move on without us. We eventually finished the hike, albeit at a much slower pace than our younger team members. I think one thing that could make our experience better is if we were grouped with hikers that were closer to our age. It would definitely take some stress off of us trying to keep up, and it would improve the younger members' experience too. It would make the guide's job a bit easier too, as he tried to get the team to stay together. We only got to spend 10 minutes at the base of the towers to snap some quick picture, because our guide was so concerned that we couldn't get back to the bus by 6pm. But it was one heck of hike! We were glad we did it.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was good but we didn't get to eat, because of the time crunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Danny is young and probably does this hike everyday. It was hard for him to sympathize with us. In trying to get us back to the bus by 6pm, he pushed us a bit too hard in my mind. I can understand his concerns of our safety. Nonetheless, I saw many people finished the hike behind us, which told me not all guides think it would be unsafe to get back to the bus a bit later.

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park - Panoramic Tour

Chile

Torres del Paine is amazing. We were vowed again and again. This was definitely the highlight of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

We got to eat our box lunch at one of the most beautiful places on planet earth, with jade blue lake and the amazing view of Torres del Paine right in front of us, sitting on a dead tree trunk by lakeshore. It felt like heaven came to earth.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navigation Excursion - Serrano Glacier and Patagonic Lunch

Chile

Amazing scenery. The highlight of this tour was the lunch serving BBQ lamb and Chilean red wine.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jesse was amazing and super responsive (both during the planning process and the trip itself). The trip was planned very well, I got to visit every place I wanted and it all went off without any issues.

After 3 flightss to get to San Pedro de Atacama, it was great surprise to see the service and how helpful was the GM (Rosario Villagra) and her entire staff at Nataya Alto Atacama Hotel. All the excursions we picked were well planned and every guide was fenomenal, they considered my disabilities and supported me thruout the trip. The hotel beautiful location and facilities are above many. The hotel restaurant had a different menu for each meal daily and still provided enough selections for all, each meal we had was expectacular in presentation, service and taste. At the end of the day, I spent it with Mauricio and Macarena at the bar, great suggestions on the drinks and enjoyable to talk too.

In Santiago, our guide was Maite, she was knowledgeable and great to talk to. Kept us informed, made modifications as needed. All our drives were great(Jorge, Orlando and David), except the one not mentioned. All our meals were memorable (Bocanariz, Carnal Prime Steakhouse, Donde Augusto). La excepcion fue El Giratorio, bella vista, pero la comida no vale, regrese mi comida dos veces.
Las excursions en Santiago( City Tour, Museo Pre-Colomniano, El Cerro San Cristobal, El viaje a Valparaiso y Viña del Mar) las recomiendo, las otras no.
Gracias por su ayuda durante mi viaje y los cambios que me permitieron hacer.

Dream vacation in Chile and our local specialist, Jesse, made it all possible. She was very responsive, and she planned out a great itinerary that was a perfect mix of touring and down time. All of the tours that she arranged for us were unique and special in their own way. One of our tours was cancelled due to weather conditions and we were promptly refunded. We were extremely happy and would highly recommend Jesse for anyone planning a trip to Chile.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Cochera

San Pedro de Atacama

Great location, truly wonderful staff, and immaculate. It's a bit bare bones, but very comfortable and I would certainly recommend La Cochera to anyone visiting San Pedro.

Authenticity & Character

Location

1/2 block away from the Main Street

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

NH Ciudad de Santiago

Santiago

The room was very large, consisting of a bedroom, walk-in closet, large sitting room, and bathroom. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom could have been a bit cleaner - the grout and bathroom fixtures looked a little worse for wear. The location was okay. We're walkers and it felt like a fairly long one to get to any of the neighborhoods/sites we wanted to see. We did end up taking cars several times which is unusual for us. Breakfast was good and the staff was friendly. I was allowed to check into my room a bit early, which was greatly appreciated as I was exhausted after a long day of travel. The overall vibe was a bit generic - it just didn't have a lot of personality or charm, but we were perfectly comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour

Chile

We had a wonderful guide who was extremely knowledgeable and gave us an insider's flavor for the city. We surely would not have gotten anywhere near the sense of the city that we got had we just walked about on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

This was a life changing experience. It is hard to describe how truly incredible the night sky is in Atacama. We were picked up promptly from our hotel. Initially there was some confusion because we were told that the tour would be in English, and when we were picked up the driver only spoke Spanish. However, when we arrived at the destination the actual guides spoke Spanish and English. There were about 20-25 people participating, and we were broken up into three groups - those of us taking the tour in English were one group and the other two groups were Spanish speaking. The groups took turns at the three stations. Our groups' first station was the snack station, where our guide told us about the indigenous peoples' relationship to the stars, and about various constellations. There was a fire. It was lovely. We then went to the photography station. They had a very high-tech camera set up so everyone was able to get a photograph that depicted how the sky looked - something regular cameras surely would not have been able to pick up. Finally, we went to the station that had a couple of high-powered telescopes. We looked at Saturn (you could see the rings using the telescope), and this was the most science-heavy part of the tour. We learned about why different stars are different colors, how they are formed and die, etc. Honestly the sky was so incredible on its own that I would have been happy sitting in a field just looking at it, but the tour added some much-appreciated context that made the experience even more special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The roads were dark and bumpy and the driver was FLYING. It was a little scary, although we came to learn typical of Atacama tour drivers . . .

This was one of my all-time favorite vacations. Normally I plan every detail of my vacation, but both myself the friend with whom I was traveling didn’t really have the bandwidth to plan this one. I was a little hesitant about using kimkim, but it turned out to be a really great decision. Jesse was extremely responsive and receptive to our what we wanted. She was always quick to answer our questions and always very helpful. The activities she planned for us both in Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama were top notch. The day trips were amazing, and we have nothing but good things to say about the many tour guides who made it possible. Both the booked hotels were spotless, comfortable and located near the towns’ centers.

My only caveat would be to look into the altitude and weather conditions of some of the day trips planned. If you’re not acclimated to high altitudes, it can be pretty rough to go from 7200 ft above sea level to 14,000 fly in the span of a couple of hours. Inquire whether the guides carry oxygen in the case of an emergency. Also, the drivers in San Pedro de Atacama are maniacs, and so you should maybe have a dare devil streak so that you don’t have a coronary when they take a steep turn at 10,000 ft up on a narrow switchback road at 50 mph.

Hotel Reviews

NH Ciudad de Santiago

Santiago

The hotel room was bigger than my apartment. It was clean and bright, and the staff was all very friendly. Their breakfast lay out was excellent. It was also located in a less touristy area of the city, which I prefer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Cochera

San Pedro de Atacama

The staff was so friendly, and the hotel was so comfortable and cozy. They put out a good breakfast, and everything is spotless. It’s also very close to the main street, but far enough away to avoid the noise. Highly recommend!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

This is a fairly easy trek (if you’re acclimated to the elevation) through a really beautiful landscape. Our guide, Julia knows a lot about the mineral composition and ecosystem of the desert. Highly recommend (they give you Pisco at the end!)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour

Chile

Claudio was so knowledgeable and showed a really deep love for his city. The tour is brief, but gives you a good lay of the land. It was a really great way to get introduced to the city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

I can’t recommend this highly enough. It was so, so amazing and the men giving the lessons were so passionate about the subject. It really was one of the most beautiful skies I have ever seen. We were also given snacks (with homemade jam and mayonnaise made by one of the men’s mothers) and wine, and got to sit around a fire while we ate and drank. It was a very special tour and I would do it again if I returned To San Pedro.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Chaxa lagoon was stunning, and watching the Flamingos was just amazing. The other lagoons were very beautiful (although it was so extremely windy it wore me down). We didn’t actually see the mentioned villages, but it was still a really good day

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The drivers drive entirely to recklessly on dangerous mountain roads

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

I think Berto was our favorite guide of the trip. He knew so much about the geysers and seemed to really love them. The geysers themselves were so beautiful and strange. We also got to see a wetland and a small village called Machuca. It was a really great trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The drivers in San Pedro are nuts—don’t sit by the window if you don’t feel like being in fear for your life

Transport

Puritama Canyon Trek

San Pedro de Atacama

This was a fairly easy hike (unless you don’t like a bit of rock scrambling) in a really beautiful landscape. It was an amazing way to end the day. The warm water pools are currently closed, but we went to a spot with cold water bathing. I loved it! The canyon is truly spectacular!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There's a lot to see and appreciate across the many historic sites on Rapa Nui. Unfortunately for us, we arrived on the island and tested positive for Covid-19 the next day. We quarantined for the majority of our time on the island, and the local health authority released us from quarantine half a day before our departing flight. This was entirely appropriate on their part, and in no way impacts our review of this experience. Our local guide, Nicolas, spent that half day showing us as many parts of the island as he could, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we did get to spend with him. He and the hotel staff had gone out of their way to keep us comfortable and safe while we isolated ourselves in our two adjoining private bungalows. We can't say enough how much we appreciated the staff at the Taha Tai and the attentive service of Nicolas.

After we left Rapa Nui, we had more time in Santiago and in Valparaiso, and we loved the experiences arranged for us by our in-country specialist, Lorena. She and her team had also stayed in touch regularly during our quarantine to ensure we had everything we needed.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Taha Tai

Easter Island

Very comfortable rooms and kind, attentive staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff here took very good care of us when we found ourselves needing to quarantine and stay in our bungalows for several days. Their kindness and attention were beyond what we could have hoped for.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Le Reve

Santiago

The rooms were beautiful and comfortable. Breakfast was delicious, and the evening self-serve honesty tab was a welcome respite at the end of the day. The staff were professional and accommodating and kind. The interior courtyard is serene.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Acontraluz

Valparaíso

We loved this hotel more than any other, and our rooftop rooms with private terraces were extraordinary. The staff was friendly and helpful. The design and decor were lovely. Be prepared for the stairs, but don't let that stop you from staying here unless you are unable to climb stairs on your own. A friendly thought: if you're unable to navigate stairs, Valparaiso may not be the best city for you to visit.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was quiet, but had easy access to walk down the hill just a few blocks to many local sights.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Winery & Valparaiso Tour with Overnight

Santiago

Cassas del Bosque was the best meal we ate anywhere in Chile in our 3-week trip. Extraordinary!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Dinner

Santiago

We had several food allergies that we communicated in advance of our trip. The chef was able to fully accommodate those requirements, and our evening in the chef's home was splendid!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lorena planned a great trip! Even more important, flight changes required us to change our itinerary just a few weeks before the trip, and Lorena remade the plan without missing a beat. Vendors for the excursions/adventures she arranged were all fantastic: reliable, informative and fun.

Lorena was a great communicator before and during the trip. We need to go back to Chile to explore the parts of this beautiful country we didn't get to on this trip!

Hotel Review

Hotel Cumbres San Pedro

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Location

About a 20 minute walk to town, but hotel shuttle was reliable

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Buggy Safari Through the Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

JP was a great guide for multiple excursions with him. We had a great time on the stargazing and buggy ride in particular. The buggy ride let us explore parts of the desert landscape that just weren't accessible by car.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maipo Valley Wine Experience

Santiago

Four stars only because the second winery - Santa Ema - wasn't quite as fun/informative as the first, Santa Rita. I think Santa Rita does a LOT more tours, so they seem to have the whole experience better planned. Santa Ema's guide was friendly but not as informative about the wines, the terroir, etc. Having said that, it's a beautiful winery (as is Santa Rita) and drinking wine on a nice, sunny day is never a bad thing....

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Don't worry: getting up EARLY in the morning to head out to the geysers is worth it! They're almost other-worldly and they're absolutely beautiful rising in the cold air and as the sun rises in the morning. The tour company was great and prepared a delicious breakfast for us on the way back!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valle Nevado Ski Resort

Santiago

Rentals were very easy in Santiago before heading up to the mountain. The ride up and down can be a little stomach-churning with all the hairpin turns and the sometimes impatient drivers! The mountain was nice but only some trails were open. We spent a day skiing, which was enough - there wasn't enough open to spend any more time than that on the mountain (for reference: we are fairly experienced skiers - black/double black in the Rockies), but we definitely got a kick out of being able to ski in August!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guides in Atacama and Puerta Varas were outstanding. The transfers went smoothly and the drivers were all helpful and informative.
I loved the north and south. Petrohue was probably my favorite but the flamingos and salt flat tours were out of this world!
I love Chile!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Outstanding staff and location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location

Close to town

Staff

The desk help and general staff amazingly kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bed!!

Hotel Weisserhaus

Puerto Varas

Quaint hotel, great location

Authenticity & Character

Old character

Location

Walk to everything in town

Staff

Helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

If you like old world charm this is for you

Hotel Torremayor Providencia

Santiago

The room I had was lovely and clean. The only negative is that it was incredible noisy. I couldn’t sleep for the road noise underneath. If I had a different room it would have been great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location

Convenient

Staff

Helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Amazing guides, knowledgeable and very welcoming

Quality of Experience

Carla and William were great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Roger the guide gave our tour the most amazing information and experience. Thoroughly enjoyed everything. Take warm clothes, hats, gloves etc as it’s cold at the high elevations

Quality of Experience

Food

Breakfast in the desert was awesome

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roger so knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions

Transport

We had a pretty extensive 10-day itinerary in Chile, with myself, my teenage daughter and my 8 year old son. We had a great time visiting Santiago, Patagonia, and Atacama, all thanks to Lorena. She put together the itinerary and it was perfect for us. We had many transfers--cars, planes, buses, boats, as Chile is quite stretched out. Every step of the way was smooth and all the guides we had on the trip were professional, knowledgeable, and interesting. It was truly unforgettable and we saw different ways to eat, different ways to think, and different ways to live. Lorena also paced us appropriately, especially considering our young boy. Some activities would definitely have been too hard for him (trekking in Torres del Paine, some of the activities in Atacama), and best saved for when he's much older, but we might not have known if we didn't have an expert planning our trip. We were very happy--Lorena was always responsive, helpful and attentive. I would recommend her highly to anyone. Thanks so much!

The entire trip from start to finish was adventurous, exciting, and breath taking. The guides selected for the various tours were knowledgeable and kind. Thank you Lorena for preparing a great itinerary and Valee who helped coordinate while in Chile.

This once in a lifetime trip took months of planning and coordination. The first leg of the trip to Easter Island went off well with a few minor hiccups but that is to be expected and was resolved quickly. The guides were awesome and it was a great experience. Not so awesome was the Calama section of the trip. Let me start with the positive. The guides were very knowledgeable and I had an ok time. Now for the negatives. I was picked up from my accommodation during the time window provided but I expected to be dropped off at my hotel at the end of the day but instead was left in the middle of a city I did not know and was told this is where the tour ended. Are you kidding me??? I had no idea where my hotel was located and it was dark. The guide provided directions that made no sense so I had to beg her to go with me. She said it was not part of her job but she was gracious enough to go with me. I would never have found it on my own with the directions she had provided. The next day I knew what would happen and the guide provided directions. Fortunately it was not that far from my hotel. The following day was going to be the highlight of the tour going to the geyser. When I got to the hotel I received a message that my pick up to the airport was going to be at 9:30am. The tour started at 4:30 am so I thought I would have plenty of time to make the connection. She then told me that I would not get back from the tour until 11:30am. Are you kidding me again??? I would miss my flight if I went on the tour. She then said I can take a private tour for $100. I told her I am not paying for that. This itinerary was months in the making so Kim Kim should have known about my flight as I provided the information months before and the itinerary said I would be picked up at 10:40am. That would be enough time to get to the airport. I was devastated as this is the only time I will make this trip and I felt that someone dropped the ball. This is not my first tour with Kim Kim. The previous tours were mostly problem free. I expected this would be as well and at this point I am not sure if I would recommend them to anyone.

A really enjoyable experience. The various tours were well organised and our guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The highlight of our trip was the Uyuni Salt Flats with our time around San Pedro de Atacama a close second. Highly recommended

My two teenaged sons and I traveled to Chile - Santiago and Puerto Natales. I did not know where to begin in planning this kind of trip. I found Kimkim, and Angel was very helpful right from the start. His communication was impeccable. It was winter in Chile, and they were having a lot of rain. The weather caused some unforeseen and unavoidable disruptions to our trip itinerary, including a cancelled airline flight. Once again, Angel was answering my questions and rearranging our plans so that we could still make the best of the trip in spite of the glitches. He also made calls to the airline on my behalf to help us figure out what was going on and what we could do. Besides his unwavering communication, he also had the inside knowledge to schedule us with tour guides in Chile who were really top notch. These folks - Jose, Felipe, and Jose Luis - were just so amazing and knowledgeable about Chile and their specific regions. Angel turned out to be our guardian angel in Chile! We gained a great trip, a new appreciation and fondness for Chile, and great family memories! Mil gracias, Angel!

My client Karyn Anderson and her child Sebastian were delighted and have nothing but praise for all the arrangements made by Kimkim and Ana who was extremely helpful right through the booking process.

For starters, I would like to commend Ana for her selfless and prompt responses and excellent suggestions.
There were many changes but she handled the challenges with great expertise, otherwise for me, an unknown destination.

My client has written that everything went without a hitch, the arrangements were superb and Paloma was a fabulous attraction. Staff along the way were great and the day tour was more than satisfactory.

Thank you Ana and Kimkim - I will certainly be back in the future

Chile and Bolivia

We had a great trip to Chile and Bolivia arranged by Emilce.
At all times her service was immaculate, and her advice was essential to the success of the holiday.
In Santiago we had a good experience with our tour guide Francisco.
Highlights were the Nayara Atacama and the great guides we had there, particularly Alexis who was a local musician who played in an Andean band.

The journey to the Bolivian border we had an excellent guide and Giovanni our Bolivian guide was excellent as well.
We would recommend the Salt hotel in Uyuni - Hotel De Sal Luna Salada.

In La Paz we were expertly guided by Grace who did a great job of showing us around this fascinating city.

Jason Kearney provided us with everything we would have wanted in our itinerary. He was an incredible support throughout our trip and answered all the questions/concerns promptly. I believe his availability and willingness made our trip memorable! He was just awesome!!
We had two tour guides: Francisco (Santiago, Valparaiso) and Christian (San Pedro de Atacama). Both of them made our trip stress-free and totally enjoyable. Their knowledge of the towns, restaurants and landscapes was invaluable. We could not have asked for two better individuals ferrying us around!
We also had a guide (unfortunately, cannot recall her name) to the geysers ~ again, an outstanding source of information and and very environmentally conscious!
Overall, everyone starting with Jason worked together (including the drivers - Cristian and Jose) to make our journey in Chile an unforgettable experience!!
Karla and Ashok

The trip was amazing ! Really enjoyed all the tour guides they were very knowledgeable and caring. We especially liked our tour guide in Easter island patricia she went above and beyond to make our experience amazing and smooth and gave us a lot of tips for restaurants and the place. In Atacama dessert it would have been nice to know ahead of time that the tour started at 4:30 am in the morning. We were notified at 5:30 pm the day before the tour that we had to be ready that early which was frustrating. Another downside was that we were made to go to the airport 4 hours early even for domestic flights early this wasted lots of time in just travel and spending unnecessary time in the airport. I was disappointed that they messed up the winery tour for my husband's birthday . It's good that I noticed this 4 days early and told them that we didn't even reach Santiago that day till 6:00 pm so we could not do anything that they had planned for day 1 that included a lunch wine taring etc. They tried to fix it to their best ability but it was sad we had to miss out on the actual planned itinerary for day 1 and 2. I think it would be great if next time we get another one on one chat with the agent to explain how busy the schedule will be before booking everything. The trip was a bit exhausting cause of too many things planned and I guess I didn't realize how much time would end up being spent just travelling to places. We did not have much time to relax. Otherwise all tours were great and went smoothly!

My "guide" was a lovely man, very friendly and prompt. But he wasn't really a guide. I spent a day touring Pablo Neruda's homes because I thought I would learn more about the poet from him. Instead I went to each home and listened to a repetitive audio tour. Not what I thought I was paying more for. I do want to reiterate that this was not Orlando's fault, he was very kind and considerate every step of the way. But the planning by the agency was poor.

Overall, the trip was wonderful and amazing. The experience of a lifetime.

Angel was great to deal with from start to finish. In planning the trip, listening to my wants and needs, and then providing tours accordingly. During the trio he was readily available and responsive whenever a question came up or problem occurred.

The big thing for me which would have made the trip go more smoothly and be more enjoyable as a result is more communication ahead of time about what’s next. Whether that would be in the form of a much more detailed itinerary before departure, or at the very least, detailed information the evening before each tour. This should include vouchers for lodging and tours, tour operator names and contact information, pick up times and locations, what to bring, required park admission fees, etc. I felt like I was flying blind on several occasions throughout the trip. Maybe this is not unusual, but it hasn’t been that way for me on other international trips, including ones to Chile.

The other thing which could have really been a problem but fortunately wasn’t, was the lack of advance information provided to me about the border crossing from Chile into Bolivia for the Uyuni Salt Flats tour, where I was notified late of some requirements and not told about $160USD tourist visa (which I did don't have when I arrived at the border). As my travel agent, KimKim should have known necessary requirements for a client who is a US resident who is traveling between Chile and Bolivia. This problem could and should have been avoided.

There were other smaller missteps along the way, including problems with transportation to and from SCL to my hotel, some inaccurate tour descriptions (for example, the hike to Puribore Hot Springs - they’re not really hot springs and the water is not even hot), concern for safety as well as comfort on the ride back from Uyuni to San Pedro, miscommunication or lack of communication from individual tour operators about pick up times and/or what to bring. I have provided Angel with detailed explanations of all of the above.

In the end, despite the fact that this was without question the trip of a lifetime, and Angel was there whenever I needed him and responded right away, I am not sure if I would book another trip with KimKim as I definitely feel many of the problems I encountered along the way could have easily been avoided. If I were to book again with KimKim I would at least know going in what potential problems to be on the lookout for.

Hotel Reviews

Hostel Villamar

Uyuni

By US Hotel standards this would probably be considered a one-star hotel. It is a hostel, though, and was clean and comfortable with hot water and decent food. That's all we really needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diego de Velazquez

Santiago

Hotel was fine. It was clean and centrally located in a good neighborhood.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Diego de Almagro San Pedro

One should not go to San Pedro expecting 5 star accommodations. This hotel was fine. It was clean and spacious and located only minutes from the center of town. It is a big property with a pool (though water was cold and I didn't see any one swim during my 6 day stay). Food in restaurant was good. Staff helpful and generally bi-lingual.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Colcha K hostel

Salar de Uyuni

This hostel was actually nicer and seemingly newer than Villamar. It was clean and comfortable with a nice dining room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Astronomical Tour - Atacama Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

One of the highlights of the trip. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides were very knowledgeable and spoke good English for those who didn't understand Spanish. Only reason I didn't rate this a 5 is because the driver got lost en route to the desert while trying to locate guests who weren't where they were supposed to be. We wasted a lot of time (like about 30 minutes) driving around at night on narrow dirt roads in a bus.

Transport

Goodbye Atacama transfer to Rea National Park - Uyuni Tour Day 1

Bolivia

The tour itself was great and the sites along the way to Uyuni amazing. The reason for my lower rating is because of border crossing issues which I detailed in my general review comments.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

David Cruz, our driver and guide, was fantastic. Especially at the Salt Flat. He knew exactly how to set up "perspective" pictures and brought a lot of toys along which made the experience extra special.

Transport

As noted in my general trip comments, transportation from Uyuni back to San Pedro was cramped and was the only time on the trip where I felt somewhat unsafe due to driving off road at night in the middle of nowhere with no cell service.

Petrified City and Altiplanic Lagoons - Uyuni Tour Day 2

Bolivia

Felt like we were building and building to the climax of reaching our final destination - the salt flat itself. Sights along the way were all good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uyuni Saltflat and Cactus Island - Uyuni Tour Day 3

Bolivia

This was the reason for the whole trip. It was pretty great. We spent too much time in Cochoni Town at the end of the trip and would have liked to spend more time in Uyuni itself. Train Graveyard was fine, though nothing special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uyuni to San Pedro Atacama Day 4

Bolivia

This was really just about the return trip, sitting in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser and a two hour border crossing. It would have been great to have more information ahead of time to know what to expect.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very cramped, no AC in our vehicle.

Visit the Tatio Geysers - Morning tour

San Pedro de Atacama

This was one of the highlights of the trip. Our guide, Carolina, was terrific. Very knowledgeable, moved people along so we could get to the "best spot" just as the sun came up, spoke good English for those who did not know Spanish.

Quality of Experience

I've been to Yellowstone Geyers and this was better!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carolina A+

Transport

Morning Trek to Puripobre Hot Springs

Chile

This tour was a bit of a letdown. I've done a lot of hikes in the US and around the world, and as a hike it was fine, but nothing special. The description made it seem like a real great place - a "must do" type of activity. It was not. Also, the hot springs were not hot. They not really even hot springs, but rather pools in a river that is a combination of a thermal and a mountain river, which is why the water is only Luke-warm. For my needs on this day, a regular hike was fine. But I had expected it to be much more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide didn't really offer any insights into the region. He seemed to be there only to tell us where to go.

Transport

Baltinache Hidden Lagoons and Vallecito(magic bus).

Chile

This was a nice tour at an off-the-beaten-path site. It is definitely not a "must do" but I'm glad I got to see it. The water was very cold, and it was a cool morning, so I (and many others on the trip) did not end up floating in the salt water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Visit to "Valle de La luna "

Chile

Valle de La Luna was a highlight of the trip. It is a "must do" if you are visiting Atacama, but I found the tour (as did everyone I spoke to) to be a little bit of a tourist trap. You are on the bus most of the time. You stop, get off the bus, snap pictures and move on. While on the bus you are driving past amazing spots. I could have spent an hour at any one of them taking pictures and enjoying nature. The tour was described as 6 hours. It was 2 1/2 start to finish, including a snack break. I wish it had been longer. Felt like a little bit of a rip off. Tour guide Carolina, who was also my guide for the Geyser tour, was very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Trip- Red Rocks, Lagunas Altiplánicas & Atacama Salt Flats

San Pedro de Atacama

This was a great day. I wish it had been sunny (we had overcast/cool weather) but the tour was good in spite of the weather. Only complaint is that I did not get any advance text or information from the tour provider about pick up time or what to bring. I (and others) had to purchase hat and gloves along the way, which I would have brought with me had I known we might encounter snow at the higher elevation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport