Kimkim Trip Reviews for Chile

We spent three weeks exploring Chile (north, south, center and Easter Island). All of this was booked through kimkim. As kimkim relies on third party tour operators, you can imagine that there can be a few hiccups here and there, but it's how our personal representative (Jesse) handled those hiccups that was most impressive. Any time we had a question, request or concern, she was there to help. Having Jesse every step of the way was like having a guardian angel watching over us. We would definitely recommend kimkim for planning and booking a Chile vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Apart Hotel Valle Exploradores

Puerto Río Tranquilo, Aysen

Small hotel, with a slight language barrier with the staff, however, very friendly and brings breakfast to your room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Taha Tai

Easter Island

Nice hotel, close to all of the restaurants and our activities!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabo De Hornos

Punta Arenas

Upscale Boutique Hotel with a very nice restaurant in the heart of the financial district of Punta Arenas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Santiago - Airport Terminal

Santiago

It's literally AT the airport, but no airplane noise!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Renaissance Santiago Hotel

Santiago

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cumbres San Pedro

San Pedro de Atacama

Lovely resort hotel, not exactly downtown. The hotel has a shuttle that stops at 9 PM. Overall good experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costaustralis

Puerto Natales

We were there for four nights. The breakfast is a very nice breakfast. I would make sure you have breakfast and bring snacks and lunch if you're doing the Torres del Paine hike.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

The stargazing tour was changed to moon gazing due to the weather and lack of stars. The tour was eventually canceled, but a refund was received.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marble Caves Boat Tour

Chile

The original tour operator closed for winter, but an alternative tour was found. Nice private experience on the boat tour, exploring the unique marble caves.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking in the Magellan Strait

Chile

The tour was canceled due to weather conditions and replaced with Punta Arenas City Tour. The city tour was basic and overpriced compared to the original kayaking tour. The city tour included visiting a hill for a panoramic view and a short tour of a cemetery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park & Surroundings

Chile

Extremely challenging hike and the guide's pace was very fast. Some participants struggled with the pace and intensity of the hike. We suggest bringing breakfast/snacks for the hike due to its demanding nature.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Orongo Morning Tour and Ahu Akivi Afternoon Tour

Easter Island

Great experiences exploring the history and culture of Easter Island. We enjoyed the excursions and the opportunity to see the unique moai statues up close.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Viña del Mar & Valparaíso

Chile

We enjoyed the tour, exploring the vibrant coastal cities of Viña del Mar & Valparaíso!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Base Torres Hike

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip to Glacier Grey

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rano Raraku and Anakena Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to the Atacama was fantastic! We appreciated all the interaction prior to and during the trip :)
The scenery was absolutely incredible and we enjoyed meeting lots of people from around the world. Each of our guides were lovely, full of knowledge and expertise. We would highly recommend visiting!

Hotel Review

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Efforts to take an eco friendly approach

Location

Great central spot

Staff

Everyone was so helpful and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Enjoyed the tour with a great guide - incredible introduction to the atacama!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

This was an absolutely amazing trip - not a long drive and such a special evening. Our guide was incredible with his knowledge and thank you so much for our photograph of the night sky

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Puritama Canyon Trek

San Pedro de Atacama

Súper chilled time with our guide who was friendly with great energy Beautiful and unique scenery

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Amazing guide and interesting tour Beautiful scenery and worth getting up early for!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Great tour but a very early start!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cejar Lagoon, Ojos del Salar & Tebenquiche

San Pedro de Atacama

Such a beautiful tour to end our trip - fabulous experience swimming in the salt water lagoon!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had an amazing experience travelling through the Argentinean and Chilean Patagonia and to Atacama. Despite having an activity packed vacation, everything worked smoothly. I am very satisfied with the service provided by Emilce and all the partners at KimKim. I will definitely used them again.

Had an amazing trip overall and loved our itinerary to Chile and Patagonia. Overall, the coordination between cities was great and the transfers were perfect. The kim kim platform was wonderful and I really liked this service. However, I would not recommend using the agency or Ana, as she dropped the ball as our travel planner. Specifically, we met virtually to discuss the details of our hike in Patagonia… her lack of knowledge and insight into the W trek led to us staying in a small 4 foot tent in rainy 30 degree cold weather located at the top of a mud hill instead of a warm room dorm that you could walk around in and has individual showers. Additionally there were other scheduling issues that led to us missing our hike briefing, which caused a bit of a mess for us. My expectation is that a travel agent helps you to navigate options, provide insight that you would otherwise not have, and ensure a smooth schedule throughout the trip. This was not the case. Again, the basics of the trip were great… but this is more of a “plug and chug” kind of agency.

Lorena was extremely helpful with planning an itinerary for our trip. She was conscientious of our needs and time frame and highlighted the ideal spots for us to visit and experience. Dealing with KimKim eased a lot of our worries as Lorena took care of all the finer details, which not only proved to be a great time saver, but also took the stress off us while planning a long and complex trip. At first, we had reservations due to the lack of transparency in costs, but if you can get past that then you are in great hands.

We really enjoyed our Santiago city tour with Felipe, as well as the volcano hike with Ermine and Ricardo. Renting the car was perfect as we then had so much flexibility fitting everything in on the itinerary and more. The lodging in Santiago and Pucon were adequate, however the 3 other hotels were exceptional. A more itemized summary of our trip itinerary costs would have been helpful I regards to tipping and knowing what all was included, e.g. admission to Termas Geometricas. We did so appreciate Jesse getting back to us for clarifications and reimbursements throughout the trip even when it happened to be on the weekend!
I would not hesitate to use Kimkim again for future travels.
Sincerely,
Marian

Lorena and her KimKim team planned and executed a wonderful itinerary for us. We greatly appreciated that drivers taking us to/from airports were reliable and punctual. The guides in Santiago (Soledad) and Easter Island (from Mahina Tour but can't remember her name) were excellent. We loved Patagonia but not the hotel Lago Grey. Every other place we stayed was charming and memorable. All in all, a great trip.

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Santiago - Airport Terminal

Santiago

Convenient but understaffed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Hare Uta

Rapa Nui

Greatly enjoyed our stay here. The hotel was located on beautiful grounds with an authentic French Polynesian feel. Delicious dinner and wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

30 minute walk to center of town, 5 minutes to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique La Yegua Loca

Punta Arenas

Very eclectic, very charming. The room was bright and spacious. The restaurant / dinner was outstanding. They introduced us to the Calafate Sour and we loved our stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to stunning overlook view of the city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Simple Patagonia

Puerto Natales

The hotel is, as the name suggests, very simple. But our favorite dinners of the Chilean trip were at their dining room. Quite the culinary treat!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not close to town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lago Grey

Torres del Paine

The setting is majestic but probably our least favorite stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The entire hotel needs major update. Feels like a 3 star place when it has so much better potential. Mediocre dining.

Hotel Boutique Le Reve

Santiago

Charming and lovely boutique hotel. Great breakfasts, wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lodge Terrantai

San Pedro de Atacama

Loved our stay here. Even when the afternoon tour was canceled due to weather, we enjoyed staying at the hotel. GREAT staff, very helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Christian and Carola were friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Easter Island Highlights Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Dinner

Santiago

The private dinner was a highlight of our trip. Not only was the dinner delicious; the hosts were extraordinarily kind. Loved it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Tour to Orongo

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valparaíso & Wine Tour

Santiago

What a pleasant surprise. The wine tour was ok, but we loved Valparaiso.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

We saw so much in our introduction to the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Soledad was awesome. The driver Alejandro was great too.

Transport

Afternoon Tour to Ahu Akivi

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved our guide (wish we could remember her name!)

Transport

Boat Trip to Glacier Grey

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

Not a highlight of our touring experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penguin Colony on Magdalena Island

Chile

Didn't see the thousands of penguins that were described by KimKim, but still enjoyed the experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike from Sarmiento Lake to Amarga Lagoon

Chile

Loved our hike. The driver and guide were great. THIS felt like what we wanted to experience in Patagonia!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Torres del Paine National Park with Overnight

Chile

We wish that the experience was more intimate. Loved seeing the National Park, but it was the only big group tour of our trip, which was disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jesse created such an amazing itinerary for Chile. It was packed with outings, but just enough down time to look around at my leisure as well. The local guides were all so friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The guides and the drivers really went above and beyond to make sure the experiences were unique as well as memorable.
My favorite part was being served a private dinner thanks to Gloria and Leo, with the help of Felipe as an interpreter and local guide for Santiago. It will be the most treasured experience I’ll remember of my trip.
I really appreciate what Jesse put together and created for my trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Torremayor Lyon

Santiago

The hotel room was spacious and clean. The staff was friendly and they hold your luggage if necessary.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

The place is big. The staff was kind. The room was clean and spacious. There is food available throughout the day which was great for those that did not have a lot of time between tours. The hotel was close to downtown as well as touting a swimming pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was walkable to everything in the town

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vendaval

Puerto Natales

It was close to the town square and close to the waterfront as well. The staff was friendly. They made sure that people were helped with rides and where to go for bus station so early in the morning. There was breakfast every morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walkable to everything in the town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park & Surroundings

Chile

The local guide, John, was funny and energetic as a guide. He even acted as a photographer for many of us. The sights we stopped at were beautiful and well worth the tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver would stop so we could take pictures of the wildlife or other sights beyond the tour.

Transport

Private Dinner

Santiago

This experience was definitely the highlight of my trip. Gloria is an amazing cook. The entire meal was beyond delicious. Gloria and Leo were superb hosts and with Felipe was the interpreter, the conversation topics were fun. I felt like I was meeting old friends. I cannot say enough about being able to do this experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

The flavors Gloria used were phenomenal. She did flavors I would never had thought of while also introducing foods that are from Chilean culture.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour

Chile

Felipe did a great job giving a history lesson about Chile and Santiago through the locations we stopped. He was entertaining and charismatic while introducing local crafts people and how their trades relate to the topics discussed. I learned so much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Going through the Valley with stops to see different views was an excellent afternoon. Ending the tour with a picnic before seeing the sunset was even better because everyone had time to meet and greet each other as well as end on a relaxing note.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very charismatic and knowledgeable. He did a great job conversing in both Spanish and English and made everyone on the tour feel welcome.

Transport

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

The knowledge and being able to use a telescope was fantastic. I really enjoyed learning the differences in what could be seen from different hemispheres. The email that was sent of pictures was an added bonus that really helped remember what the guide was saying about the stars.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very nice and you can tell he loved what he was showing us.

Transport

Dear KimKim,
I am writing this review in Miami on my way home to San Francisco following our two week trip to Chili. Lorena and Jesse provided a fantastic itinerary. Our lodgings and points of interest suggestions were excellent (especially Futangue and Peyuhue). On their advice, we had no issues renting a car and locating our destinations. It would have been helpful to know details of the bookings (ie meal plans) and tours just to make tipping appropriate. Thank you for the prompt refunds of tours we chose not to take. We enjoyed the beauty of this country and the warm reception we received by everyone.
This is my second trip with KimKim and I would definitely use them again.
Thank you for everything!!!
Sherry (Marian and Danny)

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ladera

Providencia

To be fair, we arrived in Pucon at the end of the high season. There were very few people in the hotel (which was good) but breakfast was super sparse as was the hot water. Great location close to town and parking was secure.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to town and near the lake.

Staff

No coffee and no effort to get more.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Pucon Indomito

Pucón

Oops I put my review for Pucon in the Santiago section.

Futangue Hotel & Spa

Futangue

Amazing place in every way!!! Cozy, wonderful meals, clean and comfortable rooms. We loved this one!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Puyehue Wellness & SPA Resort

Puyehue

Over the top buffet meals. Good location to the National Park but plenty to do right at the hotel. We loved experiencing the giant hot pools! Beautiful area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

We loved the big rooms and view of the beautiful lake. Having the pool across the street was also a plus. Great location to town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour

Chile

It was nice to get out and walk the city of Santiago after a long flight from San Francisco. Our guide Philipe was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. We appreciated walking the less touristy areas of the city in addition as well as the traditional centers. Chile's history is fascinating. He recommended a great restaurant for dinner as well!

Quality of Experience

We had a private tour!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide and driver were right on time!!!

Transport

Full-Day Huerquehue Hiking

Pucón

This park was a 50 minute minute drive from Pucon. It is a dirt road so best maneuvered by an SUV vs a Sedan. We had no trouble finding the park and the trail was well marked. We visited during the fall so we had no trouble making a reservation but apparently it is quite popular so best to register online beforehand. At the entrance, the fee is only collected in pesos.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

N/A

Transport

N/A

Ascent to Villarrica Volcano

Pucón

We visited when the volcano was under a yellow alert so we were unable to hike to the crater. Still it was an amazing experience with beautiful views of the area.

Quality of Experience

One of a kind but not recommended for people not use to hiking at elevation.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ricardo and Hermin were terrific. Once again we had a private tour. They were informative about the area, helpful with equipment and adjusted their trekking speeds to fit our abilities.

Transport

Geometric Hot Springs

Pucón

What a unique spot!!! It was a beautiful one hour and a half drive from Pucon but well worth the drive on a dirt road. Once again, best to travel in an SUV vs a Sedan. We spent three and hours investigating these natural hot springs set in an amazing tropical landscape. These pools were quite different then the man made thermal pools in other areas because of the setting and waterfall. We met travelers from all over world and appreciated the soak after our volcano hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

N/A

Free day in Futangue

Futangue

This was our favorite spot!!! The location was magical!!! The hotel rooms, staff, food and facilities were top notched!! The weather was not clear when we visited so we missed the views from the top of the mountain but still enjoyed the beautiful setting and tropical landscape. We enjoyed the common spaces with comfortable seating and roaring fire places.

Quality of Experience

Absolutely amazing!!!

Free day in Puyehue

Puyehue

Historical hotel amazing food and thermal pools. A wide array of activity options (guided tours of the park, horseback riding, tennis, guided nature walks) available through the hotel activity desk.

Quality of Experience

Excursion to Petrohué Falls

Chile

We were able to visit these falls on the day we drove from Puyehyue. It was a beautiful day and despite the lower water levels due to the time of the year, the Petrohue Falls and river were beautiful and well worth the drive. We were also able to visit Todos Los Santos lake and drove to the top of the Orsono volcano for some beautiful views of the valley that same day.

Trekking in Alerce Andino National Park

Puerto Varas

This beautiful park was an hour and a half drive from Puerto Varas the last section on a dirt road. Again, not all of the trails were open because of the weather but we were able to experience an easy walk to the falls and see the giant Alerce trees. The trail was well marked and the ranger was informative. It was well worth the drive to experience fishing villages on the coast and the beautiful lush landscape and river on this hike.

Our guides and drivers through out the trip were prompt, knowledgeable, pleasant and seemed to enjoy their work. Most spoke good English and were keen to practice.
Valentina who was the local chief support was great..she responded quickly and gave me the assurances we needed.

Hotel Reviews

Weskar Lodge

Puerto Natales

Very comfortable room...pleasant staff..buffet breakfast was ok..dinner menu was basic..

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hosteria Kau Kaleshen

Gdor. Gregores 1256, Z9405 El Calafate, Santa Cruz, Argentina

Plain older place, clean,good location,helpful English speaking staff, breakfast just barely ok...no protein...tired looking fruit...

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costaustralis

Puerto Natales

After tripping around it was great to stay in a modern upscale hotel Good location in town, on the water, breakfast very satisfying, staff helpful, gorgeous art work..

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabo De Hornos

Punta Arenas

Lovely modern hotel in central location..gorgeous art work,great food, staff were pleasant and helpful...we overlooked the central square which was very attractive..

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Australis Cruise Ship

Santiago

First luxury cruise...very well run, efficient,pleasant knowledgeable staff, clean, well stocked..delicious meals, very scenic routes and fun interesting shore trips..we had great weather..and about 2/3 passenger capacity as it was the fall..a great time to go..fewer people..more attentive service...

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour of Viña del Mar & Valparaiso

Viña del Mar

Driver and guide Soledad were the right people to get us started in Chile..they were very helpful, pleasant and introduced us to the country and city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valparaiso Tour

Chile

Soledad was great..she was informed, gave us needed practical information and a pleasant person to work with

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour along Beach towns

Chile

Our guide was very pleasant knowledgeable, courteous, spoke good English,..we had a very pleasant day driving south to Isla Negra and stopped along the way...he went out of his way to help us see around Neruda's summer house there even though it was closed..

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valparaiso to Santiago - Wine Tour

Valparaíso

Visit was pleasant..lovely location and tasty lunch..wine tastings were fruitful...our driver was pleasant and courteous..

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour

Chile

Our guide was pleasant knowledgeable and loved his job...we walked a great deal...took the metro..and learned more about the city its history and local sites...helpful for our first day as we could then get around on our own...

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Dinner

Santiago

This was a really great idea and our hosts were pleasant generous and the meal itself very good..4 courses plus wine..our guide and host played guitar and because they are friends there was much warmth during the evening..

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park & Surroundings

Chile

Wow..first exposure to the scenery mountains. Sky...guide and driver were knowledgeable pleasant helpful and seemed to enjoy their work..a great day..

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Tour to Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

Chile

Tour boat packed with people...weather was good..some sun and cloud.. visited first glacier which was amazing...meal was ok at a local hall..

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All the guides were wonderful except the guide for the stargazing tour in the Atacama Desert. She spoke 90% of the time in Spanish and gave little information to her English customers except answering their questions.

We had an amazing trip overall to Chile (Valparaiso, Santiago, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Atacama desert and Patagonia). The trip was smooth, informative, had great guides overalls and very few hiccups.

The few elements I would propose to improve:

1. Our first night in Hotel Fundador was not good. We had a horribly tiny room that gave to the front of the hotel. We were on the 2nd floor and it was extremely noisy. I had never been in a hotel room that small. During our second stay at the hotel for the end of our trip, we told them this and they gave us their standard room which was much better
2. We weren't aware that we could fly directly to Puerto Natales (instead of flying to Punto Arenas which was 3 hours away via bus) - it would be good to have been told that a flight to Puerto Natales was preferred
3. Our tour operator in San Pedro de Atacama would give us intervals for pick-up (for example: between 4-4:30AM) - it would be preferred to have a shorter interval especially when the pick-up is that early
4. Our tour operator in San Pedro de Atacama sub-contracted a tour to the Tatio Geysers without telling us when the tour was meant to occur with them if there were at least 2 people. It was bad because they didn't warn us and the new tour operator had a different pick-up time: instead of 4-4:30AM, it was 4:30-5AM. We lost sleep because of this poor communication. We were very unhappy with this and it was hard to even get a "sorry, this was our mistake"
5. We originally had a rainbow valley tour in Atacama, but it was cancelled due to poor weather. This was fine, but the replacement tour was an "archeological tour". It was not a great tour - very little to see - very little information
6. Following my comment in #5, it would have been better that the tour operator rearrange our schedule to include the full day Pierras Rojas tour. We asked for them to suggest new tours, etc., but they were not helpful.

As you see, we have some feedback but I need to highlight how enjoyable Rapa Nui Tours (guide: Sabrina Tuki Pont), Patagonia Planet and CL Mundo were. Our tour operator in Atacama (Capricornio Expediciones) was disappointing overall such that our experience in Atacama was less enjoyable.

Ana was excellent. We would definitely work with Kimkim again.

Two other comments:
- Maybe include more restaurant suggestions in the given locations
- I would have preferred that the tours be English only, and not bilingual Spanish/English. We felt that we would get less information on bilingual tours than on English only tours.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Fundador

Santiago, Región Metropolitana

Our first stay, we had a terribly tiny room. We could not have our luggage open in the room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Vai Moana

Easter Islan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ultramar

Valparaíso

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Fantastic hotel with kind staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lady Florence Dixie

Puerto Natales

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room could be renovated, but still was comfortable enough for our needs.

Activity Reviews

Half Day Akivi Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Moon Valley and Mirador Ckari

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Would have preferred an English only tour.

Transport

Santiago Markets City Bike Tour

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset at Tahai

Easter Island

We did not need this activity given our hotel was 5 minutes away by foot. I would recommend another tour instead of this one for people staying in Vai Moana hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Puritama Hotsprings

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainbow Valley

San Pedro de Atacama

We did not have this activity - it was an archeological tour. I would not recommend - it was not informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic excursion to the Torres del Paine National Park (with Box Lunch)

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It would have been better to have an English only tour - not bilingual

Transport

Evening Astronomy Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day - Valparaiso & Viña del Mar

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Easter Island Full Day Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Orongo Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise at Tongariki

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

The tour ended up being great, but Capricornio Expediciones was very poor in communicating the time of pick-up (time changed so we lost 30 minutes sleep) and the fact that they sub-contracted the tour without telling us We were also meant to be dropped off at our hotel, but that didn't happen.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cejar & Tebinquiche Lagoons - Atacama Salt Flat

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navigation to Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Hiking Base Las Torres - 20km approx

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall, a very positive experience working with Kimkim organizing and executing my 6-weeks "bucket list" trip across Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Uruguay
Ana - the planning specialist - has done a great job designing the initial trip and then adjusting it based on my feedback - I think we went through ~15 iterations of the plan
If you plan on travelling across multiple countries - I would highly recommend Kimkim, as most (all?) local travel agencies only operate in their own countries. Kimkim did organize the entire trip, including 'handovers' between local tour agencies, local and international airfare, hotels, and, of course, tours
You pretty much deal with 3 layers: Kimkim that hires a local travel agency, which, in turn, hires your actual tour provider. Kimkim will develop your detailed itinerary and most of the daily communication is done via WhatsApp. You will have an emergency contact # (across all countries) and a day before you will receive a WhatsApp reminding you of the next day activities - works pretty well!
We opted for a combo of group and individual tours and, in retrospect, I would highly recommend individual tours - you'll learn so much more, although, they are, of course, more expensive
Choice of hotels by Kimkim was pretty good - most in great, "walk to everything" locations, some even with swimming pools? (we opted for budget hotels)
In terms of highlights: Iguazu Falls, Atacama desert, Vina del Mar, El Calafate glaciers, Ushuaia, Mendoza horseback riding + wine tasting, Montevideo and Punta del Este. Personally, I wasn't that impressed with Bolivia/Uyuni salt flats or Bariloche
Obviously, Kimkim service comes at a price - but you pay for the convenience of Kimkim organizing everything for you

Hotel Reviews

Patio de Piedra

La Paz

A unique / antique looking hotel in the heart of La Paz - walk to everything!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Takha Takha

San Pedro de Atacama

Outdoor swimming pool! A bit of a walking distance to main attractions

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Nobody spoke English

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fundador

Santiago, Región Metropolitana

Great location - walk to everything. Hotel is a bit dated. Very helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ultramar

Valparaíso

Very far from everything and very dated

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Big Sur

Puerto Natales

Brand new hotel in a good location. Helpful staff. Rooms quite small

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Esplendor Cervantes

Montevideo

Great location - walk to everything! Helpful staff. Hotel somewhat dated. Indoor pool + sauna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Awa Boutique + Design Hotel

Punta del Este

Great new boutique hotel with indoor/outdoor pools and spa. Very helpful staff. A bit far from everything

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half day Puritama Hotsprings

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Neighborhoods Tour

Buenos Aires

Big bus group tour - you learn a bit and take some pictures

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Antonio de Areco & Estancia el Ombu

Buenos Aires

Somewhat interesting, but not much to see. Group horse riding not exciting. Lunch just OK

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Brazilian Falls - Half day

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Argentinean Falls - Full day

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Great Adventure - Boat trip

Puerto Iguazú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

LA PAZ CULTURAL CRUISE - LA PAZ FD

La Paz

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience city tour - half day

La Paz

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

UYUNI SALT FLATS + RESERVE & LAGOONS ESSENTIAL 1/3

Uyuni

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

UYUNI SALT FLATS + RESERVE & LAGOONS ESSENTIAL 2/3

Uyuni

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

UYUNI SALT FLATS + RESERVE & LAGOONS ESSENTIAL 3/3

Uyuni

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Moon Valley and Mirador Ckari

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainbow Valley

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic City Tour

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valparaíso Half Day Walking City Tour

Valparaíso

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic excursion to the Torres del Paine National Park (with Box Lunch)

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navigation to Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion 🗻

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nautical Safari

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tierra del Fuego National Park (Half day visit) 🌲🌿

Ushuaia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Victoria Island and Arrayanes Forest Sailing

Bariloche

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half day Horse Riding

Mendoza

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

High Mountain Experience (Aconcagua Mountain) 🏔️

Mendoza

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Montevideo City Tour

Montevideo

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tigre & Delta of the Paraná

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leisure Day in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Chile tour specialist coordinator Lorena, she made our trip so amazing, in short 11 days she arranged most I want go place work with local tour company, everything is on time, and perfect guide, we really appreciate her and really recommend kimkim company to all my other friends!

Hotel Review

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marble Caves Kayak Tour

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Oh my goodness-where do I begin? From start to finish, working with Ana and the Kimkim team when planning our trip to Patagonia and Easter Island was fantastic. She was so responsive(and trust me, I asked a lot of questions) and very sensitive to what I wanted. She even planned an ancestral ceremony to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary.
Ana suggested activites which were of our interest and then her team on the ground changed them to match our ability(my husband's hip was bothering him. A hip replacement is in his near future) and still be challenging, interesting and beautiful. When the weather cancelled one of of our activites, they refunded us immediately for the boat trip and then rescheduled another activity that was great.

I was really nervous about using a company that I hadn't used before. The whole experience was fantastic from start to finish. We will be using them for every trip from now on.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Casa Solaria

Pucón, Araucanía

Beautiful, best location and wonderful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Parque Quilquico

Castro, Chiloé

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunset at Tahai

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Orongo Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Easter Island Full Day Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise at Tongariki

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

ANCESTRAL WEDDINGS

Easter Island

The ancestrial wedding was the highlight of our trip. Absolutely everything described to us happened-the ceremonial dress, body painting, food, dancing, blessings, and traditions were so meaningful. My husband wasn't sure about it(he is shyer), but he found it to be very special and was so glad he did it. We appreciate all of the work that our guide, Aku, and the entire team of local people did to make it happen and so special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

HALF DAY BOAT TRIP

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Tahai / City Tour + Museum - Private Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trekking to Pichillancahue Glacier and "Salto del León" Waterfall Adventure

Pucón

We actually did an easier hike up to the Villarica volcano. That was steep enough for the both of us. It was challenging and beautiful. Paz was a wonderful guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Akivi Tour

Easter Island

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day excursion to El Cañi Natural Reserve & Hot Springs

Pucón

We couldn't do this trip due to my husband's hip, so we did a less strenuous hike. It was wonderful. We highly recommend Augustin and Paz and Welcome Latin America!

Quality of Experience

Food

Healthy wonderful salads!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

1 / 2
"I had the pleasure of working with Johanna and Kristy to plan our group’s recent trip and I cannot recommend their services highly enough! From start to finish, my experience with Johanna and Kristy was exceptional. Their dedication and hard work truly demonstrated when we had to change our destination location in an unexpected turn of events. It is no small feat to rebook flights, hotels, tours, restaurants, and activities to a group of 68 people!!!

It started with a simple planned trip for a week to Peru. From the very beginning, Johanna was professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly helpful. She took the time to really understand what we were looking for in a vacation, and was able to suggest customized itinerary and activities that perfectly matched all our group’s preferences.
But due to unforeseen situations in Peru, we decided to change our trip to Chile for the same dates. Johanna and Kristy quickly pivoted to understand our requirements and spent countless hours to co-ordinate with airlines travel agency and crafted detailed itineraries and recommendations for the trip.

What impressed the entire group was their outstanding customer service when they accompanied us in person throughout the trip, to ensure there were no hiccups every step of the way. They truly cared about making sure that each and every one of us had an amazing trip, and were always available to help with any issues or questions that came up along the way. We felt like we had a personal concierge service throughout our entire vacation!

Overall, I cannot recommend KimKim, especially Kristy and Johanna highly enough. They are a true professional in their field, and their commitment to customer service is second to none. If you're looking for a travel agent who will go above and beyond to make sure that you have an unforgettable trip, Johanna and Kristy are the one for you!"

After problems with the reservations at the first hotel in Santiago, the rest of the trip went very smoothly and was a wonderful introduction to the country. Every guide and service provided was exactly on time, professional, engaging and fluent in English. It's hard to identfy one as better than another. I could not have been more pleased with the local service providers. When a glitch occurred because of the Valley of the Moon excusrion was rained out, the schedule was quickly rearranged to accommodate our needs. Every internal flight was on time and the drivers got us to the airports in plenty of time. We were never rushed. The accommodations in San Pedro and in Puerto Varas were outstanding. The hotels' food was very good so we ate most of the meals there. I recommend substituting for the RQ Stay Santa Magadena. While the location is good, the hotel room itself has numerous deficiencies.

We had a very nice trip in Torres Del Paine National Park and really appreciated all the arrangements and help provided by Jesse. We'll definitely recommend KimKim service to our friends in the future.