Kimkim Trip Reviews for Patagonia

We generally research and plan our own travel; this was the first time we used an agency, and it was well worth it. Since we had not been to South America previously, having the expertise Anahi provided was part of what made our trip go so smoothly. She gave us excellent advice, made last minute changes to add an extra stop in Ushuaia (so glad we did this!), and she set up excellent excursions and guides for the days we requested them. When there was a minor issue (had to reschedule an excursion due to weather), they responded quickly, and everything was taken care of. It really was seamless without the frustrations that can sometimes occur when traveling. Every guide and driver we had was professional, knowledgeable and personable.
We would use KimKim again!

Hotel Reviews

Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa

Torres del Paine

Hotel Intersur Recoleta

Recoleta, Buenos Aires

InterContinental Santiago Hotel

Santiago

Esplendor by Wyndham El Calafate

El Calafate, Santa Cruz

Activity Reviews

Santiago: Half Day Concha y Toro Winery - PRIVATE

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion 🗻

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Minitrekking in "Los Glaciares National Park"

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tango Show & Dinner

Buenos Aires

Santiago, Chile and Argentina’s Patagonia region is beautiful and we had a wonderful time, but KimKim’s support overall did not meet our expectations for the trip.

Major issues
– Detailed itinerary was not provided to us until we were already at the airport for the trip preventing us from reviewing and possibly identifying issues.
– The car rental was an open pickup truck. While it met the needs of having 4x4 drive and room for 5 adults, having a vehicle where luggage is in an unsecured area opened to the elements should not be offered or explicitly disclosed upfront. We discussed this with Flor at the beginning of the planning and told her we were not interested in having a truck. When we landed in Punta Arenas, with a long drive in front of us and it raining outside, we had to drive 30 minutes the opposite direction into town to find trash bags, which we had to use every time we changed locations throughout the trip.

Minor issues
- We were prepared for travel and had a car rented, but each activity included us to get picked up by a new vendor to drive us to a nearby site which we could have easily done (Repeated in Calafate for the Glacier boat, Chalten for the white water rafting, boat trip in Ushuaia, Penguin visit in Porvenir). We could of easily driven ourselves to these activities and two time these pickups potentially negatively impacted the experience (see below) and probably increased our cost.
- Pickup to Glacier boat ride in Calafate was almost 30 minutes late and as a result we were one of the last people boarding onto the boat and were sat in the worst seats possible (we were facing a wall where most had a window). We could of easily driven ourselves to the activity.
- Penguino National Park visit in Tierra del Fuego: KimKim was aware we were staying in Porvenir the night prior and Ushuaia the next night, and with the penguin exhibit approximately 1.5 hours on the way to Ushuaia, why did we hire a guide that didn’t even go into the exhibit, and was contracted to drive us back in the opposite direction of our day’s itinerary? BTW, the guide was good at sharing history about the region

We had a wonderful trip with so many various experiences. Jesse did a fabulous job setting up all the tours, transportation , hotels. All of our local guides were amazing and made our trip so special.

I'm 66 years old and recently retired. My husband and I are well traveled and I usually plan our trips. There were so many moving parts to visiting Patagonia that I searched for help with the plans. I was lucky enough to stumble upon Dittmar/KimKim and even luckier to work with Erin. Erin was very help from the moment I reached out and I was happy to know that she lived in Chile!! Erin and I had many conversations regarding what we wanted and she always came back with suggestions or follow-ups. I told her that I was very picky about hotels and she stayed with me and found places I liked. As far as the trip is concerned, everything we agreed on came off without a hitch. I found our guides and drivers to be very friendly, helpful and cared that we were having a good time. I am so happy that I found Dittmar/KimKim and I will use them in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Boutique La Yegua Loca

Punta Arenas

so charming....

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

I left my apple earbuds in the safe of our room....discovered it days later and they found them!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hosteria El Puma

El Chalten

Our favorite hotel on the entire trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms are large and modern. Just loved it here.

NOI Indigo Patagonia

Puerto Natales

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lago Grey

Torres del Paine

love love love

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Design Suites Calafate

El Calafate

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mine Hotel Boutique

Buenos Aires

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location in Palermo area of Buenos Aires

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to a Patagonian Estancia

Patagonia

The day trip to the Patagonian Estancia was a standout experience. Horseback riding on the ranch followed by a wonderful lunch was beautiful and perfectly done. Everything met our expectations and style of travel. It was just perfection and beautiful.

Torres del Paine Full Day Private Tour

Patagonia

The Torres del Paine full day private tour was good despite the rainy weather. Our guide was very nice, helpful, and answered many of our questions. Though we only stayed at the hotel for one night, it was nice and added to the experience.

This is an absolutely excellent vacation/adventure planning service and I would use them again and again and would highly recommend them for those who want to travel 1/2 self-guided & 1/2 with pre-arranged services to make travel more comfortable and predictable. I'm am sure they are wonderful at organizing ANY type of vacation you want. But I enjoy planning some things and not having to worry about other things like transportation, early hotel check-ins, etc.

Planning a trip to Patagonia requires a bit of organization and knowledge. Working full time, I did not have the time to do all the research that I needed to stitch everything together seamlessly. I simply knew what we as a couple wanted to do and how we wanted to do it. Sooooo, enter Carolina! She was an amazing travel specialist with excellent communication skills.

KimKim used local guides and agents which (most likely) made it cost effective and gave a personalized feeling to the trip. Everything worked perfectly. (But then again the weather DID cooperative for us during our time there. Patagonia weather can be very unpredictable.) But even if it our itinerary wouldn't have worked out perfectly, the local agents and the KimKim team were always available and very responsive. If I wanted to add or deduct anything to the trip, an updated trip cost was given promptly. Their online portal was also very easy to use and convenient.

I have no regrets using their service. And would 100 percent use them again.

Activity Review

Full Day Fly Fishing Excursion🐟🚤

Patagonia

These guys know what they are doing and are extremely passionate about fishing, specifically fly fishing. They do a great job of providing a personalized trip. Most of all they know the area well, when and where the fish will run, and they won't waste your time and money. My husband and I have only taken 1 fly fishing lesson in the past. Using our time to learn fly fishing wasn't our goal; my husband wanted to catch a river king salmon. And he did! 42-44lbs. I did not catch anything but had a great time chatting with the guide and owner, who was incredibly knowledgeable about the history, culture and environment of Patagonia as well as Chile as a whole. I learned a lot (which made me happy) and my husband caught a king (which made him happy). Now, it IS called fishing, people, not "catching." We were fully aware there are no guarantees of catching fish, but we did see many trout and king salmon jumping out of the water which was reassuring that they were at least there!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jimena was a pleasure to work with. She was quick and thoughtful in all her communications and did a great job listening and working to accommodate our requests. The planning was efficient and thorough. The materials we got in the portal and in advance of the trip were detailed and accurate. The on the ground experience was seemless. Everything happened as expected with the local transportation providers and guides.

All around this experience was nearly perfect and I'd highly recommend planning a trip with Kimkim and Jimena and the team in Patagonia.

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike to Laguna de los Tres

El Chaltén

This is a great hike and a must do in El Chalten. We got lucky with the weather which was a bit touch and go over the week. Our guide (Lihue) supplied by Walk Patagonia was excellent. She was knowledgeable, personably, great at setting an appropriate pace and keeping us hydrated and fueled. Great experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

box lunches were quite large/substantial and full of goodies. sandwich, sweet treat, apple, nuts and hard candies.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Hike to Laguna Torre

El Chaltén

a much easier hike than Laguna de los tres, but a bit longer. this trek requires clearer skies to see the Torre as it sits much further away in the mountain range than some others. we didn't have perfect weather but we can't really complain considering how variable the weather is from day to day in Patagonia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We overall had an excellent time with KimKim and we loved how we could customize our itinerary to suit our needs. KimKim is a great in-between of planning our own trip with the highlights we want to do, but without the hassle of planning minute details or having to travel for weeks with a group without flexibility. We were able to add a few days on the front and tail end of our trip to explore on our own. Our favorite experiences were hiking in Torres del Paine and seeing Petito Moreno Glacier. The Latitud Ushaia team and Andrea from Buenos Aires went above and beyond to make our trip special. Overall the communication went well and we always had a source to contact. We did have some difficulty communicating with our local specialist, Carolina, at the beginning, but her communication overall was good and she ultimately ended up being a pleasant local specialist. I would recommend KimKim to others!

We visited Patagonia in Chile and Argentina. Undoubtedly, Patagonia is the most spectacular environment I have ever visited. Biodiversity is still noticeable in that part of the world and I hope it will be forever preserved that way. The Andean Condor, Uppland geese, culpeos and guanacos are still common sight. I wish I had seen the timid armadillo!

It was suggested by Lorena that we rented a car to travel within North Patagonia and then Punta Arenas to Torres del Paine. The roads from Balmaceda Airport to Puerto Guadal and around Torres del Paine were unpaved or filled with craters in the paved roads, which made the driving conditions dangerous and so it became necessary to drive between 20 - 60 km/h. Nevertheless, the scenery in those areas were breathtaking! Also, petrol stations are hard to come by and we needed to make that planning ourselves. We were not given this information beforehand. A bus trip from Puerto Natales to El Calafate was added to our itinerary and it was not the 4 h stated on our itinerary, but 6 h. It was the most uncomfortable part of the trip, as we were crammed in like sardines.

In the plus side, all hotels suggested were excellent. My top picks were Lago Grey Hotel and Mirador Puerto Guadal, plus the food at the Yegua Loca restaurant. The best boat trip was to Spegazzini glacier.

Lorena was always very prompt at helping us when needed, even when we were still in Santiago. We felt safe under her care and she sorted issues very quickly. On the improvement side, the itineraries could have been checked a few hours in advance to avoid some of the issues.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Mirador del Guadal

Puerto Guadal

Stephan was an amazing host, always checking in with us to provide us with local tips on what to do or just have a friendly chat. The local chef was excellent and we enjoyed the quality of the breakfast and dinners. The best of all was the superb view from the cabin and the amazing nature surrounding us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Spectacular nature

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lago Grey

Torres del Paine

Incredible location! We could still see the glacier from our room. We saw so many wild animals, like the caracara, culpeo zorro and Magellanic woodpecker. It is a walking distance to easy walks in the forest through Rio Pingo and Grey Glacier. Restaurant staff were very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kosten Aike

El Calafate

Good location and good facilities. A hotel working towards environmental sustainability.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Marble Caves Boat Tour

Patagonia

The marble caves are really worthwhile a visit! The guide gave some good basic scientific background as to how they were formed and those not listening could still take some amazing photos of the beautiful geological formations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was knowledgeable and had good sense of humour. Staff back in the office were a bit rude.

Transport

Penguin Colony on Magdalena Island

Patagonia

The guide was excellent at covering the information in both Spanish and English. It was good to see the park rangers on watch on the island to protest the welfare of the animals. We saw other bird species, like the Upland Geese and Seagull. The trip to the Marta island was shorter than to observe the penguins, because we needed to stay on the boat not to upset the sea lions, which was sensible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Photo Safari in Patagonia

Punta Arenas

The guide was exceptional! She knew so much about the birds in the area. We observed several species and watched several condors fly!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perito Moreno Blue Safari

El Calafate

When we reached the National Park, we could view the glacier from the wooden platforms from the yellow and blue trails. This was also during the time allocated for lunch break. After that, we took the boat to enjoy a walk closer to the glacier where we could touch it and even ‘drink’ a piece of ice from it. It is a real shame that these beautiful glaciers are disappearing as a result of anthropogenic climate change.

Quality of Experience

Food

The sandwich was too dry.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour from El Calafate to El Chaltén

El Calafate

The guide was wonderful! She had great knowledge of the area and very happy to answer extra questions in English. Before we reached El Chalten, we stopped at the Hotel Las Leonas for a coffee, photo, souvenir opportunity and/or toilet break. And she stopped for two other photo opportunities on the way. There was only one hike going up but not for that long. The second walk was at ground level towards the waterfall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Tour Through The Glaciers

El Calafate

This is a must tour! We loved it! The catamaran was really modern. We loved the iceberg sculptures. It is a real shame that these beautiful glaciers are disappearing as a result of anthropogenic climate change.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Iguazú Falls (Argentine Side) & Great Adventure

Patagonia

The trails were great but we were rushed throghout the whole experience. It was very busy with lots of tourists queuing everywhere. We also did the Great Adventure in the boat where we soaked from being underneath some of the falls! We loved that part of the day. Beautiful place and it would be great to do it without a guide rushing through, so that we can enjoy the natural surroundings. The guide should have also spoken in Spanish to the group member who did not speak English but he ignored her most of the time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Iguazú Falls (Brazilian Side)

Patagonia

We only spent two hours on the Park and we were hoping for at least 4 h. We felt rushed again and could not enjoy the beautiful sight standing before us for long enough. We stayed in the Argentinian side so had to travel to the Brazilian side and be subjected to passport control, but we stayed inside the van and the guide handled everything. We also stayed in the van to enter the park as opposed to take their double decker bus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had great time in Patagonia, enjoying the beautiful landscapes and nationsl parks and the good logistic of the trip thanks to Marcela . Absolutely stunning and the highlight in the trip was the Mini trekking in Perito Moreno. Brilliant recommendation for a hotel was Arakur in Ushuaia, Rest of the hotels / Xelena in El Calafate and Hotel Lago Grey in Torres del Paine/ were middle range hotels although I can not hide the magnificent view to Grey Glacier from the restaurant of the hotel, but not from the rooms. Our first trip with Kim Kim was to Colombia where we experienced exclusive service and guides from Aracanto agency there. We expected similar with the budget we spent here but maybe there are different standards between the countries. Anyway I would recommend Patagonia to everyone who enjoys outdoor and sceneries that you could see on very few places on the Earth.

If I had to summarize our experience with the travel company contracted through kimkim. I would describe it with one sentence – our trip appeared to be outside of their scope of expertise.
• We did not receive the detailed itinerary until we were already at the airport for the trip preventing us from reviewing and possibly identifying issues.
• The car rental was an open pickup truck. While it met the needs of having 4x4 drive and room for 5 adults, having a vehicle where luggage was extremely problematic. Furthermore, we discussed this with the travel agent at the beginning of the planning and told her we were not interested in having a truck. This was an explicit discussion point. Instead, when we picked up the vehicle, it was a truck with an uncovered truck bed. We had a long drive that day and it was raining outside, we had to drive 30 minutes in the opposite direction into town to find trash bags into which we packed our luggage - every time we changed locations throughout the trip. As a side note, our guidance from the travel agent included repeated warnings that the Chilean border closed at 16:00. The border did not close until much later. This resulted in unnecessary stress on our first day after we landed in Punta Arenas, dealt with the issues with our rental car, traveled into town to purchase bags for our luggage, and then drove to El Calafate.
• The trip plan that we approved on the kimkim website did not mention pick up and drop off being included for the planned activities. There were many instances where what we approved via the kimkim chat was not ultimately what we experienced. I can only conclude this resulted in extra expenses for us.
o For example, on December 24, we had an excursion via boat to view glaciers. The description on the kimkim chat indicated that we would have lunch at the reserve and the departure time. That is what we approved. The day before the excursion we were contacted by another company who was picking us up. They let us know we needed to be ready to go at 8:00. At 8:30 they finally arrived and then we had three other stops to pick up other individuals. We were the last to arrive at the boat dock. As a result, we were provided with less-than-ideal seating on the boat. We also learned that the company that picked us up had included lunch. All of these were unnecessary expenses. We had a vehicle. We did not need to be picked up. We also did not need to have a provided lunch.
o This was also the situation with the rafting excursion we did in El Chaltén. We had a rental car. The rafting company picked us up and dropped us off. Likely that increased our cost.
o This happened again with our excursion to the penguin reserve. The travel agent knew after the penguin reserve we would be driving to Ushuaia. In the kimkim chat on December 6, I indicated that we would like the itinerary updated to reflect that we would arrive at the reserve at 10 and then drive to Ushuaia. We were not informed until two days beforehand that a tour company would pick us up, drive us to the reserve, and then return us to Porvenir. However, it was VERY clear in our kimkim chat that we did not need a ride, nor did we need a ride back to Porvenir. A company was hired to travel via ferry from Punt Arenas in a large van and then drive us to the reserve. We had a car. Again we were paying for an unnecessary expense. Also, we were told that would include lunch and we were not provided with lunch. Ultimately, three of us drove with the tour company and the other two drove our vehicle. Our next destination was Ushuaia. Returning to Porvenir would have resulted in an extra 3 hours of travel for an already long day.
o The final boat activity in Ushuaia also included a pickup and drop off. We did not need that, we had a car.
Upon arrival, In Santiago on our final night in Chile. Our travel companion who was included in our trip itinerary did not have a room reserved for him. After a very long travel day, we contacted the company emergency line and it was resolved. However, it was one more issue in a long line of issues
Chile and Argentina’s Patagonia region is beautiful, and we had a wonderful time, but kimkim’s contracted travel agency did not meet our expectations for the trip.

Within just 13 days of our trip to Patagonia, there're already two incidents that could have serious consequences:

1) On the day trip to Upsala Glacier, we first took the boat to Estancia Cristina. Soon after onboard, the local tour guide distributed the coloured bracelets for indication of the tour we were going when arriving Estancia Cristina. We logically thought that it was going to the Upsala Glacier Lookout by 4x4 vehicle, as clearly stated in Kimkim's itinerary. We then moved around and took photos on the boat as normal tourists would do. Incidentally, one of our group had casual chat with the guide, and was shocked when the guide told him that the tour booked by Kimkim was just hiking around Estancia Cristina, and for going to the Lookout, each one had to pay USD50 extra. She also cautioned that 4x4 vehicle might be hard to arrange at such late stage, and it was the only means to see the Glacier. As there's no wifi on boat nor mobile signal, it was difficult for us to contact Kimkim to clarify. Rather than a relaxing voyage, our time on boat was turned to be worrying and anxious. At very late moment we could get the the signal to contact Kimkim but was told that we had to pay by ourselves first. After some negotiations, Kimkim finally managed to pay directly and luckily the vehicle could be arranged. If there was no chatting with the guide, or the guide did not say more about the tour when arriving, or seats in 4x4 vehicles were fully booked, or extra 4x4 vehicle was not stationed in this remote area, or the driver with the skill to drive 4x4 vehicle in the difficult terran had gone elsewhere, we would have missed this major attraction, which any amount of money cannot compensate. Therefore, it was purely by luck we could see the glacier as planned.

2) As our flight to return home was rescheduled to later time, the pickup vehicle should arrive at 8am, instead of previously scheduled 6:30am, which we confirmed with Kimkim again on the day before departure. At 7am on the day of departure, when we came to hotel restaurant to have breakfast, we learned that the driver had been waiting since 6:30am. Furthermore, the hotel staff also got the information that we would depart at 6:30am and prepared packed breakfast for us. Even after we had told the staff about the correct time to leave, she still insisted that we could only take the packed breakfast to eat outside, not in the restaurant. Such miscommunication between Kimkim and partners not only embarrassed us and deprived our enjoyment of a relaxing dine-in breakfast, but could have serious consequences if our flight schedule was changed the other way, i.e. changed to earlier time, as the driver might arrive at the original scheduled later time and we could have missed the flight.

Overall, without a tour guide to follow through, we were more like travel on our own. If you can spend more time to do some research on the internet, and take the trouble to book the hotels, day tours and transport by yourself, you can already get exactly the same kind of tour experience, at a much lower cost. If you already have some knowledge about the place to visit, it's absolutely not necessary to arrange the tour though Kimkim.

This was amazing. Such a thoughtful itinerary with nothing but great guides, hotels, and experiences all throughout. I highly recommend for a trip like this.

Had a really great time on my trip to Patagonia! In particular, I enjoyed my time in Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine National Park, El Chalten, and Tierra del Fuego National Park. It was also a lot of fun to see some huge glaciers and beautiful wildlife (especially penguins in Beagle Channel). My hike to Cuernos del Paine with Daniel and Sebastian as guides was amazing, as was my kayaking experience with Jorge in Eberhard Fjord. Weskar Lodge in Puerto Natales and Los Acebos Hotel in Ushuaia were amazing places to stay, in particular. Overall I think the trip was quite expensive, and would have been a lot cheaper if I had taken care of the arrangements on my own - I would've appreciated more transparency into what items in particular were driving the price of the experiences and had more of this in my past Kimkim trips. That being said, I really appreciated very much having the help from Marcela and Kimkim overall in arranging things so I didn't have to think about logistics. Would highly recommend Patagonia to anyone who enjoys outdoor trekking and adventures, one of my favorite trips.

Activity Reviews

Kayaking in Eberhard Fjord

Puerto Natales

Fantastic experience with Jorge. He's a great guide, and the private kayaking tour and hike were amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Base Torres Hike

Patagonia

Amazing hike. Very intense, over a period of 10 hours with lots of ups and downs and temperature changes, but really lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trekking Torres del Paine Active

Patagonia

Had a really fantastic experience with Daniel and Sebastian, being taken around Torres del Paine national park, with the Cuernos del Paine hike in particular

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Day of Leisure in El Chalten

El Chaltén

El Chalten was perhaps my favorite location on the entire trip - doing the hikes solo of Laguna Torre and Laguna de los Tres was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Perito Moreno Glacier Mini-trekking

El Calafate

Hiking on the glaciers was surreal - really wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Overall it’s a great trip experience. We appreciate Anahi for her service and help.

Paul from Calafate is an excellent guide. Besides his English is excellent and no communication issue, his caring and attentiveness to the group is perfect.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Lago Grey

Torres del Paine

The room view was spectacular. Room was clean and bed was comfortable. All staffs including front desk, housekeeper, bell boy and the Resturant staff were wonderful and friendly and courteous. Love the Resturant food and services. Lots of wine selection. The only complaint is no WiFi in the room and we all need to go to the lobby area to get WiFi, but then there’s an opportunity to meet and chat with other hotel guests

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Sierra Nevada

El Calafate

The location of the hotel is very convenient. The room needs to be remodel or upgrade a bit. It was a warm days when we stayed in the hotel so we tried to open windows to get some fresh air. There were no screens for the window and lots of mosquitoes came in. We ended up with closing all windows and it was hard to sleep. And the breakfast did not have good selection. Very little choice. We stayed for dinner for the first night and the food was not good, needs improvement

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Weskar Lodge

Puerto Natales

Good location has good views from each room. We ate in the Resturant twice and one night was good and one night was bad, so inconsistent. Wonder if there were different chefs! The waiter/waitress in the Resturant need to have more training. Room is clean and bed is comfy. Each room has different unique design as I compared the rooms with other people in my group.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Poincenot

El Chalten

Location is excellent for some of us wanted to hike at Lago. Plus easy to walk to the supermarket and restaurants. We had the downstairs room and it faced the parking lot. Think it feels safer if there’s a fence built in between. We had to have the shade down and the window closed for the entire time. The breakfast was good. Staff was nice. We got to leave early like 430am and thanks for the breakfast last to take care of us before leaving. Big thanks

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore the Wildlife of the Magellan Strait

Punta Arenas

Love the breakfast Resturant environment. Suggest they should reduce the limit of people in the boat. We have over 20 people in the boat and not much room to move around. 15/16 CAP based on the boat size. The boat ride was very rough that day and hardly saw any creatures. Everyone was all wet and some got seasick. Special kudos to the owner to make a stop for bathroom run. It wasn’t easy to park on shores and we were appreciated

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Isla Magdalena Penguin Colony

Punta Arenas

Just okay. We basically just arrived to the island and walked in the circle to look at all these penguins in the island. Not much action

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the La Leona Petrified Forest, Transfer to El Chalten

Patagonia

We didn’t think watching the stones can be so informative and interesting. Thanks to our tour guide Paul is an experienced and excellent tour guide. He brings the tour very interesting. Kudos to him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flor was great about helping us narrow the immense list of options in Patagonia to give us the trip we were looking for. She suggested many different types of hotels and helped us find really unique and fun places to stay that were off the beaten trail that helped us have a truly authentic trip. Her team arranged all transfers, gave guidance about places to eat and excursions, and even made dinner reservations for us while we were in country. Throughout, she was responsive, supportive, and accommodating as we changed our minds many times and moved around our budgets and dates. We would happily work with her again.

I am very happy in general with the arrangements KimKim made for our self guided tour to Patagonia. Hotels, activity providers were adequate. There were some hiccups and miscommunications that caused us some trouble and were rectified and we completed all the activities as planned.

Regarding the activite I liked the least was "Wild Life Tour on Megellan Strait" in Punta Arenas. Our group shared with others on a small boat that was a little bit overbooked and we have difficulty sitting down comfortably. We were warned that "we might get wet" but the warning should have been "You will get wet" . We were soaped, so put on your waterproof clothes underneath the semi dry suit they provide if you so choose this acitivity.

Since there was no guide, you were your own guide, you had to know every acitivy and how they connected each other, including transfers, where to get lunch, what food to bring, ensure walking time to activities are reasonable etc. The travel document is a bit complex and took a lot of concentration and careful reading to see if everything matched up correctly. So if you are joining a Kimkim tour, I urge you to take the time reading them carefully to cross check everything.

Anyway I like my local specialist Erin and Nara, they did a good job to accomdate our needs and helped us a great deal with our trip. Thank you.

Erin & Nara were so easy to work with in planning our W Trek. A very complicated trip to plan on your own: buses, border crossings, lodging in the park, hotel in Puerto Natales, etc. It was all done for us, and our itinerary was very detailed & planned to perfection. Our group of 4 really appreciated the pre-trek meeting with Nara. She answered lot of our questions. As a bonus, in addition to our W Trek, they were able to book us on a Walk with the Penguins tour in Ushuaia! Very responsive. Tolerated all our questions! :) I will be using KimKim again!

Patagonia was a trip of a lifetime. My husband and I decided to celebrate our 50th Anniversary with a trip to Patagonia. We were interested in the beautiful landscapes; Patagonia and Erin did not disappoint. An important detail that was so crucial to us was the land transportation. Transportation to and from airports, hotel, excursions etc. was all arranged in advance. Dittmar Adventures provided "coupons" for each transport, hotel, excursion etc. These coupons were very helpful as many taxi drivers did not understand my level 3 Duolingo Spanish *). I could verify with them that we were going to right place by handing them the coupon with hotel address. etc. I learned to have these coupons at hand, and then it was always clear which excursion we were to be on. We started in Puerto Varas with a private tour to Mt Osorno. Loved the private tours we took through out as they allowed us to go at our own pace. Each tour guide was very knowledgeable about the flowers, trees and birds of the area. We loved hanging back and letting a tour bus load of people go in front of us, then we could just enjoying the trails and views to ourselves with our guide, staying as long as we liked drinking in the gorgeous scenery. I had two favorite places. Pumalin National Park was the 1st. We were blessed to stay in one of the very few cottages at the park. Our guide Marco was amazing. I loved touring the garden and information center at the park. Marco also arranged for a private boat up the "fiord" past sea lion colonies that was very interesting. Pumalin is a rain forest, so had those amazing giant rainforest ferns and trees. Trees, some of which are older than the Giant Sequoias in California. Marco pointed out the differences in the trees of Pumalin to the pines of North America. He also shared Mate with us at lunch, what an interesting tradition! I regret that we did not have more time on the trails at Pumalin. Punta Arenas was our next stop. Erin arranged a private tour out to the Nao Victoria Museum that has a replica of Magellan's ship, and a replica of the Beagle, the ship that Darwin was on, as well as other replicas. You can climb up into the ships and get a sense of the size and understand the bravery of the men that sailed the world in such vessels. There was time for a brief stop at the cemetery in Punta Arenas. I did not realize that it was so beautiful, and would have planned for more time there. On to Puerto Natales and the Bernardo O Higgins National Park and Torres del Paine Park, Stunning, breathtaking... words cannot describe. We stayed at Hotel Lago Grey. Our room had an incredible view!! This area is exactly what we came to Patagonia to see, it was my most favorite favorite place. Next was El Chaltén and then Laguna Condor Lodge. There are plenty of hiking trails right from town in El Chaltén. The Laguna Condor Lodge is a ways out of town with cute little cabins. Mt FitzRoy dominates the view from the lodge at breakfast. We enjoyed a couple of days rest away from hustle of travel and just relaxed or walked along the glacial river. The last days were spent in Terra Del Fuego, then home. Erin and her staff were very responsive to our wishes. Penguins? Yes. Hikes requiring tents? No. Large cities, museums, wine tastings? No. Outdoors, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, glaciers? Yes, yes, yes! Tour buses? No. Private tours? Yes!!! Chain hotels? No. Boutique hotels and cabins? Yes. The only things I would change is more time on the trails at Pumalin and another hour at the Punta Arenas cemetery. Dittmar Adventures included with their very detailed itinerary, maps of each town marking location of lodging and nearby restaurants. There was a very nice mix of cute little downtown hotels for exploring the locale to upscale hotels with stunning views. We have not traveled extensively outside the English speaking world, so I was very worried about taking taxis with my poor Spanish capabilities. Dittmar arranged prepaid taxi drivers who had my name on a card, to and from every airport. Sometimes this transportation was 20 minutes. Sometimes it was closer to 3 hours. The team was responsive to my questions. Checked with drivers then changed times when I was worried about connection time. Checked with tour guides when I had not checked the What's App and did not realize the tour time had been changed by half and hour. Airline strike in Buenos Aires... Ack!! They said they would keep tabs on that and help me where needed. (Strike was avoided at the last minute) The tour that Erin and Nara planned was exactly what we wanted. The trip went as planned. Thank you Erin, Nara and Dittmar Adventures!!!!

Hotel Reviews

Lodge Caleta Gonzalo

Staying at the Lodge Caleta Gonzalo was wonderful. The cabins were cozy and fit perfectly with the surroundings of Pumalín National Park. The hospitality and location added greatly to the experience of being in the stunning natural landscape.

Hotel Lago Grey

Torres del Paine

Hotel Lago Grey was simply fantastic. Our room had a breathtaking view of the water, glacier, and mountains. Even though I missed out on the glacier tour due to being sick, sitting and enjoying the view was a perfect experience. The setting in Torres del Paine is exactly why we came to Patagonia.

Hotel Albatros

Punta Arenas

Our stay at Hotel Albatros was disrupted by noise from construction work. In the windy city of Punta Arenas, the noise from corrugated metal roofing kept us up at night. Though I appreciate that they were working on it the next day, the timing was unfortunate as it hindered our nap to make for the sleep lost the night before. Once the construction is completed, I'm sure the experience would be better.

Laguna Condor Mountain Lodge

El Chalten

Laguna Condor Mountain Lodge in El Chaltén was simply beautiful. The lodge was perfectly situated and elegantly designed, offering a serene and stunning mountain retreat.

Activity Review

Multi-day Fly-in Hiking Tour of Pumalín National Park

Pumalín National Park

I absolutely loved the multi-day hiking tour at Pumalín National Park. The little cabin we stayed in was fantastic, and Marco, our guide, was amazing. We explored a small activity center about the volcano and the history of the area, which was fascinating. This part of the trip was truly one of my favorites.

Let me preface this by saying we take pride in planning our own trips - we like the challenge and the adventure. But when my wife decided our next destination would be Argentina, we knew we would need some help. Enter Flor - the trip magician. Flor took all of our ideas and made them a reality - and gave us ideas we didn't even know we wanted. She was endlessly patient as we made multiple tweaks to the itinerary, getting the balance just right.

We had a delightful time in Buenos Aires, but the magic really got underway when we arrived in Patagonia - first stop, Calafate. Flor's plan to get us onto the Perito Moreno glacier was flawless - we even got to see the glacier calve a large iceberg up close!

Our private transfer to El Chalten was led by the most wonderful guide, Florencia. She brought the Argentinian culture alive, sharing Yerba mate and homemade treats with us. She is a wealth of knowledge and passion, and made us feel so welcome.

But by far the biggest highlight was visiting Estancia Bonanza - outside El Chalten. Flor suggested this stay for us, and it was pure heaven. Majestic views of Mt. Fitzroy, generous hospitality, delicious food, and comfortable accommodations nestled in a remote valley surrounded by the Andes.

Without a doubt, we will be using KimKim again. They made our trip smooth and simple - all we had to do was enjoy!

Hotel Review

Estancia Bonanza

El Chaltén

Our stay at Estancia Bonanza was pure heaven - nestled in a remote valley with majestic views of Mt. Fitzroy, we loved every minute of our stay. From tea and breakfast with Lili who welcomed us as if she were welcoming a friend into her own kitchen, to wine on the porch outside the dining room, to beautifully served dinners, we felt at home at every turn. We traveled with our adult children, and everyone was able to choose his or her level of challenge on the excursions, including a beautiful horseback ride along the river. We will find our way back to this extraordinary place!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full day tour to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and Minitrekking

El Calafate

What a wonderful day in a remarkable place! Our guides for the trek were knowledgeable and friendly, and the drink and chocolate at the end were the icing on the cake.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Estancia "La Bonanza" - Enjoy the activities of the countryside 🐎🌲

El Chaltén

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport