Kimkim Trip Reviews for Patagonia

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

My wife and I used Kimkim to arrange an 8 day tour of Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, and Torres Del Paines. From the initial planning of the itinerary to the first airport pickup to the last airport dropoff everything exceeded our expectations. My wife and I had never been to Chile, and Angel was extremely patient in going over the options to help us set up a terrific itinerary. The hotels were exactly what we were hoping for, and the activities - penguin watching, dolphin watching, glacier hiking, car rental - were incredibly memorable. Our local guide Jose was passionate and knowledgeable about Torres Del Paines, and the day he spent driving us through the park was a the highlight of the trip. Jose was also always available via Whatsapp to assist with any questions and recommendations.

Thanks to Angel, Jose, and the good folks at Kimkim for terrific and memorable vacation!

Erin and Nara were fabulous to work with in planning our trip to Patagonia. We found them very organized and quick to respond to any requests or questions. They provided us with a complete itinerary with every detail spelled out. We had an unforgettable experience hiking the W trek. Without their expertise and guidance I’m not sure how successful and enjoyable the trip would have been. We are KimKim fans we used them last year for a Spain/ Portugal trip also. We will definitely use their services again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Costaustralis

Puerto Natales

Excellent hotel for a stay in Porto Natales. The location is perfect for exploring town on foot. The view from the front of hotel is beautiful. The staff and breakfast buffet were fabulous. Because it is located on a busy street it can be a bit noisy. The rooms facing the road have the best views but if noise is a concern, ask for a room not facing the road.

Authenticity & Character

Charming lobby and seating areas.

Location

Central location for walking around town.

Staff

Staff was very efficient and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were very clean and spacious.

Refugio Torre Central

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine Pedro Montt

This was our first experience in a true Refugio. What a great vibe and place to spend the night.

Authenticity & Character

True Refugio experience with shared bunk rooms and dining. Great place to meet other hikers.

Location

Perfect location to start W trek.

Staff

Everyone was friendly and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean bunk rooms, bathrooms, and dining areas.

Cabaña Los Cuernos

Puerto Natales

We stayed in the cabanas. They were very nice with two twin beds, great views of the night sky, pretty waterfall nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Fun Refugio vibe. Smaller group of people staying there.

Location

Great place to spend 2 nd night on W trek.

Staff

Friendly staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms and bathrooms were very clean.

Refugio Paine Grande

Puerto Natales, Chile

This is the biggest and busiest Refugio we stayed in. The dining room is large and can easily accommodate more people. Loved the bar area and ability to order a beer and pizza after a very long day of hiking.

Authenticity & Character

Fun Refugio. Lots of energy.

Location

Great location to spend our last night and hike to Grey Glacier to finish our trek.

Staff

Everyone was super friendly especially front desk staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms and bathrooms.

Activity Reviews

Discover the Beagle Channel - Full Day Penguins + Beagle Channel Navigation

Ushuaia

We enjoyed this experience and especially loved seeing the penguins. The Beagle Channel tour was informative. We feel that it would have been enough to just spend one day in Ushuaia since this seems to be mostly a port for Antarctica trips.

Quality of Experience

The penguins of course! So cute.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide was fun and informative.

Transport

Clean bus transfer to penguins colony. It was a long dirt road to get there which we weren’t expecting.

Trip Briefing at Dittmar Adventures

Puerto Natales

Nara was detailed and informative in her briefing. She answered all our questions.

Quality of Experience

We received all the information needed to make our trip stress free.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Shuttle transfers were on time and friendly drivers.

Transport

Grey Glacier Boat Tour

Patagonia

This was a great way to end our W trek. The glacier has to been seen in person. Words don’t do it justice.

Quality of Experience

Smooth boat ride with informative guide on board.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Planning has been painless thanks to the local team. Very reactive and able to change the plans in a short amount of time.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Big Sur

Puerto Natales

It does the work required. Breakfasts are early and work with our timing. Nice bathrooms. Noise: average.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Camping Central

Torres de Paine, Chile

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Camping Cuernos

Torres del Paine - W trek Circuit Reserva Cerro Paine

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Refugio Paine Grande

Puerto Natales, Chile

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Refugio Grey

Torres del Paine National Park

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Aquaterra

Natales

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit the Isla Magdalena Penguin Colony

Punta Arenas

Excellent

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip Briefing at Dittmar Adventures

Puerto Natales

Short and sweet

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Hike on Glacier Grey

Chile

We were only made aware of the cancellation in the morning while one of the guys told us it would happen late afternoon the day before. Quite disappointing. (same impression from the entire group supposed to participate)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Grey Glacier Boat Tour

Chile

Excellent view and tour despite a challenging wind.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to a Patagonian Estancia

Chile

Excellent time there. Highly recommended. We were not sure what to expect. The time spent horse riding was great and our host was amazing. She knew a lot of things about the place and the biology. Great time. And yes, the lamb was just amazingly good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning and execution of the itinerary was flawless. Glad we trusted kimkim and their partners in making the trip hassle free and all we had to worry about was how to enjoy it. Our Buenos Aires chauffer Leo was exceptional. Felipe and Florencia kept in touch in making sure our trip prep and arrival are going as planned. They gave many helpful tips in navigating Argentina. We loved our Glacier tour guide Pablo very informative and made the 50ish km trip entertaining!Our favorite was the Penguin island tour. We were running late but they waited for us for extra 5mins and so glad we did not miss it. Mery our trip planner was very patient with me as I kept changing my mind about the itinerary but once we got it together she organized everything and I did not have to worry a bit. Thank you very much Kimkim!

Amazing trip. Kimkim tailored an exceptional experience with an excellent mix of local small group and large group tours.
The rapid response of the local teams via phone or chat was reassuring and allowed for some minor last minute adjustments while on the trip.

Our trip to Chile was a bucket list trip that lived up to our expectations, and exceeded several times! We particularly loved our time in the Patagonia region, the hiking in Torres del Paine & our trip to the Murrano glacier was unbelievable. All our local guides in those regions were exceptional! So knowledgeable! We learned a lot & had very memorable experiences.
Our visit to Easter Island was also unforgettable. Totally different culture & weather, it felt more like Tahiti or Hawaii. Worth the long flight if time allows.

Our 10 day trip to Patagonia was amazing. Thanks Erin who was very responsive and patient to consider my requests and planned the trip to fit our needs and made all the arrangements Nara who met us when we got there and be very helpful during our trip. All the drivers and guides were very friendly and helpful. Especially our guide Carlos at Torres del Paine who was very knowledgeable, patient, professional, friendly. He showed us how beautiful and special the park is and we really enjoyed our time with him. Our guide Mica at Fitz Roy hike was very professional and friendly who made our hike a wonderful experience even though it was a very challenging hike. We loved the Patagonia Parks but the people who helped us during the trip left a huge impression on us. What a beautiful place with wonderful people. Thanks Kimkim to make my trip amazing. Michelle

The itinerary was well thought out and the reservations with lodging and tours went very smoothly. The places that we visited and the people that we ecountered were wonderful, and I believe that we experienced a great deal of what Torres del Paine and Santiago have to offer.
However, some of the tickets for buses were not shared, leading to confusion once we arrived in Punta Arenas. Additionally some of the pick-up and drop-off times often differed by an hour or more, causing us to miss dinner reservations (incurring cancellation fees) and to miss out on other opportuntinues. These errors may fall on the tranportation vendors that were used (CL Mundo, Patagonia Planet), but there seemed to be communication lapses between them and Say Haeque.
Overall, this was a wonderful experience in a beautiful/welcoming country, but there appeared to be a lack of attention to detail that caused us temporrary frustration while in Chile.

Activity Review

Full Day Visit to two wineries in the Colchagua Valley

Santiago

Great wine tour in two scenic locations and the wine was awesome! However, the drop off time at our hotel was much later than expected, causing us to miss dinner reservations and incur cancellation fees. We were told that we would be home between 8-9 PM, but were actually dropped off at 10:15 PM.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pick up and drop off times

We loved our trip and were very pleased with our accommodations. Logistics were executed very well and we felt that we had an amazing trip handcrafted by the KimKim team. Our contact during the trip gave us immediate and responsive communication.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Rio Serrano

Torres del Paine

Overall this is a great accommodation and I'd highly recommend it to anyone staying near Torres Del Paine. The staff was very friendly and helpful, the views were out of this world, and the overall presentation of the hotel was on point. We only had a couple of hang ups. One was that we stayed on the first floor, and the insulation/sound-proofing is not great. We were at the mercy of the people above us stomping around and could hear every footstep. Also, there was one morning where we were supposed to leave at 11am for an excursion (our travel company and the Massif specialist both confirmed this the day before), yet that morning we get a call at 8am asking why we weren't at the pickup point at the front desk area. That turned our one chill morning into a frantic dash to get ready in 5 minutes, and we were never given a clear explanation for the mixup, especially when we had confirmed it with the Massif the night before. The other issue with the Massif schedule is that they like to do their briefings at 8pm the night before. Please get rid of that or change the time! It is an extremely inconvenient time that is right in the middle of the prime dinner stretch. One night we had to wait until 8:45 to eat, and the other night we had to ask the waiting staff to hold our table for 15 min so we could come back. Either do it at 7pm so people can eat right after, or wait until 9pm so people can finish dinner prior. 8pm is the worst possible time to pick. Or just have people meet 15 min prior to departure the morning of. The last recommendation would be to have to the fitness room open at 6am. The staff was friendly and unlocked the door for me, but it seems very unnecessary to make people wait until 9am to exercise, especially when people have leave to go on an excursion or catch a transportation by that time. Again, overall we loved this hotel and would stay there again in a heartbeat, and I feel like a few minor tweaks/improvements would make it perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

very friendly and helpful, only note would be for the waiting staff to be a little more responsive/aware of the customers status

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Boutique Le Reve

Santiago

Loved this hotel! In a great part of the city. Quiet/botique vibe. Staff was over-the-top friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabo De Hornos

Punta Arenas

Activity Review

Navigation to Isla Madgalena 🐧❄️

Punta Arenas

Erin was so great to work with in planning. She listened to our requests and made recommendations and adjustments/tweaks along the way. We had an unfortunate snag with one booking a few days before it was scheduled and Erin took care of the last minute change to ensure we could still see penguins in Ushuaia. Cami was an amazing guide on our private tour of Torres del Paine, which was easily our favorite part of our trip!

Activity Reviews

Half Day Hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Ushuaia

We learned a lot from our tour guide, Lucas; however, we were expecting to do more hiking and this was more of a guided tour. We did hike for maybe 30 minutes to a lookout, but the rest was being driven from location to location for pictures. It was a packed 18 person van and we were the last pick-up, so my husband didn't have a seat with a window and missed most of the scenery while were were in the van.

Quality of Experience

Just not what we were expecting, since we were expecting more hiking

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was a packed 18 person van and we were the last pick-up, so my husband didn't have a seat with a window and missed most of the scenery while were were in the van.

Horseback Riding at Laguna Sofia

Puerto Natales

Estancia Laguna Sofia was absolutely stunning and being able to view the laguna and beautiful ranch from horseback was truly an experience the family will never forget. The staff was great with the kids and tailored to our riding levels (none to very little).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train at the End of the World (premium class)

Ushuaia

While the premium class was definitely a treat yourself experience, I'm so glad we did it. We ended up having entire car to ourselves and the time of our train was noon, so having lunch on the train was perfect after a morning in the national park. We also learned a lot during the ride using the provided earphones.

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicous dishes for the adults and kid-friendly dishes (pizza) for the kids.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine Full Day Private Tour

Patagonia

This was our favorite activity on the trip! The private tour is now the way we will book on future trips. Cami was an AMAZING guide, shared tons of information throughout the day, and was great with the kids. We did two longer hikes that ended with beautiful/picturesque views. In hindsight, I wish we stayed longer (more days) in Torres del Paine.

Quality of Experience

Food

We enjoyed the box lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cami was the best guide!

Transport

Clean and spacious

Perito Moreno Boat & Walking Tour

El Calafate

On the boat tour, we got super close to the glacier, which was a very cool experience. The walking tour was on our own, which we liked.

Visit the Fishing Village of Puerto Almanza

Ushuaia

Our original itinerary had this included with a trip to the boat trip to the penguins, so this wasn't what we originally planned for (so please take my review with a grain of salt). Our guide was knowledgable and shared a lot of info, but we had two other individuals with us, cramped into a car, so the drive was uncomfortable. We would have enjoyed this more as a private tour where we were on our own timeline and had more space in the car. It also didn't help that this was after a full 12 hour day the day before (again due to an unexpected, last minute change). The hike to and from the waterfall was only about 30 minutes total, so not as much hiking as we were expecting. The food was delicious, but due to it being an Argentine holiday, we had to wait almost an hour to be seated, which extended the day longer than planned.

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Uri was super knowledgeable and share lot of info with us throughout the trip.

Transport

Cramped. Having three adults sit three-across on leather seats meant we were sliding or trying not to slide into strangers for the 3+ hours in the car.

Visit the Penguin Colony on Martillo Island by Catamaran

Ushuaia

Seeing the sea lions, elephant seal, and penguins was truly an experience!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Trip Briefing at Dittmar Adventures

Puerto Natales

We didn't have any specific questions, so having someone walk through the itinerary we were already provided and had read through was not the best use of time.

The Best!

Jesse is one of the best in business! This was my first time in South America and I have been a bit anxious through the entire plan, but working with Jesse and her team has given me so much of comfort. It is still ongoing, have few more trips to complete, but so far every single transfer, tour guide every one went above and beyond, humbled me with the hospitality and guidance! She was able to guide me with practicality of what can be accomplished and maximizing the overall experience. I am looking forward to engaging her again when I am back next with my whole family! Thanks Jesse!

Activity Reviews

Perito Moreno Blue Safari

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Transport

Victoria Island & Arrayanes Forest

Bariloche

Thankful for the tour guide who walked me through in English!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

7 Lakes Tour to San Martin de Los Andes

Bariloche

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bariloche Circuito Chico Half Day tour

Bariloche

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had such an incredible trip to Patagonia! Jimena was terrific to work with, she provided us multiple options for our trip the end of May. Everything was so organized and easy. Great choices in hotels and the public and private transportation was so convenient.
Once we were in Puerto Natales, we wanted to adjust our trip and add a hike to the Torres del Paine towers in addition to most of the W that were already planned, so Nada and Jimena worked their magic and made it happen.
Highly recommend Patagonia in April or May! Yes, it’s cold but manageable and you basically have the park to yourselves, including staying at the Refugio’s. Pedro, our guide, was terrific and so much fun. We really enjoyed our time with him.
It was a trip of a lifetime, we couldn’t have been more pleased with everything!

Matias was extremely knowledgeable about the places we traveled to and so enthusiastic and helpful in planning our trip to Chile and Argentina! Even for my million questions, Matias always provided timely feedback and was willing to hop on a video call, which made the trip and planning feel that much more personable. Couldn't have had a better experience, the trip was so well organized. We had an app to track our daily activities, pickups, and contact info, and everybody from Matias to the lodging front desk to our tour guides were so well coordinated.

The guide at Perito Merino was excellent while the one at Patagonia was also very good but one step below at Perito Merino

However our driver at Patagonia n the same driver who drove us to El Calafate was not as good - very fussy n not really cooperative n a snob

Overall everything went very well

Lorena helped us plan an amazing trip to Argentina to see penguins, a lifelong dream. Our guides Mery and Fabian were incredibly knowledgeable about the area and shared their love of the culture and natural history. We had a beautiful trip thanks to Kim Kim, thanks!

Hotel Review

Dazzler by Wyndham Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn

Really beautiful hotel, friendly bilingual staff and a nice rooftop rest area that was perfect for resting after our day trips. Easy walk to downtown Puerto Madryn.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central location, great water views

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean and service was really good.

Activity Review

Visit to a Penguin Colony by land - Punta Tombo

Puerto Madryn

Quality of Experience

We were able to spend a good part of the day at Punta Tombo and were not rushed

Food

We really appreciated the packed lunches for the long journey.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mery and Fabian were so well versed in the history, culture and wildlife of Patagonia. Their clear love of their home was evident and made us appreciate the experience even more.

Transport

We had a slight communication error at the airport, but everyone jumped in and got us to our hotel with a small seat, but every day we were picked up on time and had a great relaxed experience, which is what we wanted. We had some great conversations en route to our destinations, and time seems to go quickly.

Great trip, our trip planners were amazing! Very custom experience, and they helped us after hours and weekends with last minute flight cancellations, weather issues, etc. Cannot speak highly enough!

Very responsive and patient. Trip went smoothly and can honestly say worth the money. Excellent local guides. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Highly recommend!

Activity Reviews

Torres del Paine Full Day Private Tour

Patagonia

We got Daniel and Andres and could not have asked for better. Super good guys with extensive knowledge on area, history, flora and fauna. Very professional and fun to be around. This guided tour around the national park and the subsequent day hiking to Base Las Torres on our own were our favorite parts of the trip. So Glad we booked this and cannot recommend enough!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayak at Perito Moreno Glacier

El Calafate

Fun experience, relaxing. Guides were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perito Moreno Glacier Mini-trekking And Hike to the Base of Paine Massif were really amazing. Guide Mauricio Carrasco was fantastic: Knowledgeable, helpful/care, Definitely one of the best at tour guide ever had. Everyone was very impressed and pleased.

I had an amazing trip in Patagonia. I did all the 5 hikes that I wanted to do. The guide that I had for the Mirador Base Las Torres was really nice and interesting; I think his name was Miguel (?). For the other 4 trails, I did it myself; Thanks Erin for sharing the alltrails route; without it I would have gotten lost a couple of times on the way back when there wasn't a lot of people around. Also thank you Erin for telling me what to do when there is gust of wind; it was really helpful on my hike to Laguna Los Tres when I encountered rain, hail and strong wind.

The kayaking trip was great as well. I was lucky to be the only person on the trip. The guide Juan was great. It's cool that he also took pictures and videos of me kayaking.

Perito Moreno Glacier was amazing. I am really glad I got to see it.

Thank you Nara for being immediately available when the person at Bonanza could not find my reservation. The horse riding with Bonanza is the only part of the trip I was meh about. I think the group was too big; there were maybe 15-20 of us. I was mainly at the back, so I could not hear the guide at the front at all.

Overall, I am really happy with detailed itinerary that kimkim has planned out for me. It makes the trip completely stress and hassle free.