Angel Gutierrez

Our family had a really amazing trip to Chile. Angel our tour guide was very knowledgeable and was very responsive. We had a packed trip and being a long country we had quite a bit of travel to do. Our trip to Rapa Nui was once in a lifetime one. Angel had chosen good hotels for us, and the tour guides he had arranged were all excellent. We have always been pleased with Kimkim(We used them in the past for Peru) and this time around too they did not disappoint us. We will definitely be using Kimkim again for our next adventures. However if you are going to Chile, Angel is your man!!!

From the beginning of planning our time in Santiago with a trip to Easter Island, Angel our travel agent was incredibly responsive. He listened to what we wanted and demonstrated a willingness to adjust mid trip. He responded almost immediately to any questions or concerns.

On first day in Santiago we had a full day private tour organized including seeing Valparaiso, Vina Del Mar and a visit to a vineyard. We were met at the port (at the end of our expedition through the glaciers and fjords of Patagonia) by our driver Eduardo and an English speaking guide, Consuelo Ibarra. Eduardo was a great driver and Consuelo an excellent guide.

We were able to see and understand Valparaiso through her eyes as she lives here and she provided a great overview of everywhere we visited. Quickly learning our interests she was able to fill us in on history, politics, art and so much more. It was an excellent day and Consuelo provided us with excellent guidance for our second day exploring Santiago including great local vegetarian food, art installations, green space, many places not to miss when visiting Santiago.

After two days based in Santiago we flew to Rapa Nui, (Easter Island).

All of our airport transfers were taken care of and the drivers arrived promptly to pick us up or meet our flights. Additionally our hotel which we really liked, LaReve was in a great neighborhood, and very accommodating. As we would return here for one more day in Santiago they were happy to store our luggage.

On Easter Island we were booked for a private full day tour and a half day tour with our guide Alex, who met us at the airport. Alex was great and despite the wild weather, fog, rain, high winds, we managed to see all the sites with remarkably few tourists. Alex knew how to sequence our visits to each site. He was very knowledgeable. He was also quite thoughtful, orienting us to the Island before dropping us at the hotel so we knew where we could head on our own.

Despite the weather we had an excellent visit to this extraordinary remote historic island.

Our last day in Santiago was Easter and one of our scheduled tour visits the Bahai Temple was closed. Angel helped us rearrange the day and we received a prompt refund for the cancelled tours.

It was a great trip and the perfect addition to our exploration of remote southern Chile.

Activity Review

Explore Viña del Mar, Valparaiso & Wine Tasting in Casablanca Starting from San Antonio In Private

Chile

Our guide Consuelo made this tour exceptional. Her deep knowledge of the areas we visited made it very special . The wines we tasted were also excellent. Would have liked more knowledge about the specific wine making processes used here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Prompt, clean vehicles, good drivers

Angel arranged a fantastic 2 week trip for our party of 6. We had kayaking and hiking guides/outfitters in multiple cities, room for independent hikes, multiple transfers, multiple car rentals, multiple flights, along with varying levels of good to excellent accommodations. Also, we did have one person in our group who had researched our trip extensively and communicated her preferences for us, in creating the end itinerary. Importantly, after our trip, any and all outstanding discrepancies with local agencies were resolved via Angel’s communication with them.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Diego de Almagro Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

The staff of this hotel were very kind. The room size was very good with a sea view. And the location was walking distance to the main plaza. Unfortunately, during our brief stay - 3 nights, there was a mold issue in the bath area with a strong smell as the heater warmed up to dry our clothing. The other 2 rooms in our traveling group did not have this issue.

Location

Staff

Hotel Rio Serrano

Torres del Paine

The hotel staff, all areas, were very good. Our daily interactions were with the front desk, bar servers and dining room servers. Everyone tolerated our wretched Spanish attempts despite their excellent abilities in English. Amazing views from our room with a view - please choose this option. We stayed in both the non-view room - smaller and only 1 chair, and the view option room - 2 chairs and a table, more spacious … and the view! Utilized the gym and the area for using a mat was quite small with an impossibly large Bosu ball. Wonderful dry sauna and the views from the pool were unending (bubbler loungers were also good!). Food in both the dining room and bar area were excellent. I would come back here. I also liked their natural finishes design esthetic. There were enough public spaces and they were also large enough to feel at peace.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The view of the Masiff and all the nearby rivers. We were there mid-March and the weather was already changing to fall so we had a rainy day stay at the hotel that we welcomed.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Very nice views of the lake and centrally located to downtown. Wood interior large corner suite was very comfortable and clean. A short walk from downtown shops and restaurants. The bar and the restaurant in the hotel, were good with a friendly staff. We did not get the chance to use the gym or pool located across the street.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diego de Velazquez

Santiago

Located centrally in Providencia, only 1.5 blocks away from the metro. The front desk staff and housekeeping were very kind. Buffet breakfast was good. The room was exceptionally small and dated, though it did have a refrigerator, a safe, and an in-wall air conditioner.

Authenticity & Character

Bed linens, comforter with washable cover

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms are just small

Activity Reviews

Agua Fresca Bay Kayaking

Punta Arenas

We had a wonderful kayak outing with Claudia and her team. The water was incredibly calm and we were repeatedly told this was the exception. There were dolphins in the distance, apparently attracted by the motor of the dinghy. The tea and snack afterward, in the cozy dining room, were very nice after being on the water. Enjoyed hearing a bit about the settlers of the region. I would recommend doing this experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tierra del Fuego - King Penguin

Punta Arenas

It is a bit of a drive but the van is comfortable and the ferry crossing a nice break in the driving. The penguin reserve was very good and interesting. I recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Climbing Cerro La Picada

Puerto Varas

Because of a late evening arrival, where our guide was patiently waiting at the hotel to brief us, we opted to forego a volcano summit for more sleep! Instead, we left later in the morning, 08:00, and hiked to the saddle between the two volcanos of La Picada and Ornos. I highly recommend this hike and the guide company. And, they make a delish sandwich. There was a big variety in the terrain we crossed and just beautiful views though not in the distance due to mist. I especially liked the new experience of hiking/gliding down some volcanic dirt/sand. We were also able to see Todos los Santos lake, as the weather cleared for a bit.

Quality of Experience

Exceptional views

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very nice and informed

Transport

Half Day Kayaking in Llanquihue Lake

Puerto Varas

We didn’t kayak in the lake, though we briefly visited it. Instead, we kayaked through a canal like estuary with lovely weeping willows and bird wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Dampened, literally, by leaking spray skirt and lack of provided non-dirt area to change into dry clothing. The estuary was great and unexpected.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short drive of approx 15” from downtown.

Visit Undurraga Vineyard - Wine Tasting group tour

Santiago

We had an excellent tour by … urghh, will comeback and include her name, included walking the regular vineyard and sampling a variety of grapes off the vine. Their separate sample grape garden, with a large variety of grapes in a relatively small area, was also a nice tasting comparison. And, after viewing the cask rooms and the mini museum, the tasting was well conducted- enjoyable. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide was excellent

Transport

Very comfortable van

Thanks to our local specialist, Angel, we had an amazing, fun-filled trip to the beautiful country of Chile. There were 6 of us on the trip and we bombarded Angel with incredible detail on what we wanted to do. He took care of us before, during and after our trip. It was amazing how it all came together. We were taken care of by local guides every step of the way and Angel was always available and checking in with us.

First, we traveled to the beautiful city of Punta Arenas where we did a kayak tour on the Strait of Magellan (loved our guide, Claudia). We also did an all day tour to Tierra del Fuego to see the king penguins. Our tour guide, Ferdinando, added in a wonderful side trip to have lunch at this delightful cafe. The stew was so good! And he also took us on a side tour so we could see the flamingos.

Next stop was Torres del Paine where we stayed at Rio Serrano. What a wonderful place! We upgraded to suites with incredible views of the massif especially at sunrise!. We paid for the all-inclusive package and the staff delivered on that with a 5 star rating! At Torres del Paine, we did a kayak tour to Grey Glacier. It was a beautiful calm day. And we really enjoyed our guides! We also hiked several trails in the parque...we hiked to the Cuernos Lookout and the Mirador Base Las Torres...the latter was one of my biggest highlights of the trip. So epic! My husband also did a private fishing guide tour and had a blast. He caught 7 brown trout...thanks to Sebastian, his guide, for finding the sweet spot to fish! Thank you to our local guide, Jose, who ensured everything went well for us during this special part of our 14 day trip.

From here we went to Puerto Varas. We did a guided hike tour of Mirador Cerro La Picada with some great views of the Osorno Volcano and Lago Todos Los Santos. It was fun coming down the mountain on volcanic sand! We could not have done this hike without our awesome guides, Jose and Eduardo. We probably would have gotten lost! Thank you, Angel, for also ensuring we got the most magnificent suites at Hotel Cabana del Lago! The views from our room of the double rainbows on the lake were spectacular! Hotel Cabana del Lago is a great service-oriented hotel. A special thank you to Rafael, our local guide. Upon our departure from the hotel, our rental car completely malfunctioned. Rafael was able to work with the rental car company and a taxi service to ensure we all got to the airport on time.

We ended our trip in Santiago...thanks to Jose (aka Pepe) for all of his help at the airport on arrival and departure, for getting us to the Undurraga Winery for a great tour and for recommending Baco restaurante for dinner!

The Chilean people are very special. They are so kind and genuine. We felt so welcome in their country. Given so many of them also speak English, it was so much fun to practice my Spanish with them.

I would highly recommend kimkim to anyone looking for a memory of a lifetime. To the people at the kimkim home office, to Angel tending to our every need, to the local guides helping us throughout the trip....my husband and I say Muchas Gracias!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Rio Serrano

Torres del Paine

Wonderful service, wonderful staff, great food, the suites with the view of the mountains are superb! The spa was icing on the cake...especially on one of the rainy days.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

The 10th floor suite with the panoramic view of the lake was awesome. The clouds were hanging over the volcano most of the time, but we got an extra treat....a view of the double rainbow over the lake. The restaurant service was very good. They made my birthday special.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amazing suite.

Hotel Diego de Almagro Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

The front desk people were great. Rooms were clean. Great views.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diego de Velazquez

Santiago

This is clearly a hotel in the city. We were in a very small room. The air conditioner was cold but hard to manage not being blown out in the middle of the night. Front desk staff were very courteous. Location was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Safe area.

Staff

Front desk always eager to help. Breakfast help very courteous.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms need some upgrading. Not sure about the comforter on the bed....probably needed a good cleaning. Doors to shelves did not easily slide. They would be better off taking the doors off the tracks completely.

Activity Reviews

Agua Fresca Bay Kayaking

Punta Arenas

Loved our guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Tierra del Fuego - King Penguin

Punta Arenas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Grey Lake -Kayak through the Glaciers at Grey Lake - Transfer back to your hotel

Chile

Loved our guides. Great calm water day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

crowded boat

Fly Fishing in Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine

Exceptional. Sebastian was great. Good guy.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Genuine human being. Great fisherman. He knows his work.

Transport

Climbing Cerro La Picada

Puerto Varas

Loved the hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Undurraga Vineyard - Wine Tasting group tour

Santiago

It was a good tour but I was not feeling well that day. But really interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgable.

Transport

I wasn't feeling well so wasn't in the mood to be in a van.

We were very pleased using Kimkim on our recent trip to Chile. Typically we do our own bookings but chose an online agency for Chile due to "all the moving parts" involved in this group trip of 3 couples. Kimkim's website was easy to use and informative, providing useful information such as seasonal weather for the regions visited.

Our travel guide, Angel Gutierrez, was exceptional throughout the entire process, not only before but during and after the trip! He responded quickly to emails during the planning process using excellent English. During the trip when we experienced a couple glitches with car rentals, his response was immediate, and I mean IMMEDIATE! In each region we visited, from Punta Arenas to Torres National Park, to Puerto Varas in the Lake District, and then to Santiago, Angel provided us with a reliable local English-speaking guide and private transportation. There was no waiting on drivers for hotel transfers or on day tours, with them typically arriving 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

The tour guides all spoke excellent English. I would like to give a shout-out to 2 of the regional guides: Jose (Pepe) in Santiago who bought a bottle of water for me on the scheduled wine tour when I forgot mine, and to Rafael in Punta Varas who quickly rescued us when a rental car did not function and got our entire group to the airport on time.

The only area of improvement I would suggest is in the timeliness of lodging bookings. This trip was almost a year in planning, with the down payment made 9 months before the date of departure. This may have been due to company policy, but to my knowledge the lodging was not booked until the final payment occurred 2 months before departure, resulting in us not getting some of the rooms of our choice. However, Angel and the hotel managers did provide us with excellent accommodations.

If you are planning a vacation to South America, and especially if to Chile and Ecuador, do yourself a favor and request Angel Gutierrez at Kimkim. He is the best!

Warm regards,
Christine Becker

I

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Rio Serrano

Torres del Paine

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diego de Velazquez

Santiago

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diego de Almagro Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Agua Fresca Bay Kayaking

Punta Arenas

They provided excellent gear.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

did a briefing the evening before

Transport

they arrived early

Full Day Tierra del Fuego - King Penguin

Punta Arenas

Long day but knew this beforehand. Tierra del Fuego very interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

lunch at small village was scrumptous!

Transfer to Grey Lake -Kayak through the Glaciers at Grey Lake - Transfer back to your hotel

Chile

very knowledgeable and safe guides

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Climbing Cerro La Picada

Puerto Varas

Very knowledgeable and safe guides

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Kayaking in Llanquihue Lake

Puerto Varas

Loved the Laguna El Encondido!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Undurraga Vineyard - Wine Tasting group tour

Santiago

Highly recommend Undurraga tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport