Trips SouthAmerica

Ana and her team were excellent in helping us plan and complete our awesome trip to Chilean and Argentinan Patagonia. I appreciate how proactive and attentive to detail they were in every phase, including helping us stay on budget. At one point our flight was cancelled because of a nationwide airline strike and they quickly arranged for a new itinerary and helped us file a travel insurance claim with a third party. I highly recommend kimkim for their professional service.

Flor was extremely available and accommodating. She listened to what the 4 of us expressed we wanted and really put together a wonderful itinerary. She responded to our questions immediately and was readily available to speak with us if necessary. Our problem was not realizing that the last 6 days were essentially 1 all day travel alternating with1 day at a fantastic location. We didn’t realize just how long the travel times between areas would be. My only suggestion is including that in the proposed itinerary. But everywhere we went, as well as the accommodations, were perfect. The guides at Remota and Mallin Colorado were amazing. Thank you for such a wonderful trip

All of three of the all-inclusive hotels provided great service, food, and amenities. Jaime the chief of activities at Remota did a great job of explaining options and booking suitable activities. His staff, particular Renota, was great. The second resort, Mallin Colorado, had fewer amenities, but the guide they used Andreas, who took us to all our activities, was responsible and fun to be with. At Puyhuhuapi, the last resort, the staff, again, was excellent. It is a beautiful and unique hotel that is a great place to relax as well as to hike.
The hotel in Punta Arenas, Carpa Manzano, where we spend just one night, was suitable. Staff was quite helpful.

The only problem with the trip was that we did not understand the driving times between Balmaceda airport and Mallin Colorado or from Mallin Colorado to Puyhuhuapi. On a map the distances suggested about 3 hours and 4-5 hours, respectively, but a large portion of the roads were dirt, so the actual times were nearly double. It took more than 5 hours for the first trip from the airport and nearly 8 hours for the second trip to Puyhuhuapi. That meant that 2 of the 8 vacation days (excluding the arrival and departure days) were just travel. In a pickup truck and then a van, the drives were not scenic enough to compensate for the very long and uncomfortable drives. I am not sure of the solution. Both spots were beautiful and we are happy we saw both, but we felt that

Excellent platform made planning easy. Florence, the local specialist, was a prompt, helpful and clear communicator. I was very excited for the trip given the upfront planning and overall super positive interaction with Flor. Execution was average at best. There were 2-3 layers of subcontracting, which is not ideal. My choices/preferences weren’t conveyed fully or correctly 60% of the time. Fortunately I am a fluent Spanish speaker who is familiar with the region and was able to sort those mistakes myself. But things could have easily gone a different way. Overall, a big learning for me to research fully the companies that are actually providing the service, not just intermediating.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Las Torres Patagonia

Torres del Paine

Fantastic service, comfortable rooms, unbeatable access to the park and a terrific team of guides & drivers. Will definitely book again for a longer stay.

Authenticity & Character

Tailored to meet international tastes, which means a natural sacrifice btw truly locally authentic and familiar/comfortable for international visitors

Location

Only hotel in the park itself

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel José Nogueira

Punta Arenas

Located behind the historic Sara Braun mansion, next to the Plaza de Armas, the location is unbeatable. The suites are large and quite comfortable, clean and well maintained. Food & drink at the bar are quite good. Service is on par with the area of the country, on the unhurried/leisurely side. Not a place to go if you’re in a rush.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

King Penguin Park Tierra Del Fuego

Punta Arenas

This should not be a 14hr excursion. King Penguin Park is quite small and takes less than 1 hr even with a large group of people. We burned no less than 4 hrs in extended cafe visits/breaks, stops without much to see and a general lack of clarity of the duration of each stop so we could manage our time ourselves. In retrospect, I would have rather spend an additional day in Torres del Paine than doing this activity.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Inexperienced guide, unclear communicator in Spanish and even worse in English.

Transport

We planned a trip to Patagonia to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. We were a group of four people (two couples) who had lots of requests. Ana was fantastic planning with me on our custom-tailored trip. It was a nearly perfect 14 day itinerary for any seniors. If there was a better local flight from Bariloche to Ushuaia, it would’ve been perfect and my dad didn’t get sick from a long day. Hopefully there’s one in the near future for other tourists!

Julian, Laura, and the team on WhatsApp were responsive all the time whenever we needed. Thank you so much! Because of knowing that you were going to be there for us all the time, we could have a peaceful trip.

Our drivers and guides were all amazing and professional. A special thanks to our private tour guides Chris, Romi, and their drivers. Also, we had a long drive from El Calafate to Torres del Paine, and another one from Torres del Paine to Puerto Natales in one day, and both drivers, Fabricio and Carlos, were absolutely amazing. We can’t thank you enough! Hope you made it safe back home, Fabricio! My family still talk about that ride and you. And, thanks for making few stops for us, Carlos! We had no idea that our full day tour next day wasn’t going there.

Thanks again to Kimkim and Ana for this unforgettable trip especially for my parents. We loved every single place we visited.