This was one of my all-time favorite vacation...
Chile
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Sep 8 - Sep 14, 2023
This was one of my all-time favorite vacations. Normally I plan every detail of my vacation, but both myself the friend with whom I was traveling didn’t really have the bandwidth to plan this one. I was a little hesitant about using kimkim, but it turned out to be a really great decision. Jesse was extremely responsive and receptive to our what we wanted. She was always quick to answer our questions and always very helpful. The activities she planned for us both in Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama were top notch. The day trips were amazing, and we have nothing but good things to say about the many tour guides who made it possible. Both the booked hotels were spotless, comfortable and located near the towns’ centers.
My only caveat would be to look into the altitude and weather conditions of some of the day trips planned. If you’re not acclimated to high altitudes, it can be pretty rough to go from 7200 ft above sea level to 14,000 fly in the span of a couple of hours. Inquire whether the guides carry oxygen in the case of an emergency. Also, the drivers in San Pedro de Atacama are maniacs, and so you should maybe have a dare devil streak so that you don’t have a coronary when they take a steep turn at 10,000 ft up on a narrow switchback road at 50 mph.
Hotel Reviews
The hotel room was bigger than my apartment. It was clean and bright, and the staff was all very friendly. Their breakfast lay out was excellent. It was also located in a less touristy area of the city, which I prefer.
The staff was so friendly, and the hotel was so comfortable and cozy. They put out a good breakfast, and everything is spotless. It’s also very close to the main street, but far enough away to avoid the noise. Highly recommend!
Activity Reviews
This is a fairly easy trek (if you’re acclimated to the elevation) through a really beautiful landscape. Our guide, Julia knows a lot about the mineral composition and ecosystem of the desert. Highly recommend (they give you Pisco at the end!)
Claudio was so knowledgeable and showed a really deep love for his city. The tour is brief, but gives you a good lay of the land. It was a really great way to get introduced to the city!
I can’t recommend this highly enough. It was so, so amazing and the men giving the lessons were so passionate about the subject. It really was one of the most beautiful skies I have ever seen. We were also given snacks (with homemade jam and mayonnaise made by one of the men’s mothers) and wine, and got to sit around a fire while we ate and drank. It was a very special tour and I would do it again if I returned To San Pedro.
Chaxa lagoon was stunning, and watching the Flamingos was just amazing. The other lagoons were very beautiful (although it was so extremely windy it wore me down). We didn’t actually see the mentioned villages, but it was still a really good day
I think Berto was our favorite guide of the trip. He knew so much about the geysers and seemed to really love them. The geysers themselves were so beautiful and strange. We also got to see a wetland and a small village called Machuca. It was a really great trip!
This was a fairly easy hike (unless you don’t like a bit of rock scrambling) in a really beautiful landscape. It was an amazing way to end the day. The warm water pools are currently closed, but we went to a spot with cold water bathing. I loved it! The canyon is truly spectacular!
Hi Melanie,
Thank you for the kind review and I'm so happy you enjoyed your trip :) I'll definitely have a word with our operator in Atacama about their drivers so they're more cautious!
All the best in your future travels,
Jesse