Chilean Wonders
Chile
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Mar 2 - Mar 16, 2025
Camila was very responsive, checking in with us almost on a daily basis and sometimes more often than that.
When problems arose with our Atacama portion of the trip she attempted to deal with our local tour operator Ckamuria Agency as best she could. The local provider in San Pedro de Atacama was either incompetent or lazy and one afternoon's activities were canceled due to lying about road conditions. We did obtain a refund for the tour to the Lagoons but I was very disappointed by missing this tour and alternative tours such as bicycling in 90 heat were absurd.
However, we realized that in our attempt to see as much as we could in Chile we tried to pack in too much in a short window. We lost days traveling and a more careful review of our tour with better oversight of our flight plans would have been appreciated. Perhaps she or Tamir (Who we spoke to by Zoom call once and never again) could have been more forthright in assessing what we were trying to accomplish in our travels.
The Hotel Jirah in San Pedro de Atacama was clean but tired with a poor breakfast. I suggest it not be used in the future.
We didn't think that Punto Arenas was worth a stop over and we wish we could have gone direction to Puerto Natales.
Penguins were cute but we had seen them in Argentina and the city itself did not offer much. We much enjoyed Valparaiso and a wine tour but found Vina del Mar boring and the restaurant recommended in the tour underwhelming. I would have preferred the option of more wine tasting and no Vina Del Mar.
Our guide in Patagonia, Nachogonia "Nacho" Lysis Casanova was remarkably knowledgeable and experienced and I would strongly recommend him. On the other hand, our guide in Rapa Nui was lovely but her English could have been better and in comparison to other guides we overheard leading other tour groups her knowledge base was just so-so.
Hotel Reviews
Rooms clean but tired. Poor breakfast.
Nice rooms. Good location and breakfast.
Lovely hotel with good breakfast and good staff.
Comfortable hotel with good amenities and good restaurant.
Nice B&B. Staff very good. Very good breakfast. Good location in town. Not a 4 star hotel but for a B&B very accommodating and comfortable.
Activity Reviews
Valparaiso was very interesting, but Val de Mar was boring More wineries and less Val de Mar!
Never got a chance to see this. Tour company canceled without notice!
Toughest hike I've ever done but worth it!
Glaciers are awesome
Reef was terrific but not many fish or wildlife
Cancelled due to extreme wind conditions (gusts 80-100 km/hr) Took a lovely driving tour around the park to see the extent of the mountains and lakes
Hi Jeff,
Thank you so much for your feedback! I’m really happy you enjoyed your trip to Child, especially Valparaíso, the wine tour, and your time with Nacho in Patagonia!
I truly appreciate your patience with the challenges in San Pedro de Atacama, I did my best to resolve them, and your insights will help improve future trips. I also hear you on pacing and itinerary adjustments, and I’ll keep that in mind for future travelers.
It was a complete pleasure create this adventure with you, and I’d love to help plan another adventure in South America for you in the future!
Best wishes,
Camila :)