Lorena planned a wonderful two weeks in Chile...

Chile | Nov 17 - Nov 30, 2023

Lorena planned a wonderful two weeks in Chile for us. We experienced several exciting things in this diverse country. We enjoyed the funkiness of Valparaiso with a cooking class. The hike in the Maipo Valley with Sebastian was slightly challenging for us 71 year olds but enjoyable. We were always looked after.
Our time in the Atacama Desert did not disappoint. Highlights there included seeing flamingos at Chaxa Lagoon. We also loved the e-bike trip into the desert and the dune buggy trip (both with On Safari Atacama).
The scenery in Patagonia is breathtaking. We had Anna as a terrific guide during an all-day tour in Torres Del Paine. The fjord cruise in Patagonia was very enjoyable. Highlights of the cruise included beautiful scenery, wildlife sightings, delicious lunch, and whiskey served with glacial ice!
Our only disappointment was the cancellation of our cruise to Magdalena Island in Punta Arenas (to see the penguins) due to the weather. It was a last-minute thing, and we were left to fill the day ourselves.
We have used KimKim many times for our trip planning. They did a great job with this one!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Great restaurant! It was nice to have filtered water available to refill our containers. There was also always coffee\tea available in the lobby. The front desk was very helpful too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet, but close to town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Alma Sur

Punta Arenas

Great breakfast. Staff not helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff did not seem to care about customer service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel HD Natales

Puerto Natales

The staff at this hotel is outstanding! The location is lovely, quiet and has great views. It is out of town and requires transportation into town. The rooms are tired and the whole hotel could use updating. The staff made up for the hotel's run down condition.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great views, quiet

Staff

Everyone was great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Update and better maintenance

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

Kind of lackluster for us but could have been the travel fatigue from redeye flights.

Quality of Experience

Not much depth

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valparaíso Tour & Cooking Class

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Loved the cooking class. It was nice to spend time with a Chilean native as well as make some good food.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver seemed impaired? Guide seemed bored.

Transport

Our driver for this day was late arriving for pick up at the hotel as well as picking us up from the cooking class. We think he was either drunk or very hung over as he drove erratically at times and needed to stop at a wayside for over half an hour. We regret not reporting this earlier.

Private Dinner

Santiago

Great food, wine and conversation. It was lovely to spend time in a Chilean home. An authentic experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San José Volcano & Andes Mountains

Santiago

Great hike and guide. Especially liked the "treats" after the hike.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Tour to Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

Chile

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Loved seeing the flamingos

Hike from Sarmiento Lake to Amarga Lagoon

Chile

E-bike to Lake Cejar

San Pedro de Atacama

Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park & Surroundings

Chile

Loved our guide, Anna

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Buggy Safari Through the Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Great guide, didn't like getting up so early. Not sure if it was as spectacular as I anticipated.