Kimkim Trip Reviews for Chile

Emi and the others did an absolutely incredible job planning this trip from start to finish! The accommodations were terrific, and any minor problems were resolved quickly. Communication with the team was prompt and excellent. Thank you all so much!

Crissy and I had an amazing time in Patagonia. This trip was a long time coming, delayed several times for COVID, and ended turning into our Honeymoon.

Erin and the KimKim crew were fantastic during the changes and final prep. Very knowledgeable, offering up timely responses, and extremely flexible.

We really enjoyed the Penguin Island, Torres Base Hike, and the Serrano River Kayak. Weather was absolutely perfect. Hotels were decent, with the Hosteria Pehoe being the most memorable.

All the drivers and guides were superb. Daniel was always a bit early and drove us safely to where we needed to be. Devi was super fun to hang with during the Torres del Paine tour and took us to some cool hiking spots, waterfalls, and scenic overlooks. Charlie was a great kayak guide and campsite host. He worked hard to make sure we had an incredible experience.

Activity Reviews

Paddle from Pueblo Serrano to Puerto Toro [Kayak Expedition Day 1]

Chile

Charlie, from Tutravesia, worked hard to ensure a very enjoyable. experience. Views were breath taking.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Serrano Glacier & Estancia Perales [Kayak Expedition Day 2]

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Isla Magdalena Penguin Colony

Punta Arenas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip Briefing at Dittmar Adventures

Puerto Natales

Nara provided all the details for the trip and stayed in touch with weather updates for the kayak excursion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Torres del Paine Full Day Private Tour

Chile

Devi was an amazing guide. She has a trail scale of 14/10 and our marriage is stronger having spent the day with her. She was solely responsible for the perfect weather and all the functioning planks on the waterfall boardwalk. If we were not laughing so hard maybe we would have seen a puma.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an enjoyable and memorable trip to Chile thanks to the Lorena who had been very patient listening to our needs and expectations and she was able to come up with an itinerary to suit our requests. She was very professional and answered many of our doubts that came up along the way.
Everything went smoothly. The transfers were always early or punctual and they were very helpful especially Gabriel who is so cheerful and ever ready to help. The guides were knowledgeable and answered our questions to the best of their ability especially Sebastian who shared a lot of information and speaks fluent clear English at Piedras Rojas. We were amazed at the different landscapes of Atacama Desert. The hotels were well selected as they are situated in central and safe locations. We also thoroughly enjoyed our dinner hosted by Gloria and Leo who took great pains to prepare such a sumptuous meal and sharing their recipes.
Valentina and Anne Sophie were quick to respond to any issues that cropped up along the way. We were very impressed by their professionalism and they had made our trip a very pleasant one. Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Big Sur

Puerto Natales

There is no lift and you need someone to help you carry your luggage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is centrally located and it is within walking distance to the lake

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Konkashken Lodge

Torres del Paine

The cabin is compact and cosy. It comes with a small kitchen and a fireplace.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The environment is very clean and beautiful, good place to relax.

Staff

The staff is very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bellavista

Puerto Varas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very good location facing the lake and it is near to eateries and supermarket.

Staff

Staff is helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Renaissance Santiago Hotel

Santiago

There was an improvement in the way things were carried out as compared to the first stay. The restaurant was opened to let us have an early breakfast as we had an early pick up for our day tour. We were able to have a late check out and use their other facilities to freshen ourselves before departing for the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location is safe and it is near to shopping malls and lots of eating places.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

At the reception, you can help yourself to a free flow of hot and cold beverages 24 hours. You can refill your water bottle at the water dispenser just outside the reception too. We were pleasantly surprised that there was a free laundry service if we stayed 5 days and more.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is a good location, away from the crowd and not too noisy but within walking distance to the main street.

Staff

The staff is friendly and ever ready to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dreams del Estrecho Hotel

Punta Arenas

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is well located.

Staff

They are helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

It was really a good rest for us, having flown more than 38 hours to reach Santiago and to continue on to Punta Arenas. We could spend our time leisurely exploring the place and to recuperate from the long distance travel.

Private Dinner

Santiago

We thoroughly enjoyed the dinner prepared by Gloria and Leo. Both Gloria and Leo are very cheerful. Gloria is an excellent chef. We love all the food - from the yummy appetisers, delicious tender beef and fresh salmon with potatoes. Her homemade ice cream was superb. Leo is very knowledgeable about the pairing of wine and we certainly learned a lot from him. We had a great time and am thankful for the warm hospitality of the couple.

Quality of Experience

Wonderful and memorable experience

Food

All the food that is being served.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both the guide and the driver are very good. Gabriel is an excellent driver.

Transport

The car is big and spacious.

We had a fantastic trip, Lorena and her team set us up with great tours and helpful assistance all throughout our trip. Thank you for helping us navigate Chile and creating an amazing vacation.

1. The highlight of the trip was to hike the base of Torres del Paine because of the ranger strike we did the pine hill trail. we were little slow compared to the rest of the group and the leader decided that we should just go back and not reach the top. this was totally absurd, we should have been informed that if you are slow get a private guide. We came prepared for this hike and were not allowed to do it. After spending so much money this is what we get.
2. On the way back from Bermuda glacier we did not have anyone to pick us up. we waited for half an
hour and then took a ride from a stranger.
3. The last day we were waiting to be picked up to go go the airport and the driver had the wrong time for the flight, totally not aware. We had to call the company and they sent a driver we barely missed the flight.
4. When we reached Santiago our luggage didn't arrive we texted you no response. It was not a great experience after the amou t of money spent.

My heartfelt thanks to EMI for diligently finding our stargazing picture of Nov. 12. Just a picture of all of us, but it is such a wonderful memory and does mean a lot. THANK YOU!

Janet

We had a truly memorable experience in Chile thanks to Lorena Huidobro, from Turismo Milodon, our kimkim-appointed tour company. Lorena arranged for us a wonderful five-day, outdoor-oriented visit to La Araucanía region of the country, centered around the small town of Pucón, at the foot of the majestic Villarrica volcano and next to the lake of the same name. Led by expert tour guides from locally-based Rehue Expediciones (Ermin and Ricardo), we hiked Conguillío and Huerquehue National Parks and some of the Lagos Andinos, all areas of stunningly unique beauty. Lorena also arranged for us stays at two top-notch accomodations: Antumalal Hotel and Rakau Lodge --the latter we would especially highly recommend to any visitors to the area. Lorena's expert advice and attention to detail truly paid off. We also appreciated Turismo Milodon's follow-up while we were in-country. And last but not least, while we were in Santiago, Lorena was able to arrange for us on very short notice a great private day trip to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, knowledgeably led by Hernán and driver Gabriel. Thank you, Lorena!

Thank you Jason for planning such a wonderful trip for Jim and me. All your arrangements worked out perfectly, from pick up at the airport in Santiago to our departure on the last day from Puerto Natales. Felipe, our guide in Santiago, was amazing. He had such a thorough grasp of Santiago’s history, the people and the politics. We learned so much from him as we toured the city. Lunch at Boscanariz was a delicious surprise and gave us an education in Chilean wines. The Atacama Desert was another highlight of our trip. The salt dunes, geysers and lunar vistas were amazing. All of our guides were so knowledgeable and engaging. We liked staying close to town at Noi Casa Atacama and being able to walk into town whenever we wanted. The staff at the hotel was great and the pool and spa were perfect for relaxing after long touring days. And of course staying at Explora Patagonia in Torres del Plaines with its incredible views and vistas was thrilling. The hikes, guides, food, spa, and staff, all surpassed our expectations. We were so impressed with the passion, enthusiasm and love the staff have for Patagonia and Chile. By the end of our trip, we shared that love.

Chile is not an easy country to navigate especially if you don't speak Spanish. It was wonderful to have Kimkim plan our adventures and take the stress of travel away. We were very impressed with the drivers and guides. We were able to see a lot of the country in 3 weeks. Next time I would plan longer in Patagonia as the wind caused our boat tours there to be cancelled. They were helpful in getting us refunds which would have been hard to deal with ourselves not knowing Spanish. I would definitely recommend Kimkim.

The onset of COVID forced us to postpone our planned 2 week itinerary to Chile in March of 2020 but KimKim faithfully stayed in contact with us, encouraging us to not cancel but only delay the trip. We were apprehensive and concerned we would lose our paid trip but were more than satisfied with the repeated contacts from the company over 2 years of delay. They were responsive and personal in our communication the entire time.
Our guides and drivers were excellent, giving us Spanish lessons as we drove. We learned South American politics, economics and family life from different points of view, depending on who we were with that day.
We were traveling as independent travelers but our tour had us joining other groups or independents on our excursions. We like that kind of plan and made so many friends from around the world.
Santiago-Punta Arenas-Puerto Natales-Santiago-Atacama high desert-Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso was our itinerary. Our favorite was Puerto Natales and the excursions into Torres del Paine, especially the glacier tour day. And at Atacama the excursion to the geysers before dawn was unreal.
Our other favorite wasn’t a planned excursion but a happy independent traveler adventure as a result of meeting a Chilean who lives in Salt Lake City on our flight from Atlanta. He was going home to his family for the summer and invited us to visit in Casablanca. On the last day of our trip we accepted his parents gracious invitation to lunch at their home. We now have a wonderful family connection in Chile and plan to see them in Minnesota. 😊

All the guides were wonderful. Ana for the Torres del Paine, Jorge for condor and trekking, Ray and Gonzalo of Andoandes for volcanoes and hot spring

I think Ndudi covered most of what I would like to say about the trip however we had some issues at that last hotel.

There was a minor issue too but this was the main one. When checking out the clerk at the desk kept insisting that our room was not paid for and we needed to provide a credit card to pay for the room. He didn't have any idea of how the rooms where booked and who was responsible for payment. He said he needed to wait for somebody to Call and confirm that our room was paid for and that once he got the confirmation that we would be good to go. At this point our guide was already there and waiting on us to leave.

This interaction was a little disconcerning but besides that overall it was a pleasant trip.

Fantastic! Lorena created a truly amazing Chilean experience for my family. Lorena and the KimKim team were extremely flexible and reactive throughout the trip which insured that we were able to fully take part in all planned activities. I highly recommend KimKim and this Chilean trip of a lifetime!

Activity Reviews

Hidden Baltinache Lagoons - Currently unavailable

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buggy Safari Through the Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Chiloé Island & Puñihuil Penguin National Reserve

Puerto Varas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Emi was fantastic all through the planning. She gave us great options and made changes based on our (not always clear) descriptions of what we’d like to do.

I fully recommend Emi (and Mateo) and Kim Kim

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Santiago El Bosque

Las Condes, Santiago

Hotel, staff, and location were great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bellavista

Puerto Varas

Wow! What a view couldn't ask for a better location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Tour: Full Day Valparaiso & Casablanca Valley

Santiago

Orlando, our driver and guide for the day was very personable and informative. The wine tour was really good. Though it was a bit weird to do the tasting in the morning, it did mean we had a more intimate tour. The streets of Valparaiso were lovely, and the Neruda museum was fun and quirky. The only weak spot was perhaps the castle restarting for lunch and the tour through Viña del Mar. Neither was bad, just lackluster.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Volcán Osorno + Trekking El Solitario + Petrohue

Puerto Varas

We are not a family who treks. So this ended up being some work and exercise for us. But so worth it!! The views, the environment… breathtaking. And Javier was an amazing guide. He could “read the room” and kept us laughing and learning. He helped us rest when we needed and motivated us when we needed it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to Puyehue National Park and Hotsprings

Puerto Varas

This day was fun. But it was a lot of driving to get to views that may be replicated closer to Puerto Varas. Though it was nice seeing some of the small towns along the way. Christian, our driver and guide, was amazing. And he adored well when we hit some bumps. When we arrived at the park and hot springs, the staff was on strike, so we couldn’t do the big pool hot springs where you really soak. But in the end, that was ok. They didn’t seem to have much a view and just looked like a public pool. Instead we soaked our feet in the natural (and free) hot springs riverside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Kayak Reloncavi Fjord

Puerto Varas

This experience was amazing! Fantastic views of the fjord, the volcano, and the sea lions. All while getting a little exercise out on the water. The the view from the woman’s farm where we stopped for lunch was awe inspiring. And she was extremely sweet. Chloe our guide was fantastic too. She was funny and knowledgeable. Also, I have to plug the lunch. All the other excursions had boxed lunches from a company. They were fine. But these lunches, someone took real time making just for us: salads, homemade cookies, coffee riverside, etc. And they took into account some dietary restrictions I have. Really put an amazing experience over the top by going that extra mile.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful time in Chile. Lorena planned an adventurous itinerary - city tours, San Pedro hikes, Easter Island wonders, and spectacular hiking in Torres del Paine. During the few times that a flight was rescheduled or the weather interfered with a tour, Lorena and Ignacio stepped up to save the day! We are very grateful to them for making this such a special family vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Renaissance Santiago Hotel

Santiago

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

best hotel in the area

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Taura'a

Hanga Roa

Sweetest owner - like staying with your aunt.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Santiago - Airport Terminal

Santiago

great location for an early flight

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Carpa Manzano

Punta Arenas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Altiplanico Puerto Natales

Natales

Authenticity & Character

beautiful views

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

relaxing and beautiful environment

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

This was such a unique experience - the stars are amazing. Guides were incredibly knowledgeable and the use of telescopes was so much fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hidden Baltinache Lagoons - Currently unavailable

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the most amazing guide!

Transport

Waterfalls Trek - Private tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Very cool to see the geysers. Great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Great experience and guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Viña del Mar & Valparaíso

Chile

Really enjoyed touring these towns. Fantastic guide!!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Tour to Ahu Akivi

Easter Island

Just an amazing experience to see these statues.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Chile

Great overall view of park. Excellent guide.

Base Torres Hike

Chile

Be prepared for a rigorous hike with lots of changes in weather.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

When we decided to take last minute Thanksgiving trip to Chile with our 4 kids (22 - 12)I wasn’t sure where to start. Fortunately we found Kimkim and Lorena!!! Lorena helped us craft the perfect vacation full of adventure, history and unforgettable moments at a great value. A truly seamless experience which included 4 airport transfers, 2 in country flights, 3 hotels, 2 days touring the area with our amazing guide Victor, whitewater rafting, fjord kayaking, volcano trekking and penguins 😍

As a family which travels internationally on multiple occasions, we had never engaged a service to help coordinate our trips. However, our entire family has agreed based on Lorena and the incredible Kimkim vendor partners we can’t imagine taking another trip without them.

16 thumbs up and as many stars as possible!

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Inn Santiago - Airport Terminal

Santiago

The nicest airport hotel we’ve ever seen. A perfect blend of convenience, comfort and vibe literally 5 steps outside the terminal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Desk staff when we checked in at midnight were so helpful and engaged.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Best shower and beds of our whole trip

Renaissance Santiago Hotel

Santiago

Great customer service! When we arrived after a 8 hour flights before check-in time, the front desk suggested us refreshing in the spa and having lunch at the beautiful restaurant. Both ideas were fantastic and helped us settle into our vacation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to dining options

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Solace Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Clean, convenient and a perfect base for our Chilean adventures. The hotel restaurant was a big hit for dinner on a night we were too tired to venture out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rafting on the Petrohué River

Chile

What a great outfitter in the most amazing setting imaginable. The guides were all so fun and extremely professional. Highly recommend and the beers afterwards were well deserved!

Quality of Experience

Perfect mix of professional and fun

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We loved all the team but our guide Chris was especially engaging

Transport

They picked us up at our hotel on time and dropped us back after. Made the whole day super easy.

Kayaking on Reloncaví Fjord

Puerto Varas

If you like adventuring and want to engage with the mostly lovely locals ever, this is your trip. Our day was a little windy so the athletic demand was higher than anticipated but so worth it. The lunch break at Yolanda and Juan Carlos’ farm was magical. Our kids (22, 18,17 & 12) had the chance to see up close the beauty of living in connection with the land. Walking around the property proved to be high on everyone’s list of favorite things on our amazing Chilean adventure.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guides were so engaged and informative. We loved them.

Transport

Seem less pickup and return to our hotel in Puerto Varas

Explore Chiloé Island & Puñihuil Penguin National Reserve

Puerto Varas

History, beauty and penguins!!! Our day with Victor, the most amazing guide ever, was incredible. His knowledge on the history of the area, Chile and the environment gave our group so much more than we could have imagined. Fortunately we had him for 2 days and by the end felt like Victor was part of our family! The day trip was so special - would definitely recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Victor (our guide) and Sandro (our driver) we’re so easy to be with and responsive to our interests and needs. The casual pace was perfect and they really picked up on what our group was interested in learning and seeing.

Transport

Clean, safe and temperature controlled vehicle

Day Trip to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Chile

For our final day in Puerto Varas we hiked volcanos, saw waterfalls and toured a lake with no roads. Let’s just say it didn’t disappoint! It was our second day with our wonderful guide and driver team, Victor and Sandro, and we were all ready to explore. The mix of history, area knowledge and incredible beauty was remarkable. We toured all day and then went straight to airport in Puerto Montt to head back to Santiago. A great last day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

If I were to plan again, I would spend less time based in Santiago and I would try to increase my chances of not having activities canceled due to weather. Hotels were great, service was good and we found super wine and food. Seeing penguins outside of Punta Arenas and getting up close with glaciers were priorities for me and neither happened. More flexibility, more time, different time? Not sure what but would research it fully. Ana was good, Clementina was great. Service in Patagonia was mixed ie our schedule kept changing and only once of the three times were we notified. Drivers and guides were timely and good except for the one incident from San zpedro to Calamari, which we have already reported. Now we are waiting for refunds for our two canceled excursions. I love travel, I have travelled many places, rich and poor, alone and it groups. This was a good trip but there definitely still are challenges out there and some disappointments. Hope this is helpful. Please reach out to me if you have any questions

Lorena and all the trip coordinators were amazing. They helped me plan the most amazing trip and engagement!! Thank you so much

Hotel Review

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing trip organized by Lorena. This was my fifth time down to Chile but first on an organized trip.

First, we got up high in the Andes with knowledgeable and friendly guide Sebastien…and even snuck in a hot springs visit! Then down south to rio tranquilo. 4x4 truck was the perfect rental as some of the washboards/ potholes were pretty rough on route 7. Great stay and food at “el mirador de guadal” ( cabins are highly recommended) with the chance to get up on exploradores glacier with Felipe. Marble caves were underwhelming but it was good to be out in a kayak and guide Rodrigo was great and let us go exploring.

Then down to puerto natales and into Torres del Paine national park. Great trekking. Trails well marked and easy to navigate. ( Park rangers were on strike, but didn’t affect the trip) Modified W trek with a bit of reverse O. Got onto glaciers, lakes, snow at John Garner pass. A bit of wind and some showers but great hiking weather. All self guided. Stayed at the Refugios. Just bring some snack and clothes and you’re set!
A day of rock climbing on great conglomerate near lake Sofia with fantastic guide Chalo from Boulder Natales to finish it off.
Then a bus to punto arenas and a chance to see penguins before flying back.
All connections/ flights and transfers went very smoothly. The only hiccup was the park ranger strike but really didn’t affect us and Lorena was able to alter the trip when one excursion had to be canceled.
High recommendation for Lorena and her team in Santiago. Sure you pay a bit extra but all we really had to do was show up! Thanks again!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ladera

Providencia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Mirador del Guadal

Puerto Guadal

Amazing location and wonderful hosts. Cozy warm cabins. Great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Sir Francis Drake

Puerto Ayora

Hotel was clean. Nothing outstanding but good place to stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Refugio Grey

Torres del Paine National Park

Refugio Paine Grande

Puerto Natales, Chile

Hotel Alma Sur

Punta Arenas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

Typical city tour. Worth learning a bit about Santiago. Guide friendly and well spoken but perspective somewhat jaded from his background. Enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San José Volcano & Andes Mountains

Santiago

Sebastien gave a great trip and accommodated special request. Moved at our pace and gave good background. Fantastic day that made me want to explore more! Found easy access to ski 6100m peaks!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Trekking in Exploradores Glacier

Chile

Guide Felipe was knowledgeable and made the day fantastic. Good instruction. Funny.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marble Caves Kayak Tour

Chile

Rodrigo was great as a guide but the marble caves were a bit blah. Neat area but more enjoyed the kayaking and exploring beyond the caves.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ice Hike to Glacier Grey

Chile

Base Torres Hike

Chile

Self guided hikes. Fantastic park. Great scenery. Will be back.

Rock Climbing in Patagonia

Puerto Natales

Chalo was fantastic. Catered a wonderful day on the rock. Met some locals and worked up 5 or 6 routes. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penguin Colony on Magdalena Island

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I was only able to spend 5 days on this trip. This was in practice reduced to 4 days when LATAM canceled my flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, and I was transferred to a flight the next. Two of the four days were therefore devoted to travel - Santiago to Puerto Natales and back, via Punta Arenas. The two days in Puerto Natales were devoted to a hike up to Cerro Paine and a boat excursion to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers.

The Cerro Paine hike was arranged at the last minute in place of the popular Torres Paine Base hike because the park was closed due to a strike by park rangers. The hike is very demanding physically - a vertical gain of nearly 1300 meters, some of it on an exposed and very windy slope. It requires hiking poles (provided by the guide) but is not technically difficult or dangerous. The views of the Torres along the route and at the top are stunning. Pray for good weather, though - you might be miserable on a wet or unusually windy day.

The boat trip was on a catamaran capable of seating about 200 passengers. The boat is comfortable, and as the weather was calm (though overcast) it was quite stable. Viewing decks are a little cramped. The trip allowed us to cormorant colonies and sea lions up close, waterfalls from the steep rocky slopes, and the glaciers, which are sadly receding due to climate change. Light refreshments were served by the crew. Lunch was served at a stop on the way back, and consisted of local meat dishes with soup and dessert.

Local guides: They are advertised as speaking English, but don't expect learned discourses on the geology, flora, or fauna of the region. They were all very friendly, paid attention to our safety and physical needs - but do your own homework if you expect more than that.

The Casa Patagonia hotel at Puerto Natales is apparently managed by the same company as the local tour company that arranged my visits. They are housed in the same building and share some of the staff. It is located near the center of the town, with many restaurants nearby. It is also just across the street from a nightclub, which played very (!) loud music all night (until 5 am) on the night of my arrival. The hotel staff were aware of the problem. The following nights were OK - the club is apparently active on Friday and Saturday nights only. My room was small, but immaculately clean, as was the ensuite which is tiny. The bed was comfortable. The room has only 2 electric sockets on either side of the bed, making it difficult to work on my laptop with the power plugged in. Sower water was warm - but not really hot. Breakfast was good, with a selection of fresh fruit in addition to a continental style menu. It turns out that there are hotels in the town on the coast that are not adjacent to restaurants but which offer views of the sea, such as the Hotel Altaplanico - which I personally would have preferred given the choice.

The logistics of my trip were relatively simple, but all transfers, tours etc. were excellent. Drivers were always on time to pick me up, the paperwork was perfect and everything about the trip turned out exactly as planned.