Kimkim Trip Reviews for Patagonia

The activities and sites we chose based on your recommendations were the right fit for us - we really enjoyed all the excursions. All the local service providers / guides were just great, helpful, very nice people, friendly and easy to chat with and happy to share information on various local topics - be it Maria at Puerto Varas for the trip to Osorno volcano, Chloe for the kayaking, the Aqua Fresca team at Punta Arenas or Nara and Andres in Puerto Natales. Last but not least, Antonia with the team from the Estancia were also amazing (and the lunch prepared there was way beyond our expectations - speaking for myself, I have never had better lamb asado!
Only the drivers taking us from/to the airports seemed not to be always quite informed that those transfers were already paid for, but we managed to explain and got this solved rather quickly.
The selection of hotels was just right as we wanted (we particularly loved the hotel Vendaval in Puerto Natales) and the overall organisation was perfect.
Indeed, our overall positive impressions from our trip were enhanced by the exceptionally good weather.
Thank you all!!!

Thank you Ana for the great support and planning for our trip to Patagonia. We had expressed some concerns regarding mobility and she was very responsive in arranging a personalized tour for both of us at El Calafate and Natales. The sights were amazing and the local guides were very well informed and accommodating. Overall a great experience and one we would recommend.

Erin did a top notch job for us - 4 high school friends coming from 3 continents to Chile, celebrating our big birthdays together. All 4 of us were able to co-create the itinerary in the chat which was great. Erin's responsiveness and advice on where/what/how was just what we needed to get the perfect itinerary. Our questions on all the details and options or alternatives were quickly answered and resolved (especially getting us into the refugios and off the waiting lists and out of the tents! All the tickets, vouchers were right on point, easy to understand and worked like magic. We just got back and everything was perfect and executed just as designed. Nara was excellent answering last minute questions. The excursions and providers were all great, just as described. If you want to do Patagonia or Chile, highly recommend Erin, Nara and Laura.

The overall trip was great and the activities planned were right in line with what we wanted. There were just a few pitfalls along the way that could have been managed better. The fine print in the trip plan did state that flights in South America were not covered, but it was placed below a statement that International flights were not covered and the agent did not make it clear we needed to book flights at specific times after we put our first payment in for the trip plan she created. Then when we were on the trip, there were a couple of hiccups with transportation and we had slow response back from the agent. In the end, this would not stop us from booking again with KimKim, but we will be more diligent during the process in setting expectations and clarifying things.

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

Everything, from the very first planning until the execution went very smoothly and easy. Thank Emi for your time, quick responses and everything. I will definitely contact you again when I will be planning my next trips.

Activity Reviews

Big Ice Trek

El Calafate

Amazing trip. Highly recommended.

Quality of Experience

A hike on the glacier was a great thing to do.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fantastic guides

Transport

Full day Hiking Base Las Torres - 20km approx

Puerto Natales

Great hike, beautiful views.

Quality of Experience

Amazing

Food

Best salmon (gluten free) sandwich I have ever had!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lovely, committed guide

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.

My wife and I (late 30s) enjoy visiting both cities and exploring natural places when we travel so it was incredibly helpful to have the assistance of kimkim to help plan our 15 days in South America, where we traveled through five cities, did a five day backpack, and stayed in multiple hotels, had multiple private and bus transfers and in general was a logistics heavy trip! Having never spent any time in Chile or Argentina, and not having many friends who have, we needed local expertise to handle the complicated booking profess for Refugios, plus help us find lodging in centrally located neighborhoods that were up to our standards (Trip Advisor/Google reviews can always be misleading at times).

Jimena helped us navigate this with ease during the booking process and assisted with us changing our minds more than once. Upon arrival our local outfitter Dittmar Adventures (and Nara!) were incredibly helpful in making sure we had what we needed, knew where we needed to be, and helped us with some trip changes. The trip chat feature is super convenient, my wife and I could see messages at the same time, and if one of us had a question we could easily chime in. We took a empanada cooking and wine tasting class and expected to be in a group but were so delighted that it was just the two of us! All of the neighborhoods where the hotels were located were in walkable areas--something we asked for since we were traveling without a car.

We would definitely use kimkim again--for two busy professionals the ability to have influence over the trip without having to handle all of the logistics and bookings was a welcome way to travel and made vacation just what it should be--relaxing!

Really phenomenal trip. Patagonia is beautiful and the tour was so well organized. The Strait of Magellan, Torres del Paine, Estancia La Peninsula, and Argentinian Patagonia were filled with memorable moments and sights. I would highly recommend this trip and booking with Erin.

Flor and the entire KimKim operations team made our whole trip on the W trek seamless and easy. All accommodations were set in place the second we said yes to the package. We stayed in very nice premium camping, had our meals all scheduled, and transfer to and from all areas of Puerto Natales before and after the trip. We were able to experience all of the beauty and majesty of Patagonia worry free thanks to the hard work of the KimKim team!

The planning and the coordination of the entire trip was excellent and without any issues. This is my first time using KimKim and it won't be my last! For the Full Patagonia Trip, I decided to go with a travel planner and agency because it requires a lot of logistics and coordination with agents and other companies in Chile and Argentina. Lorena, our travel expert, did a SUPERIOR job with the itinerary (11 days). During the planning phases of the trip (which began a year in advance), Lorena listened to my requests, concerns, and my adventurous soul, and put together a stellar trip and experience. The final itinerary containing everything from drivers' names, tour companies, phone numbers, descriptions, meetings points was detailed and remarkable. I traveled with my best friend and we have returned with many great memories!!! THANK YOU!!!

In reference to the language, I speak Spanish; therefore, it was not difficult to communicate with people. However, many people speak English in Chile and Argentina. It will be helpful though to learn some basic Spanish words if you only speak English.

As soon as we arrived to Santiago, Chile, our driver, Alejandro (TURISMO MILODON) was waiting for us. He drove us to Hotel Ladera and we checked-in in the morning because we decided to pay for the previous night to have a secure early check-in. This is something I always do when arriving early morning to a hotel. Soledad "Sol" "Sole" was our Santiago City Tour that afternoon. Soledad and Alejandro (driver) provided a comfortable environment and gave us great information about Santiago. We walked around the city and visited many of the landmarks. Although I have visited Santiago in 2010, it was great to have those memories back. Soledad is a great guide tour--she is full of information. We have many conversations related to history, politics, religion, and the Chilean genealogy (DNA testing, etc.). Great job Soledad!!! Abrazos!!!

Visiting San Jose Volcano and Andes Mountains with Ando Andes was great. Thank you to Andres, Matias, and Laura. It was Laura's first day doing the trekking with Andres and she dis a GREAT JOB!!! I hope you get the job. Meeting other travelers from other parts of the World was a highlight as well. It was a small group and everyone was very friendly. Thank you for the surprise---- Andres and company organized a "picnic." There was wine, juice, water, olives, crackers, cheese, cookies... all was included! THANK YOU GUYS!!! ABRAZOS!

After Santiago, we began our Patagonia adventure. We took an early morning flight (5:45am) to Puerto Natales. Patagonia Planet was the transport in Puerto Natales. I can't remember the driver's name but he was providing historical information about the town--- very kind of him! Hotel Costaustralis --- AMAZING! The view from the room was to the bay and the mountains. The staff and the food (breakfast and dinner) was very good!!! There was a restaurant in Puerto Natales called EL BARCO (highly recommended)--great ASADOS AND FISH!!! The handcrafted beer (brewed on the premises) was very refreshing.

The hike to Torres del Paine National Park by W Circuit was out of this world. The team of guides: Ramiro, Seba, and Hector was gentle, friendly, and very professional. Once again, a small group and they were checking on everyone's safety because it is a very demanding hike and trekking (4 hours going up and 4 hours coming down). Once you get to the Base of Torres del Paine... you realized that it was worth it!!!

The transport from Puerto Natales to El Calafate, Argentina by Turismo Zaahj (Big comfortable A/C bus) was EXCELLENT. Funny and friendly drivers (there are 2 because they take turns), and the customer service provided at the El Calafate Station was superb. Ana at the front desk--THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF MY ISSUE. I lost my passport and wallet on the bus. Kimkim and Ana from Turismo Zaahj located it and returned it to me. SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL YOUR ASSISTANCE!!! We had a driver, Joaquin, who went far and beyond chasing the bus when I told him about the passport and wallet. AGAIN--PLENTY OF GRATITUDE.

Perito Moreno Glacier Mini Trekking was an incredible experience. Thank you to all the staff at the base of the Glacier and for the shot of whiskey at the end of the path. What a lovely surprise!!! This experience is worth it!!! Once again, thank you to Lorena for accommodating my priorities for this trip. It worked perfectly! And the weather was just ideal. This activity was special because it was done on the 31st of December (last day of 2023). What a way to end the year!!!
There are plenty of bars and restaurants in El Calafate and you cannot go wrong with variety and quality of the food and the service.

Lastly, Ushuaia--- Tierra del Fuego and the End of the World. Lorena scheduled great activities. The trekking and canoeing in Tierra del Fuego National Park was so peaceful and meditative. We learned to appreciate this planet more and more!!! Thank you to Luis (driver), Juan and Carlos. The home cook meal at the end was a real surprise.... with wine and great company. Small group of friendly people. The beef stew with vegetables was so good!!! Great coffee too! Lorena thought about all these details. Isla de los Fuegos transport was very professional. Ushuaia is a lovely town. The Beagle Channel and Penguins tour was EXCELLENT. I was able to be close to the Penguins. We visited Glacier Martial and that was done independently---- another hike and trekking but we got to the base of the Glacier. Terrific experience!

Overall, this adventure has been a very rewarding one. We were able to do many physical activities that, despite our excellent body fitness, it also requires a different mind set. Letting go of insecurities, anxieties, and fears was part of the lesson. Recognizing the importance of mother Earth and how to preserve it for future generations was also an important aspect of the trip. This was fun, mystical, educational, meditative, mysterious, challenging--- austral and worth it!!!

Thank you LORENA for giving us this unforgettable adventure!!! We will be back!!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ladera

Providencia

Great Hotel. Love the infinity pool! The room was spacious and very modern. Great customer service. Thank you.

Authenticity & Character

Modern. Friendly staff!

Location

Safe. Good restaurants in the area. Close to public transportation.

Staff

Friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hosteria Kau Kaleshen

Gdor. Gregores 1256, Z9405 El Calafate, Santa Cruz, Argentina

Lovely place. Cabin-like rooms with a great garden to hang out when very sunny. Alan and Leo at the front desk---thank you for all your assistance and customer care. The breakfast was served on-time and very good.

Authenticity & Character

Very representative of the area.

Location

Block away from Ave. Libertador (main street)--- restaurants, shops, bars, police station, etc. Near Lago Argentino... great walk around town.

Staff

Alan and Leo--- you are the best!!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Lengas Hotel

Ushuaia

Up in a hill with views of the entire port and the Glacier Le Martial. Modern, spacious, great rooms... huge comfortable double beds and pillows. Restaurant was great. Good breakfast and pizza! Friendly and professional staff. We were able to check-in immediately with no issues. Checking-out was very early in the morning and very fast.

Authenticity & Character

Modern. Comfortable.

Location

Safe area! The entire town is great for walking (if you like to walk). Taxis are not expensive and the hotel call them for you.

Staff

Very professional and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costaustralis

Puerto Natales

Great location! Friendly staff and great restaurant/food.

Authenticity & Character

Speechless!!! Awesome

Location

Best location!

Staff

Attentive. Friendly. Professional.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stellar!

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

Soledad was a great tour guide. Alejandro (driver) was also great with his historical comments.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Soledad and Leonardo!!!! You are the best.

Transport

San José Volcano & Andes Mountains

Santiago

BEAUTIFUL LAND

Quality of Experience

Food

At the end of the adventure, they set up a picnic table with wine, juice, fruits, nuts, cookies, ham, cheese, olives, crackers.... LOVELY

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andres, Matias, Laura--- from Ando Andes. Great and professional loving people!

Transport

Hike in Torres del Paine National Park

Patagonia

The most challenging adventure. Meeting people on the way and emerging yourself in nature.

Quality of Experience

Food

We bought our own lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ramiro, Seba, and Hector. Hard to believe you do this 4-5 times a week. You are the greatest!

Transport

W Circuit -- Was good. The bus can be a bit bigger.

Trekking & Canoeing in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Ushuaia

Emerging yourself in nature and thousands of years old rocks.

Quality of Experience

Food

The beef stew with vegetables , wine, coffee and the end was a lovely surprise.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Beagle Channel & Penguins

Ushuaia

Once again, it is all about recognizing the beauty around us and preserving nature and saving mother Earth. Lovely and friendly Penguins---who knew!!! LOL

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perito Moreno Glacier Mini-trekking

El Calafate

The highlight of the trip. Great coordination with the ferry and the guides waiting for us at the base of the Glacier. A great team is awaiting for us to show us how to walk on ice!!! Unbelievable experience provided by Hielo y Aventura.

Quality of Experience

Food

We went with our own lunch. Lockers available for backpacks. Coffee and Tea was available at the end of the mini trekking. We had whiskey too.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Erin helped us to plan our trip to Patagonia, specifically the W trek (with a few add ons), but she had an absolute wealth of knowledge to support us with all our other queries. She wasn't short on ideas and suggestions to make the trip unique and tailored to us. She went above and beyond to find options for us as vegans and celebrating our honeymoon and a birthday. She always responded promptly and with so much detail and enthusiasm. It was such a joy, thank you!

Kim Kim put together an amazing trip with everything taken care of start to finish. Will use again.

We were short on time and so we reached out to KimKim to plan our Patagonia trip. It was straightforward and the communication was easy and effortless. There were some kinks in our itinerary that they handled. Camila was very responsive and professional. She suggested a few ways we can maximize our transition days that really made them more smooth and fun. The guides they worked with for Santiago city tour and Perito Moreno were really great. I would recommend using them again.

A very fun and active trip across Chile for the whole family. We started with Santiago after a few hours of rest and then the next 8 days just went by in a jiffy. Everything was arranged well and We were kept in the loop. Valparaiso is an amazing city and we really enjoyed the wine tour in the afternoon. Atacama is out of the world and we really enjoyed watching the stars and touring the desert with JP. Lagoons and Geysers were out of the world. Our most memorable experience was picnic in the moon valley followed by watching the sunset.
Patagonia was hiking adventure for me and I was glad that family joined me. It all culminated in going to Base Torres for the amazon views of the towers. While a bit hectic, it was a really awesome experience for the family. Thanks Kimkim and Lorena for the experience.

Activity Reviews

Stargazing Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Watchin Saturn Rings and Band of Jupiter along with the Nebula was the highlight of this trip for me. Getting a few tips/lessons in astronomy before stargazing was also fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Amazing vistas. It was bit hot in the afternoon but a cool picnic followed by an awesome sunset helped.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike in Torres del Paine National Park

Patagonia

My bucket list hike and it was a good way to end our trip (save the best for last). Last mile of the hike is rocky and quite steep. It can also get quite windy at the base. Good guides who took care of the group and kept us all together and motivated!

Quality of Experience

Food

Decent vegetarian option.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was a bit rash at times especially when overtaking other vehicles.

Transport

It is hard not to feel how magical it is in Patagonia, the nature is truly exceptional. We really could tell the passion Francisco and his team have for Patagonia. It was evident they wanted us to experience this same passion, and we felt really well taken care of. There were a few occasions were an activity detail was slightly messed up, or we didn't understand information about an excursion (inevitable with travel!) Any time this occurred, Francisco and his team put effort into supporting us and remedying the situation. On one occasion, they booked us a new excursion, which was hugely appreciated. Our favorite overall experience was El Calafate, and we absolutely loved the Torres del Paine hike and Simple Patagonia hotel.

Hotels worth noting:
1. Imago Spa in El Calafate: Solid hotel! Communicative staff, pool was nice to have. Great to start out here. If you are looking for something different, do NOT hesitate to book Estancia Nibepo Aike for lodging as well. I wish we did this - would spend all my time on this estancia!
2. Simple Patagonia: ABSOLUTELY amazing!!!! Staying in one of the small houses with the view of the water was so tranquil. It was a perfect place to come home to after a long hike (there's a bath in the room which is lovely, and the bed is very comfortable as well). The whole property is so peaceful, the staff is so helpful and kind, and the food was delicious. Best hotel by far of our stay, we would recommend this for all future travelers.
3. Casa Bueras: great boutique hotel stay, and this area of Santiago was our favorite. Friendly staff, would recommend!

Experiences:
1. Perito Moreno hike: 10/10, awesome experience and unique. You get to drink whiskey at the top of the glacier!
2. Darwin Kayaking: 11/10 - this was one of our favorite days, and surprisingly so. Would suggest this to any future travelers! The guide is fantastic and friendly, and the fact that it's more intimate (with only 6 people total) made it super special. It's also something different to do in the region, which made it exciting as well.
3. Estancia Nibepo Aike: Absolutely our favorite day - truly exceptional. The nature was so powerful and beautiful. I would suggest this for all future travelers. Spend as much time here as you can, and look into the different excursions they offerent.
4. Torres del paine hike - incredible. Very challenging for newer hikers, but very exciting and rewarding. We did the right side of teh W!
5. Horseback riding in puerto natales - really enjoyable experience! We loved it and would recommend it. Anywhere you can horseback ride in patagonia is worth it!
6. Penguins in punta arenas - very cool and different experience. Would warn travelers that it has a strong chance of being cancelled because of the wind (we were lucky that we got to be there!) Punta Arenas itself does not have much to do. I think Ushuaia might have been more interesting to visit!

Our entire trip was planned by the Kim Kim team (Erin, Nara and Laura). It went smoothly and meant we didn’t need to organise much ourselves at all. They were super helpful right from the start and met us at the beginning of our trip to help answer any questions and go through the itinerary. The team had cleverly scheduled our W trek itinerary well ensuring we were camping / sleeping at the best spots and at the best times. Throughout our trip if we had any further follow ups or problems she would respond instantly. We cannot thank them enough for making our trip enjoyable and helping it run smoothly.
Thank you!

Erin was incredible in helping us plan our honeymoon in Patagonia, and I cannot sing her praises enough. From the very beginning, Erin was there every step of the way with an exceptional level of dedication and local expertise. Planning a honeymoon can be a daunting task, especially when considering a destination as vast and diverse as Patagonia, but Erin made the entire process so easy!

Most impressive was how responsive Erin was. She promptly addressed all of our questions and concerns, demonstrating a genuine willingness to ensure that our trip was tailored to our preferences. Her wealth of knowledge about Patagonia, from the best hiking trails to places to stay, was invaluable. It was evident that Erin had a deep passion for the region, and her enthusiasm translated into thoughtful recommendations that added immeasurable value to our itinerary.

What truly set Erin apart was her dedication to customizing our honeymoon experience. Instead of presenting us with a cookie-cutter itinerary, she took the time to understand our interests, preferences, and desired pace for the trip. Erin then crafted a personalized itinerary that exceeded our expectations.

Throughout the planning process, Erin's attention to detail and commitment to excellence were evident. She not only provided us with a comprehensive itinerary but also equipped us with helpful tips and insights to make the most of our time in Patagonia. From navigating transportation options to suggesting ideal times for specific excursions, Erin's expertise was a guiding light that made our journey unforgettable.

Could not have done this without Erin's exceptional service and unwavering dedication to make our honeymoon in Patagonia an absolute dream. Her personalized approach, coupled with her in-depth knowledge and responsiveness, ensured that every aspect of our trip was tailored to perfection. If you're seeking a travel advisor who goes above and beyond to turn your dream vacation into a reality, look no further than Erin! Her commitment to excellence and passion for crafting unforgettable experiences make her a true gem in the world of travel planning! Cannot wait to book our next trip!

Overall, I would rate Kimkim and my experience as great but with a lot of caveats. My trip ended up being excellent and much of it was arranged by Kimkim. But in my case, I would have been better off making my own arrangements. But I’m a very experienced traveler and could have easily arranged everything on my own for quite a bit less money and without a middle person which would have given me control. This probably would have been better.

My trip to Patagonia was excellent. Lorena had excellent knowledge of how to create a lot of wonderful experiences in Patagonia. I ended up creating my own which worked out fine but I also know that if I would have allowed Lorena to arrange them, they would have been great

As far as my primary goal of going on the O-trek in Patagonia, I honestly would have been better off arranging this myself since I ended up out of the loop with the planning which left me confused at some points. I also had some poorly planned transferred based on the trekking plans which I could have fixed if I had direct access to the agency that booked the trek.

My advice is if you like a black box arrangement where you want everything prepared and ready and are more concerned with experience than cost, this is a great service. But if you like to know all the details and like to micromanage the planning, then there are better approaches to planning your trip.

I really appreciate Kimkim and specifically Lorena in helping me to create what ended up being one of the greatest trips of my life.

Great organisation. Everything was perfect. Nara was real helpful. My note od 11/10 🥰