Kimkim Trip Reviews for Patagonia

Amazing trip. Kimkim tailored an exceptional experience with an excellent mix of local small group and large group tours.
The rapid response of the local teams via phone or chat was reassuring and allowed for some minor last minute adjustments while on the trip.

Our trip to Chile was a bucket list trip that lived up to our expectations, and exceeded several times! We particularly loved our time in the Patagonia region, the hiking in Torres del Paine & our trip to the Murrano glacier was unbelievable. All our local guides in those regions were exceptional! So knowledgeable! We learned a lot & had very memorable experiences.
Our visit to Easter Island was also unforgettable. Totally different culture & weather, it felt more like Tahiti or Hawaii. Worth the long flight if time allows.

Our 10 day trip to Patagonia was amazing. Thanks Erin who was very responsive and patient to consider my requests and planned the trip to fit our needs and made all the arrangements Nara who met us when we got there and be very helpful during our trip. All the drivers and guides were very friendly and helpful. Especially our guide Carlos at Torres del Paine who was very knowledgeable, patient, professional, friendly. He showed us how beautiful and special the park is and we really enjoyed our time with him. Our guide Mica at Fitz Roy hike was very professional and friendly who made our hike a wonderful experience even though it was a very challenging hike. We loved the Patagonia Parks but the people who helped us during the trip left a huge impression on us. What a beautiful place with wonderful people. Thanks Kimkim to make my trip amazing. Michelle

The itinerary was well thought out and the reservations with lodging and tours went very smoothly. The places that we visited and the people that we ecountered were wonderful, and I believe that we experienced a great deal of what Torres del Paine and Santiago have to offer.
However, some of the tickets for buses were not shared, leading to confusion once we arrived in Punta Arenas. Additionally some of the pick-up and drop-off times often differed by an hour or more, causing us to miss dinner reservations (incurring cancellation fees) and to miss out on other opportuntinues. These errors may fall on the tranportation vendors that were used (CL Mundo, Patagonia Planet), but there seemed to be communication lapses between them and Say Haeque.
Overall, this was a wonderful experience in a beautiful/welcoming country, but there appeared to be a lack of attention to detail that caused us temporrary frustration while in Chile.

Activity Review

Full Day Visit to two wineries in the Colchagua Valley

Santiago

Great wine tour in two scenic locations and the wine was awesome! However, the drop off time at our hotel was much later than expected, causing us to miss dinner reservations and incur cancellation fees. We were told that we would be home between 8-9 PM, but were actually dropped off at 10:15 PM.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pick up and drop off times

We loved our trip and were very pleased with our accommodations. Logistics were executed very well and we felt that we had an amazing trip handcrafted by the KimKim team. Our contact during the trip gave us immediate and responsive communication.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cabo De Hornos

Punta Arenas

Hotel Boutique Le Reve

Santiago

Loved this hotel! In a great part of the city. Quiet/botique vibe. Staff was over-the-top friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Rio Serrano

Torres del Paine

Overall this is a great accommodation and I'd highly recommend it to anyone staying near Torres Del Paine. The staff was very friendly and helpful, the views were out of this world, and the overall presentation of the hotel was on point. We only had a couple of hang ups. One was that we stayed on the first floor, and the insulation/sound-proofing is not great. We were at the mercy of the people above us stomping around and could hear every footstep. Also, there was one morning where we were supposed to leave at 11am for an excursion (our travel company and the Massif specialist both confirmed this the day before), yet that morning we get a call at 8am asking why we weren't at the pickup point at the front desk area. That turned our one chill morning into a frantic dash to get ready in 5 minutes, and we were never given a clear explanation for the mixup, especially when we had confirmed it with the Massif the night before. The other issue with the Massif schedule is that they like to do their briefings at 8pm the night before. Please get rid of that or change the time! It is an extremely inconvenient time that is right in the middle of the prime dinner stretch. One night we had to wait until 8:45 to eat, and the other night we had to ask the waiting staff to hold our table for 15 min so we could come back. Either do it at 7pm so people can eat right after, or wait until 9pm so people can finish dinner prior. 8pm is the worst possible time to pick. Or just have people meet 15 min prior to departure the morning of. The last recommendation would be to have to the fitness room open at 6am. The staff was friendly and unlocked the door for me, but it seems very unnecessary to make people wait until 9am to exercise, especially when people have leave to go on an excursion or catch a transportation by that time. Again, overall we loved this hotel and would stay there again in a heartbeat, and I feel like a few minor tweaks/improvements would make it perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

very friendly and helpful, only note would be for the waiting staff to be a little more responsive/aware of the customers status

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Navigation to Isla Magdalena 🐧❄️

Punta Arenas

Erin was so great to work with in planning. She listened to our requests and made recommendations and adjustments/tweaks along the way. We had an unfortunate snag with one booking a few days before it was scheduled and Erin took care of the last minute change to ensure we could still see penguins in Ushuaia. Cami was an amazing guide on our private tour of Torres del Paine, which was easily our favorite part of our trip!

Activity Reviews

Trip Briefing at Dittmar Adventures

Puerto Natales

We didn't have any specific questions, so having someone walk through the itinerary we were already provided and had read through was not the best use of time.

Visit the Penguin Colony on Martillo Island by Catamaran

Ushuaia

Seeing the sea lions, elephant seal, and penguins was truly an experience!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Visit the Fishing Village of Puerto Almanza

Ushuaia

Our original itinerary had this included with a trip to the boat trip to the penguins, so this wasn't what we originally planned for (so please take my review with a grain of salt). Our guide was knowledgable and shared a lot of info, but we had two other individuals with us, cramped into a car, so the drive was uncomfortable. We would have enjoyed this more as a private tour where we were on our own timeline and had more space in the car. It also didn't help that this was after a full 12 hour day the day before (again due to an unexpected, last minute change). The hike to and from the waterfall was only about 30 minutes total, so not as much hiking as we were expecting. The food was delicious, but due to it being an Argentine holiday, we had to wait almost an hour to be seated, which extended the day longer than planned.

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Uri was super knowledgeable and share lot of info with us throughout the trip.

Transport

Cramped. Having three adults sit three-across on leather seats meant we were sliding or trying not to slide into strangers for the 3+ hours in the car.

Perito Moreno Boat & Walking Tour

El Calafate

On the boat tour, we got super close to the glacier, which was a very cool experience. The walking tour was on our own, which we liked.

Torres del Paine Full Day Private Tour

Chile

This was our favorite activity on the trip! The private tour is now the way we will book on future trips. Cami was an AMAZING guide, shared tons of information throughout the day, and was great with the kids. We did two longer hikes that ended with beautiful/picturesque views. In hindsight, I wish we stayed longer (more days) in Torres del Paine.

Quality of Experience

Food

We enjoyed the box lunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cami was the best guide!

Transport

Clean and spacious

Train at the End of the World (premium class)

Ushuaia

While the premium class was definitely a treat yourself experience, I'm so glad we did it. We ended up having entire car to ourselves and the time of our train was noon, so having lunch on the train was perfect after a morning in the national park. We also learned a lot during the ride using the provided earphones.

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicous dishes for the adults and kid-friendly dishes (pizza) for the kids.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horseback Riding at Laguna Sofia

Puerto Natales

Estancia Laguna Sofia was absolutely stunning and being able to view the laguna and beautiful ranch from horseback was truly an experience the family will never forget. The staff was great with the kids and tailored to our riding levels (none to very little).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Excursion in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Ushuaia

We learned a lot from our tour guide, Lucas; however, we were expecting to do more hiking and this was more of a guided tour. We did hike for maybe 30 minutes to a lookout, but the rest was being driven from location to location for pictures. It was a packed 18 person van and we were the last pick-up, so my husband didn't have a seat with a window and missed most of the scenery while were were in the van.

Quality of Experience

Just not what we were expecting, since we were expecting more hiking

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was a packed 18 person van and we were the last pick-up, so my husband didn't have a seat with a window and missed most of the scenery while were were in the van.

The Best!

Jesse is one of the best in business! This was my first time in South America and I have been a bit anxious through the entire plan, but working with Jesse and her team has given me so much of comfort. It is still ongoing, have few more trips to complete, but so far every single transfer, tour guide every one went above and beyond, humbled me with the hospitality and guidance! She was able to guide me with practicality of what can be accomplished and maximizing the overall experience. I am looking forward to engaging her again when I am back next with my whole family! Thanks Jesse!

Activity Reviews

Bariloche Circuito Chico Half Day tour

Bariloche

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

7 Lakes Tour to San Martin de Los Andes

Bariloche

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Victoria Island & Arrayanes Forest

Bariloche

Thankful for the tour guide who walked me through in English!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perito Moreno Blue Safari

El Calafate

Quality of Experience

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thanks to the guide for engaging me and answering me with all the questions in English!

Transport

We had such an incredible trip to Patagonia! Jimena was terrific to work with, she provided us multiple options for our trip the end of May. Everything was so organized and easy. Great choices in hotels and the public and private transportation was so convenient.
Once we were in Puerto Natales, we wanted to adjust our trip and add a hike to the Torres del Paine towers in addition to most of the W that were already planned, so Nada and Jimena worked their magic and made it happen.
Highly recommend Patagonia in April or May! Yes, it’s cold but manageable and you basically have the park to yourselves, including staying at the Refugio’s. Pedro, our guide, was terrific and so much fun. We really enjoyed our time with him.
It was a trip of a lifetime, we couldn’t have been more pleased with everything!

Matias was extremely knowledgeable about the places we traveled to and so enthusiastic and helpful in planning our trip to Chile and Argentina! Even for my million questions, Matias always provided timely feedback and was willing to hop on a video call, which made the trip and planning feel that much more personable. Couldn't have had a better experience, the trip was so well organized. We had an app to track our daily activities, pickups, and contact info, and everybody from Matias to the lodging front desk to our tour guides were so well coordinated.

The guide at Perito Merino was excellent while the one at Patagonia was also very good but one step below at Perito Merino

However our driver at Patagonia n the same driver who drove us to El Calafate was not as good - very fussy n not really cooperative n a snob

Overall everything went very well

Lorena helped us plan an amazing trip to Argentina to see penguins, a lifelong dream. Our guides Mery and Fabian were incredibly knowledgeable about the area and shared their love of the culture and natural history. We had a beautiful trip thanks to Kim Kim, thanks!

Hotel Review

Dazzler by Wyndham Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn

Really beautiful hotel, friendly bilingual staff and a nice rooftop rest area that was perfect for resting after our day trips. Easy walk to downtown Puerto Madryn.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central location, great water views

Staff

Very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were clean and service was really good.

Activity Review

Visit to a Penguin Colony by land - Punta Tombo

Puerto Madryn

Quality of Experience

We were able to spend a good part of the day at Punta Tombo and were not rushed

Food

We really appreciated the packed lunches for the long journey.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Mery and Fabian were so well versed in the history, culture and wildlife of Patagonia. Their clear love of their home was evident and made us appreciate the experience even more.

Transport

We had a slight communication error at the airport, but everyone jumped in and got us to our hotel with a small seat, but every day we were picked up on time and had a great relaxed experience, which is what we wanted. We had some great conversations en route to our destinations, and time seems to go quickly.

Great trip, our trip planners were amazing! Very custom experience, and they helped us after hours and weekends with last minute flight cancellations, weather issues, etc. Cannot speak highly enough!

Very responsive and patient. Trip went smoothly and can honestly say worth the money. Excellent local guides. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Highly recommend!

Activity Reviews

Kayak at Perito Moreno Glacier

El Calafate

Fun experience, relaxing. Guides were great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine Full Day Private Tour

Patagonia

We got Daniel and Andres and could not have asked for better. Super good guys with extensive knowledge on area, history, flora and fauna. Very professional and fun to be around. This guided tour around the national park and the subsequent day hiking to Base Las Torres on our own were our favorite parts of the trip. So Glad we booked this and cannot recommend enough!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Perito Moreno Glacier Mini-trekking And Hike to the Base of Paine Massif were really amazing. Guide Mauricio Carrasco was fantastic: Knowledgeable, helpful/care, Definitely one of the best at tour guide ever had. Everyone was very impressed and pleased.

I had an amazing trip in Patagonia. I did all the 5 hikes that I wanted to do. The guide that I had for the Mirador Base Las Torres was really nice and interesting; I think his name was Miguel (?). For the other 4 trails, I did it myself; Thanks Erin for sharing the alltrails route; without it I would have gotten lost a couple of times on the way back when there wasn't a lot of people around. Also thank you Erin for telling me what to do when there is gust of wind; it was really helpful on my hike to Laguna Los Tres when I encountered rain, hail and strong wind.

The kayaking trip was great as well. I was lucky to be the only person on the trip. The guide Juan was great. It's cool that he also took pictures and videos of me kayaking.

Perito Moreno Glacier was amazing. I am really glad I got to see it.

Thank you Nara for being immediately available when the person at Bonanza could not find my reservation. The horse riding with Bonanza is the only part of the trip I was meh about. I think the group was too big; there were maybe 15-20 of us. I was mainly at the back, so I could not hear the guide at the front at all.

Overall, I am really happy with detailed itinerary that kimkim has planned out for me. It makes the trip completely stress and hassle free.

Wow, travelling thru 7 cities and 6 national parks of Chile in just 16 days, from Santiago to the Carretara Austral Lake District thru the end in Patagonia was a complex itinerary to plan, and amazing! Thanks go out to Erin and Nara for making this dream trip possible. Special thanks to our wonderful tour guides, hiking guides, drivers and hoteliers. All were very accommodating, knowledgable, punctual and kind. Jass company who provided hiking guides in Alerce Andino and for the Osorno Volcano and Paso Desolacion, and Aysen Tours in Cerro Castillo, and Litour driver in Torres del Paine deserve particular 3 cheers! Highlights of our trip have to start with the beauty of the Carretara Austral Lake District and the hike to Osorno Volcano and Paso Desolacion, beautiful Puerto Varas, stunning scenery of the Cerro Castillo valley, visiting San Rafael glacier from a boat with seals floating by on icebergs, kayaking to the marble caves in Rio Tranquilo, visiting Magdalena Island to see penguins up close in their natural habitat, and of course day hiking in Torres del Paine with highlights the French Valley and Macho canyon and seeing wildlife including a puma in the wild hunting a guanaco, a magellanic woodpecker, flamingos, deer and grey fox. The food in Chile was wonderful, people kind and welcoming, and scenery like a NatGeo documentary. One surprise was that although the average, historical temperature was 50-60 degrees at this time of year, our trip was not the average, with daily temperatures 20 degrees below normal, with driving, icy rain and even light snow falling in early March on some days. Additionally, while I knew the itinerary included long transfers, 3-5 hours straight on unpaved, rocky and pot-holed roads can get very punishing, so traveling thru the Lake District requires some hardiness, but the rewards are worth it!asks again for an amazing trip.

Overall, KimKim did a fantastic job helping us to plan our trip and supporting us on the ground during our excursion.

We needed a somewhat atypical itinerary in the Torres del Paine park, and KimKim quickly understood our needs and customized the travel and lodging arrangements to fit them. Their communication was excellent during that process and in the intervening weeks before our trip started, including providing a very detailed written itinerary, maps, and vouchers for all transportation and lodging. Once we were in-country, KimKim was very responsive to questions we had, including via WhatsApp while we were in the park itself. All arrangements were as KimKim had described, and exceeded our expectations.

Aside from a small scheduling glitch regarding one bus ride (which turned out to have no negative consequences), our complex 7-day trip proceeded extremely smoothly and we had a great time. I would recommend KimKim to anyone planning a trip in Torres del Paine.

Ana and her team were excellent in helping us plan and complete our awesome trip to Chilean and Argentinan Patagonia. I appreciate how proactive and attentive to detail they were in every phase, including helping us stay on budget. At one point our flight was cancelled because of a nationwide airline strike and they quickly arranged for a new itinerary and helped us file a travel insurance claim with a third party. I highly recommend kimkim for their professional service.

Our Patagonia trip organized by KimKim (Erin and Nara) was wonderful . All our connections and transfers were spot on. It was absolutely peace of mind knowing all the details behind the scene were taken care of from lunches to excursions. All of the hiking was spectacular and we would highly recommend all the areas and trips we did. We hiked the W trek, Perito Moreno Glacier, Via Ferrata to a glacier and finally to the spectacular Fitz Roy range. Truly a trip of a lifetime and KimKim’s Erin and Nara made all the details come together and were so helpful when we added an excursion or needed assistance along the way. I highly highly recommend them.

I’ve been all over the world, but I found Patagonia to have its own special and unique beauty that sets it apart from other destinations (New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Alaska, etc.) Highlight for me was setting foot on Cape Horn after being welcomed by a stunning sunrise and spectacular double rainbow before boarding our Zodiacs. The Australis cruise was phenomenal in every way, especially the crew’s service ethic and organization. Transfers and tours departed right on time. Quality of the guides was mixed, but overall satisfactory. Other personal highlights were the lamb at Jau Restaurant in Natales and my stay at Singular Patagonia— most unique place I’ve ever hung my hat with an exceptional staff. Grand finale was Pepito Moreno— best day of all! The Chilhoe Island tour was the only one I did not care for— too much driving, too little time out of the bus. Also unreasonably long- pick up 8am return to hotel 9pm. Overall, I’m very pleased with my journey and Lorena’s great work in making it happen. Also enjoyed meeting and getting to know Juan on the transfer from Natales to Arenas.

Hotel Reviews

Australis Cruise Ship

Punta Arenas

Authenticity & Character

Staff

We all received personal escorts to our cabins upon check in. The staff was fun, upbeat and very well organized. The excursion briefings were thorough and excellent. Felt very safe getting on and off Zodiacs because of the way the crew prepped and assisted us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nightly turndown service was a great unexpected touch! Loved the giant picture windows in the cabins!

Radisson Hotel Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

My stay was replete with issues… no towels for 2 days, had to call and request, reception let phone ring off hook. TV volume did not work, 4 different people tried to fix but couldn’t. Electric outlets in room didn’t work. When I reported these problems, the staff at reception were a bit rude to me. They need more customer service training— very mediocre — except for Jose Alfredo— who was kind and ultimately changed my room. I will say the location was very good, as was breakfast selection.

Authenticity & Character

Location

On lakefront

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Singular Patagonia

Puerto Natales

Most unique property I’ve ever stayed at. Lots of history, excellent cuisine and a super exceptional staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Omar, Ivan, Daniel, Kelly, Angelo, christian

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Perito Moreno Glacier Tour

Argentina

Best scenery of the entire trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Tierra del Fuego National Park

Ushuaia

I found the scenery to be underwhelming here compared to the rest of Patagonia. The End of World train ride was a joke— total waste of time, would not recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jose the guide was very mediocre

Transport

Boat Tour to Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ana was the best guide on the whole two week trip

Transport

Excursion to Chiloé Island: Castro & Dalcahue

Puerto Varas

Tour was way too long— -13 hours! Pick up 8am drop off 9pm. I found the stops underwhelming and there was too much driving involved.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport