Angel Gutierrez

Angel and his contacts were attentive and helpful. We are experienced travelers, but the logistics around getting from the airport in Puerto Natales to our various hikes and trips to and from the Torres del Paine were a bit overwhelming when planning on short notice. Everything went off without a hitch. We were able to message the local team and have them deliver trekking poles to our hotel last minute, our rides were on time, and generally everything was accounted for. I would definitely use Kim Kim for a future trip.

This was a wonderful trip for us. We just love it! The planning was great and reasonable! Thanks to Angel Gutierrez, who planned our trip and responded our inquiries/questions quickly no matter day or night, literally. Angel is just so helpful. I think that he not only did his job requirement but way beyond: such as on-spot translation via phone when we encountered many communication difficulties, solving cellphone SIM card problems, suggesting good restaurants when we were on our own, etc.

The astronomical tour was amazing. Morita, the guide, and driver provided snacks and wine for us. I tasted the best red wine I ever had. The photographer was very nice, who took extra Milky Way pictures for us, and help me photographing Milky Way with my own camera. I was so happy that I took good Milky Way pictures for the first time.

Baltinache Hidden Lagoons tour and Valle De La Luna tour are unique, and the guides organized tours and timing very well. The sunset at Valle De La Luna is so beautiful. Sandboarding in the Atacama Desert was a lot of fun for beginners like us. We managed doing it and got exhausted.

Hike to Mirador Base Torres del Paine was definitely the highlight of this trip. It was once a life time physical challenge to us for 60-year-old people. We are so proud of ourselves that we did it by our own pace and back to parking lot before dark. It was 14 miles hike to high elevation. Here, I would suggest that similar age/physical condition tourists be considered grouped together for better safety.

Torres del Paine National Park Panoramic Tour, and Navigation Excursion/Serrano Glacier and Patagonia Lunch were very worth to have, especially after trekking to Mirador Base Torres del Paine, because they were much easier physically. I really liked the BBQ lamb for the lunch, the best lamb dish I had.

This was one of our life time trips. Overall this trip was wonderful. Local specialist Angel put together a very good trip plan for us. He listened well to my wants and expectations as he designed the trip and made changes to the plan as I communicated with him during the planning process. During the trip, he was always there and ready to jump in to facilitate any last minute situation. We speak zero Spanish. Communications had created glitches through out the trip. As much as we tried to use Google Translate, sometimes it was just hard to get our points across through an App. Angel would always come online through WhatsApp to talk to people on our behalf when we needed it.
In the middle of the our trip we had planned a free day in Santiago, and it was a Sunday. I wanted to visit the top of San Cristobal to get a view of the city and snow-capped mountains. Because it was a free day, we were supposed to handle the day on our own. Not until we got to the Pin No No entry of the park did we find out the top was closed that day for a certain event, and the cable cars were not running. We struggled to communicate with the park staff who was trying to tell us what was going on. So we called on Angel and he came to our rescue. In a few minutes of time he came up with a different way for us to access the hill from a different entry, which was open for walking. As it turned out, we were able to get very good views of the city skyline as well as the mountains in the background.
This trip would not have been as smooth and successful without Angle.

Hotel Reviews

NH Ciudad de Santiago

Santiago

Authenticity & Character

Location

Safe and close proximity to everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

This hotel serves very good breakfast. Rooms were clean and spacious.

Hotel Costaustralis

Puerto Natales

Authenticity & Character

Location

We enjoyed the views of the tranquil harbor

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Diego de Almagro San Pedro

We showered in lukewarm water during our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Tour - Baltinache Hidden Lagoons

Chile

This was an OK tour in and of itself, not as impressive as it was marketed. But the guide and the driver were very nice. For us, what made this trip good were the tourists who did it with us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Afternoon Visit to "Valle de La luna "

Chile

The sunset was the best part of this tour. The lunch was very good. The guide could be a little friendlier.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Trip- Red Rocks, Lagunas Altiplanicas & Atacama Salt Flats.

San Pedro de Atacama

These lovely birds were worth it!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sandboard in the Atacama Desert

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Astronomical Tour - Atacama Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

I really appreciated the way our guide always repeat her presentation for us in English. We were the only two members of the tour who didn't understand Spanish. So she had to rerun all her presentations for the two of us. The photographer was professional and nice. We loved the chilean red wine served at this tour. It was our best red wine experience in Chile. In my mind what can be improved of this trip was the location of the showing. It was too close to the town San Pedro and the town's light had some negative impact on the view of the Atacama starry night sky.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Mirador Base Torres del Paine - Full Day tour

Chile

This was one of our lifetime trekking experience which will stay with us in our memories. It might be a bit too challenging for us (10 hours of almost nonstop trekking and a good part of it involved steep ascending). My husband and I are in our high fifties. We were the oldest of the five members of our team. From the start the younger part of our team had to frequently stop to let us catchup. At one point we almost decided to turn back. We had to let the younger members move on without us. We eventually finished the hike, albeit at a much slower pace than our younger team members. I think one thing that could make our experience better is if we were grouped with hikers that were closer to our age. It would definitely take some stress off of us trying to keep up, and it would improve the younger members' experience too. It would make the guide's job a bit easier too, as he tried to get the team to stay together. We only got to spend 10 minutes at the base of the towers to snap some quick picture, because our guide was so concerned that we couldn't get back to the bus by 6pm. But it was one heck of hike! We were glad we did it.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was good but we didn't get to eat, because of the time crunch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Danny is young and probably does this hike everyday. It was hard for him to sympathize with us. In trying to get us back to the bus by 6pm, he pushed us a bit too hard in my mind. I can understand his concerns of our safety. Nonetheless, I saw many people finished the hike behind us, which told me not all guides think it would be unsafe to get back to the bus a bit later.

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park - Panoramic Tour

Chile

Torres del Paine is amazing. We were vowed again and again. This was definitely the highlight of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

We got to eat our box lunch at one of the most beautiful places on planet earth, with jade blue lake and the amazing view of Torres del Paine right in front of us, sitting on a dead tree trunk by lakeshore. It felt like heaven came to earth.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Navigation Excursion - Serrano Glacier and Patagonic Lunch

Chile

Amazing scenery. The highlight of this tour was the lunch serving BBQ lamb and Chilean red wine.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My two teenaged sons and I traveled to Chile - Santiago and Puerto Natales. I did not know where to begin in planning this kind of trip. I found Kimkim, and Angel was very helpful right from the start. His communication was impeccable. It was winter in Chile, and they were having a lot of rain. The weather caused some unforeseen and unavoidable disruptions to our trip itinerary, including a cancelled airline flight. Once again, Angel was answering my questions and rearranging our plans so that we could still make the best of the trip in spite of the glitches. He also made calls to the airline on my behalf to help us figure out what was going on and what we could do. Besides his unwavering communication, he also had the inside knowledge to schedule us with tour guides in Chile who were really top notch. These folks - Jose, Felipe, and Jose Luis - were just so amazing and knowledgeable about Chile and their specific regions. Angel turned out to be our guardian angel in Chile! We gained a great trip, a new appreciation and fondness for Chile, and great family memories! Mil gracias, Angel!

Overall, the trip was wonderful and amazing. The experience of a lifetime.

Angel was great to deal with from start to finish. In planning the trip, listening to my wants and needs, and then providing tours accordingly. During the trio he was readily available and responsive whenever a question came up or problem occurred.

The big thing for me which would have made the trip go more smoothly and be more enjoyable as a result is more communication ahead of time about what’s next. Whether that would be in the form of a much more detailed itinerary before departure, or at the very least, detailed information the evening before each tour. This should include vouchers for lodging and tours, tour operator names and contact information, pick up times and locations, what to bring, required park admission fees, etc. I felt like I was flying blind on several occasions throughout the trip. Maybe this is not unusual, but it hasn’t been that way for me on other international trips, including ones to Chile.

The other thing which could have really been a problem but fortunately wasn’t, was the lack of advance information provided to me about the border crossing from Chile into Bolivia for the Uyuni Salt Flats tour, where I was notified late of some requirements and not told about $160USD tourist visa (which I did don't have when I arrived at the border). As my travel agent, KimKim should have known necessary requirements for a client who is a US resident who is traveling between Chile and Bolivia. This problem could and should have been avoided.

There were other smaller missteps along the way, including problems with transportation to and from SCL to my hotel, some inaccurate tour descriptions (for example, the hike to Puribore Hot Springs - they’re not really hot springs and the water is not even hot), concern for safety as well as comfort on the ride back from Uyuni to San Pedro, miscommunication or lack of communication from individual tour operators about pick up times and/or what to bring. I have provided Angel with detailed explanations of all of the above.

In the end, despite the fact that this was without question the trip of a lifetime, and Angel was there whenever I needed him and responded right away, I am not sure if I would book another trip with KimKim as I definitely feel many of the problems I encountered along the way could have easily been avoided. If I were to book again with KimKim I would at least know going in what potential problems to be on the lookout for.

Hotel Reviews

Hostel Villamar

Uyuni

By US Hotel standards this would probably be considered a one-star hotel. It is a hostel, though, and was clean and comfortable with hot water and decent food. That's all we really needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Diego de Velazquez

Santiago

Hotel was fine. It was clean and centrally located in a good neighborhood.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Diego de Almagro San Pedro

One should not go to San Pedro expecting 5 star accommodations. This hotel was fine. It was clean and spacious and located only minutes from the center of town. It is a big property with a pool (though water was cold and I didn't see any one swim during my 6 day stay). Food in restaurant was good. Staff helpful and generally bi-lingual.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Colcha K hostel

Salar de Uyuni

This hostel was actually nicer and seemingly newer than Villamar. It was clean and comfortable with a nice dining room.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Astronomical Tour - Atacama Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

One of the highlights of the trip. Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides were very knowledgeable and spoke good English for those who didn't understand Spanish. Only reason I didn't rate this a 5 is because the driver got lost en route to the desert while trying to locate guests who weren't where they were supposed to be. We wasted a lot of time (like about 30 minutes) driving around at night on narrow dirt roads in a bus.

Transport

Goodbye Atacama transfer to Rea National Park - Uyuni Tour Day 1

Bolivia

The tour itself was great and the sites along the way to Uyuni amazing. The reason for my lower rating is because of border crossing issues which I detailed in my general review comments.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

David Cruz, our driver and guide, was fantastic. Especially at the Salt Flat. He knew exactly how to set up "perspective" pictures and brought a lot of toys along which made the experience extra special.

Transport

As noted in my general trip comments, transportation from Uyuni back to San Pedro was cramped and was the only time on the trip where I felt somewhat unsafe due to driving off road at night in the middle of nowhere with no cell service.

Petrified City and Altiplanic Lagoons - Uyuni Tour Day 2

Bolivia

Felt like we were building and building to the climax of reaching our final destination - the salt flat itself. Sights along the way were all good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uyuni Saltflat and Cactus Island - Uyuni Tour Day 3

Bolivia

This was the reason for the whole trip. It was pretty great. We spent too much time in Cochoni Town at the end of the trip and would have liked to spend more time in Uyuni itself. Train Graveyard was fine, though nothing special.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uyuni to San Pedro Atacama Day 4

Bolivia

This was really just about the return trip, sitting in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser and a two hour border crossing. It would have been great to have more information ahead of time to know what to expect.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very cramped, no AC in our vehicle.

Visit the Tatio Geysers - Morning tour

Chile

This was one of the highlights of the trip. Our guide, Carolina, was terrific. Very knowledgeable, moved people along so we could get to the "best spot" just as the sun came up, spoke good English for those who did not know Spanish.

Quality of Experience

I've been to Yellowstone Geyers and this was better!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Carolina A+

Transport

Guatin Trek & Puripobre Hot Springs

Chile

This tour was a bit of a letdown. I've done a lot of hikes in the US and around the world, and as a hike it was fine, but nothing special. The description made it seem like a real great place - a "must do" type of activity. It was not. Also, the hot springs were not hot. They not really even hot springs, but rather pools in a river that is a combination of a thermal and a mountain river, which is why the water is only Luke-warm. For my needs on this day, a regular hike was fine. But I had expected it to be much more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide didn't really offer any insights into the region. He seemed to be there only to tell us where to go.

Transport

Half Day Tour - Baltinache Hidden Lagoons

Chile

This was a nice tour at an off-the-beaten-path site. It is definitely not a "must do" but I'm glad I got to see it. The water was very cold, and it was a cool morning, so I (and many others on the trip) did not end up floating in the salt water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Visit to "Valle de La luna "

Chile

Valle de La Luna was a highlight of the trip. It is a "must do" if you are visiting Atacama, but I found the tour (as did everyone I spoke to) to be a little bit of a tourist trap. You are on the bus most of the time. You stop, get off the bus, snap pictures and move on. While on the bus you are driving past amazing spots. I could have spent an hour at any one of them taking pictures and enjoying nature. The tour was described as 6 hours. It was 2 1/2 start to finish, including a snack break. I wish it had been longer. Felt like a little bit of a rip off. Tour guide Carolina, who was also my guide for the Geyser tour, was very knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Trip- Red Rocks, Lagunas Altiplanicas & Atacama Salt Flats.

San Pedro de Atacama

This was a great day. I wish it had been sunny (we had overcast/cool weather) but the tour was good in spite of the weather. Only complaint is that I did not get any advance text or information from the tour provider about pick up time or what to bring. I (and others) had to purchase hat and gloves along the way, which I would have brought with me had I known we might encounter snow at the higher elevation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our 14 day 5 overnight destination trip to Chile, planned by Angel, was extraordinary. We experienced a very broad view of Chile and its citizens. We started with 2 days in Santiago & Valparaiso that are home to half the population with Juan. They are both attractive cities. But nature is the real distinction. We started with 3 nights in the extreme Atacama Desert in the north. This was fooled by 3 days in the spectacular Andes lake country around Puerto Vargas, a charming small city on the largest lake in Chile. We chose to drive around on our own. The highways were very adequate and in excellent condition.Puerto Nogales followed with two boat cruises through spectacular fjords to a working sheep “estancia” (the best fresh grilled lamb ever) with both a horseback ride & a hike and then to a glacier. The 3rd day was to the Torre des PainesNational Park. It was just rated as one of the six best np in the world outside the US. A scenic 21/2 hour drive brought us to Punta Arenas and its 9,000 penguin colony. All the guides were good. Even the taxi driver to PA, Jose, was informative. The 3 hour flight back to Santiago that ended our voyage was over the the heart of the rugged Andes.
We selected economy lodging. They were all clean and relatively small without big crowds. The owner were usually there.
We learned much about Chile. We actually prefer them to large impersonal hotels.
I would highly recommend Chile with Angel as a trip adviser.

Hotel Review

Hotel Alma Sur

Punta Arenas

Small place with comfortable rooms and good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Convenience to city

Activity Reviews

Private Tour - Estancia Visit or Grey Lake Navigation.

Chile

Beautiful catamaran ride. Horseback ride and lamb bbq. Founded in 1892z

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The trip there & horseback ride

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park - Private Panoramic Tour

Chile

Unfortunately the peaks were in the fog-still scenic

Quality of Experience

The colored lakes

Food

Box lunch of mediocre qualuty

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport