Riwal Le Derff

Riwal did a great job, though he faced some challenges due to weather and a hotel situation; he found us options and kept us well-informed. W The entire family enjoyed our trip and will look to book our next family vacation through kimkim.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bellavista

Puerto Varas

Beautiful hotel, excellent staff who were curious about how our stay was going and made sure we had whatever we needed to enjoy it. Breakfast service was fantastic, and the staff were very polite and accommodating. Location was great to walk to restaurants, the shoreline, and the city center for shopping. The view was the best part! WOW!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to get downtown and to the waterfront for restaurants and shops.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

squeaky clean and super comfy

Iorana Hotel

Hanga Roa

We had the pleasure of staying during New Year's, and the staff was excellent. They were always asking us if we needed anything to make our stay enjoyable. The rooms were nice and clean. The location was away from the town, but we got to explore some hiking trails around the shoreline. We were a minor concern because of the flight path, but there were a few flights each day, most during midday when we were out and about on the island. The pool was a little green and seemed out of order, so we spent more time at the beach than at the pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Further away from town, about a half-mile walk to the main street. We were able to rent a car and enjoy the whole island, which made it even better. There are a few hotels closer to the city center, but they do not offer the views and sunsets available at Iorana.

Staff

the staff was excellent. They were always asking us if we needed anything to make our stay enjoyable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Lady Florence Dixie

Puerto Natales

Not a welcoming front desk presence. Did not have hot water for the first 3 days staying at the hotel. Was told it was a regional issue, not a hotel issue (for hot water?) Once we did get water, it was lukewarm at best. The hotel was doing renovations during our stay and did not mention it, which was the real issue, as work crews were installing new water heaters that lay throughout the hallways. The rooms were designed like a cheap motel with paper-thin walls. The single person working the breakfast service was the only positive, inviting person. The location was pretty good, but there are a few other options nearby that may be better.

Authenticity & Character

it was a small and quaint hotel but had trash and building supplies throughout the hotel as they were going through a remodeling and failed to let the team know that was an issue.

Location

The location was OK, located near the central plaza, restaurants, and shops. There were other hotels that were closer to the water that may have be more inviting.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

it was a small and quaint hotel but had trash and building supplies throughout the hotel as they were going through a remodeling and failed to let the team know that was an issue. Hot water is must, cannot believe in the weather environment, the hotel was ok with their guess not having hot water to clean themselves.

45 by Director

Santiago

Very modern hotel, clean and comfortable. Tranquil rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

where most of the staff we delt with were helpful and accommodating. There was one late night front desk individual who was not helpful and projected a feeling we were not welcome and annoyed we were there for such a late check in.

Cleanliness & Comfort

super clean and modern

Activity Reviews

Visit the Saltos del Petrohue - Todos Los Santos Lake & Osorno Volcano

Chile

Our guide was very knowledgeable and was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Our guide made the experience special

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Victor was great and we had a lot of great conversations

Transport

Van was clean and very comfortable

Torres del Paine National Park - Private Panoramic Tour

Chile

Hampered by the weather, but we had a small window where the clouds parted, and we could see the mountain tops. Nacho, our guide, was great, very knowledgeable and inquisitive about if we were enjoying or stay.

Quality of Experience

The environment was incredible and very beautiful. We were able to experience the mountains, glaciers, incredible waters, pumas and other wildlife, and most of all - the WIND!

Food

We had sack lunches from the hotel, which was poor soggy sandwiches and random bagged snacks.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nacho was the best, it was great to hear his stories.

Transport

the terrain is a little rough, Nacho had a nice vehicle but was defiantly effect by the rough environment.

I had an excellent experience with this travel company during my trip to Chile.
They truly understand what tourists are looking for and plan the trip accordingly, with great attention to detail.

They were always available and in constant contact with me 24/7, which made the whole journey smooth and stress-free.
They were also very flexible, accommodating changes and requests without any issues.

Thanks to their professionalism and support, the trip was perfectly organized and enjoyable from start to finish.
I highly recommend them to anyone planning to visit Chile.

We started to plan our trip to Pagaonia in April, 2024. We had been to this area before, and I thought it was one of the most beautiful places we had ever been. Having used Kimkim to plan our 2023 trip to South America and other trips, I wanted to use their services again. Having Riwal as our advisor was a wonderful experience. His communication was stellar! He responded quickly and was sensitive to our needs and requests. When our son, Justin, decided to go with us muh later inthe process. we were able to add him to the tours, and Riwal was absolutely wonderful in helping with his hotels and transfers. When a tour was cancelled, Riwal immediately gave us other options and then processed a refund when we decided to spend the afternoon on our own.

We had a fantastic local coordinator named Jose Luis who was so instrumental in making things work. When our morning tour to Magdalena Island to see the penguins was cancelled and then commenced without prior notice(except for a 7am knock on our door when we were sound asleep), Jose arranged for us to join the afternoon tour and to take the 8:00 pm bus to Puerto Natales. It all worked out perfectly-actually better than the original plans.

Probably one of the most determining factor of our trip enjoyment was our private guide and driver, "Nacho". Late in the planning process, Riwal suggested having a private guide on our full day tour of Torres del Paine. This is what I wanted to begin with, so I was happy to do so. Nacho was so good, that we continued to forego the group tours and have us as our private guide and driver the next two days. He was knowledgeable, personable and flexible with our needs and requests. He and our son Justin forged a tight bond and lasting friendship. We absolutely loved our trip to Punta Arenas and to Puerto Natales. Thank you Kimkim, Riwal, Jose Luis and Nacho for making this happen.

Hotel Review

Best Western Patagonia / Hotel Borde Glaciar

Puerto Natales

Our room was beautiful with a stunning view. It is out of town a bit, so a taxi was needed each time we decided to go into Puerto Natales. The cost is only around 5000 pesos($5 USD)

Authenticity & Character

T

Location

The view is beautiful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tierra del Fuego - King Penguin

Punta Arenas

Absolutely worth your while to go see the King penguins.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Magdalena Island - Penguin Encounter Half Day Tour

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park - Panoramic Tour

Chile

The most beautiful place on this earth! Get Nacho as your guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nacho is wonderful!

Transport

I would like to thank the Kim Kim team and Responsible travel, especially Riwal, Angel, Eduardo and Jenny. We just spent 10 days in Santiago, Valparaiso, and Cascada de las Animas and had a wonderful experience. The wine experiences were fabulous especially Aconcagua Farms. Santiago is a modern and vibrant city and our City tours with Angel and Jenny were great. The empanada, ceviche and Churro cooking class that Jenny did for us was really well done. We felt as though we had been invited into their home. The street art tour that Angel did for us in Valparaiso was one of my favorite experiences. Angel's knowledge of the artists and the history was inspiring. We finished our week at Cascada de las Animas, in the Andean foothills, Horseback riding and ziplining. The place was beautiful the food was great and the people so warm and helpful. I highly recommend the Kim Kim team for anyone considering international travel.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Higueras Hotel

Valparaiso

Fabulous hotel, the staff and food were great. Highly recommended

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cascada de las Animas

San Alfonso

What a fun stay, the staff and experiences were great. Some of the best food we had in Chile, Highly recommended

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Chilean Food Tour & Picnic with a View of Santiago

Santiago

I really love visiting local markets like this and Angel was an excellent guide and very knowledgable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Quintero Coastal Experience + Visit to Aconcagua Farms

Chile

Swimming in the Pacific, visiting the local fish market and having the best Clams ever this was a great day, it was topped off with a visit to Aconcagua Farms, which has to be one of my favorite winery experiences ever and we live in California.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The entire team was really wonderful! I spent so much time communicating with Riwal before the trip. He was so accommodating and was great about adding Justin at the last minute and working out his details. I couldn’t ask for a better organizer.
While in Patagonia, Jose was our go to man. I appreciate his willingness to help when we had a cancellation of the Magdalena Island penguin tour. We loved the afternoon tour and the 8 pm bus ride to Puerto Natales worked perfectly.
Our guide, Nacho, was the perfect match. He was flexible with our itinerary and was so helpful with any issue we had. He was the best!

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tierra del Fuego - King Penguin

Punta Arenas

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park - Private Panoramic Tour

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Magdalena Island - Penguin Encounter Half Day Tour

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Blue Lagoon / Laguna Azul Hike to Laguna Cebolla

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I just returned from an unforgettable trip to Argentina. Riwal put together an itinerary that included Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Bariloche. Together with Alejandra they picked must do tours and coordinated all accommodations and transfers to all locations. As a busy working mom who loves to travel but doesn’t have time to research the ins and outs, their service was pivotal to having an amazing experience. I was able to truly enjoy the trip as a traveler without the stress of coordinating everything else. I just had to show up and have a good time. I highly recommend them.

Riwal did an excellent job planning our Chilean wine & more excursion! He was extremely professional, in spite of us making several changes along the way. He was quick to suggest options during the planning process and continued to check in with us throughout the actual trip to ensure we were enjoying ourselves. We were able to visit wineries from several areas including Maipo Valley and Valperaiso. Each was a unique experience and we kept saying that each one was even better than the prior one! Although we asked to do winery tours every day, towards the end of trip we were a bit "wined out" and asked if he could cancel our last winery and find something else for us to do. In less than a day we were rescheduled for a Chilean cooking class which turned out to be one of our very favorite experiences on the trip. Our guides were fantastic and our driver was great. I would highly recommend kimkim for anyone planning a trip to Chile and would suggest you ask to work with Riwal -you will not be disappointed!

Hotel Reviews

Casa Bueras Hotel (ex Lastarria)

Santiago

The hotel and the staff were wonderful. While Lastarria was interesting, we didn't feel as safe walking around there as we did in other places in the city

Authenticity & Character

The outside area terrace and pool area were excellent places to just hang out after a busy day.

Location

The surrounding area was a little less safe feeling than other places in the city.

Staff

Eric was great!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Higueras Hotel

Valparaiso

I cannot say enough good things about this hotel. The staff was amazing from Marco who met us when we arrived, to Dorinda who served us at breakfast (and even going ac way to get me coke light instead of coffee each morning) to Christobal who took care of us at dinner. The location was beautiful, the rooms were spacious and each one was unique, and the people couldn't have been nicer.

Authenticity & Character

Each detail of the hotel was unique and beautiful

Location

At the to of the hill with fantastic views of the city and the ocean.

Staff

Everyone was so friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Colchagua Valley Wine Tour: Explore Montgras & Santa Cruz Vineyards

Santiago

We changed this to a coming class with Responsible Travel Chile and we're so glad we did. The best experience of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jenny and Angel are the best!

Transport

Angel picked us up and took us directly there. We wanted to take the metro back, do he made sure to walk us there and that we knew exactly where to go

Chilean Food Tour & Picnic with a View of Santiago

Santiago

We always start every new city with a good tour and this one didn't disappoint. In addition to the stops to try various dishes, we got some interesting history from Angel, and then bought food in the market that Jenny put together for a picnic lunch in the hills above the city -- it was perfect!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Santa Ema Wineyard - with winetasting

Chile

Sophia led our tour. She was so engaging and you could tell that this family owned business feels like family to the entire staff. It was a great tour and the wines were excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Quintero Coastal Experience + Visit to Aconcagua Farms

Chile

We started the day at the beach and stopped at a local fish market for some samples of fresh ceviche, clams, and shellfish. The highlight, though was Aconcagua Farms - by far our favorite winery! It's a small winery that also produces sangrias which was an interesting change of pace. Their sustainable and regenerative farming practices were so interesting and the owners were so energetic and likable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My wife and I with my sister and her husband decided to use Kimkim to plan our trip to Chile and Rapa Nui (Easter Island). This turned out to be a great decision! Kimkim was great and planning the trip we wanted locating the best places to stay and the ideal tour groups. Further, Riwal was accessible to answer planning questions, responded to our wants and coordinated the trip once we arrived. For instance, we were picked up by the tour group on Rapa Nui and told we would need to purchase our tickets into the parks (~$100/person). However, we understood that these were already paid as part of the package. My sister sent a email to Riwal and, within minutes, the tour guide came to us to say he was mistaken and the tickets had been covered. In a different area, we saw the other hotels on Rapa Nui and were so glad we had Kimkim to pick an amazing one right on the ocean. It would have been impossible for us to compare hotels from our home. I would travel with Kimkim again in a second and am, in fact, considering our next trip with them now.