Turismo Milodon

We have just returned from a truly wonderful 14-day February trip to Chile, booked on kimkim with the excellent, professional help of Jesse. First we must write about Jesse. From the moment I began looking into doing this trip, Jesse provided thorough, competent, and sensitive assistance. She "listened " to all our hopes and preferences, designing for us the trip of a lifetime. She adjusted hotels for us to make the package more affordable. And every tour she arranged for us revealed things we had hoped for and amenities we couldn't even have imagined - like early morning outdoor breakfasts in the desert, and phenomenal trekking and viewing experiences.

Once we arrived in Chile, again, Jesse could not have been more helpful. Communicating with her on WhatsApp, she ensured that all pick-ups and drop-offs went smoothly, and answered all the questions we had immediately, even sometimes quite late at night. Her responses were always kind and personable. We always knew we were in good hands with her guidance, and when we return to Chile - which we will! - we hope we will be lucky enough to work with Jesse again.

We began our trip in Santiago, and thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Valparaiso, with its incredible murals and steep, winding streets. Our guide, Javi, made sure we spent as much time as possible walking those streets, and she pointed out many treasures that we would have missed without her help. And we were thrilled with the "San Jose Volcano and Andes Mountains" experience. We had our guide, Juan Paulo, all to ourselves, and his love of the area and of the climb was so evident and genuine that it filled us with love for the experience, as well. He was also a true professional, teaching us things about the flora and fauna and ensuring that we were always safe as we climbed and descended.

Then we flew to the Atacama desert, and began our time there there with what was my favourite tour of all - the "Atacama Experience." We visited the farm of Gonzalo, a young indigenous farmer who introduced us to his llamas, and then demonstrated and talked us through the experience of making pottery with local materials, helping us each to create pieces of pottery that we could take home. Next we sat 'round a small fire with him while he prepared infusions from local herbs, which we gratefully drank. And last of all, he "gave" us each a llama to walk, and we spent an hour or so walking with "our" llamas in the desert as the sun was setting. Gonzalo was an excellent, knowledgeable and gentle host whose passion for the way of life he was retaining has stayed with me and made me want to return to Atacama.

Everything we experienced in the Atacama was wonderful. Our guide for "Exploring the Atacama Salt Flats" and "Valley of the Moon Tour" was Daniel - a true professional with an uproarious sense of humour. We learned about the salt flats, saw statuesque flamingos and wild vicunas with their young and had a great outdoor breakfast. Daniel brought us to a small village where he helped us find and purchase genuine alpaca products - and when we saw things we wanted to photograph he always made that possible. We were thrilled to have him as a guide again to visit the Valley of the Moon. The trek along the salt caves and stone formations was awe-inspiring, and Daniel thoroughly explained the formation of these geological wonders.

Marta was our guide to the Tatio Geysers, and she too was a wealth of knowledge and a great outdoor breakfast provider. And seeing the geysers steaming into the air at sunrise was beautiful and otherworldly.

I was sad to leave the desert, but other wonders awaited us. We flew to Santiago and from there, via Puerto Montt, to Puerto Varas. We loved our "Day Trip to Vincente Perez Rosales National Park" as well as our wonderful and quick-witted guide, Jorge. The highlight of this tour for us was the amazing view of the volcanoes and glaciers, and our ascent of the Osorno volcano. We chose to take the lifts up the side of the volcano, and I'd recommend that to anyone taking this tour. We also had a fabulous lunch of local salmon. All the while Jorge had us learning and laughing. He was an excellent guide.

Nest we went "Trekking in Alerce Andino National Park" with Luis, whose knowledge of local flora was impressive. He shared with us his fascination with the plants, flowers, and trees of this rainforest - and kindly taught us a lot of Spanish, which really pleased us.

Then we flew to Punta Arenas. It proved too windy to go see the penguins on Magdelena Island, but we enjoyed time to ourselves exploring the town with its amazing waterfront statues. We could feel the pull of Antarctica from there. Punta Arenas is another place we'd like to return to.

In Puerto Natales. the "Boat Tour to Balmaceda and Serrano Glaciers" was a fantastic day. We saw sweeping waterfalls, sea lions resting on shore, and beautiful views of the glaciers. It was doubly gratifying to be able to land and walk to the base of one of them, where the view was amazing. So was our stop at the ranch and our meal of lamb there. And so was our surprise treat of whisky served with glacier ice, on the boat!

We finished our time in Patagonia with a day of trekking Torres del Paine. Three treks in one day was challenging, but the views of mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls was memorable.

Jesse and Kimkim made all of this happen for us, and we will certainly want to work with them both again for our next South American adventure. Thank you for this amazing experience.

I strongly recommend kimkim and particularly the local specialists.

a 3 week trip with lots of moving parts was perfectly planned. any questions along the way very answered immediately regardless if it was Sunday 6am or Wednesday 11pm. Just extraordinary customer service.

thank you for the great experience kimkim team

Marcela was great! Everything went off like clockwork. We had some problems with an adjoining trip which affected the start of this itinerary but Marcela and her team handled the changes with complete efficiency. Gaboo gets a call out too for excellent service and assistance!
The drivers and guides were on time, did a good job and were personable.
Especially like Juan Pablo from the Buggy ride in the desert and the kayak guide.
Dinner (you called it lunch, but it was at 5pm so it was our dinner) with the red rocks tour was fun and a pleasant surprise.
The only tour we didn’t like was the moon valley. Too big of a group and a very disorganized start and it just wasn’t that interesting.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Ladera

Providencia

They had a coffee maker in the room, but charged for a tny cup of coffee. Also the hot water took forever to warm up

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa de la Patagonia

Puerto Natales

Loved the breakfast room. Staff was great - but it was VERY noisy! Only 7 rooms and people were loud going up and down the wooden steps starting very early in the morning and then late at night and it sounded like someone was clanging dishes in the breakfast room starting at about 5. Also bathroom was way to small - no shelf space and there wasn’t much storage in the bedroom either.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was clean, just not that comfortable - see above

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Amazing breakfast room and great location. Nice size rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Refugio - La Casa de Don Tomas

San Pedro de Atacama

Pretty place - nice pool area and places to sit outside. Rooms comfortable. Loved we got complimentary sparkly wine once a day and the restaurant was very good. Good service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kayaking in Eberhard Fjord

Puerto Natales

A little strenuous but in a good way! We really go a workout and learned about the history of this area. The guide was excellent!

Quality of Experience

It was private. The guide was very attentive to our capabilities and was a good coach.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bike & Beer

Puerto Varas

Beautiful town to start and countryside to ride in. Beer and pizza were fun One of the best drivers Guide was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour - Private

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valparaíso & Wine Tour - Private

Santiago

Claudia was very good! And the wine tasting was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buggy Safari Through the Desert

San Pedro de Atacama

JP was superb! Maybe our best guide of the tour. He had a good sense of humor, taught us much!

Quality of Experience

Guide, equipment, all top-notch.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

JP was a great communicator and fun to be around.

Transport

He picked us up in a comfortable vehicle and took us directly his home where we got the jeep

Trekking and Condor Watching

Puerto Natales

It was a tough hike mostly do to the incredible wind. and we didn’t see any condors

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trekking Torres del Paine Active

Chile

Good challenging hikes. Great staff

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Well done

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trekking in Alerce Andino National Park

Puerto Varas

Really muddy- I sunk up to my knees at one spot. Our guide, Rafael was amazing. Great guide. Nice lunch provided.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Beautiful landscape made for amazing pics A little too much back and forth time in the van Wind made it kind of uncomfortable Breakfast outside is a fun touch

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

It was delayed until 10:30 so really late at night - hard to see each other and the wine/snacks table was kind of awkward

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Puritama Canyon Trek

San Pedro de Atacama

Didn’t give as much info in English and lots of loose rocks - so hike was challenging

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valley of the Moon Tour

San Pedro de Atacama

Not interesting and way too long

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great experience working with Lorena and her team. Our trip was amazing. Patagonia was stunning and to have a perfect, flawless itinerary was the cherry on top. Everything was planned out for us and there was always help available for questions or concerns. Any issues were solved almost immediately. We especially loved our private guide through Torres del Paine José. He made the trip that much more special. An unforgettable time.

We had a wonderful trip to Chile. Our agent, Marcela, crafted an exceptional itinerary—she listened carefully to our wishes and adapted plans seamlessly when changes arose.
The Atacama Desert was breathtaking, and our guides, Rodrigo and JP, were incredibly knowledgeable about the region’s geology, history, and Andean wildlife. Rapa Nui was unforgettable; learning about the Moai and the Birdman competition brought the island’s rich history to life. In the Colchagua Valley, we enjoyed sampling outstanding wines amid stunning scenery, which was the perfect way to round out the journey.

I want to compliment Marcela for her excellent service, planning and heartfelt advice for the wonderful trip to Patagonia in Oct 2024. Sorry this took so long as I was very overwhelmed by personal things. I am very grateful for her caring for me when my luggage didn’t arrive at Argentina airport with my airlines. She immediately responded to my messages and provided very helpful advice. Thank you so much once again ! She is a great asset and talent !

The whole trip was amazing. We particularly enjoyed some tailored experiences such as the kayaking and the condor watching in Patagonia.

Hotel Reviews

NH Ciudad de Santiago

Santiago

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour - Private

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Viña del Mar & Valparaíso

Chile

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

Explore the Atacama Salt Flats & Lagoons

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Tatio Geysers

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Puritama Canyon Trek

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to the Summit of Toco Mount

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Biking Tour of Puerto Natales

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking in Eberhard Fjord

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trekking and Condor Watching

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trekking Torres del Paine Active

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Base Torres

Chile

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have used other travel companies in the past, but never again. KimKim makes travel so much more enjoyable and less stressful. We don’t like to travel with groups, so they are perfect for us. We provide them a wish list of things we want to do and see and voila, the wish comes true. We just returned from a 2 week tour of Patagonia and Ushuaia. It was amazing. They were in constant contact with us every step of the way. My wife is planning a girls trip this spring and is already in contact with them. A very big shout out to Lorena and her team. You guys are the best. Now time for me to start planning our next trip!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I want to especially mention all the tour guides and drivers .
Santiago: Eliseo our driver, and Soledad our tour guide. What a wealth of information. A welcoming experience to a beautiful city.
Punta Arenas: Juan Francisco with Fiordos del Sur whom we wanted to go home with. We also wanted to adopt a baby
penguin.
Porto Natales: Jhon Pineda with Patagonia Planet, who is very entertaining and very knowledgeable. Also George , the driver who was also taking photos. Some of his photos are the best.
Perito Moreno Glaciers with Turismo Zaahj. Wow what a great experience
Tierra del Fuego Ntional Park: Trekking and Canoeing in Park. Juan and his counterpart made this an awesome experience. Turismo Isla de los Fuegos did an outstanding job.
Beagle Channel & Penquins: Turismo did an excellent job. We were able to see plenty of wildlife including seals, whales, and of course penguins
Buenos Aires: What a beautiful city. We will have to come back

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Eco Boutique Bidasoa

Santiago

Great location. Quiet and easy to walk to nearby parks Very nice hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet and safe

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kosten Aike

El Calafate

We were only here for one night, but enjoyed our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ilaia

Punta Arenas

We loved this little hotel. Easy walking distance to everything and great staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costanera

Puerto Natales

The hotel is very new and modern. The staff is exceptional. The street out front is a little noisy at times, but the view is wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hosteria El Puma

El Chalten

This was our favorite hotel. It is small and cozy. The staff are engaging and a pleasure to visit with.

Location

Staff

They treated us like family

Cleanliness & Comfort

Alto Andino Hotel

Ushuaia

This was a very nice hotel, although we had to go to the breakfast area to see the water.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour - Private

Patagonia

Elisio and Soledad were amazing. She is an encyclopedia of knowledge. What a great way to start a vacation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable and engaging

Transport

Nice transport and very punctual

Full-Day Tour of Torres del Paine National Park

Patagonia

The trip just kept getting better! We had good weather and awesome scenery!

Quality of Experience

The quietness and open space

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jhon and George were great! They were very engaging and a pleasure to talk to

Transport

Trekking & Canoeing in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Ushuaia

We didn't quite know what to expect on this tour. We were not disappointed. We started off in a raft down the river and started seeing all kinds of birds and wildlife. A seal popped up right in front of us. Baby chicks, beavers, it was teaming with wildlife. It was an experience working with a team to paddle the raft. When we went on shore for lunch, we were ushered into a huge dome in the forest for a great bowl of soup and bread. Then off for a 4 mile trek through the woods. Beautiful scenery. It ended all too soon.

Quality of Experience

It made me feel young again

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best meal ever

Transport

Beagle Channel & Penguins

Ushuaia

The experience was nice, but if we had to do it all over again, we would have skipped this. We had already seen penguins. We did get to see some whales, so that was a big plus. I think we were getting a little burned out by this time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buenos Aires Walking Short Tour

Buenos Aires

We were both coming down with a bug this day and just dragging.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Penguin Colony on Magdalena Island

Patagonia

We were able to walk among the penguins and all the babies. What a way to start the day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Juan Francisco was like a jovial Santa Claus

Transport

Boat Tour to Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

Patagonia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike from Sarmiento Lake to Amarga Lagoon

Patagonia

Unfortunately my wife caught a stomach bug and we were not able to go on this tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina

Puerto Natales

We didn't realize how big this glacier is. Wow! As you are watching it, you either see or hear ice calving off.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport