Turismo Milodon

We had a fantastic week exploring Chile's lake district, Santiago, Valparaiso, and wine country. The process of working with Marcela to plan our hotels, activities, transfers, guides, etc was so easy. We gave her a brief idea of where we wanted to spend our time, as well as what kinds of activities we enjoy, and she did a fantastic job creating our itinerary. It was nice to have a knowledgable guide, from the area, give recommendations on hotels and activities, as well as line up drivers and guides. We enjoyed our time with Matisse in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, had a blast river rafting on the Petrohué River and loved exploring Valparaiso with Soli. We highly recommend hiring Marcela to assist with planning an unforgettable visit to Chile.

This trip was one of our best ever. The drivers were punctual 💯 % of the time. The guides Paulina, Daniela, Alejandro, Marcela, Valeria, Ana, Agustin all absolutely wonderful (especially Paulina!). Every hotel was comfortable and well located. Loved all the tours especially Perito Moreno, trekking El Pingo, the Estancia (Dario and Ana were great and the lunch was lovely). Jesse did an incredible job in making this trip flow smoothly and include so many beautiful sites. We loved the Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia and Buenos Aires was like visiting a European capital.

South America Journey 2025

We are back in California after our two month journey in South America. Kimkim and Marcela assisted us during our first segment of the trip, Patagonia, and during our last segment of the trip, Peru. In between Patagonia and Peru, my wife and I completed a 30-day self drive trip from Puerto Natales to Santiago ..... 5,000 km. The entire experience was stunning, our weather was fantastic and we have returned with a lifetime of memories.

Marcella organized great adventures and accommodations for us during the 14-day Patagonia segment. We collaborated with her easily prior to this trip so that our plan was suited to our travel standards. She was most patient, knowledgeable and available during the planning process. There were no glitzes in this self-drive Patagonia excursion which included Torres de Paine, the El Calafate area and the El Chalten region. The glaciers, trekking, boat excursions and accommodations were wonderful. Marcela made it happen!

Our 30-day driving trip through Argentina and Chile was exciting. Though we planned and executed this part of our journey independently, Marcela was available to provide ideas for our "Carratera Austral" road trip. Additionally, we had the pleasure of having a rendezvous with Marcela in Puerto Varas and enjoyed a coffee together before we continued our journey to Constitucion and Santiago. She was very nice to meet after soooooo many planning communications.

Janice and I added Peru to our South American trip rather late during the planning stages. Marcela stepped up and did an awesome job at organizing our trip. The Cusco experience was epic and our guide, Mega, during those days was most wonderful. Her knowledge, organization, patience and grasp of Inca / Quechua history was so very impressive. We also just fell in love with her care for us as we traveled around Cusco, Machu Picchu and Sacred Valley. Our guide at Machu Picchu was Darcy and he really took care of us on that trip and had a wealth of knowledge regarding the site.

Iquitos and our stay at Pacaya Samiria Lodge was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. Again the weather was beautiful ... we were very fortunate for our 2-months of good weather! We were picked up in Iquitos by Josiah and he was our guide for three memorable days at the lodge and on the water. We felt very fortunate to have such a scholar of wildlife as our guide. Josiah knows the birds and and environment ... and we felt very comfortable with him. The lodge was beautiful.

Our last segment in Peru was in Lima and again we had a very complete city tour with Lily (sp). Our free day in Lima was filled with many sights and again .... food.

The entire Peru experience assisted with great communications from Manuel, Ximena and Jennifer. Manuel Gordillo was particularly helpful with communicating our daily activities, planning for the next day and confirming our transportation.

Another big thank you to Marcela for helping us while we explored Argentina, Chile and Peru!

THANK YOU KIMKIM!

Bill and Janice Rolfing
South America 2025 Trip

Hotel Reviews

Sueños del Inka Hotel

Cusco

Hatun Inti Classic Machupicchu

Machu Picchu

Ava Spot Sacred Valley

Urubamba

Ikonik Miraflores

Lima

Casa Morey

Pacaya Samiria Lodge

Activity Reviews

Cultural City Tour in Lima

Lima

City Tour

Cusco

Iquitos Adventure Day 2

Iquitos

Sacred Valley Tour: Cusco - Chinchero - Ollantaytambo

Peru

Machu Picchu Excursion: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu

Peru

Iquitos Adventure Day 3

Peru

Pisac Market & Surrounding Ruins

Peru

Iquitos Adventure Day 4

Peru

Iquitos Adventure Day 1

Iquitos

Jesse and the driver were great. Very kind and very informative. Jesse went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience as possible.

Thank you

Activity Reviews

City Tour - Casco Viejo & Panama Canal

Panama City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panameña Night

Panama City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Soberania National Park with Aerial Tram & Sloth Sanctuary

Panama City

Quality of Experience

Ok

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guna Yala Daytrip

Panama City

Quality of Experience

I

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marcela did an amazing job of planning our family trip to Chile! Prior to the trip, she worked with us on making itinerary choices and was very responsive in answering questions. Marcela was in touch throughout the trip and even proactively rearranged the itinerary based on the weather forecast.

We visited Santiago, Atacama and Puerto Varas over 10 days. The local guides in each destination were friendly, knowledgeable and reliable. Transfers were smooth. Atacama is breathtaking and offers many unique experiences. While we didn't encounter many other families, we found the activities very family-friendly (worth mentioning most days were very early starts). Puerto Varas was beautiful as well, a little more laid back than Atacama.

Thank you Marcela!

Hotel Reviews

NH Ciudad de Santiago

Santiago

Hotel Poblado Kimal

San Pedro de Atacama

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Cabaña Del Lago Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Santiago City Tour - Private

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a wonderful trip to Chile. All the flight conne tions were seamless, pickups and transportation always on time, and very nice. We loved the red rocks tour and valley of the moon tours in Atacama. Shout out to Marta who was an outstanding first guide in Chile! The geyser tour a as fine but the 430 am pickup was too early for two vacationing families with teens especially since it was still dark when we got to the geysers so couldn't see a lot of detail. Pablo our driver in Puerto Natales was kind and welcoming. Paulina and Heme were patient guides with 4 middle aged Americans and 4 teens! We felt safe and well served and the view for the base of the Towers was amazing. Our teens saw a puma and the adults survived the walk. The glacier tour was wonderful and a nice down day between two active hiking days. Our rental house was amazing with outstanding views! We loved our time in Chile!

We had an amazing trip to Chile - the country is truly spectacular. Our travel coordinator Marcela was excellent, she listened to what we wanted and adapted the itinerary as needed when torrential rains and an injury required some shifts. She even brought over some medications and offered to help in the hospital with translation after a badly sprained ankle interrupted our plans. She also coordinated in-country travel for us after our initial start in Argentina and not having to worry about airport pick up and drop off was very helpful.

We enjoyed hiking, white water rafting and kayaking in Puerta Varas - Ko Kayak was awesome for rafting (we have done this a lot and the rain made this the best rafting trip we have ever done). Our guides everywhere were great - especially Catalina (rafting), Juan Miguel (hiking and planned biking until ankle accident) and Paz (kayaking on Reloncavi fjord). We stayed at the Kalfu Hotel which was a good location for walking and offered excellent breakfasts and comfortable rooms.

In Puerta Natales we did 2 days of trekking in Torres del Paine with W-Circuit and they were great. Tour guides Alex (3 shorter hikes of 2 hours each) and Pablo (Base Torres Hike) were very good. Come prepped with the right shoes and gear and be prepared for 4 seasons in one day. We saw quite a few people turn around on the Base Torres hike which is long (22km). We then kayaked and rock climbed with Jorge from Patagonia Adventures. He was superb and we especially enjoyed pushing our comfort boundaries with the rock climbing which was awesome (we have never climbed outdoors before). We stayed at the Weskar Lodge for most of the time (truly superb food) and had one night at the Best Western which was much better than that chain is in the US.

Our final night in Santiago, we had dinner in a local home with Gloria and Leo - great food and wine pairings and even better conversation. We highly recommend. We appreciated this idea that Marcela suggested!

Hotel Reviews

Weskar Lodge

Puerto Natales

Comfortable rooms with a great view. Really great service and fantastic breakfasts. Their meals were truly outstanding - we hadn't expected to stay at the hotel for dinner but the food was so good that we ate 3 dinners there. The only downside is being a bit far for walk to town but Uber was easy and available as needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Kalfu Hotel Boutique

Puerto Varas

Very comfortable hotel with a helpful and friendly staff. The only reason not to have a 5 star rating is that we were on the lower level with a patio (lovely) but it was darker as it was fairly rainy while we were there. Very good breakfasts. Great location for walking around town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walk to town and restaurants

Staff

Friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Trekking in Alerce Andino National Park

Puerto Varas

Adaptable and energetic guide for hiking Great guide from La Comarca who was able to adapt to multiple changes to planned hiking and biking trips. Juan Manuel picked us up and took us to a great breakfast place after our early morning flight from Santiago. It was pouring when we arrived and the road to the Alerce Andino national park where we were going to hike was blocked by mudslides from the rain. We went to plan b which was hiking near the Petrohue cascades (good to see) and then plan c which was going up the Mount Osorno Volcano where we had our lunch. We were at the TeSki chalet. Great food and snacks. Juan Manuel is extremely knowledgeable and fun to talk with. Highly recommend for adaptability, tremendous local knowledge and great personality. We were disappointed that due to weather and a sprained ankle we couldn’t do a planned bike tour with him.

Quality of Experience

Different than planned but Juan Miguel was amazing!

Food

Stopped at a great local cafe for breakfast and had super sandwiches, hot chocolate for lunch when we stopped at TeSki!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking on Reloncaví Fjord

Puerto Varas

Fantastic fjord kayaking trip Our travel agent arranged a full day kayak trip on the Reloncavi Fjord from Puerto Varas Our guide, Paz was outstanding. She has a passion for the region and outdoor education and knew a ton about plant and animal life. Her English was very good and she just radiated positive energy and enthusiasm. The truck was comfortable for the ride (1.5? Hours) and we wore full wetsuits and this was our first time in a double kayak with a rudder. The fjord and surrounding towns were lovely. We had perfect weather for pics, saw seals and birds and turquoise water. One of the highlights was our guide Paz who was very passionate about the area, the people and the natural surroundings. Highly recommend. We had lunch at a Chilean family’s home and got to tour their small farm. Really fresh food (lamb stew, greens and bread) before continuing our trip. This was a friend of Paz and seeing the relationships between Paz and the people whose home we visited and ate in was lovely! A bonus was our driver then took us up the Osorno volcano as the previous days had heavy rain so we couldn’t see anything. What a truly gorgeous location!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Paz (and our driver) were outstanding!

Transport

Trekking Torres del Paine Active

Chile

Excellent trip. We were on a tour run by W-Circuit. Bus driver was speedy but safe We were picked up at 6:30 am and the bus was comfortable. Trekking poles were provided which helped a lot (we had never used before). The first trip we went on 3 roughly 2 hour hikes to the cave paintings, the waterfalls near Las Cuernas, and the Mirador Condor. We hike a lot and enjoyed these. Great start to our stay in Puerto Natales. These hikes were moderate but challenging in terms of vertical gain and strong winds (at one point we were bent over nearly double at the Condor hike!). Our guide Alex was knowledgeable and funny and very good pointing out plants and animals. A herd of guanacos came out right by us and we all got stellar pics. Beautiful intro to the park which truly has stunning scenery at every turn.

Quality of Experience

Food

Box lunches ordered in advance - noting terribly exciting - sandwiches, fruit, juice nuts and bars.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alex was knowledgeable and funny - excellent English

Transport

Comfortable for ride to and from park.

Base Torres Hike

Chile

Excellent trip. We were on a tour run by W-Circuit. Bus driver was speedy but safe and we did two tours with the same company two days apart. We were picked up at 6:30 am and the bus was comfortable. Trekking poles were provided which helped a lot (we had never used before). After that we did the Base Torres Hike but with a different guide named Pablo. Great hike but long (6 hours minimum) and very crowded at times. The hard thing is that people hike at vastly different rates. Our guide had us go ahead and wait in places (great system). We saw tons of birds and even a puma at the end! Again, breathtaking scenery and rewarding. Some people may not be prepared for the steepness of this hike and be unable to finish as were several folks on our tour. Acclimate a bit, have good boots, and be used to hiking—this is 22km (13.7miles) RT!

Quality of Experience

Beautiful park with stunning scenery.

Food

Nice to have options to buy food along the trail (we got drinks on teh way down) and snacks at the end before our bus ride home.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pablo was good and allowed us to divide up so we weren't waiting all the time.

Transport

Very good - comfortable and good driver - plenty of space with 6 of us in the van

Rock Climbing in Patagonia

Puerto Natales

This was AMAZING! Our second trip with Jorge was rock climbing. We have only done indoor climbing gyms before and this was awesome. This was our first ever outdoor climbing experience. We did 4 routes. Very well explained, safety conscious and exciting and Jorge involved us in everything- belaying etc. Tea mid-route was very neat! We were visited multiple times by condors checking out what we were doing. Our kids were amazed by our pics (one climbs and he was impressed). The rock formations were cool to see and climb on - we learned a lot and this definitely pushed our comfort boundaries which is what we wanted.

Quality of Experience

Jorge's knowledge and how he included us in jobs and taught skills was awesome. Beautiful location and the condors were really a nice lucky feature - about 7-8 were watching and circling as we climbed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See comments above - we felt safe and confident trying this with him as the guide.

Transport

Great driver - Jorge - and location was spectacular

Kayaking in Eberhard Fjord

Puerto Natales

We did two trips with Jorge. He is probably the best guide we have ever had—extremely knowledgeable on local wildlife, culture etc, speaks really excellent English and very personable. We did a kayak trip on the Eberhard Fjord on a fairly windy day. First time in dry suits! Mid trip we stopped for a 1km walk with spectacular views of the mountains, lakes and fjords. We finished with a lovely meal of wonderful homemade foods in a Chilean home.

Quality of Experience

Jorge was great, incredible views and a wonderful meal at the end

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We learned a lot about Chile and the area from Jorge - super knowledgeable.

Transport

Jorge picked us up

Private Dinner

Santiago

This was a cool thing to do for our last night in Santiago. We were picked up by our host and his friend Felipe who was our guide for the night. Gloria was the cooking whiz and Leo managed the wine and music. We drove into the city center and to Leo and Gloria's home where we had a 4 course dinner and wine tasting with Chilean music. The food was excellent and teh conversation was even better. They are warm and gracious hosts and very welcoming. Felipe did a great job explaining and translating as needed (we enjoyed practicing our Spanish) and we talked about all kinds of subjects. Highly recommend for people willing to branch out and try something new!

Quality of Experience

Great food and very welcoming and gracious hosts and guide

Food

Homemade empanadas, a ceviche, roast and potatoes and a tart with several Chilean wines

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I had never used Kimkim before this, and I'm pleased to say that the whole experience with them from trip planning almost a year in advance to day to day experiences in Chile was outstanding. My trip planner Jesse offered ideas and alternatives, and once I had decided where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see she provided me with a detailed day by day itinerary. Outstanding service and great communication throughout.
Arriving late in the day and tired at an airport, one always wonders, will someone be meeting me as promised. There was never a cause for concern with Kimkim, all of the logistical arrangements were on time and perfectly organized.
I must also mention that my guide for a day tour in Santiago, Hernan Rivas Diaz, was among the best that I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with.
Based on my experience in Chile, I will happily book future travel with Kimkim.

Hotel Review

Lodge Terrantai

San Pedro de Atacama

The Lodge Terrantai was like a small oasis in bustling San Pedro de Atacama - very comfortable rooms and nice public spaces, good breakfasts plus lunchtime snacks, afternoon snacks and evening wine tastings, which might better be described as wine drinking over the course of 2 hours. From the moment I walked through the front door until when I left three days later, the friendly staff made me feel at home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

1 block away from the main street in San Pedro, could not have been better located.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santiago City Tour - Private

Santiago

I had a particular interest in Chilean history leading up to and following the military coup in 1973, and my guide Hernan Rivas Diaz was aware of this beforehand. The day spent with him was like walking through the pages of a history book, not just about the 1970's but ranging back as far as the Pleistocene and through to today. He also found me a good place to exchange money and we enjoyed a pleasant lunch of empanadas at an outdoor restaurant. He is one of the finest guides that I have ever encountered in all of my travels.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Roomy and very comfortable vehicle.

Stargazing Experience

San Pedro de Atacama

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was truly an amazing 2 weeks in Panama. We were taken to places we would never have found by ourselves. All the guides and drivers were prompt, courteous and knowledgeable. The accommodations and excursions were exactly as described and suited our abilities. Jesse was very quick to contact us if we had questions along the way.