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... read more
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
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.
Hotel Diego de Velazquez
Santiago
Hotel was fine. It was clean and centrally located in a good neighborhood.
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.
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.
Activity Reviews
Astronomical Tour - Atacama Desert
San Pedro de Atacama
One of the highlights of the trip. Highly recommend.
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.
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.
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.
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+
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.
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.
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
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.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Angel Gutierrez