We took a South American tour from 27/11/2022 to 13/12/2022 organized by agent Emi through Kimkim. Here is our feedback on the trip:
It was very helpful to have ongoing emails from Emi before and during the trip. It helped to keep the communication going and prepare us. We could have used some more information about tipping – when and how much is appropriate in different situations.
For the most part, the internal flight times, tours and the accommodations were well planned with no waste... read more
We took a South American tour from 27/11/2022 to 13/12/2022 organized by agent Emi through Kimkim. Here is our feedback on the trip:
It was very helpful to have ongoing emails from Emi before and during the trip. It helped to keep the communication going and prepare us. We could have used some more information about tipping – when and how much is appropriate in different situations.
For the most part, the internal flight times, tours and the accommodations were well planned with no waste of times. At times during the whole trip, we felt it was too busy but, in the end,…. we realized it was worth it as we had limited time in each city and needed to make the best of it.
We arrived in Santiago on Dec 27th morning. A nice lady driver (Olivia?) and guide Franco received us at the airport, helped with bags etc. and took us to the hotel Pullman. Our room was not available until the afternoon. The concierge allowed us to keep our luggage safe for the time, so we went out to find some lunch. Later, we got and settled into our room. Following a nice rest, we were driven to the Vinolia winery and restaurant. We had a wonderful and thorough gastronomic experience of Chilean wine tasting (with a very knowledgeable host). It was a very enjoyable well presented dinner; we appreciated that the staff especially accommodated our dietary needs(lactose intolerant).. The next day morning, after our breakfast we met the guide (Robinson) who took us on a panoramic tour of the city including the Cerro Santa Lucía park where we got a nice scenic view. After our city tour, we enjoyed a fresh fish lunch with our fellow travellers at the fish restaurant in Mercado Central. As we went on the tour, Robinson attempted to give us English translation but the group was mostly Spanish speaking so we got less information than we would have liked. In the afternoon we visited the Maipo vineyards - Concha Y Toro where we had a wine tasting experience (happy to get the wine glasses to take home).The next day also guided by Robinson, was another busy day with a morning visit to Valparaiso where we saw the incredible artistic graffiti throughout the city, the harbour and scenic views of city and favelas from atop of one of the hills. We had nice lunch at the castle restaurant at Vina Del Mar and a stop at the beach. This time, Robinson placed us closer to front of bus so he could translate in English more often when seeing us. His regular suggestions to take funny photos made for some extra fun!
The next day was a day of rest and an evening flight to Mendoza. The driver Orlando who took us to the airport was informative and helpful. We arrived in Mendoza late evening, The quaint hotel - Club Tapiz we stayed at was located in a vineyard and provided a very serene peaceful experience. The restaurant staff were very accommodating and helped us meet our dietary needs. The next morning, we left early for a whole day in the mountains. We noted that out of consideration of our early start, the hotel staff was very nice to leave us a kettle, tea packets, some fruit and cookies etc. for breakfast. Our driver Patricio (very considerate and helped to get a badly needed coffee) drove us to meet the bus in the city. We met the guide and bus full of other tourists. We then proceeded to travel to the pre-Andes mountains where we stopped to visit the Inca bridge and old hotel with hot springs. It was a long journey but nonetheless interesting. Again, sadly the guide.... spoke most of the time in Spanish because it was mostly a Spanish speaking group (there were only three of us who spoke English). The lunch was a traditional type of a meal in a small restaurant. We sat with some others in the group who were so nice that they treated us by sharing a bottle of wine and did not allow us to contribute. It was
quite cool at times in the mountains so it was good that we were told ahead of time to bring jackets. The next day, our guide Claudia took us to wine tasting experiences at two vineries both very different and quite interesting to see the wine production facilities including the wine cellars. It was followed by another wine experience this time accompanied by a five course lunch (each course paired with a wine). That was quite a day and we definitely needed to rest after all that! In the evening we were taken to the airport by Orlando to catch the plane to Buenos Aires.
We arrived late in BA. The guide (Andrea) was informative and also helpful about money changing as she knew that would be difficult on a Sunday night. The hotel ( Pestana BA) which was not what we expected. The room was very basic and there was not even a bottle of water. That is usually something that is so welcoming to a weary traveller. Sadly, as we were tired, we would have preferred to stay in but there was not even room service available. We were forced to go out at that time in a strange city and managed to find a restaurant we could eat at. Thank goodness for Google maps and GPS. The next day we had a half day city tour, and our guide Savarita was helpful and knowledgeable. We visited the La Boca area where we saw a lot of street artists and in the city, we saw some of the important places like Evita Peron’s balcony and Pope Francis’s home church. That evening, we went to La Ventana for an incredible dinner tango show. The next day, a large group was collected from various hotels by our guide Camilla. It was a very long day with a trip to the countryside to visit a farm and see the Gauchos. The experience included horseback riding, a barbecue lunch, a show of traditional folk dancing and finally a moving show with a gaucho/horse whisperer. It was an extremely hot day as apparently often is at this time in BA and any travellers on this trip should be prepared with cool clothes, wet wipes, water bottles etc. Camilla was very informative and went out of her way to look after everyone in the group well. She even showed us how to make the traditional tea drink “matte” on the bus while we were on route. She diligently ensured that each one got back to their hotel at the end of the long tiring day even arranging a special taxi for us.
The following day, we left to catch a flight to Iguazu. We arrived around 10am. and were received at the airport by a guide Milvia. She took us to the hotel Mercure and since we arrived early, we could not book in our room till 3pm. We were tired and hungry, but we were supposed to go on a half day tour to see the Brazilian falls and the Parque Das Aves. We had to request the guide to give us a bit of time to change in the hotel guest washrooms and allow us to have something to eat. Luckily, we had saved a small meal from the airport as there was no food easily available at the hotel at that time. We wish we had been given a little more time to rest before the half day tour because it turned out to be a very long day with a lot of walking. The falls and bird park were spectacular and not to be missed! We found the Mercure hotel and services (dining room with unusual glass floor section overlooking fish pond, pool, conference room where we watched the soccer game) to be excellent. The next day, we were taken on a day tour of the Argentinian falls and the National Park by our guide John. He was very helpful and knowledgeable. He accompanied the group and provided interesting facts along the whole pathway to witness the spectacular beauty of all the many falls. We also took the extra excursion of the adventure on the boat which goes right to the bottom of the falls. It’s good to let the tourists know that taking this trip means you will get thoroughly soaked. Luckily, they provided participants with waterproof bags to store cameras and other belongings. The next day we had the whole day to explore Iguazu town, so we went to the arts and crafts stores to buy some gifts. We realized that when in South America at any point one is without a guide, it really helps to know some Spanish and to have the correct currency on hand. The small stores cannot not always handle credit cards. That evening we got to watch the World Cup soccer game with some passionate Argentinian soccer fans in the hotel conference room…that was fun especially since Argentina was playing.
In the evening, we were picked up to head to the airport to head to Rio de Janeiro. That was an adventure itself because the Spanish speaking driver took us to the wrong airport thinking we were flying on a domestic flight. We were surprised that he had not been informed it was the international airport we were going to so we could get to Rio. Luckily, we were able to explain to him that we were going to Brazil. He then quickly rerouted and we were taken right across the city to the correct airport, thankfully in time to board.
We arrived in Rio and were taken to the Arena Leme Hotel which was walking distance from Copacabana beach. The next morning, we were picked up and taken by our guide Paolo to visit Corcovado and see the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. Paolo who spoke both English and Spanish, was quite entertaining throughout the trip. We were taken to an All u can Eat BBQ lunch and got to try some sugar cane liquor. In the afternoon, we saw the soccer stadium and then went to Sugar Loaf. The cable car trip was not as good because the weather (very foggy) did not cooperate, but the group made the best of it. Finally, we were finished with the trip and got ready to go to the airport to take our flight heading home. We found the drivers who drove us to the airport were not helpful. We understand that not all of them speak English so there may be no conversation during the ride but there was not even an offer to help with the bags. Needless to say they were not in our favourite list for gratuities.
All in all,….it was an amazing and well organized trip. We highly recommend to others to take it. We would love to make another trip to see the countries we missed!
Hotel Reviews
Pullman Santiago El Bosque (Ex Atton)
Las Condes, Santiago
Nice place comfortable and close to amenities
Authenticity & Character
Authentic
Location
Close to amenities
Staff
Service especially in the restaurant
Cleanliness & Comfort
Great
Club Tapiz
Maipú - Mendoza
Fantastic relaxing among the vineyards. helpful and accommodating staff especially in the restaurant.
Authenticity & Character
Very unique
Staff
Helpful and courteous
Cleanliness & Comfort
Bathrooms , Linen
Pestana Buenos Aires Hotel
Buenos Aires
Poor location and service
Authenticity & Character
Facilities, especially restaurant, availability of room service
Location
Middle of the city but Poor could have been a better location
Mercure Iguazu Hotel Iru
Puerto Iguazú
Authenticity & Character
Beautiful and modern
Location
Nice and relaxing among the wild life
Staff
very helpful and accommodating at all times
Cleanliness & Comfort
Excellent
Arena Leme
Rio de Janeiro
Nice and comfortable near Copacabana beach
Authenticity & Character
Modern facility with allservices
Location
Close to beach and center of the city. Walking distant to every place.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Excellent.
Activity Review
Vinolia: Wine Tasting
Santiago
It was wonderful and informative.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Courteous and helpful
Local specialist: Emilce Alonso
