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This trip covered a lot of ground in a short time frame. I (and the rest of my group) agreed that the one area of improvement would be to include a visit to the wineries and have lunch in Valparaiso.
Seeing the stars in the Atacama Desert and the landscapes of Patagonia
Ignacio was wonderful. He was organized, attentive and had a good sense of humor.
Bring layers! It was unexpectedly cold when we visited the geysers.
A land of so many sights, warm people and the impressive Andes mountains almost throughout.
The Atacama Desert. Its forever changing scenery. The Lagoons, The Wetlands and Flamingo's, Geysers over 80 in one area. Sand dunes and forever rock formations. The long long roads and starry nights. Unlike any other desert I have visited.
Nacho was brilliant. His charm, smile and funny stories, seeing us all through some very long days. He was Informative throughout the trip. His observations and empathy were outstanding. Great fun and ensuring everyone's needs were met. A calm and unstressful gentleman. Would be great to have Nacho on every Exodus trip.
Chile felt to be a very safe and friendly country from the moment if arrival. This did not change or alter throughout. Happy walking around alone. Don't expect your International adapter plugs to work. I borrowed one and some bought some locally. The 2 circular pins were much smaller. I believe it was the European pinned one that works.
A boat trip to through the Fjords would be a great addition to this trip. As would a few hours at one of the vineyards when driving right through them.
Discover Chile is a great trip and a fantastic way to see all the best areas of this long thin country. It is full of travelling though and not just flying. However, as a brilliant and thorough voyage around the Atacama, Lakeland and Patagonia you can’t beat it.
Too many to mention high Lakes in the Atacama, hummingbirds in the temperate rain forest and all of Patagonia!
Our le.ader was knowledgeable, helpful, enthusiastic and fun. He made the trip much more enjoyable
Don't expect to stop for long meals or have much down time but you do see a lot instead.
If you can avoid spending a morning in Puerto Montt do so. Stay and have a better look round Puerto Varas instead, it is much prettier and interesting.
The group of people on the trip all ‘gelled’ together and with the help of our excellent guide made a trip to be remembered. My only criticism, not your fault, was that I hadn’t realized how warm / hot it would be and, as a result I didn’t take enough light weight summer clothes.
Seeing the Volcanoes cone shaped and the tops covered in snow. The salt covered rocks of the canyons in the desert. Flamingos feeding in the lagoons. Watching the Condors circling overhead. The visit to Valparaiso, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. to view all the excellent wall art.
Our group leader was Ignacio Hewstone and he was excellent. Meeting and greeting at the airport went well as did all the other travel travel arrangements he made. His extensive knowledge of Chile was shown to us and it was interspersed with anecdotes (mostly funny) from his youth. This helped to further bring the group together. He was always around should any of us require help , or to advise us on where to eat - many suggestions were given.
Check the temperatures of the various areas to be visited. Take cash or card for money as at some places money can't be exchanged. Comfortable shoes or boots for walking in the desert. Enjoy the Pisco Sour !! and don't forget to bring a bottle home.
No
We really enjoyed the chance to see so much of this great country in 2 weeks. The itinerary was excellent with visits to three very different regions. A good mix of walking and lots of wildlife and scenery to enjoy. The hotels we stayed in were all of a high standard and our guide gave good recommendations on places to eat in all locations.
Patagonia is like nowhere else in the world and we were so fortunate to have great weather and see the Torres de Paine at their best. The flamingos in Atacama were equally memorable.
Robert was a terrific leader – hugely knowledgeable and very eager to ensure we had the best possible visit. He judged the group very well and tweaked our schedule to cater to our preferences. He is guaranteed to keep you entertained with stories and facts on all the bus journeys - like where the brand name Fanta come from.
If you enjoy a cup of tea at days end pack a small travel kettle. Don’t fret about packing everything – all of the large towns in Chile had well stocked shops and pharmacies that will supply anything you might unexpectedly need.
Exodus should reduce the time spent in Valparaiso and include a visit to a winery on the journey back to Santiago. They should also remove the morning spent in Puerto Montt where there is little to see and at the fish market you will be pestered by restaurant touts. Instead allow guests a free morning in the far nicer town of Puerto Varas. With these changes I would award the extra star.
Excellent trip
Traveling through the different landscapes and climate zones
Alex Aguilera is a very good group leader.
It's the excellent opportunity to see different parts of Chile in a single trip but any future traveler should be ready to spend a lot of time commuting from one place to another. It’s absolutely worth it but should be noted.
To start the tour one day earlier (one more day) and spend an extra day in the Lake region
‘Discover Chile’ was a fantastic holiday and certainly in my top three tours over the last 20+years. The main reason it was fantastic was that we had brilliant weather throughout and considering this holiday was to principally look at the natural landscapes within the country this was essential. Although it was a certainty that we would have clear weather in the desert which was confirmed, the bonus of views of the snow capped Mt Osorno and others in the Lake District, and also the fantastic Torres del Paine against cloudless backdrops was the icing on the cake.
There were many highlights on the tour but these are my top three: 3. Mt Osorno in the Lake District 2. Antiplano Lakes and Mountain Scenery in the Atacama 1. Torres del Paine Mountain Scenery in Patagonia I could never get sick of the view of Torres del Paine from outside my room in Patagonia.
Ignacio was both competent and very pleasant.
Be prepared to spend a considerable time on planes (5 off internal flights) and the associated waiting time in airports, also early get ups (2 before 5am) and a late finish (11pm). Flight schedules can change at short notice but none of ours were seriously affected.
Overall the hotels were average with the one in San Pedro (Don Raul) being very disappointing (my room (42) looked nothing like the images on Tripadvisor) but the hotel in Patagonia was exceptional in the views that it had. Chile is a long distance from the UK and the tour could have benefited from an extra two days, one more possibly in the Lake District and one to explore the Magellan Strait near Punta Arenas. Although our tour was not in the absolute high season nowhere we visited was ever considered to be crowded, I suppose the busiest area (excepting Santiago) was San Pedro. It was disappointing to be in the Atacama during the full moon, therefore our stargazing tour (provided via Exodus) was not available.
I overused the word amazing on this trip which far exceeded my expectations because of the spectacular nature of the country.
It really is an excellent way to see so many totally different parts of the country in a short space of time.
The variation in climate from the Atacama Desert down through the Lake District and to Patagonia was huge and, hence, the spectacular scenery and wildlife. Go for it!
So hard to pick but I think it has to be Patagonia. I highly recommend exiting via the optional zodiac trip! In reality, the inspiration to visit Chile on this trip comes from the diversity that you experience. I have a myriad of colourful images and experiences in my head that will last with me for a very long time.
Ignacio was friendly with everyone and imparted a wealth of knowledge about his beloved Chile. He knew people all around the country which helped and he helped individuals in the group with any issues such as money, health, eating etc.
Pack with layers. You need sun protection everywhere....I used long sleeved shirts and light trousers, sunhat and trainers in the desert. But, also, it was minus 10 at the start of the geyser day so you start with fleece hat, warm jacket, etc. Patagonia was actually warmer than I expected and you don't need full on English winter walking gear but still go with the layers. I managed it all in about 16kg but it's worth planning what you take. Waterproof trousers add an extra layer of warmth and wind proofing but can be removed later in the day. We took anti mossie spray but didn't need it much...so, have some but it's not a great problem at this time of year. Take paracetamol.....helps to ward off altitude sickness in the desert....but, mainly, follow the advice of the guide to breathe deeply and go slow! Only 1 of our party was affected and it didn't last long.
GO! If in doubt....and you are looking for a trip that shows you Chile in a short space of time, this is the one! Also, I was so pleased with the variety and numbers of local wildlife and flora that we saw which I hadn't picked up from the trip notes. Brilliant!
I say indescribable because I struggle to find words to capture just how amazing and stunning Chile is. The beauty of this trip is that you are given the opportunity to visit a diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna. The range of climate between regions varies spectacularly from being hot in the north to wrapping up in the south. I can’t recommend this trip highly enough.
Hard to pick just one, so from each region I would pick Valparaiso, to the geysers in the Atcama Desert, the waterfalls of Lake District, the 'towers' and seeing icebergs in Torres del Paine to visiting the statues on Easter Island.
Ignacio (nacho) was a very good tour leader. Always thinking of the group's best interests and how to get the best out of each day by adapting the itinerary to the weather conditions etc. He was very engaging, witty and definitely felt like he was part of our group. It was interesting to hear his stories from personal experience of living and working in Chile.
For this trip, pack for all seasons and all weather. I didn't need to pack all the footwear I did as I mainly wore my walking shoes and occasionally on Easter island my sliders. For those that suffer from altitude sickness, be prepared when visiting Atacama Dessert and Osorne Volcano. I personally didn't suffer but a fellow traveller did and was quite poorly.
I would recommend adding the Easter Island extension. Whilst it's relatively expensive, it's well worth it and rounds the holiday off nicely.
Whilst the land based trip – what I experienced of it was excellent – the getting there was not. As a solo traveller (1st time with Exodus) – I figured it made sense to let Exodus book my external flights to make for smooth transfer . I was surprised that the outbound flight they booked for me with Air France & a change at CDG Paris – only allowed a connection time of 1 hour & 20 mins. (In fact only 1 hour when one takes into account that boarding must be completed 20 mins before take off on the long haul flight.) Despite voicing my concerns at the time of booking over the phone with the Exodus sales booking agent, I was reassured that this connection time was the norm – even if it did appear a little tight.
Well – my initial fears were confirmed, when a 75 minute delayed “take off” of the initial flight from Heathrow on the day, meant I was denied boarding to the long haul, & subsequently booked on to the next flight 24 hours later. This meant I not only missed out on the 1st day Santiago city tour, but obviously arrived too late to join the Valparaiso trip on day 2.
Putting the disastrous outward journey aside - there were so many highlights. Atacama was amazing & the geysers at dawn. (despite altitude sickness at 4,200 metres.) Astronomical night tour - also a must. Torres Del Paine was possibly my favourite part - I had never seen icebergs before & hadn't appreciated the pale blue colour & even managed to capture a photo of one breaking apart. The backdrop to our hotel - magnificent & worth braving the freezing early morning temperatures for fantastic sunrise photos Easter Island - also unmissable (600 photos of heads still to be edited down ) ALSO THE ENTIRE GROUP - YOU ARE AMAZING - we had so much fun.
Ignacio - (Chile mainland based tour only) was fantastic. Very laid back & a mine of information
Be extremely careful if allowing Exodus to book your connecting flights. Thoroughly research first & if the connection time is less than 2 hours - demand alternative options. Surely it is the sales bookings team's responsibility if the connection are "tight" - to explain the risks & offer alternatives - but none of that was forthcoming on my booking. Exodus state they adhered to the Air France requirements of a minimum connection time of 1 hour & hence fulfilled their responsibilities. Air France state that they are governed by Air Traffic Control & so also deny responsibility for the flight delay & subsequent "missed" onward flight to Santiago My advice is - book your flights independently / try & fly direct if possible/ consider allowing an additional "travelling" day & arrive 24 hours earlier to avoid mishap if one has to rely on connections & AVOID using Air France.
At a total cost of £6878 for the holiday including the single supplement - I refused to be denied 2 days of my trip. Hence at my insistence Exodus / Air France rescheduled my return flight to Heathrow for 2 days later. I also insisted that Exodus pay for my 2 additional nights accommodation at Hotel Providencia, Santiago at the end which they dutifully did, and they also reinstated the missed Santiago city tour & day trip to Valparaiso. (Unfortunately the 2 trips at the end were inferior to those experienced by the rest of the group - my City tour did not go up San Christobel hill - the main highlight, & the Valparaiso trip was on a large coach with 37 other people & so extremely regimented) However Exodus did also reimburse me the amendment fee to reschedule my National Express return coach home from Heathrow & 4 days worth minus the VAT of my mobile phone charges for necessary ongoing communication to secure all of the above. I consider myself lucky in this instance as Exodus have also stated to me that their normal code of practice in circumstances like these is to reimburse the customer on a pro rata basis (using the land only price of the tour ) for the time missed in destination & that in my case that would have amounted to a grand total of £211
We would like to thank Sarah for her review. We were pleased to read that she found there to be so many highlights during her time in Chile, but we regret that she experienced a flight delay on her outbound journey. When booking connecting flights, travel companies must adhere to the minimum connection time (MCT) set by each airline in conjunction with the airport authorities and IATA (International Air Transport Association), and it is not possible to reserve flights with connections below the MCT. We appreciate, however that a 75 minute delay will often have an impact on passengers’ onward travel, and we regret that, whilst Exodus ensured that Sarah did not miss out of the aspects of the tour that she had been unable to join with her group, the situation remained so disappointing.
Lucy Crabb – Exodus’ Customer Services Manager
