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Dorrie Wick and husband touring the Citadel at Machu Picchu with guide Romulo.

Touring the Citadel at Machu Picchu with “fantastic” guide Romulo. Photo: Jim Peikon

Our 26 day trip to Chile and Peru was fabulous!

Logistics were perfect on a very complicated trip—involving many planes, cars, trains and buses. Our guides were always on time—a few of them, some of the best we have ever had.

Everything about Chile was one big wow! We traveled to Santiago, Patagonia, and the Atacama desert. We loved each of our 4 hotels for different reasons: Both Singulars (Santiago and Patagonia) were fantastic with great food
and terrific service (our favorite ceviche of the trip, which they kindly gave me the recipe for) plus at Santiago Patagonia we had one of our favorite excursions! A small 8 person Fjord cruise, including a short walk to the Serrano glacier followed by a traditional lamb BBQ on a private sheep ranch with a beautiful horseback ride. We had perfect weather for a perfect day with great food, wine and fun guides.

Next stop—Torres Del Paine:
Explora owns a mesmerizing location—the magnificent view changes throughout the day with the changing light. We were lucky with perfect weather for our 4 night stay—a couple days of blue sky and no wind! After we arrived, we immediately went on a 1/2 day moderate hike. The guides put a great schedule together for us based on our desires and abilities—we stuck to the easier hikes and a horseback ride. I was so impressed with all the guides—they love their jobs, they love Patagonia and want to share it with you as well as offer you a hand for that really steep step on the trail. It’s hard to describe the beauty of the area as the photos almost look fake—but they are real!

Next stop—the Atacama Desert:
I chose Awasi in order to have a private guide for myself and my husband (68/72). We loved everything about Awasi— absolute perfection! Over the top service, understated luxury, and most of all—our fantastic guide, Leo. He watched us and adjusted our day as needed as we acclimated to the altitude. His passion for the area was clear—he always made you feel like he was sharing his very secret spot with you! Not to mention the fact that he seemed to always play the perfect music for the drive we were taking. I have a hard time picking my favorite excursion: little moon valley, the canyon/spiral walk, rainbow valley, hot springs, the geysers, the flamingos—they all were great, different and fun.
The combination of Explora and Awasi was nice—as at Explora we met and mingled with interesting people from all over, and at Awasi we had a very private experience. Did not want to leave either location!

On to Peru (Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Amazon, Lima):
After spending a couple weeks in very private locations, Peru was a change of pace—lots of people/tourists. The highlight of the Peru portion of our trip was having Romulo as our guide for 8 days. He grew up in Machu Picchu and clearly was an experienced trekker beyond our capabilities, but he was also a master storyteller with an incredible ability to bring the culture and history of Peru and the Inca civilization to life in a very personal way—not to mention he had a great sense of humor and was an incredibly interesting guy! We return a little wiser because of our time with Romulo.

Prior to Machu Picchu, we spent 3 nights in the Sacred Valley at Sol Y Luna—we must have had the best casita in the house! Very private with a lovely garden and private hot tub. Our first morning was a visit to Pisac—both the ruins and the town for lunch. The Pisac hike was described as an easy leisurely morning due to our late night arrival—must admit, given the altitude, this was more strenuous than described and we both agreed our most difficult morning of the trip even though we loved it. We enjoyed a couple other walks and village visits.

Of course Machu Picchu was the highlight—we had 2 beautiful sunny days at the site. Our first entry was the most crowded at 11:00 AM, but by our 2:00 PM entry it felt as though we had the citadel to ourselves. We went back up the following morning for the 6:00 AM entry—amazingly beautiful and peaceful. We felt so lucky! Tom had arranged two back up entries in case the weather had not been in our favor—really smart! (And we used the extra time to enjoy our hotel and relax.) Due to a large rainy season, several areas were closed, but we felt very lucky for what we were able to see without too many people (afternoon and early morning visit).

After 2 nights we departed for Cusco by train and car—lots of traffic, so might suggest an earlier train (we took the 3:48 PM – arriving after 9:00 PM). Belmond Monasterio is lovely with fantastic service—non-descript but comfortable room. We had two of our favorite meals in Peru at the recommended MAP Cafe and Cicciolina. We enjoyed the tour of the market as well as the entire town.

Last stops:
Peru’s Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica gives you a taste of the Amazon in a short amount of time. Easy flight transfer, nice glam/rustic cabins and very good guides. Our favorite excursions were Lake Sandoval and the Canopy treetop tours. Perfect for limited time.

Lima—Belmond again was great. Enjoyed the neighborhood and the old city center with our guide Claudia.

The trip Tom planned was absolutely amazing. My family of 10 (ranging from 12-74) had many different experiences, being in the Atacama Desert, Patagonia in Torres Del Paine, and then in Buenos Aires. The guides were all amazing and very considerate (especially for me, “Granny”).

A highlight in BA was the Cooking Class at Criolla—everyone loved it!

Thanks for a wonderful trip. We loved every minute!

My husband and I just returned from an incredible almost 2 week adventure (12/28/24-1/10/25) in Chile where our visit took us to two extraordinary locations: Atacama and Patagonia… with much thanks to Tom, who planned a wonderful hassle-free itinerary with many moving parts. We could not have done what we did without him!

Patagonia was our primary intention for this trip, but reading about Atacama in another Wendy Perrin review piqued interest to visit there as well. It is fascinating… and could not be more different than Patagonia, which makes it a wonderful combination for a trip of this length in a country as huge as Chile. In Atacama, Tom’s itinerary kept us on the move with our wonderful, indefatigable guide Abelina ‘Abby’ who led us on challenging treks, brought us to the stunning Moon Valley and Rainbow Valley and other spots as we acclimated to the altitude, and even took my husband shopping for new hiking boots. Our stay at Noi Atacama was nice, comfortable, and well-located, and the local town of San Pedro was buzzing around New Year’s. Highlights: AMAZING star gazing experience where we saw four planets including the rings of Saturn, the final magnificent sunset of the year overlooking Moon Valley, and the El Tatio Geyser field at sunrise, followed by a delicious tailgate breakfast.

Patagonia… not sure I have the adjectives to describe what is possibly the most stunning, majestically beautiful place on Earth. Our five day/six night stay in Patagonia began with two nights at the fabulous Singular Hotel—a 19th-20th century sheep processing facility re-imagined as a luxury hotel. This very special property begins with history, and the way in which it is honored, respected and incorporated into a 21st century hotel. Then, the food and spa—both wonderful, and top-notch, and finally, a day-long boat excursion through the fjord surrounded by glaciers, with lunch at an estancia with a full barbecue, horse-back riding and hiking. Fantastic! We were sad to leave The Singular but the best was yet to come… our 3 day/4 night experience at Patagonia Camp in the Torres del Paine National Park.

The hour-long drive from The Singular to Patagonia Camp gave us a wonderful introduction to the region, and from the moment we arrived at Patagonia Camp it felt pretty close to perfect: warm, welcoming and gracious, exceptional staff/guides, excellent food and drink, attentive dining service, and the yurts… cozy, private, fully appointed, comfortable treehouses tucked into the trees. Our full-day hikes started early each morning with the ritual of making your bag lunch to take along (with additional food, soup, beverages provided on-site), a full briefing by your guides prior to heading out, and appropriate support throughout the day as weather and conditions were always changing. And Patagonia Camp attracts wonderful guests from all over the world—an extra unexpected treat—who you get to know while hiking. New best friends in 8 hours! Talk about being sad to leave—leaving Patagonia Camp felt like leaving sleepaway camp after a full summer. Patagonia gets in your soul, and our experience at Patagonia Camp absolutely set the stage for this key takeaway from our incredible trip.

Some things to keep in mind, if following this kind of itinerary—we loved it, but some travellers may want some additonal down-time, especially in higher altitude Atacama. Many roads in Chile are bumpy and unpaved… my husband has a very bad back and the bumpy roads were an issue. Do bring layers! We were in Chile in summer, and wore everything from shorts to parkas, hats and gloves. Bring rainpants for Patagonia. At Patagonia Camp: Request a yurt with a hot tub, which we very much wish we had after a full day of hiking.

While I don’t think we would return to Atacama, I do hope we can make another trip to Patagonia someday. It’s hard to exceed expectations—but this trip came pretty close!

Local Rapa Nui guide, Martin Hey, and Jeannie Mullen exploring a quiet inlet on the Easter Island.

Traveler Jeannie Mullen and local Rapa Nui guide explore a quiet inlet frequented by Easter Island locals.

Just back from pre-Thanksgiving holiday to Easter Island … this was my third or fourth time using Tom Damon for solo travel trip planning to South America. I was paired with Martin Hey, a fantastic local Rapa Nui guide… a great story teller who wove science, history and Rapa Nui lore into every single day of the trip. This was also my third attempt since the pandemic to try to schedule a trip to this remote island. It did not disappoint. Not only did Martin bring the platforms and statues to life through his storytelling, he also knew how and when to enjoy them with very few if any other groups around. Many times we had the sites to ourselves for extended periods of time. Interspersed with day trips to the local Moai sites were several long hikes and one particular boat trip out to the Birdman competition islands which enabled us to share stories and meet other locals with whom we could share experiences and a good bit of laughter. Importantly, the pacing of the trip enabled me to enjoy my time on the island without being harried or racing from one site to another. Thank you Martin, Tom and Wendy for yet another fantastic trip.

I cannot fail to mention the great lengths to which Tom and his contacts went to make sure that I made my VERY tight return connection in Santiago. LATAM airlines changed the connecting flight time out of Easter Island at the last minute which made my international flight connection in Santiago very risky. If I didn’t make that connection I would not have been able to leave for another 24 hours, which would have resulted in me missing Thanksgiving with my family. Tom arranged RAC concierge service which vastly expedited the 1 1/2 hour immigration line that my fellow passengers reported they endured before making the same connection. So, Tom, I thank you and my family thanks you!

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