Good morning Charles,

Sara and I would like to thank you for the amazing experience we had with Experience Chile. Our plans were all arranged in the time and we appreciate how smooth things went for us.

Thank you,

The House of Bucci

Hi Charles,

Hope you are well. Just touching base after our return to Melbourne all safe and well. Also to thank you for your guidance and assistance in what was a truly memorable trip. Hopefully we will get to return to Chile one day.

Done for Google and Trust Pilot, couldn’t work out Trip Advisor.

Cheers John

Thanks John

Dear Charles,

Hope my email finds you well. Just want to thank you for your great work to get our luggage back from Chile.

I received it well today at my home in the UK. Fabulous experience and memory with your team.

Wish you all the best. Look forward to working with you again in our next trip to South America.

I have posted a positive review on Google about your team and services. Please see the attached screenshot.

Best wishes,

Li

Hello,

We have returned from our trip to Chile and Patagonia and I wanted to provide a review of your services.

I would post on Trip Advisor but I couldn’t find a place to review services such as yours. Overall, the trip was absolutely fantastic.

Hiking beneath the towering mountains of Torres del Paine with Andean Condors soaring above us, roaring rivers, through the wind and a bit of rain was a trip we will never forget.

The reason we hired you was the challenge of booking campsites along the W-trek with two different companies and paying with a credit card online.

Hiking
We had an atypical slow hiking plan of 5 nights and 6 days. And with great care, Experience Chile did indeed take care of nearly a half a million details and during the trip there was nary a hitch. Tents, sleeping bags and meals all easily acquired at each stop and the companies and staff that run each site were mostly well prepared and very organized.

In addition, you did book our other bus travel arrangements for us which were also well executed. We didn’t miss a bus! The seats were very comfortable and the travel easy. I think that I had emailed you a few times to inquire about status of vouchers or other items and sometimes the responses were a bit curt.

Did Not Know
There was so much I did not know and more regular emails or even information on what to expect and when from you would have been more helpful. We had no idea that Los Torres would be providing lightweight sleeping bag liners, a great microfiber towel and a metal water bottle.

These gifts were greatly appreciated though if we had known ahead of time, we would have left at home our liners that we carried around for a month in Chile. Also, the pads in the tent were ample and thick and had we known, two of us would have left our lightweight but bulky blowup mattresses at home as well.

Special Requirement
We are a group of four with three of us having special requirements regarding food. For the most part everyplace was very understanding, and we were well accommodated with the exception of a few meals. The welcome drinks which we were not expecting were quite delightful and well appreciated.

Hotels
Accommodations in Puerto Natales. The Antiplatiico Hotel was a spectacular and spacious place. It was beyond our usual price point and was also far out of town and we needed to take a taxi into town. On the return trip, we arrived at the hotel at 10:30 pm and with our schedule, we left at 6:45 AM.

Not enough time to enjoy. It would have been nice to be offered a range of a few places.

Thanks again for all your time and effort,

Best wishes, Celese and Patrick Spencer, Peter Frenzen and Denise Fidel

HI Charles,

I did the reviews. Google is easiest. Trip Advisor doesn’t seem to include travel agencies but I did comment in the forum. Feel free to use the Google review on your website. We had a great trip and enjoyed getting together at the end. BTW I may not have mentioned Pullman Vitacura is a very good choice.

They did not charge us for the early check in and allowed a 4 pm check out on the last day at no charge. Very comfortable, good and safe location and excellent staff.

Susan

Erica,

I just saw your message about who I used to set up our Torres del Paine trip.

Note that I used Experience Chile (https://www.experiencechile.org), owned by Charles Hallifax (he is cc’d to this email). Charles is absolutely fantastic. He set up every single aspect of our trip, including all of the extras.

Be sure to have your friend mention their connection to you (and me).

Cheers,
Colin

Mr. Halifax,

Thank you for your help arranging my recent Chile trip. The trip was everything I hoped it would be. I will send you a few pictures from my iphone after this email, because took a lot with both my iphone and camera. You can use the photos. Also, you can use me as a reference if you ever need to.

The guides for the puma excursion and the Torres del Paine were excellent. John Paul was the Puma tracker and Jorge was the guide for the two days in the park. I would recommend both, as they were knowledgeable and caring individuals.

Punta Arenas
In Punta Arenas everything was fine. My trip to Magdalena Island by boat to see penguins was cancelled due to high winds and I substituted a Condor excursion for that day. It was okay but I had already seen a number of Condors just going to the ranch for the pumas and park. Of course, the excursion was to a rookery, so we say a lot more.

Whales
The best part of the trip to Punta Arenas was the boat trip along the Magellan Strait. I saw a lot of humpback whales, seals, sea lions and penguins. It was a 15-hour day, well worth it.

Santiago
In Santiago, the guide Felipe was okay, knowledgeable but sometimes I got the feeling he was more interested in making sure we did go over four hours. At the same time, he was not really rushing me with his comments and left it up to me as to how much time we spent at the various stops.

Hopefully he will not get into trouble because he was quite concerned and helpful with me getting around as my back really started giving me trouble. I should have booked an all-day trip. As it was, I got a brief introduction into Santiago.

Again, all in all a great trip.

Thanks again for all your help. I am planning at some point to visit South America again and will call on you.

Hi Charles,

Here is my testimonial for your websites, if you want (Sorry for my english, hope there is not such many mistakes there), sending translation to Spanish too.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping organize part of our journey through Chile/Argentina. We love to travel and do so frequently, always on our own. It should be noted that we typically don’t use the services of travel agencies or agents as we value absolute freedom.

However, not everything can be resolved without assistance, especially when traveling almost to the other end of the world with a family of 11.

We initially approached ExperienceChile only for transportation – unfortunately, renting a car in Chile and returning it in Argentina is not possible, and we didn’t have time for bus transfers. In Patagonia, Charles not only arranged a car with a driver for us but also accommodation in three different places during our travels, tickets to Torres del Paine National Park, transfer to Argentina, a trip to Perito Moreno, etc. Despite our strict preference against guides, everything that was arranged turned out absolutely fantastic.”

Hana & Family

Dear Charles,

Finally, after returning, I’m getting to write to you and once again thank you for organizing a part of our trip to Chile/Argentina. Everything you arranged for us went perfectly, and thanks to you, we had a great vacation. If you want to write a public review, share some photos, or anything else, let me know where…

Happy New Year

Best regards, Hana

Hi Charles,

We just returned yesterday and wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for all your help and support in making this trip happen. On top of it, it was such an unexpected and added bonus to get to meet you in Santiago, thanks for coming! (By the way, thank you for pointing us to your article, a brilliant read and thankfully we didn’t have any gnarly situations like yours to deal with, but we loved Torres del Paine as much as you did).

As we discussed, more than happy to give you a quick recap and feedback on our journey.

What went great? Pretty much all of our trip to be honest, but some things to point out:

Logistics
All the logistics were really flawless (all airport pickups and drop-offs for instance without issue), transport tickets, park entry etc. This really allowed us to focus on enjoying the trip without worrying about anything we might be missing or forgetting.

Your packing list and directions for the W Trek were super helpful as well. Minor caveats:

We definitely overpacked as a result, but that’s on us and better safe than sorry

The estimated times for the hikes are definitely on the rather ambitious side. We definitely consider us to be in reasonable shape and even with limited number of breaks we ended up taking longer than outlined in the hike descriptions

Our Hotels
Hotels were all wonderful, thank you for the suggestion on Hyatt Mendoza (where we spent a great New Years’ Eve) and the Mio Buenos Aires and Palcos Apalta are definitely two options we can also recommend going forward

Your help for all W trek logistics was absolutely crucial – having spoken with many other hikers we realised how tricky that can be and you made it so smooth and easy for us. All the refugios were really brilliant, though Paine Grande has the least “charm” of them, so if we had to do it again, we would ideally do 5 days and do nights in Chileno > Cuernos > Francés > Grey. Useful knowledge for when/if we do the O one day :).

Overall, the itinerary was very well balanced, and you helped us think through where to best spend the time and so all in all we felt like we made the best use of time available to us in Argentina and Chile

What could have been better?
We’re definitely talking about smaller issues here, but a few things that came to mind were:

The wine tours overall were good and logistics were smooth, though more aimed at the “average” tourist and in our case knowing a lot about wine and having a related business, it would have been nice in hindsight to tailor our wine itinerary further and/or having an intro chat with a local expert to discuss what we want and they can then tailor the package to our needs.

Nonetheless all of the winery visits were really good with the unexpected exception of “Susana Balbo” which was overcrowded and the tour was held by one poor guy (who did his very best) for 30+ people in 3 languages at the same time

In terms of the wine tour logistics we liked the Chilean model better with only one driver – in Mendoza we always had a driver (all lovely) and a separate guide which felt a bit redundant, especially since we candidly felt that although she was really kind, she wasn’t a wine specialist in any way. We don’t know how agencies operate and why two people are needed, though, so only an observation.

Incredible Trip
Again, all in all it has been an absolutely INCREDIBLE trip and you had a big part in making it happen for us, thank you!!!
For now, wishing you a Happy New Year and we’re looking forward to staying in touch for organising some wine trips via Vinjoyment and ExperienceChile in the future.

All the best and kind regards from London,
Lorena & Jean-Philippe

Dear Charles,

Here is what posted on Google:

We booked our Torres del Paine W-trek with Charles Hallifax and received excellent support as we were preparing for the trip.

From arranging pick-up in Punta Arenas, to the reservations at Refugio Central, Cabins Los Cuernos and Hotel Grey, as well as arranging drivers, everything worked out like clockwork.

During the hike, Charles was available to assist us. His support and connections to the local vendors made this trip a journey of a lifetime!

Thanks again!
Ruprecht

Hi Charles,

We made it safely home. Thanks again for everything and particularly for setting us us with Hotel Antumalal to end the trip — it was a great way to decompress between the hiking and the long flight home

Frankly, we enjoyed everything about the trip, and were really fortunate with the weather on the W. I thought it would be good to share a few items of debriefing with you, in no particular order:

At check-out at Antumalal, we paid for one direction on the shuttle. My recollection was that this was expected due to the late change on the shuttles when the flights changed, but I wanted to mention this in case you’d paid for both directions ahead of time.

All of the hotels were good choices.
LOI was a good choice for a half day in BA after the overnight flight and convenient for the flight from AEP

Likewise, Alma Sur in Punta Arenas was good for the transit leg after the W — nice room, good restaurant, convenient to the airport

Posada Los Alamos in El Calafate was fine for the two nights we were there, but there was a real mismatch between the overall facility/staffing and the room. The grounds, staffing and amenities suggest a resort type vibe.

In addition, the room was large and clean but fit and finish didn’t match that expectation. By no means was it a bad room, but it was a bit worn. It suited our purposes well, but if we’d had high expectations and were staying longer, we might have been disappointed.

Chalten Suites was a really good choice for us — the management was attentive without hovering and the view of town and the mountains was nice — it was chilly and damp part of our time there, so having a comfortable room was a plus.

Obviously, Antumalal was great. For some reason, it was also low occupancy while we were there, so we almost had it to ourselves!

Transfers
We only had one issue with transfers –everything else went very smoothly

Coming off the catamaran following the W, the driver wasn’t present at the Rio Pingo parking lot. We thought perhaps he was at the Hotel Lago Gray, about 1/2 km away. He wasn’t there either, so I had the front desk call Patagon. They thought the pick up was later (~2:30) and gave me the make and license plate of the vehicle.

I went back to Rio Pingo and found the vehicle (which was reassuring!) but couldn’t find the driver — apparently, he was in the restaurant and not expecting me there yet. Anyway, we did finally meet up and get down to Punta Arenas. Not the end of the world, but I would suggest that for the future, the pick-up point at Rio Pingo be made a bit more explicit. This was the only time I felt uncertain about whether we were in the right spot. (FWIW, signage for the catamaran on both ends was rather sparse which may have contributed to this sense)

Welcome Kit
It would be worth mentioning to anyone getting a Welcome kit at TDP that it’s about 2-2.5 L between the towel, bottle and bag liner. We had fairly full packs and wanted to get started to Chileno quickly, so we looked like peddlers with stuff hanging off the packs until we repacked the first night. Kind of humorous, but we should have saved some space — I knew we got the kit, just hadn’t thought about the volume.

We did bring the micro spikes, but that was overkill. Earlier in the season when Base Torres was really icy, they’d have been useful, but by now, everything is melted out and the ground is warm enough that I can’t imagine needing them until well into the fall.

I’m glad we did the private shuttle to TDP, and stayed at Chileno the first night, rather than having a night at Puerto Natales after the bus ride. It allowed us to get to Base Torres early the next day before the crowds and cut the climbing on that day in half.

Pucon
Knowing what I do now, I’d probably have opted for a rental car from Temuco to Pucon. The navigation is easy and the car would have allowed some extra flexibility. For a three day stay, I believe the rental might also have been less expensive than the shuttles. We did fine with taxis and walking, so I don’t count this as a regret, merely something I’d do differently on a next trip.

I think that’s all. Again, a hugely successful trip; thanks for everything. If there’s anything about the experience, you’d like more feedback on, let me know. Otherwise, best wishes for Christmas and the New Year!

best regards —

Marvin

Dear Charles,

John and I are sitting at the airport waiting for our flight to Chile and thought we would take this opportunity to thank you very much for such a brilliantly executed trip. We absolutely loved it. You chose us such brilliant destinations and we adored all the guides and reception staff.

At Matetic we were most impressed with the staff, nothing was too much trouble. Every meal was delicious, if a little generous in portions, we very quickly became obsessed with the outstanding wines, which we were fortunate to continue drinking as we traveled down Chile.

Tierra
At Tierra as well as the above-mentioned winery we had incredible view in a beautiful environment. The bedroom had a fantastic aspect and we enjoyed relaxing in front of the wood stoves. In addition, the guides were very knowledgeable and committed.

Cerro Guido
Estancia Cerro Guido was quite different as we were quickly thrown into the farming aspect of the estate. The food was outstanding, and we again enjoyed Matetic wines. Also, the specific birthday surprise was stunning, they kept John wondering what was going to happen next and everyone was enthusiastically involved.

Crucero Australis
Australis was actually not quite what we were expecting. I watched the captain chat through his dramatic video before you booked it for us, and it came across as being a big adventure! Unfortunately, we found there was far too much time just sitting around and whilst the views were good, they were not a patch on what had come before.

We did enjoy the trips ashore but feel there should have been the option for a couple of these each day. Obviously, we are not the cruising type! Ushuaia was well worth the visit. Las Hayas had stunning views and a great selection of unusual wines and beers.

Also, we would highly recommend the day excursion huts at the harbor to find a full-on day out.

Thank you again Charles

Hi Charles,

We got home today from the trip and it was absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for ensuring we had a smooth trip and could enjoy everything that is the W Trek! I just left a review on Google for Experience Chile – let me know if there are any other sites that would be helpful to post on.

Also, I’ve attached a few photos and a video from our trip below as well. Feel free to use on the website or social media.

Our club is planning to organize another W Trek in December this year, so I’ll connect you with the person leading that trip when the time comes.

Thanks again!

Best,
Maggie

Dear Charles,

Yes, I’d be happy to give a testimonial. How about something like this.

Charles arranged most the Chile part of a 4-week holiday for my wife & I in Feb 2023. I started making arrangements in early summer 2022, just as they were coming out of Covid restrictions – and felt that I needed someone in Chile to work with. The Experience Chile web site was the thing that attracted me to his company – especially the commentary on the hotels in Torres del Paine area.

He arranged a private transfer from Calafate to TDP, 4 nights (all inclusive) in Lago Grey, car rental at Puerto Montt airport, 3 nights (all inclusive) in Termas de Puyehue and the Cruce Andino crossing from Puerto Varas to Bariloche.

I found him very easy to work with, almost instant response (even on weekends) and very professional.

Although I was initially quite concerned at the lack of reviews on Trip Advisor etc – after all I was transferring large amounts of money to an unknown company in Chile with a bank account in USA – but I decided to go ahead anyway based on the professional material that I had been sent.

I would warn anyone that Charles (and much of Chile & Argentina) only deals in US$ so you need to transfer the deposit and balance using a foreign exchange broker eg xe.com.

BG, Surrey, UK

Regards

Brian Golightly

Hola Charles!

I’ve finally had some time to sit down and send some feedback / quotes for you regarding our trip. You have permission to use any of the below language and the photos attached.

Positive Feedback
All of our transfers were seamless. The drivers were always perfectly on time, if not early, and also very friendly. One driver in particular gave us a ton of historical information about the area and was just a joy to talk to. In addition, the transfers were especially helpful crossing the border from Chile into Argentina, and we were able to skip the long customs line!

We could not have done the trip without the excellent private transfers set up by Experience Chile.

Hotels
The hotels selected were gorgeous- from Altiplanico to Hotel Lago Grey to Bidasoa, we had an exceptional experience and felt very at home no matter where we stayed. Also, we found the service wonderful at every location, and Experience Chile has clearly done the research into the best places to stay, and it paid off to have them book everything for our group.

W Trek
For the W trek, this was perfectly planned. We had absolutely no hiccups and the trek went off without a hitch. As a group of five, it was imperative to use a trip planner like Experience Chile to make sure all of our refugio reservations, meal requirements, and catamaran and bus tickets were booked perfectly. This trek takes a lot of logistical planning, and it was a huge weight off our shoulders to have Experience Chile figure it all out for us.

We had an extra two days in Chile due to a flight change and Experience Chile booked us a lovely itinerary which included a vineyard and ocean-side stay on the coast. For us, this was the perfect way to end our three-week adventure, and we appreciated the ease at which the itinerary change was made.

No Issues
It’s obvious Experience Chile has done this before! This was our first time traveling as a family outside of the country and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We faced no issues at any point in the trip, and we can’t wait to book another trip to South America with Experience Chile!

And last but not least, it was great to meet you in person in Santiago.

Thanks for making the effort to come say hello.

Hi Charles,

Just wanted to tell you I finished the W hike and it was fantastic.

Somehow, I had perfect weather – sunny/cloudy each day and occasional sprinkling rain – all the heavy rain was at night or literally the last hour I left at 5 pm to catch the boat to Pudeto! All the services – pickups, buses, refugio’s and hotels were perfect.

Really a great experience! I did all the extras – going to the suspension bridges beyond the Grey Refugio, the waterfall at Pudeto (and the extra hike beyond it to the viewpoint).

Thank you for all the arranging – it made for a seamless add on to the trip my wife and I were on in Argentina and Antarctica.

Cheers!

Mike.

Greetings from Snowy New Hampshire, Charles!

As we slowly adjust to our daily lives after such a magical trip, we wanted to let you know how much we appreciated all your efforts on our behalf, and I especially was grateful for your patience with my constant questions and emails.

Thank you so much for all your assistance from the planning to the execution of our amazing three-week Patagonia tour!

May we refer others to your website?

Best wishes for a healthy and peaceful 2023!
Susannah

bonjour

nous voici de retour en France

sommes entièrement satisfait de votre organisation

nous avons profitez pleinement de notre treck grace à vous et meme le temps était de la partie, nous n’hésiterons pas à vous faire de la pub

encore merci bonne continuation , bonnes fétes

Hubert Michel et François

Hi Charles:

Attached is our banking information to wire transfer the refunded fees for the cancelled penguin tour. We had such a fantastic trip and you made it all so easy for us, everything was perfect! Is there somewhere I can make a referral or provide feedback? I certainly hope your employer knows they should do everything they can to retain you and your services, cheers!

Kind regards,
Shelley Sansome

Hello,

My wife and I just finished a wonderful visit to Torres Del Paine national park in Chilean Patagonia. I had the pleasure of working with Charles Hallifax and his team in recent months to arrange for private transportation between the Patagonia airports (PUQ, PNT) and the park hotel.

Charles was a fantastic partner during the planning stages and also while we were here in Chile. He was friendly, helpful, clear, and responsive at all times. The two drivers were also fantastic. They were friendly, timely, and made us feel safe in a new environment.
I recommend Charles and the rest of the Experience Chile team. Thanks for enabling a wonderful outdoors experience!

Thanks,
Scott Newton

Hi Charles,

Charles Halifax and Experience Chile did an outstanding job planning and supporting our four week travel vacation in Patagonia. Our trip was initially planned for Argentina and Chile in March 2020, but Covid hit.

Experience Chile ensured that our reservations and payments rolled forward to what turned out to be two years to February of 2022.

Great Advice
The Experience Chile team provided great advice on fine tuning our itinerary to minimize Covid disruptions and planned a trip which included hut to hut trekking the O circuit in Torres del Paine fort eight days, a five-day cruise on the Ventus Australis through the Magellan channel and out to Cape Horn and a stay in the Chilean Lake district.

This was a complex and long itinerary but every transfer and reservation was seamless and the accommodation top of the line and marvelous. When my wife Edna hurt her leg the second to last day on the O circuit, Charles arranged for transportation and nearby lodging where she could hang out while I completed the circuit. Then, when our cruise was late returning to Punta Arenas, Charles and team arranged for a hotel and changed our flights. Patagonia itself is other worldly and a must to see if you are a world traveler.

We had very high expectations and they were exceeded by Charles, Experience Chile and Patagonia.

When we travel to Chile in the future we will certainly use Experience Chile and I give them my highest recommendation.

James D. Marks M.D., Ph.D.

Chief of Performance Excellence, ZSFG

Professor of Anesthesia, UCSF

Hello Charles,

Yes we did indeed. It was a perfectly smooth transfer from door to door. Both drivers were incredibly friendly, professional and accommodating.

Thank you so much for arranging this it was a huge help with the most technical aspect of our trip.

Kind regards,

Marc Greenwood

Charles,

It was great! perfect weather, everything went well, the track is amazing 🙂

thanks for making it happen 🙂

Hi Charles,

We had four main points of feedback:

All of the transfers went off without a hitch and all of the drivers were friendly, helpful, and informative.
Daniella had misspelled our names on our flights within the country. She caught the error, and told us all of the flights had been updated.

The cabin in Pucon has seen better days. It was just quite run down, and given the cost of the trip and the quality of other accommodations in the area, it was a disappointment.

Related to the cost of the trip – this is the first time we have used a trip planner, and I am on the fence as to whether we would again. You were very helpful in getting a wonderful trip pulled together in a short period of time.

We did have a great time in Chile, and we appreciate your help in making it happen, and we hope the feedback is helpful.

Derek