Private Shore Excursion to Coyhaique National Reserve from Puerto Chacabuco

Huge disappointment. We met a bunch of other tour guides on the dock and no one had even heard of the company with which we booked. Finally another guide used his phone to call the number on out voucher. The guide recognized "Christopher." Finally our very timid guide arrived, Nicholas. The five of us got underway. The driver, Patricio, was excellent. He even tried to suggest things to Nicholas to talk about that we would be interesting to us. We have used Viator all over the world, and this tour was our biggest dissatisfaction. Rather than narrating points of interest or telling us about the area, we had to continually ask questions, and because his English language skills are limited, we would have to rephrase and rephrase and still never be certain we were understood or understood him. Additionally, time management was POOR. We spent way too long at a bridge and lame city park, then at a fairly lame water fall. When we finally got to the park, there was limited time to hike and explore, we were served a lunch of packaged food from a convenience store(?), and did not get to go to 3 promised stops due to having to get back to the ship and unknown delays from road construction. It felt to us that Nicholas was not particularly knowledgeable, that he has seen other tours stop at the bridge and the waterfall, so he stopped there too. We never learned about the park, conservation and parks in Chile, how people live in Chatabuco, etc. Also, when I spoke with Viator about this excursion, we were disappointed in the response, which was basically that they had spoken with the tour operator and he disagreed with our assessment about Nicholas and the excursion. Wow. Again, we have had excellent tours with excellent guides all over the world with Viator. This was our first bad experience and bad review. Our purpose is so that Viator can know and assure it offers quality. To be dismissed so readily has left us questioning Viator.

This tour is exactly as described, a long and beautiful scenic drive. I was hoping it was a bit more rugged, like Torres Del Paine, but it was more like Yosemite. Still beautiful, but a long way to go for the scenery. Our guide, Daniel, was charming and informative and spoke excellent English. We enjoyed spending the day with him! Our driver spoke little English, but graciously tolerated my terrible Spanish, and really tried to make it a nice day for us. We felt well cared for, despite some pretty rough and rustic sections of the road. Lunch was light snacks and some delicious wine by a beautiful lake. It was not quite substantial enough, and some empanadas wouldn’t have gone to waste. As a private tour, it was a bit pricey, but exactly as advertised.

Upon arrival at the port, our guide was quickly found and off we went for a great tour of the National Reserve and the surrounding area. Our guide was very informative and eager to share information. On the drive to the reserve, we made several short stops and the scenery during the drive was breathtaking. Some of the most beautiful pictures I took on this trip were out the window as we drove, so make sure you have your camera ready. The ship was in Puerto Chacabuco for a shorter time period than expected so the tour was a little rushed. For those visiting Puerto Chacabuco on a cruise ship, make sure you have something booked. There is nothing within walking distance of the port and the nearest town requires a taxi ride and there's not much there for a tourist.

A great tour of the National Reserve. Guide was exactly were he said he would be when we got off the ship and the trip was a great experience. A little rushed over lunch. Great description of the history of the surrounding areas and wonderfull scenery.

Nous avons été très déçu : faire 80 kms environ pour voir un lac (identique à tous les lacs). Nous ne recommandons pas cette excursion

Desde Puerto Chacabuco hasta la Reserva Nacional de Cohyaique, nuestra guia Antonia fue muy agradable, simpática y con grandes conocimientos del lugar. La naturaleza en la Laguna Verde muy bonita. Nos ofrecieron un picnic a base de quesos, embutidos y vinos de la zona. En resumen, un día muy agradable. Muy recomendable.