“Chimu delivered on all aspects of the holiday but things were a little chaotic and confusing at times. attention to detail was oftern lacking. Particularly disappointing were things like
1. A bus in Rio that was totally packed and had windows covered in stickers which made the whole day a waste of time as we couldnt see anything that was being poointed out by the guide,
2. Our bookings in the second half of the tour suddenly changed from double bed to two singles. This was very difficult to change as the hotels often said they had noi availability for doubles and pointed out that singles were what had been booked,
3. There were far to many 3am or 3.30am start times to make those days enjoyable.
4. Ona. couple of occassions that had early start times we were delivered to hotels at 8am or 9am in the morrning only to be left waiting in reception for hours with our luggage for our rooms to become available. No plan was made by Chimu to ease this burden.
5. Some of the guides were very average (whilst others I must say were excellent) and for instance one guide (Larry) in Peru was confusing, failed to deliver all the tickets to us and then claimed we had lost them (which we certainly didn't) and didnt explain properly what was happening in the very brief time we met with him at the airport in Cusco. We basically had to work it all out ourselves with the help of other guides that we had on the ay around,
6. Our tickets for Machu Pichu were for a particular time but the train we were boked on to get us to Machu Pichu was only scheduled to arrive after the alloted time. This caused a major delay on arrival and it was only through our guide working with the park administrators and afer a letter of consent had been obtained, that we were eventually permitted entry to the site.
7. All bookings were made in my name and all communication prior to departure was made with me. However, in South America, everything was in my wifes name. Even this review is in my wifes name despite it being senmt to my email address!
I could go on. Individually most of the issues were insignificant but collectively they mounted up to cause a fair degree of disatisfaction.”
“A great company to book through. Communication throughout the process was clear and helpful.
I now look forward to going and experiencing the people, sights and sounds.”
“Fantastic Antarctic cruise. Made it south of the Antarctic circle. Great guides and informative lectures on board. Lots to do everyday with zodiac excursions, kayaking and hiking.The food was excellent. Highly recommended .”
“Everything about this trip was super excellent & well beyond my expectations. Loved the itinerary, the ship, the environments we visited & wildlife we saw, the expedition crew, the food, the cleaning, the ship's crew, how organised everything was, how keen everyone was to help... the whole package was brilliant.”
“Great cheap in booking my trip. Worked with Jason Dudson , he is awesome and great to work with. Wonderful experience. Thanks Jason for the once in a life time trip.”
“I had an extremely memorable time the Chimu staff were fantastic and very knowledgable. I wasn’t so much a fan of the ship it’s self or even of some of the ships crew however it faded into insignificance quickly and was likely mainly due to the high standards Chimu themselves set. Thank you Chimu”
“We had a fabulous trip to Antarctica. It was even better than we expected. Staff was amazing and professional. Everyone was very knowledgable and ready to help. We have been recommending Chimu and Quark to all our friends. It has been the best trip we've ever taken. Communication with Chimu was so easy and we had no issues with the travel arrangements or knowing what was expected of us or them.”
“Travelling the Antarctic has been a lifelong dream and the Ocean Endevour was the way to do it! So intimate, incredible crew and guides and a journey truly worthy of a bucket list!”
“When asked to rate the trip out of 10 I always reply 15.
For me it was a new beginning after almost two years of living with grief, after my wife passed away with virtually no warning.
The Chimu team were fantastic.”
“Our second Chimu adventure, once again everything so well organised. Met at every location by representatives on time, transfers to hotels and airports perfect. Excellent suggestions by our agent Craig for activities in addition to our Antarctic cruise. Will definitely aim to get Craig to assist with another Sth American adventure”
