Elqui Valley Tour: History and Flavors

Everything excellent, I highly recommend it

Good trip and a good tour guide

We had an excellent day; Mr. Mauricio Inda (driver and guide) picked us up at the scheduled time, a professional, polite, friendly, and entertaining gentleman. The tour was extraordinary, mystical, and full of energy in the Elqui Valley. We visited the Puclaro reservoir, then went to taste and learn about pisco production at the Capel distillery, later to the viewpoint of Paihuano where a UFO crashed (Mr. Mauricio told us the true story of the UFO accident), then we went to the Cavas del Valle vineyard where they shared their history and we tasted wines that are not on the market, and finally we had an excellent lunch in Pisco Elqui and ended in Vicuña. A fantastic trip where Mr. Mauricio narrated stories and myths of the Valley, which made the tour more enjoyable; 100% recommended.

+3

A very nice tour to discover the vineyards and the distilleries! The landscapes are beautiful and the tastings are very enjoyable. The only downside is that the tour is a bit long.

Excellent organization and service. Our guide, Mauricio Inda, was simply exceptional: very friendly, patient, attentive and with a great knowledge that he was able to transmit in a clear and entertaining way. His passion and willingness to answer questions were noticeable, which made the experience even more enriching. Everything was wonderful.

This was a content-rich day. It was a knowledgeable guide who made sure everyone, including us who do not understand Spanish, got everything with them. Funny with wine and Pisco tasting. Additionally relevant information about history and geology🙂

Very good guide, the schedules were fulfilled, rich lunch.

I write this review in order to warn other travelers, especially families, about the bitter experience we live with guide Juan Pablo. What promised to be a day of rest and enjoyment became a situation of stress and helplessness due to his high-handed and arbitrary attitude. Throughout the journey, John Paul’s treatment was distant and authoritarian, imposing rules at his personal convenience rather than looking after the well-being of the group. However, the critical point occurred at the end of the tour: arguing that our service was not “private”, he flatly refused to drop us off at the agreed pick-up point. The lack of judgment was alarming: it forced us to descend several blocks from our hotel, despite the fact that two older adults and a child as young as 3 were travelling in our group, as well as carrying an extremely heavy travel chair. The most disconcerting and offensive thing was to notice preferential and inconsistent treatment, since other passengers in the same group were left at the door of their condominium without major inconvenience. It is unacceptable for a guide to use the welfare of a family as a bargaining chip to try to force private tours. The quality of a tourist service is measured in problem solving and hospitality, qualities that John Paul does not know completely.

A spectacular tour, we visited places like Puclaro reservoir, Monte grande, Elqui and Vicuña and tastings in Capel and Cava del Valle (the latter place, very beautiful and with a great hostess with Quenita). Our guide - Javier - also very friendly and with great knowledge of the history and culture of the places. 100% recommended

+1

It is a unique experience, to be able to visit so many iconic places of our country and even more so that allow us at each stop to explore the surroundings and know even more about its history and its origins. We also found it amazing to be able to share with others from different places and languages, and the way the guides care to give the information in two different languages, very interesting the tour and rewarding.