I thought I would share a recent testimonial from a very happy client who recently took a trip with Chimu Adventures in Argentina. Great work Gavin!. Visit www.chimuadventures.com for more reviews and good news!

Dear Gavin,

We wanted to thank you for your most excellent organisation of our trip to Argentina. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and everything worked out just as planned. The variety of transport and guides was absolutely great.

Hotel Reindo del Plata in Buenos Aires was ideally centrally situated and H & T Argentina coped perfectly with us leaving some baggage behind and transferring it to Hotel 248Finisterra when we returned from Igazu and the Valdes  Peninsular. The latter hotel was also ideal for us, located in a safe and popular district with access to wonderful parks which were a great wind down for us  after all the travelling.

The tango evening at La Ventana was magnificent and we would recommend it to anyone.  Iguazu was fantastic. There were some advantages in staying at the Sheraton, but as you suggested, it was not essential although for us it was ideal.  We took the optional boat trip which was a great adventure and thoroughly appreciated seeing the falls from both the Brazilian side and the close up walkways on the Argentinean side

The arrangements for the Valdes Peninsular part of the tour were the most complex but all worked very well. It transpired to be really worthwhile staying at the Faro Punta Delgado hotel for two nights. Because we were not part of a tour we got individual attention along with just a few others. So to two of us, or perhaps a group of four, were taken right down onto the beaches  just feet away from the Elephant seals; had a sunset  wildlife observation trip in a 4 x 4 and, in a larger group, we sat on the beach with the Elephant seals and watched the moon rise! We had thought that we would have time to fill there, but the hotel staff were brilliant and, at no extra cost, took us all around, even to some secluded bays where the main tour groups never go. We would thoroughly recommend to anyone to spend a couple of days there rather than simply pass by on a very long day trip from Puerto Madryn which seemed to be the only alternative.  The optional whale watching boat trip from Punta Piramides was  also very worthwhile and very successful in terms of getting close up to the whales – something we had not expected.

The guide who took just us from Punta Delgado back to Puerto Madryn via Punta Norte for Penguins and lunch, was absolutely excellent. His English was the best (all the tour guides spoke excellent English although some were heavily accented. The pickup drivers to and from the airports often had little English but our Spanish sufficed, Interestingly, although having learned quite a bit of Latin American Spanish, whilst we were always understood, understanding the responses was often quite difficult!) and he took time out to identify and show us lots of local wildlife.  The tour to Punta Tombo might be excluded if Punta Norte has been visited since the Penguin situation is similar if more extensive. The visit to Gaiman and the Welsh on the way back was a bonus though. Trelew did not appeal, but we were not there for long. Puerto Madryn was a great place, particularly for souvenir shopping at competitive prices.

It was a great trip. Spanish was essential at some points, but even then the local variations caused some hilarity. Seeking to order chips in a restaurant in Las Canitas back in Buenos Aires, we requested patatas frittas but was offered batatas or patas. We plumped for batatas since patas did not appear in the phrase book -  to end up with sweet potato chips. Patas appears to be the local word for traditional potato. Otherwise we got on fine!

We wish to return! The plan is to undertake a trip to take in Buenos Aires (or  possibly Montevideo if that were an option); and three locations out of Salta, Mendoza, the Lake District and El Calafate (or possibly El Chalten)  for the glacier boat trip, in March 2011, something like 15-31 March 2011.

Could you let us know if this is something you would be able to arrange for us if we send you more details? The other thing we are interested in is considering some legs by long distance bus rather than flying in and out of Buenos Aires. We met others this trip who used the buses and said they were very good, particularly if travelling first class. Our ace guide mentioned above also recommended travelling on a bit of Route 40, so could you suggest how this could be fitted in?

Very many thanks for an excellent holiday and first class administration,

Regards,

John & Jan Lamidey