OPERADOR TURISTICO NORTE DE CHILE ALTIPLANO Y ATACAMA TOURS

  We used Mayuru Tours for a 5 day/4 night trip through the Chilean Altiplano from Arica to San Pedro de Atacama. Overall the private tour was well organized, the guide/... read more driver was courteous and professional and the Altiplano beautiful.

Preplanning – For our travels through the Chilean Altiplano I was looking for a company to get us from Arica in the very far north of Chile to the popular desert gateway of San Pedro de Atacama. Not many companies service this area and it was difficult to find a company that would answer my emails. Even the folks at Mayuru Tours would take more than a week to respond. With a little persistence, however, we were able to arrange a tour that met our needs. I should also mention that the tour was one of their set itineraries with very little deviation. On the plus side, they do have numerous options to choose from.

Guide – Francisco was extremely professional and courteous. He spoke only Spanish, but spoke slowly and clearly such that even Don who speaks very little Spanish, was able to understand most things he said without my translating them by the end of the trip.

Itinerary – This was a driving tour, so there were a lot of hours in the car. The landscape is beautiful, but it’s a lot of short stops. Many of the sights are not must-sees, but if you are interested in this area of Chile it is a good way to see it. They sent us a detailed itinerary, in English, with what we would see each day. Any minor deviations in this itinerary were discussed with us beforehand. Also beware that several days are at high altitude, so it is wise to acclimate before beginning this trip.

Food and Accommodations – This is not a high-end tour. Hotels and restaurants in this region are basic. I think they arranged the best that they could, but there just isn’t much to choose from. That said, rooms were generally clean and comfortable and the food fine.

Transportation – The vehicle was a 4x4 Toyota Hilux, comfortable, in good condition and able to handle the rough roads. We had no transportation difficulties. Francisco was an excellent driver. In fact he had driven trucks for the mining companies for many years before becoming a tour driver and had an intimate knowledge of the roads, hotels and restaurants along the route.

Cost and Payment – We paid 733USD/person. This covered most everything except for a few small entry fees and dinner in Pica. The same tour with an English speaking guide would have cost 956USD/person. No deposit was required. We paid in cash when we met our guide and driver on the first morning.

Final Thought – I would definitely use Mayuru Tours again and think that overall the trip was a good value for the money.

  Quiero felicitar a todos los miembros de la agencia, estamos muy satisfechos por todo. Se destacaron en todo ámbito; puntualidad, compromiso, preparación, y coordinación. Sin duda, los recomiendo en un... read more 100%!!! No se van a arrepentir ✔️
En lo personal, estoy muy agradecida con Cecilia, ya que el día martes en la noche me sentí mal por la altura, y estuvo en comunicación conmigo hasta la madrugada, apoyándome en todo lo que le pedí y requerí. Además, nos hizo un city tour, mostrándonos todas las picadas y buenos datos (lo que NADIE HACE)
Se pasaron chicos! Muy profesionales!

  Realicé visitas guiadas con Mayuru alrededor de Putre y en San Pedro de Atacama. En el primero con un tour prácticamente en solitario para mí y en el segundo como... read more parte de un grupo, y en ambos la organización del tour fue estupenda. Gabriel y Cecilia estubieron pendientes de que todo saliera a la perfección en todo momento.

Los guías fueron agradables, dinámicos y profesionales en cada una de las excursiones. Los paisajes espectaculares. En definitiva, muy recomendable.

  I experienced two amazing, very well organized tours in Chile (one in the north, one in patagonia).
Both tours included all the highlights I was looking forward to see and... read more all the guides were very competent, attentive and kind. I can totally recommend

  Wir - eine Freundin, ein Freund, mein Mann und ich - suchten eine 4-Tages-Tour von Iquique nach Arica. Im Internet entdeckte ich Mayuru Tours und schrieb diese agencia de viajes... read more an. Gabriel antwortete mir umgehend und bot mir eine sehr interessante Tour an. Das Preis-Leistungsverhältnis fanden wir in Ordnung - deshalb buchten wir auch gleich bei Mayuru Tours. Wir wurden pünktlich von dem Fahrer Enrique in Iquique abgeholt. Er strahlte uns sehr sympathisch an (die Sonne ging auf - und das war echt so), verstaute geschickt unser vieles Gepäck und fuhr mit uns zum Altiplano. Enrique wusste nicht nur alles, was wir ihn fragten, er fuhr uns auch noch sehr gut und sehr sicher von Iquique nach Arica. Es machte einfach Spass mit ihm - immer gut drauf - immer sehr hilfsbereit - nichts war ihm zu viel - TOLL! Kaum zückte ich die Kamera, fuhr er sofort langsam oder hielt an. Phantastisch! Er zeigte uns soooo viel von seiner wunderschönen Heimat und wurde nicht müde, uns alles ausführlich zu erklären. Mein Spanisch ist nicht gut, aber er sprach so deutlich, dass ich fast alles verstand. Mayuru Tours hat uns wirklich eine herrliche Reise mit guten Hotels und Restaurants ausgesucht. Wir waren total begeistert. Enrique überraschte uns an zwei Abenden im Restaurant mit besonderen Aufmerksamkeiten 🙂 VIELEN DANK ENRIQUE - das war wirklich super!!! Die vier Tage gingen leider viel zu schnell rum, aber wir haben in dieser Zeit sooo viel Schönes erlebt und konnten so viele neuen Eindrücke sammeln. Diese phantastische Tour wird uns unvergesslich bleiben. Auf jeden Fall werden wieder bei Mayuru Tours buchen. Wir sind so oft es geht in der ganzen Welt unterwegs, hatten aber noch nie einen so zuverlässigen Tourveranstalter wie Mayuru Tours, bei dem ALLES so wunderbar geklappt hat. Hier hat alles gestimmt - wirklich alles! Vielen Dank MAYURU TOURS, vielen Dank Gabriel und HERZLICHEN DANK ENRIQUE. Wir werden uns wiedersehen!

  Unsere Familie (3 Erwachsene) erlebte während einer Woche im November 2019 eine einzigartige Zeit während einer Reise von Calama über San Pedro de Atacama über Pica nach Colchane an die... read more bolivianische Grenze nach Putre ins chilenische Altiplano bis 4700m Höhe und hinüber nach Arica an die peruanische Grenze zusammen mit unseren Begleitern Helmut und Francisco von Mayurutours. Außerhalb jeglichen Massentourismus taucht man dank der Obhut des Driverguides in eine atemberaubende Natur der Pflanzen, Tiere, Berge, Vulkane und heißen Quellen der Anden dorthin ein, wo leider nur noch wenige Einheimische leben und sich keine Touristen bewegen. Helmut erklärte uns in fließender englischer Sprache alle Besonderheiten, sorgte für gute Verpflegung und beste Unterkünfte am jeweiligen Ort und erfüllte all unsere individuellen Wünsche oft bis zum Pisco sour um Mitternacht. Wir danken Helmut und Francisco für dieses grandiose Abenteuer in stets sicherer und familiärer Atmosphäre.

  Had three days two nights booked missed my flight got in late so couldn't go on the first tour but (Maryanne?) met me and gave me a personal tour... read more of San Pedro, next day I rejoined the tour. Excellent tour in this touristy corner of Chile well worth the cost, much cheaper than getting a similar tour organised from Australia. Can recommend unreservedly.

  Cet Agence est très fiable ; on a quelques angoisses lorsqu'on s engage par mail depuis la France ...
Mais aucun problème , les SMS sont là , les... read more personnes au rendez vous .
Les accompagnants extrêmement compétents et prévoyants , en fait un réel plaisir d'être avec eux ; Hein parle un Français parfait et Franklin est un chauffeur très compétent .
Les paysages sont assez extraordinaires , la faune , la flore tout est passe au crible avec compétence et bonne humeur .
Un voyage Arica , Putre , lac Chungara , à recommander avec cette équipe

  We had 8-day tour from Arica to San Pedro. The first 5 days were in a form of private tour with a driver/guide. This part was great: you get to... read more go to little visited places and experience the vastness of north Chile. Our driver was friendly and knowledgeable. We hardly ever got off the road, which I regretted a little, but we got to see a lot as it is. Accommodation and food was nothing more than basic, which is OK, and what you could expect from such remote places. When we got to Sand Pedro De Atacama for the last 2.5 days, we fared well from our guide and were set for 3 short excursions with one of the local operators. This part we enjoyed less: the excursions where in packed buses and I often felt like a member of a herd which is pushed from one meadow to the next. It seems like everyone in San Pedro takes the same excursions which have fixed routes at fixed times. So, everywhere we stopped we had 2-20 buses, of other operators, offloading their passengers together with us and departing together with us. We sometimes felt that we were given too short of a time to appreciate a location, while in at least one case we were not allowed to visit the destination... That's right, we drove a long way to Piedras Rojas, but the place is closed due to rehabilitation. You don't get to see it at all. The hotel which we were accommodated in was 10 min walk from the center of town and had only basic facilities (no wifi in the room, poor breakfast, etc.). The promised transport to the airport in the last day was again a seat in a bus with pre-set departure time which meant for us a long wait at the airport - we opted to pay for a private taxi instead (not that expensive) and get some more relaxing time in the town. Overall the cost of this trip was high in any standard, yet we felt that, especially in the last three days, we didn't get our money's worth. If I did it again, I'd probably rent a car for the entire duration, or at least for the last part in San Pedro. I'm sure that we would have had a different experience in San Pedro had we drove our own car, or paid for a taxi to avoid the crowds, make better use of our time, and visit some spots off the beaten track.

  Schon vor 5 Jahren war ich mit Mayuru Tours unterwegs.
Weil es mich so überzeugt hatte, habe ich auch dieses Mal dort gebucht.
Mayuru Tours ist für mich der perfekte... read more Reiseveranstalter im Norden Chiles. Und mit Francisco als Driverguide hat man den Besten Guide, den man sich wünschen kann. Er ist witzig, kompetent, fährt sehr gut und zuverlässig (und falls doch mal etwas passieren sollte (auf meinen Reisen ging immer alles reibungslos) dann ist er erst noch Automechaniker... :-)) (und so ganz nebenbei ist er der Chef von Mayuru Tours).
Preis/Leistung stimmen überein.
Ich werde auf jeden Fall wiederkommen und mit Mayuru Tours unterwegs sein 🙂
Herzlichen Dank Mayuru Tours und Francisco für die tolle Reise!!! 🙂

  We spent 3 days in Lauca National Park with Mayuru tours.
The service was perfect. They picj-up us at the border with Bolivia, and then we visited all the... read more best places of this area.
The driver was also a guide and he expained us a lot of things.
We had some problems at the beginning to organize the trip (the communication by email was hard ant tey took many days to give an answer) but at the end we figure out all the dtails and we had a really goo service.

  Traveled with my wife for part of our honeymoon. We took the 3 day tour and it was an adventure unlike any other. Lake Chungara, Salar De Surire, Hot... read more Springs, Putre, Parque Lauca Our guide, Helmut, was terrific. He was experienced and knowledgeable about all facets of the area. The sites were simply incredible. The Altiplano is one of the most unique destinations we have ever experienced. The wildlife and scenery were unparalleled. The altitude change is serious. You must drink a lot of water and not over-exert yourself. If you follow your guide's lead, you should be able to adjust.

  We had 8-day tour from Arica to San Pedro. The first 5 days were in a form of private tour with a driver/guide. This part was great: you get to... read more go to little visited places and experience the vastness of north Chile. Our driver was friendly and knowledgeable. We hardly ever got off the road, which I regretted a little, but we got to see a lot as it is. Accommodation and food was nothing more than basic, which is OK, and what you could expect from such remote places. When we got to Sand Pedro De Atacama for the last 2.5 days, we fared well from our guide and were set for 3 short excursions with one of the local operators. This part we enjoyed less: the excursions where in packed buses and I often felt like a member of a herd which is pushed from one meadow to the next. It seems like everyone in San Pedro takes the same excursions which have fixed routes at fixed times. So, everywhere we stopped we had 2-20 buses, of other operators, offloading their passengers together with us and departing together with us. We sometimes felt that we were given too short of a time to appreciate a location, while in at least one case we were not allowed to visit the destination... That's right, we drove a long way to Piedras Rojas, but the place is closed due to rehabilitation. You don't get to see it at all. The hotel which we were accommodated in was 10 min walk from the center of town and had only basic facilities (no wifi in the room, poor breakfast, etc.). The promised transport to the airport in the last day was again a seat in a bus with pre-set departure time which meant for us a long wait at the airport - we opted to pay for a private taxi instead (not that expensive) and get some more relaxing time in the town.
Overall the cost of this trip was high in any standard, yet we felt that, especially in the last three days, we didn't get our money's worth. If I did it again, I'd probably rent a car for the entire duration, or at least for the last part in San Pedro. I'm sure that we would have had a different experience in San Pedro had we drove our own car, or paid for a taxi to avoid the crowds, make better use of our time, and visit some spots off the beaten track.

  Helmut was wonderful, his local knowledge of cultures and history was excellent
He involved us in the experience
Can’t rate Helmut more highly, he at all times made... read more certain we had what we needed and always went out of his way for us
We will be recommending this tour to our friends

  Die nach unseren Wünschen von Mayurutour zusammengestellte 6tägige Tour war großartig. Angenehm auch der deutschsprachige, vorbereitende Schriftverkehr mit Gabriel Ramos. Dank an Gabriel! Perfekt die Durchführung der Tour durch Enrique,dem... read more liebenswerten einheimischen Guide und Fahrer. Dank an Enrique für die super gute Betreuung. Ebenfalls bestens betreut in Bolvien durch Dyonisios ,dem Guide und Fahrer und seiner Frau Sandra,mittägliche Köchin während der Wüstendurchquerung. Dank auch an die Beiden.
Fazit: Wir, Christiane,52 Jahre, Juristin und ich ,72 Jahre,Diplomsportlehrerin,können Mayuru-Tours, Enrique, Dyonisios und Sandra , sehr empfehlen!!

  First the landscape from Arica-Putre-Colchane-San Pedro de Atacama is really beautiful.
Seconde the organisation and the tour self was well organized, I can really recommend it. I absolutly enjoyed and... read more was very satisfied.
Many thanks to Mayuru Team, so I could realized my plan. Muchas Gracias