TRAVEL AGENCY AND TOUR OPERATOR DESTINATIONS IN NORTHERN CHILE

  Ma fille et moi avons réservé un circuit de 4 jours avec Maruyu dans le Nord du Chili (depuis Arica jusqu'à Iquique en passant par l'Altiplano, parc Lauca, lac Chungara...).... read more Nous sommes revenues enchantées !!
D'abord les premiers contacts par mail : notre interlocutrice à l'agence était réactive et a répondu à toutes nos questions dans des délais rapides. Elle nous a même proposé une guide francophone, ce à quoi je n'avais pas pensé au départ, et de réserver nos billets de bus après le circuit, ce qui était très sympathique de sa part. Tout était bien organisé, clair et transparent. A noter que j'avais contacté d'autres agences, et entre celles qui n'ont pas répondu du tout et celles qui mettaient des semaines à répondre ou à ne pas répondre...bref, seule Maruyu nous a convaincu de son sérieux !
le circuit : très bien organisé, Francisco, notre chauffeur, était un excellent conducteur, très prudent et attentionné. Quant à Andrea, notre guide francophone ce fut une très belle rencontre !! Les paysages étaient sublimes (malgré le mauvais temps, et oui c'était l'hiver bolivien et c'est le seul point négatif, l'agence n'avait pas prévenu que le temps pouvait être mauvais à la période où nous y sommes allées), nous avons pu voir une faune très riche, que personnellement je n'attendais pas forcement à ces altitudes.
Le fait d'avoir une guide francophone avec nous a été un vrai plus pour comprendre la vie dans l'altiplano.
Pour l'altitude : ma fille a été un peu malade le 2ème jour mais rien de bien grave. Quant à moi aucun problème : pas d'alcool et peu de cigarettes dans les jours précédents et un deux cachets de diurétique les deux premiers jours m'ont permis de très bien supporter l'altitude

Pour finir, je recommende vivement cette agence, même si les tarifs ne sont pas donnés !

  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.

  Excelente tour altamente recomendado excelentes guías, muy informado y muy pacientes en explicar todas nuestras dudas. Altamente recomendado.

  The 2 days tour was amazing, we learnt a lot about Chilean culture and history thanks to our guide. Our driver was very nice and experienced. We felt safe on... read more despite the many crashed cars on the road.
The selected restaurant were good, and the hotel in Putre was very nice as well.
We saw many beautiful landscape and wild animals. We ended the tour with a dip in the thermal springs, that was an amazing experience.

  we did this tour in February which we had booked with you and operated by Maxim Expérience in San Pedro. We were very satisfied with the 2 full day... read more tours that we did with the driver / guide. The hotel la casa de Don Tomas was superb. Everyone was very efficient and Gabriel who helped us with the booking was was very professionnel. Thank you for making our expérience in the Attacama desert a mémorable one.

  I am very happy with this company’s service and organisation.

I am also very impressed with the tours where all three chicas were very kind and professional.

... read more /> So I thank you for excellent service, professionalism and organisation.

I am very impressed. I also like Hotel Dunas, clean and comfortable with a kind young girl in reception.

Oh and finally Cecilia (who met me on arrival) was very good too and answered any and all questions I had for her at all hours.

It’s fantastic to see many excellent women working for this company.

  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.

  I guided a 13 Day Atacama tour from March 4-15 this year. I contracted a van and driver for the tour to go from San Pedro to Putre, with... read more stops in 3 national reserves, the Vicunha NR, Flamingos NR and Lauca National Park and on to Arica, with 3 more full days.

Mario, our driver, and guide excelled in every way. He really knew all the areas we went to and knew people at every stop. I have been operating tours in South America and living in Brazil for 43 years, and have had a lot of drivers. I will now insist in having him drive all our tours from Arica!

  Precioso el tour y la agencia muy responsable, el conductor muy prudente para manejar y muy instruido en toda la historia que conlleva el recorrido. Lo recomiendo al 100%.

  Nuestra experiencia con los chicos de Mayuru no pudo salir mejor. Nos enviaron un tour de acuerdo a los días que nos quedamos en San Pedro de Atacama (3D2N) que... read more fue realmente inolvidable. Siempre se preocuparon desde el primer momento en que tengamos claro los itinerarios, al momento de partir y de llegar siempre hubo comunicación constante por parte de ellos, preguntándonos siempre si todo estaba bien. Nos recibieron para llevarnos al primer tour a nuestra llegada a San Pedro, dándonos itinerario impreso, con consejos y el detalle de lo que haríamos ese día. Al finalizar nuestra estadía también nos consultaron si todo estaba bien y hasta que partimos de Calama siempre muy pendientes. Fue un tour inolvidable y un servicio de calidad que recomendamos mucho 🙂
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Our experience with the Mayuru team couldn't be better. They send us a tour according to the days we stayed in San Pedro de Atacama (3D2N) which were unforgettable. They always care since the very first momento to have a clear information about the itinerary, during the departure and arrival we had contact all the time from them, wondering if everything was going as good as we expected. Also, they took us to the first tour during our arrival in San Pedro, giving us the printed itinerary, with advices and all the important details about each day. At the end of our stay, they always care if everythign was good with all the itinerary and until we left Calama they were always wondering about our safety and if the tour was as good as they expected which yes, it was! It was an unforgettable experience and a very high quality of service, we do recommend this company to anyone who want to go to San Pedro 🙂

  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.

  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!