Published on May, 2019
I took two tours with Pride Tours Chile in May: (1) The Casablanca Wine Tour and (2) the Cajon del Maipo Tour into the Andes. I can highly recommend both; Freddy and his team are the real deal and they operate a very professional business with a personal touch you likely won’t find with any other tour group.
I was looking for one or two day tours to take while I was in Santiago, and couldn’t decide on a tour group, given mixed reviews of various tour operators and the fact I was travelling as a solo gay traveler. That’s when I got a message from Freddy on Scruff, advertising his tours and offering to help in any way possible for my time in Chile. We exchanged a few messages, then communicated on WhatsApp. I decided to book the Casablanca Wine Tour.
There were only four of us on the tour: Freddy, his associate Ivan, another traveler and me. We visited two wineries and stopped for lunch as well. It was a complete blast. It was like hanging out with new friends rather being on a venture with complete strangers. It was one of the best tours I have ever done in my travels anywhere.
Based on my experience with the wine tour, I joined the Cajon del Maipo tour a couple days later. It was a lot more time spent in a car than the wine tour, but worth it to go deep into the Andes and see the beauty of Chile. Freddy cracked opened a bottle of “vino tinto” and put out cheese and crackers for us to snack on at our destination. There were four of us on this tour, plus Freddy, and we stopped for an amazing late lunch on the way back to Santiago, complete with a round of Pisco Sours for all!
Pride Tours Chile’s prices for these tours are competitive with other tour groups, but the experience is so much more personalized. I paid cash for the first tour, and through a PayPal link Freddy sent me for the second tour and had no issues with it. Your overall experience will depend in part on who else is on the tour with you, but part of the fun of going with Pride Tours is making new friends along the way.
I can’t think of a better person than Freddy to be running a gay tour group. He is fun, friendly, patient, and knowledgeable and passionate about Chile. He arrived on time to pick me up for both tours, communicated via WhatsApp prior to the trips, and even called me directly to chat when I asked him if he could recommend some bars near my hotel to go to on the weekend. He is very flexible in accommodating your preferences and schedules. He clearly takes an interest in helping people make the most of their time in Chile.
Do not hesitate to book with Pride Tours Chile. They offer an amazing service for the LGBT community.
