It's not often that I book private tours, but during my trip to the Santiago area, it was perfect for what I wanted to do. Traveling alone meant booking group tours were generally not possible as I found most required bookings for at least two people. Thomas and his company did not have that requirement. Three days were spent with Julio, and one day with Thomas. My first day was a tour of the city of Santiago with Julio who was able to share so many details and so much information about the city that I could not have received on a group tour. He drove us around the city in a very nice SUV with air conditioning. The highlight of the day was going to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, and this is where Julio shined. The line for the funicular to climb to the top was at least an hour long in the blazing sun. Julio excused himself for a few minutes to speak to some attendants who recommended going to the other side of the hill for the teleferico to the top. Ten minutes later we were in line for the lift, and ten minutes later we were on our way to the top. This kind of on-the-spot changes to the itinerary are not possible with a group tour. The next day I went to Cajon del Maipo with Thomas. The views of the valleys and Embalse el Yeso were incredible. Absolutely amazing. We also spent time in the hot springs. It was a very long day, but absolutely worth it. The next two days were spent with Julio again. I had a day trip out to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. I especially loved seeing all of the street art in Valparaiso. The last day was a wine tour in Casablanca. We were only scheduled to visit two vineyards with tours and tastings, however Julio was open to picking me up early so that we could visit another vineyard before my first tour. I am so glad we did this. Our first stop was House Casa del Vino, where their first wine that I tasted, Bestiario, was hands down the best wine I have ever had in my life. I am so glad that I was able to buy a bottle and get it safely home as I will be saving it for a special occasion. The other vineyard were remarkable as well, especially Bodega RE where they make wine in clay pots. I'm very, very glad to have found Thomas online to assist with my tours while in Chile, and I will certainly look him up again should I visit the country in the future. read more

After deciding to visit Chile this past December, my wife and I reached out to Thomas to help us plan a program. I was 6 months pregnant and Thomas was extremely conscious of this. We spent time our time in Santiago, Valparaiso/Vina del Mar, and San Pedro. Thomas created an incredible program in these cities and delivered the exact trip we were looking for. Everyone Thomas worked with on our trip was fantastic. Pascal and Gerardo handled our airport transfers and were so welcoming. Our guide in Valparaiso/Vina was Vincent. He really made the most of our 2 days there. We learned so much from him, from agriculture to art to the history of the cities. We really got a great feel for the culture, plus we're given special treatment at a gorgeous restaurant with the most perfect view of Valparaiso. We spent a day driving down the coast, experiencing different fishing villages and beach towns. Using the zoom lens on our camera and Vincent's binoculars, we were able to watch sea lions playing on the rocks at one beach, and penguins playing on another. Vincent really knew the region and we were so lucky to have experienced it with him. Our guide in San Pedro was Hanu Ugarte. We absolutely loved our time with him and learned so much about the desert's indigenous culture. Breaking away from other visitors, our hike through Valle de Luna was amazing. It felt like we were the only ones there. And we were so grateful to experience the local flavor with Hanu. We rounded out our trip by going to Cajon del Maipo and the hot springs with Thomas. He knew so much about the mountain range and some incredible spots to stop along the way for pictures. We had such a great day with him. Thomas also stayed in touch throughout our visit to make sure everything was going well. Between the people, culture, food, and wine, we fell in love with Chile. And Thomas, Hanu, Vincent, and everyone else mentioned made it the perfect trip. We left the country feeling like we made some good friends and can't wait to go back. read more

My husband and I recently enjoyed a customized wine tour through the Casablanca Valley and we couldn't have been happier with our experience! Thomas picked us up at the Santiago Airport, took us to three different wineries in the Casablanca Valley and finished by dropping us off at our hotel in Valparaiso. Prior to our wine tour, we had completed the W Trek in Torres Del Paine. Thomas suggested we leave our extra luggage at the Santiago Airport rather than leaving it at our hotel in Santiago. This small suggestion turned out to save us an extra hour by avoiding a trip back into the city. This was such a great way to start a relaxing day because it meant more time for wine tasting and less time for driving! Additionally, Thomas was willing to customize the entire tour to our liking and was extremely quick to respond to emails. All we needed to do was tell Thomas the type of wineries we were interested in visiting, and he did the rest! He set us up with personalized tours at all three wineries and we had the most amazing private lunch and wine pairing in the cellar at Bodega RE. Thomas is the perfect wine driver and tour guide whether you're an avid wine drinker or it's your first trip to a wine valley. He knows so much about Chilean wines and will help you learn about and appreciate the region. I would definitely book with Thomas again! I also have to give a special thank you to Thomas and the amazing workers of Kingston Wineries. My husband accidentally left our camera at Kingston and we were so fortunate that two of the workers happen to be heading to Valparaiso. Thomas met them at the bus stop in Valparaiso, picked up our camera and personally brought it back to our hotel. He coordinated the entire thing and was incredibly patient. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Thank you Thomas! read more

My husband and I booked a Holland America Cruise and decided to stay in Santiago a few days. Holland America wanted $90 per person for transportation from Santiago airport to Valparaiso (1.5 hour trip). Since we were already at the DeBlasis Bed and Breakfast (great deal), it would have cost us $50 back to airport plus $180 for transportation (total $230 for 1.5 hour ride). Therefore, we arranged to be picked up at the DeBlasis Bed and Breakfast and have a private tour. I was in contact with Thomas and he always responded immediately (unlike other inquires from tour guides), but unfortunately he was booked by the time we made a decision. He arranged a friend Julio P. who was "top-notch", gave us a wonderful tour from Santiago to Del Mar and Valparaiso from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and dropped us off right at the cruise terminal. We had a blast and Julio was "outstanding" and very knowledgeable and knew all kinds of history and interesting spots to see. It cost us $250 instead of $230 but we we had 6 hours of excitement and enjoyed the tour instead of a 1.5 hour transportation from airport to cruise terminal. And, of course, we tipped Julio P as well for an outstanding performance. He paid for gas, private vehicle, parking in a safe spot, venicular, etc and we noticed that he kept a good eye on us since we definitely looked like tourists. He was very keen on safety. We did not do lunch which is an additional fee but we were going to be boarding ship and already had breakfast. We would no doubt book them again. Unfortunately, we did not know that they also do tours in Santiago, and if we did, we would have booked this as well. Definitely worth it... I give this tour a 10+ on a scale of 0-10!!! Happy touring... highly recommended!!!!!! Visited November 2016 read more

We enjoyed very much the tour of Valparaiso and Santiago guided by Thomas on Dec. 18, 2014. We came off the cruise ship that morning in Valparaiso. Thomas picked us up and took us to see the interesting streets and sites of the old town of Valparaiso. Then he took us to see a couple of places in the nearby city of Vina Del Mar. Then we visited the vineyard/winery in Casablanca (Casas del Bosque) where we had a tour, wine tasting, and lunch. The restaurant was very pleasant. After lunch, we continued towards Santiago. There Thomas took us to see the city square, the cathedral, etc. And we got a flavor of what life is like in Santiago. He then took us to see the museum of Pablo Neruda. The last stop before the airport was a shopping place where we could get some decent quality souvenirs. It was a short one day trip but Thomas helped us cover quite a bit of ground. He did exactly what we asked for and delivered with flying colors. We also found Thomas to be very pleasant and knowledgeable, so it was enjoyable to be around him. We had more luggage than he expected so we were not able to store everything in the trunk. To be safe, we did not want to leave anything in the car when we were out of the car. Thomas gracefully carried the heavier camera bag for us. We appreciated it! If we ever go back to the area, we would definitely engage Thomas' service. And we strongly recommend him! read more

Thomas was an amazing tour guide. We took two tours with him. The first tour we took was a vineyard tour in the Casa Blanca valley. Thomas took us to this great vineyard called Re Bodega. They make interesting blends such as Chardonoir and use clay barrels. They also make their own olive oil and balsamic vinegar. He then took us to this great restaurant run by a South African The food was amazing! Finally, we did a private tour of the Quintay vineyard. The guide at the vineyard spent a lot of time answering our questions. Thomas was very knowledgeable about the vineyards and wine making in Chile. For every question we had, he had an answer! The next day, we went on a tour of Valpairaso and Vina Del Mar. Thomas was able to point out all the interesting street art and historical buildings in Valpairaso. We rode on the furnicular, which was very exciting! In Vina Del Mar, we saw an Easter Island and Rodin statute. Thomas paced everything very well. Plus, his historical stories were captivating! He was also really helpful in the planning of the trip. When we did not know if we should take a bus or taxi to Valpairaso, he personally went to the bus station to find out information for us. It was even before we booked! Amazing! I would recommend him to anyone! It was a great experience! read more

What a delightful day we spent exploring Santiago and soaking in the history of this vibrant and artistic city founded over five hundred years ago. All of this was made possible with the good humor, quick wit and vast knowledge imparted to us by Thomas Poussard, tour guide extraordinaire. My friend and I were heading towards Valparaiso for a cruise to French Polynesia and we spent the day and night in Santiago to get a taste of Chile. We only wished we had made more time for this wonderful city. Thomas and his friend and fellow guide Claudia picked us up at our hotel and we spent the next six hours seeing the historic downtown (the entire city is historic), visiting the Bellavista area and the ecclectic house of famous poet Pablo Neruda and the cathedral. My favorite part of the day was visiting an incredible wine bar with flights of Chilean wine. The owner had ingenious markings for the bathrooms using drawings of a wine opener to indicate male, female and handicapped differences! Truly fun. If you find yourself going to Chile call Thomas first, tell him what you want to see and he will magically make your Chilean dreams come true. Well worth the price for a private tour at your pace. read more

We had an incredible tour with Thomas, owner of Chile Private Tours. We spent an entire day with him and his driver. Wonderful people. He picked us up at our hotel in Valpo after we had departed from a cruise ship the day before. We drove through the area of Vina Del Mar and then onto the Casablanca Valley and a wonderful tour of a family winery, the Kingston Family Winery. Fantastic boutique winery and gourmet lunch was served. While driving he was giving us information about the area and was very knowledgeable about the country and all the areas we passed. We then continued onto Santiago, where we stopped and toured the city on foot, through the market , cathedral, and governments buildings and main square. We then drove to a great lookout point where we could see the entire city! It was so nice to have our luggage safely tucked away in the van all day and the driver with our things. It was an incredible tour and felt very, very, safe. I highly recommend him. You will not be disappointed. Thank you Thomas! Judy N. read more

We spent an incredible day with Thomas last week! He and his driver picked the four of us up at our hotel in Vina del Mar and we were off to a day of wine tasting as well as a tour of Santiago. The driver was great and as Thomas explained, that way someone would always be with our luggage. We first spent considerable time at Kingston Winery, a small boutique winery with great wines. The staff at the winery was incredible! We were met with a smile and a bottle of wine to share while we waited for Eduardo, the guide at the winery, to finish with the previous group. He then gave us an incredibly in-depth tour of the vineyards followed by an exceptional lunch with wine pairings. Judy and Eduardo were fabulous hosts and we are looking forward to receiving the wines were ordered back in the US! We then drove on to Santiago, toured the city on foot with Thomas, and then drove to a lookout over the entire city. Thomas is a great guide and just easy-going. He enjoys what he does and it is evident in so many ways! read more

I have taken many tours in different countries of the world, and I have to say those provided by Thomas, the owner of Chile Private Tours, are some of the best I have had. He is very knowledgeable, customized his tours based on our preferences, and has a nice way to balance hard data with funny anecdotes. He is very easy-going, treats people in a very friendly manner, and adds his French touch to it. More importantly, he shows you places that you would never find by yourself, like the alpaca farm he showed us or these hidden passages in Valparaiso. Thomas also drove us to nice wineries are out of the main circuits: this was a very nice experience as we had plenty of time to really appreciate the places and taste their wines! I have now asked Thomas to plan my upcoming trip to Patagonia: he knows the country North to South, probably better than most Chileans. So I know what he is cooling for me is going to be great! read more

I booked with Thomas from Chile Private Tours for my colleagues and I for a full day excursion to Cajon Del Maipo. We were in Chile for our Canadian MBA program, and figured that since we were arriving early, it would be a great experience to see the mountains, natural springs, and artificial lake. Thomas was the only tour company that I reached out to that responded promptly, and with sufficient information that ultimately aided our decision to select Chile Private Tours. For example, he was the only tour company that detailed a draft itinerary for us. He was incredibly friendly, organized, and flexible. On the day of, I mistakenly forgot to mention that half our group required a vegetarian option for lunch. Thomas calmly, and effortlessly reserved us an alternate lunch place that suited our group's needs. I can't recommend this company enough! I will be telling all of my friends that visit Chile to book with Thomas. read more

Peter - Fort Lauderdale FL. Chile Private Tours professionally organized a very nice 1.5 days package for us 4 upon our arrival to Valparaiso with Celebrity. Pick-up at the cruise terminal followed by a combo of driving and walking guided-tour of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. Enroute to our nice hotel in Santiago we had lunch in a typical Chilean finca-style resturant and vistited the Emilliana Vineyard in Casablanca Valley before we were dropped off at Hotel Sommelier in downtown Stgo. Next day pick-up at our hotel and again by our charming and very knowledgeble guide Chantal that gave us an in-depth 1/2 day tour of Santiago and its history. The tour ended at the old Mercado Central - a Mekka for seafood lovers where we enjoyed an exquisite lunch at Le Galeon. All in all a very nice and value-for-money tour that left us with many many good memories from our Chilean visit. Thanks Thomas ! read more

Thank you Thomas & Ruperto! My friends and I booked two tours with Thomas. We did an all day tour from Santiago to Valparaiso & Vina del Mar with one stop at a winery on the way back. Ruperto was the guide for this trip, he was passionate and knew the area and history very well. Our next tour was with Thomas in the Maipo Valley wine region. Thomas arranged a full day for us in the area & experienced different types of wineries. He was very knowledgeable on the area and was a fantastic guide. We asked to see four wineries in a day, which is a lot, but Thomas made it work, by picking up lunch for us to make the day run smoothly. I highly recommend using Thomas and his team to see the sights of Chile, you will not find a better company to work with. read more

Nous avons eu la chance de visiter, avec Thomas, Valparaiso et Viña del Mar et de se rendre jusqu'à Santiago en passant par la visite d'un vignoble dans la Vallée de la Casablanca (17 janvier 2015). Ce fut une escapade des plus intéressantes que notre groupe à bien apprécié. N'hésitez pas à lui confier votre projet de visite, satisfaction assurée! -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- We had the chance to visit, with Thomas, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar and making a vineyard visit in the Casablanca Valley en route to Santiago (january 17th 2015). It was a very interesting trip that our group enjoyed. Do not hesitate to entrust your visiting project, satisfaction guaranteed! read more

We have just returned from our South American Adventure with Noble Caledonia, and we wanted to let you know that our Private Tour and Transfer which Thomas organised for us was brilliant. We were very impressed with our Guide Vincent He was very knowledgeable and a really lovely chap who looked after us all so well. Your vehicle and Driver were first class, very comfortable. The tour of Valparaiso was excellent, (what a fascinating place) as was the Lunch stop at "House" in Casablanca Valley. All in all a lovely way to end what was a very memorable holiday. read more

Nous avons passé une excellente journée avec Thomas. Nous n'avions qu'une seule journée a Santiago et grace a Thomas nous avons pu explorer tranquillement les sites essentiels de la ville. Thomas est tres sympathique et connait beaucoup sur Santiago et sa culture ; ce fut tres agréable de visiter la ville en sa compagnie et d'avoir les anecdotes, conseils et le point de vue d'un "local". Si j'ai la chance de retourner pres de Santiago, je ferai de nouveau appel a Thomas pour visiter la cote et la route des vins! read more

we hired Thomas Poussard to take us on a day tour from Valparaiso, with transportation to Santiago. We chose to do a northern route as we had seen plenty of vineyards. Thomas took us along the coast road to several fishing villages and beautiful beaches and lookouts, with a lunch stop including very fresh fish. He is very knowledgeable and is engaged with his clients. The cost was only marginally more than straight transportation from Valparaiso to Santiago. Highly recommended. read more

Amazing experience. Met at the airport by the Chilean Indiana Jones, Julio. He was an exceptional guide for three days, knowledgeable on all things Chile, fulfilled all our requirements with great choices, and is a fantastic warm genuine person. Additionally, any issues we had during our 3 days with the private tours were anticipated with forward thinking and solutions. Highly recommended. I'm grateful my wife booked with this company. read more

After being let down by another guide, I contacted Thomas and asked for 2 tours, 1 day in Santiago and another day in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. We had two really great guides, Claudia in Santiago and Julio in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. It made a huge difference between an ordinary tour and an extraordinary tour. Highly recommended. read more