Kimkim Trip Reviews for Ecuador

Tour at Nicky Amazon Lodge exceeded my expectation. My favorite part was exploring the night life of the Amazon rainforest. It is something I would never think because it was not mentioned in the textbook. Birding watching and hiking options at Bellavista was very good. This would not be possible without kimkim. Kimkim's online platform was helpful because I had a busy schedule and their advice and support made a difference in my decision-making process. To the point, the trip was well-tailored thanks to kimkim's service.

The whole trip was amazing. Gabor and his team, especially the tour guide Danny were excellent

Mathias helped us plan a very last minute Christmas trip to Ecuador, and it turned out to be an amazing trip! He went through the trip plan multiple times even with limited time left before to the trip and responded to our questions pretty promptly. We spent 5 days in the Galapagos and 3 days in Quito. For the Galapagos -- We especially love the uninhabited island Seymour where we saw so many animals and the yacht was really nice! We were really amazed by the rich culture and nature around Quito. We especially enjoyed our time with David who took us to Cotopaxi National Park. All the tour guides pick us up on time. In addition, we realized the price Kimkim offered is really reasonable after we cross-checked the hotel and tour prices.

Advanced planning
Good pick up times
Easily available for any questions
Custom itenary based on personal preference.
I would recommend to anyone.

The driver , who was supposed to pick me up from the Airport ,after the Amazone ,left without me.
Not a good feeling, being forgotten..
Casa Sol had a very small breakfast and the shower was not hot.
I loved the Sisakuna Lodge. Good breakfast , nice room, hot shower.
My guide was good.

I booked a trip from Quito to Guayaquil prior to a Sierra Club Trip to the Galapagos.
I was hesitant booking the trip and paying online.
Mathias was great. He promptly answered all my questions. We went through three versions of the trip until I was happy with it.
The trip was better than I expected. The hotels were wonderful. Christian, our tour guide/driver, gave us an insight into the highlands of Ecuador that we will always remember.
We especially enjoyed the walking tour of Quito, hikes in Mindo, Ingapirca ruins, hiking in Cajas, and Cuenca.

Lenin and Mauro (our other guide) were both very knowledgeable about the native tribes, culture and history of Ecuador in general.
And they both had detailed knowledge of the specific places we visited … being Otavalo, Quito, the Avenue of the Volcanoes, Baños, Alausí and Cuenca.
Both spoke excellent English.
Lenin was particularly good when it came to knowing when to have a break, etc or comfort stop.
Overall the trip was a memorable experience and we would recommend KimKim.

Suggested considerations/changes …
- Do not use the hotel we stayed at in Baños again (no hot water, mould on the bathroom ceiling, no power to the room until sunset);
- Given the state of some of the roads we travelled on around Cotopaxi we feel that you need to provide a vehicle with better suspension … something like a 4 wheel drive;
- Mauro was working to his schedule … and we understand the need for a schedule … but we would have liked to be offered some flexibility.

Gabor was very flexible and patient with numerous changes to our itinerary. He uses fabulous guides and booked wonderful lodges. His expertise was invaluable in making our trip to Ecuador (Galapagos and Amazon) fantastic!!!

A Special Thanks to Diana (our assign local guide) she did the extra miles for us ensuring that all small details were met along the way.

I would strongly recommend KimKim !!

Steve and Christine.

Now time to start a new project, here comes Africa!

We stayed 10 days in Ecuador and 8 days on Galapagos.
All was very good.
Linda planned us the exactly trip we asked her.
The guide who went with us, Marco, was very friendly, also for trip not planned.
We went to Quito, on Cotopaxi, Quilatoa Lagoon, Baños, Chimborazo, Guamote, Cuenca and Guayaquil. A great trip !
Than on Galapagos we stayed two days on San Cristobal, one day on Santa Cruz and the last 5 days on a very beautiful Cruise.
All the accomodation of our trip was fantastic.
We're enthusiastics of this beautiful experience.
Thanks Linda !

Natascia and Giampaolo (Italy)

Linda was outstanding, she was quick at answering all my questions and made sure I was in the loop when itineraries changed.

All the guides did a wonderful job explaining Ecuador and the different locations that are popular to visit or that make Ecuador unique.

The city tour was nice, I really enjoyed the mitad del mundo museum - very informative.
Otavalo, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, and Baños were all wonderful experiences!

I was very thankful that Linda was able to connect with my hotel and ensure that I had a to go breakfast on the days I left early. I love breakfast!!

An amazing trip! We had two great guides that showed us a lot. Dario was out first guide through Quito, the Highlands, and the jungle. He was very knowledgeable! Ivan was our guide in the Galapogos. He certainly knew his birds.

Joaquin Andino- very good guide with a en general culture. Someone who can be steongly recommended.
Pablo, a responsible and dedicated person. Simply adorable.

We had an incredible trip to Nicky Lodge on the Aguarico River. Our primary guide, Evi, was incredibly knowledgable (able to name nearly every species we asked about by its scientific name and also in Spanish, English and one or two of the local dialects), patient and fun. The secondary guide was not quite as knowledgable, but had a great knack for spotting hard-to-see animals. The guides (and the canoe drivers, too) paid close attention to the interests of our group, and would happily stop (or turn around) the boat to point out interesting creatures.

The lodgings were very comfortable, with running water (and it got nice and hot, important for the days we got soaked by the rain), but with no bells-and-whistles which made it feel like a proper jungle experience. The food was also simple but delicious, and the staff was very attentive to food allergies (my mom is gluten free).

Of course, in the jungle it's the plants and animals which really draw your attention - but the professionalism, comfort and service at Nicky Lodge made the whole trip seamless and wonderful.

Thanks!

Mathias did a great job in setting up our 4-day adventure to the Amazon. He was very easy to communicate with and helpful in planning our trip - great advice, great service. All of the arrangements went smoothly and we loved the accommodations. We had a wonderful time!

Patricio was an excellent guide, caring, intelligent, always interested in making our trip a better experience, taking us to places that he thought of as we went along, if Susie Astec and truly an asset to your team. His driver Hugo was excellent and always helpful and smiling and respect full. He even made a special trip when my brother-in-law left his camera on the bus, Patricio Is an asset to your company, and go board did a great job Putting a beautiful package together. We will certainly recommend your company in the future and hopefully will be able to talk and use you again. Lois and Lee Dornfeld, Mace and Joy Bloom

Marielisa was planned a wonderful vacation for me and my husband. We loved our guide, the itinerary, and her responsiveness when there was a challenge or question. Thanks so much for making our trip to Ecuador one to remember!

Great trip! Gabor was extremely communicative and receptive and helpful in planning the Honeymoon of our dreams. There was a portion of time when some other man, Rune, was helping us, and he was awful.

On our end, we should have asked more questions about how long each car ride was going to be - we are not really car people and should have anticipated that getting around would take a while.

Our guide, Dario, was fantastic. He always arrived on time. He knew the answers to most, if not all, of our questions. He found a good balance between interacting with us and giving us space, and he was extremely kind and generous. We could not have asked for a better guide.

In the Galapagos, we had a terrible guide, so terrible that we ended up paying for an Airbnb that we never actually stayed in. He must not have checked his messages or been so organized because we sent him all details, including the address, of where we needed to stay in each night, and he just didn't have the information with him. It got to be late on the Island, and we ended up spending money on a hotel that cost $70 per night (we stayed two nights) while paying an additional $140 for an Airbnb that we never got to stay in. This was very frustrating. Another issue that happened was when he gave us his USD card to download some photos that he took of us. The minute we put them on the computer, naked photos of him and his partner came up on the screen. While we really appreciated the photos he took of us, we were not happy with what was presented to us on the screen.

Reflecting back, the Jungle and the Galapagos were the two most memorable places. We enjoyed the climate, the people, the food and the general atmosphere. The other places were nice too but the highs of the trip were the Jungle and the Galapagos.

No one really communicated with us about the potential for altitude sickness at Cotopaxi, and we had a hard time going from lower altitude to higher altitude - up and down and up and down - it did a number on my husband's body. In the future, we would do fewer places for more days. But again, this is no way the fault of KimKm, just our own way of going about planning.

Really amazing trip.

Very knowledgeable and helpful!

I was very happy with KimKim helping to arrange a city tour and then specialized weaving tour for me in Quito , Ecuador.

Guide, transport and tours were excellent. Accommodation was not on good in couple of places.