Ingrid Thornes

Ingrid was very responsive to all of our questions and concerns before and during our trip. We had a great time!

evrything went smoothly, as plan, we had a very good time.
thank you for your help. \the trappers farm was amazing.

Our trip to Norway was absolutely wonderful. I already knew where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see before I contacted Ingrid. She was instrumental in several crucial ways: She helped me book our flights within Norway; she arranged for the train tickets to Flam and Bergen, as well as the tickets for the trip on the Fjord; and she arranged a local guide for a city tour in Oslo, Bergen and Tromso. She also helped me choose hotels in each city. Her choices were perfect. The hotels we stayed in were lovely, and they were all were very well located.
I worked with Ingrid over several months, and she remained very pleasant, kind and upbeat throughout the entire process. I would highly recommend her to anyone who wishes to travel in Norway.

Traveling to Norway in December presents its own unique challenges - mostly due to the fact that the weather is unpredictable (which we knew going into things)- but everything that could be controlled was handled smoothly and efficiently through Kimkim. We had a number of room reservations and travel connections that had to be coordinated, and Kimkim made sure that everything flowed together smoothly. We traveled northward by plane, train and ferry, and each step along the way we were where we needed to be when we needed to be there with minimal hassle. Kimkim also arranged for our local tours, including private walking tours, a bus tour, a whale watching tour, a Northern Lights chase, dog sledding, and reindeer sledding all of which were professionally run and very enjoyable. Ingrid, our Kimkim specialist, worked to incorporate our personal interests and was responsive to my many questions prior to departure. Once we were on the ground in Norway, a "glitch" arose regarding our whale watching tour (an equipment problem with the boat) and Ingrid quickly worked to rearrange things before we even became aware of any problem. As with any "complex" trip there were a few minor missteps, but overall things went very smoothly.
The highlights of the trip were our walking trip with Sonya, our guide in Trondheim, the Northern Lights Chase and reindeer sledding (also in Trondheim) and Birk Husky in Kirkenes. We traveled on two different Hurtigruten ferries, both of which we enjoyed - although we liked the smaller size of the Richard With better than the larger Trollfjord.

Tatjana and I had a great time, specially in Geilo, where the snow, sun and skiing conditions were absolutely perfect. Heidi was a great guide and, further, she arranged a wonderful evening dinner at the Geilo Mountain Lodge for her partner and us. (The Lodge should be on the Michelin list!!!) Oslo at the front and back end of our trip included Vinterland, Vigeland statuary park, and viking, Fram and Kon-Tiki museums that were very well done. The convenient light rail took us to Holmenkollen ski jump and museum that were also very impressive. And for my 80th birthday and New Years Eve the fireworks seen from the Opera fjord-side apron was great (Be certain to recommend making reservations for New Year's dinners and parties in advance-we lucked out at the Opera Hotel being the last couple accepted. Also recommend coat and tie for males and dresses for females-ski apparel would have been out of place). Because of the rain in Bergen (according to the hotel averaging 266 days per year) it was less enjoyable, but John, our guide took us to see the old town, Hanseatic row and up the funicular. There the clouds and mist parted long enough to see why Bergen is called Bergen. Our son and family joined us for two days and we
and we discovered the Vil Vite childrens's museum where our 3 year old granddaughter enjoyed 2 afternoons. Recommend changing the trip itinerary to one more day in Geilo and one less in Bergen.

The Bristol, Opera and Geilo hotels were excellent, particularly the Bristol-very elegant! The Zander K was marginal in room quality and services. However, it was close to the train station and good restaurants.

The pre-booked travel tickets were essential, especially for the Geilo to Bergen leg, where in Gudvangen in the rain and dark getting bus tickets would have been difficult (by the way the bus driver said that the ticket we had was for another company, but he took us anyway, saying he would make payment adjustments.)

So, thank you for the arrangements. We had a wonderful white Christmas and New Years in Norway.

Don and Tatjana

Our family of 6 from hot and wet tropical Singapore, had a fantastic trip to icy cold Norway! Ingrid has been very accommodating to our needs and very responsive to our numerous questions...and sh was able to allay all our concerns etc. There were a couple of slight imperfections (no fault of Ingrid). Firstly, we found the local guide from Oslo to be wanting...slipshod work despite we gave him a tip of 800 NOK while the young man in Bergen was fantastic. He might be short of knowledge (he couldnt answer a few qn) but he made it up with his dedication and enthusiasm, and walked with us for more than 3 hours through slippery terrain and windy conditions! The activities from dog sledding(Marcus) to Northern lights (Jann) were fantastic which were the highlights of the trip. The hotels were generally good as they were closed to transport...except for Zander K (no inroom telephone, no kettle and no coffee or tea were provided. Overall, thanks to Ingrid, KimKim for a job wel done!

We booked our 7 days trip through Kim Kim. Our agent - Ms Ingrid was very helpful. This was our first time we visited Norway, our ultimate aim was to chase the Northern Light and indeed we were lucky enough to see lot and lot of them! Thanks to the guide - Ms Trine. Also never forget our experience with Reindeer and Sami Culture and the reindeer soup provided was awesome!
We had a good time in Tromsø as the city was beautiful with snow. The hotel in Tromsø was fantastic and the breakfast was the best of all!
Lucky that our 2 days stop-over in Bergen had a three hours guided cultural tour with a local - he really know the in and out of the city. The stop over was too long for us as we had not much things to do. The hotel location was just beside the train station but the hotel room was not that cosy.
The train to Flåm and Fjord cruise were a great experience as well. We like the cool weather and beautiful surrounding in Flåm.
We had a short stay in Oslo, just walked around the city and visited the World War II site.

All the hotels were great. All but 2 transportation arrangements went off without a flaw. Overall, we are very pleased with our visit to Norway. I am thankful that Ingrid helped me to arrange everything!

In Oslo, we liked the Thon Europa more than the Thon Spectrum. The Europa had a better breakfast buffet, was an easier walk from the train station & the neighborhood seems a bit better. Next door to the Europa is the Brunello Ristorante. You should recommend this to others! This was some of the best Italian food we have ever had.

The Hurtigruten lobby is on a small side street and was not obvious. If possible, maybe provide a bit more detailed map. Since it's so late, there are not people around to ask for help. We did find it, but we had our concerns for a few minutes!

The bus & ferry to Geiranger was very enjoyable. The ferry back showed us some gorgeous scenery. We very much enjoyed that day.

The time with John Grahl-Madsen was not time well spent. He just didn't seem engaged. On other trips, in other countries, we have had guides who have made a significantly better impression. During planning, I had expressed an interest in going up the funicular. He pointed it out & said we could do that on our own. Our itinerary didn't allow time for that.

The ferry from Bergen to Aurland was a great way to move locations and see more of the scenery.

Aurland: you are already aware of the issue with the taxi company. I'm not sure what options there are, but I would suggest finding other options for sightseeing & transport to Flam. I'm very glad that the taxi did eventually show up that morning so we were able to see the Borgund Stave Church. That was very special. The Fisherman's Cabin at Vangsgaarden was charming with a view that was magnificent. It was a little surprising that we had to make our own beds, strip them at check-out, sweep the floor, take out the garbage, & do a light cleaning of the bathroom.

Flam to Oslo by train: Our itinerary was that we made this trip on September 24. No one looked at our tickets Flam to Myrdal. Myrdal to Oslo we learned that our tickets were for September 23. The conductor found 3 unsold seats for us and allowed us to stay on the train.

Oslo: We had a tour with Stig Frislid Torset. He was better than John, but again we have had better. Our travel companion had been told by a friend of Norwegian descent to try a specific type of pastry. Stig found a shop that sold it for her. We requested that we see the Vigeland Sculpture Park. He commented that was not normally what he did, but if that's what we wanted ... we said we did. He did have interesting commentary about some of the sculptures. Afterwards, he showed us some of the "hidden gems" that he normally focuses on, which included Grass Roots Square. Grass Roots Square is very special & we were very glad that we saw it.

I would recommend Kimkim to others. Thanks for your help in creating a memorable trip for us.

Ingrid was our guide for our visit to Oslo and Bergen . Luckily my cousin and I travelled together for the most part , or we would have been quite lost .

Initially I arrived earlier than she , and somehow got to the bus for the hotel for the night , the Gardemon Airport Hotel , which was suggested by our Svalbard leader . The hotel was very nice , the food fabulous , and a wonderful walk nearby .

We next flew to Tromso and Longyearbyen for our artic adventure , which was unbelievably wonderful , except I did not see the whales that others were able to see .

We returned to Oslo and both of us were a bit nervous about the location of the hotel which in reality , could not have been easier - The Thon Opera , at Ingrid's suggestion . The restaurant was not great - expensive then closed for repairs .

Then we went to Myrdal to get the Flam train . It turned out to be easier than expected , and the ferry to Balestrand was lovely . It was nice to have the tickets paid for in advance . The hotel in Balestrand was GREAT - thank you Ingrid - then another ferry to Bergen . In the rain . I wish I had known to expect so much rain . . .

Bergen started off negatively . In the rain . Ingrid had sent maps , but they were useless . First of all , they faded in the rain , and secondly , without directions or street names . It took almost 2 hours to find the hotel , which was not great . Dark and unattractive , dining area right at the front door . We were surprised to find that a ' superior room ' was reserved for us , but it had only one bed ! We had to down grade to a room with twin beds , no view . Also dark . The hotel was not a great choice , the staff less than cordial . We would have been better off some place like the Hotel Bergen near the old wharf . We had a GREAT meal at Lyskevet ?? The inadequate directions and maps were the most frustrating part of our visit .

We returned to Oslo Thon for the night , and a dinner at a restaurant that was not great - a new one , started with an A - Atla ???

So we survived but had many frustrations .

My wife and I are so pleased we decided to hire Kimkim to plan our first trip to Norway. We had a limited time (6-7 days) and felt they did a wonderful job giving us the best itinerary for our interests/time constraints. The accommodations they selected were convenient and comfortable, the detailed itineraries they provided were extremely helpful (including maps, wayfinding info, etc.), and the guides they hired were professional and informative. If we had planned things ourselves we probably wouldn't have experienced the most special part of our trip, staying in Aurland for a few nights and taking a cruise of the Aurlandsfjord & Nærøyfjord.
Thank you for taking logistics off our plate, allowing us to enjoy your beautiful country free of stress or worry!