Kimkim Trip Reviews

Guides were knowledgeable and very kind. All of the tours that we arranged were informative.
Cartegena: hit the highlights- really enjoyed the street food tour. Kayaking lovely but would be good to know that you are just going from one to point and back between land and island. Fishing was informative and a pleasant ride through the mangroves.
Santa Marta- Sebastian was a very articulate and knowledgeable tour guide. I feel we got an excellent tour. It was really nice to see something outside of Cartagena. And it was cooler.
Aaron was excellent and so knowledgeable. The highlight for us was the home that attracted so many beautiful birds. And we had an excellent lunch. Coffee plantation was OK but it would be good to know that we would not see any active work at the factory nor did we see a field of coffee plants. Waterfall lovely but could skip that.

Hotel Reviews

Hilton Garden Inn Santa Marta

Santa Marta

Easy walking distance to everything

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GHL Hotel Armería Real

Cartagena

It had an old charm. Staff were very friendly and kind. Location was wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Safe area to walk wherever.

Staff

Samir…

Cleanliness & Comfort

2 separate rooms & full bath

Activity Reviews

Nature, Waterfalls & Coffee Farm in Minca

Colombia

I would include more stops to see the birds and butterflies. The waterfall has a lot of steps so be prepared.

Santa Marta City Tour

Colombia

Cartagena Street Food Tour

Cartagena

La Boquilla Fishing Trip

Cartagena

An exposure to a whole different level of life - not just in the town, but of course the fishing community itself.

Cartagena City Tour

Cartagena

Kajak Adventure in Tierrabomba

Cartagena

Let people know that they can swim when they arrive at the island

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We just returned from an unforgettable 10-day Galápagos trip that Jacquie planned for us, and we were blown away by the experience! The whole family loved it. Huge thanks to Jacquie and her local team for being so responsive and helpful throughout - we felt taken care of every step of the way.

Special shoutout to Jacquie for the amazing New Year's dinner and the lovely souvenirs she gave us at the end. The guides were knowledgeable and fantastic, transports were seamless, and everything was just perfect. Would highly recommend Jacquie for planning your Galápagos adventure!

Jimena was great. She designed an amazing honeymoon trip. Thanks

Carla was our guide in Quito and she was amazing. Very knowledgeable about everything, super helpful, and very personable.

Chris helped us plan a really fantastic trip for our first visit to Guatemala. He was helpful, communicative, knowledgeable, and undertook to deal cheerfully with our preferences and frequent changes of plans! It was a good mix of planned activities and free time. We visited Antigua and Lake Atitlan. The hotel Porta in Antigua was beautiful, calm and a great experience with a relaxing pool and really great staff. My favorite activities included the half day Pacaya volcano hike with our fantastic guide Esmeralda and local guide Sheni, and visits to smaller towns outside Antigua to learn about weaving and chocolate making. On Lake Atitlan, we stayed in a lovely hotel in Panajachel, but had I researched the area more, I think I would have preferred a quieter town. However, we didn't have much time there and it was a convenient base. Our guide for a trip to some lake towns, Nicolas, was excellent - he taught us a lot about Mayan culture and history and it was great to visit Santiago with him. I appreciated that Chris planned a tour for us with a local Mayan guide at a really interesting archeological site on the way to the lake since we were not going to Tikal. Guides and drivers that Chris arranged through Old Town Outfitters were all professional, really kind, and great to be with. People were so patient with our elementary Spanish. On our own we visited a few things I would recommend: Cafe Azotea (coffee farm we walked to in Antigua), the Central Market in Antigua where locals buy and sell produce and many other things), Caoba Farm in Antigua for lunch, free salsa lesson at Las Palmas in Antigua.

Hotel Reviews

Regis Hotel & Spa

Panajachel, Sololá

Really nice small and comfortable hotel with lovely staff and a small hot spring bath in the backyard. They were kind enough to pack us a breakfast the day we left to go back to the US as we were leaving at 6 am. Really enjoyed our stay at this hotel but I would have preferred to stay in a town on the lake that is less busy than Panajachel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient but a busy area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porta Hotel Antigua

Antigua Guatemala

Lovely set up, nice pool, good food, attentive service. Our room was on one side of a courtyard and a little dark, but very nice! No complaints!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Fascinating to see what Mayan life is like around the lake. Extremely colorful and beautiful. People are really enterprising despite some hardships. Textiles, produce, friendly people and beautiful views are everywhere. Personally I could have done without visiting the town of San Pedro, which is really crowded with tourists and shops selling the same items. My favorite part was going through the town and streets of Santiago with our guide Nicolas.

Transfer to Lake Atitlán, Visit the Iximché Ruins

Guatemala

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Driving Tour of Almolonga Valley

Antigua

We had a wonderful guide and met some really interesting and friendly local people at their shops. I would have liked to have a little more time to just walk around and see things as well. I don't think the visit to the macadamia farm is particularly necessary or enlightening, at least that was my feeling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Liz and Esther planned an amazing, once in a lifetime trip for me. I worked with them for many months to perfect the itinerary and they were very accommodating to my requests. Throughout the entire trip, the ladies were in contact with me via Whatsapp groupchat, whether it was a check in or to resolve any minor issues. I appreciated the constant communciation as I am female solo traveler. Angelique was also very helpful in making sure my South Africa portion of the trip ran smoothly with reservations and coordinating driver pick up/drop off. All in all, I had an unforgettable trip that exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend booking with these ladies for any future African destinations in East/Southern Africa.

Bryan and kimkim were enormously helpful when we decided, a month out, to spend the Christmas holidays in Costa Rica. They flagged that the Pacific side would be super crowded per our notes about enjoying more laid back and local experiences and advised us to explore the Caribbean side. We needed support in country for a few changes and an unexpected injury. Serendipity travel, who was our contact on the ground, was very responsive - even arranging a doctor to come to our hotel. We will definitely use kimkim again and hope to travel to Costa Rica again in the future!

My family and I had a wonderful trip to Morocco during the 2nd week of Jan 2026. From the time I spoke to Hamza from Kimkim to discuss my plans for the trip to the time we boarded the flight back to the UK after an enjoyable 6 day trip, we were in the able hands of Hamza (our driver) and Said. They took care of every little detail throughout the trip making us feel comfortable and helped us enjoy the trip thoroughly. Our trip included towns like Marrakech, Dades, Merzouga, Fes and Chefchaouen. They were happy to accommodate small changes we were making to our schedule. The guides they arranged for sight seeing and food tours were experts in their field. Overall we had a fantastic experience of Morocco, their people and their culture that was ably supported by the wonderful team at Kimkim and Original Travels.

Activity Reviews

Guided tour of Fes Medina

Fes

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Merzouga to Fes via Rissani, Midelt, & the Atlas Mountains

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sand-Boarding in Erg Chebbi (Free of Charge)

Merzouga

We did not get enough time in the morning to do the sand boarding activity

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Boumalne Dades to Merzouga via Tinghir & Rissani, Sunset Camel Ride

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech to Boumalne Dades via Ouarzazate

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech Evening Food Tour

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Adrian and the entire staff at Serendipity Adventure and the KimKim team made for an unforgettable trip to Costa Rica. All of the adventures were amazing and every tour guide they provide was very knowledgeable and made sure we had the best experience possible. They made sure everything was taken care of for us and even during a few last minute changes, they made sure everything was figured out and we did not need to worry about anything. Would definitely use them again on my next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Chira Glamping Monteverde

Puntarenas

5 stars and amazing doesn't explain how great the Chira glamping is. Absolutely beautiful stay in the trees, and the entire private deck and platform that you have to enjoy is better than you can imagine. The staff were all incredibly helpful and took care of anything you need. The breakfast and food were also very good. If you have a chance to stay here it is a must for anyone visiting Monteverde. The sunset view from your private balcony over the trees and pacific ocean is something you will remember for the rest of your life.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Volcano Lodge, Hotel & Thermal Experience

San Carlos, Alajuela

Go for the hot springs and nature. Gardens and the grounds were great. Rooms could use some updating but if you do not plan to spend a lot of time indoors don't worry about it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Turire

Turrialba

Hotel was very nice, quiet, and felt like hidden gem. Food was very good and property grounds were beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arenal Hanging Bridges & La Fortuna Waterfall Guided Hikes

Arenal/La Fortuna

Hanging bridges are amazing. Best way to see the forest. Tour guide forgot to mention that we had to get to the waterfall by 4PM so we ran out of time to get to the waterfall. Heard from others that it isn't anything too great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Treetopia Zip Lines

Monteverde

Treetopia is a must do activity in Monteverde. Haven't done a lot of ziplining, but this has to be some of the fast and longest ziplining you can do. If you want to get over the forest and see some of the best views in Monteverde yoy should add this to your list.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walk at Curi-Cancha Reserve

Monteverde

Guide was great and found as many birds and other animals as possible. Got to see some good trees, but since it is a nature preserve a lot of the old forest was cut down. Good way to see some views, but if you want to walk through the jungle you might want to find another option.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Costa Rica

Standard tourist coffee & chocolate tour. If you have time to do it the activity is fun, but would leave it as a last option if you do not have other things planned.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canyoning in the Lost Canyon *

Arenal/La Fortuna

If you want to see deep into the jungle this is the only way to get it done.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting on the Rio Pacuare

Turrialba

Rafted a different river due to rain. The guides were awesome though and kept us safe and they loved what they do.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Hike Turrialba Volcano

Costa Rica

Private hike was great. Wish it was longer and they let you hike higher up the volcano. Guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, but you can only go so far up the volcano as they will allow on the private property.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thanks to excellent planning from Nokuthula and Lucy we were able to enjoy a very active and enjoyable trip to South Africa. We met countless animals- both in Cape Point, Hermanus and in Kruger national park, and learned a lot about the country. The Graskop Lift was one of the highlights.

Really loved how responsive Bella was to our questions and concerns! She was also amazing at pivoting the plans quickly depending on our needs. The activities were lovely but the true standouts were our guides. Aday in Chiang Rai and Leena in Bangkok were absolutely outstanding. They truly made those cities so much more enjoyable and fun for us.

We had a fantastic trip! Yuliana came up with the initial itinerary and was very helpful and responsive with modifications. Even though our booking was relatively late, she got the four of us on all the adventures we asked for as well as hotels and transportation. All the transportation was on time and friendly. The adventures (rafting, jungle walk, zip line, etc...) were great and well planned. Overall, I would highly recommend the Kim Kim team (especially Yuliana) to plan a trip to Costa Rica.

Hotel Reviews

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Beautiful setting. The buildings with the rooms are scattered over the huge property. You have to take a shuttle to get around. The shuttles were fairly prompt. Nice room with a view. They have trails through the rainforest ($20) and other amenities that we did not get a chance to use. We would have liked to stay here for a few more days!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Faro Arenal

Fortuna

Nice grounds with a trail through the rainforest and a view of the Arenal volcano. The rooms were very basic, but clean.

Crowne Plaza San Jose La Sabana by IHG

San José

It was fine, only stayed there overnight and left at 5:30 in the morning for the rafting adventure.

Activity Reviews

Selvatura Park Self-Guided Hanging Bridges & Zip Lining

Monteverde

Thrilling to go over the rainforest. A highlight for the teenagers.

Night Excursion at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde

Monteverde

fun night walk through the rainforest. We saw some interesting bugs and a snake. Not much more wildlife. There were a lot of people in several groups during the walk. The guides were very informative.

El Silencio Volcano Hike & Visit to La Fortuna Waterfall

Arenal/La Fortuna

It was overcast and we weren't able to ee the volcano. The guide was very informative and it was educational to learn about the region and the volcano.

Whitewater Rafting on the Pacuare River

Costa Rica

Awesome! The guides were great. The rafting was amazing through the rapids! The thrill of the whole trip!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kim Kim beat my expectations by far!

We took a family of 7 to Morocco for 8 days. We have allergies, needed different accommodations and had specific ideas about what the trip should include. Ali (local planning specialist) helped plan an amazing experience. He was incredibly responsive and helpful. Once it was planned, he turned it over to Said, who was also exceptional - before, during and even after our travels, he was helpful, and responsive.

Our guide (Rachid) was also our driver. It was great to have a private guide just for us. He has experience all over Morocco and is an amazing driver. One of our kids often gets car sick. Not only did they NOT get sick, they loved to sleep while he drove! He found us restaurants and bathrooms when we needed them and offered information about local customs and areas as he drove.

Hotels - We stayed in Barcelona, Fes, Marrakech and the Agafay desert. The Riad Salam Fes. Wow. The pictures don't do it justice! It's beautiful. In Marrakech, we stayed at Riad Diamond of Marrakech. The first floor can be noisy, but the upper floors are quieter. The rooftop terrace was beautiful. The location requires a good walk from one of of the gates, but is amazing - right next to the center of town/markets. The Agafay Luxury camp tents were a fantastic way to finish our trip. Note that the on-site restaurant is expensive for the food that it offers.

Activities - We had local guides for tours of Fes and Marrakech. Our local guide in Marrakech was fantastic - the perfect mix of history, culture, and an introduction to the markets. We had a night food tour which was OK. Our hot air balloon ride was cancelled due to weather, but our ATV and camel rides in the desert were a great way to start our time in Agafay.

We had some issues with accommodations as we requested a triple room (3 people) with 3 separate beds. Kim Kim confirmed with the hotels before our travel. Unfortunately, some of the 'third beds' were either a sofa or worse. Kim Kim did their job. The hotels oversold what they could provide. Kim Kim did their best to remedy the situation.

Overall, we had a great time and will happily go back to Kim Kim in the future!

Activity Reviews

ATV Quad Adventure in the Agafay Desert

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I wish that we had known we were going from the van to the camels to the ATVs. We were essentially dropped off at the camels without knowing the rest of the activity, so people didn't have warmer clothes on for the ATVs.

Traditional Henna Party

Morocco

This was disappointing. I was expecting to be shown and guided or even be able to apply the henna ourselves. A guidfe took us from the Riad to the Henna cafe. We waited in line, chose a design and had it applied. This could have been done anywhere.

Quality of Experience

The henna designs were lovely. However, the experience did not match the description.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

The guide was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide asked what focus we wanted and provided it (culture, history, shopping)!

Transport

Walking!

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wow - Guatemala has so much more to offer than I realized at first. Chris helped me plan an 8 day trip for a family of 8. He took care of all the details and had everything very well organized and coordinated. He also helped me make the trip much more efficient and enjoyable. Do not hesitate to use Chris.

We spent 2 days in Antigua. Highlights were hiking to the cross overlooking Antigua, shopping, cheap massages, amazing starbucks, good food, and watching the Antigua soccer team win the Guatamala league in the town square with the rest of the town!

The volcano hike was NO JOKE! We are all in good shape - marathon runners and soccer players....still, this was tough. My teens and young adults did great, but they were pretty beat up too. The hike is relentless uphill. My recommendation is DO IT....go at your own pace, the views and Fuego is worth it. The pay off was watching Fuego erupt dozens of times....a few times with massive explosions like a sonic boom. You'll be tempted not to hike the extra hour to the very top at 4AM. DO IT....so worth it.

Lake Atitlan is a crazy mixture of culture, tourism, and relaxation. We stayed 5 days in 2 different cities. Both times we were in houses fit for Swiss Family Robinson....right on the water. We loved swimming, cliff jumping, relaxing in the sun, eating on the deck with chef prepared meals, and just relaxing. We are very glad we stayed a bit off the beaten path in homes outside the towns. Only way to access were from boat...which meant we had our own little paradise. We also toured 5 different town via boat while there....which was great to pick up culture and meet locals.

One last highlight - we spent half a day at the Eagles Nest retreat. We had amazing guides teach us yoga, hanging silk yoga, sauna/cold plunge experience, and walking through visualization and goal setting - since we were there on New Years Day! Perfect!

Hotel Review

Acatenango Campsite

Guatemala

5 Stars for location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Hike Acatenango Volcano & Camp Overnight

Guatemala

Unbelievable views.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vinny!

This trip was curated specifically for me and my children. Julia was great to incorporate all of the different experiences and activities that we particularly enjoy. On two occasions I needed to contact the Kimkim 24/7 Support line which helped me expeditiously. I would greatly recommend working with Kimkim for any trip you plan to take. It went seamlessly.

We just returned from our magical 13 day trip to Egypt. Aya planned us an amazing trip and knew all of the best things to do and see. She was super responsive and was open to any input we had for this trip. We typically don’t love a trip either a tour guide, but for Egypt it is necessary. Aya found the best tour guides in all the various spots in Egypt. We loved our tour guide Anna and would recommend her to anyone who travels to Cairo. Overall great experience!!

Our trip to Norway was an unexpected and unplanned Christmas revelation - it was merely an extension of another planned trip to Rome. After extensive consulting with our expert who spared no detail in planning our itinerary, Ms. Katie, I realized, we were up for an adventure of a lifetime. She recommended beautiful quaint Tromsø and two sites in Senja (Hamn-Senja and Norwegian Wild) to explore. Not even an unseasonable snowstorm dampened our trip. The polar nights added to the beauty and much needed quietude and stillness to appreciate the raw grandeur of Senja Islands and arctic north. The transportation and accommodations she chose were top notch and comfortable (Hygge is not a buzzword. It is a lifestyle, my friends!). Our cabins in Hamn and Norwegian Wild allowed for expansive views of the natural beauty in the northern Norway and Ånderdalen National Park. The fresh and healthy food were prepared with love (“just like my grandmother served me in childhood”, said our host and proprietor of Norwegian Wild, Hege). We drank the best water from the tap and ate fresh powdery snow! Our winter adventures were capped by the warmth and welcoming Norwegians: our driver from Tromsø, Finn-Åge who we ran into while waiting for Stig to pick us up in Finnsnes, the chefs and bartender and activity coordinator in Hamn-Senja, Franco and Roberto at Norwegian Wild talked to us with excitement about our stay. The piece de resistance: we saw the aurora borealis when the winter clouds parted, while hot tubbing next to our cabin (named Silda)! Silda means herring - our trip was a rarity, much like a red herring!

Shirley did a great job in planning the trip for my wife and myself. We are both in our mid 70's and this was our first guided trip and would definitely do it again if we return to Taiwan. Logan, our driver/guide was also amazing. I ask a lot of questions and he was always able to come up with a correct answer. I particularly liked the restaurants and dishes he suggested as we traveled through the different regions of Taiwan. When we requested some changes in our original itinerary, Shirley and Logan worked closely together to make it happen.

Columbus Travel out of Antigua was no less than amazing. Every single detail was taken care of, every question was answered immediately. They helped us plan the perfect vacation for our family. It was a perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. I can’t recommend Sofia and team more! They are simply the very best.

My Husband and I had a fantastic honeymoon in Japan, all thanks to our trip planner/agent Eleanor, our Tokyo guide Yoshi, our Osaka foodie tour guide Jimmy and Moika, and lastly our Kyoto guide Maasake. We especially enjoyed a Temple in Kyoto where we descended into a pitch black, dark area to make a wish on a stone, and come out the other side "rebirthed". It was such a different experience and we felt immersed in Japan's spiritual culture. The food was incredible. The foodie tour showed us unique foods that we had not had before and wouldn't have though about trying otherwise. They were great company too; it felt like going out on the town with a couple of local friends. Tokyo was our first destination and Yoshi was fantastic about teaching us how to use the public transport system and appropriate ways to enter Shrines. He answered all of our questions that mightve come off as "silly" or "ignorant" without judgement. This was our first trip ever to another country and it couldn't have gone better. Eleanor answered every single question cam and I came across, even during the trip. She always got back to me no matter what, and gave some good advice to avoid struggling a lot through some of the busiest areas of Japan. Thank you everyone and Kimkim for an unforgettable honeymoon.