Kimkim Trip Reviews for Brazil

A bit rustic and sometimes noisy but great overall experience. Be prepared to carry your luggage from the harbor (10 minutes)

The size of the beds was HUGE … bigger than a California king … great sleep Excellent breakfast

Comfortable beds - clean - quiet Just needed an extra blanket

Great boutique hotel downtown Manaus with great beds.

The island is really a backpacker paradise - jungle & beach combo with great hikes and beautiful secluded beaches (reachable by boat). Food options are plentiful but expect to wait a long time to be served.

Beautiful city with lots to do - safer than I expected - beaches are gorgeous but crowded.

In the heart of the earths lungs … insane beauty and quiet place - farm to table food - Piranha fishing and night time boating to see caymans was brilliant

This boutique-hotel was in a perfect spot, surrounded by chapels, attractions and shops. The room itself was breathtaking, with lovely decor, tables, mirrors, sofas, a table for the custom breakfast served in the room. We stayed only 1-1/2 nights though. The staff did not speak much English but were extremely friendly.

The Amazon Tupana Lodge was the perfect place to enjoy our Amazon jungle adventure. The rooms on stilts, a common area with hammocks and comfortable chairs and of course, the buffet area and the steps leading to the port dock were all so beautiful. We saw wildlife right at the port deck - dolphins, herons, vultures, tepir and several birds. The stray dogs were too friendly and almost bit my hubby as we walked up the deck stairs. The stray cat was very cute though. The room was quite good and the fan really helped. Opening the curtains a little at the night helps cool air enter. The buffet meals were all amazing especially as they had several vegan options. They also took care to not contaminate vegetarian food with the meat - this was our highlight during the camping dinner at the forest. All the staff and guides were very friendly. The activities were all exceptional. Night or forest walks require us to wear long sleeves and pants. So, packing thin kurtis with long sleeves or thin slacks/leggings will help prevent mosquito bites.

We had a stay for a few hours in the night as we landed around midnight on Christmas. The staff was very friendly. However, we did not get any hot water in the morning. Seems like instructions to get hot water should be handy.

The room was very clean and we had ample room to open our suitcases. The staff at the hotel was exceptional as they answered all our questions and directed us to laundry service/laundromats close to the hotel. We didn't have enough time for the laundry service but the automated laundromat near the hotel saved our day.

The hotel room was very clean but the bed was so large that we had trouble opening our large suitcases on the floor. Enjoyed the breakfast with coffee, fruits, salad, cereal, hot milk and yogurt. The staff was not very friendly compared to the other places that we stayed at. It took us more than a day to figure out how to get room service or call the front desk. A paper with the key services would have helped as the icons on the phone were not very intuitive.

Our visit to the Argentine side of the Iguacu falls (called Igauzu in Argentina) was a wonderful experience with expert guidance from John, right from crossing the border to touring the falls in the Park. The hikes to the Devil's throat and Upper falls were amazing as we saw the falls from closeup. The boat tour by Gran Aventura (an additional trip) which took us under the waterfalls was an exhilarating experience. John gave us all the necessary instructions in advance and so we were prepared with an extra set of dry clothes. We also enjoyed an extra tour of the bridges across the 3 countries (Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil) and downtown.

Our trip to Brazil was unforgettable, thanks to Bruno and kimkim. Bruno helped us with our custom itinerary and was always available to answer any questions before and during the trip. The guides were very professional, knowledgeable and friendly and made our trip memorable and worthwhile. Marcelo at Rio, John at Foz do Iguacu, Carlos at The Amazon and Luiz at Salvador were our amazing guides. Our trip highlights - seeing Christ the Redeemer at Rio on a cloudy day and catching a glimpse for a few moments, Sugar loaf mountain at Rio (saw marmosets and vultures), Iguacu falls (Argentine side was our highlight) and the boat tour under the waterfalls at the Argentine side (we got soaked thrice), Bird Park near Iguacu falls, Brazil, amazing Amazon experience (canoeing, fishing, sunrise and sunset tours, forest walks), Salvador city tour. We saw exotic wildlife everywhere and endangered birds at the bird park. The hotels were all very good but with the Salvador hotel being our favorite as it was a boutique hotel located in a historic center surrounded by chapels and shops. We were able to get vegan food in all places with the Amazon Tapuna lodge being our highlight as several vegan options were available with breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had difficulty in finding vegan food in small airports. Latitude at Rio international airport was a great place for vegan food.

The most interesting part was reaching the Amazon Tapuna lodge from Manaus via 2 motorized boats and a 4*4 - a total of 4+ hrs. None of the staff or drivers spoke English and we didn't have internet coverage en route so Google translate didn't work (key takeway is to download the language package before your trip). When aboard the first small motorized boat, we feared we would be in this boat for 4 hours and so quickly wore the life jackets. Thankfully, it was only for 40 minutes or so. The driver stopped in the middle of the river and showed us flags of Peru, Columbia and Brazil. We saw that the color of the water had changed at that point too - apparently it was the meeting point of two rivers moving in different directions. We then went on the 4*4 trip for 2.5+ hrs. with one truck stop/toilet break. The final hop was a 1/2 hr. boat ride to the Amazon Tapuna lodge. The beautiful view of the lodge on stilts, the steps from the port deck and the hammocks, etc. were indeed breathtaking. We had arrived in the jungle.!!! We were greeted with a welcome drink by Carlos, our awesome guide who spoke perfect English in addition to Portuguese and Spanish. We were thrilled to learn that we would be getting vegan food for all our meals - our Brazil trip highlight. We loved doing the tours with a Japanese Brazil family and a British woman. Since we left at 7am or so from Manaus, we were at the lodge by 11:15am. We had lunch at 12:30p (the lunch time at the lodge) and had 2 tours that day. The 4pm tour on the boat was to meet a local family, learn about their hard life and taste their awesome farina/farofa (the toasted cassava flour used on all salads, rice and beans, etc). We got a demo of making farina and tapioca. After our awesome dinner at 7:30p, we left on a boat tour to see alligators. It was awesome to see a baby alligator from up-close.

Luxurious and very relaxing.

Decent, clean

Great hotel, friendly staff, excellent food. Very well planned trips such as jungle hike, piranha fishing, sunrise boat ride. We saw lots of birds, caiman and monkeys!!

Anna the chef was wonderful. Very hands on and interactive. Lucas our guide was the best! Ask for Anna.

Lucas had our fast pass tickets so we didnt have to stand in line. Gave us cool tips for pictures and drinks.

Our guide tailored this experience for our family. We experience Santa Maria, a sweet little town on the hill top. It was fantastic.

This Pousada was great. It felt very authentic and quaint. The room was lovely and had a great view. There was a coffee break we enjoyed each day with tasty treats and the breakfast was also well supplied with homemade local food.

Windsor Plaza was fine. We stayed a few nights in a room facing the main street, and a few nights facing the side street. The main street room was pretty loud and we preferred the side street room. Dining options were nice and location was convenient. We had dinner there one night and room service another and both were decent. Main complaint was the construction. We had at least 10 power outages from the work. They had to shut down 2/3 elevators for most of our stay which meant taking the stairs several times.

This is a sweet place to stay. The rooms and property are lovely with a very relaxing atmosphere. The breakfasts here were the best we had during our trip. The best thing about this hotel is the staff. They are friendly and kind. We only spoke single word Portuguese but the staff helped us whatever we needed from restaurant suggestions to laundry.

Nothing mind-blowing, but everything was simply good.

One of the best accommodations I have ever stayed at! 10/10 in every category; WiFi, staff, breakfast, rooms, beds, sanitary facilities, pool, location, surroundings.

Rashan was the best guide!!!

I had a lot of freedom picking where to go, which was great! My guide was a very sweet man with great knowledge! Bit of a talker - I like that, but some people might not.

Everything was super beautiful! The hike was pretty heavy though, with all the humidity.

Deceptively doable hike! And the favela itself is beautiful too. The views are the highlight, though. Absolutely amazing.

Thank you for you patience and accomodations, thoroughly enjoyed our stay

This tour was truly mesmerizing from start to finish. Christ the Redeemer was absolutely fascinating—an awe-inspiring sight and a wonder of the world that feels almost unreal when you’re standing beneath it. The entire experience felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment, something I know I’ll carry with me forever. A wonderful tour that left me breathless in the best way.”

This tour through Rio and up to the heights of Sugar Loaf became the shining highlight of my time in Brasil. Every moment felt like stepping into a living tapestry—rich with culture, layered with history, and framed by sweeping views of the bay that seemed to stretch into eternity. Standing above the city, wrapped in its golden light, felt like a once-in-a-lifetime gift. For anyone coming to Brazil, this experience isn’t just a tour—it’s a breathtaking journey you’ll carry with you long after you’ve left

Paraty was such a beautiful city. The walking tour gave us great insight into its history and cultural relevance. We loved it—informative, engaging, and wonderfully interactive!

Loved the tour—exciting, engaging, and filled with so many fascinating historical highlights. Every stop added something special to the experience.

First, note the lodge is in Careiro, a very rural area, not Manaus. The people are very kind. The food was fresh and lunch and dinner excellent—they went above and beyond to accommodate my vegetarian diet. There are many opportunities for wildlife viewing right at the lodge, which was fantastic. The drinking water is filtered and safe to drink. There is a trail through the forest which is lovely. My guide and boat captain were outstanding. The accommodations are as pictured. The lodge ran out of power once and water twice. That wasn’t the problem so much as the fact that there was not good communication about what had happened and when water would return. The toilet stopped working and it took about 14 hours before it was repaired. Again, those things happen, but I was not offered an alternative room (even though there were many empty rooms) or other alternative. The cleaning was uneven, some days fine, others not—returned one day to find a puddle of dirty water between the beds. I was offered use of “kayaks” but they were not well maintained flat-bottomed plastic boats, mismatched paddles in a pile, gear old. I opted to do the night in the jungle outing, which started out well with a delicious dinner cooked over open fire at the lodge’s campsite, which is accessible by boat. But again, the gear was not well maintained; there was a large hole in one of the hammock mosquito nets. That ended up being important because just as we were going to sleep, my guide, a native Brazilian who had grown up in the area, discovered a large spider on the inside of the net (next to her body). She said the spider was a venomous wandering spider, and she was clearly shaken. The thatched roof of the open air camp site was old, likely home to many such spiders. I asked that we return to the lodge for the evening for safety’s sake and we did. For English-speaking guests, you will need a guide. None of the lodge staff that I interacted with spoke any English. The lodge is not cheap, I would have expected fewer issues for the price.

So for all of these supposed activities, this is what is annoying about Kim Kim. I can’t review these because no activity is actually listed. Kim Kim booked me for several activities I specifically told Federico, in writing, that I was not interested in. So I had to work all that out with the guide when I arrived. She was flexible and good about it but clearly didn’t have adequate time to plan alternatives, so I just did some stuff on my own for some of the time, which ended up being fine. But honestly, terrible service from Kim Kim.

The room was tiny but for the most part clean. The bathroom had some mold in the shower area. The staff was very friendly. We loved having dinner at the pool bar.

Clean rooms and friendly staff. We both really enjoyed having a buffet dinner option.

Quick check in Good English at Reception! Large comfortable rooms, very well appointed Nice breakfast Allowed us late check-out at 1 pm which was very helpful!

Lovely Pousada - Rio Claro Lots of wildlife on the property! Competent quick check in Cordial service in the dining room Superb experience of seeing Hyacinth Macaws being fed in the morning, just magical This was on the first day We stayed in Pousada Berco Pantaneiro in Porto Jofre on the next 3 days The facilities were pretty basic Food was good & wholesome Service was tight probably because of the location & staffing There was a powercut from 9 pm to almost 4 am one night Apparently the generator wasn't working Extremely uncomfortable in the heat, with a Jaguar safari following on at 7 am! Was impossible to contact the Manager that night

We reached at 3 am and there was no booking in our name. It was impossible to explain to the receptionist inspite of showing them a printed voucher. Finally in my desperation, I had to phone my Trip Planner Bruno at that unearthly hour and he sorted it out. Even then, they were not really welcoming. No water in the room

Beautiful hotel Felt like a 5 star Amazingly cordial & quick check in, at midnight!! Such good English!! Welcome drink sparkling wine And fabulous breakfast spread Very nice spaces to just relax in Location very very close to Iguazu Falls & next door to the Bird Park I think Kimkim should definitely offer this hotel to guests visiting Iguazu. I was offered this only after I specifically wanted a hotel next to the flFalls

Only positive is the location in the beach Room very small Facilities not great No water provided in the room Even small bottles need to be paid for, which we were not informed about I feel we could have been offered a better selection of hotel for Rio

Brilliant Luxurious Truly 5 star

Amazing Jaguar safaris, 10 hours on each day! Brilliant sightings, thanks to guide Nabutaka & boatman Jose

The Jaguar Safari was as exciting as imagined! Fantastic safari for 10 hours on both days. Nabutaka & Jose were so patient and willing

Got to see Hyacinth Macaws being fed in the Pousada Rio Claro! Lots of birds, capybara roaming around the property!

Unforgettable drive on the Transpantaneira! Guide Nabutaka is excellent and highly recommended! So knowledgeable, willing, friendly. Will never forget the countless birds we saw !

Absolutely stunning!

Marcelo our guide was very good - knowledgeable, friendly, interesting, very good English! Nice neat tour of Rio!

First of all the boat safaris and Jaguar spotting were fantastic, exactly what I hoped for. So I am happy overall. But the lodge was very unsatisfactory. The conditions were terrible and the guy running the place very disorganized and didn’t provide any information about meal times, boats, services … I had to ask and push for everything. Other guests complained about this too. At one point I waited for hours at my room thinking someone would pick me up to go to the boat and had to have the Portuguese speaking maid call the manager to find out what was going on. The food was gross and the eating conditions unsanitary. Food prep areas were right next to the very dirty dishwashing area. I didn’t feel comfortable eating. The room was hardly a room but about the size of a tent. The bed and pillows stiff as a board with one blanket and one bath towel provided. No room service was provided or offered in the 3 nights I was there. Dogs from the surrounding slum barked through the night and again starting about 4 am every morning. The room itself was about a block and a half from the main area of the lodge and dining area through what I would call a rural slum with poorly kept huts, broken down cars and with trash everywhere. The attached photo is right outside my room. At night the walk is very dark and if I were a woman I would feel very unsafe walking by the squalor. The WiFi is terrible and cuts in and out constantly, presumably because of the power provided by a weak, intermittent generator.

The staff was incredibly friendly and responsive throughout the stay! The room was very nice and comfortable and the food was great. My only criticism is this is not really a good place for wildlife photography. The safari rides are in a crowded, big, vibrating truck with very few opportunities. I didn’t see anything on the hikes. The only good shots I was able to get of birds, capybara, couture and monkeys were on my own walking around the grounds. Even then I probably only got 15-20 quality pics in 3 days. So I’d say this is a great place if you want a comfortable venue to enjoy nature and relax but don’t count on getting many wildlife pics.

Boat safaris were amazing. Accommodations were terrible.