Personalized trips to Colombia
for independent travelers

We loved out trip to Colomba and Michael was always very responsive to accomodating with all my questions and adusting our preferences during the planning process to custmoize it for our famliy of 4. We enjoyed all our guides who were very informative and passionate and our drivers were super nice and drove very safely! When one activity could not be accomodated per our itinerary, Micahel was very responsive and added another actvity we also wanted to do to replace it, and for that we were grateful. Our only regert is that we wished we had more time - another day in the Salento coffee farm area (our faborite) and another day on Isla Mucaro to extend the relaxation would have been perfect - but we did and saw a lot while we were there in the time we had! I have been raving about the country and our experience to our friends and highly recommend (and I am often hard to please and am used to planning trips all on my own) but I'm glad we booked through KimKim and Chaska Tours espeically since we were travelng with kids, as they helped to make our vacation seamless and turnkey. Thank you again and we hope to be back! Cara

Hotel Reviews

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Clean and good breakfast in a good location near Monserate! Just wished their was temperature control or AC in the rooms as we were a little hot and opening the window at night can be noisy with street traffic

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rancho San Antonio

Loved this place outside Salento -and the staff are amzing and welcomnig! Jeffrey prepared an early homecooked breakfast just for us the mornnig we had an early flight! He also pre-arranged cabs for us in town

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wished we could open up windows for cool air but there were no screens and mosquitos so we couldn't

Bastión Luxury Hotel

Cartagena

Beautiful hotel and room with rooftop bar in the heart of the city. AC stopped working at night but we called the next morning and they fixed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

beds were comfy and bathroom spacious

Hotel Punta Faro

Isla Mucura

Beautiful grounds and beach; lovely room; AC had some issues working and some tours were not in English so this was difficult for us (plankton and bicycle) so my family did not benefit from the information as much. Also would love a pool but understand why they probably can't put one in being a national park but that would bring it more next level. Food was hearty but not gourmet so a tad pricey for that compared to other resorts

Authenticity & Character

Loved the setting; wish we could have had dinner on beach

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GHL Hotel Armería Real

Cartagena

Great duplex room, good location; nice pool and rooftop bar/couryard - good value for $$! One of the AC units was leaking a bit on the bed

Authenticity & Character

Location

A little outside city

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Walking Tour & Street Food

Cartagena

We loved our guide and the food - he was informative and passionate and great with the kids! Thak you!!

Traditional Dinner - Top Chef Private Dining

Bogotá

Loved this experience - food was great, people warm and inviting and it was unique - thank you! Only lasted 2 hrs though but this was totally fine and we wanted to get to bed earlier :)

Fruits of Colombia at a Local Market

Bogotá

Loved it! Not really though it wasn't as long as advertised it was great

Horseback-Riding in the Coffee Region

Colombia

Gorgeous scenery and relaxing! Horses well behaved!

Bogota's Essentials (City Tour & Monserrate)

Bogotá

Loved it but we would have liked to have lunch sooner as we were a little starved and tired - ate around 4-5;30pm and then we didn't have energy to see the last square however we did squeeze this in and see it the next day so we were satistfied with that

Visit the Guatavita Lagoon

Bogotá

Beautiful hike and scenery and made us understand the culture better and our visit to the Gold museum more meaningful!

Coffee Farm Tour in Finca Buenos Aires

Salento

Another fun and unique experience not to be missed!

Cocora Valley & Salento

Colombia

Just amzing scenery and guide was great and informative!!!

Filandia & Basketry Workshop

Colombia

really NA because we didnt get to to this - wasnt sure why bt Michael offered us a Casillo Tour in Cartegena instead which was very good to see and informative! The shop we visited though was lovely and we bought souveniers

Sunset Drum & Dance Safari at the Beach of La Boquilla

Colombia

A unique experience that the kids loved!

Chocolate Workshop

Cartagena

Another amaznig time - they made it so special for my son's bday and we loved makng the cake and chocolate figurines - perfect bday celebration and end to our trip!

We had a blast on this trip and the planning process was extremely easy. Michael designed an itinerary that nailed exactly what we wanted -- lots of nature, culture, and hands-on activities. We loved both hotels where we stayed (Senda Watapuy near Tayrona, and Bastion in Cartagena). All of our tours and guides were fantastic. My 7 year old daughter loved tubing on the Rio Don Diego, swimming under a waterfall, exploring the fort in Cartagena, and making her own jewelry. We appreciated that our activities each day finished early enough for us to enjoy some pool/relaxation time at the hotel before dinner. Michael was super responsive via WhatsApp whenever we needed anything. Thank you for helping us plan such a wonderful trip to beautiful Colombia!

Hotel Reviews

Senda Watapuy

Santa Marta

Incredible experience in the jungle and a great value. The scenery around the hotel area is stunning, the pictures online do not do it justice. The bungalows are very comfortable. The only thing to note about the bungalows is that (at least in ours) the bathroom was not very separated from the rest of the structure so anytime someone wanted privacy to use the bathroom, everyone else had to go outside. But we made it work. The beds were comfortable and there is air conditioning and fans, so along with having the windows open at night we were very comfortable even though it was pretty hot. The food at the restaurant was delicious and the drinks were great, especially the mojitos. If you're a wine drinker, note that the availability was hit or miss - but Colombia is not really a wine drinking country, so better to have a beer or cocktail anyway! The staff were extremely nice and helpful, although not all of them spoke English.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Spectacular scenery, right outside the entrance to the national park

Staff

They checked in on us often to make sure we had what we needed

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bastión Luxury Hotel

Cartagena

We enjoyed staying at this hotel a lot. The location is great, right inside the walled city of the old section of Cartagena. The room was comfortable with good air conditioning. The only issue with the room was that the water in the shower never got hot, but a cool shower actually felt pretty good after a hot and sweaty day walking around outside. The breakfast buffet was very nice and there was also hot food made to order. The best part of the hotel was definitely the rooftop pool with a great view of the city, and the delicious cocktails we enjoyed up there. It was a great way to end the day and cool off before getting dressed for dinner. The staff at the hotel were all super nice and helped us with various requests including dinner reservations.

Authenticity & Character

Interesting old building (with modern updates)

Location

Walkable area

Staff

Very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Market Visit & Cooking Class

Cartagena

The visit to the market was very interesting and we loved our guides, including the chef. The food was absolutely delicious and it was fun to help prepare it. Our only complaint would be that the chef and her assistant did almost all the cooking and didn't explain to us what they were doing, so it wasn't really a "cooking class" as we did not learn how to prepare most of the food (with a couple of exceptions). That said, it was a fabulous private lunch so we couldn't complain! It was also a bit hot on the rooftop area where we were cooking/eating, so it might have been even a bit better if it were in an indoor location with air conditioning.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coconut Workshop

Cartagena

The women leading the workshop were wonderful and we had a great time making crafts. "Coconut workshop" is a bit of a misnomer as this is really a jewelry/accessories making workshop with polished colorful beads. You can't even tell they're made from coconuts. The finished products were all lovely and we can't wait to wear them. The setting of the workshop was also very nice, right on the beach with a cool ocean breeze.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Tayrona National Park

Colombia

Spectacular! The park was very crowded because we were there during Easter week (Semana Santa) but we made the bets of it and considered it part of the experience. Our guide helped us spot lots of birds, monkeys, and lizards.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tayronaka Natural Reserve

Colombia

We absolutely loved tubing on the Rio Don Diego all the way to the ocean. The indigenous ruins and museum before the tubing portion of the day were also interesting although it would have been even better if we had been able to spend a bit more time learning about the indigenous culture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nature, Waterfalls & Coffee Farm in Minca

Colombia

We enjoyed the tour of the coffee farm, it was interesting to see the traditional way of processing the beans. It would have been nice if we could have seen it in operation but we weren't there at the right time. It also would have been nice to see more of the area where the beans are grown, which was not part of the tour. Hiking to the waterfall where we were able to swim in the pool beneath it was very nice - our guide recommended that we go to Pozo Verde instead of the more popular one (Marinka) because of crowds, and that was a good idea. The lunch we had at La Casona with the hummingbirds was memorable. Overall we had a nice day, but the drive to Minca was quite long and it would have been nice to see more of the town/surrounding area to make the long drive more worth it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nueva Venecia and the stilt villages of the Ciénaga Grande (On the Way to Cartagena)

Colombia

It was very special to see the stilt villages and learn about the culture and history. We were invited into a resident's home for lunch, which was wonderful. They accommodated the vegetarians in our group. Our guide was very nice and also helped us identify the birds we saw on the way.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cartagena City Tour

Cartagena

Our guide Roberto gave us a fantastic tour. Most of the time was spent at the fort because that was particularly interesting to us. Afterward, we walked back through the park with the sloths (!!) and through the old city back to our hotel. It was a very hot day and our daughter was tired, so Roberto very kindly adapted the tour to be a bit shorter. He made sure we had umbrellas to keep the sun off of us as well as cold water to cool down. It was a very good experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boquilla Mangrove Tour

Cartagena

The mangroves were lovely and we saw a lot of birds. It was very special to help plant a baby mangrove in a reforestation area as well as to get a demonstration of the traditional fishing methods. The cold coconut water at the end was a bonus!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunset Drum & Dance Safari at the Beach of La Boquilla

Colombia

Our schedule changed and the drum workshop was not at sunset, so we can't comment on that aspect of it - but we had a great time watching the performances and learning the drum rhythms ourselves. We were given some very nice refreshments (appetizers and a mojito) as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From start of planning to even beyond trip’s end, Felipe and his Aracanto team associated with KimKim were nothing short of amazing in planning and implementing our foursome Colombian adventure. Felipe promised to be with us via Whatsapp and/or the KimKim chat every step of the way; this was more than a sincere pledge. Without exception, responses to questions or concerns were always timely, if not unbelievably immediate. No matter a simple request or out-of-the-box queries, everything was dealt with in a kind and effective manner. (Aside: a reservation was made by Aracanto at my request for someone we met in the Amazon and not even traveling with us!)
Of note: We were grateful for airport assistance. Rides were not just arranged to various airports, but also help guiding us through unfamiliar mazes and a foreign language to get us and our luggage safely delivered and on to our next location. Very helpful!
Pre-arranged guides at every stop were, without exception, qualified and eager to help to provide the best experience possible. For me, our Amazon guide, Ramiro, was a favorite, impressive in his sincere attitude as well as his knowledge of the Amazon area; his self-taught English was equally amazing. He was so unassuming, so thoughtful. Other guides (and drivers) throughout our journey were kind and well informed. How in the world drivers knew routes on the mountainous windy, narrow roads is a wonder (without GPS assistance for the most part). Alex, in the Pereira coffee region, was the standout driver!
As a sort of downside, tour timing may have been underestimated in terms of hours spent. This, due mainly to road and weather conditions. Some days got a little long. On the other hand, when will be here again? Guides wanted us to see and do as much as possible.
Our overview of Colombia began in Cartagena where we were housed in a beautiful boutique hotel, as I initially indicated to Felipe that we enjoy during travels. Spending three nights gave us the opportunity for enough exploration (as well as to fully realize the heat and humidity that is Cartagena). These outsiders are not used to that!
On to Bogota, a massive city sprawled far and wide as well as scrunched against and up the eastern range of the Colombian Andes. We found the weather gods with us, experiencing and appreciating the high-altitude coolness with, miraculously, little rain and nice sunshine. As arranged by Aracanto/KimKim, in addition to several tours of interest, we found Bogota dining exceptional. Of the several places we visited this trip, Bogota takes the cake in gastronomy. Delish! For a memorably unique dining experience, we especially recommend Prudencia for a late lunch. After that, no need for dinner! For the best lemon pie ever, it’s Armadillo.
On to the Amazon by way of the border (Brazil, Peru and Colombia) city of Leticia. Back to hot and humid, but if you want see the Amazon, this is the deal. Staying at what is perhaps the nicest accommodation on the Colombian Amazon was an experience to remember. We were booked for 4 nights. Having now been there, 2 days (so maybe 3 nights) would suffice. We had a nice (rustic) hut, king-size bed with mosquito netting, indoor plumbing, an outdoor porch with a hammock and stunning view of the Amazon flowing by before our eyes. Downside: no hot water equals cold showers. (We did not know this ahead of time.) That said, if you have no hot water, the Amazon might be the place where it’s at least semi-ok! Hot, hot, hot and humid.
Outings: pink and gray dolphins performed as promised, jungle tours by hiking and boating, piranha fishing. Not included in our particular tour was an early-morning outing to particularly see parrots. Three in our group signed up in addition to what had been scheduled; I regret that I did not. Parrots and other birds were seen as promised, but the highlight was saving a momma sloth and her baby, stranded on a fallen floating tree. Spotted by the boat driver, guide Ramiro knew how to handle the situation and the pair were carefully rescued from sure drowning and taken by boat to another tree rooted on land down river. Wow!
And, actually, one of the very best things about this camp, like so many times on travels, was meeting folks from around the world: people from Europe, Dubai, Africa, USA and probably other origins populated our camp. There was even a Montana/Kenya connection that may blossom further – the small world thing!
Downside: On checking out, we were informed cash was much preferred, which we did not know ahead of time (or had forgotten). Not everyone had enough COPs and/or other currency that could later be exchanged in Leticia. Credit cards could probably be dealt with, but definitely not preferred and, I believe, a service charge would be added. Also, on our arrival, the camp manager asked us what we would like to do. I, for one, was sort of taken aback at the statement, as I thought it was more or less laid out what the itinerary would be, weather dependent. Odd. It all worked out!
Next, the coffee region. Down the Amazon we went, back by way of Leticia to Bogota for just a night in order to catch an onward flight the following day. Once there, did we learn about coffee! The landscape here (and, really, throughout this lovely country) is stunning. Along with the spectacular scenery, though, is a study in inconvenient living. Steep! Mountains and valleys galore, with any cleared space planted for coffee production and other crops. All this with most everything from planting to harvest done by hand. (Coffee beans are picked one by one by one by one…). The entire agricultural economy is extremely labor intensive. For sure going forward, we will more fully appreciate our cups of coffee!
The Corcora Valley was also something to see with its unique wax palms (Colombia’s national tree) soaring up to 200 feet in the air, the tallest palms in the world; slow growing, and made to last 100 to 200 years!
Horseback riding was on the docket in this area as well. Again, the weather gods accommodated, giving us a wonderfully sunshiny day amidst a spectacular Colombian ranch backdrop. I asked for an authentic ride with good stock. Aracanto saw to it! New for us in riding in various places around the world was to include our guide. Jorge, who was with us throughout the coffee region, provided welcome translation along the way. Our llano leader, Victor, had no English and we had no Spanish. While we can always make do, it is helpful to have a translator.
Next, from Pereira in the coffee region, it was on to Medellin, formerly a city of drug lords (particularly, Pablo Escobar) and extreme violence transformed into a progressive city of appeal that we were happy to see. Besides a city tour, we had a treat outside of Medellin to visit an extensive hobby orchid collection along with its accompanying hydrangea farm. Each hydrangea is planted and picked by hand. Some 8,000 highly perishable stems are picked and packed for air transport, mostly to the USA, daily, year-round, from this one farm. What a process – by hand.
And not so far from Medellin, a final stop by way of the colorful city of Guatape and Marinilla, we spent 2 nights digesting this fine Colombian excursion at a lodge with more wonderful meals and final views of the lush green that is Colombia. As a bonus (at my last-minute request) laid out before us was a surprise celebration for the April birthday guys, complete with a private dinner and concert!
All this ably arranged through Felipe and the Aracanto/KimKim team. Impressive. We four have traveled the world extensively. We offer only praise for this team of travel planners, and heartily recommend their service should you be traveling to the beautiful country of Colombia.

photo: https://imemories.us/3RW2ShJ