Kimkim Trip Reviews for Colombia

My trip to a new foreign land was an amazing experience. The food, the culture, the architecture, the people and the weather were something I will always cherish and remember. Our trip was not conventional by any means. It had many changes to travelers and destinations. But through all of these, I was able to coordinate everything through Andrea and our local guides. We were here for my friend's birthday and she told me it was the birthday of a lifetime. We experienced so many beautiful... read more

My trip to a new foreign land was an amazing experience. The food, the culture, the architecture, the people and the weather were something I will always cherish and remember. Our trip was not conventional by any means. It had many changes to travelers and destinations. But through all of these, I was able to coordinate everything through Andrea and our local guides. We were here for my friend's birthday and she told me it was the birthday of a lifetime. We experienced so many beautiful places and people on our trip. Yes, it would have been cheaper if I did this on my own, but for the few dollars more, I had the piece of mind knowing this would be a great trip. And it was! Thank you Andra!

My friend and I had such a wonderful and memorable time in Cartagena and Santa Marta. Margoth did an amazing job organizing and suggesting activities, transportation, hotels, and restaurants. Everything went so smoothly. She was even available during our stay and would check up on us. She is very knowledgeable on creating out perfect vacation. I wanted to visit Cerro Kennedy which not many tourist hike and she was able to make arrangements last minute as I was not sure what traveling would... read more

My friend and I had such a wonderful and memorable time in Cartagena and Santa Marta. Margoth did an amazing job organizing and suggesting activities, transportation, hotels, and restaurants. Everything went so smoothly. She was even available during our stay and would check up on us. She is very knowledgeable on creating out perfect vacation. I wanted to visit Cerro Kennedy which not many tourist hike and she was able to make arrangements last minute as I was not sure what traveling would be like at a peak of COVID.

Juan Carlos was our tour guide and driver while we Santa Marta. I highly recommend him as well if you plan on visiting Santa Marta. He is very professional, kind and knowledgeable. The personal touches and details made a big difference.

Thank you both for an amazing vacation!

Oliver was great managing the whole COVID19 situation, ensured I had the most uptodate information so I could make an informed decision to leave as soon as i possibly could. And for that, I am incredibly grateful to his situational awareness. Even though I couldn't enjoy everything Colombia had to offer, I was well looked after with really great accommodation and itinerary options. Thank you Oliver!

We cannot be more impressed with the exceptional service provided by Margoth @ Aracanto on our Colombia trip. We found her on kimkim.com to help us put together a 10-day itinerary. She promptly responded to our emails, eloquently answered every little query and request and gave excellent recommendations and options for every aspect of the trip. Our itinerary was unfortunately truncated by the COVID pandemic travel restrictions but we have nothing but praise for Margoth’s concern and support... read more

We cannot be more impressed with the exceptional service provided by Margoth @ Aracanto on our Colombia trip. We found her on kimkim.com to help us put together a 10-day itinerary. She promptly responded to our emails, eloquently answered every little query and request and gave excellent recommendations and options for every aspect of the trip. Our itinerary was unfortunately truncated by the COVID pandemic travel restrictions but we have nothing but praise for Margoth’s concern and support for us as we embarked on our tenuous four-flight journey home to Australia. We felt very well looked after from the first moment until arriving back on home soil. We highly recommend Margoth @ Aracanto if you are planning a trip to this beautiful, proud and wonderful country. We will be back! Thanks for everything Margoth!

We were soooo impressed with the trip. Everything went smoothly. All guides and drivers were early and eagerly awaiting us. ALL Colombians were so friendly to us.
We felt safe and well taken care of the whole trip. We had a pretty aggressive agenda but enjoyed discovering beautiful Columbia visiting many different regions. The trip to Chingaza was a great last minute addition and our guide Juanita was fabulous. We LOVED Medellin region and especially the commune 13 visit- our guide... read more

We were soooo impressed with the trip. Everything went smoothly. All guides and drivers were early and eagerly awaiting us. ALL Colombians were so friendly to us.
We felt safe and well taken care of the whole trip. We had a pretty aggressive agenda but enjoyed discovering beautiful Columbia visiting many different regions. The trip to Chingaza was a great last minute addition and our guide Juanita was fabulous. We LOVED Medellin region and especially the commune 13 visit- our guide Marcel was full of information, enthusiasm, and energy.
Our coffee tour was awesome - suggest including lunch (as some groups had - we had coffee and a snack). Cocora was great but our guide Juan was very average - didn't really want to take us on the full loop were had arranged for???? turns out the wilder part of the loop that he didn't want to take us on initially was the best part of the hike.
The 4 day lost city trek was hot, humid, steep and challenging but sooooo worth it - we had great guides and were surprised at the comfort (and bed-bug proofing) and food at the facilities along the trek. The fresh fruit along the trek was soooooo awesome.
Tayrona was beautiful - we skipped the lines into the park as our guide knew people which was awesome - apparently the park had just re-opened after being shut down for a month and people were waiting hours and were even being turned away.
We spent 6 hours in San Andreas waiting for our flight home and it would not have suited us - we did a tour by cab and then walked the malecon / beach . Enjoyed Providencia much more - 4 nights was perfect there. We dove only one day as the reefs are not in great shape. We rented a side by side vehicle to tour the island one day which was great -beautiful beaches. I would highly recommend to others as an activity going to the Lighthouse theatre that shows the black crab migration and culture of the island to everyone- also has an awesome view of the sunset with drinks and decent food. The hike to the peak and meditation rock was so awesome. Deep blue accommodations were awesome but the restaurant was just slightly above average. The food and service was much better at Caribbean Place Donde Martin.

Cartagena was interesting but too hot and busy for our liking - that's just us. We know people who loved staying there because it was sunny, hot, busy, with lots of places to shop and eat - we much preferred Bogota and especially Medellin as far as cities go. The market and cooking class were super interesting.

Overall we were very pleased with our visit - the itinerary suited us and really allowed us to experience as much of Colombia as possible in 3 weeks. We were so impressed with how smoothly everything went and how friendly and helpful Colombians are. This was also a reasonably priced holiday as far as eating and drinking once you are in Colombia.
We will definitely be recommending Colombia to our friends.

We had an amazing family trip to Colombia thanks to Margoth and her team. We were a party of 7, including children and grandparents, and we wanted to get a taste of everything that Colombia has to offer in an 8 day trip. Already at the planning stage Margoth completely understood what we were looking for in terms of activities, culture, nature, hotels and comfort. She put together a great trip for us and we just had to click “yes” and everything was booked and organised for us. Our trip... read more

We had an amazing family trip to Colombia thanks to Margoth and her team. We were a party of 7, including children and grandparents, and we wanted to get a taste of everything that Colombia has to offer in an 8 day trip. Already at the planning stage Margoth completely understood what we were looking for in terms of activities, culture, nature, hotels and comfort. She put together a great trip for us and we just had to click “yes” and everything was booked and organised for us. Our trip took us to the coffee region, Cartagena and the Rosario islands.

Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

Coffee region:
- Cócora valley; a fantastic nature experience and hike with a private local guide and a visit to the beautiful village of Salento.
- Interesting visit to a coffee farm with a private guide including a coffee tasting.

Cartagena:
- Amazing city and great food. All the restaurant bookings that Margoth and her team had prepared for us, were great!
- Bovedas de Santa Clara: Super charming hotel with apartment like rooms fitting up to 6 people with a great location in the old town.
- Entertaining chocolate making workshop (particularly fun for the kids).
- Highly recomendable private cooking class for the whole family in an authentic French-Caribbean food restaurant in Getsemani.

Rosario islands:
- The trip out to islands was fun for everyone
- The natural aquarium is a “must see” for adults and children
- A nice bike ride and kayak trip with the children on isla grande

The colours, the food, the people and the service in Colombia are all fabulous.

We were so well taken care of by Margoth and her team and felt very safe throughout our whole trip. She contacted us every day to make sure we were happy. At every turn we had someone waiting for us to take us to our next activity and adventure. All bookings were made for us, and when we decided to change one night on the islands for one night in Cartagena, Margoth and her team did everything in their power making it happening for us on a few hours notice.

We will definitely use KimKim again and we warmly recommend Margoth and her team for anyone looking for a special and tailor made trip to Colombia.

The trip was very well planned and all the guides met or exceeded our expectations. We especially enjoyed the mountain biking and the walk in Cocora Valley. All the drivers were on time, pleasant and professional.

Five days before flying to Colombia I found Kimkim online and was encouraged by the favourable reviews. I like that there was a form to decide if it was the best option for me within my budget. I was contacted by Natalia who made an itinerary with all the things I wanted to do; I’m grateful for them making my stay in Colombia AWESOME. I’m truly grateful for the itinerary, accomodation in fantastic locations and the BEST local guides.

My guide in Bogotá - Juan Carrillo gave me 3 wonderful... read more

Five days before flying to Colombia I found Kimkim online and was encouraged by the favourable reviews. I like that there was a form to decide if it was the best option for me within my budget. I was contacted by Natalia who made an itinerary with all the things I wanted to do; I’m grateful for them making my stay in Colombia AWESOME. I’m truly grateful for the itinerary, accomodation in fantastic locations and the BEST local guides.

My guide in Bogotá - Juan Carrillo gave me 3 wonderful days in Bogota; it really made all the difference. And the local touches crowned everything.

Lydia was great in Medellín with personalised touched in the tour; highlight of my trip was the transformative Communa 13 trip.

Last but not least, Carlos in Medellín - a most engaging and wonderful guide; I truly enjoyed our day together.

This is a long overdue review of our fabulous November 2019 trip to Colombia.
Despite a prolonged wait to clear customs, we were greeted by Lina who graciously made sure we were safely transported to our destination. For the next two days she provided an energetic and welcoming introduction to Bogota. In Villa de Leyva Mauricio was a delightful guide, providing a personal and entertaining opportunity to explore area. We really enjoyed his musical background and knowledge.
Natalia... read more

This is a long overdue review of our fabulous November 2019 trip to Colombia.
Despite a prolonged wait to clear customs, we were greeted by Lina who graciously made sure we were safely transported to our destination. For the next two days she provided an energetic and welcoming introduction to Bogota. In Villa de Leyva Mauricio was a delightful guide, providing a personal and entertaining opportunity to explore area. We really enjoyed his musical background and knowledge.
Natalia brought the Cocora Valley to life despite rain and mud! She is passionate about the flora and fauna and a great ambassador for nature lovers. We enjoyed Salento and Filandia with her and a very special stop at Finca Divisa de Don Juan (coffee farm)
Daniel was our special personality in Medellin. His walking tour and history lesson were amazing. We were appreciative of his attention during our visit to Penol Rock and Guatape making for two rewarding experiences.
Juan was our steady, patient and knowledgable guide in Tayrona Park. We very much enjoyed learning about the area as well as his family background. It was a strenuous excursion and he timed the pace and experiences beautifully to match our requests.
David helped us enjoy Los Pinos. His familiarity with the area diminished our concerns with the muddy, rutted roads to arrive safely at our destination. Again, this guide's love of the area made for a special day.
A highlight of the trip was a visit to Bazurto Market with Carolina. The market was incredibly interesting, and Carolina's presentation, interaction, and selections were memorable. Her class was extraordinary.
Ending our trip in Cartagena, we were entertained by Ingrid - an insightful and fun-loving personality that enriched our time there.
Chio and team were responsive and supportive throughout. We were especially appreciative of their flexibility when our departure coincided with national protests. They made sure our transport got us to the airport with time to spare.
Colombia is filled with beauty, architectural charm, intriguing history and welcoming nationalities.
Thank you for a trip that will not be forgotten!

First - we will definitely use Kimkim again for future travels! Thank you for a well-planned vacation.
Secondly - Chio was responsive and helpful - nice work! Our only complaint is that everyone knew that Tayrona National Park was closed in February - apparently it's an annual thing. If we had known this from the beginning, we might have altered our itinerary. We did not get informed until January. We really loved the place we stayed outside of Tayrona Park, but the River Don Diego... read more

First - we will definitely use Kimkim again for future travels! Thank you for a well-planned vacation.
Secondly - Chio was responsive and helpful - nice work! Our only complaint is that everyone knew that Tayrona National Park was closed in February - apparently it's an annual thing. If we had known this from the beginning, we might have altered our itinerary. We did not get informed until January. We really loved the place we stayed outside of Tayrona Park, but the River Don Diego excursion was underwhelming. (Although the guide Stephen was very helpful when my husband became sick with digestive issues.)
Big highlights for us were the birdwatching in Minca with Antonio Martin, the trip to the market in Cartagena with Carolina and the day trip to the Rosario Islands. This was supposed to be at the end of our stay, but was moved to the beginning because of when we arrived. We really think this worked better - we had a day of beach and relaxation right away which we desperately needed coming from our cold, snowy, busy lives:)
The hotels were good and we had a nice balance of scheduled vs. free time. In our information packet it said that there would be an English-speaking person on our long car trips to and from Cartagena. We did not - just Spanish-only drivers. That would have been a great opportunity (9 hours!) to ask questions about what we were seeing and find out more about Colombia. My husband especially was disappointed that there was no conversation on these transports.
Again - we are happy to have discovered Kimkim and are already looking forward to our next trip with you. I hope our feedback has been helpful.

I had 3 excellent guides: Maria Alejandro Nariño in Bogota, Juan David Martinez in Leticia, and Mauro Hernandez Aguinago in Medellin! The Lost City of Colombia Trek guides, Juan and Checo (sp) also did an excellent job!! I hope that the friendships I established with them will continue into the future:-)

The trip was Over expectations Everything was superb!
First of all with Chio he managed everything very well and was so patient with all questions i have asked.
In Bogota the driver Francisco and the guide Maria were very nice and they introduced me very well to the Bogota and also the whole country.
After that I went to Raquira and Villa de layva with a very good driver (but I’m sorry I forgot his name) .
Santa Marta driver Carlos was a very good driver and he did a very good job, big thanks... read more

The trip was Over expectations Everything was superb!
First of all with Chio he managed everything very well and was so patient with all questions i have asked.
In Bogota the driver Francisco and the guide Maria were very nice and they introduced me very well to the Bogota and also the whole country.
After that I went to Raquira and Villa de layva with a very good driver (but I’m sorry I forgot his name) .
Santa Marta driver Carlos was a very good driver and he did a very good job, big thanks to him .
In Cartagena i met a guide Santiago, he was superb and introduced me very well to the city.
In Medellin, I met a very good Driver Miguel , he was an excellent driver. And for the guide to Guatepe was Sebastian , he was an excellent guide he introduced me very well to the city.
At last, I loved Colombia and the people there were so friendly and nice , overall 10/10 thank you KimKim team.

We spent a wonderful week in Colombia with stops in Cartagena, Minca (El Dorado reserve), and Mucura (Punta Faro hotel). We highly recommend Bazurto Market and National Aviary. Walking the streets of Cartagena was a joy. The many murals, buildings, people, shops, street vendors, and restaurant’s were all wonderful. I would recommend spending 2 full days and 3 nights in El Dorado with a 1 full day in Minca. Mucura was a wonderful and relaxing island. Punta Faro was amazing. The staff... read more

We spent a wonderful week in Colombia with stops in Cartagena, Minca (El Dorado reserve), and Mucura (Punta Faro hotel). We highly recommend Bazurto Market and National Aviary. Walking the streets of Cartagena was a joy. The many murals, buildings, people, shops, street vendors, and restaurant’s were all wonderful. I would recommend spending 2 full days and 3 nights in El Dorado with a 1 full day in Minca. Mucura was a wonderful and relaxing island. Punta Faro was amazing. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The food was excellent and served buffet style. The beach was not huge but incredibly relaxing. It was not crowded and the water was great. We did the snorkel tour which was nice. Not the best we have ever done but still good. There was some interesting coral and fish. Well worth the price. We would also recommend the bioluminescence tour. I would recommend 3 nights here to get in all the activities but also be able to relax.

We enjoyed all the guides that KimKim provided with a special shout out to Leo in El Dorado. He did a great job with the birding and was very knowledgeable and personable. All the drivers we had were very prompt, courteous, and friendly. It was very nice not worrying about how, when, or if we were going to get where we needed.

Chio (KimKim) communicated very well with us and answered all our questions. It was nice to not worry about anything on our vacation and just relax and enjoy. Thank you!

Laura and the rest of the KimKim staff were incredible and easy to work with throughout the planning phase of our trip and the trip itself. They were flexible in planning as we wanted to spend less time in the large cities and more time in the countryside. Salento was the major highlight for our trip and our guide, Christian, was a pleasure to spend two days with. We highly recommend the Cocora Valley and the surrounding towns including Filandia. Our guide, Carlos, in Medellin was... read more

Laura and the rest of the KimKim staff were incredible and easy to work with throughout the planning phase of our trip and the trip itself. They were flexible in planning as we wanted to spend less time in the large cities and more time in the countryside. Salento was the major highlight for our trip and our guide, Christian, was a pleasure to spend two days with. We highly recommend the Cocora Valley and the surrounding towns including Filandia. Our guide, Carlos, in Medellin was efficient and friendly in showing us the highlights as we only spent one afternoon there. While in Colombia, we were able to communicate with Laura and her colleagues through WhatsApp to make some last second changes to our itinerary. We highly recommend KimKim and will absolutely be using them for future travels.

We loved Isabella and Alexjandra as well as our driver. They worked hard to insure that we had a good experience.

Andrea helped us put together a fabulous trip! The big component that we were concerned about was transportation, and all of our transfers were on time and completely seamless. Andrea responded in a timely manner and was very flexible in making adjustments to our trip beforehand, and while we were in Cartagena. I’m so glad that she recommended Punta Faro because it was exactly what we were looking for and was a tropical paradise. We will definitely use kimkim again to help plan the logistics and get recommendations for future trips!

Natalia was very helpful, caring, and effective in working with us to plan this adventure the Colombian Andes. Even after the trip began, she maintained contact with us to ensure that we were having a great time and that things were running smoothly. She was quick to rectify a tiny glitch in scheduling. The tour guides she arranged for us were wonderful, especially the young man in Barichara.

I really enjoyed my trip to Colombia. It is now my favorite Latin American country. I was impressed with it's infrastructure, cleanliness and kindness of the people.
One of my favorite places I visited was Bogota and our guide Juan. The city was very clean and the graffiti murals were gorgeous. Going to the market and trying all the different fruits was a lot of fun. Juan was very knowledgeable and did a great job showing us around the city.
My favorite hotel was the Finca... read more

I really enjoyed my trip to Colombia. It is now my favorite Latin American country. I was impressed with it's infrastructure, cleanliness and kindness of the people.
One of my favorite places I visited was Bogota and our guide Juan. The city was very clean and the graffiti murals were gorgeous. Going to the market and trying all the different fruits was a lot of fun. Juan was very knowledgeable and did a great job showing us around the city.
My favorite hotel was the Finca Barlovento-Maloka. It was pure paradise and I would go back in an instant.
My favorite cities were Penol and Guatape. This is another area I would go back to in an instant. Climbing The Rock was exhilarating and the view at the top was absolutely beautiful. The city of Guatape was very pretty also and I would love to go back and enjoy more of the water activities.
We ended our trip at the hotel Movich Buro 26 where the staff were the kindest and most professional. I would stay at that hotel the next time I visit Bogota and take a taxi into the city. The hotel is located very close to the airport and the rooms were extremely quiet.
One of the nicest perks of the trip was having all our transfers set up for us. Everywhere we went our driver(s) were there to greet us and take us to our destination. All the vehicles were very clean and the drivers very professional.

Cant say enough good things about this service or our interactions with Andrea. This was the first time we traveled with our adult children as a Christmas present. Lots of different personalities and interests. Andrea took time to interview me. Asked lots of questions and helped design a week with something for everyone.
We spent time in Cartagena and the Rosario Islands. Our accommodations were lovely and all our excursions well planned with terrific guides.
Thank you for all you did
Lea and Jon Austen. Charleston SC

I've worked with Chio from the agency and she has been really awesome.

My husband and I went to Colombia from 12/28 to 1/5/20. This was our very first time to South America and very first to Colombia. I was looking for tour guide and Kimkim.com came up in google search and I thought I'd like to try the agency. It was a such a good decision. After I contacted Kimkim, Chio got back to me within a day and she helped to plan our trip. I had very specific requirements for the types of the trips... read more

I've worked with Chio from the agency and she has been really awesome.

My husband and I went to Colombia from 12/28 to 1/5/20. This was our very first time to South America and very first to Colombia. I was looking for tour guide and Kimkim.com came up in google search and I thought I'd like to try the agency. It was a such a good decision. After I contacted Kimkim, Chio got back to me within a day and she helped to plan our trip. I had very specific requirements for the types of the trips I'd like to take and Chio was very patient working with me to come up with different versions of the trip, unless the 3rd version, we've decided to go to: Medellin and Cartagena. I couldn't be happier with our trip.

In Medellin we had a very active itinerary: Comuna 13 graffiti tour, waterfall repelling, paragliding, Medellin city bike tour, and finally a trip to Gautape on the New Year's Day. Everything was awesome. The highlight of the trip for us would be the waterfall.

For Cartagena, it was more relaxed. We visited Bazurto market with our local guide Carolina and had the BEST breakfast at her restaurant Ohlala. Then we went to the The Rosario Islands, which was just soso as the resort we went to only had a very limited beach area. But the lunch was awesome! :)

Overall, we had a wonderful trip! I am already planning to work with KimKim for our next trip to Argentina and Peru to hike the Inca Trail!

Overall the trip was fantastic. There were a few things we probably would have done differently if we had more knowledge about the area. Here is our detailed review of the itinerary:

Day 1: Everything went well with the transportation from the airport to the hotel. The hotel was great. The only critique we have for the hotel is the lack of breakfast options. But the hotel was in a great location and we would stay there again.

Day 2: Awesome bike tour. We really liked our guide and... read more

Overall the trip was fantastic. There were a few things we probably would have done differently if we had more knowledge about the area. Here is our detailed review of the itinerary:

Day 1: Everything went well with the transportation from the airport to the hotel. The hotel was great. The only critique we have for the hotel is the lack of breakfast options. But the hotel was in a great location and we would stay there again.

Day 2: Awesome bike tour. We really liked our guide and all the stops he took us to. It was one of our favorite activities of the whole trip.

Day 3: Travel day went smoothly. The Hacienda was okay. Really nice service and accommodations. But the hotel was in the middle of nowhere which made it difficult to figure out what to do. Would have appreciated a hotel in a more central location (i.e. downtown Pereira). Would have also appreciated an activity planned for this day given that we got to the Hacienda so early in the day and organizing transportation ourselves for an activity that day was a process.

Day 4: The tour this day was amazing. We loved our tour guide Christian. He was very friendly and informative. The hike was amazing,. However, the hike was different than what we had thought we were doing. The initial itinerary said we would go through 6 suspension bridges and see a waterfall. The hike was changed we assume because we had to change the location of our hotel from the one in Salento to the Hacienda. We wished we would have gotten to do the longer hike and then the coffee farm the next day.

Day 5: We had no planned activities for this day. Oliver told us that there were no tours running on New Years Day. However, our tour guide Christian informed us that there were indeed lots of tours running and that most Colombians, especially in tourism, do not take the day off. We were disappointed that Oliver did not plan anything for us this day. We had to figure out what to do ourselves, including transportation which proved to be difficult for us. We ended up going to Los Termales, and it was wonderful. We don't know why Oliver did not suggest an activity like this for us, given that so many things were actually open.

Day 6: Our flight to Medellin was scheduled midday, which made it difficult for us to fully take advantage of this day in either Pereira or Medellin. We wish we would have either had an early morning flight or a later flight. We made the best of it by going to Pereira early in the morning and walking around downtown, but we wish that we would have had an activity planned for this day. Given that the original activity Oliver had planned for this day (the tour of the coffee farm) was cancelled due to our hotel location, Oliver should have also changed the time of the flight because there was nothing to do near our hotel.

The hotel in Medellin was incredible. Perfect location. We could not have loved it more.

Day 7: We had a walking tour. The tour guide Carlos was not the best. He was nice, but was not effective at communicating the history of Medellin. We probably could have done without paying for this walking tour and instead gone on the free walking tour which we heard great things about. We ended up paying Carlos extra money to take us to Parque Arvi, but he unintentionally mislead us because when we got up there it turned out what we could not do anything without paying even more money (and Carlos failed to inform us of this). And Carlos also didn't let us know that if we went up to Parque Arvi, we wouldn't then have time to do any of the trails. So basically we had to spend 60,000 additional pesos for nothing.

Day 8: We loved our tour this day with Jessica. She was by far the most knowledge tour guide we had and told us so many interesting stories about the history of Colombia. Jessica also was very flexible because apparently the tour she was going to take us on overlapped with the tour we had the day before, so she changed the tour a bit to take us to places we hadn't seen yet. In hindsight, we should have just done this tour with Jessica instead of the tour with Carlos on Day 7 and then had another activity planned for Day 8. For instance, on Day 8, we could have had a specific tour of Parque Arvi or something like that. But Jessica was fantastic.

Day 9: This was our day trip to Guatape with Jessica. Again Jessica was great, but the traffic and lines were horrendous. Because of the large crowds, we probably should have gone to Guatape in the morning and then the flower farm in the afternoon.

Day 10: We arrived to Tayrona Park. Our flight was in the late morning. We wish Oliver would have booked us an early flight so that we could have done an activity in Tayrona Park that first day. We felt like the day was wasted because there was nothing to do once we got to our hotel. The hotel was fine. Lucile was very friendly. We would have preferred to stay in a nicer hotel, but did not want to spend the extra money so we got what we paid for.

Day 11: Very fun day in Tayrona Park. However, we did not need a guide for this hike (although Jose was very nice and gave us space). It was a very manageable hike and we could have done it ourselves. What we did appreciate was the transportation to the start of the hike and that our driver picked up our passes early in the morning so that we didn't have to wait in line. We also wished we had known that there were 2 hike options, each one starting from a different entrance. If we had known, we would have picked the longer/more adventurous hike option.

Day 12: Our driver made good time driving to Cartagena. We liked our hotel. Shortly after we arrived we had a walking tour. This was the worst walking tour either of us have ever been on. Our tour guide was awful. It was hard to understand her and she did not seem knowledgeable about the things she was showing us. She could not answer our questions and in many instances even ignored our questions and just moved on. She was more concerned with showing us where her friends had shops than educating us about Cartagena. The tour was also supposed to be 4 hours, but was just short of 2 hours. However, we were happy it was over sooner so that we could walk around ourselves without her. We are upset we had to pay money for this tour (especially because there were free walking tours that had great reviews--we passed some on our tour and listened to what those tour guides were saying about Cartagena, which sounded so much more informative and interesting than what our tour guide was saying). We would not recommend Oliver ever booking this tour again for other customers.

Day 13: The cooking class was great.

Day 14: We really loved the day trip to the island. The only thing about this trip was that we had to pay for all the activities we did on the island separately. We would have liked to have known beforehand that the activities (i.e. snorkeling, cannoeing, biking) were each separate charges.

Day 15: Smooth transportation to the airport.

We appreciate how smoothly everything went. No real issues came up for us. Everything (all the tour guides and transportation) was on time. One thing we would have liked to have known before the trip was how much to tip each driver and tour guide. If we had known how much we were paying for each activity, it would have been easier for us to figure out how much to tip. But we did not not have a breakdown of how much everything cost. A detailed breakdown of costs would have been helpful overall in the planning process.

Oliver,
First, let me say that we enjoyed our trip and have no regrets. Kimkim and you generally did an excellent job. The hotels were generally a pleasure, with a great deal of character. There were odds and ends they could do better, but we were quite happy with them. The pace we had worked out gradually before the trip was just about right. We had enough time to simply wander on our own, which we value. I think there is a tendency to try to pack in too much, and we were glad we had pushed... read more

Oliver,
First, let me say that we enjoyed our trip and have no regrets. Kimkim and you generally did an excellent job. The hotels were generally a pleasure, with a great deal of character. There were odds and ends they could do better, but we were quite happy with them. The pace we had worked out gradually before the trip was just about right. We had enough time to simply wander on our own, which we value. I think there is a tendency to try to pack in too much, and we were glad we had pushed back a little to ensure a more relaxing pace.
In terms of the tours, the fishing tour at Cartagena was the highlight, because it was so participatory, but the tour of Cartagena town was extremely well done too. The guide was really knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing his knowledge of Cartagena with us. The tour in Tayrona Park was fine, but I only managed two hours of the four-hour activity. The guide did a good job of substituting a route I could manage. On the tours, our one general comment is that it would be helpful to have a more detailed idea of what is involved ahead of time. I wonder if it would be possible for the tour provider to get on the phone with the customer the day before the tour to go over what is planned and answer any questions.
The only significant problems were on the Amazon part of the trip. We arrived in mid-afternoon and were met, though by people from a different organization than you had mentioned. There was an excellent translator, someone hired just for our visit. She provided the continuity for our trip but because she had not worked with the organization before, she was learning how they worked as we went along. We asked for an itinerary for the four days in the Amazon, but no one seemed to know the program beyond the broadest terms. We should have had the time to sit down with someone from the agency to discuss a detailed itinerary and should have spent that night in Leticia, repacking for the field. Instead, right off the plane, we were taken to their office and asked to repack for the trek, to don rubber boots to go to meet an indigenous leader that afternoon. We walked for an hour or two on muddy roads to a large traditional home to listen to a community leader hold forth on the traditional devotion to the environment and brotherly love. To be honest, it wasn’t worth the trek. We stayed that night in a local hotel that was basic but very well managed. We were told that the next day we would walk a half hour to an indigenous facility called Merisha on a lagoon near the Amazon, in Peru. From our earlier communications I gather you had been told it was not too ambitious a trek for me. I was told the same thing, that it would be a half-hour walk through the jungle.
I can only say that that assessment wildly off base. Much to the trip was wading through flooded jungle, through thick growth, water up to our knees, negotiating brambles and poor footing and tangled roots underwater. There were swarms of mosquitos and other biting insects. It was a very challenging trek even for my wife and because her boots were not high enough, the guide had to carry her on his back at several deeper places. He provided interesting insights as we went but it took us nearly three hours to complete the walk, without a stop. We arrived at Merisha absolutely exhausted.
Facilities in Merisha were rudimentary but of course we expected that. The lagoon and river there were magical and the guide was very competent, and inspired confidence. We never felt insecure, just exhausted tired and frustrated. Frustrated because on arrival at Merisha we found tourists arriving on day trips, having come by boat on a flooded road a stone’s throw from where we had embarked on our trek. We demanded to return from Merisha by boat and at first this was resisted. Later, it was agreed to if we paid extra (not much). It was an easy trip and took twenty to thirty minutes.
There seem to have been failures in communications between Kimkim and the local agency and between the local agency and the contractors they used. I think I made my condition clear before the trip and cannot imagine how anyone imagined I wanted to deal with an ordeal like the trip to Merisha.
In our earlier discussion you had stressed that it anything seemed to much, we could simply not to it. That seemed reasonable at the time. But it assumes an informed decision, and we were not always given enough information and sometimes given incorrect information. Plus, once you are a couple of miles into the jungle and you realize what you have gotten into, and the guide tells you it is just as far to go back as to go ahead, just dropping out is not an option.
The next day, back on the Amazon, we embarked on a mototboat trip involving several stops, interesting and not too tiring. Again, the translator was very helpful. The only downer was at a monkey island park where we were swarmed by tiny monkeys. One snatched my hat and another scratched (bit?) the top of my head badly enough for it to bleed. Fortunately, we and the translator had first aid supplies. I believe it was a scratch and not a bite but I will see my doctor tomorrow and get a rabies shot, just to be on the safe side.
When after the boat ride we returned to Leticia, we were taken to the office of the local agency to retrieve our suitcases and go to our hotel. The hotel was an older place, and at first seemed ok. But our room was an ugly share of green, and bare except for a couple of metal frame beds with matresses made up with sheets and pillows. It felt like a hostel room, just with fewer beds. There was a small unattractive bathroom and no hot water, indeed to water was icy. After three days in the jungle, dirty, our hair matted with sunscreen and insecticide, and bone tired, the hotel was an extremely disappointment. After I googled other hotels in Leticia, and found there were much better options, we asked to be moved. You declined to do so, saying that the local agent had made the arrangement and was the one who had to deal with it. After one quite unpleasant interview with a woman who had arranged the trip and was remarkably rude, the local agency’s logistics chief turned up and moved us to a better hotel, at their cost. We appreciated it very much. I did not appreciate your washing your hands of the situation.
I think you can see that the Amazon portion fell short of expectations. We would do it again but mistakes were made that should have been avoided, largely through failures to communicate expectations clearly, I suspect. I think all concerned had good intentions but I do hope that future travelers to the Amazon with KimKim can arrive with clearer expectations and find fewer surprises.
Best, John Bruce

We had a super time and felt very supported. Chio was there for every little question I had! All the drivers, hotels and tour people were on-time and extra nice. I'm so pleased.

Our 10 day trip to Colombia was a very memorable one. We weren't sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised. Beautiful country and people. Natalia was extremely helpful and responsive to all our questions, queries and concerns. she was connected via whats app and available for any questions during our trip. Since our trip was in December, she was even working on the 25th addressing our needs. From putting the itinerary together and catering to our specific requirements; Natalia was... read more

Our 10 day trip to Colombia was a very memorable one. We weren't sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised. Beautiful country and people. Natalia was extremely helpful and responsive to all our questions, queries and concerns. she was connected via whats app and available for any questions during our trip. Since our trip was in December, she was even working on the 25th addressing our needs. From putting the itinerary together and catering to our specific requirements; Natalia was awesome. we had 8 versions of the plan and she patiently helped us with tips and recommendations. The two of the tour guides she arranged were excellent; Claudio who was our guide in the Amazon and Carlos Valencia in Medellin.
This was our first trip via KimKim and very happy.

My husband and I travelled in Colombia with our four children (ages 11-15) and overall we very satisfied with the kimkim experience. The planning stage was fantastic-- I spoke with an agent in the US and also an agent in Colombia-- and it was very easy to come up with a specific itinerary to fit the needs and wants of my family. Our local specialist (Chio) was very responsive to my questions and requests and always responded in a timely manner.

For the most part, everyone involved in... read more

My husband and I travelled in Colombia with our four children (ages 11-15) and overall we very satisfied with the kimkim experience. The planning stage was fantastic-- I spoke with an agent in the US and also an agent in Colombia-- and it was very easy to come up with a specific itinerary to fit the needs and wants of my family. Our local specialist (Chio) was very responsive to my questions and requests and always responded in a timely manner.

For the most part, everyone involved in tourism who was recommended by kimkim (the drivers and guides for example) was excellent-- very professional and always on time. When we had drivers that did not speak English they let us know in advance and we always knew the specific itinerary for each day. The trip, in general, ran VERY smoothly. Over fourteen days there was only one mistake--- when we arrived at a certain hotel it turns out they had mistakenly booked us at a hotel with a similar name (which was not as nice as the one we were supposed to be in). As soon as we called her, Chio (and her supervisor Jules) immediately tried to rectify the situation-- we did have to spend one night at the wrong hotel but the next day they had us moved to a much nicer hotel and took the extra step of arranging for us a new itinerary for a "day at leisure" including a driver, lunch, and two excellent activities. They (Chio and Jules) kept in constant contact with us making sure we were happy with the new arrangements. (And I felt like they were truly sorry for the mix-up).

All in all I would definitely recommend kimkim-- it was VERY user friendly and our itinerary was excellent.

(If you are planning on going to colombia-- we particularly loved our Hacienda Santa Clara in the coffee region and our tour of Don Juan coffee farm, horseback riding in the cocora valley, EVERYTHING in Medallin, the beach and tubing in Palamino (outside Santa Marta), and our incredible hotel (the hyatt) in Cartagena.

Excellent. We really enjoyed all parts of our trip. The tour guides were excellent and the trip was well planned and very enjoyable.

Working with KimKim made my boyfriend and i’s trip that much better! Fabian was awesome, he gave every option I asked for. From seeing multiple cities and including day trips, drivers and hotels at every stop, Fabian wasn’t pushy on the itinerary and was so helpful with all my questions. He set all my nerves as ease going into the trip and allowed for my boyfriend to just enjoy Colombia and not worry about the itinerary.

Throughout the trip, Chio who replaced Fabian (as Fabian sought out a... read more

Working with KimKim made my boyfriend and i’s trip that much better! Fabian was awesome, he gave every option I asked for. From seeing multiple cities and including day trips, drivers and hotels at every stop, Fabian wasn’t pushy on the itinerary and was so helpful with all my questions. He set all my nerves as ease going into the trip and allowed for my boyfriend to just enjoy Colombia and not worry about the itinerary.

Throughout the trip, Chio who replaced Fabian (as Fabian sought out a new position) was excellent. He answered all my questions I had so quickly that I never had to worry at all !

I will definite work with kimkim again in booking my future travels. All the drivers and people who were employed by kimkim to help us we’re all fabualous and so kind. Can’t wait for our next trip!

Jessica

Kimkim does make things much easier, but it's not the best option if you want to save money.

For flights and hotels, we saved more than $500 booking everything on our own.

Cartagena was great and it's the place I would have spent more time.

The guide in Medellin was awesome and explained everything we saw and asked about!

However, the guide in Bogotá was quite different. His English wasn't very good so it wasn't very easy to communicate. Perhaps this was the reason why he didn't explain... read more

Kimkim does make things much easier, but it's not the best option if you want to save money.

For flights and hotels, we saved more than $500 booking everything on our own.

Cartagena was great and it's the place I would have spent more time.

The guide in Medellin was awesome and explained everything we saw and asked about!

However, the guide in Bogotá was quite different. His English wasn't very good so it wasn't very easy to communicate. Perhaps this was the reason why he didn't explain much of the things we were looking at during the tour. He'd just say that X thing was the most important. There was a moment where I asked about Monteserrate and he gave the wrong timeframe of the photo I was referring to.

When we went to the Gold Museum, he took us only to see basically 2 things which he said were the most important and didn't explain anything about why they were important.

We stopped by to grab a bite and agua de panela at La Puerta de la Cadetral and we paid for his food as well (which I didn't know we were paying for). He took the receipt after I paid.

The tour included Museo Botero, but we walked pass by it and didn't stop.

The tour was supposed to last 8 hours, but he said we were done a bit after 1 PM.

The trip was great and we enjoyed it.
Chio was very good all the way and was very responsive to our needs and did her best to solve any problem we had.
I have an issue, however with the team that designed the trip. Here are some points:
The transport company in Medallin was bad. Out of the three trips with them there were two problems. On the second one, they simply sent the driver with the wrong name, as a result, he ignored our sign and it caused delay.
The trip to Nuqui was good, but we... read more

The trip was great and we enjoyed it.
Chio was very good all the way and was very responsive to our needs and did her best to solve any problem we had.
I have an issue, however with the team that designed the trip. Here are some points:
The transport company in Medallin was bad. Out of the three trips with them there were two problems. On the second one, they simply sent the driver with the wrong name, as a result, he ignored our sign and it caused delay.
The trip to Nuqui was good, but we should have been informed in advance that the Nuqui airport may be closed for any period due to simple weather problems like fog, which is very likely.
We were told that we can take a trip to some water falls on the second day, but found out that on that day, which was Jan 1, that trip cannot be taken.
Jacob Tal.

The trip was excellent! We loved the activities and guides (especially Samuel, Diego, and Manuel). The one day that could be improved was the trip from Cartagena to the island since we did not realize the car ride would be so long and in a group bus (we would have prepared better and brought a car seat).

We used Kimkim for traveling in Colombia in Nov-Dec 2019. All was great! Communication, punctuality, service, transport, guides. Thanks to Natalia!

I recommend the Kimkim team in Colombia without reservations. We had a fantastic trip and I could not have asked for a better agency to work with.
In terms of the initial planning, they patiently helped me through deciding whether to go to Colombia or Peru, which areas to cover, and worked with me through my endless questions and changes. Lisa and Chio worked out an amazing itinerary for our family based on our stated interests, and changed it with only a few weeks to go when it turned out... read more

I recommend the Kimkim team in Colombia without reservations. We had a fantastic trip and I could not have asked for a better agency to work with.
In terms of the initial planning, they patiently helped me through deciding whether to go to Colombia or Peru, which areas to cover, and worked with me through my endless questions and changes. Lisa and Chio worked out an amazing itinerary for our family based on our stated interests, and changed it with only a few weeks to go when it turned out that we could not easily get the appropriate vaccine to visit the Amazon. I had been a little distressed at the need to change the plans at that late date, but they quickly came up with a revised itinerary and I think it turned out even better because we had one fewer plane flight that way within the country.
Chio and Jules answered every question I had after arrival with patience and frequently checked in on us. Jules brought us to our hotel late at night upon arrival in Bogota and made several good suggestions for the rest of the trip. I was really impressed with Kimkim's organization, planning, and the guides they chose in each location were fantastic - very nice, fun, comfortable to be with and knowledgeable, and patient with our attempts to speak and understand Spanish, which made the trip so much more fun and intimate. I really felt like we (me, my husband, and early twenties daughters) got so much out of the trip when with the guides, particularly in Bogota, on our hike in Tayrona Park, and our visit to La Boquilla fishing village. We also really loved going to Minca and staying in the mountains, and the hotel near Tayrona was spectacular. On the way from Minca to Cartagena, a long drive, we were a bit nervous about a country-wide protest's impact on our ability to get through (though sympathetic to the cause), but we had a fantastic driver with whom we had many good conversations and he took great care of us, in addition to being such a sweet and interesting person. We really learned a lot on this trip, stayed in some lovely places, saw varied terrain, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Thanks so much to Kimkim for this experience.

We had a great experience planning our trip with Laura and the KimKim team.
All our drives we're nice and polite the vehicles were very clean, in all cases except once our drivers arrived on time.
Our guides were great and we got to ask them about their daily life and learn a lot more about Colombian culture. In general the tours outside the city were more comprehensive then the city tours. We especially enjoyed our in and around Valle de Cocora tour with the wonderful Mauricio, who was full... read more

We had a great experience planning our trip with Laura and the KimKim team.
All our drives we're nice and polite the vehicles were very clean, in all cases except once our drivers arrived on time.
Our guides were great and we got to ask them about their daily life and learn a lot more about Colombian culture. In general the tours outside the city were more comprehensive then the city tours. We especially enjoyed our in and around Valle de Cocora tour with the wonderful Mauricio, who was full of knowledge kindness and joy.
I wouldn't hesitate to plan another trip through KimKim as it really takes the hassle out of planning it yourself.

We had a wonderful 10 days trip to Colombia. From start to finish our experience with Laura in Kim Kim was perfect. She gave us plenty of options and listen to our feedback and needs and answered all very promptly and kindly.
I would highly recommend using her services.
The guides were good and I wish to particularly mention Mauricio who walked us through the Valle de Cocoa and Salento. His knowledge, energy and beautiful way made it the favourite part of our trip!!!

all the arrangements were well planned and perfectly executed
our guides in all the cities were excellent and went out of their way to accommodate our needs and wishes
all in all it was a great trip
i would recommend Kimkim and Yuliana without reservation

All of our guides were exceptional! Lina in Bogata, Mauricio in Villa de Leyva, Natalia in Pereira, Daniel in Medellin, Juan in Tayrona Park, Carolina for the cooking lesson and Ingrid in Cartagena. The guides were all very knowledgeable and obviously proud of their wonderful country.
We enjoyed all of the things we experienced. A couple of things that stood out were the visit to the coffee farm that was run by women, the visit to Bazurto market with a local that knows her way around. We... read more

All of our guides were exceptional! Lina in Bogata, Mauricio in Villa de Leyva, Natalia in Pereira, Daniel in Medellin, Juan in Tayrona Park, Carolina for the cooking lesson and Ingrid in Cartagena. The guides were all very knowledgeable and obviously proud of their wonderful country.
We enjoyed all of the things we experienced. A couple of things that stood out were the visit to the coffee farm that was run by women, the visit to Bazurto market with a local that knows her way around. We also enjoyed the physical beauty of all the different areas of Columbia and being able to do a bit of hiking.

Had a wonderful time on our 13 day Columbia tour . Yuliana who coordinated everything was wonderful .
All our guides - Viviana in Bogota, Claudio in Amazon, Jaime in Medellin & Roberto in Cartagena were excellent & very informative.

Nafisa

A few comments.

Perfect Hotels ! Authentic , clean , good breakfast , very nice service. ( Bantu and Punta Faro at Isla
Mucura )

Uncomfortable feeling in transfers and overall pick ups as I did not have direct contact - until I asked for WhatsApp contact and even with that not always responded to in real time. I ended up talking to Laura once as we planned - internet communications is uncomfortable as I can’t reference back as I can with emails.

Overall all transfer were fine, as was... read more

A few comments.

Perfect Hotels ! Authentic , clean , good breakfast , very nice service. ( Bantu and Punta Faro at Isla
Mucura )

Uncomfortable feeling in transfers and overall pick ups as I did not have direct contact - until I asked for WhatsApp contact and even with that not always responded to in real time. I ended up talking to Laura once as we planned - internet communications is uncomfortable as I can’t reference back as I can with emails.

Overall all transfer were fine, as was the Cartagena city tour with Ingrid.

The fishing village was a disappointment . Both the trip and the guide. Inexperienced young kid , poor English and the trip itself - was not clear for us. We expected something else hence a real disappointment. All tourist should be aware this is a very poor place , where I was afraid ... and full of bugs , mosquitos etc.... definitely not for us Had we understood.

Isla Mucura is a unknown paradise. It was a amazing choice and we should have spent more brights there and less in. Cartagena. Had Laura knew us better , she may have advised us as such.

Thank you again for the opportunity.

This was my first trip through KimKim and it exceeded all my expectations. The tools that KimKim offers for connecting with and communicating with the tour planner where effective and easy to use. Oliver from Aventure Colombia was great. We were looking for off-the-beaten path travel . Oliver suggested some great options and was very flexible in adjusting the options to arrive at an itinerary that worked for us. We were supported by Oliver and his peers from the minute we arrived in... read more

This was my first trip through KimKim and it exceeded all my expectations. The tools that KimKim offers for connecting with and communicating with the tour planner where effective and easy to use. Oliver from Aventure Colombia was great. We were looking for off-the-beaten path travel . Oliver suggested some great options and was very flexible in adjusting the options to arrive at an itinerary that worked for us. We were supported by Oliver and his peers from the minute we arrived in Canada to the day we left. The logistics around our itinerary were quite complex, but everything worked like clock-work. We especially loved our time in the Amazon and our time at a farm in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. It was a wonderful adventure from beginning to end.

The trip to Colombia was planned out very well. Laura Joy was available to address any concerns or answer any questions. She was helpful and flexible. She worked together with us to plan the trip that we wanted. Will use kimkim again in the future.

Laura was a pleasure to work with! Every detail of our trip was planned to our liking and she was very responsive to any changes we wanted to make or questions we had. During our travels, when minor issues arose she (or her coworkers) was readily available to sort it out. She suggested places I would not have known to go for instance beyond guatape, we loved our overnight in San Carlos. I would unhesitatingly recommend Laura for your next trip to Colombia.
Thank you, Laura!

Our 11 day trip to Colombia was memorable and hassle free. Columbia was both surprising and inspiring. The quality of the experiences including the guides were world class. We particularly loved our guide Santi in Medellin and his "innovation tour", he was insightful and intellectually challenging in the best possible way. The internal flights and airports were all remarkably modern. The roads generally were less than ideal! The biodiversity and birding opportunities were fantastic. The food scene in all the major cities is diverse and great value (and we are foodies).

Hello Chio,

We had a great time, just as we had wanted it. Highlights, were the guided tour in Medellin. Gorgona diving, Bazurko market, the seamless transfers and the nice hotels, particularly Bioxury and Ananda. However there were often unnecessary early starts that put us at the airports around 3 hours before the due time of flight departure.

We really appreciated your help and availability during our trip, the welcome by Jules at the airport and the most useful SIM card. We have... read more

Hello Chio,

We had a great time, just as we had wanted it. Highlights, were the guided tour in Medellin. Gorgona diving, Bazurko market, the seamless transfers and the nice hotels, particularly Bioxury and Ananda. However there were often unnecessary early starts that put us at the airports around 3 hours before the due time of flight departure.

We really appreciated your help and availability during our trip, the welcome by Jules at the airport and the most useful SIM card. We have lots of wonderful and unforgettable memories from this trip so a big thank you to you and your team.

Let me know if you’d like further information.

Erick

We enjoyed the trip and our guide Anderson was very good and pleasant. Many thanks for arranging.

We just had a great trip to Colombia. We were there for 13 days. It was our first time with Kimkim. Usually we planned our trip completety on our own but this time, we tried Kimkim because we decided to go on a trip not a long time before leaving and we were very busy to do all the research we usually do. The planning of the trip went really well. Andrea listen to our interests and respected our limited budget. She answered quickly to all our questions and suggested some great improvements.... read more

We just had a great trip to Colombia. We were there for 13 days. It was our first time with Kimkim. Usually we planned our trip completety on our own but this time, we tried Kimkim because we decided to go on a trip not a long time before leaving and we were very busy to do all the research we usually do. The planning of the trip went really well. Andrea listen to our interests and respected our limited budget. She answered quickly to all our questions and suggested some great improvements. The trip went really well except for some minor thing. First, one of the driver didn't show up at the right time in Medellin (and we think he might have been to the wrong airport too because there is 2 airport in Medellin). We were not able to reach someone at Kimkim for several hours but once we did, they were able to help us really fast and solve all the problems. They refund us back for the expenses we had to make because of this problem. We had a city tour already booked for the morning but we were still able to do it anyway in the afternoon. Also, at the end of our trip, we found out that there was a day missing in the planning. We were taking the plane back on the 19th August at night but the planning said we were leaving on the 18th despite having said the right date at the beginning! But Andrea solved the problem really fast: she booked us another night for free in Bogota. All in all, we liked the trip and we were really glad to have all the transportation included in the package, we always had great hotel in central neighborhoods. We think that a few improvements could prevent future problems: provided all vouchers (hotel and activities), give exact address of the hotel in the plan, write what compagny is in charge of the transport with a phone number. Also, maybe give more than one contact we can reach in case of a problem. We understand that one person can not be accessible 24/7, it is normal, so accordingly, it would be great to have more than one contact in case of a problem needed to be solved quickly. Also, we had a limited budget and had asked for cheap hotels or hostals. In the end, we had really great upscale hotel like the Hilton. It was great, but we had asked for cheap hotels. Maybe our budget finally was enought for good hotel but if it was the case, we would have like better the make the decision for ourselves if we would have prefer to have the overall cost lower than our budget or if we wanted nicer hotels instead. I'm being critical but I would still recommand Kimkim to my friend and family. They were many waiting for my experience before booking with Kimkim and I will encourage them to do so mostly if they want to spare time while planning a trip or if they want to do a more elaborate trip with a lot of logistic with transportation.
Thank you for this great experience in Colombia.

We planned a trip to Colombia and got advice from Laura. We have seen wonderful places in Colombia and had excellent hotels. Also the city guides we booked seemed the best in town with a lot of knowledge and fun in doing their job. We had a short trip of 2 weeks, and it was worth in experience 4 weeks plus!

Thank you to everyone at Kimkim, especially Cami who was so helpful in putting together my trip to Colombia.
I visited bogota, Santa Marta, Cartegena and did the Lost City Trek.
Cami helped put this altogether as well as arranging trips, tours and transfers meaning all I pretty much had to was get on the plane and the rest was taken care off.
Special mentions to the tour guides of Jhon and Alvaro for showing me around Bogota and Cartegena.
For the Lost City Trek I'd like to thank Denis,... read more

Thank you to everyone at Kimkim, especially Cami who was so helpful in putting together my trip to Colombia.
I visited bogota, Santa Marta, Cartegena and did the Lost City Trek.
Cami helped put this altogether as well as arranging trips, tours and transfers meaning all I pretty much had to was get on the plane and the rest was taken care off.
Special mentions to the tour guides of Jhon and Alvaro for showing me around Bogota and Cartegena.
For the Lost City Trek I'd like to thank Denis, Gostavo, Luis and Samir who were amazing guides and helped make the whole adventure truly memorable.
Thank you to Kimkim for being a major part of giving me a fantastic Colombia experience!

We confirmed our 4 region trip a couple weeks before leaving for Columbia. Our initial consult with Lisa proved quite helpful in narrowing down the regions and activities we wanted to experience. We then were contacted by Chio who handled booking the schedule and was in contact with us throughout the trip to check that everything was going well. All of our drivers and guides were amazing - on time, super friendly and helpful for our family of 4 (mom/dad/2 older teens). Lina in Bogota... read more

We confirmed our 4 region trip a couple weeks before leaving for Columbia. Our initial consult with Lisa proved quite helpful in narrowing down the regions and activities we wanted to experience. We then were contacted by Chio who handled booking the schedule and was in contact with us throughout the trip to check that everything was going well. All of our drivers and guides were amazing - on time, super friendly and helpful for our family of 4 (mom/dad/2 older teens). Lina in Bogota provided in-depth historical context, local and urban insights to our visits to Monserrat, city walking tour (Botero, etc.), and Salt Cathedral. Jasmine was delightful when we visited the woman-owned coffee farm and guiding us hiking thru the Corcora Valley wax palms pointing out local plants. Jose guided us through the dense jungle on our hike through La Tayrona pointing out animals and local plants along the way to the secluded beach (super refreshing swimming in the clear, blue water). Braulio greeted us at our last stop in Cartagena - he is a wealth of historical, urban, and cultural knowledge -- we toured the city with him 2 afternoons. And we have to mention Carolina - probably one of the most eye-opening / moving experiences of the trip where she took us early morning to Bazurto Market and then to her restaurant (Ohlala) for cooking/eating. The boutique hotels were comfy. Meals were delicious - ginormous portions were the norm! The warm hospitality we encountered from the people we met throughout the 4 regions we visited was amazing! We will definitely visit the country again.

Laura and Natalia were our travel coordinators.
Many emails were exchanged and many questions were asked and they responded with their knowledge and experience. We were a group of 2 couples requesting specific experiences. The vehicles used were in good condition , clean and comfortable. The guides were informative , flexible and punctual. In particular Victoria, our guide in Bogota was able to gauge our interests and adapted the tours accordingly. Taking us to good restaurants and joining... read more

Laura and Natalia were our travel coordinators.
Many emails were exchanged and many questions were asked and they responded with their knowledge and experience. We were a group of 2 couples requesting specific experiences. The vehicles used were in good condition , clean and comfortable. The guides were informative , flexible and punctual. In particular Victoria, our guide in Bogota was able to gauge our interests and adapted the tours accordingly. Taking us to good restaurants and joining us for meals to help us order authentic Colombian dishes. In Cali, Natalia our young Colombian guide was excellent and passionate about showing us her hometown , she gave us a history lesson and made it fun.
Overall, the trip was well planned and organised.
A tip, be very specific and explanatory about the type of experience you want so that Kimkim can match you with the best guides and tours and the style of hotels.

Congratulations to all your people of the Kim Kim team in Columbia. First we mention Nathalie. She did a great job from the beginning to the end. She was everytime absolutly accurate and punctual.
Every question from or side has been answered immediately and correct. She found an incredible crew in all the places we visited. Every guide and all the translators have done an excellent job. And also the drivers - what is not the easiest job on Columbian roads!

Whenever we come back to Columbia, we will certainly join again Kim Kim an of course Nathalie!!!

Our tour of Eje Cafetero was much, much better than expected. Juan Diego Giraldo was the most knowledgeable, professional, and polite guide we have ever had. He answered our many questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. His vast knowledge of Colombia, biodiversity, the regions was evident. Yuliana was very professional and knowledgeable, as well. Thank you kimkim! We will be sure to contact you again when we need a new tour of somewhere exciting, though our trip to Colombia will be a tough act to follow. Colombia is amazing,

Excellent trip. Hotels were well selected, transfers were all in decent cars and activities all went to plan. Medellin for me was the best location with Salento a close second.

Every aspect of our trip was spectacular. Laura and the kimkim team did an amazing job both on the ground and before our trip to make it simply unforgettable. All of our guides were wonderful including our drivers. I would definitely recommend and use kimkim again for future holidays.

Excellent. Thanks.

Chio was very responsive and accommodating. This was our first time to Colombia so it was great to obtain his guidance and recommendations. All of our booked guides were professional, knowledgeable and fun! Our favorite parts of the trip included the cooking class in Cartagena, the hike in Tayrona and our glamping stay in Minca. I would definitely recommend booking with Chio and KimKim if its your first time to Colombia. Having the accommodations and transportation booked for you in advance was a must! It added a lot of ease to the trip. Can't wait to go back!

Nuestro conductor el señor Eider Zuleta fue la mejor compañía que nos pudieron ofrecer. Siempre estuvo muy atento de nuestras necesidades. En Neyva nos encontramos conque no tenían planeado el hecho de que pedimos guías que hablaron inglés pues mi esposo no habla español. Nos pusieron una traductora que en realidad no manejaba mucho el idioma.
En San Agustin los guías el hotel y todo el servicio en general fue excelente al igual que en Popayán.
En Cali nada de lo que estaba establecido en el... read more

Nuestro conductor el señor Eider Zuleta fue la mejor compañía que nos pudieron ofrecer. Siempre estuvo muy atento de nuestras necesidades. En Neyva nos encontramos conque no tenían planeado el hecho de que pedimos guías que hablaron inglés pues mi esposo no habla español. Nos pusieron una traductora que en realidad no manejaba mucho el idioma.
En San Agustin los guías el hotel y todo el servicio en general fue excelente al igual que en Popayán.
En Cali nada de lo que estaba establecido en el plan se cumplió. El hotel excelente pero nada más. los guías son personas poco preparadas. El tour de la ciudad fue bastante limitado y no nos llevaron a ver las mariposas u otros lugares emblemáticos que estaban planeados.
La clase de salsa no la vimos y el club al que nos deberían de llevar fue cambiado por otro lugar horrible en el nos tocó a nosotros pagar la entrada pues según el guía está no estaba incluida. La verdad este tipo de cambios no deberían de hacerse y mucho menos el llevar turistas a un sitio que da miedo.
Al siguiente día en cali fue igual nos llevaron a la hacienda y después nos dejaron en el aeropuerto tres horas antes de nuestro vuelo. En el plan dice que ese día el almuerzo estaba incluido pero Natalia que era la organizadora en Cali dijo que ella no estaba informada de esto así que al final nadie respondió.

Thank you for putting a terrific wonderful outstanding vacation for us. It was one to remember forever.
The team was amazing. From a birthday cake for our son, to cold water bottles delivered unexpectedly in the middle of a hot Santa Marta tour, even loaning me money until I found an atm, the team is exceptional. The best. I highly recommend them.

This was our first time using kimkim and I am very happy we did! We made a short fuse decision to tack on a family vacation to my business trip to Colombia, and Chio put together a great itinerary for us on very short notice (less than 2 weeks). Responses were prompt and we didn't have any issues during our 10 day vacation.

Highlights of the trip for us include the private graffiti tour in Bogota with Anna, Guatape day visit near Medellin and the cooking class in Cartagena. But all of it... read more

This was our first time using kimkim and I am very happy we did! We made a short fuse decision to tack on a family vacation to my business trip to Colombia, and Chio put together a great itinerary for us on very short notice (less than 2 weeks). Responses were prompt and we didn't have any issues during our 10 day vacation.

Highlights of the trip for us include the private graffiti tour in Bogota with Anna, Guatape day visit near Medellin and the cooking class in Cartagena. But all of it was great. We all really loved Bogota and Medellin the most. Cartagena old town was beautiful but a bit too hot and touristic for us.

My only complaint was that it was probably more than we needed to spend, but that's on me since I didn't allow time for back and forth planning/optimization. We had private transport to go almost everywhere, but it was easy enough to get around by secure taxi. Oh...and the Hotel Du Parc in Medellin had the smallest water heater ever and we could only get one shower at a time. All small things. Overall we had a fabulous family vacation in a country that I never had really thought about visiting. We all loved Colombia!

Lisa

Fabio and John were both great and easy to travel with.

I traveled with my two boys 10 and 12 years old, we visited Bogotá, Sta Marta, Tayrona, Cartagena, Isla Baru and Cali, everything was so smoth transportation always on time, accommodations, Tayrona trip with the guide, Wilson was excellent my boys learned so much, in regards of organizing our intynery? Laura was always patient, worked with our budget, and always very professional and understanding of our needs. I definitely recommended it.
Ligia
Louisiana, USA

Nathalie planned my vacation experience in Colombia perfectly. Not only was she flexible with my changes but she was also very understanding. From the tour guides to the transportation, everything worked out perfectly and I had no issues getting around since she was able to plan what I needed. I would highly reccommend anyone going to Colombia to use Nathalie if they're unsure as to what to do. Thank you for everything!

We had a fabulous time in Columbia. Cami did a super job in setting up
the middle part of our week, which I think was so successful because of the several conversations we had on kimkim.

We were picked up promptly by our driver, Luis. I know he was called in late, as our our original driver was unable to. My one concern was that he had driven through the night to get us and we had a 6-7 hour drive ahead of us. In spite of that, he was a very cautious driver, talked with us, stopped when we... read more

We had a fabulous time in Columbia. Cami did a super job in setting up
the middle part of our week, which I think was so successful because of the several conversations we had on kimkim.

We were picked up promptly by our driver, Luis. I know he was called in late, as our our original driver was unable to. My one concern was that he had driven through the night to get us and we had a 6-7 hour drive ahead of us. In spite of that, he was a very cautious driver, talked with us, stopped when we needed to, or when we had to though out the construction zone. I learned much from him about Columbia and never felt in danger.

We arrived late to Hacienda Venecia, but still took lunch and had a very informative tour of the coffee farm by Johan. Again, we learned a lot and he was most generous with his time.

We loved this place and wished we would have had more time there, if only to watch the birds! Just beautiful and the accommodations and staff very nice.

Milton and Victor picked us up promptly in the morning for our trip up to Nevada. Milton gets an A+ in my book. He has a broad and deep knowledge of the region and was eager to share that with us. The paramo was awe inspiring, but I think he felt that way about it too. I did not expect him to stay with us long when we returned to Manizales, but he did and we enjoyed our tour there as well.

The one place I had mixed feelings about was the place we had lunch at. We decided not to take in the hot springs, so enjoyed watching and feeding the hummingbirds in the garden. I also enjoyed talking to one of the employees about the hummingbirds, who obviously was quite taken by them as well.

Milton had asked if we could have lunch in the warmer room, and it seemed that they agreed to it, but when we returned they had put our food in the colder room (we had just come down from the paramo) even though there were no other guests. Two of us had also wanted the traditional soup and lunch, and our driver I think wanted something off the menu, but we were told we could only order off the menu and that Milton and our driver had to have the traditional food. It did not seem quite right, but I do not know if that is culturally accepted. If not, I feel the treatment would have been enough for me to not want to use this place (which is too bad because the hummingbirds were such a treat). By the way, the little cafe we stopped at on the way to the paramo was a treat where we had the traditional cane soup and cheese. Perfect!

After touring Manizales, we were dropped off at the Quo hotel. Very modern and nice-much more than we needed, but very comfortable.

Victor picked us up the next morning and promptly delivered us to the Pereira airport. It was fun to talk to him about the area.

Thank you SO much for putting together a package that so perfectly suited our needs. We loved Columbia! Everyone we met was so friendly, kind and helpful. I hope we get back someday, but in the meantime will highly recommend it to friends (and kimkim). We wish the country and its people well.

With much gratitude,
Cindy

Our guide Milton was absolutely fabulous. A wealth of knowledge, and a great human being. In my opinion, the day we spent with him was the best day of our trip. Visiting the paramo and the volcano was an experience of a lifetime. Being introduced to this beautiful country and unique ecosystem, while at the same time talking about social and contextual issues was quite meaningful. While everything worked out quite fine, I do want to raise one personal concern. Our driver from Medellin... read more

Our guide Milton was absolutely fabulous. A wealth of knowledge, and a great human being. In my opinion, the day we spent with him was the best day of our trip. Visiting the paramo and the volcano was an experience of a lifetime. Being introduced to this beautiful country and unique ecosystem, while at the same time talking about social and contextual issues was quite meaningful. While everything worked out quite fine, I do want to raise one personal concern. Our driver from Medellin to the coffee region, Luis, was quite fine. There was lots of road constructions o we were forced to go very slowly. I was concerned, however, that he had driven through the night to get to Medellin to pick us up, and then drove us at least 6-7 hours back, with still 2 more hours of driving to get home, all without any sleep. Not only is this a safety concern, but I hope KimKim does not expect this of its drivers. Our entire experience was fabulous, but I wanted to make sure to mention this.

Nicolas helped us plan a wonderful trip to Cartagena! He was attentive and informative throughout the entire planning process and as a result, helped us put together an amazing itinerary. Everything from the hotel to the excursions to our informative tour guides, it was all perfect! If you really want to get a sense of the local foods, culture and cuisine, I would recommend a trip to the Barzuto market and cooking class that follows. Carolina, our guide and Chef for the day was wonderful in... read more

Nicolas helped us plan a wonderful trip to Cartagena! He was attentive and informative throughout the entire planning process and as a result, helped us put together an amazing itinerary. Everything from the hotel to the excursions to our informative tour guides, it was all perfect! If you really want to get a sense of the local foods, culture and cuisine, I would recommend a trip to the Barzuto market and cooking class that follows. Carolina, our guide and Chef for the day was wonderful in educating us on all the local products and cuisine.
Our trip was a truly a memorable experience and I would 100% use KimKim again!

This experience was seamless, I had no problems on this trip everything worked like clockwork. There were a lot of moving parts, Two days each spent in four different cities traveling from the vast plateau capital city of Bogotá to the verdant coffeescapes of Salento to the hilly meltingpot of Medellín to end off in the humid Caribbean coast of Cartagena: every move in Colombia had me feeling as if I were in a country more beautiful than the one I was in the night before. The more I moved... read more

This experience was seamless, I had no problems on this trip everything worked like clockwork. There were a lot of moving parts, Two days each spent in four different cities traveling from the vast plateau capital city of Bogotá to the verdant coffeescapes of Salento to the hilly meltingpot of Medellín to end off in the humid Caribbean coast of Cartagena: every move in Colombia had me feeling as if I were in a country more beautiful than the one I was in the night before. The more I moved away from the capital and the closer I got to the coast, the more obvious the mix, the more amazing the food and the more overt the differences. The tour guides were fun and knowledgeable - Ysabel and Carlos - the drivers were helpful - Ernesto, Carlos and Mauricio and the experience was amazing... Carolina of Oh La La was a highlight, touring the market and cooking together with her
fun team! Thank you to Nicolas and KimKim you deserve every star in my five star rating!

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and are glad we used kimkim to create a bespoke travel plan! Almost every piece lined up perfectly and we were able to do and see so much more of gorgeous Colombia than we would have been able to do on our own. We would certainly consider using kimkim to organise future travels to up-and-coming holiday destinations.

We've copied the travel itinerary overview below to drop in some feedback for Nicolas and Tucaya to consider when making arrangements for... read more

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and are glad we used kimkim to create a bespoke travel plan! Almost every piece lined up perfectly and we were able to do and see so much more of gorgeous Colombia than we would have been able to do on our own. We would certainly consider using kimkim to organise future travels to up-and-coming holiday destinations.

We've copied the travel itinerary overview below to drop in some feedback for Nicolas and Tucaya to consider when making arrangements for future travelers.

Day 1: Transfer to Santa Marta - Transrubio in Bogota was fine, though the driver arrived at 6am, not 9am which caused some confusion. Al Caribe transport was perfect.
Day 2: Explore Tayrona National Park - Our guide in Tayrona was excellent!
Day 3: Relax on the Beach - We booked Tayrona Tented Lodges ourselves
Day 4: Exploring Minca - Though natural beauty surrounding Minca is breathtaking, but Minca itself is touristy and unappealing to us. Though Hotel Sweet Harmony is a nice place with helpful staff, we would have preferred to stay up in the mountains rather than in the town.
Fidel provided our transfer from Tayrona to Minca - honestly, he might be a little too eccentric for most travelers. He seemed rather loony and made us a tad uncomfortable.
Fidel also offered to take us on a quick ride up to the waterfall once we arrived in Minca. He then charged us $70,000COP which we know was way to much for a 10 minute drive anywhere in Colombia. It was really annoying to be ripped off by an agency that Tucaya partnered with and that we were already paying for transport and tours.
Day 5: Travel to Cartagena - The morning bird watching activity was excellent! However, it overran by 90 minutes so we were pretty hungry and thirsty by the end since it went much later into the morning than anticipated.
There was also some confusion with our transfer time to Cartagena. Given that there wasn’t much to do in Minca itself, we wanted to head to Cartagena right after the bird tour, but the driver’s time had been pushed back.
Once the driver arrived, the transfer was really comfortable and swift.
Hotel Santa Catalina was luxurious. In retrospect, we would have been happy to pay less and stay in a less nice hotel because this hotel was SO fabulous.
Day 6: Escape to Islas del Rosario - We did not like the service provided by Gente de Mar. They were late to leave the harbor and the day was so regimented it was hard to enjoy the beach because they kept interrupting with bells to do this or that. They were very pushy about getting paid early for the drinks we bought and made us get back on the boat at 3pm, so we really didn’t have much time there at all.
Furthermore, on our voucher from Tucaya it said there would be a lobster lunch and an opportunity to kayak. Neither of these things were true. No lobster, no kayaks.
Day 7: Free Day at Cartagena - We were glad to have this day to explore this amazing city.
Day 8: Explore Colombia's Coffee Region - Our transport all the way from Cartagena to Armenia went smoothly. The driver in Armenia was exceptional kind and helpful, we really liked him.
Bosques del Saman Alcala was fine, not great. There was music nearby playing really, really loud all night and we couldn’t sleep. The jacuzzi was dirty and not hot. The food provided was decent and the views spectacular.
Day 9: Explore Cocora Valley - This tour was excellent for the most part. However, Salamanca was very crowded and it was hard to appreciate the town or explore the stores with our guide hovering around the whole time. We would have preferred to just have a free hour there on our own before reuniting with the guide. Actually, we would have preferred to skip Salamanca altogether and spend 1.5 hours on our own in Filandia. That town was cuter, quieter and the people were so friendly!
Day 10: Visit a Local Coffee Farm - Prior to the coffee farm tour, we had a long morning just at the hotel which was boring. As we said, we didn’t think much of the hotel and we wished there had been something else planned for this time.
Finca Casa Vieja was fantastic, as was the lunch provided! This experience felt authentic and we learned a lot. We also enjoyed going into Quimbaya to the cafe to see the coffee culture in a local setting.
Transport to Bogota all went well. Our stay at Movich was very comfortable. Again, we could have stayed in a less extravagant place and saved money overall.
Day 11-14: The luxuriant Amazon Jungle - The flight to Leticia was fine and a representative from Calanoa greeted us. The community boat to the resort was quite uncomfortable.
The staff at Calanoa were really dedicated and attentive and the accommodations were reasonably comfortable given we were in the Amazon!

We did the following activities:
-Short daytime hike
-Long daytime hike
-Kayaking on the Amazon
-Tour of the reservation
-Monkey foundation island
-Nightime hike
-Sailing to look at dolphins
-Sailing around the island to look at wildlife and fish
All activities were quite engaging. In retrospect, I wish we had also gone to Puerto Narino. The food was pretty good, but it would have been nice to have some service there to buy snacks from the kitchen between meal times (hiking makes us hungry!). Between activities there isn't much to do, especially at the really buggy times of day when you can't be outside, but understandably this is part of the Amazonian experience.

Though we had a great trip, there were a few areas we were unhappy with. We had requested Spanish speaking guides and all of the guides were English speakers. One of the purposes of this trip was to challenge our Spanish language skills and we were disappointed to have English guides throughout. Given the prices we saw for things in Colombia, we feel the trip was quite expensive and we would have preferred to stay at some less luxurious hotels in order to save a couple hundred dollars. We had mentioned this to Nicolas prior to the trip, and perhaps he did adjust us down a level, but we could have gone done a bit further even.

What a memorable trip to Colombia, all thanks to the kimkim team!! We usually do not utilize travel agencies and pre-planned itineraries but I am very happy that we did. Couple of friends, my husband and I went on a 9 day trip to Colombia this April, and with our itinerary that kimkim help develop, we enjoyed a wide variety of Colombia - the city life, art history, coffee plantations, farm to table dining, Cocora Valley hiking, city revitalization, every day market shopping to cooking... read more

What a memorable trip to Colombia, all thanks to the kimkim team!! We usually do not utilize travel agencies and pre-planned itineraries but I am very happy that we did. Couple of friends, my husband and I went on a 9 day trip to Colombia this April, and with our itinerary that kimkim help develop, we enjoyed a wide variety of Colombia - the city life, art history, coffee plantations, farm to table dining, Cocora Valley hiking, city revitalization, every day market shopping to cooking class... it all truly surmounted to an unforgettable experience. What made it powerful though, was the guides we were privileged to meet throughout our trip. Not only were they English speaking (shamefully, my husband and I cannot speak Spanish...), but most were born and raised in the cities we met them at. They were knowledgeable with their tours, but also willing to share their personal stories, giving the tours meaning, passion, hope, beauty. Jairo in Bogota was hands down exceptional and our undeniable favorite - such wealth of knowledge regarding Bogota and Colombia, but seemed so heartfelt and invested in giving us the most out of our day... also it may arguably have been the most delicious snack-filled day of our trip ;) (he apparently also does gastronomy tours!). I also appreciated Santiago's devotion to his and Colombian coffee, Sam's commitment to telling the horrid history, and now progress in communa 13, Diego's willingness to share his stories, opinions, thoughts, which in the end gave hope in human perseverance.

We loved Cartagena and Medellin and the surrounding areas. The tour guide we had in Medellin, was particularly outstanding - Juan Manuel, I think.

Laura was very responsive when any issues arose, and they were promptly fixed.

This was our 2nd experience with KimKim and we'll do it again!

My husband and I went to Colombia in February - Bogota, Medellin and the Coffee region. Kimkim helped us tremendously planning our trip. The hotels were great, the guides (Hector in Bogota, Santiago in Medellin and Milton in the Coffee Region) were fantastic - knowledgable, kind and always on time. We really wouldn't have gotten an understanding of the country, its people, its struggles and future without our guides. Our only hiccup was one guide didn't show to take us on cyclovia in... read more

My husband and I went to Colombia in February - Bogota, Medellin and the Coffee region. Kimkim helped us tremendously planning our trip. The hotels were great, the guides (Hector in Bogota, Santiago in Medellin and Milton in the Coffee Region) were fantastic - knowledgable, kind and always on time. We really wouldn't have gotten an understanding of the country, its people, its struggles and future without our guides. Our only hiccup was one guide didn't show to take us on cyclovia in Bogota. We were able to borrow bikes from the hotel (not super comfortable, but functional) and manage ourselves. Kimkim refunded that portion and apologized. We enjoyed very much the tours of both Bogota and Medellin - but the most beautiful area was the coffee region and the Cocora Valley. Los Nevados was very interesting too. I will definitely use Kimkim again - and think I'll get better at deciding how much to do on my own and how much to let them handle.

I traveled to Colombia solo and returned home to Seattle with incredible memories, thanks to the KimKim team. My guides were attentive, informative and very punctual. They ensured that I had a great time - I got to tweak the itinerary to best suit my interests. So I was off learning salsa one afternoon and traipsing through the streets of Cartagena the next. I got to see the incredible variety of birds that Colombia is famous for - from the Andean cock of the rock and the wax-eared parrot in... read more

I traveled to Colombia solo and returned home to Seattle with incredible memories, thanks to the KimKim team. My guides were attentive, informative and very punctual. They ensured that I had a great time - I got to tweak the itinerary to best suit my interests. So I was off learning salsa one afternoon and traipsing through the streets of Cartagena the next. I got to see the incredible variety of birds that Colombia is famous for - from the Andean cock of the rock and the wax-eared parrot in Jardin to the birds endemic to Santa Marta. Yuliana was very good about making last-minute changes to my itinerary. My local guides in Jardin, Diego and Paula were a young, enthusiastic pair that shared my passion for birding. Erik Ramirez knew the birds of Santa Marta as well as he knew the people. I have pictures to prove it! The members of the Colombian Project were proactive and responded quickly anytime I had questions.
I wish I could have visited Tayrona National Park - but if I finish everything in one trip I wouldn't have anything left for the next time, right?
Thanks again for a memorable trip. My friends are visiting Colombia and you are guiding them too! I hope they have an incredible time too!
Vimla

Our guides Juan and Anna Maria in Medellin were great. So too was Balthazar in Bogota. A pleasure meeting them all.

What a brilliant trip. Jess did an amazing job planning it all. I don’t think we would have managed to do so many things without her support. Laura was our contact whilst travelling, it felt like having a local friend, someone watching out for you. Hotels were lovely, all small charming boutique places. Thinking back, my daughter and I really find hard to decide what we liked best because every adventure was unique and special. Definitely, go to Barichara, such a beautiful and tranquil place,... read more

What a brilliant trip. Jess did an amazing job planning it all. I don’t think we would have managed to do so many things without her support. Laura was our contact whilst travelling, it felt like having a local friend, someone watching out for you. Hotels were lovely, all small charming boutique places. Thinking back, my daughter and I really find hard to decide what we liked best because every adventure was unique and special. Definitely, go to Barichara, such a beautiful and tranquil place, on in the way there don’t miss to visit Las Gachas close Guadalupe, we had so much fun swimming in the river pools. Cartagena is my favourite place, if I’d plan the trip again, I’d spend more time there. My daughter liked floating down Palomino river best. Overall a great trip, lots of fond memories. Thank you Jess & Laura.

Yuliana was wonderful in helping plan this trip. There were a lot of moving factors and people to make it a bit complicated. We loved our hotel, Diez, in Medellin and really enjoyed our city tours with Santi through the Colombia Project. In Minca we stayed in a lovely hotel called Sweet Harmony and then went onto the El Doardo Reserve where Jarwen was our guide for birding. He was extremely knowledgable and the staff was excellent. The food was so tasty too! Finally in Cartagena we had... read more

Yuliana was wonderful in helping plan this trip. There were a lot of moving factors and people to make it a bit complicated. We loved our hotel, Diez, in Medellin and really enjoyed our city tours with Santi through the Colombia Project. In Minca we stayed in a lovely hotel called Sweet Harmony and then went onto the El Doardo Reserve where Jarwen was our guide for birding. He was extremely knowledgable and the staff was excellent. The food was so tasty too! Finally in Cartagena we had Laura as our guide and she was great. We enjoyed all that we were able to see. The only downside was that we ended up rushing around a lot and some of our tours were cut short or ran longer because of timing. Financially, it can get a bit expensive, but if you want everything taken care of I definitely recommend using Kimkim!

Best vacation ever! Many thanks to Natalia for planning us a wonderful tour of Colombia. We went to Medellin, Bogota, and the Zona Cafetera over one week. Everything was so smooth and seamless. All of our guides and drivers were on time (or early) to pick us up and were absolutely fabulous. We loved all of the hotels that Natalia selected for us, especially Patio del Mundo in Medellin. I can't recommend this trip, and Natalia, highly enough. Thank you!!!

What a fantastic experience from beginning to end!

In the initial stages I was connected with Nathalie, and after discussing my specific interests in Colombia via correspondence, she got back to me with an itinerary including additional suggestions that were welcomed and encouraged! After a little tweaking we had created a fantastic adventure through Bogotá and Antioquia!

Nathalie was always swift to respond with answers to my questions and even a couple weeks before the trip, she notified... read more

What a fantastic experience from beginning to end!

In the initial stages I was connected with Nathalie, and after discussing my specific interests in Colombia via correspondence, she got back to me with an itinerary including additional suggestions that were welcomed and encouraged! After a little tweaking we had created a fantastic adventure through Bogotá and Antioquia!

Nathalie was always swift to respond with answers to my questions and even a couple weeks before the trip, she notified me that she’d be out of the office for a few days and put me in touch with Laura in her stead and Laura was equally as helpful!

Nathalie arranged all my transportation including airport transfers which was incredibly helpful and one less thing to worry about!

In Bogotá, I spent the day with Balthazar (a very smart and funny Rolo) starting at the Paloquemao market sampling a myriad of wonderful and delicious local produce and experiencing the calm chaos of one of Colombia’s largest markets. Ducked out of the rain into Cafe de la Fonda for some coffee and mate de coca and learned a little about coffee production in Colombia before ascending Monserrate and taking in the incredible view of Bogotá and beyond!

The following day was spent with Michael, owner of Bogotá Bike Tours in La Candelaria. We mounted up and traversed the city viewing some of the most incredible street art I’ve ever seen and Michael’s vast knowledge of history, politics and pop-culture and how it could be interpreted through the murals we were seeing was eye-opening on multiple levels!

Onto Antioquia! My first day was spent with Germán exploring Santa Fe de Antioquia including the historic Puente de Occidente bridge over the Cauca River! The beautiful churches and plazas of Santa Fe with it’s cobbled streets was a fantastic getaway from the city and Germán was knowledgeable and eager to show me it’s history and charm.

The following days I explored El Peñol, Guatapé, a coffee finca in Fredonia, Comuna 13 and downtown Medellín with Andrea. She was equally as knowledgeable and excited to share the highlights and history of Colombia with me. Climbing the 700+ stairs of Piedra del Peñol was exhilarating and the view from the top was incredible! I loved wandering through the vibrantly lined streets of Guatapé and seeing all the wonderful zócalos (bas reliefs) decorating each of the colorful houses!

We then traveled out to Cafe Luna Llena, a coffee finca in Fredonia, southern Antioquia. Where Gustavo Palacio completely schooled me on the coffee process in Colombia! From seed to cup, we walked the hillside noting coffee plants in various stages of maturity, I even planted one and picked some coffee beans myself! He covered the various drying processes and exported coffee versus the “Tinto” that is consumed by the majority of Colombians and how drastic the difference in quality is. So informative and interesting, this was was one of my favorite days in Colombia!

The next day we ventured to Comuna 13 and Andrea explained how the neighborhood has blossomed into the welcoming and colorful area it is today from a very poor and violent past. Vivid murals tell the story of its history and triumph with sweeping walkways and little cafés, peddlers selling handmade goods, ice cream and fresh juice it was a very cool experience!

We hopped a metrocable to get a nice aerial view of the cascading neighborhoods and jumped on the metro into downtown Medellín to see the hustle and bustle of it’s core and view the 23 sculptures of Fernando Botero in Plaza Botero!

This was such a wonderful adventure! Nathalie kept in touch throughout the whole trip and would check-in often to see how I was doing. All the drivers and guides were on time if not early and incredibly friendly and warmly welcomed me to their wonderful country!

I have nothing but good things to say about this country and it’s people and it’s all due to Nathalie! Thank you so much!

¡Hasta pronto!
Trevor

Communication with kimkim was easy. I receiver replays to my messages quickly and together we cooked up the best plan. The adventure to Colombia's Zona Cafetera turned out very nice, everything happened as planned.

Great trip that KimKim and the local team in Colombia managed to fit into my tight schedule. I had been worried that my short amount of time available would hinder my experience, but with the help of Laura and the whole Colombia team, I felt that I got a great view of the country in even just a few days. Everyone made my trip easy, smooth, and full of activities, even when a last-minute change had to be made. Great job! I plan to use KimKim for another trip in the future!

Me and my wife had a 12 days trip in Colombia, more specifically in the coffee region (Cauca Valley / Quindio), Medellin, Cartagena and Isla Grande. It was a lot to pack into 12 days, but Jess, our local expert from KimKim, managed to strike the perfect balance; it was a great mix of the things we asked for: adventure, coffee and food tasting as well as a bit of relax! We also had some bumps along the way (such as forgetting our mobile phone in a taxi), but Jess and her team managed to help... read more

Me and my wife had a 12 days trip in Colombia, more specifically in the coffee region (Cauca Valley / Quindio), Medellin, Cartagena and Isla Grande. It was a lot to pack into 12 days, but Jess, our local expert from KimKim, managed to strike the perfect balance; it was a great mix of the things we asked for: adventure, coffee and food tasting as well as a bit of relax! We also had some bumps along the way (such as forgetting our mobile phone in a taxi), but Jess and her team managed to help us and fix things!

A few highlights:
1) Do visit the Cauca Valley and Quindio areas: beautiful villages, nature and obviously coffee. Also, if you plan to hire a tour guide you should really ask of David: he was the best guide we ever had, incredibly passionate and knowledgeable, as well as super friendly and fun.
2) If you love food, ask for a cooking class: Colombian food is superb, we did one in Cartagena at Oh La La and it was amazing.
3) If you love history, and want to know more about Colombia's own history, visit Medellin: Real City Tours and the Memorial Museum are a must.
4) If you love sea life, go to the coral reef around Isla Grande and ask for snorkelling or diving, there will be plenty of opportunities.

Thanks again to KimKim and all people involved in this great trip!

Jess did a great job adapting to our requests and providing great suggestions. We made some changes on the fly and Jess was able to roll with it and make our trip a delight. Jess even booked us restaurant reservation and was always available.
A couple of comments and suggestions.
The city tour in Bogata really works better if you start by going up to Monsarrat then venturing into the city.
A ceviche tour in Cartagena, which we heard about from other travelers at our hotel, sounds great and... read more

Jess did a great job adapting to our requests and providing great suggestions. We made some changes on the fly and Jess was able to roll with it and make our trip a delight. Jess even booked us restaurant reservation and was always available.
A couple of comments and suggestions.
The city tour in Bogata really works better if you start by going up to Monsarrat then venturing into the city.
A ceviche tour in Cartagena, which we heard about from other travelers at our hotel, sounds great and we suggest you folks add it to your options.
Medellin tour to Guatapa was great .
The rum tasting was a highlight, Abraham is a great guide to the world of rum. All of our guides, while all very different were great, informative and adaptable, not going from a script.
The transportation options were good, we never waited for a driver.
We handled most of our own hotel options, we liked both the Bastion in Cartagena and the Charlee in Medillin and would recommend both hotels.

Thank you Jess we had a great time.

Best Brian and Terri

I travel ninety-nine percent of the time independently and without the assistance of any organization or agency of any kind. I forgot how I stumbled upon Kim Kim but I thought the services looked so interesting and beneficial that I decided to take advantage of them.
Jess was very helpful and responsive to my inquiries. We also spoke by phone as necessary which was very helpful. The day she was not available, one of her colleagues was in touch with me by phone when my plane was delayed. I... read more

I travel ninety-nine percent of the time independently and without the assistance of any organization or agency of any kind. I forgot how I stumbled upon Kim Kim but I thought the services looked so interesting and beneficial that I decided to take advantage of them.
Jess was very helpful and responsive to my inquiries. We also spoke by phone as necessary which was very helpful. The day she was not available, one of her colleagues was in touch with me by phone when my plane was delayed. I also appreciated someone keeping track of my trip.

I would have been curious to know what the breakdown of my expenses was. I know you get special rates but I would have liked to have known what they say are. The only breakdown was for the flights within Colombia.

I ended up needing a refund for one of my hotels since I was downgraded from a mini Suite to a standard room. That was taken care of very quickly so I'm pleased about that.

Just a minor comment about the website, I would suggest putting the countries you work in an alphabetical order.

I also was contacted by phone once from headquarters in Palo Alto. I forget why but I appreciated being able to talk to somebody there.

I've already shared with several people that I used Kim Kim to help plan my trip so I'm spreading the word about you and would definitely consider using you again.

And a personal kind regards to Jess!

One of the most memorable highlights of Bogotá was our trip to the market with German. We sampled some spectacular fresh fruit juices and ate delectable Lechones (whole pork stuffed with rice, peas and spices). We enjoyed the views of Bogotá from the vantage point of Monserrate. The food throughout Bogotá was varied and delicious.

In the Coffee Region, Jorge Sánchez expertly guided us along the trails of Corcoran Valley, Salento and a coffee plantation. The landscapes and cloud forests of... read more

One of the most memorable highlights of Bogotá was our trip to the market with German. We sampled some spectacular fresh fruit juices and ate delectable Lechones (whole pork stuffed with rice, peas and spices). We enjoyed the views of Bogotá from the vantage point of Monserrate. The food throughout Bogotá was varied and delicious.

In the Coffee Region, Jorge Sánchez expertly guided us along the trails of Corcoran Valley, Salento and a coffee plantation. The landscapes and cloud forests of Corcoran Valley were world-class. We were fortunate to see the Andean Condor, Colombia's national bird, gliding above the wax palms during our hike. What a treat!

We loved Cartagena and its vibrant culture. Alvaro toured us through the most important sites in the area and provided us with expert commentary and restaurant recommendations.

The hotels were all excellent and our guides were knowledgeable of the areas we visited. Kimkim really took the stress out of traveling. We'll definitely use them again!

We had a great trip to Colombia. Natalia was a very good coordinator. She was very attentive to our requests for changes to the itinerary, very responsive to requests we had before and during our trip, and very accessible when we needed her to both answer questions and to arrange transportation when our itinerary changed abruptly due to bad weather on Islas Rosario.

Our first guide in Bogota, Juan was also very good. He connected well with everyone in the family. We especially loved the... read more

We had a great trip to Colombia. Natalia was a very good coordinator. She was very attentive to our requests for changes to the itinerary, very responsive to requests we had before and during our trip, and very accessible when we needed her to both answer questions and to arrange transportation when our itinerary changed abruptly due to bad weather on Islas Rosario.

Our first guide in Bogota, Juan was also very good. He connected well with everyone in the family. We especially loved the tour he led us on through the market, tasting may different fruits and foods. That was a highlight.

Our second guide, David in Pereira, was equally good. He also connected with the whole family and was easy to talk to. He gave us a lot of insight into modern Colombia. We really enjoyed the hike among the Wax Palms.

We had a little less time with our third guide, Sergio in Cartagena but he too was excellent. He showed us places and offered us information and opinions about Cartagena and Colombia that we would not have gotten on our own. We even ran into a Colombian soccer great, Carlos Valderrama and Sergio was able to get him to take a photo with my soccer loving son!

Our transportation was always very punctual and comfortable. The drivers were generally good.

Our hotels were also mostly excellent. The Hotel de la Opera in Bogota figured out it was my wife's birthday and left a nice piece of cake in our room. A very nice touch. WE loved the setting of the Hotel Sazagua, we loved the location of the Hotel Bantu, and we felt the service at all these hotels was excellent. The only hotel we didn't just love was the hotel Majagua on Isla Rosario. It was a bit expensive, the service was okay but it felt like we were being sold something the minute we stepped off the boat. It was also very windy. I did appreciate that they got us back to the mainland safely because the weather turned bad and it threatened to keep us there and possibly miss our plane the next day.

All in all, it was a memorable trip. Thank you.

Kimkim made my trip to Colombia so memorable! I spent 12 days there, and everyday went smoothly & I had great experiences with all guides/tours. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The local guides were very knowledgeable & friendly, tours were super fun & organized and the hotel provided by Kimkim was exceptional. I would trust Kimkim to plan any of my future trips. They really take the stress and anxiety out of planning trips so you can just enjoy and relax. My favorite parts of... read more

Kimkim made my trip to Colombia so memorable! I spent 12 days there, and everyday went smoothly & I had great experiences with all guides/tours. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The local guides were very knowledgeable & friendly, tours were super fun & organized and the hotel provided by Kimkim was exceptional. I would trust Kimkim to plan any of my future trips. They really take the stress and anxiety out of planning trips so you can just enjoy and relax. My favorite parts of Colombia were definitely hiking the cloud forest in Salento, the city bike tour & hiking Monserrate in Bogota, the walking tour of Medellin, and roaming the streets of Cartagena. Would definitely return. Thank you :)

The trip we experienced had some wonderful highlights. However, the hiking on the second and third days, was not properly described. This created a dangerous situation in which my wife was hurt. She had to stop hiking. The only way she got out was on horseback. Luckily, she has experience riding and the farmer who owns Jordan finca was skilled at guiding the horse down 10k of extremely steep, rocky paths and then through 5k more of just wet, slippery paths to safety.
Specifically, the... read more

The trip we experienced had some wonderful highlights. However, the hiking on the second and third days, was not properly described. This created a dangerous situation in which my wife was hurt. She had to stop hiking. The only way she got out was on horseback. Luckily, she has experience riding and the farmer who owns Jordan finca was skilled at guiding the horse down 10k of extremely steep, rocky paths and then through 5k more of just wet, slippery paths to safety.
Specifically, the description of the second day: from Petosi to Jordan is very misleading. The description says: "you will arrive at Jordan farm by "mid-afternoon." The hike is 22K! The second half starts with slippery, muddy trails and quickly turns into steep rocky pathway for about 5 miles. It took us 11.5 hours to complete. A group of younger hikers did it in 10 hours. What's so crazy is that the third day continues with 6.2 more miles of steep, slippery rocky paths. So no way could Carol, who twisted her knee on the 22k leg complete the hike back to the road.I have hiked 100s of miles. Really (Wonderland Trail completely in 8 days, the Superior Hiking Trail, Pukasqua, etc.) If this trail had an accurate description I would not have taken my wife (who I clearly described as 73 years old and normal fitness) on this trail. I'm not asking for a refund, but days 3 and 4 were a frightening and extremely unpleasant experience for me and bad for Carol too, because the safety of my wife was at risk.
If you do not change the descriptions of these days, I will spend time and effort to expose the carelessness of your agency. Check with the guide Freddy if you think any of this is innacurate.
GOOD STUFF: Our guide Freddie Cardona (I will check on his last name) was excellent and was invaluable in getting Carol through this dangerous situation. The bike riding day was great fun. The Cocorra valey was beautiful. The packaging lists were accurately and helpful. Both hotels were nice, with Quo in Manizales having an excellent room and exceptionally helpful staff.
The score for Cami is based on the description of the hike, not on her being helpful.
I guess the bottom line is that what could have been a great trip was ruined by an innacurate description of the risks. Fortunately Carol got by with a very sore knee. Take the hike yourself, then write the description. Explain that this hike is appropriate for experienced hikers who can handle 22K of steep, rocky, muddy pathways that can be trecherously slick, at altitudes over 10000 feet.
Finca Jordan is lovely. Finca Petosi is a pit. Dirty, toilets withot seats that are barely clean. The owners of both fincas were friendly but Mary Luz at Jordan is an exceptional host, as was her husband Mario.

We had a great 4-day trip the Amazon region of Colombia. Our full-time guide for our trip was Odin and he was simply amazing. He was very attentive to our bilingual needs, since half our group only spoke English and the other part spoke mostly Spanish. Odin and every other guide was extremely professional and punctual for both the walking tours and the tours that required a boat ride. The Calanoa lodges where amazingly comfortable and well surpassed our expectations. The food was delicious,... read more

We had a great 4-day trip the Amazon region of Colombia. Our full-time guide for our trip was Odin and he was simply amazing. He was very attentive to our bilingual needs, since half our group only spoke English and the other part spoke mostly Spanish. Odin and every other guide was extremely professional and punctual for both the walking tours and the tours that required a boat ride. The Calanoa lodges where amazingly comfortable and well surpassed our expectations. The food was delicious, we tried a variety of local fruits and dishes that would compete with anything served from a high end restaurant. Booking with Jess from kimkim.com was smooth sailing. We simply gave her our information and the activities we where interested in doing and she booked everything from the pickup at the airport till the drop off at our final destination. Will definitely be using this service too book future trips.

Mairesol was our guide both days - to Guatape and the coffee plantation. Both days were great!
We loved climbing the stairs of El Penol and it was followed by a great meal, away from other tourists too!. The visit to the coffee farm was great. The views were tremendous and the food and coffee was tops.

Hi Jess,
Sorry it took me so long to get to providing feedback.
All round I had a really great trip - an unforgettable experience.
Starting with exploring various options through an internet search - your website struck me as really professional and the co-branding with well-known brands gave me the confidence to go with kimkim. Your responses to my initial inquiries about possible options were prompt, friendly and efficient - I felt the same about the booking process and your subsequent... read more

Hi Jess,
Sorry it took me so long to get to providing feedback.
All round I had a really great trip - an unforgettable experience.
Starting with exploring various options through an internet search - your website struck me as really professional and the co-branding with well-known brands gave me the confidence to go with kimkim. Your responses to my initial inquiries about possible options were prompt, friendly and efficient - I felt the same about the booking process and your subsequent follow-up notices.
We received a very warm and friendly welcome from the agency team in Leticia - it was immediately obvious that it was a professional and experienced outfit. We were well briefed and looked after.
The guide was fantastic - knowledgeable, caring and supportive and really good at keeping us well fed. The translators (we had 2) were also great - really friendly and helpful.
The hike offered a good mix of variety of activities - walking (or battling at times) through the forest, staying with the local population, sleeping high up in the canopy and camping overnight, kayaking and crossing the Amazon into Peru, and then exploring the jungle further via boat.
All the meals and stays along the way were very enjoyable.
A final observation from a marketing point of view (and please take it coming from a 63 year old man - BTW the guide told me I was the oldest person walked with) - I would rate the hike on the "extreme adventure" spectrum (6-7.5 out of 10) rather than "for those looking for something a little more adventurous". The terrain is very challenging and while you don't need to be super fit, you need to be firm very firm footed with solid muscle strength. And you need to be comfortable with heights and about crossing streams and pools on tree trunks (in the dark at times).
Notwithstanding, it was a truly wonderful experience. Thanks to you and please pass on our thanks to the crew in Leticia. All the best Deon

The arrangements for flights and hotels all worked perfectly. The guide we had for Bogota was extremely knolegeable about history, archaeology and art. In Villa de Leyva we had a thunderstorm but the guide substituted a talk on history and politics of Colombia. I didn't find the salt cathedral interesting. Guatavita was very beautiful but unfortunately there was no English speaking tour. San Agostin was particularly interesting, and the guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. Tatacoa... read more

The arrangements for flights and hotels all worked perfectly. The guide we had for Bogota was extremely knolegeable about history, archaeology and art. In Villa de Leyva we had a thunderstorm but the guide substituted a talk on history and politics of Colombia. I didn't find the salt cathedral interesting. Guatavita was very beautiful but unfortunately there was no English speaking tour. San Agostin was particularly interesting, and the guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. Tatacoa was very interesting but much too hot for the hike we did. We particularly enjoyed Cartagena's beautiful architecture. The hotel and service were gracious. Our trip to fishing village and boat tour were fun, and we enjoyed the guide's explanation of the biology.

We enjoyed all of the trip. Our personal guides were all really informative, authentically and genuinely interested and passionate about their environments and willing to share their culture and lifestyle with us. To us, that is one of the best things about this sort of trip, and we were happy with your choices. It was a long trip, so there is much to recommend, and if I don't mention something, it doesn't mean we didn't love it! - I'm thinking of you Medellin with our great guide... read more

We enjoyed all of the trip. Our personal guides were all really informative, authentically and genuinely interested and passionate about their environments and willing to share their culture and lifestyle with us. To us, that is one of the best things about this sort of trip, and we were happy with your choices. It was a long trip, so there is much to recommend, and if I don't mention something, it doesn't mean we didn't love it! - I'm thinking of you Medellin with our great guide Marcello---

We always enjoyed the special heritage Colombian towns like Villa de Leyva, Jardin, Barichara... We won't ever forget visiting the Kogi in their village and our picnic by the river there.

There were a couple of odd things which I'd like to mention, just to keep you all in the loop. The driver at the airport in Medellin picked up the wrong travellers, so wasn't there when we arrived. A call to the agent who's number you provided soon sorted it out.

Our trip to Jardin was interesting. We noticed that most of your drive times are a bit optimistic... We expected a three hour drive or something, but about half way there we found the road between Medellin and Jardin is closed. We had to travel back quite a ways and then take the awful road down to Jardin, turning this into i think a 5-1/2 hour trip. We were surprised that the driver didn't know anything about it, because we are under the impression that this is a long term road project and the driver says you drive there all the time. Anyway, it was an awfully long trip, because it was at least as long back to the airport the next day and maybe longer.... just for a short one night visit. I would re-think your Jardin approach. Before we asked for an overnight, I think you had us going there on a day trip, which Obviously can not be! The rest of the day's description was out the window too.. We didn't see a museum, or taste any award winning sweets, and I can assure you, that cable car hasn't run in quite some time, although we did walk around the town and enjoy it! The itinerary indicated Dinner was included that day, but I don't know where! We had cervezas with the locals around the square and went out for Pad Thai later. So, we enjoyed Jardin, but we didn't seem to have had an experience as outlined in an itinerary.... When we left Jardin we went directly to the airport and flew from Medellin to Bogota at 6pm, then Bogota to Santa Marta at 8 pm. Of course we got into the Hotel Villa Maria quite late after dinner, and the bar were closed. We were wondering why we weren't on any of the direct flights from Medellin to Santa Marta that evening? Perhaps they were sold out, but they could have been booked two months in advance?

We particularly enjoyed the guides and the visits around Tayrona. The guides were all so enthusiastic and knowledgable, thank you. Christian brought a couple of books and props to discuss in depth the history and lifestlye of the local indigenous group, which we enjoyed at the nice picnic site set up for us. That day was a little "off script" too... we definitely went to a different village. We drove to Rio Ancho, then took a 4x4 up as far as the road went, then walked in the heat and dust about an hour and a half to the Kogi Village. We didn't meet anybody besides the kids there, but it was good, and the picnic spot on the River Ancho was awesome. We were pooped from this dusty day so much that the next day, we mostly sat in the shade and talked philosophy with the guide Juan. He had lots to tell us about Indigenous beliefs.

Barranquilla Carnival was a blast. Those people really know how to party, and we get why you picked the spot for our viewing (bathrooms, thanks!). We drank enough beer to need them. Luckily we were able to pick up our Fiesta tickets right in the hotel lobby upon our arrival. That, and a new hat to boot.

Finishing up in Cartagena was great. We enjoyed the shopping and dining scene there with many memorable food experiences. Unfortunately, on the last morning at 4:30 am, our last driver was no where in sight. We gave up shortly after 5 and hailed a ride with the help of our hotel.

All in all, these small things are just details, and our trip was long and varied, so everything can't be perfect! We had a wonderful time in Colombia and feel like we learned a lot and enjoyed quite a few different experiences. It takes a lot of patience to plan this type of holiday and the pre-booking questions and emails takes a certain about of patience and follow though. Nicolas did a pretty good job with all of that, Thank you Nicolas.

Kate and Mike

Natalia, and Kimkim, worked together with our group point person to facilitate our visiting many wonderful places in Colombia. We stayed in very comfortable hotels, were the staff made us feel at home.

Our guides added great interest to our visits to so many wonderful sites. In addition, the guides were really fun people to spend time with.

Everything went flawlessly, all of our check ins, check outs, getting picked up, getting dropped off, making connections.

For me this was a wonderful introduction to South America.

The experience:
Our visit to Amazonas felt like a real adventure!
We were met in bustling Leticia by Darwin, our English-speaking guide, and spent the next 90 minutes awe-struck by the immensity of the river and the expertise of the boatman, who skilfully navigated past tree trunks and other floating debris as we sped our way upstream to Callanoa.
Our ‘home’ at the ecolodge was a beautifully designed 2-storey casita (more than just a cabin). Surrounded by a garden of heliconias and other... read more

The experience:
Our visit to Amazonas felt like a real adventure!
We were met in bustling Leticia by Darwin, our English-speaking guide, and spent the next 90 minutes awe-struck by the immensity of the river and the expertise of the boatman, who skilfully navigated past tree trunks and other floating debris as we sped our way upstream to Callanoa.
Our ‘home’ at the ecolodge was a beautifully designed 2-storey casita (more than just a cabin). Surrounded by a garden of heliconias and other floral delights, we were immersed in the sounds of birds in the secondary forest – the crested oropendolas with their liquid ‘glopping’ call, yellow-rumped caciques, and a multitude of diverse tanagers - with a rhythmic backing of frogs and cicadas.
We spent three comfortable nights here on the banks of the river Amazon as the river was rising at the start of its annual flood.
Each day started with a tasty breakfast –often in the company of a visiting troupe of squirrel monkeys or black-mantled tamarins. Then we would be hailed by the enthusiastic Darwin and taken off for a visit to the neighbouring village or, further afield, by boat, to flooded forests and islands, where we cruised amongst the trees spotting birds, sloths, pink dolphins and other wildlife. We will never forget the huge horizons and looming cloudscapes (nor the tremendous downpour that caught us midriver).
Going back to the lodge each day for lunch and supper –usually fish (always locally caught) and always delicious - provided opportunities to relax and rehydrate with a beer or exotic fruit juice.
We would love to return to the Amazonas wilderness in the future and, after a blessing from the local shaman at Callanoa, who knows, maybe in spirit at least...
The people who helped to make the trip so good:
-Darwin, a cheerful and knowledgeable guide. He appeared to know the area and the people and interacted well with the local guides to enable us to get the most out of our visit.
-The owner of the ecolodge, Diego. He was often present at meals when he was willing to answer our questions and to explain the ideas behind the Callanoa project. He aims to develop sustainable tourism as a way of restoring the natural forest and to provide the local people with employment and a cash income.

Thank you Nathalie for your attention to detail and personable approach to organising our holiday. We had a fabulous time and have fallen in love with Colombia. The tour guides and transport alway arrived early or on time. A thank you to Laura who was able to help when you were off. She was well informed concerning our trip and able to assist when we had a concern. Our tour guide in Medellin deserves a special mention. Andreas was wonderful. Such a lovely young women. We would love to... read more

Thank you Nathalie for your attention to detail and personable approach to organising our holiday. We had a fabulous time and have fallen in love with Colombia. The tour guides and transport alway arrived early or on time. A thank you to Laura who was able to help when you were off. She was well informed concerning our trip and able to assist when we had a concern. Our tour guide in Medellin deserves a special mention. Andreas was wonderful. Such a lovely young women. We would love to return to Santa Marta and Cartegena. I would recommend the trek to The Lost City. The highlight of the trip. Once again thank you.

We had an amazing trip organized by Nicolás to Cartagena, Minca, and Tayrona National Park. One of our favorite experiences was touring the Bazurto in Cartagena with Chef Mely, since we were able to taste and explore the local cuisine with the help of an experienced guide. We also loved bird watching in Minca, and we even got to see a Toucan! It was so relaxing to have all of our transportation arranged ahead of time, and Nicolás was always available with a quick response whenever we needed... read more

We had an amazing trip organized by Nicolás to Cartagena, Minca, and Tayrona National Park. One of our favorite experiences was touring the Bazurto in Cartagena with Chef Mely, since we were able to taste and explore the local cuisine with the help of an experienced guide. We also loved bird watching in Minca, and we even got to see a Toucan! It was so relaxing to have all of our transportation arranged ahead of time, and Nicolás was always available with a quick response whenever we needed to make adjustments to the schedule. The most difficult day of our trip was when we were driving from Tayrona to Cartagena due to heavy traffic caused by protests. The local Colombians were protesting because they did not currently have electricity or clean water. This obviously could not have been prevented, but I do recommend that other travelers plan for a whole day of travel if they are also making this drive. Overall, we were very happy with Nicolás and the entire Kimkim experience!

Natalia was just awesome. She did an amazing job tailoring our whole trip and made sure we got to see the main highlights of Bogota, Medellin, Santa Marta and Cartegena . She was available at all times and accommodated all our requests. All our guides were very friendly, knowledgeable and made sure that we had the best experience from Colombia. Special shout out to our local tour guides Sharon, Eduardo and Juan.
Columbia is just incredible and vibrant, so much to see and experience; from sightseeing , hiking and relaxing beaches.

Guides were excellent. Standouts were Manuel in Villa de Leyva, Sharon in Bogota and Leo in Bogota. Hotels were very good choices.

Jess, our agent/local specialist has been amazing. Our trip was very last minute and had some special circumstances, yet Jess was on top of it. It was our first time in Colombia and we had not time to research much, so it was amazing to have KimKim's recommendations, and then Jess's guidance in booking things. Jess checked in many times to ensure everything was going well, she answered all my questions almost instantly, which given the last minute nature of the trip was very much... read more

Jess, our agent/local specialist has been amazing. Our trip was very last minute and had some special circumstances, yet Jess was on top of it. It was our first time in Colombia and we had not time to research much, so it was amazing to have KimKim's recommendations, and then Jess's guidance in booking things. Jess checked in many times to ensure everything was going well, she answered all my questions almost instantly, which given the last minute nature of the trip was very much appreciated, she was very patient and detailed and professional in all her communication. She even informed us about the schedule of some museums that we wanted to visit and could not do on the days we had a guide for.

The activities booked all worked out as planned. The guides and drivers were not only on time, but in most cases early. I traveled most of the time alone with my 7-year-old, therefore having this service was reassuring. While there have been some minor communication errors between the guides, their bosses, the agency, mostly about the timing of the activities (somehow most of them had earlier times than us) , all the guides and drivers were very flexible, accommodating and understanding. All the guides had excellent English. The private rides were in very comfortable and clean cars, with working seat belts (not a given in any Colombian taxis :)), and nice chatty drivers (if you speak Spanish). We also liked that we had the same guide for our entire stay in one location.

Raffael, our walking tour guide in Cartagena was great in giving us the lay-out of the old city center and it's history. The chocolate making activity at the Chocolate Museum was very educational and fun for both my child and me. Our guide there (I believe Nelson) was fantastic. The day trip to Playa Azul was nice, but I have been to nicer and quieter beaches that didn't require a 45-minute speed boat ride to it, so unless you are desperate for beach time, you can skip this activity. With that being said, my 7-year-old loved it, and Cartagena is surrounded by water, so it would be a tease not to go to the beach while there.

Mauricio, our guide in the coffee region, was the most fantastic guide one could ask for. He clearly loves what he does and is very good at it. He is very passionate and knowledgeable about nature and everything in the region. He was fun, flexible, accommodating and an endless source of information. We LOVED our hike in Cocora Valley, a must for anyone going to Colombia. We did the entire hike (almost 14 km long), and our 7-year-old was fine with it. It is a quite difficult and treacherous hike though, so I only recommend it to those in good physical condition. You must ride in a Jeep to it, a Willy, if you don't mind some minor discomfort. We loved it! The valley is simply gorgeous. We really enjoyed the coffee farm tour and visiting some of the villages in the region the next day.

We spent two days in Bogota with our guide Sharon. She was very knowledgeable about the places we visited and accommodating for our needs. We went to the local market which was very colorful, but nothing unusual for a European. The trip up Monserrate is a must while in Bogota. The view is gorgeous. We went on a walking tour of the Candelaria neighborhood, the Gold Museum, and the emerald row. Sharon was great at explaining everything we needed to know and in recommending great places to eat. We also visited the Botero museum (on our own, as it was closed the day we had a guide), and I think it is a must see while in Bogota.

Overall Colombia is great destination. The food is excellent everywhere. We felt safe everywhere. Our trip was unforgettable, and that is thanks to KimKim and Jess. There is no way I would have been able to plan such a trip and get so much out of it in short 7 days, even if it wasn't last minute. My only wish is to make the pricing of the activities more transparent, activity by activity, so we can decide weather some are worth it for us or not. Thanks everyone!

We only booked a portion of our trip with Kimkim and overall it went well, but there were a few hiccups throughout that I thought would have been organized through the service. For instance, it said we had a coffee tour booked, but the hotel was unaware and there was no English tour guide. Also the driver we had to Medellin didn't know the address we were going to, despite me giving it to the service beforehand, meaning we had to turn the data on our phone.

Otherwise went smooth and all parties turned up on time! Our guide in the Cocora Valley was great.

We had a truly memorable trip to Colombia. Clearly there are some internal communication issues with the Logistics Department at Aventura Colombiana but Laura was very quick to initiate action to try to resolve situations as quickly as possible.

Two guides that really stand out are Alejandro who took us on a bird watching expedition. Very knowledgeable and personable. We had a great time. And Gian who took us on a really relaxed and interesting city tour in Cali. The biggest... read more

We had a truly memorable trip to Colombia. Clearly there are some internal communication issues with the Logistics Department at Aventura Colombiana but Laura was very quick to initiate action to try to resolve situations as quickly as possible.

Two guides that really stand out are Alejandro who took us on a bird watching expedition. Very knowledgeable and personable. We had a great time. And Gian who took us on a really relaxed and interesting city tour in Cali. The biggest disappointment was the guide for the Corcora Valley. He was due to meet us at the hotel at 8.30 but didn't show up. Eventually we caught up with him at 9.30am in Salento by which time no jeeps were available. Not only did we make a late start because his failure to be in the right place at the right time but he then cut short the tour which meant we had 4 instead of 6 hours.

The trip was well-planned but had a couple of glitches. We did not receive the packet of materials including daily schedule until 2 days before the trip. It probably should have been sent earlier. Also we were scheduled to leave the hotel in Santa Marta several hours before out flight. Since it was a domestic flight and the airport is only 25 minutes from the hotel, that was too early. Fortunately our birding guide was able to call the office and have it changed so we arrived only 90... read more

The trip was well-planned but had a couple of glitches. We did not receive the packet of materials including daily schedule until 2 days before the trip. It probably should have been sent earlier. Also we were scheduled to leave the hotel in Santa Marta several hours before out flight. Since it was a domestic flight and the airport is only 25 minutes from the hotel, that was too early. Fortunately our birding guide was able to call the office and have it changed so we arrived only 90 minutes in advance.

Our birding guide, Breiner, was excellent. He is only 20 year old, but is able to recognize birds almost instantly by sight or sound, even when the birds are mostly obscured by foliage or flying high in the sky.

The accommodations at Eldorado lodge were fine and the food was good.

We did not like the hotel in Santa Marta, Casa del Farol. It was conveniently located very close to the center of town and restaurants, but the water for the shower was not even luke warm; the shower heads were broken; and their advertisement of an afternoon happy hour was not correct. They did not even have sodas to purchase.

Natalia was superb. I initially indicated there would be about 10 people traveling and ultimately there were 17. She did an excellent job of structuring an itinerary (consisting of Santa Marta- Zipaquira- Villa de Leyva-Bogota-Medellin-Guatape-El Penol- Santa Elena) to accommodate my requests. She graciously and quickly accommodated every change as needed. She did a terrific job of planning the trip, choosing the hotels, securing the airline tickets, acquiring all the subcontractors,... read more

Natalia was superb. I initially indicated there would be about 10 people traveling and ultimately there were 17. She did an excellent job of structuring an itinerary (consisting of Santa Marta- Zipaquira- Villa de Leyva-Bogota-Medellin-Guatape-El Penol- Santa Elena) to accommodate my requests. She graciously and quickly accommodated every change as needed. She did a terrific job of planning the trip, choosing the hotels, securing the airline tickets, acquiring all the subcontractors, responding to inquires, and making adjustments as needed 'on the go'. She was totally accessible, even responding to What'sApp texts on Sunday morning during the tour, and immediately interfacing with bus drivers when there was confusion about their location.

Her choice of subcontractors for guiding and transportation was excellent. All of the vehicles were new or nearly new, and had ample space for all passengers and luggage. The 6 personable guides were always on time, spoke excellent English, and had a immense grasp of the history, culture, and noteworthy information of the locations we visited.

KimKim's pricing was very fair. It's 5% surcharge became somewhat confusing from time to time, and it's payment system for payments from multiple guests was somewhat clunky, but we managed to get it straightened out quickly and completely before the trip even started.

In summary, I would gladly recommend KimKim and Natalia to anyone who wanted a great travel planner and booking agent in Colombia.