Kimkim Trip Reviews for Colombia

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.

Nichols was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgeable, great communicator, available at all times via WhatsApp, Kimkim site email, and personal cell. It was our first time traveling to Colombia and relying on a local host to fully arrange a trip to Providencia gave us comfort and reduced our burden of researching and planning. We saved days by going with Kimkim and following Nicholas’s recommendation. Providencia was the most memorable part of our trip and every suggestion Nicholas made was... read more

Nichols was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgeable, great communicator, available at all times via WhatsApp, Kimkim site email, and personal cell. It was our first time traveling to Colombia and relying on a local host to fully arrange a trip to Providencia gave us comfort and reduced our burden of researching and planning. We saved days by going with Kimkim and following Nicholas’s recommendation. Providencia was the most memorable part of our trip and every suggestion Nicholas made was worth it. Kimkim team, especially Yoos, was very helpful. I got sick two days before our trip and contacted Nicholas and Yoos and both very extremely supportive and gave me several options including cancellation with full refund. Luckily I got better and made the trip. If you are looking for trust worthy, easy to work with, knowledgeable, deliver as promise group KimKim is the best.

The Kimkim team was great in helping me plan this trip. I would give Nicolas 10 stars. He was so attentive and responsive to all my questions. Everything was as planned. Thank you Nicolas for helping us with this amazing trip. All the guides were great, especially Melissa from Foodies and also Enrique from the tour to Boquilla. I can’t thank everyone enough.

Desiree

Our experience using KimKim to book our trip to Colombia was amazing. It saved us time and made our trip run smoothly and painless.

Sharon was our guide in Bogota and she was very knowledgeable and gave us great recommendations for things to do or places to eat after our tours were over. We really enjoyed the trip up to Monserrate and eating the delicious food in Paloquemao market.

Juan Carlos was our guide for 2 days in Medellin and we had a great time. He went above and beyond and... read more

Our experience using KimKim to book our trip to Colombia was amazing. It saved us time and made our trip run smoothly and painless.

Sharon was our guide in Bogota and she was very knowledgeable and gave us great recommendations for things to do or places to eat after our tours were over. We really enjoyed the trip up to Monserrate and eating the delicious food in Paloquemao market.

Juan Carlos was our guide for 2 days in Medellin and we had a great time. He went above and beyond and added in a few stops between our tours to show us more of the city.

In Cartagena we had a great guide who answered all our questions and even took us to a grocery store when we needed to grab a few items.

We are already set up with kimkim to book our next vacation to South Africa, we hope that we get the same great service we received from all the ladies in Colombia from kimkim.

We loved our trip to Colombia, it completely surpassed our expectations. The country and people are so warm and vibrant!

Nicolas helped us to build a great itinerary and he was available for us to contact in country. There were a few issues where information seemed to be lost between Nicolas and the tour providers on the ground, but everyone worked quickly to rectify them and ensure we had a great trip.

All of our guides were very knowledgeable, friendly and keen to ensure we experienced the best of Colombia.

Natalia did a wonderful job planning our trip to Colombia. She worked with me to ensure that I had the accommodations and tours that I wanted. We loved all our tour guides. Everyone was on time and super friendly. We loved our hikes, coffee tour, and bird watching. Thanks for a great trip!

Overall, we had a very nice trip. Nicolas prepared a diverse itinerary for us. We got to see a lot, although we all found the pace to be too rushed. My primary criticism is the car trip from Tayrona to Cartagena. We were told that the trip would take 4 hours but it took 7 hours due to heavy traffic.
I would recommend either flying to Cartagena or driving at night, if the roads are safe. As far as the guides, Jairo in Bogota was by far the best, due to his knowledge and enthusiasm. The... read more

Overall, we had a very nice trip. Nicolas prepared a diverse itinerary for us. We got to see a lot, although we all found the pace to be too rushed. My primary criticism is the car trip from Tayrona to Cartagena. We were told that the trip would take 4 hours but it took 7 hours due to heavy traffic.
I would recommend either flying to Cartagena or driving at night, if the roads are safe. As far as the guides, Jairo in Bogota was by far the best, due to his knowledge and enthusiasm. The guide in Bambusa was adequate and the guide in Cartagena was poor. The hotels were very nice- especially Bambusa, and Cartagena Sofitel. The setting of Los Naranjos in Tayrona was beautiful, but the meals were not very palatable. Bogota's EK Hotel, although very nice, charged for water, which left a bad taste in our mouth (no pun intended). Nicolas, although mostly responsive, did not receive our message that we were canceling trip to Rosario because we were too tired from long day of travel to Cartagena. He called us and woke us up early in the morning. Nor did the driver to the airport in Cartagena show up, so we had to order a taxi. We should be reimbursed for the boat excursion to Rosario. Overall, I would commend Nicolas for a job well done but urge him to take relaxation time into account when planning a trip.

While the planning process was quite smooth initially, at the last minute there appeared to be a rush to assemble information from us. Further, we did not received an updated itinerary to include hotel changes before we left on our trip.

But, those details aside, we had a great experience overall and an especially memorable experience with two of our local guides; namely Maria and Vivi. Their attention to detail, promptness and professionalism was outstanding.

Working with Brian and his colleagues was truly a great experience. Brian was very responsive from the start and provided great input. After my initial contact, Brian suggested a call to learn more about what we were looking for and to share with us what his company was about. We travel quite a bit and have used local guides for tours, but this was the first time that someone suggested a call to better understand the travel experience we were looking for. We wanted a more cultural... read more

Working with Brian and his colleagues was truly a great experience. Brian was very responsive from the start and provided great input. After my initial contact, Brian suggested a call to learn more about what we were looking for and to share with us what his company was about. We travel quite a bit and have used local guides for tours, but this was the first time that someone suggested a call to better understand the travel experience we were looking for. We wanted a more cultural experience vs just the usual tourist sites and we are so grateful for the experience we had with Brian and his colleagues. Brian and his team handled the logistics from start to finish.
We were a family of 11, including 4 children, traveling on a family vacation. We couldn't get enough of the delicious fruits at the local market with our lovely guide Ana and her husband Freddy. We then cooked dinner with Brian and his fiance at their place...what a treat. Added bonus was Freddy playing his cello after dinner. We were lucky enough to visit a couple of private homes and meet the amazing owner and her family in Santa Fe de Antioquia and visit a coffee farm that does not do public tours and can only be visited with Brian and his team. On our last day, we visited communa 1, which was led by the local artists in the neighborhood and had lunch at one of the local artist's home cooked by his mom. It was truly a special moment to have met these amazing people with their inspiring stories. We very much enjoyed talking to our guide Diego as well as his story started off in a neighborhood similar to communa 1 and his journey that took him from Medellin to US and now back to Medellin.

From reading the review, one would think our trip went without any glitches. However, on our 2nd day in Medellin, the glass shower door broke while my niece was in the shower and cut her right foot deep enough to cut a couple of tendons requiring an emergency surgery in Medellin. As unfortunate as this situation was, we were very grateful that if it had to happen, it happened in Medellin where there was good medical care and Brian and his team along with the staff at the hotel were just amazing in the care they gave us. The hotel had someone Spanish/English speaking with my niece and brother-in-law the whole time at the hospital and must have pulled some strings as they were able to operate on my niece's foot the same day.

Overall, we feel very lucky to have visited this very special place and very lucky to have found Brian and his team for our journey.

We just returned from our family 8 day vacation to Colombia. Jules, our specialist, helped us plan, organize and get ready for our trip. He was also available during our trip to answer questions along the way. This was so helpful.
Once we got to Colombia we had a great driver, Evan and a wonderful guide, Fabian. Fabian was an energetic, personable guide and great with our kids. He took our 10 year old son all over the beach, climbing rocks and exploring the shore. We enjoyed his genuine positive attitude.
We also enjoyed our beach time, river float and the sunset cruise!

Natalia at kimkim helped us with our 8 day Columbia itinerary,
that consisted of 3 days at Tayrona National Park, 2 days at Cartegena, and 3 days at Salento.
All hotels, activities, and ground transportation was arranged by Natalia.
Everything went perfect. Drivers were always on time and helpful. The hotels, while not very expensive, were perfect. (Boutique hotels that were perfect value for money).
We were especially impressed with the guides for our Cocora valley hike (full loop at 7 hours) and Tayrona hike (9 hours). Overall, we were very happy with the value we received.

Overall a great experience, we really enjoyed Colombia. We were in Bogotá, Medellin and Cartagena and they all were worth the visit. We had very good guides in Bogotá and I think we should have stayed longer. Our guide in Medellin (day trip to Guatapé) was really good too, he really was engaging. If I were to do it again I would arrange more guided trips with kimkim in Medellin. The last guide we had was in Cartagena and a tour of the city, our guide here was not the best guide, while... read more

Overall a great experience, we really enjoyed Colombia. We were in Bogotá, Medellin and Cartagena and they all were worth the visit. We had very good guides in Bogotá and I think we should have stayed longer. Our guide in Medellin (day trip to Guatapé) was really good too, he really was engaging. If I were to do it again I would arrange more guided trips with kimkim in Medellin. The last guide we had was in Cartagena and a tour of the city, our guide here was not the best guide, while she was personable, her English was hard to understand and she spoke very softly making it almost impossible in the city to hear what was being said.

Our transfers were always extremely professional, on time with only the best and most comfortable transportation for our family. I will travel again using kimkim to help me make the arrangements. I would highly recommend Colombia to other families. My kids are aged 8, 10 and 12 and together with my wife we had the family adventure that we wanted.

Jess was very helpful in planning the trip and made all the changes we wanted. Laura took over and was super helpful when we needed to make a couple of changes part way through the trip. She was quickly responsive over What's App which made it much easier for me to communicate with her than through email. At one point we needed to go to the hospital and Laura arranged private transport for us at the last minute from Taganga to Cartagena and found out hospital recommendations for us which was... read more

Jess was very helpful in planning the trip and made all the changes we wanted. Laura took over and was super helpful when we needed to make a couple of changes part way through the trip. She was quickly responsive over What's App which made it much easier for me to communicate with her than through email. At one point we needed to go to the hospital and Laura arranged private transport for us at the last minute from Taganga to Cartagena and found out hospital recommendations for us which was very helpful, especially when we were stressed out about the situation.

Rio Claro was terrific, we loved everything about it. The activities there were also crazy cheap (like 8 USD to go rafting!)

The Los Nevados Trek was beautiful and incredible. Highly recommend this trek. I would not recommend the guide that we got though. He was nice enough but didn't interact with us much and was not a great guide. He didn't bring very good food, had a water filter that was not appropriate for group use (small in-line water filter for himself), and told us the water was fine to drink "because it didn't look that dirty." (even though he was filtering his own water and the other guides for other groups were like "do NOT drink the tap water! It's definitely not safe to drink!" We were fairly cold at night. I would have liked to bring my own water filter and a sleeping bag in hind sight. (I was told we didn't need them.) Also, there was an error with the pick up for the trek in the morning. We were told 10 am by the travel agent and got picked up at 5 am by the guide. (Something to work out for the future.)

The transportation arrangements were invaluable with private transport.

We had a fantastic trip to Colombia over the 2018 winter holiday break. For a family of four, Nathalie Clavet helped personalize and customize our Colombia trip experience and provided a multitude of options for us to select from as we were in the planning stages. While in Colombia, Nathalie and her colleague, Mathilde, took care of us, checking in and were available to help us with any additional questions. Thank you Nathalie! My family and I really had a memorable time in Colombia and we can't wait to visit again!

A very good trip. Tatiana and Pablo were great guides and we all enjoyed the places we were at. Favorites were Bogota and Salento. Great food and lots of fun.
Just a few hiccups, not unexpected in South America.
Some suggestions for future travelers around Christmastime.
Do Salento on the 24th and Christmas Day. Everything is open there.
Do the coffee farm in Salento on one of the days instead of Cocondo. Too many bugs at Cocondo. We all got eaten up despite the repellent.
Don't do Medellin on the 24th. Everything is closed.
Thanks.
Ezra

Our trip to Colombia took me and my husband to Bogota, Salento, Cocora Valley, Tayrona National Park, and Cartagena. I think what was most striking to us was the multitude of landscapes that exist within the country - mountains, valleys, beaches, tropical forests - it was all very beautiful and steeped in a tradition of ceremony, sustainability, and conservation. We were also impressed with the knowledge of our guides and the variety of their subject matter expertise. One was a world-traveled... read more

Our trip to Colombia took me and my husband to Bogota, Salento, Cocora Valley, Tayrona National Park, and Cartagena. I think what was most striking to us was the multitude of landscapes that exist within the country - mountains, valleys, beaches, tropical forests - it was all very beautiful and steeped in a tradition of ceremony, sustainability, and conservation. We were also impressed with the knowledge of our guides and the variety of their subject matter expertise. One was a world-traveled artist (Camilo in Bogota) who was able to give us a deep, immersive lesson on the famous street graffiti, Botero, gold craftsmanship, along with a brief history on the origins and expansion of the city. Christian, an extroverted and boisterous botanist, was our guide in Salento and Cocora Valley. He knew everyone. And vice versa. We learned a lot about Willys, wax palms, coffee, and Tejo under his watch - he was an attentive guide, ensuring that we were well taken care of...and entertained! Jose was our trusty and tireless guide through the depths of the jungles of Tayrona National Park. He led us to Pueblito one day and the playas the next, providing a history of the pre-Colombus indigenous people and pointing out monkeys, caimans, and sacred rocks without breaking a sweat. In Cartagena, Rafa took us inside the minds of the engineers and architects, pointing out the strategy behind the construction of the fort and the wall. He also took us through the Old City neighborhoods, giving us a brief overview of of the plazas - and advice on where we should eat and shop. That said, our only negative experience was with the boat trip that was arranged in Cartagena. Our itinerary promised we'd be "treated to a boat around the Islas del Rosario...Aboard this boat you'll visit 3 beaches, in some top-secret locations that the day-tripper crowds have not heard about (nor are they likely to)." Instead, we were jammed onto a boat with 40 other people and taken to Bendita Beach about an hour away. The boats anchored off of the beach ensured that we sucked in gas fumes all day. Trying to redeem the day, we signed up for a snorkeling trip, which again was super crowded and the guides kept yelling at us to hurry up as we swam through the reefs. This was not a tour, nor was it 3 beaches, and it was anything but top-secret. We were very disappointed in the huge disparity between what was described and what we experienced and wonder how it happened and who benefitted off of our misfortune. We will never get that day back.

Nathalie was incredible, she knew exactly what my husband and I were looking for and designed the perfect trip for us in Colombia! She passed the "baton" to Mathilde during the holidays and it was totally flawless. The tour guides were all different in their own ways which gave us an interesting flavor of the culture and the hotels were perfectly located, in the heart of the city and in safe neighborhoods. The people we met during our journey were very kind and very sweet and I believe that a big part comes back to Nathalie, Mathilde and her organization. Bravo!

This was our first experience in Colombia and with KimKim. We worked with Nicolas while before our trip and he was very prompt and accurate in providing the detail level of information as well as customizing the entire trip for us.

The entire trip went very flawless and smooth as planned and committed. One thing to consider and be patient with is that there are several companies involved in the service chain including the KimKim, their domestic office, their local agent and their... read more

This was our first experience in Colombia and with KimKim. We worked with Nicolas while before our trip and he was very prompt and accurate in providing the detail level of information as well as customizing the entire trip for us.

The entire trip went very flawless and smooth as planned and committed. One thing to consider and be patient with is that there are several companies involved in the service chain including the KimKim, their domestic office, their local agent and their subcontractor which might make it a bit complicated but they planned all well. For example the driver picked us up on time from airport however he did not know the person who we had made the reservations, but everything went great.
The driver Anderson in charge of all transportation for the entire trip was fantastic, although he did speak almost none to minimum English, made every attempt to understand us and specially my limited Spanish.

The Coffee farm tour at Santiago's farm was amazing, the tour, lunch and their hospitality was amazing. Also the Cocora Valley and Finlandia tour guide Alberto was extremely knowledgeable and great company for the entire day.

Overall we were very pleased with the tour and highly recommend KimKIm company for Colombia and Zonacafetera visit.

At the end thank you Nicolas for this wonderful memory and experience.

Thanks
Greg G

Overall we had a really good trip. We were greeted at airport by Daniel, who was sweet, engaging and very knowledgeable. His English was quite good and he was very informative, sharing personal insights on history and culture. We never felt threatened or unsafe on the trip - we're also assuming that the second man who accompanied us during our first afternoon tour, and did not speak English, was there for security! Our lodging at Casa Canabal was very comfortable and very accommodating -... read more

Overall we had a really good trip. We were greeted at airport by Daniel, who was sweet, engaging and very knowledgeable. His English was quite good and he was very informative, sharing personal insights on history and culture. We never felt threatened or unsafe on the trip - we're also assuming that the second man who accompanied us during our first afternoon tour, and did not speak English, was there for security! Our lodging at Casa Canabal was very comfortable and very accommodating - though the rooms are small and have no windows. A very creative lighting system in the walls, however, gives the semblance of outdoor lighting and ended up being fine. Breakfasts were good and the waiters were wonderful and very friendly. I would suggest that the hotel have towels available at the pool.
We enjoyed the cooking class the second day with Sandra and Ellie. The trip to the market was eye-opening and truly a cultural experience. Visitors should be forewarned, however, not to wear nice shoes! We made ceviche, guacamole, fried plantains, salad, fried fish, coconut rice and passion fruit panna cotta - all delicious!! Sandra was engaging and very interactive - teaching us new skills and lots about Columbia.
We had been told in our tour itinerary that we would be going to Playa Azul in the Rosario Islands and getting there by private speed boat. We were surprised and a bit confused when we arrived at the dock, and amidst a large and equally confused crowd of tourists, found out we were going to Bendita Beach on a speed boat with 30 other tourists. No one spoke English, other than the other tourists, so all the safety and general information given once we got on the boat was entirely in Spanish - not very helpful OR safe! Once we got to the beach, we were pretty disappointed with the number of people there (masses) and being "herded" to the lineup of beach chairs which weren't very comfortable. All activities were pretty haphazard - again, because English was limited and there were so many people. The lunch was good. I'm not sure we would have gone if we had known it would have been so crowded and uncomfortable - it certainly wasn't very relaxing and not what had been depicted and described in our itinerary. There certainly wasn't any place to go walk and "explore the island" and no one was around to talk about the flora and fauna.
All transfers were very good and on time. Our driver to the Tayrona region was excellent - Jorge was a wonderful driver and spoke relatively good English. Our lodging at La Mer de Bien was lovely - though we didn't we didn't realize we were staying there until we read the fine print itinerary (it wasn't the lodging listed in the larger itinerary which was actually quite a bit closer to the park). We loved La Mer de Bien - and Sergio and Diana couldn't have been lovelier hosts. Food was delicious and they were very accommodating making us sandwiches to take with us with our pre-breakfast early departure. Tour of Tayrona and the Victoria Coffee plantation in Minca with José were great. At Tayrona we had a great hike and saw monkeys and lizards. The afternoon at the beach was terrific. The tour at the coffee plantation was incredibly interesting and very well done. Again, visitors should be forewarned about the bumpy road from Minca to the plantation! We were fine, but our driver seemed worried in the van he was driving - especially since the road is so narrow and there was definitely traffic going both ways. Overall - a great trip and we very much enjoyed seeing this part of Columbia. We felt the country has done an amazing job making visitors feel welcome and safe.

We loved all three hotels. BOG hotel was excellent, had a wonderful breakfast and great service and was walking distance to restaurants. Great location.
Allure Chocolate is a wonderful hotel in a wonderful location. Service was great. The rooms are a bit on the small side but still a wonderful choice.
Las Islas is a dream resort. It’s very new so still has a few problems which I am sure will be fixed. We had an amazing time there.
The transportation everywhere was great! Drivers were always... read more

We loved all three hotels. BOG hotel was excellent, had a wonderful breakfast and great service and was walking distance to restaurants. Great location.
Allure Chocolate is a wonderful hotel in a wonderful location. Service was great. The rooms are a bit on the small side but still a wonderful choice.
Las Islas is a dream resort. It’s very new so still has a few problems which I am sure will be fixed. We had an amazing time there.
The transportation everywhere was great! Drivers were always nice and the buses or vans were great. Apart from one problem where the driver didn’t know our flight got moved to an earlier time and wasn’t at the airport when we landed all of them were on time.
The only problem we had was the guide in Bogota who despite being a very nice person was very unprofessional , didn’t know the facts and gave us both days disappointing tours.
We can highly recommend a tour we booked ourselves in Cartagena with Experience Real Cartagena- Alex Rocha. His son Chris took us to a tour of Cartagena and a day later Palenque. It was amazing!!!!
Mathilde was always available on WhatsApp and always very helpful and so was NathLie who helped us with booking a restaurant in Bogota. Thank you all, we loved Colombia.

Had great time in Colombia! Trip was very well organized by Lisa! Thanks!

Sharon in Bogota was amazing, as was David in Perreira.
Lovato in Medellin did a great job.
Dency in Cartagena lived up to her name (meaning "Dignified , explorer, powerful, happy, beautiful.")

We learned so much from each of the guides and enjoyed the various day trips and tours.

The wax palms hike and Penon of Guatape got us out into the countryside and were good physical challenges for me.
Loved the Cathedral of Salt, which was my "add" to the itinerary.
The coffee plantation visit was... read more

Sharon in Bogota was amazing, as was David in Perreira.
Lovato in Medellin did a great job.
Dency in Cartagena lived up to her name (meaning "Dignified , explorer, powerful, happy, beautiful.")

We learned so much from each of the guides and enjoyed the various day trips and tours.

The wax palms hike and Penon of Guatape got us out into the countryside and were good physical challenges for me.
Loved the Cathedral of Salt, which was my "add" to the itinerary.
The coffee plantation visit was amazing.
Really, a great trip and filled with surprises for me, since my daughter did most of the itinerary planning with Nathalie.

Thank you Nicolás for planning our trip on short notice and being so responsive to our questions! We had a great time and things went smoothly - from our transfers to our accomodations and our guides. We especially liked our accomodations in Cartagena and Tayrona. Our guides were also wonderful, particularly Jairo in Bogotá. He was very flexible and knew a great deal. I can't recommend him enough!

Miguel was a very competent careful driver. The driving part of the trip was longer and tougher than expected - 9 hours day 2, 7 hours day 3, 6 hours day 4. There was a lot of extreme poverty with many beggars requesting water and rice because they were so hungry. The main sites to visit were nice enough but the scenery along the way much less interesting than I had imagined. Taroa dunes beach is lovely. Places we stayed at understandably very primitive. Food monotonous but we did not... read more

Miguel was a very competent careful driver. The driving part of the trip was longer and tougher than expected - 9 hours day 2, 7 hours day 3, 6 hours day 4. There was a lot of extreme poverty with many beggars requesting water and rice because they were so hungry. The main sites to visit were nice enough but the scenery along the way much less interesting than I had imagined. Taroa dunes beach is lovely. Places we stayed at understandably very primitive. Food monotonous but we did not get sick.
We very much enjoyed the boat trip in camarones. Carlos, our boatman and guide was well informed and we saw many flamingos and red ibis. Learned about Wayuu which interested me. Would NOT recommend trip to others unless they have some real reason to be interested in area.

The full trip was awesome the guides very well ínformed and puntual and very helpfull. Every activity was memorable.

We had a really excellent experience in Colombia, and with KimKim in particular. One thing we appreciated immediately was that our drivers were always punctual and pleasant, and their vehicles were in great shape. We started off in Bogota and had a wonderful bike tour led by Daniel Felipe. We were particularly interested in street art, and it turns out he is a street artist himself, so it was a perfect match. The next day we had an equally great tour to Monserrate led by Sharon. We then... read more

We had a really excellent experience in Colombia, and with KimKim in particular. One thing we appreciated immediately was that our drivers were always punctual and pleasant, and their vehicles were in great shape. We started off in Bogota and had a wonderful bike tour led by Daniel Felipe. We were particularly interested in street art, and it turns out he is a street artist himself, so it was a perfect match. The next day we had an equally great tour to Monserrate led by Sharon. We then flew to Salento (in the coffee-growing region), which was the highlight of our trip. We stayed at Reserva el Cairo, which we can't recommend highly enough. We spent 2 full days there. On the first, we did a mountain bike tour of the wax palms through Salento Cycling (not through Kimkim), which was absolutely fabulous. The next day we had our best tour ever (provided by Kimkim), which was a tour of several local towns with our guide David. We learned to grow and prepare coffee, saw incredible beauty, and hung out in some really gorgeous (non-touristy) little towns. Loved it! The last part of our trip was in Cartagena. This was not our favorite, due to the heat, multitude of tourists, and extremely obvious income inequality. However, we recognize that many people really enjoy the hot coastal environment and that our going there and not loving it was predictable. We did, however, learn a lot about the history of the place, and really enjoyed our tour with Nestor despite our cutting it a bit short due to our discomfort in the heat. It was a relief for us to get back to Bogota, where we all agreed we could spend a lot more time. Overall, we loved Colombia and feel like we want to come back, spending more time in Bogota, the coffee region, and other areas that we haven't visited yet. I also was very pleased with KimKim's services, which were exactly what we needed and perfectly executed.

We loved our trip to Estación Corcornan. We enjoyed birds, monkeys, hippos, waterfalls and life on the river - all without a single other tourist or boat in sight! Our guides Ana and Victor were awesome and super knowledgeable about the area. Victor knew all the birds, frogs, and wildlife in general and even some of the tree species. I asked for a bird guide (I am a birder) and I definitely got someone who knew his stuff!

The trip felt very authentic and we enjoyed living like locals and eating traditional foods. Highly recommended and thanks so much for all the arrangements!

Nathalie organised a wonderful trip for us. She was very responsive and everything was organised perfectly. We were very happy with all of the hotels, guides and activities. Nathalie called us at the beginning and end of the trip to make sure everything was ok so it was a very personalised experience. We loved Colombia, especially our time in the Amazon and will definitely go back.

I had a wonderful trip from start to finish. Lisa was the BEST travel agent in assisting me in organising my wonderful trip to Colombia who has also turned into a wonderful friend. She was very patient and accepting of all the changes, questions, additions that I had in organising my holiday and I would highly recommend her to anyone who wished to book their travels to Colombia. I would personally like to recommend and thank German in Medellin and Carlos in Salento for being wonderful... read more

I had a wonderful trip from start to finish. Lisa was the BEST travel agent in assisting me in organising my wonderful trip to Colombia who has also turned into a wonderful friend. She was very patient and accepting of all the changes, questions, additions that I had in organising my holiday and I would highly recommend her to anyone who wished to book their travels to Colombia. I would personally like to recommend and thank German in Medellin and Carlos in Salento for being wonderful people and being so passionate about their country and being wonderful tour guides during my visit. The places I stayed in Colombia I think made my trip that much more special as I stayed mostly at little B&B type places that had a more personal and local touch. I loved especially my stays in Santa Marta (Casa Verde) and Salento (Posada del Cafe) which had such a unique and wonderfully local touch to them with the loveliest people running them. I couldn't recommend Kim Kim highly enough for my trip through Colombia. It was the first time I have every used the company so I was a bit apprehensive at first but I could not fault the service at all. Everyone I came into contact with were so genuinely nice and friendly and all the guides very knowledgeable and fun. Thank you for a wonderful holiday and thank you Lisa for putting it all together for me and for being a loveliest person to deal with throughout my booking with Kim Kim! I can't thank you all enough. I loved every single minute of my time in Colombia.

Many months in planning with Aventura Colombia’s wonderful adviser Elisabeth, paid off on my very memorable trip to Colombia. A special thank you and shout out to to my local guides (Juan in Bogota, Maria in Villa de Leyva, Oswaldo and Camila in Barichara, German in Medellin, and Sergio and Manuel in Cartagena) who made each city personally come alive. Some of the infinite highlights: Bogota’s La Candelaria district cobblestones, colorful and lovely historical Colonial-era buildings. Villa... read more

Many months in planning with Aventura Colombia’s wonderful adviser Elisabeth, paid off on my very memorable trip to Colombia. A special thank you and shout out to to my local guides (Juan in Bogota, Maria in Villa de Leyva, Oswaldo and Camila in Barichara, German in Medellin, and Sergio and Manuel in Cartagena) who made each city personally come alive. Some of the infinite highlights: Bogota’s La Candelaria district cobblestones, colorful and lovely historical Colonial-era buildings. Villa de Leyva’s magnificent square which is truly UNESCO World Heritage worthy, and the bike ride which was such an interesting way to see the countryside. The almost movie-set look of Barichara, and the challenging but beautiful hike to Villanueva showcasing the magnificent vista out the Rio Suarez valley. Spectacular, and cosmopolitan Medellin nestled in a giant “U” against the two mountain ranges, with its marvelous transportation system replete with cable cars and happy vibe. And finally Cartagena, which is truly a jewel of the Caribbean, enhanced by a stay at most perfect hotel in the middle of the cobblestoned Colonial-era mansion-filled walled city. I can't speak highly enough about Elisabeth and the entire Aventura Colombia's follow up, which made me feel that they really cared about me as a customer and a person. Hasta luego Colombia--I'd return in a heartbeat!

We visited Colombia in August and traveled through Jardin, Salamina and Cartagena. Our travel specialist Lisa Calabrese, did an outstanding job in arranging everything including transfers between the towns, tours and our choice of hotels. We were looked after every step of the way right from the booking. Initially I wasn't sure which places I wanted to visit but Lisa helped me through and after week or two we finalised an itinerary. Lisa always answered my query promptly.
We even got to meet her in Medellin. I will certainly book more tours through her.

My cousin and I booked our trip through kimkim and I could not have been more pleased! Lisa, was our specialist, created our itinerary, took care of us, and tackled any concerns that we had. We had expert tour guides with us on several excursions that made all the difference. I felt completely safe and was able to have a stress-free experience in Colombia. Our trip was truly memorable!

Tayrona National Park was amazing we were able to see lots of monkeys and other wild life. Our... read more

My cousin and I booked our trip through kimkim and I could not have been more pleased! Lisa, was our specialist, created our itinerary, took care of us, and tackled any concerns that we had. We had expert tour guides with us on several excursions that made all the difference. I felt completely safe and was able to have a stress-free experience in Colombia. Our trip was truly memorable!

Tayrona National Park was amazing we were able to see lots of monkeys and other wild life. Our guide, Jaruen, was really stealthy at finding all kinds of creatures. He came equipped with a laser pointer so we were able to easily spot, what would have been camouflaged animals and birds, with ease. I think other people on the hiking trail were jealous. Our guide also held our table at the restaurant once we made it to the beach-which was really helpful because the line for lunch became soooo long! My cousin and I were able to just walk right in. At this point, YES, the other hikers were definitely jealous! Bug spray is a must.

In Santa Marta, I highly recommend Lulo Cafe Bar for a FABULOUS cocktail and great service! Lots of great restaurants on the same street as well. Also some fun street entertainment on the street and at the square-it’s the teenage boys dancing that steals the show! It was also waaaay nicer as far as restaurants go than at the lackluster beach so stick to the square! Bug spray is a must if you are eating outside.

Our day trip to Minca for waterfalls and a coffee bean farm tour had a great guide named, Fidel. He was very knowledgeable about birds and wildlife in this area. My cousin and I swear that we thought we were following Mowgli into the Jungle! He really knew his stuff and LIVED this lifestyle. He took us to several waterfalls and was able to identify all kinds of amazing humming birds. The best part was that he took us to an authentic roadside “barbeque”. They had a huge, open brick oven with slabs of meat roasting in it. My guess is whatever animal was in there was alive not too long before we ate it. I have no idea what I ate exactly, but it was good! Great views of the mountain side too! Bug spray is, again, a must.

Our hotel in Cartagena was very nice and smack in between the old town and Getsimani so it was easy to mix it up within the city walls as far as exploring goes. Carlos, the guy who seemed to run the show at breakfast, was extremely personable! He showed us all the different native fruits as well as how they made coffee- taught me some Spanish as well! Carlos went above and beyond because he really didn't have to do any of those things for us- the breakfast was excellent as it was!

Our Cartagena city tour guide, Sergio, was also very friendly and informative. He had lots of insight into the history, and architecture of the city, as well as some current events and also what I felt was "insider" information! We found the BEST local artist-and both my cousin and I had been looking the whole trip- thanks to Sergio! The artist’s name is Fini. I really am impressed by her artwork and I’m currently in the process of getting it framed! Can’t wait to put it up!

We went to Casa del Farol at the Rosario Islands for a day of snorkeling and relaxation. The snorkeling was really surprisingly good considering that the weather was overcast. There was a lot of colorful coral, and seriously amazing fish! Lunch, as most every meal of our trip, was excellent. My only complaint is that the day was too short!

Overall, this was an amazing, exciting, bucket-list type of trip! Thank you, Lisa and kimkim!

Lisa was instrumental to the success of our trip. I would recommend to anyone interested in visiting Colombia for the first time or a repeat visit to book. I felt safe, informed, guided and assured. The guides were friendly and helpful and Lisa was able to track me thought the entirety of our trip.

Hi Juan, Sorry I have not been able to write a review before but I came back to a great pile of work with a deadline and I don’t like to miss deadlines and then I have been in hospital for an operation on my leg. Anyway now I have some time to devote to some feedback for you. The tour was great we only have few pointers to help with improvement :
1) I think it would help all travellers to have their internal flights, times, flight numbers and booking references would be really useful. We... read more

Hi Juan, Sorry I have not been able to write a review before but I came back to a great pile of work with a deadline and I don’t like to miss deadlines and then I have been in hospital for an operation on my leg. Anyway now I have some time to devote to some feedback for you. The tour was great we only have few pointers to help with improvement :
1) I think it would help all travellers to have their internal flights, times, flight numbers and booking references would be really useful. We have never done a tour before where we haven’t had those in advance of the trip.
2) It would be great if travellers attention could be drawn to last minute hotel changes. Our hotels in both Villa de Leyva and Medellin were changed and yes you did let us know but only in the small print in the tour schedule and contacts document it wasn’t on the trip plan. And some of the guides were not aware of the changes.
3) It would be good if the guides/ drivers knew where the hotel was we had 4 instances where the guides didn’t know. It all worked out in the end but it would have been easier for them all round if they had had better information or admitted they didn’t know and got more information.

Casa platypus in Bogotá was a really nice hotel,rooms were small and a little noisy but a great location and really pleasant. The guide in Bogotá and Villa de Leyva, German was very knowledgeable and good company.

The tour to Zipaquirá was excellent and the tour around Villa de Leyva was very good and had extra things added in.

The hotel in Villa de Leyva, Plazuela de San Augustin was excellent. Lovely room, great location and excellent breakfast.

The Hotel in Salento, the Salento Real was in a great location and was very pleasant with an excellent breakfast buffet. The driver from the airport, Alex was very good if a little confused as to where we were going.
The coffee tour in Salento / cocoa valley was excellent and far exceeded our expectations. Hilary was an excellent guide and made the experience both fun and interesting.
Dawhyni was an excellent guide for our walk in the coccora valley, he was very knowledgable about birds and animals and the surroundings and the walk was really lovely. He gave us excellent restaurant recommendations too.
The Hacinda Venezia was really beautiful and a wonderful place to stay. The guide to the PNN, Milton was again very knowledgable and a fantastic guide. The tour was amazing and a real highlight of the holiday.
The Hotel in Medellin was really very nice and in a really good location. The staff were very helpful although very worried about you going anywhere on your own. We were really dubious about the two tours we were doing in Medellin but they both turned out to be great. Thank you so much for your advice. Carlos Palau was quite a character and the guide who took us on the innovations tour, whose name escapes me right now, was really enthusiastic and knowledgable about architecture and social improvement.
Villa Maria in Tayrona was againa beautiful hotel with amazing food and really friendly staff. The walking trails within the hotel once you found them were really nice if a little tricky to follow and the food here was absolutely excellent.
We loved the walk with the guide Jaruen to Pueblito. He was really knowledgable about birds and history and knew some lovely secret beaches.
Hotel Alfiz in Cartegna was delightful and in an excellent location. The tour of Cartegna was really good the guide had very good historical knowledge.

Thank you very much for organising the tour and making all the suggestions that you did
Regards
Carol lewis

We had a busy visit to Colombia and just time for a day's birding from Medellin. We were put in touch with Juan Ortiz who was great. He made some great suggestions but told us frankly what was going to work with our flights, and what no. In the end we went birding in two parks above Medellin with Ivan Lau. It was a great day, we saw 50 different species of bird and Ivan was incredibly knowledgeable and patient.

What especially impressed me is that Juan and Ivan offered us more... read more

We had a busy visit to Colombia and just time for a day's birding from Medellin. We were put in touch with Juan Ortiz who was great. He made some great suggestions but told us frankly what was going to work with our flights, and what no. In the end we went birding in two parks above Medellin with Ivan Lau. It was a great day, we saw 50 different species of bird and Ivan was incredibly knowledgeable and patient.

What especially impressed me is that Juan and Ivan offered us more experiences than we had the time or energy for, all including in the price. They are real enthusiasts. And I learned a lot about the culture and history of Venezuela and Colombia during the day.

Very happy,
Stephen and Mary

The trip was fabulous. the guide (Alejandro Pinto) was superb. He has excellent knowledge of the local birds and was happy and helpful throughout despite being ill. The most memorable part was staying in Tatama. An excellent place. Good food and great hospitality.

The Colombian Project’s Eastern, Central, and Western Andean Ranges and Valleys 16-day tour exceeded my expectations! We visited a variety of birding areas, so the tour was a great introduction and sampling of the birds and birding in Colombia. Our bird guide, Alejandro, was energetic, enthusiastic, and located many hard to find birds.
I enjoyed dining at a variety of establishments, many of which included local fare, and staying in a variety of accommodation types, all of which were... read more

The Colombian Project’s Eastern, Central, and Western Andean Ranges and Valleys 16-day tour exceeded my expectations! We visited a variety of birding areas, so the tour was a great introduction and sampling of the birds and birding in Colombia. Our bird guide, Alejandro, was energetic, enthusiastic, and located many hard to find birds.
I enjoyed dining at a variety of establishments, many of which included local fare, and staying in a variety of accommodation types, all of which were clean and comfortable. Although there were a couple of long rides in between destinations, the large and comfortable van with big windows allowed for great viewing of the beautiful landscapes along the way.
I’m an avid birder and traveler, and this is one of my top experiences thus far - thanks to the Colombian Project’s planning, experience, and personnel!

Overall a great experience with very sociable and helpful guide, Aljandro really knows his birds.
I would have preferred to see more owls, nightjars and raptors but the forrest birds made for a superb trip.
Tx again KimKim

Lisa from Adventure Colombia was fantastic as our travel coordinator and advisor to the coffee region of Colombia. We flew from Cartagena to the city of Pereira where we were met by a private driver and van for the ride to Salento. Lisa had made reservations for us at the best hotel in right in the heart of the town. We were met by David our tour guide the next morning for a fantastic day of hiking in the Cocora Valley and touring OcaSa Coffee Farm. David has fantastic knowledge of the... read more

Lisa from Adventure Colombia was fantastic as our travel coordinator and advisor to the coffee region of Colombia. We flew from Cartagena to the city of Pereira where we were met by a private driver and van for the ride to Salento. Lisa had made reservations for us at the best hotel in right in the heart of the town. We were met by David our tour guide the next morning for a fantastic day of hiking in the Cocora Valley and touring OcaSa Coffee Farm. David has fantastic knowledge of the region and was extremely accommodating and enjoyable to be with.

Lisa also provided us with great information and ideas for our time in Cartagena, Bogota and Villa de Leyva.

Colombia is a beautiful country to visit. We felt safe everywhere we went and hotels, meals etc are extremely affordable when compared to traveling in Europe or the States. Although we do not speak much Spanish we found that many people had some English language skills.

KimKim and Aventure Colombia really did a great job in making our trip so fantastic.

David, Jan, Ryan and Lauren

Overall, this was a rewarding trip, however, not without some issues. In general, too much time was spent traveling from place to place, especially with some of the long car rides for activities that were only a few hours in length. EVERY flight we took on Avianca experienced delays, significant delays or cancelation. By and large, our guides were excellent, except for our experience on Day 2 going to Chingaza (see below). No events / activities were planned for any of the evenings and it... read more

Overall, this was a rewarding trip, however, not without some issues. In general, too much time was spent traveling from place to place, especially with some of the long car rides for activities that were only a few hours in length. EVERY flight we took on Avianca experienced delays, significant delays or cancelation. By and large, our guides were excellent, except for our experience on Day 2 going to Chingaza (see below). No events / activities were planned for any of the evenings and it might have been nice if we had been able to attend some sort of cultural event or to be directed to a special restaurant. Some specific comments follow:

Day 1- Edgar met us at the Hotel just as the World Cup match ended with Colombia's victory. He was excellent. He took us around the park nearby, to a Sunday craft market, and he made several good dining suggestions. He was also our guide on Day 3 which was also an excellent tour of places in Bogota. At our request, he brought us to the main food and flower market and introduced us to numerous indigenous fruits. In retrospect, we should have flown to Pereida at the end of Day 3 to give us more time in coffee country.

Day 2 - Chingaza was interesting but not worth the long trip. We met our guide in La Calera but the vehicle was not large enough for all the passengers. At the park, it was cold, raining, windy and at high altitude. We needed extra layers of clothing and waterproof footwear. Our guide was completely immersed in her discussion of the surrounding environment, would not stop talking for the entire time we were with her and didn't properly assess my wife's level of discomfort and desire to return. The park was interesting but I think it likely that there may have been other activities near Bogota that would have be more interesting.

Day 4 - By far the best day of the trip. The visit to the coffee farm was without a doubt the highlight of the trip. We very much liked our guide, Juan.
Day 5 - Salento and the Cocora Vally hike were nice but we needed to end early to fly to Medellin. Worst day of travel on the entire trip. No direct flights on Avianca so we needed return to Bogota. Our first connecting flight was cancelled and the later flight was 2 hours delayed. In all, it took us 8 hours. It would have faster to drive and even faster to fly on EasyFly direct in 1 hour.

Day 6 - Medellin, we had a nice morning touring Medellin but it probably should have been the entire day. We did not see as much as we would have liked. Then we spent two hours driving to Guatape, a beautiful town with some stops along the way. Unfortunately, we arrived in Guatape late in the day and during a rain downpour and were not able to walk around much. The visit to the town should be been the priority of the trip, not the side stops. Long drive back resulted in a very late dinner.

Day 7 - Rafting. The trip itself was great and worthwhile but our departure from Medellin should have been earlier, not 11am. Consequently, we didn't get back to Medellin until it was almost too late to go out to dinner.
Day 8 - Cartagena. Excellent day touring the City with Richard.
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Day 9 - Isla del Encanto. Two problems. 1) We were not instructed to bring towels and I had to rent them for 60,000 COP. 2) The guides explained the set up of the resort to all the passengers in Spanish on the boat before docking. After docking, they repeated the explanation to a group in English. It was a busy day (national holiday). By the time they finished us giving information about the resort, more boats had docked and every cabana chair on the beach and near the beach were taken by people who had exited the boats earlier. We asked the staff to help but pretty much got a cold shoulder. Given that we probably paid twice as much as everyone else, we were fairly irritated by this sequence of events. Otherwise, the visit was nice.
Day 10, we spent in the old city on our own before going to the airport.

A great planning experience and an amazing trip. Thank you True Colombian Travel. The entire team was professional and personal and went beyond the extra mile to plan us the perfect Colombian adventure. They are there and touring you around. They are the perfect trip planners and guides. I can’t recommend them more. Responsive and flexible. We felt completely taken care of. Thank you.

This was an incredibly well planned trip that was so enjoyable and excellent. Our guides were so knowledgeable and went at our own pace. Never rushed and each one was early every morning so no stress! Tatiana took us to the gold museum in bogota and her in depth knowledge made the next days trip to guaatavita very meaningful. We also went with her to la calenderlaria and the botero museum. The salt cathedral and guatavita are a must see. A highlight was the days we spent with David in the... read more

This was an incredibly well planned trip that was so enjoyable and excellent. Our guides were so knowledgeable and went at our own pace. Never rushed and each one was early every morning so no stress! Tatiana took us to the gold museum in bogota and her in depth knowledge made the next days trip to guaatavita very meaningful. We also went with her to la calenderlaria and the botero museum. The salt cathedral and guatavita are a must see. A highlight was the days we spent with David in the Corcora valley. We had an intimate coffee experience and amazing hike in the unique Corcora wax palm valley. David is so warm and enthused about his country and made the experience very personal with a coffee experience in pihao with a local farmer. In Cartagena the two best tours was a day trip to the sport baru hotel in the Rosario islands and the fishing with locals in la boquilla. Nathalie checked in on us was very responsive and definitely partnered with first class locals for the tours. It exceeded our expectations in every way!

I had a great time in Colombia. Angel was a remarkable guide who was able to cater to our group in an expert way. Each driver was skilled and they were fun to talk with. The Sierra Nevada in Santa Marta was beautiful and all of the hotels that Juan recommended were great.

Planning Notes

1. Final itinerary should come out to the group sooner. There was little to no time to consider changes for the group (example, we would have liked starting an hour later each day)

Transportation Notes

1. Our Bogota to Santa Marta flight was a complete mess! We didn't have confirmed seats and couldn't pre book them due to bad wifi connection speeds in Bogota. Because of this we almost didn't get to go on our flight and needed to wait while the airline asked 7 volunteers... read more

Planning Notes

1. Final itinerary should come out to the group sooner. There was little to no time to consider changes for the group (example, we would have liked starting an hour later each day)

Transportation Notes

1. Our Bogota to Santa Marta flight was a complete mess! We didn't have confirmed seats and couldn't pre book them due to bad wifi connection speeds in Bogota. Because of this we almost didn't get to go on our flight and needed to wait while the airline asked 7 volunteers to take a later flight. Even when we finally got seats they were all dispersed and it took additional changes to ensure the children could be with someone from our group.

2. Transportation to the fishing village and final transportation to the Cartagena airport for the last transfer were super tight! This was strange considering that for our other trips the vehicle was sufficiently large enough.

Bogota Notes

1. Walking tour was cut short due to rain. Is there anyway to have a more concrete back up plan if weather intervenes?

2. Adding a souvenir destination in some of the market areas of Bogota to the walking tour would be great to explore some of the handmade/cultural items available.

3. Ingrid, our Bogota guide, was kind, helpful, and friendly. Would definitely recommend her to other groups.

4. Hotel (Casa Deco) was in a good location and the staff were all helpful and friendly. Though the construction on that road made it difficult for our transportation to get in and out of the area.

5. Monserrate portion of trip was awesome. Great views, easy to access, & shopping available. Plenty of time to spend at our own pace.

Santa Marta Notes

1. Hotel was in a central location and staff was friendly & helpful.

2. However, hotel (Casa Ferol) nickeled & dimed everything we needed - extra charge for drinks during breakfast, charging for a bucket of ice without previously telling us it would cost us extra, etc.

3. Tayrona Park guides (Angel & Jorge) were great. Friendly, knowledgable, and attentive to the group. They did everything - helping kids and older adults with the hike and helping with ordering of lunch.

4. Tayrona hike is NOT for all fitness levels. Older adults and young children struggled with the heat, length of the hike, and large uneven steps in the hiking areas. Some of the adults with back and knee problems struggled with the hike as well.

5. Large waterfall of Marinka was awesome. High hammock and swimming was very nice.

6. Hummingbird stop was something we really enjoyed

7. Pozo Azul was a long, somewhat treacherous hike (wet rocks that we had to scale) for a small payoff compared to what we saw in the morning. Probably our least favorite stop on our trip.

8. Coffee plantation stop was boring. Nothing was actually happening (none of the equipment was running or being used) so following the guides words was difficult without seeing it in action. Also explanations given to the group were too detailed and made it super hard to follow.

9. A warning about how bumpy and windy the roads in Minca would have been appreciated. Several people in our party felt ill from all the bouncing (especially the children).

10. The driver in and around Santa Marta (and who also drove us to Cartagena) was EXCELLENT.

11. We loved the authenticity of the Minca restaurant on the slide of the cliff.

Cartagena Notes

1. Sergio (our tour gudie) was excellent. Presented things well about the history of Colombia.

2. The Emerald museum stop of our city tour by bus felt forced and more like a ploy to get a purchase of emeralds than an informational stop about Colombia's culture.

3. Rosario Island was a great stop. Snorkeling was fun and this stop was our most relaxing of our entire trip.

4. While walking tour was excellent, again, we would have appreciated a more planned opportunity for souvenir shopping.

5. Canoe trip thru mangroves was a bit too long. Crouched over for a whole hour was a bit rough on our backs and knees (especially for the older adults).

6. Our guide (believe it was Enrique) was awesome. He was open, friendly, and made it a point to learn our names. He also tried to relate to our children to make them more comfortable. He communicated things well and felt like a member of our group versus someone who was hired to guide us. Would definitely recommend him to others.

I am really glad I went with KimKim to book our trip in Colombia. Gael, our trip specialist, took care of all the little trip-planning details that would have taken me days of research and indecision to figure out. We ended up going to the Coffee Region, and our itinerary included staying at a coffee finca with great amenities, hiking in the Cocora valley, visiting charming towns along the way, eating farm-to-table, and of course drinking amazing coffee with our local guides Sebastian and... read more

I am really glad I went with KimKim to book our trip in Colombia. Gael, our trip specialist, took care of all the little trip-planning details that would have taken me days of research and indecision to figure out. We ended up going to the Coffee Region, and our itinerary included staying at a coffee finca with great amenities, hiking in the Cocora valley, visiting charming towns along the way, eating farm-to-table, and of course drinking amazing coffee with our local guides Sebastian and Santiago. We also floated lazily down a river in a bamboo raft for an afternoon. The landscape just seems untouched out there, it was really a treat! I was feeling a bit ill from the altitude on one of the days, and the local guides took really good care of me.

Our trip to Colombia was excellent. We had a wonderful time in the coffee region and the trip organized by Gael and Tucaya was a lot of fun and seamless. We had a few minor snags while booking the trip, as we were originally booked on a return flight that did not leave enough time to catch our connecting international flight, but we were able to switch our flights after bringing this up with Gael. Gael was very helpful with suggesting activities and excursions for us, all of which proved very... read more

Our trip to Colombia was excellent. We had a wonderful time in the coffee region and the trip organized by Gael and Tucaya was a lot of fun and seamless. We had a few minor snags while booking the trip, as we were originally booked on a return flight that did not leave enough time to catch our connecting international flight, but we were able to switch our flights after bringing this up with Gael. Gael was very helpful with suggesting activities and excursions for us, all of which proved very enjoyable.

Once in Colombia, we corresponded with Nicholas at Tucaya via WhatsApp and he was very helpful. He promptly responded to any inquiry and made sure to check in with us in the mornings and evenings to recap the day and preview the next day's activities. On the ground in the coffee region, everything worked very smoothly. We had driver's and tour guides waiting for us at the appointed times without issues, the hotel (Finca Bosque del Saman) was beautifully picturesque, and our activities were great.

One day, we to Filandia, Salento, and the Cocora Valley with our tour guide Sebastian. Not only were these areas beautiful, but Sebastian is an amazing and thoughtful guide who took us both to the main tourist attractions but also took us off the beaten path to local coffee shops and restaurants. Cafe Jesus Martin in Salento and restaurant Helena Adentro in Filandia were highlights. We can't recommend Sebastian enough.

Another day, we visited Finca Casa Vieja, a coffee plantation run by a local family. Santiago, one of the owners, gave us a wonderful tour of the farm (which grows many types of fruits and flowers in addition to coffee), as well as a look inside the coffee making process. After a delicious lunch prepared by Santiago's aunt (using produce from the farm), we visited the family's coffee shop in Quimbaya, Cafe de Altura, where we sampled many different preparations of coffee as well as some baked goods prepared by Alejandra, Santiago's sister. Sebastian, our tour guide from the day before, also joined us for coffee, which was a pleasure. To cap the afternoon, we took a bamboo raft down Rio de la Vieja, which offered great views and some fun swimming opportunities.

The main downside to this trip was that we were only in the coffee region for a few days. We certainly plan to visit Colombia again and would be happy to book through Gael and Kim Kim again, as we had a great trip that went seamlessly after we got everything booked properly.

This was an exceptional trip! Colombia is a beautiful country; a hidden gem. Floriane was as invested as I was in making this trip a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Every driver and every guide was pleasant, professional, knowledgeable and fun. Everywhere we went, the locals welcomed our guides as family and extended the same warmth to us.

Our 8-day trip included Medellin, Guatape, Armenia, Salento, Santa Marta and Bogota. My daughter are already planning our return trip.

A million thanks to Floraine and to all of our guides and drivers.

Maria

Dear KimKim,

Please update the rating scale. Only having five stars from poor to great does not allow me to rate how I genuinely want to. And my words do not provide justice to my overall experience in planning and booking my trip with the services I received from my local specialist.

In the past few years, I faced many tragedies. The first one was dealing with my oldest brother's suicide. Then I encountered looking after my grandfather for six years and witnessing him die with his... read more

Dear KimKim,

Please update the rating scale. Only having five stars from poor to great does not allow me to rate how I genuinely want to. And my words do not provide justice to my overall experience in planning and booking my trip with the services I received from my local specialist.

In the past few years, I faced many tragedies. The first one was dealing with my oldest brother's suicide. Then I encountered looking after my grandfather for six years and witnessing him die with his battle with cancer. After that, I lost the relationship with my mother and two youngest brothers. And finally, I endured a breakup with my ex-partner.

Traveling has become therapy for me. Each time that I have gone outside of the United States, I flew with others who knew how to communicate fluently in Spanish. And going to Columbia by myself and barely knowing and able to speak Spanish, I knew was going to be a challenge.

On May 11, 2018, I contacted KimKim to plan a trip to Medellín, Columbia. My travel dates were May 17, 2018, to May 24, 2018. No one responded to me, and I urgently reached out to KimKim again, on May 14, 2018. Finally, later on, that same day, Juan Ortiz, my local specialist responded.

Juan organized this last minute trip and assisted me 24/7. He was honest, polite, and upfront with me. ATTENTION KimKim, Juan deserves a trip on the house for going over and beyond serving and making me a fulfilled and happy customer.

My four-day adventure started on Friday when I went on the Pablo Escobar tour. I was mind blown by Carlos, who is one of the two remaining officers that served during the years that Pablo was alive. Saturday, I met my main and magnificent tour guide, Marcelo. That day I went on an Innovation tour of Medellín. Medellín has so many environmental and collected community organizing that I want to create in my hometown, Bethlehem, also known as the Lehigh Valley, in Pennsylvania. Sunday, I went to the Rio Claro Reserve. The Rio Claro Reserve brought me up and also down. It brought me up because it is an environment where I can see myself losing myself and escape from the madness of the world. Rio Claro brought me down because there is a need for new zoning laws to be reinforced. It will be devasting for Rio Claro to be taken over by the industrial invasion. I did not finish my tour small. I completed my journey with a big bang, on Monday and going to Guatapé. Guatapé was breathtaking, and no one has lived until they visit this beautiful "peace on earth." The last two days I was left to explore and have some me time.

KimKim, if there is a way to update your rating scale with all of the stars in the universe it will be a tremendous help. Then the range would be more accurate. Visiting Medellín, Columbia, alone was nerve wrecking. Notably, having uninformed people plant negative seeds into my head about going alone and the dangers that I might encounter. Everyone that I met including the Conquest 33 Hotel representatives treated me like family. Thus far, this has been the most memorable trip I have experienced. On June 1, 2020, please be my travel agency to plan my trip to South Africa.

Greatly appreciative and humbled,

Dèjour

While we really enjoyed our trip overall, I would not book with Kimkim again without there being more transparency on the costs. We spent nearly $6800 with Kimkim for only about 9 days of services including one internal flight for 2 people.

Jules did a pretty good job communicating with us but he did say the following about providing us with some tips on packing but he did not provide this detail, even after we followed up with him inquiring about this. He later apologized saying he was on... read more

While we really enjoyed our trip overall, I would not book with Kimkim again without there being more transparency on the costs. We spent nearly $6800 with Kimkim for only about 9 days of services including one internal flight for 2 people.

Jules did a pretty good job communicating with us but he did say the following about providing us with some tips on packing but he did not provide this detail, even after we followed up with him inquiring about this. He later apologized saying he was on a trek in the Amazon but if he's unable to properly respond to people he should make sure someone else is monitoring his emails to do so. From Jules: "I will get in touch with you 15 days prior to the trip with the last details and a checklist for the things we recomend you bring on the trip (nothing too special, but like this you have a good idea on how to pack ! )."

Our Guides:
Nicholas was fantastic. We really loved him. 5 stars
Diana was also very good. We enjoyed the time we spent with her. 4 stars.
Qapac was okay. He spent too much time talking about politics and religion. He made assumptions about food that we would like. For example we went to a restaurant after a hike and he ordered us plates of spaghetti without consulting with us. I don't want spaghetti when I'm in South America. 3 stars.

Pedro Salazar was an excellent tour guide to have. He was very knowledgeable about the city of Cartagena and helpful with lots of information.

Will Osolinsky was extremely helpful setting me up with information for my trip.

Speaking no Spanish we found that we could not communicate with our drivers. We could confirm where we were going but that was it. Sometimes it would have been good to know a little about where we were on the road, if there was interesting facts about the area and if there were any good view points to take photos along the way. However, the drivers were always punctual and many times our plane or bus was late but the drivers were always there.
Floriane was constantly in contact with me to... read more

Speaking no Spanish we found that we could not communicate with our drivers. We could confirm where we were going but that was it. Sometimes it would have been good to know a little about where we were on the road, if there was interesting facts about the area and if there were any good view points to take photos along the way. However, the drivers were always punctual and many times our plane or bus was late but the drivers were always there.
Floriane was constantly in contact with me to check everything was going well which was very comforting.
Marine who originally helped with our itinerary was excellent. However, when it was given to Floriane to take over all the information given already had to be redone which became quite frustrating. Whereas everything was written down and if Flor had read the conversation she would not have had to ask everything again.

Our trip in Columbia was wonderful. great country, very safe. We had exceptional experience with Aventura Columbia. The organization of the trip was impeccable.
The only bad part was flying with Avianca. All flight we took in Columbia were delayed.

Our family of two teen boys + Mom & Dad had the best time on our trip to Cartagena and the Caribbean coast. Our guide Nicholas was amazing. Flexible enough to change things on the fly, but also got to every place on the itinerary. Jules and Nicholas put together a terrific itinerary based on our looking for a mix of city and country. We wanted some off the beaten path and we got it in spades! Colombia is a big country and we look forward to exploring more next time.

Sidrah - was amazing as our tour coordinator. She worked with us and accommodated our requests for changes as we had some last minute scheduled business meetings. She was really on the ball- and proactive in checking with us and making sure we were ok with all arrangements. She was wonderful to work with and very responsive and prompt. The only problem we had was with the arrangement of the islands tour in Cartagena- we had planned to have a English speaking guide, however that request was... read more

Sidrah - was amazing as our tour coordinator. She worked with us and accommodated our requests for changes as we had some last minute scheduled business meetings. She was really on the ball- and proactive in checking with us and making sure we were ok with all arrangements. She was wonderful to work with and very responsive and prompt. The only problem we had was with the arrangement of the islands tour in Cartagena- we had planned to have a English speaking guide, however that request was lost in communication with Sidrah. As a result of this- we cut short our trip as we were unable to understand the captains of our boat and were not able to learn/ enjoy our trip with them.

Bogota guide- Tatiana- We rated her 6 out of 10- as her English and the accent was hard for us to understand. She was really polite and flexible,however lacked the organization and knowledge that we were looking for. For example- she did not budget enough time for lunch and we almost missed our Graffitti tour. Otherwise- she was really flexible and helped us with things ourtside of the tour as well.

Coffee region Guide- Juan David- 7/10- Was really knowledgeable and great to have around

Cartagena Guide- Densy- 9/10- Her knowledge of the city and history was amazing. She was passionate and really knowledgeable. The only negative about her was her English accent as the children had a hard time understanding her.

I would 100% recommend KimKim. Our local specialist Nathalie was quick to respond and answer our questions. She put together an amazing trip for myself and friend. She took care of arranging our tours, hotels and flights. Nathalie stayed in touched with us while in Colombia and ensured our trip was going as planned.

All of the services were provided just as promised.

The boat ride from Taganga to Playa Cristal was quite unpleasant. (The return trip was OK.) The sea was quite rough. My wife and I felt like we were being tossed around in a clothes dryer for close to an hour. We were bounced very hard on wooden benches with no cushions. I felt very sore for several days after the boat ride. You should warn people about how unpleasant the journey can be.

The drive between Cartagena and Santa Marta was also a bit scary at times, as the drivers tried to pass trucks.

Colombia is one of the most beautiful, diverse places I have ever visited. I would highly recommend it to anyone who would like to experience city life, nature life, and island life all in one place!! Our trip started in Bogota - a huge city, thankfully our guide Tatiana showed us the way, and helped make lasting memories hiking up the Monserrate pathway! Would highly recommend the graffiti bike tour as well! Next stop - the coffee reason, the most stunning place with beautiful mountains and... read more

Colombia is one of the most beautiful, diverse places I have ever visited. I would highly recommend it to anyone who would like to experience city life, nature life, and island life all in one place!! Our trip started in Bogota - a huge city, thankfully our guide Tatiana showed us the way, and helped make lasting memories hiking up the Monserrate pathway! Would highly recommend the graffiti bike tour as well! Next stop - the coffee reason, the most stunning place with beautiful mountains and a jungle feel! The people are very kind, although I would recommend knowing some Spanish! We tried the best coffee in a Salento village!! We had the most wonderful guide to show us the way through Cocora Valley - a once in a lifetime hike!! Additionally our guide David, showed us the quainte Quindio villages, another unique beautiful area of Colombia. To end our trip we stopped in Cartagena, and the Rosario Islands - this place is magical! The town of Cartagena has great vibes and friendly people, and the islands have their own feel of a tropical paradise!! Every hotel we stayed in was well kept, clean and absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend using KimKim to help you plan your next adventure!!

Nathalia was awsome. Very responsive to my particular requests, available for issues, great suggestions, knowledgeable about Colombia, and planned a trip that was very easy.