Kimkim Trip Reviews for Colombia

We had a remarkable family trip to Colombia recently. Michael from Chaska Travel was incredibly flexible, attentive to details, and prompt in getting us information and making adjustments to the itinerary to match our interests and needs as a family with 3 kids ages 4-10. Very much appreciated arrangements for all internal travel as well. With Michael's help, we had a seemless trip that started in Medellin, including a day trip to Guatape and Penol Piedra with our wonderful guide Will and continued in the coffee region. Will even provided us a list of recommendations for vegetarian-friendly restaurants for later in our trip in Cartegena; we went to several and all were delicious! Our guide Jose was terrific and knowledgeable as was our driver Mario who knew so much about birds! Jose even checking in with us after we had left his company to make sure we we had reached Cartegena and were continuing to enjoy our trip. The coffee region was beautiful and lush and we enjoyed our hike to the waterfall with a nature guide. Cartegena is beautiful and our hotel was perfectly located. A bike tour was the perfect way to get around and learn the layout of the old city and much better for the kids than walking! We are thankful to Michael for finding a way to get us to Hotel Las Islas which was a truly wonderful experience in terms of service, activities, food, and the setting. A truly memorable trip that was a pleasure to plan and take with the help of KimKim and Chaska tours!

Hotel Reviews

Nacar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton

Cartagena

Excellent location in the Old City of Cartagena with clean and comfortable rooms and friendly staff, great morning breakfast on rooftop.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Salento Real Eje Cafetero

Salento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca Hotel del Cafe

Santa Rosa de Cabal

Beautiful setting on a coffee farm surrounded by lush vegetation, the hotel has a lovely central courtyard and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Park 10

Medellin

Great breakfast, very friendly staff! Rooms are large, clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Las Islas

Barú

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit the National Aviary of Colombia

Colombia

The aviary is impressive but it was just too hot and humid to fully enjoy on the day we went. The educational show at the two set times is okay but not a huge loss if missed (especially if not fluent in Spanish). We rushed through the last several exhibits before the arena to get to show in time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Bioluminescence Tour

Isla Barú

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cartagena Bike Tour

Cartagena

Great way to get a sense of the old city and see the main historical sites before exploring further by foot although a little hard to navigate on bikes with traffic and narrow streets. Guide was a little nervous with our kids but they were fine. The vendor for the bikes would benefit from improving their helmets which did not adjust/fit well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour to Frailes Waterfall & Salento & the Cocora Valley

Salento

Great hike -- thank goodness for the rain boots provided by the nature guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Rosa Hot Springs

Colombia

The Santa Rosa Hot Springs are an impressive setting and the hot springs were fun, although crowded when we went as it was a holiday. Getting in at first was confusing due to the crowds but once in, all was straightfoward. We had some issues with dinner as almost no vegetarian items on their menu were available and arrangements had to be made for our driver to stop at a restaurant in town with us so we could eat. Worth considering in determining the timing of when to go to hot springs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Guatapé

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Overall we had an amazing experience on our trip. Everything was well organized and planned with detail which was a relief. I was surprised to have the same guide for all the days we’d stay in each city but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Fabiola, Jose and Oscar were knowledgeable and fun. A few improvements with choice of hotel and preparation for tours could be made but nothing extreme. We will definitely be using Kim Kim for our next adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Punta Faro

Isla Mucura

Beautiful grounds, very clean rooms. Environment is relaxing. Only con would be overall size and amenities offered. Beach is not very big but not many guests stay at the hotel in general. Only one restaurant but offers tasty buffet. More than two days might start to seem repetitive.

Tips for future travelers

The location prohibits music

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Campana Hotel Boutique

Medellín

Great location, clean and good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GHL Hotel Armería Real

Cartagena

Overall very pretty, our experience may have been bad luck but we could not sleep at night because there was very loud music next to our room coming from another building. Police had to be called twice to address the issue at 4am. Breakfast is sufficient but a bit bland, location is close to many touristy areas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa Deco

Bogotá

Great food and clean rooms. Location has pros because it’s walking distance to everything but loud at night if you want sleep.

Tips for future travelers

Take ears plugs for the noise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour to Totumo Volcano

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Guatapé

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ecological Walk - "La Miel" Waterfall

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike in Chingaza National Park

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The car was a bit small in the back, not much leg room for long trips. Driving was also a little choppy for those who get motion sickness.

We had a great time and it was planned well. We never would have done as much or see so much without your service. It was such a pleasure to be greeted by Oscar when we arrived at Bogota. He has so much knowledge and knew so many people along the way that made the trip extra personable. Gustvo made the coffee region exciting, fun and full of local greetings everywhere we went. Sebastian toured us throughout Medellin hitting every aspect of the city while explaining both the successes and challenges. For us, Cartagena was to be more relaxed as we had already seen and done so much. The walled city was vibrant at every hour of the day and night. Martin shared the beautiful history of the city and we felt his pride.
Kimkim experience was beyond our expectations, all of the planning, coordination and thoroughness of both drivers and guides made our travel full and rich. Thank you all

Mike did a superb job regarding the coordination of transportation, guides, several trips and accommodations!!

I greatly recommend Mike to help navigate a trip to Colombia. The service Mike provided was astounding!

Colombia is a beautiful country with abundance of natural beauty. Foreigners will benefit from the assistance of guides and a reputable tour agency.

Hotel Reviews

Reserva Guadalajara- Cocora Valley

Salento

Highly recommend the “hacienda”. Great views. Felt like being “home”. The owner of the hotel was so friendly. I would go back again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Tayrona Los Naranjos

Beautiful views! Staff was friendly. Definitely would go back!

Activity Reviews

Visit Cocora Valley, Coffee Farm & Salento

Salento

The guide was very knowledgeable regarding the palms of the area. It was interesting to learn about the adaptation of the palm tree and glad to observe conservation of the trees. Beautiful area in Colombia!

Trekking to Ciudad Perdida

Santa Marta

This was an amazing trek if you love the jungle. The guide was knowledgeable. Learned about the indigenous and the overall history of the region. This is a difficult hike.

We just returned from a magnificent vacation in Colombia planned by the amazing local specialist, Wendy. Wendy planned the perfect itinerary for us in Medellin, Zona Cafetera (coffee region) and Cali. She was so easy to communicate with leading up to the trip and checked in all the time during the trip to make sure all was going well. She coordinated amazing tours for us with local guides Samuel and John who had so much passion as guides me helped us truly appreciate the beauty of Colombia. I have to admit I was a bit nervous using an unknown specialist on the internet but after this trip and everything Wendy planned for us I would 100% definitely use KimKim again for future travel! Thank you for a truly memorable trip!

I was skeptical at first, having never heard of KimKim before but Andrea was very reassuring and responsive to all my questions throughout the planning. Oscar was a phenomenal guide! He is so knowledgeable, interesting, and not boring at all! We had an awesome time. The activities were also really great. Colombia is such a beautiful country and the food is magnificent! We also had an awesome and relaxing time at Punta Faro, everyone was so attentive and accommodating. I was especially glad we didn't have to worry about food there. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. Will definitely be back!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Punta Faro

Isla Mucura

The perfect relaxation spot. Awesome food. Amazing staff. Excellent service.

Tips for future travelers

Brush up on your Spanish - although, Google Translate saved me.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like an islander.

Location

The isolation. It was perfect for quiet relaxation.

Staff

Amazing people. Made some great friends.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything.

Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena

Cartagena

Excellent service. Beautiful accommodation. Awesome staff.

Authenticity & Character

Loved they kept the original structure. Made you feel like you were part of history.

Location

Close to pretty much everything.

Staff

Everyone was super nice and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything.

Activity Reviews

Drum Safari - Sounds of Cartagena

Cartagena

We had the absolute best time!!!!!! We drummed, we sang, we danced! Whoo! What an experience!

Quality of Experience

The school.

Food

PHENOMENAL.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oscar was amazing.

Transport

Comfortable.

Wander Cartagena’s Storied Streets & Discover the Art of Getsemaní

Cartagena

Getsemani was a dream! I mean the murals, the colors, the art! So beautiful!

Quality of Experience

The art everywhere.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oscar was amazing.

Transport

Very comfortable.

Afternoon-Night Walking Tour

Cartagena

Oscar is such an excellent guide! He was intentional about changing misconceptions about Colombia but was also very honest about some of its brutal past. I learned a lot and enjoyed touring the City.

Quality of Experience

The beautiful city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Oscar was amazing.

Transport

We walked. It was perfect.

Thank you Michael for planning an amazing trip for our family. We packed so much fun and adventure into each day and everyone had a blast. We really appreciated the help with a last minute request for horse back riding. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.

The accommodations recommended were all really lovely. Especially the eco hotels. Great service and kind people everywhere we stayed.

We really enjoyed the company and skills of our drivers and a special thank you to Andreas for being so kind and helpful with our daughters. Our guides Jose, Carlos, and Edgar are very knowledgeable about Colombia and were happy to chat and answer all our questions. Having them with us not only made the trip easy, but also we learned so much and had a lot of laughs.

Activity Review

Horseback-Riding Tour

Pereira

A great family experience. The horses were gentle and calm which was great for my inexperienced kids and I. The scenery was beautiful. A very kind host who allowed us to relax on the veranda and wait for the rain to let up before heading out for our ride. My kids also loved meeting all the dogs at the property. Our guide Jose spoke perfect English, was knowledgeable about the area and was also an experienced horse rider which was so helpful. He was so kind and helpful, helping to get the kids on and off their horses and keeping everyone moving along the path. The road to get to the property is a bit rough, our driver did a great job navigating the muddy bumpy road.

Quality of Experience

Horses are well cared for. Beautiful scenery

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family of four recently enjoyed the best trip to Columbia, planned and facilitated by Felipe and team. Upon deciding to visit this part of South America, I discovered KimKim and was impressed by the reviews. I sent a message and very quickly received a warm and helpful response from Felipe. While the initial itinerary was beyond our budget, he was more than happy to work with us.

Columbia is a tremendous destination, rich in history, culture and otherwise. The people are kind, welcoming and helpful. The trip itself was flawless in its planning and execution. We had just the right amount of time in each destination, excellent guides (a special shout out to David Suarez), tours, hotels, restaurant recommendations etc. When there was a slight hiccup, Felipe and team couldn't have been more helpful and beyond working hours. All in all, it was exceptional.

In short, I very highly recommend KimKim, Felipe and team. We hope to have opportunity to work with this tour company again!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel San Pedro de Majagua

Isla Grande

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nacar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton

Cartagena

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Artisan D.C. Hotel, Autograph Collection

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Half-Day City Tour of Bogotá with Local Fruit Market and Monserrate Hill

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Margoth was wonderful to work with! She was quick to respond to every inquiry and so helpful. She took care of every detail so that we could just focus on enjoying our vacation. She even surprised us with a few extra thoughtful gestures.

Our first trip to Colombia was nothing short of amazing! Andrea and our team of local guides (Juan Carlos and Jasmine, to name a couple) made sure everything ran seamlessly and added so many special touches to our planned experiences. We especially loved our stay at El Nido del Condor Ecolodge; it was beautiful and offered a quiet respite from the busier days touring Medellin and Cartagena. We couldn’t have thought of a better trip and would absolutely use KimKim again in the future!

Hotel Reviews

Ermita, Cartagena, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

El Cabrero, Cartagena

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca El Ocaso Salento

Salento

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Nido del Cóndor Ecolodge

Villamaría, Caldas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Diez Hotel Categoría Colombia

Medellín

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Barú & the Rosario Islands

Colombia

We really enjoyed the boat ride and snorkeling this day and time at the beach. We did feel the staff at the resort we stopped at were a little overly attentive which made it harder to fully relax. However, we still enjoyed our time overall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Farm Experience

Colombia

This was a very interesting tour of a coffee farm that showed us the whole process of making coffee, including the different methods of drying the beans . We did wish that the tour included a tasting of the three different methods so that we could have determined which type we liked best.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exclusive Cocora Valley, Salento & Filandia Experience

Colombia

This was a great day and our guide and driver were wonderful! Jasmine took us on a great tour of the Cocora Valley and took so many great photos of us. She also added special touches such as a jeep ride and brought us coffee to enjoy in the valley.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy a fantastic lodge in the middle of the Andes mountains

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Check in at El Nido Del Cóndor Ecolodge

Colombia

The welcome lemonade and snacks were very appreciated especially after the long bumpy drive to the lodge. The views more than made up for it, though!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colorful Colombia: Hike to Guatapé Rock, Guatapé & Peñol-Guatape Reservoir

Colombia

Gorgeous locations and our guide added several special touches such as Tuktuk and boat rides. Also, we really enjoyed our lunch at a resort nearby.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The City of The Eternal Spring & Comuna 13

Medellín

Unfortunately we were rained out for most of this activity but our guide was great and made the most of it for us!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This has been my first experience with Kim Kim and it has been excellent through and through.
Michael and the team were super attentive and diligent from the start, when curating an itinerary according to my preferences and time available. Every request to change things I had, they were very responsive and gave me options right away.
Then, during the trip the communication was excellent, checking in with me through WhatsApp regularly and adjusting flights and timing as needed, on the go. Never had a question or a request not answered within the hour (thank you Zaira and Cristina as well). Traveling solo this was a tremendous support.
Also big thank you to all my local guides and drivers (more than 10!). Thank you for making me feel super welcome, for sharing their knowledge, tips, anecdotes and personal experiences of places with me. There’s nothing like getting to know a place and its people through the eyes of somebody really passionate about it.
All-in-all I rate my experience 9.5 (tip: when traveling from the mountains to the Caribbean coast, give yourself a couple of hours to adjust to the heat + humidity; I didn’t, jump into the streets immediately to explore Santa Marta and had to go back to the hotel because I was not feeling that well, lesson learnt for next time, because I hope to visit Colombia again, too many things to see!)

Hotel Reviews

Casa de Isabella, a Kali Hotel

Santa Marta

Beautiful boutique hotel. Location is very good. Staff may have not been as responsive as what I experienced during the rest of the trip. When asked about the city and how to get to some places I was told to find my way to the tourist office three blocks away (not in these words, of course, but that was a bit how I felt it)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Passion Hotel Boutique

Cartagena de Indias

Boutique hotel , very well located. The hotel in itself is beautiful. Decor is exceptional. However, I had a couple of issues with the room (it may have been just my luck on the room I was given): no windows and the bathroom design with the shower and the sink basically in the same space made it not that practical.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

Very charming accommodation in the middle of nature. It truly fits the trekking experience at Tayrona. Being cottages, you will need help to carry anything that is not a backpack! - but staff is super helpful. Be ready to deal with some serious bugs at dinner time if you choose to eat at the open dining terrace!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

14 Urban Hotel

Medellin

Small, boutique-style hotel. Location excellent as far as your room does not face street directly, since it’s a bar/restaurant area, can be a bit noisy at nights. Breakfast can be improved.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Terrazas de Salento

Terrazas de Salento, Colombia

Beautiful, charming hotel, with super attentive staff, willing to help. 10 out of 10 of service. They even served me breakfast out of hours because my transfer was too early.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Standard city hotel, very clean and well located

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Standard city hotel, very clean and well located

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

San Alberto Coffee Tasting

Cartagena

It was ok - but not that memorable after having visited a coffee farm. The experience maybe different if your trip does not include a visit to the Eje cafetero.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cartagena Bike Tour

Cartagena

It’s a nice tour but a bit to rush. You don’t really stop that much into places.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Marta City Tour

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Tayrona National Park

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Peñol & Guatapé

Medellín

Must-do if you are in the area

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Tour Medellín

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Cocora Valley, Coffee Farm & Salento

Salento

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bogotá Walking Tour

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Colombia exceeded all of our expectations. My mom and I took a week long girl's trip to Cartagena to learn the history, see the beautiful city, and experience some of the local culture. Our specialist, Margoth, was so helpful and responsive when setting up the plans for trip. We somewhat expected that we would be on our own once we had paid for and landed in Cartagena, but Margoth and her team were beyond helpful and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Any questions or concerns were immediately addressed and we ended up loving all of the activities that Margoth had planned for us. Each restaurant reservation she made was perfect, we especially loved Mistura for the delicious food and great live band. We also absolutely loved our local tour guide, Manu. We spent a few days with him as he brought us to various sites (San Felipe de Barajas, the local mangroves, and the bird sanctuary) - he was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and we were sad to say goodbye at the end of the trip. He truly made us feel welcome by introducing us to the locals and sharing his personal experiences growing up in Cartagena. I can't thank Margoth and her team more - I was beyond impressed with the service we received both before and during our trip, thank you so much for making this such a wonderful experience!

Hotel Review

Hotel Capellan de Getsemani

Cartagena de Indias

The hotel was clean, comfortable, and an excellent location. Ray, one of the hotel staff, was beyond accommodating and kind. Our only concerns were the bathroom and the pool area. Our bathroom had a leak in the ceiling and the pool didn't look especially clean, we decided not to use it during our stay. We loved the breakfast included with our stay.

Tips for future travelers

I'd check out the photos on Trip Advisor before staying here. I had looked at a lot of them so I knew what to expect, but my mom wasn't thrilled with the lack of privacy with our only windows looking out to a public courtyard. If you want bright sunlight and a view, this isn't the best option.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Being across from the park, walkable to walled city, close to main square in Getsemani

Staff

The staff were so friendly and accomodating - Ray made our stay extra special

Cleanliness & Comfort

The AC, size of room, and breakfast included with our stay

Activity Review

Suggested Sunset Drinks at Café del Mar

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Like a few other travelers on here, I just happened upon KimKim while doing research on our trip to Colombia, and I'm so glad I did! Andrea was an awesome travel specialist to work with. She provided great advice on what would be feasible in the time that we had, and was really flexible in changing things around based on our preferences. We even had a hiccup with food poisoning (be very careful with the tap water!) but our local guides and Andrea worked together to make sure we could recover some activities we had to miss. Shout out to Jesus, Juan David, and Yube - we couldn't have asked for better guides in Minca. Having local guides who could share their personal experiences was one of the best parts of the trip. Hotel wise - Casa San Agustin in Cartagena is beautiful, centrally located, and has some of the best service of any hotel I've stayed at. I am already missing Colombia and all of the friendly people we met there. I will definitely be back!

Hotel Review

Hotel Casa San Agustín

Cartagena de Indias

Casa San Agustin is beautifully kept and the location is ideal, but our favorite part of our stay was the staff. Everyone that we met was friendly and eager to help.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds were probably the most comfortable hotel beds I've ever slept in.

Activity Reviews

Hiking in the Tayrona National Park

Colombia

Yube was an awesome guide - helping us spot all three monkey types and giving us more context on Colombia.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Legendary Rum & Chocolate Tasting

Cartagena

I'm not a huge rum (or alcohol) fan in general, but this experience was worth it because of our host, Jesus. He made the tasting fun and educational!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was my first experience with Kimkim. I was honestly blown away by the level of detail in the planning of the itinerary and the level of customisation available. Michael and his team went above and beyond to maintain a channel of communication and provide constant updates and information, at every stage of the trip. If I had any questions or issues, Michael was more than happy to assist- he even checked the entry requirements for the USA before I left Colombia and organised a nurse to come to my hotel to collect a PCR swab.
The highlights of my trip were visiting an organic Coffee farm in Medellin (Observatorio Agroecologico El Cafetal), hiking through Tayrona National park with a very knowledgeable guide and staying at Villa Maria and doing a historical biking tour in Cartagena with Tavo Reyes. I couldn't fault even fault the drivers - everybody was very friendly and accommodating and helped make this trip a memorable experience. Thank you so much :)

Hotel Review

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

This is a beautiful, secluded hotel in the Tayrona National Park area. The staff were extremely friendly and went above and beyond to help with any issues or questions. I had difficulty booking a flight on my iPad and reception staff went out of their way to let me use their computer. It's little things like this that make a huge difference. The cabin itself was beautiful and clean, nestled within the jungle. The hammock was a nice touch! The food from the restaurant was also very tasty. I also loved seeing the resident Macaw interact with the guests. The hotel grounds were also beautifully maintained and there was a private beach located a short walk from the main area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Secluded

Staff

Extremely friendly and welcoming

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Coffee-Culture Tour

Medellín

This was an awesome experience. The coffee farm was a small, organic, family run farm on the outskirts of Medellin (around the Envigado area). The owner himself conducted the tour and greeted us with cake and freshly brewed cups of locally grown coffee. It was very interesting hearing about the coffee production process, as well as the impact of covid and recent weather events on global production. As a consumer of coffee from a Western country, we often don't consider or understand all of the hard work that goes into growing the trees, harvesting the fruit and processing the beans. We even had the opportunity to plant our own coffee plant seedlings. A very educational experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, everything was planned perfectly and Michael was more then accommodating for any last minute alterations that we had.

Hotel Review

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

No

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Bogotá Walking Tour

Bogotá

Our tour guide luis was awesome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thanks to Margoth my trip to Colombia was more than amazing! It was my first time traveling solo and after my experience I would’ve done it again & again. Thanks to all the team and especially to Margoth who made this an experience of a lifetime.

This was our first time leaving the country since the pandemic and we were very nervous about travel restrictions. There were a number of things that did not go as planned with flight cancelations and delays that affected our vacation. All things out of Kim Kim's control. Michael sprung into action and made adjustments to extend our vacation, reorganized our activities and contacted the hotels and vendors. His help was priceless. Michael worked to ensure we had a wonderful, stress-free, dream vacation.

Cartagena is a vibrate city with beautiful art and delicious foods. Having the guide and driver made getting around easy and gave us insights into the city that we would not have known.

Picturing ourselves at Punta Faro in our Bungalow or on the private beach sipping a margarita is now our mental escape. I cannot describe how relaxing this experience was, I can still hear the waves, feel the sun, and smell the sea salt water.

Amazing trip and customer service. Our family of 3 had the most incredible 9 days in Colombia - split between Cartagena, Tayrona and 4 days hiking the Ciudad Perdida trail. Margoth fielded my numerous questions in advance patiently and graciously! And then once there we were still able to reach out and make tweaks to our itinerary. We ended up catching a bug on our penultimate day, and Margoth and team had the driver show up with gatorade and extra hydrating drinks. So thoughtful! We would love to return to Colombia and will definitely use Margoth and team again. Absolutely loved Colombia and its people. We felt totally safe and it was so relaxing to have everything set up front (drivers, guides, restaurant reservations) so we could just sit back and enjoy!

The trip plan was great. Andrea made sure to provide us with a real taste of the cities and country sides of her beautiful country. The Guides in all locations were knowledgeable friendly and accommodating. We would recommend such a trip to many of our friends.

Hotel Review

BOG Hotel

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

The Salt Cathedral & Zipaquirá

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Went with some girlfriends to visit another friend in Columbia. I was unsure about an online travel agency but KimKim and Michael had very good service. Our 2 main guides and all the transfers were also good.

We had some changes with another person being added after to our original plan. We also had to change the last hotel on our itinerary on the fly but I realize this was our fault as we told Michael that our friend was in Santa Marta while she was really was in Minca. So we changed on the fly to spend an extra night in Tayrona instead of Santa Marta and have a relaxing day, but of course it was too late for a refund on our last hotel.

I don't think we were quite prepared for the "night bug" situation in the Colombian jungle (i.e. you must go to bed early and turn off all the lights if you don't like giant insects!) and if I knew I would have gone for hotels with both A/C (better sealed rooms) and mosquito netting. Strangely by coincidence, our hotel in Minca was down the road from our friend ... but the "night bug" situation was rather terrifying even with the mosquito netting (although I don't think there are any fancier hotels in Minca). I think our original hotel in Tayrona had AC + netting but we had to change once we added another person to our trip. Our plans were not done far in advance so I would advise any people with similar insect fears to get the nicest hotels possible with A/C + mosquito nets. If you have no compelling reason to stay in Minca I would stay in Santa Marta and do the day trips to Minca instead, and enjoy the bug free nights and hot water in Santa Marta :)

Tayrona National Park was beautiful but we weren't prepared for the exertion of hiking 14 km total in searing heat. We really enjoyed the bird-watching and coffee farm in Minca.

In Santa Marta, I could have skipped the city tour and spent the day at one of the nicer beaches outside the city ... we still managed a half day at the beach which was lovely.

Based on the experience I would definitely use KimKim again.

Hotel Reviews

CASA BAMBÚ

Los Naranjos

Only 8 huts so you may get the pool to yourself. Good food although portions too large. Very nice staff. When we went - end of April - loads of beetles come out and are attracted to light once it got dark. Makes sitting outside impossible after about 7:30 pm (unless you have no bug phobia). Light in room may also attract beetles so we all went to bed early and stayed in bed in the dark, looking at our phones. Would give hotel 5-stars if there was mosquito netting in room and a screened area outside where we could hang out without being attacked by beetles.

Sweet Harmony by Xarm Hotels

Minca, Magdalena

We mainly stayed here because our friend lives in Minca very close to this hotel. However, we were terrified of the bugs at night and went to bed early with the lights off to keep them away. Room was very stuffy with the doors closed. No hot water or lukewarm water depending on which room. Some room's had no frosted glass on bathroom and was totally visible to hotel guys who were digging a trench in the morning (so she couldn't take a shower in the morning).

Casa de Isabella, a Kali Hotel

Santa Marta

Very close to tourist / restaurant area downtown. Has a nice little lounge and tiny pool area. Breakfast is okay although not amazing. Rooms are fine, good hot water.

Tips for future travelers

It's noisy downtown so bring earplugs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Birdwatching in Minca

Minca

Nice quiet area, our guide found lots of birds including Toucans. They give you binoculars if you don't have any.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike Tayrona National Park

Colombia

Very difficult on a hot, humid day. We didn't realize it involved such a long hike to get to a swimmable beach. Beach did not have much shade. Would be more enjoyable on a cooler day. Long wait for entrance tickets (although tour guide did that and we got to wait in van).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport