Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

First time in Costa Rica! My 2 teenagers and I went to Costa Rica for 12 days. Olman and Alexander did a great job in scheduling all the places and adventures I requested. From the first day to the last day in Costa Rica went smoother than I could ask. The first official day was guided by Alejandro, he did an amazing job educating us about Costa Rica: the people, culture, animals and different terrain. Alejandro took us to La Paz waterfall gardens. #lapazwaterfall which was full of... read more

First time in Costa Rica! My 2 teenagers and I went to Costa Rica for 12 days. Olman and Alexander did a great job in scheduling all the places and adventures I requested. From the first day to the last day in Costa Rica went smoother than I could ask. The first official day was guided by Alejandro, he did an amazing job educating us about Costa Rica: the people, culture, animals and different terrain. Alejandro took us to La Paz waterfall gardens. #lapazwaterfall which was full of animals and 5 waterfalls. From San Jose we went to Manual Antonio. Manual Antonio was absolutely gorgeous, we went to the beach, kayaking and snorkeling on the Pacific Ocean and had a home made lunch after the advantage, which was delicious. The guide was very nice, pointing out wildlife, such as the Howler Monkey calling, birds overhead and the fish we saw snorkeling. #tucanestours We had a wonderful home made lunch after. We saw lots of different wild life on our own. From Manual Antonio we went to La Fortuna. No words can bring justice to the Arenal Volcano, we got there at night and weren't able to see anything. In the morning I open the curtains to our room and right in front of us was the volcano. Beautiful site, hotel room was amazing and all the wildlife around was crazy! We did a few activities while in La Fortuna, zip line and white water rafting, #waverarafting, with an amazing lunch at an organic farm. The next day was horse back riding to a waterfall #chaveztours and a hike to the farthest point on the volcano that you can hike, #eciterra,costrica. All the transportation, guides and adventures were amazing and happy we did all of them. From La Fortuna we went to Tamarindo. What a view! The sunsets were amazing! We took surf lessons, the surf teacher exceeded my expectations, he was so helpful and passionate about what he does, #surf.every.day. Arranging 12 days with pick up, drop offs, transportation to and from activities, scheduling required Covid testing and transportation to the airport, with an estimated 859.1km ( 533.8miles) only a few minor hiccups, we were always on time to everything and Olman and Alexander responded to messages in a timely manner. I would recommend using Kimkim for any type of travel, I would highly recommend Olamn and Alexander if you want to visit Costa Rica.
Pura Vida

We can't thank Alexander enough for planning an amazing vacation for our family! Everything went incredibly smoothly. We visited the Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest and Manual Antonio Beach. Alejandro was the best guide anyone could ask for! His superior knowledge of the animals and the plants, the geology of the area, the climate and weather patterns and the general culture of Costa Rica helped us learn so much, while having a fun time. We got along so great with him and even... read more

We can't thank Alexander enough for planning an amazing vacation for our family! Everything went incredibly smoothly. We visited the Arenal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest and Manual Antonio Beach. Alejandro was the best guide anyone could ask for! His superior knowledge of the animals and the plants, the geology of the area, the climate and weather patterns and the general culture of Costa Rica helped us learn so much, while having a fun time. We got along so great with him and even miss him! We were so impressed with how safe we felt in Costa Rica during the pandemic. Everywhere you go they take your temperature, have you wash your hands, maintain social distancing, and ask for you to wear your mask. We were happy to comply with these simple safety precautions, as they allowed us to relax and enjoy ourselves without any worries. Every hotel chosen for us was beyond beautiful and exceeded our expectations. All of the tours were informational and helped us to reconnect with nature. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone at KimKim who helped us create such wonderful memories. Pura Vida! :)

Carlos helped us plan our trip for March 2020, but we unfortunately had to cancel due to covid. When 2021 came around, we rebooked our trip with Maricruz. She was incredibly accommodating and tolerated all my ambivalence about traveling during covid! She answered all our questions during the trip as well and even got us an incredible upgrade to a new hotel. We always felt like we had someone to help us out with anything and this was important to us since we'd never been to Costa Rica... read more

Carlos helped us plan our trip for March 2020, but we unfortunately had to cancel due to covid. When 2021 came around, we rebooked our trip with Maricruz. She was incredibly accommodating and tolerated all my ambivalence about traveling during covid! She answered all our questions during the trip as well and even got us an incredible upgrade to a new hotel. We always felt like we had someone to help us out with anything and this was important to us since we'd never been to Costa Rica and so wanted to move around a lot without much challenge (life in NYC is already challenging). Even when there was a problem with our itinerary, she fixed it up immediately

I want to assure you that Costa Rica is as safe a place as any to travel during covid - people wear masks everywhere, you must wash your hands before entering a restaurant or any place, and there is hand sanitizer everywhere. Plus you're almost always outside. They take yours and their health very seriously. Go now before the crowds return! We've traveled a bunch and Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful and varied places we've seen.

That said, this trip was awesome from the moment we were picked up by Juan Pablo!
He was our guide for the first day - he was informative, engaging and kind. When we expressed interest in pejibaye, he took us to a road side stop to try some which was delicious and fun.

We stayed at Casa Luna the first two nights - wonderful hotel where we saw toucans and other amazing birds in our backyard during our morning coffee. We went to the rainforest and on our way to the hanging bridges our guide pulled over on the street because he spotted a sloth in the tree. So fun.

Always hire a guide for any of parks. They take you in, and find wildlife you'd never find on your own. They carry a scope and plop it down so you can see firsthand while explaining everything you could want to learn about the animals, ecosystem, etc.

From here we went to Monteverde - a beautiful area of Costa Rica. We loved the views from our hotel, El Establo and the proprietor was very accommodating and kind. Actually, we were met with knowledge, kindness and consideration all over CR. Take a night walk - the sounds of the forest will fill your soul.

Do the crocodile tour for sure in Jaco! Our guide Adrian and the driver of the boat (whose name I forget) were incredibly knowledgeable about the birds and the ecosystems. We met the crocodiles Osama Bin Laden, Mike Tyson and Bill and Hillary Clinton. More than we could have asked for.

We ended our trip at Manuel Antonio - beautiful beach and waves - surfing, swimming and relaxing under the trees. Monkeys and iguanas entertained us while we lay on our lounges listening to the sounds of the ocean. We stayed at Karahe for 2 days which was right on the beach but then upscaled to Sí Como No where we had amazing views, lots of wildlife to enjoy and wonderful service.
Either choice is worth your time.

Go now and book your trip with KimKim!

Kim Kim,
Diego was amazing! We told him who we were (old but not dead) and what we wanted (more forest than beach) and he listened. His plan was a 21-day drive and stay adventure that was perfect for us. Going on a great adventure means (safely) getting out of your comfort zone – anxiety without harm. Some of the roads were narrow, steep, and twisty, but traveled without incident and minimal held breaths. The fifteen-minute walk alone through the dark forest to our Treehouse was full of... read more

Kim Kim,
Diego was amazing! We told him who we were (old but not dead) and what we wanted (more forest than beach) and he listened. His plan was a 21-day drive and stay adventure that was perfect for us. Going on a great adventure means (safely) getting out of your comfort zone – anxiety without harm. Some of the roads were narrow, steep, and twisty, but traveled without incident and minimal held breaths. The fifteen-minute walk alone through the dark forest to our Treehouse was full of noises and imagination but also the satisfaction of finding some of the critters we had been shown on our guided night walk. Sure, the provided google map route took us on a 3k “short cut” on a one-lane stone road through a dairy herd, but it came out at
the right place and when was the last time you had cow breath in your window.
The trip was not all adventure, there was a lot of learning. We went on tours and saw frogs, snakes, butterflies, frogs, monkeys, sloths, frogs, dolphins, cacao plants, frogs, iguanas, coffee plants, frogs, spiders, one giant crocodile and heard the stories of each. Having a guide is a must. We could have traveled the same paths and we would not have seen a thing. The guides Diego found were terrific at explaining the fauna and flora and being patient while we took five minutes to see what they were pointing at. Sloths were really hard to see. I would find it, take my eyes off it, and never find it again. Maybe the guides have some secret power to “show” us what we want to see, even if it is not there. But then they take a picture of it – and send us the picture. Superb!
Finally, there were the accommodations that ranged from a “primitive” (not) treehouse with a king-size bed and full bath to truly luxurious room with a private hot tub. Of all the places we stayed my best memories were the showers. One shower had glass walls looking out into the forest canopy, one had two showers, one inside and one in an outside garden, and another shower had a glass wall viewing the forest and Avenal volcano.
Throughout our visit we were impressed with the sanitation measures in place at businesses and in the parks regarding COVID. Always someone at the entrance to make sure everyone has a face covering, and they wash their hands - at businesses both large and small.
Diego put all of that together for us and took the time to check in with us throughout the journey to make sure all was well. This adventure went off without a single glitch. Amazing, I cannot orchestrate my breakfast at home for twenty-one days without something going wrong. We are including a summary of some of the people, places, and things we enjoyed the most.
1 Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel 27-28 Feb
Kenneth and the staff at the hotel answered every question and request to make our 2-night stay hiccup free. Our bungalow was spacious and elegant, with lots of natural light during the day from floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as reading light for evenings. Two spacious showers, one indoor and one an enclosed outdoor shower complete with luscious flowering plants. A gorgeous, roofed deck so we could sit out even when it rained. Everything was supplied.
The open-air restaurant is surrounded by so many lush tropical plants it is like sitting in a garden, and the food. Well, one of us is an omnivore and one a vegetarian and we each had choices that were delicious, with some suggestions by the chef. They had positioned in the “garden” a stand with fresh fruit which attracted the birds so we could photograph them up close!
They arranged a guide, Joseph, to give us a night walk around the property where he explained what we were seeing, and hearing (very reassuring). We got to see colorful frogs and friendly snakes and even footprints in the dirt of something I do not remember the name of. Frosting on the cake was Joseph forwarding us the close-up pictures he took on the tour. He is an accomplished photographer!

2 Tenorio Volcano National Park Tour with Jonier 28 Feb
We were the only two people on this tour so we had the delight of Jonier telling us everything we were seeing and what to look for, the history and uses of the Park, some stories and customs of the area and foods we should be sure to try. He kept a good pace for us and made sure of our footing on some of the slippery or steeper parts, answering all our questions as we went along. He is so personable and knowledgeable it is apparent he enjoys his profession as a licensed guide.

3 Boca Tapada, Maquenque Ecolodge, Tree House 1-2 Mar
What an adventure this was! After driving twenty-five kilometers on a dirt road, we arrived in the Lodge’s parking lot with no hotel in sight. There was a restroom and a phone on the wall which connected us with Reception, who then sent a boat to pick us up (we could see the boat and landing across the river). Once across we walked 10 minutes along a gravel walk with lush Costa Rican “forest” on either side. At Reception we were greeted by Vicki who coordinated our entire stay beautifully and arranged for one of the staff to carry our suitcase up the gravel path for another 10-minute walk to our very own treehouse. Forty-eight steps up we found a gorgeous deck looking out over the jungle, and inside a king size bed in an amazingly comfortable room, with complete bath, including shower with windows on two sides looking out over the jungle.
The grounds are lushly forested with a beautiful “lagoon” complete with caiman whose eyes shine in the gleam of nighttime flashlights. The open-air restaurant serves
delicious fare for both the guests, and the birds who flock to a short platform covered with fresh fruits which attract them, making birding an up-close-and-personal experience.
During our two-night stay we took two tours, both with our excellent guide Jose. On the night walk he led us around the property where he pointed out the caiman’s shining eyes, plus colorful frogs, friendly snakes, and night-blooming flowers.
On our daytime boat tour up the river to the Nicaraguan border Jose pointed out iguana, crocodile, many types of birds, old homesteads along the shore, and gave us a snapshot of the history of the area – including the fact that his father made the furniture at the lodge, harvested from a local farm.

4 Tirimbina Lodge and Rainforest Center Chocolate Tour, 4 Mar
What a wonderful tour through the rainforest this was. Because of COVID we were the only two guests on the tour, so we were able to pepper our guide William with all our questions. He told the stories of everything (including the beautiful birds) we were seeing around us, both on the trails and across the hanging bridge that led across a deep ravine. When we reached the cacao plantation, he explained the history of chocolate cultivation and we saw cacao trees and tasted the white, sweet fruits inside the pods. Then there was a demonstration of the numerous steps the indigenous people followed to make chocolate. These same steps are followed today except using machines instead of using hand power. And then, the absolute best part, getting to taste the chocolate at several points in the process, including the so-marvelous, finished product of silky-smooth warm chocolate.
The Tirimbina Reserve is a scientific area, dedicated to studying butterflies, cacao, chocolate, and nutmeg. To preserving and understanding nature and its processes.

5 Pierella Butterfly Farm & Ecological Garden Tour, 5 Mar
From a 20x20 M plot of bare land in 1995 to the lush rainforest it is today, William and Krystal have grown a thriving butterfly operation and the tour they gave us was totally eye opening. How could the vegetation grow this lush in such a short time, with such an abundance of varieties of both flora and the beautiful butterflies?! It’s beautiful.
It is obvious this is more than a business to them as their passion for this forest and its residents suffuses all their stories and the excitement they express in their explanations. They are reclaiming the rainforest.
Beyond learning the lifecycle of butterflies and seeing so many varieties in their stages of development, William showed us a sloth, and found for us the rare white bats (tiny little white bundles nesting on the underside of a heliconia leaf). Then Krystal took over and pointed out colorful frogs and birds she located by their calls.
As if the personal tour wasn’t enough, Krystal showed us how chocolate is made, using cacao pods from the trees growing on their land, then fed us a delicious (and bountiful) typical casado lunch.

6 Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve 6-7 Mar
The 9K drive down to the hotel from the paved highway got our attention. Suffice to say the road is narrow, steep, and twisting (and even paved in sections) but totally manageable. The hotel and grounds are superb, from reception to the restaurant, trails, rooms (we had a junior suite), to the spa where I received a blissful massage. The entire staff made sure our 2-night stay put smiles on our faces.
In early March when we were there it got cool (40’s F) at night so the blankets on the beds were most welcome. And my jacket came in handy for my 0530 Quetzal Birdwatching tour when it was still dark.
The tour itself was an astounding success! My guide (Melvin I believe) drove us up the road a short distance, parked, got out his scope, heard a Quetzal calling and immediately sighted the colorful male bird in a nearby tree. We watched it long enough for M to take a video of it on my camera, through his scope, giving me both visual and audio. It then flew to another close-by tree where a female was perched and whose picture we also got, through his scope. What a morning! And what a considerate guide to get those photos for me!
Our room was very spacious and comfortable with lots of windows for natural light, bedside lighting for reading, and an elegant bathroom with candles beside the tub.
As a vegetarian I appreciated the staff and kitchen working with me on menu choices while my omnivore husband enjoyed the entire menu happily. The fresh fruit plate at breakfast was something to look forward to as well.

7 Cuna del Angel Hotel - Uvita 8-9 Mar
This is a lovely hotel, just north of Uvita town and quite near the beach, with beautiful grounds immaculately kept. The hotel restaurant is entirely gluten free and its open sides provide beautiful views of the lush forest and the Pacific Ocean. I also received a particularly excellent facial from Yolanda in their spa. The air conditioning was appreciated in this humid part of Costa Rica.
During our 2-night stay there we visited the nearby beach community of Dominical which we really enjoyed. So laid back – complete with natural foods grocery (Mama Toucans), a café with veg and vegan options and free wi-fi, and many vendors along the sandy beach drive (hippie comes to mind) shaded by palm trees blowing in the warm breezes. We had a good lunch at Phat Noodle too.

8 Bahia Aventuras 9 Mar
The crew from Bahia Aventuras led us on a snorkel tour in the warm waters of the Marino Ballena National Park. We were so impressed with their excellent equipment and the care they took to make sure we were at ease every step of the way, and to make sure we saw a variety of marine life. Our companion boat stayed near us the entire time and was our café on the water during our trip back to shore. It was an excursion I highly recommend.

9 Manuel Antonio National Park 11 March
Andray was our excellent guide for the morning through this park - the guy who was able to show us sloths in the trees - and any guide who can make it possible for mere mortals to discern a sloth high up in a tree, surrounded by leaves and branches, is a gem by any standard. All the way through the park he told us the history of the area, the natural habits of the creatures living in the park, and on to the beaches which are beautiful and situated in small coves where swimming is a treat! We highly recommend both Andray and this park as well worth it.

10 Amor Arenal Hotel 14-16 Mar
From the moment we arrived at Reception to the moment we drove away, the entire staff of this luxurious rainforest lodge made sure our 3-night stay was exceptionally enjoyable. The grounds, our “cabin”, the restaurant, pools, everything, put big smiles on our faces. Breathtaking was the jolt I felt when we entered our cabin and I saw the woods – in floor, walls, ceiling – stunning, especially when enhanced by the spacious windows and the lush greenery outside those windows. Simple, elegant, and totally fitting in the rainforest setting. Spacious enough in our room in fact, to use the yoga equipment supplied in the closet! So thoughtful.
The pools were refreshingly salt water and there was both sun and shade around them for enjoying them in any temperature. The open-air restaurant was its own tropical garden, complete with delicious food and beverages at every meal. We highly recommend this lodging to anyone staying in Costa Rica.

11 Organico Fortuna Restaurant 15-16 Mar
So good we went twice in two days! I’m vegan and was overjoyed to find an entire selection of vegan dishes and drinks. Plus, my omnivore partner got a delicious fish dish and, he thought, the best meal of our 21-day stay in CR. The service both visits was so friendly and helpful in describing the dishes it was simply hard to limit what we ordered!
The setting is relaxing with light, bright surroundings, and comfortable chairs. A definite recommendation to visit and dine.

First trip to Costa Rica and it was everything we expected and more. Have wanted to go there for years!

Costa Rica itself is beautiful and bother tourist and Covid friendly.

Our family is well traveled through Asia, Europe, and N America, and rank Costa Rica right up at the top.

Randall from KimKIm was great and all of the arrangements were perfect and everything ran smoothly.

Normally we would book and work the details of a trip ourselves, but with this being our first trip there and... read more

First trip to Costa Rica and it was everything we expected and more. Have wanted to go there for years!

Costa Rica itself is beautiful and bother tourist and Covid friendly.

Our family is well traveled through Asia, Europe, and N America, and rank Costa Rica right up at the top.

Randall from KimKIm was great and all of the arrangements were perfect and everything ran smoothly.

Normally we would book and work the details of a trip ourselves, but with this being our first trip there and with Covid, decided to give KimKIm and Randall a shot.

We definitely paid more for the trip than we would have booking it ourselves, but there is a lot to be said about hassle free trip planning and execution.

I would definitely use them again!

I'm usually one to plan and book my own trips without using a travel agent service. However, I was blown away by my experience with KimKim. I was able to customize and have as much say-so in the trip planning as I wanted. Alexander was amazing to work with and his expertise for Costa Rica was top notch. He was more than accommodating to our requests and helped plan the most amazing trip. He even helped arrange our COVID test for our return flight. I would highly recommend KimKim and Alexander to anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica.

Randall was great and was available during the trip to help us plan as well. My friends decided to go as well last minute and he helped them plan their trip as well

I had a great experiencing using KimKim for my Costa Rica trip! It was so nice to have kimkim take care of everything and Costa Rica was amazing! We will use this website for other trips!

We loved our trip that was arranged for us. Randall did a great job. The top site seeing areas were seen plus they booked us in really nice rooms. That were unique except for first and last night which was in a typical 4 star American hotel the CROWN PLAZA. They gave us ample opportunity for free time as well. The guides were great. The vans the roads the restrooms were all cleaner than you typically see in the USA.

At first I was alittle hesitant to try a traveling agency to help put together my first trip in a long time. I’m glad I made the decision and tried Kim Kim. Olman who was the person helping me with my trip was with me and answered every single question or worry I brought to him. A 5/5 does not do justice for this company simply amazing ! And I recommend Kim Kim to everyone now

Before the trip started, I missed my flight due to busy day at the airport and accidentally didn't read the memo about my car rental but despite that, Alex and crew were able to keep the trip from falling apart and did everything in their power to make my trip amazing, I spent 13 days in Costa Rica and did did a self drive everywhere from Liberia to San Jose while hitting places such as Rincon, Arenal, Monteverde, Samara Beach and Dominical to name a few and I was able to do pretty much... read more

Before the trip started, I missed my flight due to busy day at the airport and accidentally didn't read the memo about my car rental but despite that, Alex and crew were able to keep the trip from falling apart and did everything in their power to make my trip amazing, I spent 13 days in Costa Rica and did did a self drive everywhere from Liberia to San Jose while hitting places such as Rincon, Arenal, Monteverde, Samara Beach and Dominical to name a few and I was able to do pretty much everything I wanted to do in Costa Rica thanks to Alex's brilliant trip planning! On top of that, the hotels that were booked for me were all top notch and there were plenty of opportunities to have lunch and dinner no matter where I stayed. If you plan to stay in Costa Rica anytime soon, I highly recommend having Alex from Amazonia to plan your trip with you! My advice for trip planning are if you only drive automatic transmission, make sure you let Alex know so he can rent to best car possible for you and if you miss the flight like I did, make you sure you let Alex know so he can revise the plan accordingly!

When I started planning my honeymoon in November I sent two emails. Alexander (Alex) from Amazilla Travel responded within 24 hours. I didn't know how lucky I was at the time.

I told him what I was interested in and off we went. We looked at attractions, activities, budget, time allotment, value, etc. From the start, and throughout the entire trip, Alex was a phone call away to answer any question, big or small, or to offer a suggestion. We went to Tamarindo for 6 nights, Arenal for... read more

When I started planning my honeymoon in November I sent two emails. Alexander (Alex) from Amazilla Travel responded within 24 hours. I didn't know how lucky I was at the time.

I told him what I was interested in and off we went. We looked at attractions, activities, budget, time allotment, value, etc. From the start, and throughout the entire trip, Alex was a phone call away to answer any question, big or small, or to offer a suggestion. We went to Tamarindo for 6 nights, Arenal for 4, and ended in Manuel Antonio for 4. His expertise allowed us to maximize our time and utilize our budget to have the best experience possible. Zip lining, white water rafting, boat safari, hanging bridges, scuba diving, rental car, accommodations. Everything was incredible. We couldn't be any happier. Thanks Alex and Pura Vida! We can't wait for the return trip!

Wow we can't say enough good things about Randall and the trip he created for us. From start to finish it was amazing. It was exactly what we wanted and he even arranged some things we didn't even know we wanted that were perfect additions. During the trip, we made a few modifications like extending our time at the beach and upgrading our rooms and he took care of all of those things efficiently and professionally with exceptional communication. I can't recommend his services enough. THANK YOU RANDALL!

Randall made a great itinerary we were both very pleased

We had a wonderful vacation in Costa Rica! Every site we visited was stunningly beautiful. The side trips to the coffee and living farms were interesting and fun to experience.

Alex and Alejandro (local specialist) made every effort to understand what we were looking for and did an amazing job planning out the itinerary in detail. I had a mix of phone/email interactions to finalize our plans.

I cannot say enough good things about Alejandro our guide. He was fantastic! He was... read more

We had a wonderful vacation in Costa Rica! Every site we visited was stunningly beautiful. The side trips to the coffee and living farms were interesting and fun to experience.

Alex and Alejandro (local specialist) made every effort to understand what we were looking for and did an amazing job planning out the itinerary in detail. I had a mix of phone/email interactions to finalize our plans.

I cannot say enough good things about Alejandro our guide. He was fantastic! He was incredibly flexible and creative to deal with the situations on the ground between the Covid restrictions and protests that were going on in various parts of the country. He took us to a range of interesting eateries where we experienced tasty local food.

Costa Rica is taking Covid seriously. Masks are very widely used and you have to wash your hands before entering any place. We are in the early 60ish age group and felt that we were not being put at risk.

We were one of the first international travelers that the country was seeing in seven months. They warmly welcomed us and were very appreciative that we were visiting.

For those of you thinking about going to Cost Rica, jump in! You will have a fantastic holiday with warm, positive memories in the year of Covid.

It was very easy to plan our trip with the trip planner. We were able to choose the types of things that we wanted to do like hiking & eliminate those that we weren’t interested in doing such as no shopping. We could also choose the areas that we wanted to visit. Randall coordinated everything so we didn’t have to worry about transportation or guides. It was all included. It’s a great way to explore such a beautiful country. Our hotels were all very nice. I would recommend KimKim to arrange a trip to Costa Rica.

Where to start! This trip was perfection. From the greeting at the airport by an incredibly knowledgeable driver who gave us such insight into the area that we already felt at home by the time we arrived at Tabacon. Every tour guide we had was on time, extremely informative (not only about the specific adventure but about the country) and each one had an amazingly warm personality. We saw every animal that we had hoped to see and some we didn't even know about! We started in Arenal; then to... read more

Where to start! This trip was perfection. From the greeting at the airport by an incredibly knowledgeable driver who gave us such insight into the area that we already felt at home by the time we arrived at Tabacon. Every tour guide we had was on time, extremely informative (not only about the specific adventure but about the country) and each one had an amazingly warm personality. We saw every animal that we had hoped to see and some we didn't even know about! We started in Arenal; then to Monteverde and finished in Conchal. It gave us such an amazing appreciation of so many different aspects of Costa Rica.

When I started thinking about this trip, I had a fairly specific idea of what we wanted to do. This was a trip for me and my 24 year old daughter. Alex and Francisco came up with a custom itinerary that far surpassed anything I could have thought up. They listened to everything I said and turned my ideas into a trip that became a trip of a lifetime. During the planning process they were with me the whole time. Always available by email and phone, to go over any question I had. We were there when the Corona virus just started to impact the US. By the time we left we were one of eight guests at our hotel. During the last week of the trip, the Costa Rican government closed their borders to incoming non-residents. Not only did everything go as planned, but as they were trying to get people home and deal with all of the cancellations, we never felt like we weren't being taken care of.

I could write a book about this trip and how amazing it was and I have Alex and Francisco to thank for that. If I could - I would go back tomorrow morning and have them plan everything. I plan to do just that next year as soon as I possibly can.

We had a great time in Costa Rica. Carlos did an excellent job organizing our trip. All of the hotels were wonderful and check-in was seamless. I am usually a do-it yourself travel planner, but would highly recommend KimKim for a work free trip if you would like to go multiple places.

Our trip was wonderful. We saw heaps of fauna and flora and were well looked after by knowledgeable, friendly guides & drivers.
Randall's activity suggestions were appropriate for our group, we enjoyed all of them.
Thanks Randall.

Our first driver Otto with Desafio was great! He practiced Spanish with us the whole time so we could converse better the rest of the time. Loved our white water rafting with Steven as our guide. Then Otto safely got us to the Baldi Hotel with s restaurant recommendation in LaFortuna—LaStreet—which we tried one night—wonderful. Really enjoyed the Hot Springs at the hotel! Had a nice hike on the lava flows of the volcano and then a nice dinner at Tabacon Springs and enjoyed their springs... read more

Our first driver Otto with Desafio was great! He practiced Spanish with us the whole time so we could converse better the rest of the time. Loved our white water rafting with Steven as our guide. Then Otto safely got us to the Baldi Hotel with s restaurant recommendation in LaFortuna—LaStreet—which we tried one night—wonderful. Really enjoyed the Hot Springs at the hotel! Had a nice hike on the lava flows of the volcano and then a nice dinner at Tabacon Springs and enjoyed their springs for an hour—not as hot as Baldi and more crowded. Crowded bus to Monteverde and very bumpy !! But got to Fonda Vela Hotel and enjoyed our Noctural Hike—didn’t think we got to see as much as we expected after we compared our evening with other at our hotel that had done a hike with another company, Really enjoyed the zip lining and since we were the last stop for the bus driver he kindly drove us another 1.5 km to the entrance to the Cloud Forest so we could see it and get a hike in. Were sad to have to head home—but in light of COVID-19 we timed our visit perfectly.

Everything Adriana planned was exactly what we were looking for - we somehow managed to zip line, snorkel, go rafting, AND lay around on the beach. Schedules went smoothly, and when there was an update to our excursion (because of the tides), a new voucher was delivered to our hotel and we didn't miss a beat.
This was an incredible vacation. The transportation was great, the hotels were lovely, and the activities were perfect. I can't imagine planning another trip like this to Costa Rica without Adriana's guidance.
I cannot recommend this service highly enough.

Kimkim made my trip to Costa Rica a dream come true. I will be using them for my next trip—for sure!! My transportation, hotels and activities were first class, and they were not possible without Kimkim’s guidance and expertise.

The guides were great. Getting to different locations was frantic.
We saw some great birds.

We really enjoyed the itinerary suggested by Carlos. Our favourite place to stay was Senda, Monteverde.

We had top notch service with kimkim and have already recommended them to several friends. I was a bit leery using this service without firsthand knowledge of what we were getting into. But I was worried for nothing. Kristy put together a great 12 day Costa Rican itinerary for our family of five, including three teenagers! And Monica booked all
of our lodging, excursions, and in-country transportation (we took three Sansa flights...an easy and quick way to get around...and had private drivers... read more

We had top notch service with kimkim and have already recommended them to several friends. I was a bit leery using this service without firsthand knowledge of what we were getting into. But I was worried for nothing. Kristy put together a great 12 day Costa Rican itinerary for our family of five, including three teenagers! And Monica booked all
of our lodging, excursions, and in-country transportation (we took three Sansa flights...an easy and quick way to get around...and had private drivers everywhere). Even when I had questions while on our trip, Monica was available and promptly responded to our needs. We started at Manatus in Tortuguero on the Caribbean and we loved our quaint bungalow there. In fact, we loved everything about the Manatus resort; the service, food and included wildlife tours. Next we went to the LaFortuna/Arenal area and stayed at the Arenal Lodge. We loved the area and all of our excursions (zip lining with Sky Adventures and volunteering at Proyecto Asis), but we were not fans of the Arenal Lodge. It’s pretty run down and in need of some major renovations and repairs. With only breakfast included there, we were interested in trying different restaurants for lunch and dinner. But the lodge is also extremely remote and was an expensive and long cab ride into town. Seems like there are plenty of nice places to stay that would have been a better choice. Next we went to Rafiki Lodge outside of Quepos, and this was a major highlight...camping in the rainforest. The owners and staff were wonderful, and the included excursions and food were outstanding. What a unique and neat experience at Rafiki! And finally we spent the last three nights of our vacation in Manual Antonio at Tulemar Resort. Wow. This was a perfect way to end our trip with some beach time, relaxation, and a last opportunity to see sloths and monkeys up close. Views here from our Villa were amazing. We did do one excursion in this area, the Damas mangrove tour. I’d probably skip that if I could do this trip over, mostly to give us more time at the amazing Tulemar beach. And it wasn’t all that well done.
All in all, we were extremely happy with our vacation, experiencing a new place we’ve never been, and will now most likely return, thanks to kimkim!

Our Pura Vida guide in Arsenal, Christian was awesome and we were the only two people in our group that included hikes of Arenal and the hanging bridges.

Every aspect of our itinerary either met or exceeded our expectations. The one exception would be the night tour in Monteverde. We were not the only ones to say it was over-hyped. There were over 100 tourists in groups of 6-8 walking the same paths that reminded me of a “snipe” hunt.

Lodging at Arsenal was superb! Great complimentary breakfast and on-site hot spring.

Carlos was so great! He gave us a ton of options before we booked our trip, and then made sure everything went smoothly thereafter. He also quickly jumped in to help out with any bumps in the road while we were on our trip.

We recently used kimkim.com for our recent 11-day trip in late February/early March, 2020 to Costa Rica. Alberto Molina, the local specialist, was really easy to work with and easy to contact with any questions. A few days into our trip, we had a few questions and Karol with Green World Adventures, and she was very quick to get back with us. She helped us several times during our trip and adjusted our tours when we had questions. She was always handy and helpful.
The following tour guides... read more

We recently used kimkim.com for our recent 11-day trip in late February/early March, 2020 to Costa Rica. Alberto Molina, the local specialist, was really easy to work with and easy to contact with any questions. A few days into our trip, we had a few questions and Karol with Green World Adventures, and she was very quick to get back with us. She helped us several times during our trip and adjusted our tours when we had questions. She was always handy and helpful.
The following tour guides were standouts on our trip:
Felipe with Green World Adventures: Great walking downtown tour of San Jose! He graciously gave us his own recipe of ceviche, and kept us entertained our our drive to and from the airport.
Axel and Victor with Desafio Adventure Pioneers: Hanging Bridges tour, Aerenal Volcano hike and La Fortuna waterfall. What a fun filled day with these guys! They were so accommodating during these fun adventures!
Javier with Iguana tours, our nature guide at Cari-Canche Private Reserve. He was full of knowledge about this beautiful area.
Yenaro Suarez, our guide who conducted our tour at the Don Juan coffee, chocolate and sugar cane plantation. That was such a wonderful, tasty treat!
"Professor" Andres, our very informative nature guide who conducted our tour at Manuel Antonio National Park.
Hector Altamirano of HecTours. He was our ultimate nature guide at Carara National Park. He was a marvelous tour guide, along with our driver Eddie, who spotted the macaws at the very beginning our our trip. This was our last tour and was such a memorable day.
We all hated to leave beautiful Costa Rica, but hopefully will return sometime soon.

The trip was beautiful. We saw amazing places and were very happy with location, activity and settings. However going from Manuel Antonio to Arenal takes 5h and might be too ambitious for those on shorter trips

Carlos was very responsive.

What an unbelievable trip! I’m not sure what was better; Costa Rica or Carlos! This was my first time using KimKim and it won’t be my last. Carlos planned the perfect trip. From starting out in the rustic Corcovado national park to the cloud forests and then ending at one of the nicest/relaxing hot spring resorts in Arenal. The trip had everything; rainforests, jungles, wildlife, zip lines, bungee jumping, volcanos, delicious food, amazing resorts, beaches, 6 seater airplanes, snakes, night... read more

What an unbelievable trip! I’m not sure what was better; Costa Rica or Carlos! This was my first time using KimKim and it won’t be my last. Carlos planned the perfect trip. From starting out in the rustic Corcovado national park to the cloud forests and then ending at one of the nicest/relaxing hot spring resorts in Arenal. The trip had everything; rainforests, jungles, wildlife, zip lines, bungee jumping, volcanos, delicious food, amazing resorts, beaches, 6 seater airplanes, snakes, night hikes, monkeys, birds, hanging bridges...I could go on and on. The best part was it was all planned by Carlos. We didn’t have to worry about anything. Pickups, transfers, logistics, all the boring stuff no one wants to take care of but needs to be done/planned for trips, Carlos did it. Whatever KimKim is paying Carlos, they should double it. What an amazing trip, all thanks to KimKim and Carlos. Pura Vida!!!!

Truly the best trip ever!! From planning to execution everything was flawless. 10 days 2 teens and a single Mom not a single argument, PRICELESS!!. Every excursion was amazing. Waterfall rappelling was our adventure highlight. Relaxing in Manuel Antonio was the cherry on top. Between the high end accommodation, fabulous food, wildlife and beaches couldn’t have asked for anything better. Can’t wait to book our next trip.

Adriana was very resourceful and helping us plan our memorable trip to Costa Rica. The logistics was amazing we were picked up at our hotel at the specific times and dropped off as well.

The planning from Adriana was amazing. Everything was planned to the dot.

We both had an amazing experiences in Costa Rica. From the hike to Arenal Volcano, to the waterfall, hanging bridges, cooking class to the sea kayaking and snorkeling in Manuel Antonio beach.

We would like to thank for all the planning and logistics from Adriana.

From start to finish - the initial enquiry, through the planning and amendments to delivery and experience - just brilliant. Randall responded to my every enquiry, request and for reassurance. The mix of activities, rest days, hotels and places was just perfect. Driving ourselves gave us added freedom to see more of the beautiful country that is Costa Rica. We met lovely, welcoming people, ate good food and enjoyed the stunning scenery along the Caribbean coast, interior and Pacific coast. We... read more

From start to finish - the initial enquiry, through the planning and amendments to delivery and experience - just brilliant. Randall responded to my every enquiry, request and for reassurance. The mix of activities, rest days, hotels and places was just perfect. Driving ourselves gave us added freedom to see more of the beautiful country that is Costa Rica. We met lovely, welcoming people, ate good food and enjoyed the stunning scenery along the Caribbean coast, interior and Pacific coast. We loved the laid back feel of the Caribbean, the spinal mountain range, the warm waters of the Pacific coast and the fabulous OSA peninsula with all its wildlife above ground and below the sea. All the guides who took us on our hikes and snorkelling were gracious, knowledgeable, considerate and professional. Thank you for making sure our holiday was everything we wanted it to be.

Adriana did an extremely good job at tailoring the trip to my desires. All the tours, hotels and transfers were excellent that were set up. Since I emphasized hiking and outside activities, all was perfect. She was receptive to my overall plans and her picks for my activities were excellent.
Thanks for you work on setting this up!

This was a fantastic trip! Our family was in Costa Rica for 15 days in January 2020. Our local guide was Randall Jiminez, and he was great.

The whole KimKim experience was really easy to deal with. We established how long we wanted to go for, as well as a preliminary budget. Randall gave us some ideas to start with, as it was our first time in CR.

We wound up doing what we later found to be (from other travelers) a pretty standard sampling of CR. We started in Arenal, staying in La Fortuna,... read more

This was a fantastic trip! Our family was in Costa Rica for 15 days in January 2020. Our local guide was Randall Jiminez, and he was great.

The whole KimKim experience was really easy to deal with. We established how long we wanted to go for, as well as a preliminary budget. Randall gave us some ideas to start with, as it was our first time in CR.

We wound up doing what we later found to be (from other travelers) a pretty standard sampling of CR. We started in Arenal, staying in La Fortuna, then moved to the Cloud Forest of Mote Verde, and finished up on the Pacific Coast, near Manuel Antonio National Park.

Almost all of our experiences were excellent. The highlights that we would recommend to others would be:
Arenal:
- Proyecto Asis rescue centre. This was one of the first things we did, and remained in our top 3 for the whole trip. If you do this, make sure that you do the volunteer feeding part - that was special. Carlos, our tour guide for this one, was nothing short of superb.
- Cano Negro: This is a must on any trip to CR. We took a bus up to the wildlife area at Cano Negro, and from there took a two hour boat tour along the river, very close to the border with Nicaragua. We saw sloths, monkeys, and more species of birds than I can count, including some very rare ones. Also saw Caimans, which were cool. Had one of the best Costa Rican meals on the way back (Cosado, which is typical. You have to try it).

Monte Verde:
- Don Juan coffee tour - amazing, very tasty all around. Coffee, chocolate, and cosado. Very informative!
- Zip line - super day, did bridges in the cloud forest and then ziplines through the trees.
- Monte Verde Park: This was not arranged by KimKim, but I highly recommend it anyway. Get a guide, either private or through the park. They know what to look for, and will help you immeasurably.

Manuel Antonio:
- a bit more tourist-y, but absolutely beautiful. We were in easy walking distance to the beach, and our hotel was great. We stayed at the Costa Verde hotel, which has several restaurants in easy walking distance. The collectivo bus is also easy and cheap, and I wish that we had used it more (the temps were 35+C every day we were there.
- a note of caution: The Catamaran Snorkling tour that we booked was really a booze cruise. Dance music and drinks were the focus, with very little time spent snorkling, and that required us to wear life vests (a number of passengers had indulged a bit). The cruise was well executed, for what it was, but it was not what we were looking for. In retrospect, we should have more clearly laid out expectations for this activity.

We will definitely visit CR again, and I would have no hesitation recommending KimKim, especially to first-timers. Pura Vida!

Thanks Randall!
Annie, Tom, and Joel

I had an amazing travel experience in Costa Rica! I was there for about a week and felt like I was able to see and do so much during my time there. During my trip I saw many different types of birds, sloths, monkeys, a Quetzal, and so much more. I traveled to San Jose, Monteverde, La Fortuna, and Arenal and saw volcanos, jungles and cloud forests. This was my first time booking with KimKim and it was relaxing to know that everything was booked and planned for by our travel specialist.... read more

I had an amazing travel experience in Costa Rica! I was there for about a week and felt like I was able to see and do so much during my time there. During my trip I saw many different types of birds, sloths, monkeys, a Quetzal, and so much more. I traveled to San Jose, Monteverde, La Fortuna, and Arenal and saw volcanos, jungles and cloud forests. This was my first time booking with KimKim and it was relaxing to know that everything was booked and planned for by our travel specialist. Carlos my travel specialist did an amazing job booking and planning my entire trip. He even called me during my trip to check up on how I was doing. Everything ran smoothly and the guides were friendly and knowledgeable about the biodiversity in Costa Rica. My guides Jorge and Juan Carlos did an amazing job teaching me about their culture and traditions. I would highly recommend booking with KimKim as they take care of everything and you get to enjoy your vacation. Thank you Carlos!

Had an amazing time in Costa Rica! Loved all of our excursions! White water rafting on the sarapiqui River was my favorite! Hiking the 1968 lava field in Arenal was both amazing and disappointing as we weren’t one of the lucky few (per year! Haha!) to see a glimpse of the volcano’s peak. Ziplining in the cloud forest of Monteverde at sky adventures was an experience I will never forget because I was shaking from both fear, excitement, and the chilly temperatures. The Don Juan... read more

Had an amazing time in Costa Rica! Loved all of our excursions! White water rafting on the sarapiqui River was my favorite! Hiking the 1968 lava field in Arenal was both amazing and disappointing as we weren’t one of the lucky few (per year! Haha!) to see a glimpse of the volcano’s peak. Ziplining in the cloud forest of Monteverde at sky adventures was an experience I will never forget because I was shaking from both fear, excitement, and the chilly temperatures. The Don Juan coffee/chocolate tour is a MUST DO for anyone in the area and definitely gives me a different perspective every time I bite into a Hershey bar not to mention the amazing coffee and cocoa butter. We had the best 3.5 hours of fun on the ocean king in Quepos and thanks to the 8 drink tickets, it’s a good thing we purchased the $30 photo package so we have some great memories of the beautiful sunset! Costa Rica was the most memorable trip I have ever had and I can’t wait to use kimkim for my next adventure.

Our local specialist, Randall helped to plan an amazing visit to Costa Rica that was just the right combination of relaxation and adventure! The adventure started in Rincon de la Viejo National Park for a great hike with Andre. What an amazing combination of landscape, forest, volcanic pools and an abundance of wildlife. Andre was extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun! The next several days were all about relaxation in Playa Hermosa with stops in Playa Coco and Tamarindo. We then... read more

Our local specialist, Randall helped to plan an amazing visit to Costa Rica that was just the right combination of relaxation and adventure! The adventure started in Rincon de la Viejo National Park for a great hike with Andre. What an amazing combination of landscape, forest, volcanic pools and an abundance of wildlife. Andre was extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun! The next several days were all about relaxation in Playa Hermosa with stops in Playa Coco and Tamarindo. We then headed to Arenal for white water rafting, exploring the hanging bridges and lots of time in the hot springs. Magical is the best way to describe the experience and we had such a great time with Jairo and Koki from Wave Rafting and Christian on our tour through Mistico Park. It was our first trip to Costa Rica, but won't be the last. The Costa Rican people are so welcoming and friendly, many thanks to everyone for a memorable vacation!

Kim Kim was amazing. Very prompt in responding to our request. The bookings and hotels were just what we wanted and perfect for our family vacation. The only challenge we encountered was several of the guides only spoke Spanish yet were very helpful to try and accommodate our needs. Costa Rica was beautiful! Great family place to vacation.

Randall did a fantastic job setting up this trip for 2 couples. The hotels were top notch-Hotel Arenal resort- a very nice property with spacious rooms. Belmar Hotel-Monteverde great views, good food- an ecocentric property, very pleasant staff. La Mansion- Manuel Antonio- a nice property with great views. Staff are nice people but need significant training. The first room they wanted to give one of us had broken AC and a broken sliding door. It took some convincing to change rooms. Bar... read more

Randall did a fantastic job setting up this trip for 2 couples. The hotels were top notch-Hotel Arenal resort- a very nice property with spacious rooms. Belmar Hotel-Monteverde great views, good food- an ecocentric property, very pleasant staff. La Mansion- Manuel Antonio- a nice property with great views. Staff are nice people but need significant training. The first room they wanted to give one of us had broken AC and a broken sliding door. It took some convincing to change rooms. Bar service made mixed drinks with little alcohol. Hotel Grano de Oro -San Jose nice hotel, fantastic food.

Private and semi private rides between locations were fine. Some Costa Rican roads are better than others. Kim Kim arranged four events. Christian of Pur Vida led us on a hike through Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna waterfall. He was a little rushed at Hanging Bridges. Overall a B+. Oscar of Monteverde night tours led us on a night hike.Nice job- we actually saw wildlife - A. Carlos of Monteverde Experts led us on a tour of the cloud forrest was exactly that a well spoken expert- A+. Our last experience was a boat ride in a mangrove swamp led by a man from Tuscane tours. He was young and let one patron orchestrate the 2 hour tour. It was very frustrating- grade of C.

Everything that Kim Kim set up went off as planned. They deserve an A+.

Adrianna was amazing throughout planning our trip.
Our drivers always arrived on time and ready to pick us up -- even for our delayed flight at the start of our trip!

All our guides were fun, exciting, and very knowledgeable.
Thank you Alfredo for showing us La Fortuna Waterfall and guiding us through the orchid path and bird-sightings.
Thank you Ignacio for a witty, wonderful tour through the Hanging Bridges and for spotting countless interesting animals.
Thank you Daniel for exploring... read more

Adrianna was amazing throughout planning our trip.
Our drivers always arrived on time and ready to pick us up -- even for our delayed flight at the start of our trip!

All our guides were fun, exciting, and very knowledgeable.
Thank you Alfredo for showing us La Fortuna Waterfall and guiding us through the orchid path and bird-sightings.
Thank you Ignacio for a witty, wonderful tour through the Hanging Bridges and for spotting countless interesting animals.
Thank you Daniel for exploring Manuel Antonio Park with us and teaching us about the various flora and fauna.

We really loved the views of the Arenal Volcano and of course the warm beach waters that hug you as you step in. Best of all, the locals of Costa Rica are so friendly and helpful.

We booked the whole CostaRica 10 days tour through KimKim. The people who helped us with planning and while we were on vacation were extremely helpful. They answered all our questions and made several changes to the itinerary, activities, and hotels to accommodate us. The activities were planned well, the travel from one destination to another was nicely arranged. We stayed at three hotels - Hotel Arenal Manoa, Senda Monteverde and Shana at Manuel Antonio. The hotels Arenal Manoa and Senda... read more

We booked the whole CostaRica 10 days tour through KimKim. The people who helped us with planning and while we were on vacation were extremely helpful. They answered all our questions and made several changes to the itinerary, activities, and hotels to accommodate us. The activities were planned well, the travel from one destination to another was nicely arranged. We stayed at three hotels - Hotel Arenal Manoa, Senda Monteverde and Shana at Manuel Antonio. The hotels Arenal Manoa and Senda were of luxury style. Senda's service was just extra-ordinary. However, the hotel Shana, its food, and its service are not of luxury caliber. My only suggestion is for the KimKim team to review this hotel before recommending it as a luxury option.

My family is a very active bunch and we love adventure and keeping busy. We certainly had all of this on our vacation. Randall listened to what we wanted, and was easy to contact regarding changes in plans and what we wanted to do. We spent the first half of our trip at La Fortuna and the second half in Manuel Antonio. Our accommodations at Manuel Antonio were fabulous, with outrageous views, helpful staff, spacious for our family of 6. I usually like to plan my own trips, but having Randall took a lot of the load off and it was nice having someone to help out when issues arose.

I was hesitant about using an online travel agent but Randall was great; arranging and rearranging the schedule and activities as our plans evolved. The trip to Costa Rica was fantastic and is the best vacation I’ve had, ever! There is such a lush concentration of plants and every kind of living thing. Our accommodations were all first rate, we particularly enjoyed the El Establo Hotel at Monteverde. We traveled Jan 1-Jan 13 and enjoyed excellent weather, were never rained on in the... read more

I was hesitant about using an online travel agent but Randall was great; arranging and rearranging the schedule and activities as our plans evolved. The trip to Costa Rica was fantastic and is the best vacation I’ve had, ever! There is such a lush concentration of plants and every kind of living thing. Our accommodations were all first rate, we particularly enjoyed the El Establo Hotel at Monteverde. We traveled Jan 1-Jan 13 and enjoyed excellent weather, were never rained on in the daytime. We had several nature tours and a fab zip line excursion in Monteverde. Check out one of our guides Instagram sites: Jpablo_cruz226. We also visited the Mt Arenal area and a memorable highlight for us was the river cruise on the Rio Frío in the Cano Negro reserve with guide Joudan, who was especially knowledgeable. All the transfers and flights that Randall arranged for us went off without a hitch; we found two of the drivers, Jose and Jorge most helpful and professional. We also had a rented car and adventures driving the winding bumpy roads. If we had been choosing our own vehicle it would have been under powered and wrong for the terrain; but with a good travel agent to help we enjoyed the ride! We also had a cool domestic flight in a teensy plane to round out our transportation experience. It was great to see the ocean, jungle, crop lands, and mountains from a birds eye view. Sansa Air was excellent.

Randall, and the crew at KimKim did a great job in arranging a perfect trip to Costa Rica for our family. Randall was great in being flexible, and was accommodate all our requests in terms of the places and itinerary. He was very prompt in responding to the Emails, and providing the requested information.

I was amazed that they were able to pick the hotels that were just perfect for us for the location, for the most part. The hotels in Manuel Antonio (Karahe), MonteVerde (Ficus), and La... read more

Randall, and the crew at KimKim did a great job in arranging a perfect trip to Costa Rica for our family. Randall was great in being flexible, and was accommodate all our requests in terms of the places and itinerary. He was very prompt in responding to the Emails, and providing the requested information.

I was amazed that they were able to pick the hotels that were just perfect for us for the location, for the most part. The hotels in Manuel Antonio (Karahe), MonteVerde (Ficus), and La Fortuna (Montana del fuego) were excellent. The location of the hotel (Sleep Inn) in San Jose makes it a little less desirable for families (I think). Overall, the hotels were great, and their location made it possible to explore the place, find nice local establishments for food (and shopping) pretty easy.

The private transfers from the airport, and between the hotels were really nice. The drivers (Alex from Coast-to-Coast travels, Nelson and Diego from RideCR) were on-time, pointed out local wild-life along the way, and stopped at great fruit stalls, or coffee places when requested. one of the travel companies, RideCR, had Wi-Fi in their vehicles, so that was specially appreciated! Overall, there was a clock-work like quality for the travel arrangements, which was really nice. The car-boat-car transfer from MonteVerde to La Fortuna was a great experience, save the terrible condition of the roads in MonteVerde.

The guides in our tours were very passionate about their country, and what it stands for in the world (in terms of ecology, climate change etc.), and were very informative. Specially want to mention Aaron in Manuel Antonio night walk, Froy on boat trip to Cano Negro, and Horatio in hanging bridges tour in MonteVerde, as they were fantastic. I have to mention, the best meal we had in our entire trip was a home cooked meal on the Cano Negro trip!

The tours we have taken on the trip were ranging from very good to excellent, with a couple of exceptions. The hanging bridges, and canopy tour in MonteVerde was fantastic. Boat trip to Cano Negro was up there, as well as the trip from San Jose to Poas Volcano etc. Night walk in Manuel Antonio was great too. The Kayak trip to Isla Damas was a bit of a let down, and more adventurous (or risky) than imagined. And the night walk in MonteVerde was Okay as there were a lot of people, and not much luck with spotting wild-life on that night.

The early start times (pre-8:00AM) for some of the tours were a little difficult for the night owls of the family, and could have been managed better, in general. Usually, the tour guides pick-up people from various hotels before the tour started, and depending on the hotel, the pick-up time could be really early. It might be better to organize that differently to have a little bit extra time in the mornings for all, for example, by transporting the guests from their hotels to a central location where the tour started or something like that.

Overall, it was an excellent trip. Kudos to the KimKim team for their help and organization.

S.

OUTSTANDING TRIP

Our trip was fantastic, and was extremely well planned and well executed. Every excursion was exactly what was promised to us. Alex was truly outstanding. Will definitely use KimKim again, and would use Tachiz travel when we return to Costa Rica.

My family of four (two grown daughters, my wife and I) just returned from a 10-day trip to Costa Rica. KimKim was very easy to deal with. Adriana was our main contact, but when she was off Olman responded and helped us with our arrangements. Both were knowledgeable and helpful and worked as a team. We spent 3 nights in Playa Flamingo (near Tamarindo), 3 nights in the Arenal area (near La Fortuna) and 3 nights in Manuel Antonio (near the national park). We had lots of adventures, but also... read more

My family of four (two grown daughters, my wife and I) just returned from a 10-day trip to Costa Rica. KimKim was very easy to deal with. Adriana was our main contact, but when she was off Olman responded and helped us with our arrangements. Both were knowledgeable and helpful and worked as a team. We spent 3 nights in Playa Flamingo (near Tamarindo), 3 nights in the Arenal area (near La Fortuna) and 3 nights in Manuel Antonio (near the national park). We had lots of adventures, but also found the trip very relaxing. We did not rent a car. KimKim arranged for our transports. I'm sure this is much more expensive than renting a car, but as first time visitors to Costa Rica, we were concerned about road conditions and getting around. We observed some other travelers having trouble navigating, but they all seemed to get where they were going eventually. The drivers were always prompt, friendly and pulled over to show us things, especially when they knew areas where sloths or crocodiles were typically spotted from the road. (Special shout out to Jonathan who was our driver on three days.) Having drivers definitely made it a stress-free vacation. It would have been helpful to have a car in Playa Flamingo as there were other beach towns just far enough away that you need to drive and it was not certain that we could get taxis back. We took a Catamaran sunset cruise with Panache sailing. The guys working the cruise were great and friendly. You stop and snorkel but it was not good snorkeling. We heard there was much better snorkeling spots back in Playa Flamingo, but you're really there for the cruise which is very relaxing (even though it felt like there were too many people on board). We stayed at the Lost Iguana in Arenal. Very very nice. It's remote and in the rain forest. Highly recommend. It's a 30 minute drive to La Fortuna. We just took all of our meals at Lost Iguana. We did the SkyAdventures zipline. Very thrilling experience. Even though we were scared to death by the heights and the speed, we highly recommend. Another highlight was the farm tour and cooking class as Vida Campesina. My family likes to cook. It was a fun, informative and delicious evening. We did a "hike" to the La Fortuna Waterfall. It's not a hike. You walk down steps to the waterfall. It's beautiful and we swam in the very cold water, but you don't need a guide for this. If you have a car, just drive there, pay the entry and walk down to see the waterfall. We went to the hanging bridges, which is set up like an amusement park. That was initially a turn-off, but once in we really enjoyed the walk through the rain forest, the views and bridges. If you go to the Manuel Antonio national park, you could skip the hanging bridges and do something more adventuresome. We stayed at the Mariposa Hotel in Manuel Antonio. It is perfectly located at the top of the mountain with great views (amazing sunsets every night), and walking distance to the best restaurants we ate at in Costa Rica (Emilio's Cafe, Agua Azul and Milagro). We only ate breakfast at the Mariposa. Breakfasts were nice at both hotels. We went into the National Park with a guide. You must have a guide or you won't see anything. They have special scopes and spot things animals that are camouflaged or too high up in the trees to see with the naked eye. Don't be turned off by the crowds. It's good to have a few guides around because they tell each other what they have spotted, so you are bound to see more things if there are other guided groups in the area. We spent a few hours at the Playa Espedilla Sur (beach) in the park. Great beach, but beware of the animals. The monkeys come down and try to steal from the tourists, we also saw a raccoon try to do the same. We also did the boat ride through the Damas estuary to see the mangroves. Very relaxing. We used Aventuras Tropicales. It's a family business. At the end you eat a home cooked lunch of typical Costa Rican cuisine at their home. The boat ride feels like the Disneyland Jungle Cruise. We saw many birds and some monkeys, but mostly it's just a relaxing cruise. We don't regret doing it, but it's not very adventuresome. Younger kids might get very bored very quickly. Note, the weather forecast often showed rain, but it mostly rained at night or while we were driving but never rained during any of our activities. Not sure if that was typical or we were just lucky, but the point is not to fret over weather. I'm sure we paid a premium to use KimKim's services, but we think it was worth it as they made it a seamless process and the result was a great time had by all. We would use KimKim again. Many thanks to Adriana and Olman.

Our guides were awesome, such a fun and easy experience. It was a breeze

Our family (3 adults) really enjoyed our first trip to Costa Rica. The process of planning the trip with kimkim was very easy and convenient, and our specialist Yenyi was always very responsive and helpful with our questions.

Overall, we had a great time on our trip. We went to Arenal and Monteverde (one of our guides described it as going from the rainforest to the cloud forest), which were unique and beautiful. Our accommodations were wonderful, especially our stay at Tabacon resort in... read more

Our family (3 adults) really enjoyed our first trip to Costa Rica. The process of planning the trip with kimkim was very easy and convenient, and our specialist Yenyi was always very responsive and helpful with our questions.

Overall, we had a great time on our trip. We went to Arenal and Monteverde (one of our guides described it as going from the rainforest to the cloud forest), which were unique and beautiful. Our accommodations were wonderful, especially our stay at Tabacon resort in Arenal - which has the best hot springs facilities in town (the town is famous for the natural hot springs due to the nearby volcano). We ended up going to the hot springs every day! Our hotel in Monteverde - Fonda Vela - was also nice, although it was definitely a bit outdated (especially the bathroom) and they were actively doing construction during our stay (a bit dirty and loud at times), but our room had a beautiful view of the forests and Pacific Ocean.

Out of all of our activities, some of the highlights were zip lining in the cloud forest (10 different lines) and the nocturnal nature tour (we were able to spot snakes, birds, and unique insects in the complete dark with our guide). We also really enjoyed our Rio Celeste day trip - unfortunately the trip itself was cut short due to heavy rainfall closing off half of the park (and the river was brown instead of blue), but our guide Michael was so amazing he really made it a fun and educational trip (teaching us about local plants and insects), and the lunch was good too.

The parts we didn't enjoy as much/some issues:
- Our local tour operator was late several times and did not give us notice. For our boat ride, we waited 30 minutes in our lobby; the tour operator did not contact us, we had to ask the hotel to call them to see when they were arriving.
- The description for "Arenal to Monteverde by boat" is extremely misleading. The kimkim page described it as 3.5 hour boat ride, in reality it was a 40 minute boat ride followed by a 2 hour car ride on extremely bump roads.
- The La Fortuna Waterfall tour was also a disappointment. It was billed as a half-day tour, but the tour itself was only one hour (you climb down the steps, see the waterfall, then climb up the steps). We had to leave the hotel at 7:30 AM, the drive was an hour round trip, and the tour was an hour. We had to wake up so early but then were back at the hotel by 9:30 AM. Our tour guide didn't really explain anything to us, and towards the end he was rushing for us to leave even though the tour was much shorter than we anticipated.

Issues aside, we did have a wonderful time in Costa Rica. The majority of our guides were awesome and super knowledgeable. The accommodations were great and everything was nicely organized. We loved the food and the friendly people everywhere.

The team at Kimkim put together a fantastic itinerary which checks every wish box of our dream vacation. Thank you, Thank you!

I would definitely take their service for our next vacation.

Randall did an excellent job and listening to what we were looking to for for our vacation. He put together a great vacation for us! We did whitewater rafting, tubing, horseback rides, zip line and repelling, catamaran and hiking tour. These excursions were fun, breathtaking and outstanding. I would highly recommend him for anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica! Thank you Randall!!!

Planning the trip with Kim Kim was excellent. I appreciated the advice that allowed us to customize a tour in a new country to us that allowed enjoyment and comfort for our group from age 12-84. The efforts from our advisor was excellent and the execution of the plans was flawless. We had one hitch that was taken care immediately with our KimKim rep, Yenyi- right away after one email.

We especially enjoyed the Hotel Ficus for its views in Monteverde and excellent staff support. The sloth... read more

Planning the trip with Kim Kim was excellent. I appreciated the advice that allowed us to customize a tour in a new country to us that allowed enjoyment and comfort for our group from age 12-84. The efforts from our advisor was excellent and the execution of the plans was flawless. We had one hitch that was taken care immediately with our KimKim rep, Yenyi- right away after one email.

We especially enjoyed the Hotel Ficus for its views in Monteverde and excellent staff support. The sloth tour with Daniel at Arenal was a highlight in Christmas Day. And while the rooms are simple at Hotel and Villas Huertes the staff and groundskeeper, Alberto, were amazing. That team and especially the maintenance of the pool, landscaping and environs made that simple hotel an excellent choice.

Surfing with Iguana Surf in Tamarindo was a great experience and introduction to the sport.

By far, the best travel company i’ve ever dealt with. My wife and I had a really great experience.

All the events were great and the accomodations were good. They planned the trip I wanted though it was a little too packed- almost stressful. That's on me though. The other thing was I had said that I didn't know how releastic it was for me to do all three things I wanted and was worried about logistics. I think they could have gotten me my itinerary a little sooner and if I knew that some days I would be in the car 5+ hours in a day I would say why don't we skip that. They did help me make... read more

All the events were great and the accomodations were good. They planned the trip I wanted though it was a little too packed- almost stressful. That's on me though. The other thing was I had said that I didn't know how releastic it was for me to do all three things I wanted and was worried about logistics. I think they could have gotten me my itinerary a little sooner and if I knew that some days I would be in the car 5+ hours in a day I would say why don't we skip that. They did help me make changes on the fly however. And I also should have told them that I didn't want to wake up at 5AM on vacation. I guess that's on me too but I would think they could have said- hey if you want to do this, you have to get up at 5. I would have said no thanks.

My friend and I had a great experience using kimkim to plan our itinerary for an 8 day/7 night trip to multiple destinations in Costa Rica. It was a different experience than the guided tours that we are used to in that we didn't receive our voucher information until two days before the trip (though we knew our whole itinerary long before then). However, everything was beautifully orchestrated from the shuttles between locations, hotel accommodations, and quality excursions and tours.

Our... read more

My friend and I had a great experience using kimkim to plan our itinerary for an 8 day/7 night trip to multiple destinations in Costa Rica. It was a different experience than the guided tours that we are used to in that we didn't receive our voucher information until two days before the trip (though we knew our whole itinerary long before then). However, everything was beautifully orchestrated from the shuttles between locations, hotel accommodations, and quality excursions and tours.

Our only suggestion was that the itinerary include more detailed information about the tours. For example, we knew we were doing a tour of a volcano one day and there was some mention of visiting hot springs after that, but there were not many specifics. Thankfully we brought bathing suits with us on our volcano tour just in case, because we found ourselves being dropped off at a hot springs after the volcano and even being served a dinner we didn't expect. It would just really help to have some details about what clothing items to have packed (such as an extra change of clothes) for the tours or excursions which are included.

Otherwise, I would really recommend kimkim for anyone who doesn't want to go through the hassle of arranging multiple in-country transportation and excursion bookings.

I am very happy with the service KimKim provided in planning & booking our trip to Costa Rica. Randall was very friendly & knowledgeable and he was able to customize our trip to fit our schedule & needs. We had out flights to San Jose Costa Rica booked but we had not planned or booked anything further. Randall at KimKim made it very easy for us & took care of all the bookings including hotel, transportation, and activities. I highly recommend KimKim & Randall.

The trip was well planned and fantastic.! We loved the rafting in La Fortuna,. The hot springs were great. The zip-line in Monteverde and suspension bridges were fun. All transfer drivers were polite and on time. Instead of the Sloth Territory tour I would probably do the waterfall hike or a different sloth place since we didn’t see much. The hotels were fine and what I expected since that was not our focus. I would recommend Beatriz!

Great job randall!!! Everything went without a problem. The shuttle service was superb and on time. Even had 2 excursions that were just my husband and I with the tour guide.

The trip was well organized and everything went smoothly.

This was our second trip to Costa Rica and Randall did a great job of organizing exactly what we wanted this time around. There was only one glitch when a river rafting trip was cancelled at the last minute, but Jimmy Villegas immediately found and booked an alternative tour rappelling down waterwalls which turned out to be a real highlight of our vacation.

We organized the trip through Olman, and communication was very smooth (quick replies to questions). Hotels and transportation was all very good (in particular the hotels in Arenal and Manuel Antonio areas).

My wife and I were unfamiliar with Costa Rica but she loves sloths so we selected this location for our honeymoon. With minimal details aside from sloths, Olman was able to plan a beautiful vacation for us. It included a romantic stay for a few nights at a resort as well as a multitude of excursions. Thanks to Olman, we had a great experience in Costa Rica with wonderful memories - we are now planning a trip to Hawaii because of our past experience with KimKim.

The trip was very well organised by Adriana, she was very helpful, especially when it came to last minute changes. The hotels where fantastic, all nature guides were awesome, very knowledgeable, pick ups were all on time and everyone was super friendly. La Paloma Lodge in Osa is outstanding, In hindsight I should have included a two night stay at Sirena Ranger Station, some people who stayed at Paloma did this and where blown away by this experience.
In Porto Viejo I would include a walk... read more

The trip was very well organised by Adriana, she was very helpful, especially when it came to last minute changes. The hotels where fantastic, all nature guides were awesome, very knowledgeable, pick ups were all on time and everyone was super friendly. La Paloma Lodge in Osa is outstanding, In hindsight I should have included a two night stay at Sirena Ranger Station, some people who stayed at Paloma did this and where blown away by this experience.
In Porto Viejo I would include a walk through Cahuita National Park rather than a walk at Punta Uva. ( this was very basic). The trip from San Jose to Porto Viejo was 6 hours due to road works......was not enjoyable but not much do be done about it. If I had to leave something out of the programme, it would be Porto Viejo and spend time in Arenal area instead.
The company at Monteverde who ran the zip line at Selvatura can be highly recommended.
All up, a fantastic trip, true pure vida........thanks a lot Adriana and the team, I will definitely recommend you......

Our driver (Mau) and our guide (Julio) we’re very friendly, knowledgeable and responsive to our requests and needs . They really added to the success and enjoyment of the trip. We would highly recommend this trip-especially with Mau and Julio.

We booked two excursions for our one week stay in Costa Rica in November. One, out of San Jose, was to Poas Volcano and then La Paz waterfalls and nature park. Our guide was Edgar and we had a lovely time despite the rain and fog up in the mountains. Edgar was fun to be with and informative. I absolutely loved La Paz, especially in the mist and drizzle. Just magical! Our other excursion was from Puerto Viejo, the Cahuita national park. Our guide was Shailo Rose and he was charming and such a... read more

We booked two excursions for our one week stay in Costa Rica in November. One, out of San Jose, was to Poas Volcano and then La Paz waterfalls and nature park. Our guide was Edgar and we had a lovely time despite the rain and fog up in the mountains. Edgar was fun to be with and informative. I absolutely loved La Paz, especially in the mist and drizzle. Just magical! Our other excursion was from Puerto Viejo, the Cahuita national park. Our guide was Shailo Rose and he was charming and such a wealth of information about local plants and animals and growing up in the area. This was my wife's favourite day. To be honest we had two free days to walk around San Jose and I think one would have been sufficient. We would have loved to have had an extra day in Puerto Viejo!

Costa Rica is a beautiful Country. The guides were kind, the zip line experience was amazing, and the hot springs hotel was really pretty. I enjoyed kayaking in the river a lot. I was disappointed in the 3rd hotel for adults only; especially for a group of girls. It was highly geared toward couples and I feel we were treated differently there then the other places. I found a hotel that we moved to for the last 2 nights called the Carriblue which was my favorite one. I like the space, jungle... read more

Costa Rica is a beautiful Country. The guides were kind, the zip line experience was amazing, and the hot springs hotel was really pretty. I enjoyed kayaking in the river a lot. I was disappointed in the 3rd hotel for adults only; especially for a group of girls. It was highly geared toward couples and I feel we were treated differently there then the other places. I found a hotel that we moved to for the last 2 nights called the Carriblue which was my favorite one. I like the space, jungle and it was much roomier. Unfortunately it cost 500$ that I didn’t expect to spend but we felt highly uncomfortable at the other place and had to move. The last day was difficult with all the shuttle driving; it took 2 hours longer then we were told and we sadly missed our plane back to Liberia and had to rent a car. I felt we all were pretty positive and made the best of it, enjoying the natural beauty of Costa Rica. I believe we took good care of those guides/locals that helped us to enjoy our vacation. I’m not sure I would do anything as busy next time (going from place to place) and I’d like much less time actually “traveling.”

We had a terrific time in Costa Rica! Highlights included a bunch of hikes, amazing food, ziplining, snorkeling... it was beautiful. Definitely want to revisit the country!

Monica and Kristy were outstanding - they asked the right questions, found out what kind of a trip we wanted to do, and came up with an itinerary tailored for us. They were responsive, attentive, and most of all, patient - we wanted to make some changes last-minute and they were willing to listen and be flexible. Thank you for everything!

Rodrigo was fantastic!

In general it was easy to organise and good recommendations were given. The problem was that the hotels and experiences that were booked did not meet our expectations or the description provided by kimkim and once the issues were raised they were not addressed by Kimkim

We would like to thank Olman for the amazing 11 day trip he planned for us with such short notice. Costa Rica has been on our list of places to visit but we only booked the flights 4 weeks before travelling. I was apprehensive about Travelling in October as it is meant to be the rainy season. Olman explained the weather is normally sunny in the morning clouding over in the afternoon. We seemed to be lucky as we only had 1 evening when we had a real downpour, which was quite an adventure. The... read more

We would like to thank Olman for the amazing 11 day trip he planned for us with such short notice. Costa Rica has been on our list of places to visit but we only booked the flights 4 weeks before travelling. I was apprehensive about Travelling in October as it is meant to be the rainy season. Olman explained the weather is normally sunny in the morning clouding over in the afternoon. We seemed to be lucky as we only had 1 evening when we had a real downpour, which was quite an adventure. The 5 hotels we stayed in were all different but each lovely. Pick ups and transportation excellent all on time and went without a hitch. We got to see so much wild life. Our favourites were the sloths and a turtle laying her eggs. The white water rafting down the Pacuare River and zipline tour in La Fortuna were so exciting and fun through beautiful scenery. Thanks again Olman and Kim Kim for planning a stress free amazing holiday

My specialist, Randal, planned me an amazing trip to Costa Rica! This was my first time traveling alone internationally, and I wanted a mix of outdoor activities + leisure. Randall worked with me and happily tolerated it when I changed my mind about things periodically until the plans were perfect! I had no questions or issues along the way -- everything was planned from top to bottom.

We were met warmly in the airport by Ben. The driver to Monteverde stopped at a wonderful vista and helped us access the house. We loved the walk through the Cloud Forest and was very impressed by our knowledgeable botanist guide, Rodrigo. Rafa from the boat was especially helpful in locating our AirBnB which turned out to be farther. We loved Hugo and Jacob, our kayaking guides. Hacienda la Isla was a gem. The beach walk and snorkel at Cahuita Park was wonderful! Impressive conservation of nature, flora and fauna!!

What a wonderful experience! The hotel was amazing and the staff was so friendly. We loved all of our guides, especially Jose and Cesar. I miss the sounds of the howler monkeys. Also we were very lucky with the weather!

We are very disappointed with our experience with KimKim on what should have been a great trip. Randall was helpful in laying out an itinerary that suited our needs. The quoted price seem quite a bit higher relative to the experience of friends and family who have been to Costa Rica, which prompted us to ask about any included fees. Randall said that all contracts with tour operators were "confidential" and that "all benefits are passed along to you." He insisted that there were no added fees... read more

We are very disappointed with our experience with KimKim on what should have been a great trip. Randall was helpful in laying out an itinerary that suited our needs. The quoted price seem quite a bit higher relative to the experience of friends and family who have been to Costa Rica, which prompted us to ask about any included fees. Randall said that all contracts with tour operators were "confidential" and that "all benefits are passed along to you." He insisted that there were no added fees beyond what was shown at the end.

The tours and experiences that Randall had booked for us were actually prominently advertised with their prices in every hotel we visited. All the hotels themselves also had their rates prominently displayed. Once we added it all up, we realized that KimKim had charged us more than a 30% premium on every activity and hotel as well as added on the fee at the end. Given the price, the lack of unique experiences that we all readily bookable everywhere, we would never use this service again. If you like the convenience and are willing to pay the huge premium, this is a great service. However, be aware that there is no transparency with regards to this premium and you can probably do just as well booking with your local reputable hotel from one of the major sites.

Our whole experience couldn’t have been more seamless. Our transportation, our lodging, our activities...everything was perfect. We had an amazing time in Costa Rica, and Randall made it happen!

We had an amazing time in Costa Rica. The communication with Olman during the planning process was excellent. He was extremely responsive. The trip was extremely well planned and well organized. All the transportation and transitions went off without a hitch. All of the hotels were lovely, but Tabacon was the winner. The rooms and grounds were beautiful, especially the hot springs and the breakfast was sumptuous. All of the tours were great and well run but the wildlife tour and turtle... read more

We had an amazing time in Costa Rica. The communication with Olman during the planning process was excellent. He was extremely responsive. The trip was extremely well planned and well organized. All the transportation and transitions went off without a hitch. All of the hotels were lovely, but Tabacon was the winner. The rooms and grounds were beautiful, especially the hot springs and the breakfast was sumptuous. All of the tours were great and well run but the wildlife tour and turtle nesting tour in Tortuguerro were incredible (and Willis, our guide, was extremely knowledgable) and the white water rafting trip with Wave Expeditions was the highlight for all of us. Our guide, Yorjani, was incredible. He made us feel safe and kept us laughing the whole time. And thanks to the kayaking photographer for preserving our memories (and saving our cameras and phones from being submerged). Thank you for a wonderful and well-planned trip. Our kids keep saying how much they miss being in Costa Rica and can't stop talking about all the animals they saw. thanks kimkim!

We had just 4 nights to explore outside of San Jose and no time to plan, so we took a chance on Kimkim and Randall after randomly finding Kimkim online. Randall put together a plan based on the info we gave him, tweaked a few things at our request and then put it into action via the local contractor Coast to Coast Adventures. Every activity on the pretty busy schedule went off without a hitch -- ALL drivers arrived on time (or early!), ALL activities were pretty much as described, ALL... read more

We had just 4 nights to explore outside of San Jose and no time to plan, so we took a chance on Kimkim and Randall after randomly finding Kimkim online. Randall put together a plan based on the info we gave him, tweaked a few things at our request and then put it into action via the local contractor Coast to Coast Adventures. Every activity on the pretty busy schedule went off without a hitch -- ALL drivers arrived on time (or early!), ALL activities were pretty much as described, ALL hoteliers were expecting us and the rooms were as described, and ALL the guides for the various activities were well-trained, knowledgeable and personable.

- Day 1 La Fortuna Arenal Volcano nature walk; Tabacon Hot Springs
> The nature walk was less of a hike than we were hoping for, but really beautiful scenery around the volcano and Nestor, the guide, was very knowledgeable and great at spotting birds/wildlife.
> Of all the experiences Kimkim/Randall/Coast to Coast Adventures arranged for us, we might have skipped Tabacon Hot Springs just because it was very expensive, crowded and super touristy (we live in Japan and the hot spring experience here is very, very different!), but it was good for a laugh just the same, with the wall of water and hidden nooks and crannies. Other visitors, beware -- the footing around some of the pools is very slippery and we really recommend water shoes or flipflops or something grippy to keep you on your feet. We were both fine, but we saw a visitor in bare feet slip and fall hard on some tiles, banging his head and tailbone pretty hard. A medic was called to tend to him.

- Day 2 La Fortuna Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge boat trip
> Hermann, the boat driver, didn't speak English but he was REALLY good at spotting wildlife even as he drove the boat, and Gustavo the guide was good at both spotting and explaining. This was a brilliant day -- we saw SO MANY birds/animals. Sloths, 3 different kinds of monkeys (we were actually treated to a big monkey drama as 2 troupes of white-faced monkeys shrieked at each other across the river), "Jesus Christ" lizards, snakes, tiny little bats, one caiman, and an incredible number and variety of birds. TAKE YOUR BINOCULARS if you do this trip. They were glued to my face the whole time. It was a rainy day but the boat had a roof and we were very comfortable. A tasty homemade lunch was also provided after the morning voyage.

- Day 3 La Fortuna & transfer to Santa Elena - Kayaking on Lake Arenal in the morning
> The kayaking was fun and easy, and the guide, Joseph/Jose was one of the nicest guys we encountered. Earnest, hardworking, friendly, knowledgeable, curious -- he was a great representative of Costa Rica. We really enjoyed spending the morning with him, while the views of the volcano towering over the placid lake were pretty spectacular.
> The bus/boat/bus trip to Santa Elena was a laugh -- the boat pulled up on a completely undeveloped shoreline and we were asked to get out with our bags. Without explanation, we were led down a dirt path, across a makeshift bridge and up to a dirt road were, magically, a bus appeared! Then off we went on the bumpy, mostly unpaved road to Santa Elena. Loved the green green green views of farms and jungle along the way. BEAUTIFUL Costa Rica...

- Day 4 Santa Elena / Monteverde Cloud Forest
> Morning hike in the reserve was great but here we did find our guide to be a bit ... what... jaded? Too used to tourists, maybe? Bored? All the same, he did spot some fantastic wildlife for us that we would never have seen on our own, including the Resplendent Quetzal (several, in fact...) WOW! On this hike, we found there was a lot of standing around -- we might have liked a smaller group that went a bit further afield.
> "Night walk" -- it POURED rain on us, but we were prepared with rain gear, etc. The animals were not so keen to be out in the rain, so it was harder to spot things, but we saw snakes, spiders, Costa Rican porcupines and sloths all the same...
> Our B&B -- Grace & Renzo B&B -- was excellent. We talked a lot with Grace and enjoyed their hospitality.

- Day 5 Aventura Ziplining and transfer back to San Jose
> Great thing for thrill seekers! Screaming through the canopy -- don't miss the Mega Tarzan Swing -- HEART STOPPING! Good fun for us and the weather cooperated. We enjoyed getting to know other travelers in our group.
> The Interbus transfer back to San Jose was punctual, comfortable, and uneventful.

SO, overall, we had a fabulous trip thanks to Randall, Kimkim, and all the local service providers. Randall arranged exactly what we asked for -- a taste of Costa Rica on a limited time budget -- so all in all, we are very satisfied.

This was my first time using KimKim and I was definitely leery. I usually book all of our trips by myself. I have to say though that Adriana, who booked our trip to Costa Rica was wonderful. She answered all of my questions and rearranged our trip so that it fit what we wanted to do and our budget. She was even able to change a pick-up time in the middle of our trip when I requested it. All of the excursions we went on were run by top-notch companies and guides and the hotels she recommended and booked had amazing views. Everything was very smooth! I'd highly recommend her!

Well worth every dime
Amazing place and people 💓

carlos helped us and made our trip memorable, thanks
we had the trip of a lifetime

Monica was a true gem! She made my first trip to Costa Rica a lifetime memory. She was always available when needed. She ensured I received the best customer service. The trip plan she suggested was exactly what I wanted!

My trip has been amazing. Olman perfectly understood my expectations and organized it as well as I could have hoped. Strongly recommended.

We couldn't have been more pleased with our trip. We took a 12-day family trip with 3 teenagers (18,16,13). All of our accommodations were perfect, from the hotels, the excursions, and the included meals. It was the perfect mix of adventure and fun with learning about the history of the country, the agriculture, and seeing all the plants and animals in their natural habitat. All of our drivers, guides, and excursion leaders spoke perfect English, and were so friendly and eager to tell us... read more

We couldn't have been more pleased with our trip. We took a 12-day family trip with 3 teenagers (18,16,13). All of our accommodations were perfect, from the hotels, the excursions, and the included meals. It was the perfect mix of adventure and fun with learning about the history of the country, the agriculture, and seeing all the plants and animals in their natural habitat. All of our drivers, guides, and excursion leaders spoke perfect English, and were so friendly and eager to tell us about their country. Highlights of our trip would be white water rafting on the Balsa River, ziplining in Monteverde, and the hot springs/thermal baths in La Fortuna/ Arenal volcano. The wildlife at the beach in Quepos was unreal- we saw sloths, monkeys, and iguanas daily on the ground of our hotel and around town. Carlos’ attention to detail was great and he checked in on us multiple times during our trip to make sure everything was perfect.

We made a fairly last minute decision to take our family of 4 to Costa Rica in July. Without enough time to research an itinerary, we are so glad we found kimkim online. Working with our trip planner, Adriana, was effortless and she planned a fantastic vacation for us!

Some comments on the service first. Adriana was extremely responsive. Using kimkim's messaging service, I received texts when she sent updates which allowed us to plan the trip very efficiently. We caught up by phone as well... read more

We made a fairly last minute decision to take our family of 4 to Costa Rica in July. Without enough time to research an itinerary, we are so glad we found kimkim online. Working with our trip planner, Adriana, was effortless and she planned a fantastic vacation for us!

Some comments on the service first. Adriana was extremely responsive. Using kimkim's messaging service, I received texts when she sent updates which allowed us to plan the trip very efficiently. We caught up by phone as well when a couple of quick decisions needed to be made and I was really impressed with her knowledge of the local hotels, restaurants and activities. While we were in Costa Rica, we reached out a couple of times just to let her know how great the trip was and, again, she responded immediately, making us comfortable that we could reach her if we had a problem.

We made a couple of decisions on activities, but for the most part Adriana planned our itinerary and her choices were excellent. We did at least 3 guided tours at popular local attractions which offer multiple guide options. Her resource choices were awesome - extremely knowledgeable and with great language skills (we are English-speaking with some Spanish skills). Her hotel choices also were excellent. We stayed in four places and it was clear at each stop that she knew the venues well and had taken our interests into consideration (pools, views, rooms together).

After speaking with Adriana, we decided not to rent a car. Given the number of times we moved, it made the transportation logistics important. Every transfer she set up showed up on time, the drivers and boat operator were efficient and professional and we were so happy in the end with our decision as the driving would not have been impossible, but challenging.

FInally, a few words about Costa Rica if you are considering it as a destination. We loved this country! The people are very friendly and the variety of activities, terrains and even weather is incredible. We were there during rainy season but even so really enjoyed the trip (if you go at the same time, bring a quality rain jacket and a quick dry shoe option). Highlights for us were the Selvatura Park in Monteverde and our tour of the Manuel Antonio National Park. If you stay in Manuel Antonio, consider La Mariposa - it's beautiful and the service is fantastic.

We definitely will use kimkim again - thanks again to Adriana and the team for giving us such a special experience!

Our trip was AMAZING!!! UNFORGETTABLE! We told our Kimkim rep what we wanted to do and see and they took care of the rest....no issues whatsoever!!! Everything was soooooo well coordinated!! Thanks KIM KIM!!

Randall was fantastic from start to finish, his local knowledge and suggestions for tours and activities resulted in a fun filled 6 day itinerary as part of our family holiday to Costa Rica. The hotels, transfers and tours all went smoothly and communication throughout the booking process was clear and very easy.
Thank you Randall! We had a fantastic time and would recommend your services and KimKim to anyone looking to book a holiday to beautiful Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

Carlos was always very responsive and a pleasure to work with. He had many good ideas for the trip, and most importantly, he chose a perfect guide and driver for our family trip. Our guide, Margarita, was a biologist who had a vast knowledge of bird, plant and wildlife, but she was also great with kids, making up various games and contests to keep them engaged. Enrique was also very knowledgable and accommodating to kids and my mom, who is 85 and couldn't participate in many of the... read more

Carlos was always very responsive and a pleasure to work with. He had many good ideas for the trip, and most importantly, he chose a perfect guide and driver for our family trip. Our guide, Margarita, was a biologist who had a vast knowledge of bird, plant and wildlife, but she was also great with kids, making up various games and contests to keep them engaged. Enrique was also very knowledgable and accommodating to kids and my mom, who is 85 and couldn't participate in many of the activities, so he often stayed with her. We had a wonderful time and learned a lot about the beautiful country.

We just returned from an 11-day family vacation in Costa Rica and it was truly fantastic. We had a great balance of planned adventures and downtime that we used to explore on our own. The tours and hotels organized by Randall were all great, and I am so glad we decided to have an expert organize our itinerary instead of trying to figure it out ourselves. Below are the brief reviews of the major highlights of our trip:

Balsa River rafting with WAVE: 5/5. Fun river, great guide, great... read more

We just returned from an 11-day family vacation in Costa Rica and it was truly fantastic. We had a great balance of planned adventures and downtime that we used to explore on our own. The tours and hotels organized by Randall were all great, and I am so glad we decided to have an expert organize our itinerary instead of trying to figure it out ourselves. Below are the brief reviews of the major highlights of our trip:

Balsa River rafting with WAVE: 5/5. Fun river, great guide, great lunch. Wished it were longer!
Arenal Springs Resort: 5/5. Beautiful resort, nice rooms, nice hot springs, amazing breakfast.
Horseback/Waterfall: 5/5. Nice guide, great scenery, just the right length.
Arenal Hike + Tabacon Hot Springs: 5/5. Terrific guide, interesting history, saw red-eye leaf frog. Evening at hot springs was really relaxing, the buffet at Tabacon was just OK.
Sloth Tour: 3/5. Booked this on our own... seeing the first sloth was cool but after 2 hours they're kind of boring. Very nice restaurant stop at the end.
Car/Boat/Car trip to Monteverde: 5/5. Enjoyed practicing my Espanol with driver Hugo. Rough road, wouldn't want to drive this ourselves!
Hotel Ficus: 4/5. Nice room, lacked fan, restaurant was just OK, too pricey for dinner.
Twilight hike: 3/5. It was OK, but we got really wet and only saw bugs.
100% Aventura Ziplining: 5+/5. Whole family loved this! Tarzan swing at the end is a true test of courage.... just do it!
El Trapiche plantation tour: 5/5. Booked this on our own... very nice coffee/sugar farm tour with chocolate demo too, and tasty samples of everything.
Car trip to Manuel Antonio: 5/5. Private van, our driver Rafael was very friendly and took us to a great soda for lunch. And he stopped so we could see Croc Bridge - very cool!
Hotel Costa Verde: 5/5. Great location, spacious rooms, and plenty of monkeys!
Catamaran Cruise: 3/5. Nice day on the water, but the snorkeling is not really any good. Lots of hot, boring waiting before boarding the boat. We paid for the ship paparazzi photos and felt it was a ripoff for what we actually got. Lunch was decent, crew was friendly.
Espadilla Beach: 5/5. Great beach for relaxing and swimming. Rented cheap surfboards for the kids. Lots of monkeys here too!
Manuel Antonio National Park: 5/5. Beautiful, but prepare to get HOT and SWEATY. Lots of monkeys here.

Overall we had a great time and we could have never figured this all out without Randall. Thanks for the great adventures!

The coordination of drivers, guides and various excursions worked well: the drivers and guides were personable, knowledgeable, courteous and punctual. The experiences were interesting too as these naturalists were able to spot hidden creatures in the murky waters or shadowy trees and shrubbery such as sloths, caymans, monkeys, parrots, snakes, frogs, millipedes and a variety of birds.

Adriana was absolutely great to work with! Our trip had a rocky start when a delay in our first flight caused us to miss our connecting flight to Costa Rica. That delay in turn made us miss our our first booked trip. Adriana and kimkim rearranged our whole schedule, rebooking hotels and tours. The following day when there was a nation wide truckers' strike, and we couldn't get to the east coast of the country, she rebooked everything all over again! I can't even imagine what we would... read more

Adriana was absolutely great to work with! Our trip had a rocky start when a delay in our first flight caused us to miss our connecting flight to Costa Rica. That delay in turn made us miss our our first booked trip. Adriana and kimkim rearranged our whole schedule, rebooking hotels and tours. The following day when there was a nation wide truckers' strike, and we couldn't get to the east coast of the country, she rebooked everything all over again! I can't even imagine what we would have done with out her. just thinking about trying to deal with that mess on our own was daunting. The rest of our 18 day trip went flawlessly and we are so thankful that we had someone help us through it. Gracias y Pura Vida Adriana!

My son and I spent 9 days in Costa Rica during the last week of June. Randall did an exceptional job arranging all our excursions and hotel accommodations. Randall was also extremely responsive in answering any of my questions. The 2 day white water rafting trip down the Paquare River was great! We also really enjoyed the zip lining and hot springs in La Fortuna. The Costa Verde hotel was beautiful in Manuel Antonio and we enjoyed kayaking, snorkeling, and surfing. Every adventure was wonderful and I would plan my next vacation through Kimkim. Thank you for a very memorable vacation!

Olman did a fantastic job arranging our trip to Costa Rica. We were very happy with the hotel recommendations as well as activities that were pre-arranged. Transportation was flawless. Various drop-offs and pickups were all right on time. I changed my plan mid trip , and Olman sent new itinerary within a few hours. Great job.

Carlos arranged an amazing trip for my family that captured all the best things about travel: opening hearts and minds, meeting new people and some great fun! I'd say that the trip included something for everyone, but it actually included everything for everyone. We all - myself, my wife and my 10 and 8 year old kids - loved rafting on the Balsa with Carlos T., a chocolate tour near Arenal with Katherine and surfing (or trying to, anyway) on Playa Blanca with Walter and Niels. Along the way... read more

Carlos arranged an amazing trip for my family that captured all the best things about travel: opening hearts and minds, meeting new people and some great fun! I'd say that the trip included something for everyone, but it actually included everything for everyone. We all - myself, my wife and my 10 and 8 year old kids - loved rafting on the Balsa with Carlos T., a chocolate tour near Arenal with Katherine and surfing (or trying to, anyway) on Playa Blanca with Walter and Niels. Along the way we managed some relaxation in the Arenal springs and some poolside chillin' in Papagayo.

Unexpectedly, the highlight of the trip may have been the afternoon before we left when Carlos himself came out to spend an afternoon with us in San Jose. We walked, ate and went to markets where we met some of the warmest and friendliest people you can imagine. Thanks Carlos, for sharing some of your amazing home town with us.

Carlos arranged a seamless trip. Every tour and transfer he arranged was with warm, friendly, and reliable guides. To a T, each was on time and ready to go. Carlos was immediately available by phone, text or WhatsApp throughout the trip.

The highest compliment was from my 8 year old who had tears in his eyes as we left, wanting to know when we could go back to Costa Rica and willing to give up his Nintendo Switch just to stay another day.

Thanks Carlos. Pura Vida!

Every person that we interacted with was amazing and were extremely helpful. The Arenal Lava flow hike, Monteverde river raft, coffee plantation, zip line, and Damas Island mangrove kayaking were all super fun and the tour guides were all very knowledgable about all the questions we were asking them. It was nice that all we had to do was hand over the voucher and were driven around to wherever we were going. There was also a perfect blend of activities to do and relaxing time at a pool or beach.

We loved our experience and would highly recommend anyone else to use KImKim in the future.

Olman was amazing responding to all my queries in a timely manner and changing things in the itinerary based on my daughter’s animal and wildlife requirements!

Our trip, while only 7 days, incorporated so many trips and places. We had an absolutely amazing time and pretty much saw most of the country’s animals in their natural habitats.

Absolutely stunning country and Olman’s help definitely helped us to make the most of our limited time there.

Thanks again!

We enjoyed the whole trip and I just wish we could have extended our stay! From the transportation to the hotels and activities, Adriana made thiis trip really enjoyable for us. Thankyou Adriana and the rest of the kimkim staff :)

I was impressed with the transport arrangements between and at destinations. People were there on time and were excellent drivers and this was arranged beautifully. The road to the Caribbean coast was not good and it was disappointing to see the lack of ongoing construction for what is an essential highway servicing the plantations and the North South link. This does no credit to the country and the government.

The Tortoguero experience was also excellent. Great hotel and a very good... read more

I was impressed with the transport arrangements between and at destinations. People were there on time and were excellent drivers and this was arranged beautifully. The road to the Caribbean coast was not good and it was disappointing to see the lack of ongoing construction for what is an essential highway servicing the plantations and the North South link. This does no credit to the country and the government.

The Tortoguero experience was also excellent. Great hotel and a very good guide. The poor little village has a lot to learn if it wants to attract tourists and to get them to spend money rather than just walk through. There is so much competition in the world now for destinations that governments, local authorities and towns need to at the very least get on board or not bother and retain their own lifestyle.

The Caribbean coast would have been good for two days- five was too long especially at that time of year when the rainy season is starting. I am fit and active but not into dope, reggae, cheap food and surfing which seemed to be what was on offer. The hotel staff were a little surly ( one waitress was nice) . Despite being one of the few guests staying I was put into a dark downstairs room with no view of the sea ( there were balcony rooms which would have made the stay so much better) and the TV did not work. Very two star and was a low point in Costa Rica which coloured my overall impression of the country.

Avenal was a great area and I enjoyed the short time there. San Jose is clearly a city making a go of it in a period of transition. The Holiday In staff also need to go on a hospitality course. Just a few smiles would be good. The person selling tours in the lobby doesn't know how to smile. Facilities good and great location.

All in all Costa Rica was interesting. I stayed there about 5 days too long and while others have raved about the wild life, some huge conservation efforts are required to make it as good as Nepal, India, Borneo, Africa and the South Pacific, all places I have travelled. I got the feeling the country ( not Randall and the Kim Kim team) over promises and under delivers and I am not making making enthusiastic recommendations to others to travel there.

Good luck.

My boyfriend and I are just back from the most amazing 11 days in Costa Rica. Randall was a great specialist - giving fantastic recommendations on where to go and what activities to do, based on the information we gave him. He also provided a number of different itineraries for us to choose from, and was v. flexible with our requests.

Everything was a highlight really, but the top highlights were:

Our guide Pierre from Canoa Adventures in La Fortuna, who took us on the Mistico Hanging... read more

My boyfriend and I are just back from the most amazing 11 days in Costa Rica. Randall was a great specialist - giving fantastic recommendations on where to go and what activities to do, based on the information we gave him. He also provided a number of different itineraries for us to choose from, and was v. flexible with our requests.

Everything was a highlight really, but the top highlights were:

Our guide Pierre from Canoa Adventures in La Fortuna, who took us on the Mistico Hanging Bridges and waterfall tour. He was a fountain of knowledge and spotted so many things that would have gone unnoticed if we had done the walk by ourselves. He also shared some great photos via whatsapp after the tour as he had a good camera.

Our 3D2N stay at Laguna Lodge, Tortuguero. Our guide Alex was really knowledgeable too, and on two boat safaris we saw a huge number of animals and birds. The food at the lodge was delicious too.

All transfers between places were comfortable and on time, and the restaurants where we were being picked up from for each leg of the journey were fantastic. Selvica even had a butterfly sanctuary out the back!

We also loved Le Cameleon, the hotel we stayed at just south of Puerto Viejo. While we were there we took ourselves to the Jaguar Rescue centre and saw some amazing creatures, and on another day rented bicycles and cycled down the coast to Manzanillo, where we had miles of beaches to ourselves. We also loved Punta Uva beach - totally breathtaking! Whilst staying there we saw sloths and toucans daily, as well as a yellow eyelash viper on a hike in Cahuita.

We cannot wait to come back to Costa Rica and will definitely book through kimkim again.

Thank you!

Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! We had such a great time. The activities were well spaced out giving us time to explore in our downtime. The rides were perfectly structured so traveling was a breeze. The activities were so much fun.

The kayak was really fun. We really enjoy sport activities and it was so nice to get out on the water and view the volcano from another view. It was a bit windy that day but we were up to the challenge. Our guide Pedro was awesome. He showed us different birds... read more

Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! We had such a great time. The activities were well spaced out giving us time to explore in our downtime. The rides were perfectly structured so traveling was a breeze. The activities were so much fun.

The kayak was really fun. We really enjoy sport activities and it was so nice to get out on the water and view the volcano from another view. It was a bit windy that day but we were up to the challenge. Our guide Pedro was awesome. He showed us different birds and stories of the Volcano. Seeing all the birds in their environment was exciting. We even saw a beautiful macaw. After the kayak we had some fresh delicious fruit. Some of the best fruit we have ever eaten. Along the drive back they stopped on the side of the road to show us some animals. It was very exciting keeping our eyes up and looking for nature.

Horseback riding was really fun! It was a rainy day but we didn't mind. It was fun trotting along through nature. Along the ride to the waterfall we encountered some howler monkeys. That was quite the experience. The waterfall was huge and beautiful. So cool to feel the power of the water at the bottom.

The cooking class was so great! We learned a lot about the different plants that they grew on the farm. Drank some guaro and had a great time. The family that hosted it was so friendly and informative. The food we made was delicious along with the different meats they provided. When we left they even let us have some guaro for the rest of our trip. We enjoyed that every day until we left.

Our trip to Monte Verde Cloud Forrest was amazing! I have never had so much fun in my life. Despite me being scared of heights, the zip lining was exhilarating! Would 100% do it again! We felt safe the entire time and enjoyed meeting the people around us. We even ran into people that were from the same part of New York that I grew up in. Small world.

One thing we hadn't anticipated was all the animals that walked around. We must have fell in love with 5 different cats and dogs. They just roam around and are mostly ignored by the locals, but we couldn't help but give the little animals some love.

Would def book through kim kim again. We had so much fun and it was nice that everything was scheduled for us and all the hard work of the trip was taken care of.

This was my first experience with booking a trip through Kimkim and I happy to say that it was an absolute pleasure. The website was very informative and extremely transparent. Their curated tours is an excellent starting place to plan and then customise a trip.

My expertise with Carlos was also fantastic. Carlos is extremely knowledgable and very cooperative. He really helped my customise my holiday down to the smallest details. He was very patient and helped my make several changes to... read more

This was my first experience with booking a trip through Kimkim and I happy to say that it was an absolute pleasure. The website was very informative and extremely transparent. Their curated tours is an excellent starting place to plan and then customise a trip.

My expertise with Carlos was also fantastic. Carlos is extremely knowledgable and very cooperative. He really helped my customise my holiday down to the smallest details. He was very patient and helped my make several changes to the plan over time. He was quick to reply back to all my queries, give proper feedback & suggestions and make the required changes quickly.

My entire experience with Kimkim and Carlos was great. I will highly recommend them both to any traveller.