Kimkim Trip Reviews for Ecuador

Linda was amazing. My travel plans were fluid early on and she gave me numerous options and updated along the way as I finalized the details, with regular communication. I couldn’t have asked for more.

I am so thankful for all the help that Kimkim has provided for my trip. The trip was booked at the very last minute and had a lot of twists and turns. I don't think our family enjoyed the trip as much as we did if we haven't have Isabel and our trusted guide, Christian. Isabel worked before and after her normal working hour to help me when a national strike by transportation works paralyzed the country for a couple of days. Christian educated our family on food, custom, history and geography with his kind manners and excellent knowledge. I would definitely consider working with Kimkim for our next adventure. Thank you!

It was an absolute pleasure working with Mathias:

1. He listened carefully to our special areas of interest (birding photography) and designed a fantastic itinerary for us.
2. The accommodation and guides that he set up for us exceeded our expectations.
3. His personal input and support when we needed urgent medical assistance was invaluable.
4. He was always available and responsive throughout the whole 4 week trip

In Mindo, Mathias set us up with Edison from http://www.swordbilledexpeditions.com/about-us/ . Ed’s bird knowledge was remarkable, his photographic skills superb, he was able to get us into unusual and remote locations, he introduced us to fascinating people and was just a wonderful person to spend time with. We stayed at the Septimo Paraiso and the Bellavista Cloudforest Lodge, both of which were stunning

My research showed very mixed feedback between Cuyabeno and Yasuni, and so based on Mathias’s recommendation we did both – and in hindsight he was completely correct. They are very different, unique and special in their own distinct ways. In Cuyabeno we stayed at the Nicki Lodge for 5 nights and I loved it. We met a couple of travelers who had had bad experiences at some of the other local lodges, but the service and friendliness from our staff was fantastic. The lodge is more casual and low key but I felt closer to the environment and with the narrower rivers the forest seemed to be more intimate. We had a young guide called Jefferson who was from Quito - he had fallen in love with the natural environment and was passionate about sharing it with us. Through his share dedication we managed to see a young family of endangered otters, the beautiful fresh water dolphins, birds, insects, caiman, spiders and flora (as well as lots of very muddy walks – well worth the effort). The lovely lodge chef cooked up tasty local meals shared at one long table which allowed us to meet backpackers through to seasoned international travelers.

Sacha Lodge, on the other hand, was truly spectacular and upmarket. Mathias organized a “master” ornithologist for us (a local Kichwe called Osca) who managed to help us identify 130 bird species in 3 days (including a great sighting of a juvenile Harpy Eagle), over and above the 5 monkey species, stick insects, frogs, parrots at the clay lick, and quiet moments in the canoe simply enjoying the environment.

There is no way we could have put together a trip like this without the local knowledge, experience and expertise of Mathias and his team. Mathias provided us with a level of service, professionalism and personal input that I have never experienced before. Kudos to him and his team.

Ecuador, the essentials. Quito, Yasuni National Park Amazon, and Galapagos!

Our 14 day vacation was exceptional from start to finish. Our trip advisor, Isabel Perez, worked with me in the months leading up to our holiday to ensure we were able to visit our 'must see' places, and also find relaxation time. Her recommendation of the Napo Cultural Centre in Yasuni was the perfect choice for us. Not only is this first class eco-lodge located in a beautiful part of the Amazon, but it is also home to the local indigenous community school, doctor's office, and cultural events. So you can interact with the local people as well as the parrots and monkeys!

Then after a few days visiting more of Quito we spent 6 unforgettable days on Santa Cruz and Isabela islands. Kimkim arranged for our door to door transportation, great hotels, and unforgettable activities.

We highly recommend partnering with Kimkim to ensure you have the best, seamless, and unforgettable experience in Ecuador!

The trip was amazing. Isabel did a wonderful job of planning the trip and Christian, our tour guide was unbelievable. He took us everywhere on the itinerary and even included extra stops along the way that he thought would interest us. He was very knowledgeable and we had a fantastic time on the trip. We would definitely recommend that anyone traveling to the Quito area use KimKim and request Christian as your tour guide!

Everything about the trip exceeded our expectations. Ecuador was a perfect destination for a week’s trip—so much to see, beautiful, charming old cities, spectacular and diverse landscapes, perfect weather. Safe, friendly, and you get a lot for your money.

Gabor was so kind and thorough in working with me to plan the trip. Every day of the trip brought new delights. The itinerary and the accommodations were all perfect. I was especially grateful that after 3 attempts to take the trip he hung in there with patience and understanding until we were finally able to go. He never wrote us off or figured we were wasting his time. It was a pleasure to finally meet him in Quito. We felt really well taken care of.

We felt similarly about the wonderful guide, Fernando, who was assigned to us. He was knowledgeable about history, local cultures, and the best insider places to take us. He was kind, thoughtful, and a pleasure to spend a well with. The chemistry was perfect.

This was definitely one of the best trips we have ever taken (and we have been all over the world). We will definitely look to Kimkim for future travels.

Isabel was phenomenal. She promptly responded to all messages and was so helpful along the way. Thank you!

Our trip to Ecuador booked through kimkim was incredible! Isabel made sure that everything was dealt with in terms of accomodations, activities, and logistics which took a lot of the planning off of our hands! The itinerary put together and the welcome packet at the first hotel made sure we never were confused about any meeting points or activities.

In terms of the trip itself, Ecuador is amazing in its diversity of climates and the two that my girlfriend and I wanted to experience (Volcano and rainforest) were both unforgettable experiences! From biking down Cotopaxi and the surrounding park to spotting monkeys, birds, caimans, and pink dolphins in the rainforest we couldn’t have asked for a better trip. Thank you to Isabel and our guides for the two portions, Ricardo (biking) and Diego (rainforest). I would highly recommend kimkim for any travel plans and will 100% be using them again in the future!

All drivers and guides were very professional and friendly, they listened and steered us to aspects we told them we were interested in (in my case it was local foods and sighting as many wild birds as possible). The entire LaSelva experience was extremely well organized and fulfilling. Transportation was clean and comfortable. We appreciated having water available for us for every leg of the journey. The hotels in Quito and the Hacienda Cusin were all enjoyable. We loved the local fruits and Ecuadorian dishes for breakfast. All in all just a wonderful trip!

Everything was well taken care of. No significant glitches. Good guides provided, who were knowledgeable, helpful and attentive. Superb experience. Communication and responses from Linda were prompt and clear.

Our Ecuador adventure was amazing due to the excellent support from Linda and Kimkim. Linda helped us pull together a diverse itinerary for the relatively short amount of time we had in a country we knew nothing about. She was very responsive to emails and patient with our questions and worked within our parameters that kept changing. We loved all the accommodations recommended by Linda, in particular the Inti Sisa Art Guesthouse in Guamote and Hosteria Mandala at the coast in Puerto Lopez - both so amazing and gorgeous, and each supporting important social and environmental projects in their communities which was important to us. And in our price range! We appreciated Linda’s recommendation to have a driver/guide traveling from Quito to Banos, and enjoyed a full day with Annibal V learning about Ecuador, and seeing the sites. A more expensive transportation option, but but well worth it and balanced off with the super inexpensive (and more adventurous!) buses we took at other points in our travel. Another highlight was our day trip to Isla de la Plata with Machalilla Tours - again recommended by Linda and we felt confident in the quality and safety of their equipment, services and guides. Thanks Linda for helping to create such a memorable trip for three Canadian gals, we would not hesitate to highly recommend your services to others.

Our planing with Edwin the trip adviser was very good. communication was flowing and his follow up on our demands were excellent.
Our guide Daniel Maldonado was amazing. from the moment he picked us up at the airport through the walks in the jungles and at the restaurants and hotels on the way. He was very resourceful. spoke fluently English and was a charm.
Also our driver Ceasar was very helpful. with our long distance drives and sometimes into the night because of change in plans. Was there on time, helping with the luggage and watching over us at all times.

Had the most wonderful time. Patricio and our driver did a marvelous job in taking care of us. Everything was catered for and this is not the last time I book with kimkim. Indonesia is next...

Overall this trip was fun. The planning processes was relatively straight-forward with Linda though there was a bunch of back and forth that I think may have been solved by being more forth coming with "this is the company we normally go with" or "these will be stops on XYZ."
For the actual trip, I don't think the airport transfer went smoothly. The person who was supposed to pick us up, sent someone else into the airport, spelled our name wrong, and were holding a sign not associated with KimKim or any service I'd heard from. It was only because I speak some Spanish I decided that sign was the only one remotely close to our name we ended up with the right person.
Our guide, Marco, while very nice and resourceful I would have put in the category of "driver," not a true "guide." I frequently found myself at the edge of other tour groups in order to learn more history/background/context of what we were seeing. Marco effectively got us from place to place, but he might spend 3-5 minutes telling us about a centuries old church and then leaving us to our own devices. This is fine, but had I known, I would have hired a private tour guide for Quito at least.
We LOVED our experience mountain biking with Biking Dutchman down Cotopaxi. Despite the fact is was raining and cold, it was so cool and our guide/transport were great. Heads up that transport isn't super comfy/questionable seatbelt safety, but probably fine.
Banos was fun, there were some small issues with the group who did our rock climbing/ Via Ferrata tour, but they were easy to work with and responsive in handling mistakes.
I honestly normally do all of our trip planning myself, but do to cost of renting an automatic vehicle and my middling at best Spanish, thought this might be a good opportunity to test out a tour guide company. As I said above, this was a fun trip and parts were really very cool, but the parts we most enjoyed was stuff I specifically researched and suggested, so I'm on the fence about whether I would do this again.
It's probably a great service if you don't have time/desire to do the research, but I think TripAdvisor and Google will continue to be my go-tos.

Thanks for helping have a fun time in Ecuador!

I would like to thank you all for the help in organizing this amazing trip.
Everything was perfect. The local agency you have used EcoAndes has been wonderful and took great care of us. The driver and guide they have assigned were great and we indeed had the best time. Definitively we will recommend your service to friends and family.

Again many thanks and to next year for a new adventure.
Mariagrazia

My guide was Mr. Marco Herrera. Good English and excellent guide. Very helpful and adaptive to changes.

Overall the trip was perfect. It was my first time in Ecuador, but Mr. Marco and the people from kimkim.com helped in giving many options to explore. From lagoons to national reserve parks and forest, all was arranged perfectly.
People at the hotels were very nice and polite.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone and I, most definitely, would arrange future trips with them again.
5/5

This trip was amazing! Linda was so helpful from the very beginning. During the whole trip, I didn't have to worry about anything. There was always someone with a sign of my name waiting for me at the airport. There were different local guides to take care of our schedule. (Although I hope the local guide in Galapagos is more professional and helpful. She didn't give us any useful information about the tours, Galapagos in general, other than taking us from the hotel to the meeting points of our tours every day) The hotels were absolutely amazing. The hotel in Quito is in the best location, and the service was so great. Both the hotel in Quito and Galapagos upgraded the room for us for free. The tours were fun overall. We had limited time so we didn't get to go deep into the Amazon, so we didn't get to see lots of animals. Nonetheless, the guide was still amazing and the experience was still great.

Our Multisport Adventure Tour dome by Adventure Journeys was just superb! Our guide, Paul Aguilar was top notch - very professional, attentive, informative, mechanical, humorous and so knowledgeable about so many Ecuadorian things. He repaired broken bike chains, assisted in dealing with my Canon camera service issue in Quito, and guided us strongly in each of the sports. He became a friend. He deserves a huge raise in salary! He also convinced us that everything ever invented started in Ecuador!! Our driver, Alejandro, was superb as well - the guy can drive!! He handled our bus so well, at all times, and helped us all if we needed it. He also deserves a huge raise in salary!!

Marco our bilingual guide was a very safe & entertaining driver with whom we were able to practice our conversational Spanish .The 5 day Avenue of volcanoes tour was an amazing series of national parks and hacienda stays which enabled us to reach Guayaquil for our Galapagos trip visiting markets,walking in beautiful places and experiencing the unique hospitality of haciendas.

We highly recommend Linda if you're considering going to Ecuador. Linda was extremely responsive throughout, and on top of that, she was in constant communication with local guides to make sure we were taken care of when we got sick during the trip.

We had considered going there on our own, and we're so glad we didn't. The itinerary that Linda put together for us was perfect, as we were able to truly see how distinct and diverse different parts of the country are. The local guide that she paired us with, Christian, was great as well. He was very knowledgeable about history of the country, and he also recommended some hole-in-the-wall restaurants, which made our experiences very unique and memorable!

Don't think twice about contacting Linda if you're considering going to Ecuador!