Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

We loved driving the Ring Road. Too many sights to see and all very easy to access because of your great drive instructions

10 star trip! Noga et al worked relentlessly to help us customize the exact trip we wanted including waterfalls, geyser, lagoons, glacier/ice cave hike and 3x Northern Lights!
It was perfect with 2- 2.5 hour drives each day. The hotels were comfy with great breakfast buffets. We loved the ice cave hike with our guide Sylvester and the snorkeling in Silfra Fissure with our guide Aidan. Everyone at Kimkim answered our questions immediately. We lucked out as the weather never interrupted our plans with just some passing showers. Not only that, we were greeted by the Northern Lights when we flew in over Greenland and then we saw them two more times in Iceland! This was an unforgettable trip! If you go, be sure to bring completely waterproof hiking boots and rain jacket and rain pants! Kimkim made everything easy for us! Thanks so much! Debbie

We had a fantastic 12 day self drive tour around Iceland. With Lisbet’s help and coaching we were well prepared for the weather and were able to really enjoy each days journey. The pace was very manageable and we did all that we really wanted including a few optional stops. The in car wifi and daily google route plans made navigation easy. Just a gorgeous country with delightful people.
The diversity of activities, nature stops and lodging kept our interest and made the two weeks go by quickly!

Overall the trip was great but it was a lot more driving than we expected. We didn’t realize how remote places were. The hike at Glymur Falls is really only for very experiences hikers. There is a log but to get to the log you have to go over an area of rocks, just holding onto a wire. So neither of us were able to get very far (and a lot of other people were also turning back).
The whale watching was really fun, it was a great crew.

Hotel Review

Basalt Hotel

Borgarnes

The hotel was really nice but it was in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing else around.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whale Watching from Akureyri

Akureyri

This trip was a lot of fun, we got to see hump back whales and a blue whale.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glymur waterfalls hike

Iceland

This is only for very experiences hikers- there is a log but to get to the log you have to get over a large area of rocks, just hanging onto a wire hand rail. Neither of us went across and it looked like lots of other people did not want to chance it as well.

Quality of Experience

Blue Lagoon Premium Admission

Iceland

Very glad that we got there so early in the morning as it got very busy by the time we left.

We loved our trip to Iceland. The hotels were very nice and the lagoons were amazing. Breakfasts were convenient as they were included in the trip cost.
Information on the itinerary needs to be updated. Some parking lots were described as free but our experience was that they all were pay through Parka.
Finally, the last activity on our second to last day while driving back to Reykjavik was to hike Fjaorargljufur Canyon. However, that activity was already planned for on our itinerary 2 days before.

Hotel Review

Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels

Ásborgir

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

the room was immaculate

Activity Reviews

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Zodiac Boat

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk

Iceland

Þingvellir National Park

Iceland

Gummi set up a terrific itinerary. He was great - always available, incredibly responsive and always helpful. He went above and beyond to make the trip memorable.

Hotel Reviews

Hótel Framtíð

Djúpivogur

Friendly staff and nice location. Rooms are small and not well appointed. Shower was small and difficult to access. Breakfast was just ok.

Landhotel

Hella

Great hotel, beautiful rooms

Authenticity & Character

Very Scandinavian

Location

Quiet setting

Staff

Staff was terrific - responsive and friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautiful rooms

Magma Hotel

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Fantastic hotel - private cabin, nice location. The restaurant was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful cabins with nice amenities

Location

Cabin was on a lake with lovely views

Staff

Friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cabin was beautifully appointed

Activity Reviews

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

This is a great experience, however the climb to the cave can be strenuous and difficult according to conditions. If you have any difficulty with balance or heights you might skip this outing. Guides are great

Quality of Experience

Terrific guides who work with you

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are more than willing to help those who need help

Transport

The super jeep was bit worn and the quality of the ride is very much based on the weather and conditions

It was a great trip. One that my family will never forget. The scenery is other worldly. The plan was excellent. Our pictures are amazing. Highlights were Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, Ice cave.

We had a fantastic time exploring Iceland! Starting off at the Blue Lagoon was a great idea, from there we explored Reykjavik (parking and restrooms were a bit of a challenge), the city is a fun mix of new and old with great street art.
I felt like I was driving in a video game as we traveled from one beautiful site to another. My favorite waterfall is a toss up between the Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss (these were very crowded with bus tours).
The Katla Ice Cave adventure was a blast! We had the best tour guide, Alex, he was full of information and entertaining for all.
We also took a boat tour of the JÖKULSÁRLÓN GLACIER LAGOON, we had never seen anything like this, it was spectacular! We arrived at high tide for the diamond beach but it was still very beautiful.
In Húsavík we all went for a whale watching trip, we saw a humpback whale, this was also very fun.
We had great meals throughout the week we all tried some new things and really enjoyed the hospitality of all of the restaurants we visited.
The hotels were also great, my favorite was the Hrafnavellir Guest House. The owner and host was wonderful, she served the best breakfast as she is also the chef. The single unit cabins are beautiful and offer great views of the mountains and sheep, just wonderful!
We hope to return and explore again, we would like to see some things that are not so “touristy” and less crowded. Thank you Gudmundur Oli for guiding us on our adventure.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Bifrost

Borgarnes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Húsavík Cape Hotel

Húsavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

While the rooms were clean, the towels were small and worn, the shower water was difficult to control, switching from hot to cold randomly. I would stay here again though as the central town location made up for any small inconvenience.

Hotel Hallormsstadur

Egilsstadir

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hrafnavellir Guest House

Hornafjörður (Hofn)

Private, clean, comfortable, beautiful property with an amazing hostess/owner. My favorite accommodations, also had the best breakfast!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Katla by Keahotels

Vík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gullfoss

Tungufell

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

CenterHotel Klopp

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Whale Watching Experience by Traditional Boat

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

We had the best tour guide, Alex, he truly made this a once in a life time experience! Alex was knowledgeable, courteous and entertaining to all of the people on the small group tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ford van was a little tired, but cool…

Overall, we had an amazing trip! Here are some highlights for Kim Kim…
Gummi was great to work with, Thor was absolutely fantastic and knowledgeable. The walking tour with Bonnie was a 10 out of 10 Bonnie is way underrated! The rental bus was perfect size and comfortable.

The Lava tunnel was just ok- cool but we found it a little boring and expected more of a challenge. The glacier ice cave was also very cool to see but also a little under whelming. The road in to the ice cave was a very long drive, once parked we expected to walk more once we arrived.
My advise would be to ask about your groups physicality level and understand how much walking/ hiking you group would like to achieve per stop. Iceland is stunning and so beautiful but requires significant drive time from thing to thing.. more than we expected (with not enough steps inbetween). We were cracking up that everything takes at least a hour to drive too. BUT because we spent less time on foot we were able to see some many beautiful spots so maybe I’m wrong, but we could have walked more.

Sky lagoon and blue lagoon were fantastic. Sky was our favorite. Fontana was just ok it was under construction during our visit. The wine bar tomato restaurant is something I’ll dream about!! The food and drinks were unreal and delicious. We were soooo happy to be in the wine bar area as a group not the actual greenhouse restaurant.

Lastly our weather was perfect. We were soooo happy & lucky. We made so many memories, thank you for keeping our group together as one unit! We all live in different locations & multiple cars would have been a huge challenge. All reservations went smoothly and we were grateful to have Thor translate for us. I will definitely use and recommend kimkim in the future for group travel! Well done

Activity Reviews

Glacier Ice Cave Experience as part of a Multi Day Private Tour

Iceland

Poor advertised. Instagram photos may have created false expectations. Also, it was unclear that it was an hour ride in. In an hour ride out. The ice cave itself took us five minutes through and out of since it was so incredibly short. It’s incredibly cool and beautiful, but we expected more and wanted more once we got out of the van.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Poop

Transport

Lava Tunnel Activity

Iceland

We were expecting to walk more. It was a quick walk in and out. Interesting but felt like a tourist

Quality of Experience

Mo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Icelandic Food Walk

Reykjavík

Bonnie was amazing!!! Completely underrated!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband gave Noga an idea of what we like to do on vacation and the level/length of hikes we enjoy. Noga gave us terrific suggestions. The hikes were stunning and got us away from the tour bus crowds. We also enjoyed the accommodations KimKim booked for us.

Bessi, our guide was amazing. He was very knowledgeable about the area, a native icelander, kept us intrigued with history and stories about certain places.
He made sure we were safe wherever we visited.
He also made sure we got footsteps and restrooms stops in timely manner.

Hotel Review

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk - Part of Multi Day Tour with Private Driver Guide

Iceland

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Zodiac Boat

Iceland

Glacier Ice Cave Experience as part of a Multi Day Private Tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guide Bessi was excellent , he was very knowledgeable and funny , he had a lot of anecdotes that we can relate and share,Bessie bent backwards to make sure we enjoyed our time in Iceland , kimkim you have an excellent guide. We arrived in Reykjavík late after long hours of flight delays and the Blue Lagoon help invigorate us all , the food was excellent . We enjoyed all the spectacular waterfalls and zodiac boat trip, our boat captain Christian took us closer to the glaciers , what a marvelous sight !! Our journey up the glacier was one of a kind experience for our age group , Bessi made it very easy for us all . Overall , we have enjoyed our trip immensely .

Everything went smoothly. Hotels , car rental and bookings for adventures. Weather issues unfortunately resulted in 3 cancelled outings which was disappointing but overall we were very pleased with KimKim and would definitely use their services again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Berg

Keflavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Magma Hotel

Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Grímsborgir by Keahotels

Ásborgir

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eyja Guldsmeden Hotel

Reykjavik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms a bit small

Activity Reviews

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Amphibian Boat

Iceland

We ran out of time so didn’t get to experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whale Watching & Northern Lights Boat Experience from Reykjavík

Reykjavík

This was cancelled due to high winds. Sky lagoon was fantastic. Amazing experience!!! Didn’t experience northern lights though

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Self guided

Transport

Self guided tour

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

This event was cancelled due to high winds

Quality of Experience

Not sure . We couldn’t go

Lava Tunnel Activity

Iceland

Overall, we had the absolute most magical trip to Iceland. Hanna helped to book all the necessary restaurant reservations and they were all fabulous! The snorkeling at the Silfra fissure was a must. We also visited Fridheimar Tomato Farm and the dinner was fantastic - as a plus it was walking distance from our hotel (Blue Hotel Fagrilundur). Both Seljalandsfoss (where you can walk behind the falls - just do it!) & Skogafoss (forest waterfall) were some of our favorites. Reynisfjara beach (black sand) was magnificent - it wasn't hard to imagine the scenes from Game of Thrones being filmed there. The Katla ice cave tour was super fun as well - you'll hike the Myrdalsjokull glacier, then visit the amazing blue and black ice cave of the Kötlujökull glacier on Mt. Katla. If we had to pick our favorite canyon it would be Fjadrargljufur canyon - just stunning. Another must see spot was Jokulsarlon & Diamond Beach where you could see the very blue chunks of glacier floating and the diamond beach appearance - we also saw some seals during our stop. Vestrahorn & the Viking Village also offered some unique and stunning views of the mountains and the beautiful water. The Hverir geothermal area was super cool (all be it a bit overwhelming with the sulfur content in the air). Hotel Laxa was one of our favorite spots for lodging and we lucky enogh to have a spectacular showing of the Northern Lights while there. Our whale watching in Husavik was canceled due to weather but luckily we were able to re-book for Árskógssandur and we couldn't have asked for a better outing - the gear they provide was very warm and we were able to see lots of whale activity. The Forest Lagoon was one of our groups favorite stops for relaxation (better than Blue Lagoon as it wasn't near as crowded and the water is clear with no silica - wish we had a bit more time to explore Akureyri and maybe stay over a night. Our last nights in Reykjavik were fun exploring the city, shopping and eating (get the hot dog at Baejarins Beztu Pylsur). Dinner at Fiskfelagid Fish company was so delicious as well.

Overall, I offer the following insights: 1. Buy waterPROOF gear (jacket and pants and an extra poncho if you really hate being wet) - not water resistant. 2. Bring layers- you will ABSOLUTELY need them no matter when you visit. 3. Comfortable waterproof hiking shoes or boots are a must. 3. The food was so much BETTER than we expected, although bringing snacks for the drive was essential especially if you wanted to limited your stops during the day.

Also, Hanna and her colleagues were super helpful and timely in responding to last minute requests during the trip. Hihgly recommend them and highly recommend visiting Iceland.

We had a wonderful trip through Iceland. Gummi took care of EVERYTHING for us. The daily driving map routes he prepared for us made our 2800 km total drive simple. All reservations were perfect. He was always available if we needed help or had a question. His additional inputs during our drive suggesting good viewing places to see the northern lights were spot on. The hotels he booked for us were wonderful. His advice for tourist spots and restaurants were great. I'd really like to give Kim Kim, and especially Gummi, 6 stars, but the system limits this to 5. We have already recommended Kim Kim to several of our friends who have expressed an interest in a similar trip.

Hotel Review

Sigló Hótel by Keahotels

Siglufjörður

My favorite little town by far. Brightly lit streets (we went for a walk late at night and had no concerns). Quaint little fishing village. Everyone we met was super friendly. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was here - and the hotel personifies this town. Wonderful spa. Great food. Nice rooms. They seemed to pamper us for our short stay. If I go back to Iceland, I just may spend my whole time here!

Authenticity & Character

perfect fit for the village. Felt like I was in an New England fishing village, but up to date.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Víðgelmir Lava Cave Experience

Iceland

Guide was educational and lots of fun. Amazing underground formations.

Quality of Experience

Whale Watching Safari by Traditional Boat

Iceland

RATS - due to 10 foot waves, this was cancelled. Only flaw (beyond anyone's control) of out whoel trip. Did get a prompt refund.

The entire process of planning the trip to Iceland was so overwhelming to me I just couldn’t get started. I am so happy to have found kimkim. Gummi was amazing and so helpful with getting everything organized and booked for us! When an excursion was cancelled due to weather conditions he quickly informed us and helped us to find some alternative activities for the day.

This was my first time using Kim Kim, and the experience couldn’t have been easier. When planning our trip, their feedback and response was extremely timely and very helpful. They made accommodations when requested and the properties they suggested were wonderful. We loved the lava cave experience and the Húsafell hot springs. All hotels were excellent. The links with suggestions and directions on the app provided excellent guidance! Unfortunately our whale watching tour was canceled because of weather, but they refunded our money immediately.
We had hesitated traveling on our own with a car, but they made the experience very easy. We would definitely use them again!

Gummi was very attentive to our needs both in planning the trip and during the trip. He was accessible 24/7. The hotels and excursions he booked for us were fantastic. The pace of the trip was just right. We did not feel rushed at all.

The trip was mostly fantastic; a magical place. A couple things would make the next trip even better. The hotels were both wonderfully high - such as Sand Hotel, Foss Hotels - and unfortunately low - like the Hotel Kea, Gistihusio Lake Hotel. We showed up in Vik without instructions for checking in to the apt and would have preferred a hotel. Some pre-booked timing for activities didn't work with the long drive times so we had to make changes on the fly with the tour companies to accommodate.

Other than those little issues, we had a grand time and look forward to a trip back soon!

We had a really fun 10-day holiday with friends in Iceland traveling the Ring Road, and overall, Iceland itself was amazing and easy to navigate. While the trip was enjoyable, the experience with KimKim felt inconsistent and lacking attention to detail. Some of the specific issues we ran into:
Inconsistent accommodations: Some hotels had breakfast included while others did not (we had assumed this would be standard). A few hotels were wonderful, with amenities and great locations, while others fell flat, especially our last hotel in Reykjavik which was a disappointing way to end the trip (the first hotel in Reykjavik was amazing and great way to kick things off). At one point, instead of a hotel we were booked into an apartment — it felt like this may have been a late booking workaround since other options in town were sold out, despite the fact we started planning months in advance. Again no breakfast and when you're on the road changing hotels almost every night that becomes more of a challenge and expense than it should.
Booking practices: We were surprised to find some of our hotel reservations had been made through Expedia, which led to confusion at check-in when staff had trouble locating them.
Car rental & connectivity: While it worked out fine, we were never told that the rental car came with Wi-Fi. That would have been a very helpful detail, especially since they strongly advised us to rent directly from the airport and then we had to try to get the company to refund us.
Activity planning: The suggested activities were often unrealistic in terms of timing and order, which made parts of the itinerary difficult or impossible to execute in the way they were presented.
Local expertise: The program didn’t feel curated by someone with boots on the ground. It felt more like it had been assembled with generic recommendations or even AI, without the logical flow or insider touches we had expected.
To be clear, we had a great trip because Iceland itself is extraordinary and I was with my best friends, but the planning support didn’t live up to what we’d hoped for. With more consistency, realistic sequencing, and local insight the trip could have been seamless.

Hotel Reviews

Fosshótel Mývatn

Myvatn

Loved this hotel partly because it was nice, modern and we stayed 2 nights (vs. 1). Also we saw the Northern Lights - we had a great waitress who woke us to tell us they were out....vs. the hotel staff that seemed uninterested. Good location to do a lot of the local activities in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Our waitress woke us to tell us about NL = there is a button on the phones asking guests to press it if they want to see NL - it goes to a recorded service and when we asked about it at the front desk they said "oh that doesn't work" so they shoudl fix that as it seemed cool but I guess was de-activated.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Kea by Keahotels

Akureyri

This hotel is very serviceable. Not anything special. Kim Kim could have done better for independent travelers - this seems like a big bus/group hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gistihúsið - Lake Hotel Egilsstadir

Egilsstöðum

This is a local hotel which is always nice. Tho it did smell like cow poop even though we didn't see any cows. Met the owner and she said they renovated 2 years ago. Ask for a room overlooking the lake vs. the parking lot. Kim Kim didn't indicate that on our reservation so some on us had better views than others.

Authenticity & Character

Location

This hotel is in an OK location - but we think we could have been put in a more interesting hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon Hotel

Hofn

Very good modern hotel and excellent if you'll be doing glacier activities. Kim Kim didn't tell us that Breakfast wasn't included (this was toward the end of our trip so we were surprised...) and there aren't other local options so we got a bit hood-winked on this one by Kim Kim.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Holt—The Art Hotel

Reykjavík

Really bizarre hotel - lots of "art" which is kind of cool because it's Icelandic but the hotel is so dated and seems like a relic but not in an interesting way. Kim Kim shoudl make sure to check out these hotels before assigning them out. It was a STARK difference to the hotel they put us in at the beginning of the trip. This wasn't the way we wanted to end the trip. My friend's room (a single) literally looked like a cell. The Breakfast was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vík Apartments

Vik I Myrdal

Bizarre location overlooking a number of parking lots and a main road. No breakfast. Nice design. Better for a family or longer stay. We were there a night and it wasn't a good option made by KimKim

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sand Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

Great location, nice rooms and good hearty & yummy breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Dimmuborgir Lava Formations

Lake Mývatn

We really liked this area - it has some simple wide paths but the lava is wildly formed and this is where you can see "the hidden people" a lot easier :). (you'll have to look that up). There are quite a few walking/hiking paths and you can go as far or not as you want. There is actually a path to a crater which we didn't do becuase it was about 2 hours round trip but others said it was a great hike.

Quality of Experience

Hike from Skaftafell to Svartifoss Waterfall

Iceland

Definitely take the time to do the 45+ minute walk to see this waterfall. It's very dramatic and in a gorgeous canyon. The path is well marked and traveled so you won't get lost but will be surprised and happy at the end! Great photo Op spot.

Quality of Experience

Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk

Iceland

This is a super cool experience and all of our first time being on a glacier. It was nice too that we had an actual Icelandic guide who grew up somewhat nearby. It was interesting to learn about the glacier and the relationship to the volcano. The crampons were totally necessary and there are some great views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Explore Seyðisfjörður

Iceland

Very cute town - in fact we wish that Kim Kim would have booked us a room here as it was super local and charming vs. where they booked us. There is an arty flair. But by the time we got here it was end of day so many things were closed. We wished we could have explored this area more.

Quality of Experience

Earth Lagoon Nature Baths Experience

Lake Mývatn

Very skinny from the sulphur so know that and be prepared for that. There are a lot of other baths in Iceland and I think you can skip this one.

Quality of Experience

Whale Watching Safari From Akureyri

Akureyri

Nice guide. We saw a whale which was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Forest Lagoon Pool Experience

Iceland

Really pretty spot in an otherwise not super charming town. Good thing to do at end of the day . Location is super.

Quality of Experience

Glaumbær Farm & Museum

Iceland

Good to do/see because you get some history of Iceland upfront.

Quality of Experience

Private Golden Circle Day Trip

Reykjavík

Could be a 3.5 star review. It was our first day so we were excited. The Golden Circle is a well-traveled highly touristed route so you'll see a lot of buses etc. but the sights are worth it. Nice to have a private guide so we could be flexible (i.e to see / go to Secret Lagoon). Guide was OK - but seemed a little bored.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

get a local guide.

Transport

nice van.

Sky Lagoon Experience - Saman

Reykjavík

Excellent way to start and end our trip. it's a very groovy, clean chic spot. highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Vök Baths Experience

Iceland

Gorgeous and serene. We went at night which was really special. Also you can dunk in the COLD Icelandic ocean so you an sustain hot soaks longer.

Quality of Experience

This is a great bath -don't miss it.