Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

It was our first time using kimkim and we have already recommended it to others. Preeti's itinerary provided a great balance - logistics were taken care of and we had reservations for a few excellent activities, but she also left us with suggestions for add-ons and free time to explore on our own. That made it better than an all-inclusive tour while being a lot less stressful than planning it all ourselves. I'm glad we chose to spend the first days in the remote and beautiful eastern fjord country before we drove to the more heavily touristed southwest. I think we were both impressed most by the ever-changing and dramatic landscape shaped by volcanoes and glaciers.

Our guide, Birgir Jóhannsson was very good. He was intersting, polite, accommodating to our needs. The hotels/guest houses which were booked were very modest. Of the five nights there, four were very bare. Two had no TV, no soap in some of them, no bath mats, no face cloths, about two clothes hangers. They all had private bathrooms with wonderful hot and cold water.
My biggest complain was the bus. There were 17 people plus driver crammed into a very tight space. There was absolutely no leg room, particularly for tall people. The overhead bins were very shallow , so would not accommodate a full backpack, only some jackets. We sat for hours driving with out packs on our knees. We did make frequent stops to stretch our legs but that also meant a lot of off and on the bus. Our group of passengers was very good at rotating seats, but when you got over the wheel well, there was even less space. Either get a bigger bus or less passengers. We specifically choose this tour because there were less passangers than the big tour buses.

We had a terrific trip. Visiting Landmannalaugar was probably my favorite - the landscape is incredible and hard to even describe. We hiked through an obsidian lava field to a bunch of fumaroles, and then up to the closest peak for an amazing view. The whole family really enjoyed our trip to Heimaey as well (although as the family member with motion sickness isssues, I had a few complaints!). We climbed up Eldfell and found an active hot air vent, which was very exciting, saw the puffins and other seabirds, and even had an unexpected whale sighting. Early in the trip, we did some of the more standard visits - Seljalandsfoss, Skokafoss, the glacier at Skaftafell, the glacial lagoon, and other nice stops on the ring road. The first couple were crowded but still lovely to see, and that's saying something given that we come from a town famous for its waterfalls. We also really enjoyed our visit to Snaefellsnes Peninsula - there were extreme winds on our first day there (a steady 50-60 mph with higher gusts), which was wild. We couldn't even make it to the top of Saxholar Crater because I was literally blown off my feet! The next day the winds were milder and we hiked from one village to another through a lava field, along sea cliffs. We also took an F road up to the edge of the glacier. In Reykjavik, we enjoyed seeing Hallgrimskirkja, we had a LOVELY visit to one of the local geothermal pools, and we walked around in the rain. Oh, and we stopped at Thingvellir to see the continental rift, and we couldn't miss seeing the geysir!

We stayed in guesthouses - shared bathroom facilities, and breakfast provided. All but one of them had kitchens, which worked out great because we only ate 2 restaurant meals during our whole trip to save money.

Halldor did a great job coming up with hike suggestions that worked for the whole family (3 generations, ages 4-64). We took a substantial hike every day of our trip, sometimes two, and found his suggestions really solid. It was chilly (48F and raining) pretty much the entire time but we were well prepared and the weather wasn't an issue.

If I had to do it again, I would spend less time in Reykjavik and more time in Snaefellsnes. Reykjavik was just so very expensive - we couldn't afford to visit all the museums (just the animal park, for the 4yo), and although the shops are lovely and I wish I could have bought a sweater, there was no way I could pay $200 for a sweater or even $30 for a single meal. We spent at least half of our last day watching Norwegian cooking shows on the guesthouse's television and eating Icelandic cheese sandwiches. It wasn't unpleasant, but we could have been poking around Snaefellsnes instead. The thermal pool visit, however, was SO WORTH IT.

We had a great 1st trip to Iceland. It was very memorable. Our favorite outings were the glacier lagoon and the glacier hike. The Wifi in the car was great. We were not very happy with our accomodations at Hotel Katla. The entire room size was for the beds. The bathroom was clean but old and so small that the toilet and shower had to overlap in space. We would not stay there ever again. Hotel Stracta was the best place we stayed.

Overall, the trip was amazing. We really enjoyed the sights, food and experience. The different hostels each had a charm of their own, and only one or so was even remotely a negative., and that was because of the access to the house and kitchen.
My only concern was the hike in Hornstrandir was extremely strenuous. I had appropriate gear, and was in decent enough shape to find it enjoyable, however the description kind of made it sound like an easy stroll. Other people might not be as prepared with gear, and/or ability. Although if I had understood, maybe I would have had more fear. So it’s hard to say if more description would have been good or bad! We got through it and felt that we really accomplished something at the end. . I absolutely loved our guide and the experience. It was incredible, but I was somewhat unprepared for the reality of wading shoeless in icy creeks and rivers and hiking straight uphill for several kilometers.

Also the road to Látrabjarg, HOLY CRAP, that road was so super scary, for little payoff at the end, it was really foggy and we couldn’t see much. A little warning about that road and maybe I could have been a little more prepared, and not so scared that we would slide off into the ocean.

Otherwise, everything was fabulous. We enjoyed the horseback riding, the hostel in Broddannes was our favorite, hands down. What a stunning place.
We also really enjoyed the town that was the Herring Capital, and the museum there.
The whale watching was a little different than we do here in the states, but it was pleasant nonetheless, and I hope that Iceland abandons it’s Whaling program for whale watching instead, as I’m sure it’s more lucrative and more humane. But I’m an environmentalist, and have been against whaling my whole life. I hate to think of these creatures being killed. Seeing them on the menus in Reykjavík , I had to grit my teeth with that one.
Again, I had a wonderful, memorable time!! I will never forget it!!

All of our guides were very good. The part of the trip we enjoyed the most was the hike in Hornstrandir. The hike was very challenging for us. The elevation gain and distance were just what we expected. We didn't expect the rocks to move around so much as we walked on them. The food at the farm house was great.

The Isafjordur Cultural walk was very informative and enjoyable.

The kayaking was similar to what we experienced in other places. The clothing provided was much better than we had at other places. I was confident that we wouldn't end up in the water, but it was good to know that if we did we were well protected from extreme cold.

Our guide on the 2 day van ride was knowledgeable and really looked out for us. The weather impeded our enjoyment of the Latrabjarg Cliffs, but our guide to took us back again on the second day and the weather was better. I(but not Peggy) got tired of being in the van so long each day and not being out and walking more. The weather again was a part of the problem. We of course don't fault anyone for that. We were well aware that the weather we saw was about average and could have been much worse.
Overall, Iceland was a new and very different experience. We would have had difficulty planning and navigating such an experience without of expertise of Kim Kim.

Our guide arrived 1 1/2 hours later than scheduled. Concierge called you after waiting a half hour and we were informed that the guide would pick us up in an hour. The guide did arrive in an hour and was wonderful. He did not know what happened, only said that he got a call an hour ago and asked if he could do them a favor. Obviously, it was a major mess up. The guide did make up for your error as he was wonderful; very knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend the day with. Not happy and would not recommend Kim Kim. Sveindis Maria was very helpful with making plans.

Our trip to Iceland was terrific! Sotiria done a great job planning our trip and the information provided to us both before we arrived and with the information packet we received upon arrival made the trip go without a flaw. Gullfoss, Geysir, Skafoss waterfall, the black sand beach of Reynisdrangar, Glacier Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon all were amazing and did not disappoint. Our trip to the Westman Islands fulfilled my wife's bucket list of watching Puffins in their habitat. The hotels Sotiria set us up with were top notch and the breakfasts included with each location made the day start out great. Our family thanks you for making our trip to Iceland one of our most memorable trips to date. Iceland is such a beautiful country. Kimkim and Sotiria made our experience something we will always cherish.

Preeti & Haldor did a great job with our itinerary! The kayak and hike on the glacier was a big highlight. We had a great guide named Marek. The blue lagoon is a must do and would only add the in water massages (must do in advance as sold out when we arrived). One of the most memorable trips of my life....and I proposed (Preeti gave me some great ideas of where to do it!) while on the Westman Islands and she said YES!. Highly recommend The Kimkim Team!

My experience with kimkim looks a lot like the daily temperature chart on my weather app: high at the very outset when a friendly woman in Tennessee took down the personal particulars of our well-traveled four person group (whose ages ranged from 84 to 78), descending to a series of lows when the first agent assigned to our group persistently erred in the details of our trip (how many days and nights, how many days for car rental, etc., and ultimately sent us a final bill before ever providing us with an itinerary). The temperature graph went up dramatically when competent Preeti arrived on the scene, and stayed up during our first 4 nights in Iceland, all on the incredibly beautiful Snæfellsnes peninsula. It’s hard to pick a single high point, but the setting and lunch at Budir, and the setting (amidst hundreds of breeding Arctic Terns in the fields and Kittiwakes in the cliffs) and the elegantly restrained rooms in the cottages at Arnarstapi, our lobster lunch at Hraun, and the wide, wide waterfalls at Hraunfossar and Barnafoss- these things come to mind immediately.
We were incredibly happy travelers, in fact, until having picked our way through a maze of small and smaller roads, we arrived in the rain at the doorstep of the Hotel Kriunes, replete in all its faded southwestern/Mexican splendor. Construction in progress, extremely unwelcoming owners, gloomy corridors, no handicapped access to the badly lit lower level, etc., etc. I’ve been through all this before at some length with Preeti, so refer you to that correspondence for details. Whatever Preeti and the owners may say or think (and i’m not sure whether Preeti has ever seen the place), the Kriunes was nowhere near the level of quality that any of our group would ever find acceptable, nor could the offer of a $50 discount and free sandwiches, or even free rooms, have ever made any difference. Preeti says it was three-star, and maybe it once was, but i have to say that the ambience of the place was positively disagreeable; it did not measure up in any way to the charming little places we stayed in all the other nights. So, not wanting to ruin our entire visit during an endless argument pitting my opinion against Preeti’s and the owners, we made alternate arrangements on the spur of the moment, cancelled our rooms, paid for our sandwiches, tipped the helpful women at the reception desk. And found our way to a very nice hotel in Reykjavik’s city center.
So what did we think of kimkim’s services? We loved almost every minute of our short stay in Iceland, and we have Preeti to thank for much of what we enjoyed, but the gigantic mistake with the Kriunes - and her failure to understand why we felt the way we did and most particularly her inability to fix things for us (she appeared to be taking the side of the hotel, not we who were her direct clients), leaves me with decidedly mixed feelings about what added benefit we got from kimkim’s management of our travel arrangements in Iceland. I hope to hear back from you.

Iceland is an amazing land of natural beauty. There are impressive waterfalls throughout the country. The weather in early June was for the most part sunny and pleasant with 2 days having rain. On 1 day there were issues of fog and some sights were missed.
The highlight of the trip for both of us was the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach, where the glacier meets the ocean and massive icebergs are everywhere in the lagoon. The ice pieces that litter the black sand beach look like expensive works of art made of clear glass.
The people of Iceland are friendly and welcoming.

It would be difficult to point to a favorite activity. Our snorkeling (Andy), kayaking (Reiner) and ATV guides were all terrific. Really friendly and helpful with driving and dinner suggestions. Our hotels were all really nice and well-located. It was nice to have both city and outside of the city accomodations. We loved everything.

We had a wonderful trip to Iceland. All of the logistics and reservations were great, and seamless throughout the trip. Really appreciated some of the locals favorites recommendations. All of the excursions were great. The daily itinerary was great and well planned. We had one snafu in that an activity was cancelled due to weather, but they were quick to recommend an alternate plan. Would have liked bigger rooms in a few of the places.

Trip was fantastic - I never could have planned this without Halldor / Wild Westfjords. I have no idea what premium I paid to have this trip planned but it doesn't matter - I could never have put something like this together on my own.

I would definitely refer Halldor - and KimKim - to anyone looking to visit Iceland.

Thanks for a memorable vacation,as your itinerary was perfect; the car correct, the sights wonderful and the accommodations superb. We appreciate your work and suggestions as we relive the week with friends and relatives. Your help--even with the weather! is appreciated. thanks again.
Terry

We were very happy with the itinerary for our 14 day "package" self-drive trip to Iceland. Included in our package price was: car hire, accommodation at 2/3 star level (including breakfasts), car ferry to the western fjords, entry to Blue Lagoon and Myvatn Nature Baths, and a boat ride at the Glacier Lagoon. Also included was the peace of mind that we could call on Halldor or Preeti in case anything went wrong. We took up the dining suggestion at Tjoruhusid and were not disappointed! It was great to have everything pre-booked and to simply hand over a voucher to get the required service.

The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 for the overall booking experience was because some weeks after we had agreed on the itinerary and paid our deposit for the package as quoted, we were told they had made a mistake with the accommodation prices and wanted to charge us more! We refused, based on the fact that the inclusions in the package were very clear right from the start (note: we only ever got one price per person, not an itemised price list for each inclusion in the package so had no idea what each component was worth anyway), had been checked and confirmed by both parties (as evidenced by the email chain) AND we had already paid a third of the total package amount as a deposit, which to us meant we had a contract that was not open to change. The matter was let drop, but I feel it should never have been brought up in the first place - we are not the Iceland experts and so how were we to know the package was "too cheap"?

We were then a bit concerned that the changes made to our accommodation might mean we got something sub-standard, but happily this was not the case and our holiday went very smoothly.

If you want a hassle-free self-drive holiday in Iceland, then planning and booking through kimkim is certainly the way to go!

Chris did a great job helping plan our unforgettable trip.

I have a few suggestions; please advice traveler to Lake Myran (sp) of the absolutely aweful sworn of black flys in the area. We couldn’t walk around the lake because we were not prepared for the flys. We were pretty disappointed as the area and walked looked beautiful. Face nets are essential.
Also, toward the fiords in the northeast coast, were advices to take road 92 to 96. These roads are now just highway one.
Lastly, our last accommodation took cash only! We were ill prepared for this as well. Luckily, the women was kind and took what we had. Which was only less than half what we owed.
Otherwise, these were our only problems, and they were minimal!

Thank you for a wonderful trip.

Thank you, Zeynep for a fantastic trip! We really appreciated all the extra information about where to find vegan food—which was actually not as difficult as we had anticipated!—and that you customized the itinerary based on our preferences. We had an amazing experience in Iceland—gorgeous scenery, lovely hotels, delicious food, great car, wonderful hikes, and a great itinerary—everything was perfect. We especially enjoyed the Glacier Lagoon Zodiac tour—wow!!!!—the Ingolfshofdi Puffin Tour you recommended, hiking to the top of the volcano on the Westman Islands, the Snaefellsnes Peninsula coast, and seeing the geothermal areas on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Thank you again for organizing such a fantastic trip for us!

My husband and I enjoyed a two week, self driving tour through West and North Iceland. We had an excellent, detailed itinerary with lots of options each day from our specialist Preeti. She focused on what we most wanted to see and do, and we weren't disappointed! Particularly of note were the dining suggestions - it's sometimes challenging to decide on the right place, so we enjoyed all her suggestions without worry. We also enjoyed having vouchers for our accommodations and excursions, it made for hassle-free check-in's each night. Our favourite lodging was Siglunes Guesthouse in charming town of Siglugfjordur, and our favourite excursion was a beautiful, exciting hike up to Glymer Waterfall - a workout for us middle-aged folks!

We loved our trip...great planning so much accomplished!!! Thanks Christina