Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

We thoroughly enjoyed our Iceland adventure and I'd like to give a big thanks to KimKim and Hanna (our Iceland expert) for their help in making it happen. In the runup to the trip, I was busy with work and living in Austin, TX and my daughter was living in London. My daughter had some ideas and worked with Hanna to put together the itinerary. Occasionally I'd want to change something. Hanna was always very pleasant and very helpful, she responded quickly to any questions or requests, had endless patience waiting for my daughter and me to resolve any differences. We very much liked all the arrangements for accomodation, car hire, trips and flights and everything went very smoothly. This was my second vacation organized with KimKim and would definitely recommend them and use them again.

Noga was fantastic, unfortunately the poor support once on the trip means I can’t suggest her or kimkim to others. If there’s something else support had been there I would definitely refer Noga to others.

Activity Review

Breiðamerkurjökull Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

It was crowded, small, and not very exciting. It was pretty, and the history was interesting, but ultimately not worth the time.

Quality of Experience

Probably nothing within the control of the organizers.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide Was great

Transport

Old truck, broken seatbelts, but ultimately it worked fine

The total Icelandic experience was beyond belief. The people , scenery, food, and attractions were breathtaking. The hotels were perfect and breakfast delicious. The Sky Lagoon was one of my favourites along with the glacier walk and Blue cave. What an extraordinary country.

Hotel Reviews

Fosshotel Baron

Reykjavík

Slightly older building but clean and efficient, great breakfasts

Authenticity & Character

Location

Good location , we walked everywhere from the hotel.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Signature by Vík Apartments

Vik

Beautifully appointed apartment. Very modern and spacious for the three of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to some wonderful restaurants

Staff

Sorry, there was no staff at the apartments. But it had everything you required including a washing machine and dryer if needed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

This is a wonderful hotel , walking distance to many interesting sites.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close, within walking distance to many interesting features

Staff

Very curtious

Cleanliness & Comfort

Love the Occitaine body and bath products.

Activity Reviews

Reykjavík Classic Whale Watching

Iceland

For three hours out on the rough seas we saw nothing but birds, no whales. I know there is no guarantee that you will and we were offered free tickets to try again in the future. Many people were sick even though tablets were offered at the start (poor crew who have the unenviable job to clean up)

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

This was breathtaking. So incredible to know you are inside one of the glaciers

Quality of Experience

Transport

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

My favourite, smaller and more intimate than Blue Lagoon

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly, helpful, very knowledgeable about the area though many we met were not Icelanders

Transport

My niece was our driver and she drove everywhere as though she lived there.

I very much appreciated how well Gummi listened to what we wanted to experience on this trip - the itinerary in terms of what we got to see and what we got to do was in complete alignment with my hopes - and was better than anything I could have planned myself because of the local knowledge and expertise.

The work Summer did with all the reservations and with finding a new (exceptional) accommodation on the one day road conditions prevented us from getting to our original destination was fast and really well considered.

Grateful for all that these two did to make our trip something we will look back on as a highlight of our lives is so deeply appreciated

Hotel Reviews

Vogafjós Farm Resort

Myvatn

Beautiful spot to stop for a couple of days. The restaurant has great food. The person at the front desk called the national transportation service to check on road conditions for us (above and beyond!). And we saw the northern lights while staying here.

Hotel Akureyri

Akureyri

This was my favourite hotel of the trip - beautiful interior, super comfortable beds, including a massive pillow for reading in bed.

Fosshotel Stykkishólmur

Stykkishólmur

Very comfortable rooms (beds were very nice) and great location right next to the public swimming pool (highly recommend going for a dip at night!)

100 Iceland Hotel

Reykjavík

Clean and in a good location to walk to everything with easy parking nearby. Appreciated that they let us check in early

Activity Reviews

Vök Baths

Iceland

Really enjoyed being able to jump in the lake and then move right into the hot tubs. The rain walk outside the steam room was highly refreshing - really appreciated the different temperatures one could move between and experience.

GeoSea Geothermal Baths

Iceland

Truly beautiful view. I literally soaked and stared across the sea for hours! Wish there had been a sauna (not just a steam room) and a cold plunge, but to just relax and absorb the view was very relaxing.

Skógarböðin - Forest Lagoon

Iceland

Favourite hot spring visit of the trip - beautiful view at sunset, great sauna and cold plunge, yummy smoothie, relaxed atmosphere, and a really nice extra warm hot spring area.

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

Seven Step ritual was lovely, the entrance to the pools was stunning, and the view was beautiful. I found it very crowded with many people taking photos and there were a lot of cups left lying around which detracted from being able to relax. The sauna was amazing and I really wish we’d been able to go into it more than once.

This was my first time using kimkim to book a trip, and Jennifer was absolutely amazing to work with! Not only did she provide us great options to choose from for our trip, but was a wealth of knowledge throughout the process and so incredibly patient and kind as we changed our trip itinerary 100 times! We knew going to Iceland in March could be a gamble with the weather since it was close to the end of the winter season, and we didn't want to drive. Jennifer helped us set up some great group tours and assured us the public transportation was easy to use - which it was! My absolute favorite part of our trip was the day we went to see Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach and hiked a Glacier which was absolutely stunning. I would absolutely encourage anyone going to Iceland to make sure that stop is on their itinerary. Unfortunately, my boyfriend got sick at the end of the trip and we had to cancel our booking to Blue Lagoon - Jennifer's team was there to help us make the necessary changes at the very last minute which was so helpful in a stressful time. If we were to do it again (and we hope we can), we would likely drive and would definitely encourage others visiting to do the same. Basically, just listen to whatever advice Jennifer gives, because she will be right!

Overall we had an amazing trip in Iceland and we can't wait to go back and hopefully make it through the whole trip with no ailments.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for all your help! It was truly a pleasure working with you!

Hotel Reviews

Skuggi Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

We had a wonderful stay at Skuggi Hotel. Staff was very welcoming, friendly, and our rooms had everything we needed. The hotel was downtown and we were able to walk almost everywhere we needed to go and were able to pick up the bus for our day-trips right around the corner. The hotel was a perfect location, very cozy and we would definitely go back on our next trip to Iceland!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the rocks on the walls as hooks and the quotes that differ in each room.

Location

In the city, but not on the busy streets so it was a little quieter. Easy to walk everywhere you need to go or grab a bus from around the corner!

Staff

Everyone was very kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adventure Hotel Geirland

Kirkjubaejarklaustur

As we were on a group excursion and we were unable to select the hotel we were staying at, I was a little nervous about what to expect at our stay at Adventure Geirland but it had everything we needed. There is no TV in the rooms which was a surprise, but was actually really nice to give you an 'off-grid' feel (there was a TV in the lounge area if you were staying in the main building but no one used it, as everyone mainly was hunting Northern Lights at night). When we arrived, we had dinner as a group (with those who wanted to attend) and you were able to pick your meals + drinks a la carte off the menu. The hotel staff was SO friendly and gave us some tips on how we could see the Northern Lights from the hotel. Even though we had a very cloudy week, they didn't take away all our hope - "if you can see one star, there's a chance" :) Overall, we had a great experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved that it was away from everything - beautiful view

Staff

I can't remember names, but the staff on duty for dinner service throughout our stay were absolutely incredible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel was very clean - our only issue was with the shower - we were unable to get hot water (we didn't mention it to staff as we weren't there long enough for it to be a huge issue) or else I'm sure they would have helped!

Activity Reviews

South Coast tour day 3 - Black beach & Waterfalls

Iceland

Black beach was really cool to see in person and we even caught a glimpse of a rainbow right when we got to the waterfall. Both stops were beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Same reasons as before, we felt this could be improved with a different driver guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

same as before

Transport

same as before

Glacier Hike & Ice Cave Visit

Iceland

Definitely my favorite excursion with amazing tour guides! This was such a unique experience and so incredibly beautiful. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, patient, and quick to snap photos for us to capture the memory. My only regret was not bringing along our water bottle so we could re-fill on the Glacier! Such a cool experience and I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Iceland!

Quality of Experience

The views made it special but our tour guide was awesome.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide was so friendly, knowledgeable and made the experience great.

Transport

Transport was bumpy which was unavoidable but the guides set clear expectations about it!

South Coast tour day 2 - Glaciers & Diamond Beach

Iceland

This was definitely my favorite day of the entire trip. Such breathtaking sights, really can't see anything like it!

Quality of Experience

Sights were beautiful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Same as before - I didn't feel our driver provided a lot of extra value for the sights.

Transport

Same as before.

South Coast tour day 1 - Golden Circle & Northern lights

Iceland

We truly enjoyed all the stops on this trip, with no thanks to our Driver Guide who didn't really add a lot of value to our experience. Stopping at the waterfall and to see the geisers were awesome and we did also stop in a Lava Field before hitting our hotel which was such a cool experience. Unfortunately, we were in Iceland on a cloudy week and the chances of seeing the Northern Lights were really slim, even though we were out in the country, which was a bummer but nothing that could be controlled by anyone!

Quality of Experience

All the stops we visited on the trip were great! Provided additional information regarding driver guide below. I felt that it hindered the overall experience of our trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It felt like our Driver Guide was more a 'Driver' than a guide. While he did share some knowledge about the sights we were visiting - he didn't always answer questions clearly, he didn't provide any 'extra' information along the way, and overall just didn't feel like he added a lot of value to the experience. It wasn't until we were at the hotel that we knew where we were officially going to stay (the itinerary provided a hotel but also said 'or similar') and the only information we had on dinner was the time it started. Overall, It didn't feel like he really wanted to be there which kind of hindered some of the experience.

Transport

Reasons stated above regarding driver guide

Silfra Snorkeling – Dive Between Continents in Crystal Clear Waters

Iceland

Snorkeling in Silfra was such a beautiful and unique experience. We went out on a very cloudy/rainy day and I wasn't expecting the water to be so blue! The water was crystal clear and our guide GC was so friendly. Getting into the wetsuit was the hardest part but it definitely kept us warm!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, GC, was great!

Transport

Our driver guide was super nice and friendly

Day trip to Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Reykjavík

We had such a great trip with our driver guide, Christopher! We had such a great experience from each of the stops to the Saga stories our guide told us in between. Our favorite part was the Lava Cave tour but truly enjoyed each of the places we stopped at. Overall, this was such a great experience and we wish we could have kept our Guide for all of our excursions on our trip!

Quality of Experience

The knowledge of our guide made this trip exceptional.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We wish we could have had our guide on all our excursions. He was knowledgeable and we loved the Saga stories he told in between stops. Also, he would also come out on our stops with us - even the lava tour - which I thought was really awesome - so if we had any questions while we were out exploring, he was always around with us.

Transport

Our guide made this whole experience incredible!

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

We went to the Sky Lagoon on our first day, so while we were beyond exhausted, it definitely did help wake us up! While the Lagoon itself is beautiful, I was anticipating it to be a more 'private' experience going through the ritual. We enjoyed the beauty of the spa, but just wish it could have been a little more private experience.

Quality of Experience

Smaller groups to make it a more relaxing experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taxi to and from the Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Othman was extremely responsive to any and all questions. The excursions were planned well and timed out really nicely. We had plenty of time to explore but plenty of time to do some relaxing too.

Very easy to book. Our whale watching got canceled and I received a refund with a week of returning. Had a great experience. Our travel agent was very responsive when we had questions. We loved Iceland and can’t wait to travel there again.

We were very happy with Eric throughout the planning process. He was very responsive and sensitive to our technical challenges.
The itinerary met our required wishes. The 'Golden Circle' stay was a great way to begin our introduction to Iceland and the proximity to the airport of our first lodging helped us deal with the jetlag. The geothermal activity was a real attraction. Unfortunately I missed the planned activity at that location.
Our stay in Kirkjubaejarklaustur gave us exposure to the desolation and rawness of the country. The Diamond Beach day trip was a pleasant surprise. We loved the icebergs.
After the relative sparseness of humanity of the first two stays, Reykjavik was anything but. Unfortunately, Penny caught a virus of some sort two days before we were to fly to Iceland, and she couldn't partake of the Sky Lagoon pass. I, however, very much enjoyed the venue. It was splendid and I wish Penny had felt better and been able to accompany me. It was quite breathtaking.

Where to begin? KimKim helped us plan an 11-day ring road trip and we hardly scratched the surface of this beautiful place.

Lodgings: Eric and his team did a great job finding us off the beaten path places to stay within our budget. We especially loved Frost & Fire in Hveragerdi - cute room, great view, nice restaurant and their own hot springs tubs on the side of the hill. We also loved Gistihsid Lake Hotel in Eglisstadir - really nice rooms, views, great restaurant too. They had an indoor spa/hot tub too. Also of note were the Stracata apartments near Kirkjubæjarklaustur - it was an adventure arriving in the dark to discover the next morning that we were in a lava field filled with pools of water. It was raining that night so hard to tell where we were. Would be fantastic for Northern Lights! Also, the Mork Cottage in Hvammstangi was so cute, only 1.7 km from town but felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. We wished we could have stayed there a few days - the Northern Lights over the fjord were amazing. We would have liked to explore this part of Iceland more. The other lodgings fit our budget but were more standard hotels, met our needs, and had comfortable beds.

Excursions: We did 3 guided excursions. Horse back riding at Eldhestar stables outside of Hveragerdi, Glacier hike with Arctic Adventures on Sólheimajökull, and a crystal blue ice cave super keep/hike with Blue Iceland. Riding 2 hours in the rain was an experience in itself. We are glad we went - the horses are wonderful and the scenery beautiful even in the rain. The glacier hike was great too. We learned a lot about glaciers and climate change from our guide, Tin. Finally, the Ice Cave tour was beautiful. We went late in the day and had the cave to ourselves. It wan’t a sunny day but the blue in the cave was gorgeous. We would recommend spacing excursions out (we had one each of our first 3 days) - this felt rushed to us, but they did fit within the schedule.

Maps, Sites, Options - the maps were fantastic and linked right to google. The hardest part was letting go of all the things we could see but didn’t have time. The final trip plan contained 50-60 pages of site descriptions, recommended sites, and optional activities. Some of the most memorable - the South Coast Lighthouse trail on our first day, Hveralaug wild hot springs afterward. Skaftafoll Nature Reserve and Svartifoss waterfall (2.5 m hike). All of the East Fjords drive & Stokkanes beach (we missed the South black sand beach because the wind was crazy when we arrived). We also loved Húsavík and Akureyri.

Hot Springs - we asked Eric & team for a hot spring almost everyday. We had hot tubs at many of our lodgings. We visited Fontana Nature baths near Gullfoss, Geosea in Husavik, Lake Mývatn Nature Lagoon, and Forest Lagoon. All were wonderful - Forest lagoon was probably our favorite.

Food - Amazing! We tried it all. 3-4 different tasting menus including ending with Michelin Guide restaurant Matur of Drykkar in the Saga Museum. Also, hot dogs, burgers, tomato, mushroom and Icelandic soup. Most days we made sandwiches for lunch because they gave us flexibility to eat in the middle of nowhere.

Our car was great. Enough 4x4 to get us over gravel roads, puddles, pits, and snow.

Fortunately, we did not need to flex schedule because of weather. We just did everything in whatever weather we got. We saw the Northern Lights twice! The biggest gift of Iceland to us.

Thank you Eric & team!

Activity Reviews

Forest Lagoon

Iceland

Gorgeous, new, and very quiet at 2 pm.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

GeoSea Geothermal Baths

Iceland

Again, super windy. Great view.

Quality of Experience

So windy no one stayed long.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Myvatn Nature Baths

Lake Mývatn

Super windy. These pools are heated through rocks and gravel under foot - warmer/cooler depending on where you stood. They are also expanding so view wan’t quite as good as it could be.

Quality of Experience

Great facilities. Construction so not as pretty/wild. Got a free drink for Women’s Day!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

So beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Crazy driving the super jeep where we did!

Transport

Crowded

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

Perfect for what we wanted (easier hike). Great guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fontana Geothermal Baths

Iceland

Lovely. We were there late 7:30 pm, so didn’t get to really see the lake, but the pools and facilities were top notch.

Quality of Experience

Horse Riding

Iceland

I’m only giving it a 4 because it poured rain. Horses were great, scenery was wonderful and they waited for us when we took a wrong turn and ended up 15 minutes late

Quality of Experience

Nice facilities, great location, beautiful horses.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Iceland was absolutely amazing! We would have never been able to design a roadtrip like the one Eric did for us on our own. His expertise was invaluable when it came to seeing as many sights as we could within our 9 day window. His itinerary gave us the confidence to venture out on our own with a rented car, eliminating the need to go on any large group tour buses. The tours that he did book for us, like the glacier hike, ice cave tour, and walking tour of Reykjavik were small and the guides were engaging, accommodating, and knowledgable.

It was a seamless experience. We started at the blue lagoon right after picking up our rental car and then headed straight to the Snaefellsness Peninsula where we were able to see a spectacular glacier volcano, Snaefellsjokull, explore lava caves and endless lava fields, and walk on cliffs and black sand beaches. From there we spent a couple days in the Golden Circle seeing all the major sights like Thingvellar National Park, Geysir, Kerid Crater, and Gullfoss. We had a few days exploring the waterfalls, beaches, gorges, lava fields, and glaciers to be seen on the south coast before ending our trip in Reykjavik. All of the sights and driving instructions were in a logical order that kept us moving forwards, never wasting time backtracking.

We appreciate the time and care it took to design an itinerary specially made for us. We had told Eric that our main priorities were seeing the northern lights, soaking in hot springs, seeing nature, and learning some history. He booked us rooms at hotels with excellent views in case we might catch a glimpse of the northern lights; he fit 3 different lagoons into our itinerary (Sky Lagoon was the best); and we had a good balance of experiencing nature as well as making time for museums and history. We also tried some of the restaurants he recommended all of which were delicious! Thank you Eric for designing a trip we will never forget!

Eric did an amazing job planning and timing everything. All our tours were small groups, so to get the most of every experience, we work with tourists in our everyday lives also, so we know how important that is. . We liked the Troll expedition company that was chosen for our tours on the glacier. Beda was amazing hiking on the glacier, Bearney at the ice caves. Bearney was especially patient since the weather was so extreme and uncooperative with blowing gravel and pouring down rain. We also appreciated that our companies vehicles did not break down, while we watched many that did.
Horse back riding with Julia was a fantastic experience and learning about the Icelandic horses and getting to experience their Tolt (walk trot). And finally meeting Paul for our local walking culinary tour, you can see he truely lived Icelandic culture. As a fisherman his whole life, his tour gave us a true view of what it was like to grow up in Iceland.
Our first hotel at Fire and frost was amazing and such a perfect way to ease into our vacation. It helped us adjust to the time change while appreciating the beauty around us. I really liked staying in each location two nights so there wasn’t too much chaos packing and unpacking.
I will use KimKim to plan my vacations anytime I can. Even with all the info online, there would have been no way to plan things so smoothly, no way to know which tour companies to use, and no way to know how much time we would want to spend in each site.

Activity Reviews

Reykjavik Food Walk

Iceland

Paul was a fisherman his whole life, he showed us a tour from a true local and not just someone working in Iceland for a few months. I appreciated the small group interaction so we could really get a feel for Reykjavík.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horse riding tour

Iceland

Julia was knowledgeable and our small group made it a quality experience. Truely enjoyed learning and experiencing the Icelandic horse Troit. Having the horse riding suits available to us made the cold windy weather experience enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Julia was knowledgeable and made sure everyone felt comfortable as we proceeded.

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Bearney was great with our small group, the weather was so miserable that day, but we all made it. We watched so many vehicles break down returning to base. It was comforting to know we chose the right company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

Better with Beda!!! What a great time! Once in a lifetime experience! Nice small group attention while we watched some guides with 35+ on the glacier. Lucky with the weather.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Better with Beda!!

We had a wonderful trip. Everything was well planned and laid out.

Hotel Reviews

Skuggi Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Katla by Keahotels

Vík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Gullfoss

Tungufell

Charming hotel! Friendly staff l.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights & Stargazing

Reykjavík

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Glacier Ice Cave Experience

Iceland

It was cold and rainy yet a wonderful experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rinolda was great with helping us book the trip. It was on short notice and part way through we added a day to the trip and she didn't falter at all. We got to see lots of Iceland without feeling rushed along with lots of tips. The places we stayed at were fantastic and despite the shorter sunlight days we still were able to fit it all in (and Rinolda knew which places we could visit while still slightly dark and get great photos). We all really enjoyed the trip

Kimkim made choosing my travel plan so much easier. When I first started planning my trip to Iceland, I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do. The to-do list quickly begins piling up when you book a multi-city trip, so having all of your bookings in one place makes a huge difference.
On our way to Iceland we were delayed 24h, meaning we were missing 1 night at our first hotel, 1 day of our rental car usage, and one of our planned/paid for tours. Rather than having to contact each place I simply contacted Othman with the details of my delay, and he connected me with the local tour operator and they took it from there. Because of the hectic weather we had to make several adjustments to our itinerary and having it booked through Kimkim was a big stress reliever since they did all of the rebooking.
Othman was very kind and checked in with me before, during, and after our trip and was always there to answer questions when needed.
I look forward to booking with kimkim again in the future!

Activity Reviews

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

The ice cave was very crowded and was a lot of stopping for prolonged periods of time before moving to the next area, where you waited for a very long time. Our group was small, which was nice, however we had a few individuals who were always lagging behind to take photos and it really slowed us down. What could've taken 30 minutes took more than over an hour. I feel like there were too many people inside the cave and that it would've been better if the tours were more staggered so you weren't constantly waiting around. Another tour that we did had a nice idea of bringing us to the end fairly quickly while still being informative and not rushing, and then gave us all the option of exploring and making our way back at our own pace. This way people could take photos and take their time if they wanted to while others could make their way back quicker. This doesn't exactly work with the ice cave tour as they transport tour-goers to and from base, however maybe there could be a couple of options for departure from the cave.

Quality of Experience

Less tours happening at the same time, or having an option for a longer tour for those who want to stay longer/take more photos

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vatnshellir lava cave tour

Iceland

This was an activity that I underestimated and had booked for something to do, not necessarily because I really wanted to do it. We had visited The Lava Show in Reykjavik which gave us some education regarding lava tunnels and it was actually a really cool experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very friendly and cracked a few jokes with us and made the experience more enjoyable.

We had the trip of a lifetime. Emanuela with Kim Kim took very good care of us. We had weather issues that required us to change hotels twice in one day. We were extremely grateful to her for working so hard to make sure we had the best accommodations. She even had a bottle of champagne waiting for us in our room. We were in very good hands with our guide Svavar. He was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond for us. I would highly recommend booking with Kim Kim and ask for Emanuela!!!

This was the best trip ever!

I found KimKim through a search engine. Reviews were good and so I sent a message asking for information. From the beginning Adam was amazing. He put together a trip and then changed it multiple times as we added and subtracted. Although we never spoke, his good nature was visible throughout the entire process and much appreciated. Even during the trip itself, Adam and others answered emails quickly and humored our endless need to make adjustments.

The first day was rough but we pushed through and we were glad that we did. We saw the Northern Lights our first night in Budir and the trip got better from there. Other high points? Snowmobiling, eating at the Tomato Farm, hiking a glacier (thank you Sara!), soaking in the sky lagoon, dinner at Dill and so many frozen waterfalls. It was cold and dark but we had a magical trip. What made the trip a success besides the fabulous country? The trip was seamless. KimKim provided a travel plan that was perfect. Each day the driving route was provided with stops posted along the way with descriptions that added to the magic. We never felt lost because travel plan was perfect! Okay, one day a road was closed because of snow but it was Iceland in winter and to be expected. Every hotel and activity was set and went off without a hitch.

Cannot wait to use them again!

Eric our trip specialist was great to work with. We described what we wanted, and he tailored the itinerary to us and made changes happen very quickly and easily. The hotel rooms were fantastic and exactly what I would have picked, he nailed it! We will definitely be using Kimkim again in the future.

Activity Reviews

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Iconic and really neat to see the lagoon. The facilities aren't great here though, very few chairs to relax or sit on, so you basically need to be in the lagoon or sitting on a hard bench or plastic chair inside when it's cold out.

Quality of Experience

Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Relaxing and located conveniently close. It was clean and a neat experience. Very easy to access.

Quality of Experience

Katla Ice Cave Superjeep tour

Iceland

Small group, wonderful and laid back guide. Our favorite guided activity of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langjokull Glacier Snowmobiling

Iceland

Huge group, lots of waiting, pretty lame trip overall. We went in a single line at no more than 10km/hr out to a spot and then back.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thanks to Othman's patience, knowledge, flexibility and availability, we had an incredible, once in a lifetime Christmas trip to Iceland!!! Although the winter weather was a bit unpredictable, we were able to tour the South East coast, the Golden Triangle and Rekyavik with our family over the course of a week. Othman planned out a reasonable driving route and listened carefully to our hotel requests. The number of excursions per day was appropriate and we had a good selection to enjoy. The Blue Ice cave tour and the Glacier hikes were obvious highlights. We enjoyed stopping at the Diamond beach, Fjadrarjiljufur Canyon and riding the Icelandic horses during a hail storm was an outing to remember! They kept on trotting with their strong and short legs.:)The hotels were perfect accommodation for a family of 5 and we appreciated all we could see on a self guided tour. I was not sure how a trip would unfold with never actually speaking to our advisor, but Othman was a great communicator and paced out our trip, making changes even at the last minute to accomodate things. I would defintiely recommend working with Othman and using KimKim travel for my next trip!

Eric was an amazing source of information and guidance for our Winter Iceland Trip (for our family of 8)! I had done a lot of research on specific areas we wanted to visit, and he provided excellent details in creating a realistically-paced vacation, as well as specific details for greater understanding and additional highlights to visit. Eric was responsive and thorough in his explanations, as well as professional and patient with our itinerary questions and changes.

Specifics:
Car Rental - No problems at all... only a pesky spot that the windshield wiper didn't quite wipe away in the driver's view.

Day 1: We stopped to see some Icelandic friends at their home and visited with them awhile. The stops along the Golden Circle were beautiful... Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. What we should have, but didn't expect was all of the tour buses and group tours! We didn't have time for Fridheimar Tomato Farm or Kerid Crater, as our daylight was running out and we had dinner reservations. Our dinner at Ingolfsskali Viking Restaurant was absolutely delicious (for everyone)! We stayed at our friend's parents' cottage this night.

Day 2: Seljalandsfoss & Gljufrabui were amazing, although we couldn't see anything but pure whiteness when we pulled into the parking lot! The weather quickly cleared, and we were able to experience both waterfalls... my two sons even meandered back into the canyon to get closer to Gljufrabui, at the expense of one wet foot. Skogafoss & Reynisfara were amazing as well. We did witness a risky tourist challenging the sneaker waves too much and got completely knocked down & soaked by them! We had to call it a day after this because of weather/visibility. We went grocery shopping and cooked dinner at Eaglerock Guesthouse this night (and the next)... as well as breakfast. Very nice accommodations.

Day 3: Our Crystal Blue Ice Cave tour was awesome, and our tour guide (Johann from Troll Expeditions) had a super fun personality! Jokulsarlon & Diamond Beach were both truly beautiful! We even saw a seal playing close-up in the lagoon, and we saw the Northern Lights back at our rental this night right before bed!

Day 4: We HIGHLY recommend ice climbing with Tindaborg (referred by our Icelandic friends). Iris & Arni are expertly trained glacier mountain and climbing guides. They are involved in the national training of mountain guides, rescues, and glacier mountaineering. What's best are their friendly, patient, informative, adventurous, and truly pleasant personalities! We had complete confidence in our safety and guidance with them, and our whole family was able to experience something we never could have done on our own! We had a good meal at Smidjan Brugghus, and Vik Apartments provided a perfect stay for us.

Day 5: We really enjoyed hiking around Dyrholaey and into Loftsalahellir cave... spent more time there than we'd planned, but it was worth it! We drove to our friends' home in the Reykjavik area this night (New Year's Eve), and they had a delicious dinner catered in for us. They drove us out to one of the local bonfires, then back to their home for the traditional Áramótaskaupið TV show with English subtitles (and their helpful explanations of some jokes), then back outside for amazing fireworks all around!

Day 6: New Year's Day we went to Christ the King Catholic Church for Mass, shared coffee & pastries with some of the parishioners, then toured around some of the famous spots in Reykjavik. Some shops and quite a few restaurants were closed for the holiday, but we still got to visit a few. We had quick sandwiches for lunch and were throughly relaxed in the Seven Rituals of Sky Lagoon... Wow, what an experience! We even got to see the Northern Lights again from the warm waters of Sky Lagoon itself & outside as we were leaving. We returned to our friends' home for dinner and games that night.

Day 7: Our drive towards the Snæfellsnes Peninsula included the beauty of Hraunfossar & Barnafoss, but we didn't get to see much else because of the weather. The Gerduberg basalt cliffs were almost completely buried in snow (we could only see the very top of them), and we bypassed the other stops as well. Our family was hungry, and there were very limited options this time of year. We checked into Midhraun Resort (great accommodation), relaxed a bit, and waited for Langaholt Restaurant to open their buffet dinner (which was delicious)!

Day 8: We did a lot of imaging what beautiful Snæfellsnes would be like in the summer this day, as it we got pretty harsh weather most of the time we visited. We stopped at Budir church, Arnarstapi, and Londrangar. We spent a lot of time hiking around the amazing Djupalonssandur beach, which we thought was more enjoyable and preferable to the crowds of Reynisfara! Some of us took turns lifting the stones and staying clear of the sneaker waves. We had a very delicious lunch at Matarlist in the visitor center, but wow, it was pricey! We stopped by the Murals of Hellissandur, and half of our family walked the steps up to Saxholl Crater but found its top view a little disappointing. Unfortunately, Kirkjufell was only barely visible at its base because of the weather, but we were able to see Kirkjufellsfoss and play in the snow (snowball fight & built a snowman). We had planned to go to Stykkisholmur for a highly-rated restaurant dinner option, but were pretty worn out from the weather (and had spent so much at lunch) that we opted to stop at a grocery store and fix a simple dinner back at Midhraun.

Day 9: Breakfast at Midhraun both mornings was great, and staff was very friendly. We saw more Northern Lights this morning before heading out! We were mesmerized by the drive between Borgarnes and Hvammsvik with its incredible scenery... blue, clear skies and breathtaking views of the water and snow-covered mountains! Hvammsvik Hot Springs was throughly enjoyable, and most of us even went into the ocean in between the hot spring pools. We stopped in a shop near Reykjavik for some souvenirs, said goodbye to our Icelandic host friends, and made it to the airport on schedule.

We found the Icelandic people to be very friendly, the tour bus groups to be a bit annoying, and the trip as a whole to be outstanding!! We would love to return and experience it again one summer, but we also really appreciated and enjoyed the amazing beauty of this winter wonderland!

Thank you, Eric, for all your help and expert guidance!
Sincerely,
The Williams Family from Florida

Activity Reviews

Hvammsvik Hot Springs (& Nature Reserve)

Iceland

Such a great and relaxing experience! We enjoyed the views from these hot springs even better than Sky Lagoon, and it was much less crowded as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Truly relaxing and luxurious experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Amazing sights and creation! Johann from Troll Expeditions had a great personality and helped make this experience super fun! The crowds were the only thing detracting from this trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time despite the terrible weather. Difficult driving conditions (we rented a car) added to the adventure! We did not get to do everything on the itinerary, either because of time, weather, or we just decided to pass on a couple of things. Do not miss the Freidheimar tomato farm. The tomato soup and breads are the best.

Blue Lagoon was a great way to start the trip. Ice cave tour was amazing. Thingvellir is incredible from an historic and geological perspective.

We are talking about going back for 3-4 days in Spring or Summer just to stay in Reykjavik and maybe do some days trips from there.