Kimkim Trip Reviews for Peru

From the first inception of the trip consulting with Anne to conversing with the great tour guides, especially Julio, the whole Peru experience was a wonderful experience for me and my family. Everything went off as planned: Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and back to Lima. I highly recommend KimKim and Peruvian Soul if you are considering a trip for the great culinary scene in Lima or the wonder of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.

Let me start by explaining that I made this as difficult as I possibly could. Not intentionally, of course, it just happened that way. I started planning this trip in January of 2018, with intention of paying it off (they offer simple payment plans) by the end of the year, with departure the first week of January 2019. I set up an itinerary and began the payment process. Half way through the year, however, life happened, throwing a giant roadblock in my way. I had already been working with... read more

Let me start by explaining that I made this as difficult as I possibly could. Not intentionally, of course, it just happened that way. I started planning this trip in January of 2018, with intention of paying it off (they offer simple payment plans) by the end of the year, with departure the first week of January 2019. I set up an itinerary and began the payment process. Half way through the year, however, life happened, throwing a giant roadblock in my way. I had already been working with James, who I guess left the company and transferred me to Hayley. When I told her that I needed to postpone my trip for at least a year, she jumped right on it. Despite the fact that we had already reserved travel and admissions tickets, she was able to get all but $77 refunded to me, with everything else I had paid for to roll over to the next year when I could continue payments. Simple, right? It doesn’t end there.

Over the next year, I had more time to explore online what Peru had to offer, and of which KimKim was connected to about everything. The more I learned, the more I wanted to do. As I began to think about extending my trip from 10 days to 14, Hayley got transferred and yet a third travel specialist was assigned to my planned journey, Carla, who was up to date on all that I had been going through as soon as we were introduced. I proposed my new ideas of itinerary to Carla, and within a few days she had amended it and adjusted the cost, explaining why certain attractions and activities cost different amounts than others. When another financial burden in life fell upon me and I had to change the itinerary again (what a pain the @$$ I am, yah?) Carla finally helped me settle in on an impressive experience for even the biggest adventurers. Sacsayhuaman led it off in Cusco the day after I was retrieved at the airport by my guide for the two weeks, Rolfi, who came highly recommended by a former Peru visitor whom I met through one of these reviews! Then we embarked into the Sacred Valley, where the majority of the adventuring would take place. Rolfi really was incredible, and on our first day hike to Huchuy Quosco I quickly recognized why he had been so well reviewed. Not only was he knowledgeable of all the sites we visited over the next two weeks, but he was from Calca, just about the center of the Valley, and knew so many of the locals. His English is college level (fortunately for a Spanglish speaking gringo like myself), and even speaks Quechua, so no matter where we were he had a kind word for everyone we encountered. Then we were off to Chinchero for some paddleboarding. The guide for this water trip was a Cusco local named Barrac, and was not only very informed of the area but super friendly and easy to talk to. I had one day off to do my own thing and when I asked Rolfi what I should do, he suggested a local half day hike that would bring me past a very seldom seen by tourists archeological site in town and offered to walk with me. We had a great time buddying up and talking about all types of subjects from personal to international. Next was the Via Ferrata day, with a stay overnight in the Skylodge, and the zip line tour back down the following morning. For this, Rolfi kept his feet on the ground. Also, the whole experience comes with a bit of a price tag, but I can assure you, it is worth every last bit. The folks at Natura Vive were not just incredible guides and safety instructors, but considering what they had to work with in a plexiglass and aluminum (aerospace grade) dome hanging off of the edge of a rock face, these guys were great cooks as well! And so darned hospitable that I felt as though I was staying at the Ritz Carlton. The next morning, as the last zip line end had been reached and the harnesses were coming off, there were Rolfi and our driver ready to whisk us off to the next experience. Up towards the high countryside we went again for a day of mountain biking that started with an easy peddle to the Moray archeological site where we had lunch and walked around the area as Rolfi explained the site’s significance and development. Then, since the light rain had ended and our awesome driver had scraped all the red mud from our bike tires and brakes, we shed our rain jackets and headed for the downhill single tracks to the village of Maras, where we stopped momentarily at the town square. Then we continued on to the salt pool mines in the canyon where Rolfi again had much information on the matter, and finally down to the lower level of the valley floor again. That was the point where I recognized the awesomeness of this trip and gave myself the first appreciation of putting together so much happiness for myself. Another day hike was positioned in this time period somewhere, just around Calca and really enjoyable with all the evening rains bringing such a beautiful green out across the valley and mountains, with flowers blooming everywhere, of which Rolfi of course knew all the names. Then came the apex of the trip, the Lares Trek. I don’t want to spoil any of it for everyone, but fricken WOW! The hike was manageable for someone like me who is in pretty darned good physical shape, but I feel that Rolfi sensed my desire for a leg burn workout on this journey and rather than insist on too many breaks allowed me to romp onward at my own pace. The first night of camp I felt came too soon, as I still had energy to burn. But Rolfi assures me that I would want plenty of stored fuel for the next day, set to begin at 5:30am. He wasn’t joking. The elevation change of the next day had my heart and lungs trying to figure out a pattern together, but by about the time we were an hour from the summit I was stepping with a good rhythm that wouldn’t drop me but get me there steadily. Recognizing this, Rolfi let me take point for the final 300m of the climb. You can see in the expression on my face in the photo he took right when we reached the acme of around 4300m that my mind was the clearest it had ever been and I’ve never been higher on happiness (pun so very intended). After a snack and a pleasant sun soak session we continued further downward to our camp for the evening surrounded by majestic peaks and the sound of waterfalls, creeks and rivers flowing all around us. Oh, and the porters cooking our food, setting up our sites, providing tea, coffee, and even hot water bottles for our sleeping bags at night? Top notch, first rate, unbeatable...there just aren’t enough words to explain them. The hike down the valley to our waiting driver the next day was pleasant after such a thigh burning push the day prior, and I welcomed the open doors of the pickup truck when we reached our driver. In Calca, KimKim had arranged for me lodging at Casa de Aida, a wonderful zen style retreat of a hostel run by the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful mama in the whole valley. Breakfast was fresh from her garden and hens each morning, with freshly roasted and ground coffee to fill my belly to the point of tastebud happiness. No, that doesn’t sound like it makes any sense, but that’s how it felt. Stay there. You’ll see. My time with Rolfi culminated with two days of hiking Machu Picchu. Despite the departure time from Calca at 4:30am, Mama Aida had a thermos of coffee and some breakfast sandwiches prepared fresh for us and hand delivered on our way out the door. When I say that she is the best, I absolutely mean it. There is no one better, I promise. Machu Picchu, I think, is what you make of it, so take the time to spend two days. Get off the train like we did at KM 104 and hike the Inca Trail to again pass through a separate site not many see close up, and then pop out over a ridge through the Sun Gate, the true entrance to Machu Picchu and a stunningly awesome view of the site and the looming Huayna Picchu looking over it all. We took a break there and absorbed the energy before slowly making our way down through the site to the buses which brought us to Aguas Calientes, a town only accessible by train or hiking. Seriously, there are no cars, cabs, rickshaws or even scooters on these streets. The buses that run up to Machu Picchu and back to town? Yup, brought in by train. We spent the night in town after a pleasant dinner at one of the many fine restaurants and awoke bright and early the next morning to catch the bus up. The stairway is also an option if you are feeling courageous, but we had reserved tickets to hike that protector peak, Huayna Picchu, which must be reserved months ahead of time since they only allow two groups of 200 guests per day access to the famed “Stairs Of Death”. They weren’t that bad, considering the view from the top of this wonder of the world, but if you charge them without stopping the way I did, you’ll definitely feel it. I was beyond happy to have my trekking poles for this, especially on the decent. Also, if you opt for this exclusive opportunity, do yourself a favor and attack it in the first group, earlier in the morning before the sun is high. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself when the sun starts beating down on you on the way back down. Being the most famous of the country’s attractions, Rolfi of course knew much about the site and not once did he bore me with facts. Tourist trap or not, a truly impressive experience. After this I was sad to part ways with Rolfi, as I returned to Cusco for another night at the hostel El Balcon, of course set up by KimKim. This place was about as comfortable as can be with a fantastic breakfast in the morning. For the final part of my itinerary, I was greeted the next day by none other than Barrac, the paddleboarding guide who was now going to be my rafting guide. We drove back down from the upper elevations of Cusco for a three hour rafting experience which culminated with a hot shower, sauna, excellent hot meal with tea and coffee, and a review of the photos and videos captured by the onboard GoPro camera. I was returned to Cusco for one last night at the hostel, then picked up the next day by the driver once more. At the behest of a friend back home, I decided to extend my trip an extra few days to just kick back and relax, decompress before heading back to the states. This idea came before my first itinerary change, and Hayley was kind enough to connect me with a couple in the Sacred Valley who have an apartment that they rent out through Airbnb. KimKim was even gracious enough to have the driver cart me all the way back out to the valley (90mins)! I’m telling you, KimKim went above and beyond to make my dream escape come true, and I am already scouting their website for my next adventure...and I’m still sitting at the Airbnb right now! I really can’t say enough, porqué no hay palabras! Peru és paradíso, and KimKim and Quechua Treks know how to show it to you! Feel free to check out all my pics from this incredible adventure on Instagram @rain_downfire and shoot me a message if you have any questions or want any advice. If you journey with KimKim, you’ll never be lost. Safe travels, and happy trails!

Our guides Arturo, Wilson and Ronald were very good. We enjoyed all parts of the trip. The food tour in Lima was great and a lot of fun. The hotel in Sacred valley was amazing, and we found the tours of the different Inca sites and Macchu Picchu to be interesting and informative. The only negative was the hotel in Cusco - Hotel Palacio Manco Capac. We felt the rooms were too small, the wifi was weak inside of the room and the service was very slow in that particular hotel.

Our experience with kimkim and the Peruvian Soul team led by Jesus was fantastic! Jesus suggested a wonderful itinerary based on one conversation! We started with a bike tour in Lima and hit the most beautiful sites around the Sacred Valley and Cusco with knowledgeable and skilled guides. Alexis expertly led us on the one day Inca Trail and Machu Picchu and took us to stunning sites around the Sacred Valley. Besides hiking, we did stand up paddle boards on Piuray Lake, horseback riding around... read more

Our experience with kimkim and the Peruvian Soul team led by Jesus was fantastic! Jesus suggested a wonderful itinerary based on one conversation! We started with a bike tour in Lima and hit the most beautiful sites around the Sacred Valley and Cusco with knowledgeable and skilled guides. Alexis expertly led us on the one day Inca Trail and Machu Picchu and took us to stunning sites around the Sacred Valley. Besides hiking, we did stand up paddle boards on Piuray Lake, horseback riding around Apu Wanakaure (thank you Javier for being so patient with me), and wandered the narrow lanes of Cusco. We went to evening dance shows and fabulous restaurants. The finale was a visit to Rainbow Mountain!! We recommend going up by horse ;)
Many thanks to Jesus for organizing such a wonderful tour for us. We recommend him highly!! This was an unforgettable trip!!

This was one of our best trips of all time. We had never planned a trip through adventure/tourism companies, but this trip has changed our perspective towards that.
First, we would love to thank our trip specialist - Katy who planned an amazing itinerary customized to our needs and interests. She was very prompt, accommodative, patient and we could not have had a better plan of our trip.
The accommodations, the inter city travel and even the food was all brilliantly arranged and as per our... read more

This was one of our best trips of all time. We had never planned a trip through adventure/tourism companies, but this trip has changed our perspective towards that.
First, we would love to thank our trip specialist - Katy who planned an amazing itinerary customized to our needs and interests. She was very prompt, accommodative, patient and we could not have had a better plan of our trip.
The accommodations, the inter city travel and even the food was all brilliantly arranged and as per our preference.
Our most memorable time was our trek to Huchuy Cusco which is a beautiful and secluded trek and we are glad that it was in our itinerary as we would not have come across it if not for Katy!
Both of our guides Yuri(Balareso) and Justino were fantastic. They were professional, knowledgeable and very passionate about their work. We would specially thank our guide Justino who was incredible and made our Cusco trip even more memorable. He was professional, accommodative, interesting and quite funny :). We could not have been more fascinated by the Peruvian history and culture, especially the way Justino delivered it. He was patient with us on the treks, very motivative, did not rush and even gave us private space. We still can't get over his interesting stories and all the laughs that we shared throughout our time with him.
Peru is a beautiful country and felt a lot like home! It was a wonderful trip and we would definitely visit again.
Once again, thank you Katy, Kimkim and Aspiring Adventures for this magical trip!

- Priya & Balaji

We enjoyed this part of our trip very much. Though, I was surprised to know Kim Kim was not our tour guide but hired out Jungle Pro to be our guide. This outfit was very professional and catered to our every need. Our accommodations were very comfortable and we kept plenty busy watching for the many animals. One observation to note...sometimes, a guide could be in the same position too long. It took our guide some 3 days to finally warm up to us but we finally broke him in and the trip couldn't have been better. Unfortunately, it should have worked the opposite way.

We used kimkim travel for a recent trip to Peru over 9 days. Our initial apprehension about planning a trip with 6 adults and 6 kids ( ages 3 through 10) was unnecessary, since Kristy and Liz took all our constraints into consideration, and helped put together a great plan for the group. We had a variety of places we wanted to visit - the rainforest, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Lima, Cusco. Apart from international flights ( that we booked ourselves) and 2 days in Lima, they helped... read more

We used kimkim travel for a recent trip to Peru over 9 days. Our initial apprehension about planning a trip with 6 adults and 6 kids ( ages 3 through 10) was unnecessary, since Kristy and Liz took all our constraints into consideration, and helped put together a great plan for the group. We had a variety of places we wanted to visit - the rainforest, Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Lima, Cusco. Apart from international flights ( that we booked ourselves) and 2 days in Lima, they helped plan activities, domestic transport, flights, hotel bookings and tickets to attractions. Highly recommended for travelers ( especially families with young children) who do not want to struggle with local language challenges, ticket availability at attractions, and local transport needs. Special shout out for the accommodation plans - all the hotels / lodges we stayed in were comfortable, and suited our requirements well! (Hotel Dazzler in Lima, Hilton Garden Inn in Cusco, Del Pilar in Ollantaytambo, and family run lodges in Manu National Park)

Cusco Journeys ( Jaime and Lucho) picked us up from Cusco and gave us a great experience over 2 nights and 3 days. They ensured we had good local immersion - home cooked meals ( breakfast and dinner), taking us to "non-touristy" locations and helping us to shop local as well. The kids had a great experience at an animal rescue center, and looked forward to the interesting details Lucho shared about various birds. Jaime took us through the local culture and history and provided interesting anecdotes about events. We thoroughly enjoyed their company!
Suggestion for improvement for this part of the trip : Wish we had been warned beforehand about the bad roads + long drive to Manu national park. We were on the road for the better part of 2 days, and though we had a good experience at the end, would have prepared better if we had known earlier.

Andean Travel handled our trip through the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Alexandra, our guide through the Sacred Valley, answered all our questions very patiently, and she was a treasure trove of information! Also, she was a great hit with the kids since she brought them locally made dolls. Javier was our guide at Machu Picchu; in place of the usual 2 hour tour, he was with us for 4 hours and made sure we didnt miss any aspect of the historic location. Excellent experience!

All in all, would highly recommend Kimkim since they work with the best. Would definitely use their services again!

Dear Anne,
We had a wonderful, without any glitch, well planned Holiday in Peru.
Initially we wanted to visit only Matchu Pitchu, but as we started interacting with Anne, we were encouraged to add many other places and we are glad that you suggested it!
The trip was very meticulously planned and executed. Our itinerary was shared with us with all relevant details, our tickets were printed, guides arrived on time, pick up driver arrived on time and the estimation of time was correct so the we... read more

Dear Anne,
We had a wonderful, without any glitch, well planned Holiday in Peru.
Initially we wanted to visit only Matchu Pitchu, but as we started interacting with Anne, we were encouraged to add many other places and we are glad that you suggested it!
The trip was very meticulously planned and executed. Our itinerary was shared with us with all relevant details, our tickets were printed, guides arrived on time, pick up driver arrived on time and the estimation of time was correct so the we could always adhere to the timing.
The best part was the Guides who were well informed and good people, who shared lot of information and gave us insight into the places as well as into other matters as well
Peru is quite a large country and offers many different options. The tour generally required a reasonable fitness since on many days you end up walking quite a few kilometers
The altitude issue was well planned , starting from lower to higher in gradual way which helped
All in all we had a very good trip and coming all the way from India was totally worth it
Thanks Anne, the support team of peruvian Soul, other agencies and all
Regards
Manoj M Vaidya

Our 13 day trip to Peru was fabulous! This is the first time I have used any kind of travel service and I will use one again. The activities planned were exactly what we wanted, the multiple, multiple transfers were seamless, the guides were wonderful, and the entire experience was great.

Liz made all the arrangements and the few times that I had questions she was available to answer. A welcome surprise that she arranged for us was a cooking class. That is not something I would have done on my own and it was fun and the food was fantastic.

I highly recommend Kimkim and Liz!!!

Our trip to Peru was marvelous, in particular because our needs were catered for in every way beforehand by Jesus. Careful questions and answers resulted in an itinarary that proved to be well put together and balanced. The guides, in both Lima and Cusco, were very knowledgable re the local history and cultures informing us each step of the way what to look for and why. All the hotels were well managed, clean and comfortable. All transport went smoothly and on time; Air, Rail, Road and... read more

Our trip to Peru was marvelous, in particular because our needs were catered for in every way beforehand by Jesus. Careful questions and answers resulted in an itinarary that proved to be well put together and balanced. The guides, in both Lima and Cusco, were very knowledgable re the local history and cultures informing us each step of the way what to look for and why. All the hotels were well managed, clean and comfortable. All transport went smoothly and on time; Air, Rail, Road and horseback!
Difficult to single out highlights from so many but; the three lunch locations on the cycle tour with Luis, the day at Machu Picchu with Julio and a days horse ride with Javier were voted the top three by us. Julio in particular gave us so much insight to Peruvian culture for which we will forever be grateful.

I think we were very fortunate to have Aldo as our guide. We were a very inquisitive group and Aldo was able to answer all our questions and provided us with educated information and in-depth explanations of what we were seeing. He was always calm and very patient. He had us prepared for all our destinations. Although we did miss seeing the Machu Picchu Temple of the Sun. We arrived 5 minutes after it closed. All our drivers were punctual and transported us safe and sound to our... read more

I think we were very fortunate to have Aldo as our guide. We were a very inquisitive group and Aldo was able to answer all our questions and provided us with educated information and in-depth explanations of what we were seeing. He was always calm and very patient. He had us prepared for all our destinations. Although we did miss seeing the Machu Picchu Temple of the Sun. We arrived 5 minutes after it closed. All our drivers were punctual and transported us safe and sound to our destinations. There were several "wow" moments that I will never forget, but our arrival at the Sun Gate, after a challenging hike, was my most memorable moment.

I have traveled in Peru on my own and my experience was that there was one difficulty after another. However with KimKim, almost everything went smoothly and our experience was beautiful. People at KimKim must have worked very hard to make the trip go so well.
The food KimKim chose was great, the hotels were wonderful, the guides and drivers showed up on time. Our guides Jorge and Juan were knowledgeable, courteous, and personable, providing us with many insights into ancient Peruvian... read more

I have traveled in Peru on my own and my experience was that there was one difficulty after another. However with KimKim, almost everything went smoothly and our experience was beautiful. People at KimKim must have worked very hard to make the trip go so well.
The food KimKim chose was great, the hotels were wonderful, the guides and drivers showed up on time. Our guides Jorge and Juan were knowledgeable, courteous, and personable, providing us with many insights into ancient Peruvian cultures.
Anne, who was our tour director, was very flexible in designing our trip as we had to postpone the trip 3 weeks before the scheduled date and reschedule for a month later. We decided to add a few more days to our trip after the postponement, and Anne graciously and gracefully added to our itinerary seamlessly. She also arranged for us to go to places a little off the beaten path such as Aspero, (which I highly recommend as the tour there gave us so much insight into the Caral culture.)
The only thing KimKim asked us to do on our own was to buy plane tickets to and from Lima to Cusco. Somehow LATAM got my wife's last name wrong, assuming that it was my own, and supplied us with bogus passport numbers. (The customer service agent at LATAM said the bogus numbers were due to us having purchased the tickets in the United States. This does not make sense to me.) It took my wife and I three hours talking to the LATAM central office to correct these difficulties. Given that at least the bogus passport numbers were predictable and the assumption about my wife's last name probable, KimKim might take it upon themselves to purchase these tickets for their customers to obviate these difficulties. However, that only made plain to us what a marvelous job the personnel at KimKim had done in making our trip comfortable, delightful, and extraordinary.

My husband and I visited Peru for our honeymoon in October. Jesus and his team at Peruvian Soul planned the perfect trip! We began our trip in Lima, traveled to Paracas, and then returned to Lima before making our way to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. Having all of our transfers and transportation pre-arranged by Jesus/Peruvian Soul allowed us to relax and focus on enjoying the sites and culture.

Peruvian Soul’s tour guides and affiliated tour experts provided invaluable... read more

My husband and I visited Peru for our honeymoon in October. Jesus and his team at Peruvian Soul planned the perfect trip! We began our trip in Lima, traveled to Paracas, and then returned to Lima before making our way to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. Having all of our transfers and transportation pre-arranged by Jesus/Peruvian Soul allowed us to relax and focus on enjoying the sites and culture.

Peruvian Soul’s tour guides and affiliated tour experts provided invaluable guidance, insights, and local experiences to enhance our trip. In Cusco and the Sacred Valley, we had the same guide for several days, Julio. His spirit and pride in the local culture and history is contagious! Our Andean Wedding was one of the special highlights that Peruvian Soul and Julio coordinated for us. It was truly a spiritual, unique, and unforgettable moment that connected us with the beautiful landscape and living history of the Andean people.

Another highlight was hiking Machu Picchu. Even though it was raining, our guide Eddy brought a positive attitude to the day and showed us a great time. We also recommend people see the less visited Paracas and Ballestas Islands, where we had a helpful guide, Alexander. This area is very remote and filled with beautiful vistas of deserts and wildlife, such as penguins, sea lions, cormorants, and terns. In Lima, we enjoyed exploring what is a modern, cosmopolitan capital city. The food was awesome throughout Peru, but especially in Lima. For a high-end treat, Kjolle located next to the famous Central restaurant, our dinner there was one of the best meals of our lives.

Each day in Peru brought a new adventure. Now we know why everyone recommends to pack layers—each day we experienced a wide range of temperatures. Also, note that the sun is very strong even on chilly days.

Overall, we had an amazing honeymoon and would recommend Peruvian Soul to anyone visiting Peru for the first time!

We just completed a fantastic trip to Peru where Carla planned three tours in one. It was quite complicated, but it went off without a hitch. Everything was taken care of from the moment Arturo picked us up at the airport in Lima until Ronald dropped us off at the airport in Cusco. Arturo is a great tour guide and loved showing us around Lima including a really great restaurant for lunch. Then it was off to Cusco, where Ronald greeted us with hot coca tea at the airport and Zac met us at... read more

We just completed a fantastic trip to Peru where Carla planned three tours in one. It was quite complicated, but it went off without a hitch. Everything was taken care of from the moment Arturo picked us up at the airport in Lima until Ronald dropped us off at the airport in Cusco. Arturo is a great tour guide and loved showing us around Lima including a really great restaurant for lunch. Then it was off to Cusco, where Ronald greeted us with hot coca tea at the airport and Zac met us at the hotel and briefed us on our activities in Cusco. Zac did a wonderful job showing us around Cusco including doing a little hiking to prepare us for our coming adventure. The next day my son and I were off on our "Classic Inca Trail" adventure, a four day hike into Machu Picchu and my wife and daughter were off on an active tour of the Sacred Valley.

The "Classic Inca Trail" trek was even better than I expected. There were eight porters and a guide for just the two of us. Every detail was taken care of and Zac our guide did a great job organizing and keeping us away from the other hikers. We felt like we were the only ones hiking the trail. The hike, food and archeological sights along the trail were incredible.

While my son and I were having a great time on the Inca Trail, Wilson (guide) and Ronald (driver) took my wife and daughter on several active excursions including visiting a llama farm which my daughter had to see, a mountain bike ride in the Sacred Valley and hiking from Kilometer 104 over the Sun Gate into Machu Picchu. The two of them had nothing but great things to say about their adventure including a private lunch set up in a yurt for just the two of them. Wilson was so knowledgeable about the history of the region and shared that knowledge with them.

The four of us met in Machu Picchu where Zac made us feel like we were the only ones there despite the crowds.

Everything about our Peru adventure was fantastic. KimKim organized a private tour tailored to us that was way better than a large tour company. It was an adventure of a lifetime. We would not hesitate to use KimKim again.

My guide and driver were great.
The only issues would be the hotels in Machu Picchu and urabamba.
In Machu Picchu I was right next to the train which made its way every 2 hours not allowing for any sleep nor peace.
The setting in Urubamba was beautiful but the entry door was completely sealed making it loud for people walking bye and bugs were ever present.
Thanks

Aspiring Adventures organized a good customized tour in Peru. Steve and Katie made sure the logistics where well planned. Aldo was a good guide and very knowledgeable.

Anne was integral in helping me plan my husband and I's first trip to Peru. She was wonderful in giving different options that fit our interests and budget. It was so great to have drivers and guides pick us up from the airport and transport us to our next destination and all of of it went seamlessly. We loved the beautiful landscapes, Peruvian cuisine and the lovely people. Cusco was a magical place to spend time in and we will not forget our Amazon experience. Even when I was sick... read more

Anne was integral in helping me plan my husband and I's first trip to Peru. She was wonderful in giving different options that fit our interests and budget. It was so great to have drivers and guides pick us up from the airport and transport us to our next destination and all of of it went seamlessly. We loved the beautiful landscapes, Peruvian cuisine and the lovely people. Cusco was a magical place to spend time in and we will not forget our Amazon experience. Even when I was sick Anne was able to find a place efficiently that helped me feel better quickly. Thanks Anne again for putting this awesome trip together!

We loved our trip to Peru. Although it was a lot of traveling we were able to visit Arequipa, Iquitos, the Amazon, Cusco, Aguas Calientes and Macchu Picchu within 12 days. Our visit to Tahuayo Lodge was a true adventure. We were able to explore and see Amazon wildlife with the help of our amazing guides, Herzog and Eduardo. The accommodations and food were great and Siomey was our friendly face at mealtime who ensured our food was always delicious. Julio Cesar took wonderful care of us... read more

We loved our trip to Peru. Although it was a lot of traveling we were able to visit Arequipa, Iquitos, the Amazon, Cusco, Aguas Calientes and Macchu Picchu within 12 days. Our visit to Tahuayo Lodge was a true adventure. We were able to explore and see Amazon wildlife with the help of our amazing guides, Herzog and Eduardo. The accommodations and food were great and Siomey was our friendly face at mealtime who ensured our food was always delicious. Julio Cesar took wonderful care of us in Cusco and getting us to Macchu Picchu and all stops in between! Freddy gave us a wonderful Cusco city tour and Eddy personally walked us through Macchu Picchu taking special care with my Mom throughout the entire tour - lots of steps! We felt very well cared for and although I have been to Cusco and Macchu Picchu a few times, I still learned new things during our tours. The trip was well coordinated and most everything went very smoothly.

Liz was our travel agent and she did a great job. Everyone at Andean Travel was really helpful. They provided additional guidance when we had a situation.

All our guides and drivers were great. The guides were all very knowledgeable and were able to answer our questions. I really loved the Machu Picchu tour with Javier? and the Sacred Valley tour with Ruth. They ensured that we had a truly unique experience.

I also really appreciated that we did not have to wait for transportation. All the drivers were waiting for us when we arrived in an area.

Àll our drivers and guides were wonderful ! I admired our guide at Machu Picchu! He told personal observations that were not found in books! All the personnel were patient and kind! They were knowledgeable and considerate of our health and well being! As I’m presently on my last bus ride home, I can honestly say that I would recommend this service to anyone ! I need more time to find all our guides names to thank them personally - but I’m so happy to experience the beauty of Peru with the assistance of your staff and all the tours we took! Thanks to all!

It is difficult to state the most memorable attractions because there were so many. Every attraction was unbelievable and at times jaw dropping. The attractions and scenery were something to behold!The adventure gave us a briliant insight into the geography, geology, history , culture, cuisine and lifestyle of Peruvians, both past and present.
I should state at this stage that our original reason to come to Peru was to learn about the Inca civilisation and we came away with an indepth... read more

It is difficult to state the most memorable attractions because there were so many. Every attraction was unbelievable and at times jaw dropping. The attractions and scenery were something to behold!The adventure gave us a briliant insight into the geography, geology, history , culture, cuisine and lifestyle of Peruvians, both past and present.
I should state at this stage that our original reason to come to Peru was to learn about the Inca civilisation and we came away with an indepth knowledge and appreciation of their culture.
Our guide Zac was fabulous. He was informative, knowledgeable and enlightening in his knowledge of all aspects of his country both in the past and the present.
He individualised our program to suit our team of people. He was excellent at reading the individuals in the group in relation to their physical ability to comlete hikes , mental resolve in completing these tasks and know when it was time to have a rest. He developed a strong rapport with the group . He was humorous and answered our many questions with authority and interest.
Clearly an intelligent man who looked after us so well. Our other short term guide who covered the Lake Titticacca patr of the tour was also very good.

We had an absolutely fabulous trip to Peru! Kudos to Anne because all of our transfers went seamlessly and all of our accommodations exceeded expectations. We enjoyed Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, and Cusco as anticipated, but were surprised by how much we loved Colca Canyon. The bus ride from Puno to Cusco also went faster and was much more entertaining than we had imagined. All of our guides taught us so much: Alecson (sp?), Willie, Daniel, and Primo. Primo also was... read more

We had an absolutely fabulous trip to Peru! Kudos to Anne because all of our transfers went seamlessly and all of our accommodations exceeded expectations. We enjoyed Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, and Cusco as anticipated, but were surprised by how much we loved Colca Canyon. The bus ride from Puno to Cusco also went faster and was much more entertaining than we had imagined. All of our guides taught us so much: Alecson (sp?), Willie, Daniel, and Primo. Primo also was so kind and encouraging to us when we struggled on the 1-day Inca Trail Hike. We had a wonderful adventure -- a lifelong dream come true!

We had an incredible custom trip to Peru, organized by Anne Godoy from Peruvian Soul. Our guide for the first 6 days (Cusco, Sacred Valley) was Julio Quispe and our guide for the Ausangate portion of our journey (though Andean Lodges) was Alfredo Zuniga. Both guides were incredible. Super knowledgable, friendly, helpful and made the trip an exceptional experience. Anne was very prompt and checked on us through the entire trip. This was my first time with KimKim and my first time organizing... read more

We had an incredible custom trip to Peru, organized by Anne Godoy from Peruvian Soul. Our guide for the first 6 days (Cusco, Sacred Valley) was Julio Quispe and our guide for the Ausangate portion of our journey (though Andean Lodges) was Alfredo Zuniga. Both guides were incredible. Super knowledgable, friendly, helpful and made the trip an exceptional experience. Anne was very prompt and checked on us through the entire trip. This was my first time with KimKim and my first time organizing anything via a travel agency - and I was very pleased with the experience. Thanks Anne, Julio and Alfredo - for a wonderful trip.

KimKim is a brilliant idea expertly executed. How to find the perfect in-country help for just the kind of travel you prefer? Ask KimKim. They put us in touch with Nicho and Diego at Peruvian Soul for our self-drive, self-guided trip in Peru. And while driving yourself in Peru is not recommended, we set out anyway to discover that it's true that the worst drivers in the world are Peruvian. But Nicho checked on us almost every day, and we did fine. At Machu Picchu, Peruvian Soul had arranged... read more

KimKim is a brilliant idea expertly executed. How to find the perfect in-country help for just the kind of travel you prefer? Ask KimKim. They put us in touch with Nicho and Diego at Peruvian Soul for our self-drive, self-guided trip in Peru. And while driving yourself in Peru is not recommended, we set out anyway to discover that it's true that the worst drivers in the world are Peruvian. But Nicho checked on us almost every day, and we did fine. At Machu Picchu, Peruvian Soul had arranged our tickets and Wilson, our guide. The experience could not have been better. Wilson was friendly, knowledgeable and flexible. Peg suffered from altitude sickness and had to miss some of the recomended highlights but got to know the towns a little better. Peruvian Soul gets 10 out of 10.

Anne put together an amazing trip for us to Peru. Everything was well organized. Drivers and guides were reliable, always on time and very caring. Everything was well thought of for us. We loved all the local hotels that were selected for us especially the one in Cuzco. The whole process to setup the itinerary was very easy for us and the whole trip was perfectly tailored to allow us to see all the things we wanted to see.

All the sites along the northern coast were very unique. The... read more

Anne put together an amazing trip for us to Peru. Everything was well organized. Drivers and guides were reliable, always on time and very caring. Everything was well thought of for us. We loved all the local hotels that were selected for us especially the one in Cuzco. The whole process to setup the itinerary was very easy for us and the whole trip was perfectly tailored to allow us to see all the things we wanted to see.

All the sites along the northern coast were very unique. The ancient city of Chan Chan by the coast was beautiful, and all the gold at Lord Sipan's museum. Kuelap was impressive but very hard to get to, the major airport at Jaen has one or two runways I think. We loved Arequipa and our trip to Colca canyon to see the flying condors. Our guide Luis made this part of our trip memorable. Our girls loved that we stopped by local shepherd's pen to see all the llamas and alpacas before they start grazing for the day. Driving in Peru was thrilling and spectacular. The different sceneries were amazing from the coastal desert to the altiplano and the high peaks of the Andes. The crowds at Machu Picchu was as amazing as the sight itself. The mini Inca trail to the sun gate then the real site next day was perfect for us. The amazon jungle was a perfect ending for our trip. We were amazed by the beautiful lodges we stayed at deep into the jungle. The wild life we saw was wonderful and the food was excellent. The biking with tasting food at Lima was so interesting as well.

This is now the third trip we have done using KimKim. We have never been disappointed and will continue to use them in the future.

Dear all,
It’s not today that I going to review my experience. But just to let you know that it was by far the most incredible trip that we made. It was not just about the place itself since there are incredible places all around the world, but it was the way you all took care of us. You know when you go to a place and there is a family relative that knows you and he provides not only what you need but also surprises you all the time? That’s how we felt all the time!
Question:
Are... read more

Dear all,
It’s not today that I going to review my experience. But just to let you know that it was by far the most incredible trip that we made. It was not just about the place itself since there are incredible places all around the world, but it was the way you all took care of us. You know when you go to a place and there is a family relative that knows you and he provides not only what you need but also surprises you all the time? That’s how we felt all the time!
Question:
Are all the agency’s that you work with like Peruvian Soul?
If so you have made a difference in the traveling world!!!!

Everything went like clockwork with our trip, no snags at all with all of the connections and transfers, etc. Our guides were all excellent and the recommended hotels were all excellent. We hope to return to Peru someday and will definitely be contacting Kimkim for our next trip.

This trip was planned to perfection by Carla at the KimKim Team. She found a great company, Quechua Treks. Our guide, Johann, was above and beyond amazing! We did the Choquerquiro hike and ran into other hikers who did not have a great experience. Ours was perfect. We had 4 people doing this hike. One person, (me!) had trouble on the last day because of the heat. Johann was very attentive without being obnoxious, to make sure I was safe.

The KimKim team was also flexible when our... read more

This trip was planned to perfection by Carla at the KimKim Team. She found a great company, Quechua Treks. Our guide, Johann, was above and beyond amazing! We did the Choquerquiro hike and ran into other hikers who did not have a great experience. Ours was perfect. We had 4 people doing this hike. One person, (me!) had trouble on the last day because of the heat. Johann was very attentive without being obnoxious, to make sure I was safe.

The KimKim team was also flexible when our group decided to make a last minute change to our plans.

Our group is not prone to using travel agencies as we usually just wing it. However, we were glad we coordinated with the KimKim team for Peru. It made our trip perfect. Thank you, Carla!

Our trip was planned perfectly. We were very pleased with everything. The process was easy, the local tour guides were all very wonderful!!! We had Alexandra with us the majority of our 6 days in Peru and Franco was our guide up Machu Picchu. Alexandra is the best and when we come back we would request her to be our personal guide if she's available. Although I really really liked Franco it felt like he was a little overwhelmed as he had multiple tours during the time we were there. Still a... read more

Our trip was planned perfectly. We were very pleased with everything. The process was easy, the local tour guides were all very wonderful!!! We had Alexandra with us the majority of our 6 days in Peru and Franco was our guide up Machu Picchu. Alexandra is the best and when we come back we would request her to be our personal guide if she's available. Although I really really liked Franco it felt like he was a little overwhelmed as he had multiple tours during the time we were there. Still a great time and both took awesome pictures for us and of us. We really appreciate them capturing these moments. The hotels that we stayed in were excellent and in the perfect locations. We stayed at Aranwa for our first and third night in Cusco, Casa del Sol Machu Picchu Boutique in Ollantaytambo for Machu Picchu and Antiqua Casona San Blas in Cusco. It was one or two of the hotels I suggested and had changed after receiving Clara's suggestions and after I agreed to the itinerary because I researched where we wanted to stay and the type of hotels we wanted to stay in. Do not agree to any itinerary prior to researching your hotels. We were charged for each change, a service fee which I feel is a little much, so I warn you prior to agreeing to any itinerary do your own research first on hotels and rooms to ensure you are comfortable where they are suggesting you stay. I didn't and we were charged additional fees. Just a warning because their suggestions might not be what you really want and you won't know until you research.

Our tour was laid out so perfect we didn't experience much jet lag at all. Peru is our most favorite place to visit and we are very excited to return. This was our first time in this beautiful country and it's already top of our list. Going through KimKim was a little scary I must say as it was our first time using an on-line travel platform but it was the perfect platform to use for me as I was able to send my questions and receive responses that I could easily find again. I would definitely use KimKim again.

The only problem I had which was not KimKim at all is that our local travel agent Clara left the agency (That's why I gave her 3 stars) and we weren't told. I would send messages upon messages and I was getting a little scared that I had lost money because I got nothing in return. I contacted KimKim, they got in touch with the local agency and we were assigned to Liz who was great at responding but the local agency should have done a better job communicating that Clara had left. Other than that, I think if we had Liz from the very beginning or if we had known that Clara was leaving and a proper and speedy transfer was done it would have been a 5 star review for the local specialist.

I am really satisfied at Andean Travel who was the local agency. They are professional and offered the best layout for our first tour of Peru. They met us on time at the time we agreed on each day. The drivers were all courteous and the tours awesome.

We've just come back from an amazing trip to Peru. We loved every part of it but a special mention to Jhordy and Paulieno our guide and chef for the Salkantay trek who helped us complete a tough challenge across stunning mountains and also to Manuel who led us on many hunts through the jungle.

Everything was organised by Peruvian Soul and all the connections and pickups were stress free.

Oscar was an outstanding guide for four days. Our itinerary originally included an early morning horseback ride to Rainbow Mountain. We just weren’t up for it mentally or physically and tried to get in touch with our KimKim representative by email but we’re unsuccessful. We did not realize that because it was a Sunday we needed to call. That should have been made clear to us.

Otherwise, all was great!

The local agent Quechua Treks did a great job, we love all the details they arrange, like the snakes on the bus food restaurant our guide Zacarias pick was all amazing. Zac makes the trip even more enjoyable he is great tour guides full knowledge of the sites and plannings the trip in perfect timing. And our drive also did a great job.
Zip lining was very adventurous but not for everyone our group enjoyed.
Scared dreams lodge is beautiful hotel to stay, we loved it a lot.

This for me was a trip of a life time which was a total of 18 days with my daughter celebrating her graduation from High School. Kim Kim handled our 7 days in Peru and 11 days in Colombia. The time in Peru was magical. The highlight of the entire trip was Alexandra who was our guide in Peru for 2 days. I've been traveling for 20 years on international trips and Alexandra was by far the best guide i've ever encountered. Her ability to interact with myself and my daughter was wonderful as... read more

This for me was a trip of a life time which was a total of 18 days with my daughter celebrating her graduation from High School. Kim Kim handled our 7 days in Peru and 11 days in Colombia. The time in Peru was magical. The highlight of the entire trip was Alexandra who was our guide in Peru for 2 days. I've been traveling for 20 years on international trips and Alexandra was by far the best guide i've ever encountered. Her ability to interact with myself and my daughter was wonderful as she relayed to us the customs of local people and the influence of Inca culture. Her ability to recant history and it's influence on previous cultures and current live styles of those who choose a modern path along with those who desire to live an indigenous lifestyle of the past. She was funny, engaging, caring, recommending places to eat and sites to see later when the guided tours were over enhanced out time substantially. Alexandra was more than a guide, she became a life long friend. We loved everything about our trip to Peru. Kim Kim hit a home run in our book. I will be back!

Jesus organised my family the trip of a lifetime. I went with my wife and 5 children over 3 weeks. We arrived in Lima then went to Paracas, on to Cusco and The sacred Valley, then back to Lima and on to Mancora for some beach time.
All the local guides were excellent that Jesus organised. All transport was of good quality and prompt.
All went perfectly thank you Jesus !

Overall, it was a great experience.
I was particularly grateful for our guide Oscar, and regret that he was not our guide at Machu Puchu.
I now know that I would need 2 full days in Cusco BEFORE rainbow mountain and would plan more down time for recovery between tours. The schedule was too aggressive for me and my needs.

Mily went above and beyond. The trip was fantastic. No problems and we had the best guides. Guido was the best we have ever had.

This trip was a unique experience based trip that we enjoyed as a family and will treasure the memories for years to come!! It balanced lots of different opportunities to enjoy the fabulous nature in Peru, with the history and amazing sites. Add great company and guides and Peruvian food and it left us looking forward to a second trip to visit other areas in the country!

El equipo de KimKim y los especialistas superaron mis expectativas del viaje. El servicio de guías y personal de transportación son impecables. Todo corrió de manera organizada y a tiempo. Definitivamente satisfechos con los hoteles recomendados durante el viaje. Los guías eran muy amables y con mucho conocimiento. Muy agradecida por el excelente servicio de los guías David, Ruth y Mario en Peru y afortunados de contar con Aida y Gerson para el tour del salar de Uyuni en Bolivia. Definitivamente volveré a utilizarlos en mi siguiente aventura.
Gracias Kim Kim!!

When the weather is great and everything goes smoothly it’s easy to say the trip was great. The true test of a company is when there are problems and in this case Aspiring has really shown top marks. My 9 year old daughter became severely ill and Aldo, Mayli and Katie immediately reacted with not just practical assistance but the emotional support we required to care for our baby. They provided a doctor at our hotel at a critical point and provided excellent assistance to find treatment... read more

When the weather is great and everything goes smoothly it’s easy to say the trip was great. The true test of a company is when there are problems and in this case Aspiring has really shown top marks. My 9 year old daughter became severely ill and Aldo, Mayli and Katie immediately reacted with not just practical assistance but the emotional support we required to care for our baby. They provided a doctor at our hotel at a critical point and provided excellent assistance to find treatment and navigate the Peruvian health care system and travel insurance process. The fact that despite all the issues we have faced in the last 48 hours we cannot speak highly enough of the guides and company should speak volumes. We have been treated like family and as a frequent world traveler this company gets it and knows how and when to support both the newby world traveler and the salty veteran. If you are on the fence with a provider look no farther, these are the folks to trust. I should mention before the illness we had a wonderful trip and are so disappointed we could not take the next stage to the Amazon. Aspiring has earned a life long advocate.

Our personal guide, Chen, was absolutely wonderful! He was kind, considerate of our acclimation needs, and he had a terrific ability to motivate all of us to achieve our full potential on the rigorous hikes. We thoroughly appreciated Cheo’s sense of humor, as well as the detail of his cultural presentation of the sights throughout the entire trip.

Katy and KimKim were wonderful with the timely updates of our travel plans, payment schedule, and perfect packing list.

Thank you!

Our local specialist, KATY from Aspiring Adventures, arranged our local experience carefully, based on our preferences as a party of 6 adults with various levels of fitness ability and 2 active children. She got us a trip to experience Peru from the Pacific coast to the Andean mountains to the Amazon jungle. She arranged for us to taste Peruvian local cuisine at luxurious restaurants, a farmer's house, an Amaru village house, a boat picnic setting, and a set-menu dining in a jungle lodge. She... read more

Our local specialist, KATY from Aspiring Adventures, arranged our local experience carefully, based on our preferences as a party of 6 adults with various levels of fitness ability and 2 active children. She got us a trip to experience Peru from the Pacific coast to the Andean mountains to the Amazon jungle. She arranged for us to taste Peruvian local cuisine at luxurious restaurants, a farmer's house, an Amaru village house, a boat picnic setting, and a set-menu dining in a jungle lodge. She got us to experience local lifestyle by having us to stay at hostels, Amaru village house, and a jungle lodge. The Muresan family also appreciated our 'green' experience in Peru.

The Muresan family appreciated Katy's list of What to Expect When Traveling to Peru and List to Bring. Perhaps Katy can add:
1. Amaru, the village experience living, is super cold, so please bring seriously warm clothes to be comfortable.
2. Riding ATV is super dusty, so please bring a face mask to cover up, and a backpack cover/plastic to cover yourself and your backpack.
Other than those, Katy was spot on. Please bring gifts for your host families. Something small from your country. From Indonesia, we brought keychains. From the US, we brought t-shirts and keychains. They cost $2-5 a piece and will last a lifetime for your hosts and friendship.

Aldo Sanchez was our ultimate BEST guide! He was patient, quietly listening to our needs, courteously adjusting our trip based on our requests, happily taking our pictures as a group in 'Instagram-worthy' places :), and most importantly, very passionate and knowledgeable about his mountains! He did not push us to buy anything from any merchants. He did not force us to do anything we were not comfortable with. He also made all those hiking and walking a pleasure because he carried a book with him and he kept on stopping to tell stories about the places we passed as we were walking. He was like an audiobook. No suggestion to improve for Aldo. Keep up your great work and service, Aldo! Thank you for your service to our family.

The Muresan family found Wilhen, the cyclist guide, fun, and careful with ensuring our safety on the trails and road. He went as far as we wanted to, as fast as our kids pedaled, and was willing to take several breaks to give Elisa a break because she was running out of gas from not eating proper breakfast. Her fault totally. Luckily, Aldo got a piece of Amaru potato for Elisa to munch and get a little more energy. Thank you, Wilhen.

The Muresan family enjoyed paddleboarding with David at Lake Piuray. He was competent, patient, and more than happy to have fun with my extremely happy kids. Our kids are fish in disguise. I thought they were goofing around a little too much, but David encouraged them to have serious fun. The kids ended up feeling ecstatic, I ended up relaxing, and the car ended up being quiet because both of them fell asleep after our water activity. Thank you, David. Stay safe, keep traveling, and carry on.

The Muresan family had a great time in Amaru. We loved the welcome 'ceremony' when we arrived. We enjoyed working the field for Fredy's family, using the tools that the Inca farmers had been using for centuries. We loved the cooking in the ground procedure that we witnessed and graciously devoured. We admired the camaraderie amongst Fredy's neighbors, who came to help and showed us how devoted the women were to care for their children. We adored the view from hiking 4000 m hill near Fredy's house. BUT the chill was down to every single tiniest bone in our bodies. It was extremely cold during the night that when we had to pee, we almost decided to pee on ourselves to warm our bodies up. But no, we walked down to the toilets, like proper ladies and gentlemen, to release ourselves. What a reward we got. We looked up the sky and saw what the Inca people saw many centuries ago, with our naked eyes, the clear sky with beautiful formation of the stars and the milky way. It was one of our moments of: man, we were glad we had to pee in the middle of the night. Thank you for your hospitality, Fredy. I will send you the printed picture, as I promised.

We loved the Amazon jungle that we got to experience from Puerto Maldonado. Oscar's lodge was pleasantly clean, rustic, and relaxing. The architecture and landscape looked to be carefully designed for ultimate enjoyment of the city people like us. (Juan) Carlos the chef was strict with dining timetable, but we loved his creations, every single time! Oscar's staff members were courteous and very honest. Perhaps, at the bar, for people who don't drink, Oscar can add selling chips, candies, or small muncheries. We enjoyed the common rooms very much, playing games and getting to know other guests, while swinging at the strong hammocks and imagining a leopard or a snake or a monkey or even a sloth peeking to watch us, humans.

Yuri is a passionate and competent guide. We appreciated that even with his stomach problem, he still stayed upbeat and strong to help us enjoy our time in the jungle. He spotted many animals for us when we couldn't even see the creatures! He found the best place (spots) for us to enjoy the clay-licking birds of Peru, had a picnic breakfast, and walked to another spot to enjoy those beauties! He skillfully took us for long day and night walk through the Amazon jungle and to Condenado Lake. He caught 3 piranha fish with ease and graciously shared 1 with us at the lodge. We 4 are still jealous at Yuri for catching those piranha, because none of us could do that! We appreciated Yuri taking us to try to find an Anaconda (or two or a few) at Tres Chimbadas Lake. Yuri knew Reserva Nacional Tambopata very well and was always being green and environmentally conscious, at all times. Thank you, Yuri. Keep up your great service!

The Muresan family would also like to acknowledge the super boat driver Carlo! Carlo drove very smoothly on Tambopata River, without light, at 4 in the morning!, maneuvering through deep and shallow spots, and avoiding fallen trees! WOW! Carlo also managed to stop his boat, to show us a small monkey hanging on the top of a tree, and several families of Capibara, cleverly camouflaged amongst the mudbanks of the river. To top it all of, Carlo ALWAYS kept his boat clean and tidy, every time we got on board of it. You are the man, Carlo! Thank you for showing us a great time at your Tambopata River.

The Muresan family enjoyed the kayaking down the Tambopata River on the last day at the jungle. Next time, please consider arranging this activity to NOT be on the last day, so that we could dry our wet clothes and not bringing those wet clothes back to the US, in our suitcases, for 2 days.

The Muresan family had a glitch with Mayli. She was not able to answer any of my questions during our trip in Peru. She was not helpful and was incompetent at Cusco airport, prior to our departure to Puerto Maldonado. She needed more training to help clients with their airport experience. I wish we had Aldo sending us off from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. He would have known what to do!

In conclusion, our trip to Peru was a blast! Thankfully, Mayli is just a little insignificant glitch. Our family had a once in a lifetime experience and will be sharing our reviews (minus Mayli) in Social Media, to promote Peru, Kimkim Travel, and Aspiring Adventures. Thank you.

Our trip to Peru was unique and authentic! Our guide Aldo really contributed to make our trip enrichful by sharing with us his knowledge and taking care of us. The itinerary was great, we enjoyed everything. Our most memorable moment was our stay in Amaru where we could experience the authentic village life by being hosted by an amazing Peruvian family. We strongly recommend this destination.

Our local specialist, Katy from Aspiring Adventures, arranged our local experience carefully, based on our preferences as a party of 6 adults with various levels of fitness ability and 2 active children. She got us a trip to experience Peru from the Pacific coast to the Andean mountains to the Amazon jungle. She arranged for us to taste Peruvian local cuisine at luxurious restaurants, a farmer's house, an Amaru village house, a boat picnic setting, and a set-menu dining in a jungle lodge. She... read more

Our local specialist, Katy from Aspiring Adventures, arranged our local experience carefully, based on our preferences as a party of 6 adults with various levels of fitness ability and 2 active children. She got us a trip to experience Peru from the Pacific coast to the Andean mountains to the Amazon jungle. She arranged for us to taste Peruvian local cuisine at luxurious restaurants, a farmer's house, an Amaru village house, a boat picnic setting, and a set-menu dining in a jungle lodge. She got us to experience local lifestyle by having us to stay at hostels, Amaru village house, and a jungle lodge. The Muresan family also appreciated our 'green' experience in Peru.

Aldo Sanchez was our ultimate BEST guide! He was patient, quietly listening to our needs, courteously adjusting our trip based on our requests, happily taking our pictures as a group in 'Instagram-worthy' places :), and most importantly, very passionate and knowledgeable about his mountains! He did not push us to buy anything from any merchants. He did not force us to do anything we were not comfortable with. He also made all those hiking and walking a pleasure because he carried a book with him and he kept on stopping to tell stories about the places we passed as we were walking. He was like an audiobook. No suggestion to improve for Aldo. Keep up your great work and service, Aldo! Thank you for your service to our family.

The Muresan family found Wilhen, the cyclist guide, fun, and careful with ensuring our safety on the trails and road. He went as far as we wanted to, as fast as our kids pedaled, and was willing to take several breaks to give Elisa a break because she was running out of gas from not eating proper breakfast. Her fault totally. Luckily, Aldo got a piece of Amaru potato for Elisa to munch and get a little more energy. Thank you, Wilhen.

The Muresan family enjoyed paddleboarding with David at Lake Piuray. He was competent, patient, and more than happy to have fun with my extremely happy kids. Our kids are fish in disguise. I thought they were goofing around a little too much, but David encouraged them to have serious fun. The kids ended up feeling ecstatic, I ended up relaxing, and the car ended up being quiet because both of them fell asleep after our water activity. Thank you, David. Stay safe, keep traveling, and carry on.

The Muresan family had a great time in Amaru. We loved the welcome 'ceremony' when we arrived. We enjoyed working the field for Fredy's family, using the tools that the Inca farmers had been using for centuries. We loved the cooking in the ground procedure that we witnessed and graciously devoured. We admired the camaraderie amongst Fredy's neighbors, who came to help and showed us how devoted the women were to care for their children. We adored the view from hiking 4000 m hill near Fredy's house. BUT the chill was down to every single tiniest bone in our bodies. It was extremely cold during the night that when we had to pee, we almost decided to pee on ourselves to warm our bodies up. But no, we walked down to the toilets, like proper ladies and gentlemen, to release ourselves. What a reward we got. We looked up the sky and saw what the Inca people saw many centuries ago, with our naked eyes, the clear sky with beautiful formation of the stars and the milky way. It was one of our moments of: man, we were glad we had to pee in the middle of the night. Thank you for your hospitality, Fredy. I will send you the printed picture, as I promised.

We loved the Amazon jungle that we got to experience from Puerto Maldonado. Oscar's lodge was pleasantly clean, rustic, and relaxing. The architecture and landscape looked to be carefully designed for ultimate enjoyment of the city people like us. (Juan) Carlos the chef was strict with dining timetable, but we loved his creations, every single time! Oscar's staff members were courteous and very honest. Perhaps, at the bar, for people who don't drink, Oscar can add selling chips, candies, or small muncheries. We enjoyed the common rooms very much, playing games and getting to know other guests, while swinging at the strong hammocks and imagining a leopard or a snake or a monkey or even a sloth peeking to watch us, humans.

Yuri is a passionate and competent guide. We appreciated that even with his stomach problem, he still stayed upbeat and strong to help us enjoy our time in the jungle. He spotted many animals for us when we couldn't even see the creatures! He found the best place (spots) for us to enjoy the clay-licking birds of Peru, had a picnic breakfast, and walked to another spot to enjoy those beauties! He skillfully took us for long day and night walk through the Amazon jungle and to Condenado Lake. He caught 3 piranha fish with ease and graciously shared 1 with us at the lodge. We 4 are still jealous at Yuri for catching those piranha, because none of us could do that! We appreciated Yuri taking us to try to find an Anaconda (or two or a few) at Tres Chimbadas Lake. Yuri knew Reserva Nacional Tambopata very well and was always being green and environmentally conscious, at all times. Thank you, Yuri. Keep up your great service!

The Muresan family would also like to acknowledge the super boat driver Carlo! Carlo drove very smoothly on Tambopata River, without light, at 4 in the morning!, maneuvering through deep and shallow spots, and avoiding fallen trees! WOW! Carlo also managed to stop his boat, to show us a small monkey hanging on the top of a tree, and several families of Capibara, cleverly camouflaged amongst the mudbanks of the river. To top it all of, Carlo ALWAYS kept his boat clean and tidy, every time we got on board of it. You are the man, Carlo! Thank you for showing us a great time at your Tambopata River.

The Muresan family enjoyed the kayaking down the Tambopata River on the last day at the jungle. Next time, please consider arranging this activity to NOT be on the last day, so that we could dry our wet clothes and not bringing those wet clothes back to the US, in our suitcases, for 2 days.

The Muresan family had a glitch with Mayli. She was not able to answer any of my questions during our trip in Peru. She was not helpful and was incompetent at Cusco airport, prior to our departure to Puerto Maldonado. She needed more training to help clients with their airport experience. I wish we had Aldo sending us off from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. He would have known what to do!

In conclusion, our trip to Peru was a blast! Thankfully, Mayli is just a little insignificant glitch. Our family had a once in a lifetime experience and will be sharing our reviews (minus Mayli) in Social Media, to promote Peru, Kimkim Travel, and Aspiring Adventures. Thank you.

The overall experience is ok,but I wonder if something urgent happens and I need some help,who should I turn to? There were several times I failed to contact the travel agent and when I turned to Kimkim I find the contact person and number is the same number I have and have failed to get in touch.Besides the quality of some local guides needs improving. Everyone seems to tell his own stories. We don’t know who to believe.
Thank you!

Our trip to Peru was amazing! Kristy was super helpful and very organized. This was the first trip I could finally not worry about how to get to the next destination and what kind of train or plane we have to catch. From getting us to and from airports, to different scenic destinations, to our numerous hotels, Kristy and her team were always spot on. Our local guide was also very thoughtful and looked after us very well. They made sure we were never too tired and gave us numerous... read more

Our trip to Peru was amazing! Kristy was super helpful and very organized. This was the first trip I could finally not worry about how to get to the next destination and what kind of train or plane we have to catch. From getting us to and from airports, to different scenic destinations, to our numerous hotels, Kristy and her team were always spot on. Our local guide was also very thoughtful and looked after us very well. They made sure we were never too tired and gave us numerous recommendations on restaurants and merchandise. We were able to go to at least 4 different Inca sites and we were able to do a whole circuit around Machu Picchu in less than 4 hours! All the hotels that Kristy booked for us were in great locations and were all very clean and comfortable. Thank you Kristy and to everyone who helped us with this trip. We will definitely be booking through Kimkim again!

It was great experience. Carla was great, all the guides were very knowledgeable and all the transportation on time for pickup.

Such an incredible trip. Peru is a beautiful country in its landscapes and it’s culture. The whole vacation was amazing. Sacred Valley, Aguas Callientes, Cusco, and Lima, every part was unique and thoroughly enjoyable. Machu Picchu was obviously the highlight of the trip. Hiking to the Sun Gate was a little rough but absolutely breathtaking, totally worth it. Sacred Valley was probably our favorite part. The salt mines, moray terraces, Ollantantaytambo fortress, and of course the Pachamanca ... read more

Such an incredible trip. Peru is a beautiful country in its landscapes and it’s culture. The whole vacation was amazing. Sacred Valley, Aguas Callientes, Cusco, and Lima, every part was unique and thoroughly enjoyable. Machu Picchu was obviously the highlight of the trip. Hiking to the Sun Gate was a little rough but absolutely breathtaking, totally worth it. Sacred Valley was probably our favorite part. The salt mines, moray terraces, Ollantantaytambo fortress, and of course the Pachamanca dinner was delicious. Kimkim made it possible to fully enjoy that with as little stress as possible. Our guides were amazing, Julio in Sacred Valley, Freddy in Cusco, and Cynthia in Lima. So friendly and knowledgeable. They made sure we were comfortable, happy, and well fed during our entire stay. The hotels were also great, very welcoming to go back to after a long day of sightseeing. Would definitely return to Peru and definitely recommend kimkim.

Kimkim did a great job organizing an amazing Peru experience for my family of five and our extended family. We had children ranging from age 4 to 14 and they all had a great time seeing the classic Costa, Sierra, y Selva of Peru. All of our guides were knowledgeable and helpful. Alejandra in the Andean portion and Oscar in the Amazonian portion were especially fantastic! We had numerous family members joining and leaving at different times and the organizational team at Kimkim didn't miss... read more

Kimkim did a great job organizing an amazing Peru experience for my family of five and our extended family. We had children ranging from age 4 to 14 and they all had a great time seeing the classic Costa, Sierra, y Selva of Peru. All of our guides were knowledgeable and helpful. Alejandra in the Andean portion and Oscar in the Amazonian portion were especially fantastic! We had numerous family members joining and leaving at different times and the organizational team at Kimkim didn't miss a beat! Everyone made their connections and got to experience the portion they chose without having to stress over the details. Thank you all!

This is the first time I have worked with KimKim And have absolutely no regrets! They paired me with a company called Peruvian Soul who exceeded our expectations! Jesus and Carmen were exceptional with the planning and always available. We got to meet Carmen in Lima, she is so sweet and caring. She would check on us throughout our trip. The local guides were beyond amazing especially Julio in Cusco. He was always available and very knowledgeable. He wanted to make sure we were okay at all... read more

This is the first time I have worked with KimKim And have absolutely no regrets! They paired me with a company called Peruvian Soul who exceeded our expectations! Jesus and Carmen were exceptional with the planning and always available. We got to meet Carmen in Lima, she is so sweet and caring. She would check on us throughout our trip. The local guides were beyond amazing especially Julio in Cusco. He was always available and very knowledgeable. He wanted to make sure we were okay at all times and just such a wonderful person. I highly recommend Peruvian Soul to help plan the most amazing vacation to Peru. Santiago, our guide for the Inca trail was so patient with us during our trek and made it so worthwhile! Macchi Picchu is unbelievable! Truly a wonderful experience!

Anne was great. Very accommodating and responsive. Whenever there were any questions she answered promptly. We would use Anne again to help plan our trip :)

Anne was wonderful and so caring. Made the trip seamless. She wants people to learn and explore her country not on a bus with 100's of tourists.

I would definitely recommend Peruvian Soul to future travelers! She worked with our budget seamlessly and didn't feel like a budget trip AT ALL. Kudos to her hard work! Thank you so much!!

My daughter and I really enjoyed our trip. The connections were seamless and always on time. The best part of the trip were our guides. They were all well informed, interesting, and just plain fun to hang out with. I would highly recommend Kim-kim.
Matthew

We loved our trip to North Peru that we organised through Phima Voyages. Martina was wonderful as we made our plans and bookings. She kept us really well informed and provided lots of good advice and local information.
The airport transfers and hotel bookings were very well organised.
Our tours were wonderful. It was great to get away from the main areas for international tourism and explore a bit more of Peru. A highlight for us was the ruins at Keulap, but we enjoyed our experiences too.... read more

We loved our trip to North Peru that we organised through Phima Voyages. Martina was wonderful as we made our plans and bookings. She kept us really well informed and provided lots of good advice and local information.
The airport transfers and hotel bookings were very well organised.
Our tours were wonderful. It was great to get away from the main areas for international tourism and explore a bit more of Peru. A highlight for us was the ruins at Keulap, but we enjoyed our experiences too. Our guide was friendly, well informed and helpful. Our driver was very professional and we always felt safe, including on some of the winding dirt roads.
While we were there we experienced a magnitude 8 earthquake. The Phima team were great at making us feel safe (which we were!) and keeping us informed about potential changes due to rockfalls on the roads.
I really recommend Phima to anyone looking for a personalised travel experience in the Chachapoyas area.

Edson and Liz were my local specialists. They both offered great advice and help during my trip to Peru.

Aspiring Adventures (Katy, Steve) did a great job ahead of the trip making sure they knew us and providing 2 itineraries with equipment lists. We were all well prepared. Guide Alex met us the first day introduced himself. You could tell how proud his was of his country (same with Angela), Cusco and the Inca legacy. Right from the start Alex (and Angela) couldn't do enough for us. Whether it was ensuring dietary restrictions were met or getting waiters attend for beer. Note: Angela... read more

Aspiring Adventures (Katy, Steve) did a great job ahead of the trip making sure they knew us and providing 2 itineraries with equipment lists. We were all well prepared. Guide Alex met us the first day introduced himself. You could tell how proud his was of his country (same with Angela), Cusco and the Inca legacy. Right from the start Alex (and Angela) couldn't do enough for us. Whether it was ensuring dietary restrictions were met or getting waiters attend for beer. Note: Angela wasn't on the Inca Trail with us, so most of my comments are on Alex. From my wife, Angela was excellent.

Inca Trail
- Aspiring Adventure equipment was excellent. One member of team rented sleeping bag and thermal rest. That equipment was first rate. Especially liked the built in pump on the mattress.
- Porters were very professional and looked good in matching "uniforms". First night out Alex had all the porters, chef & server, and clients introduce themselves.
- Meals especially the soups (and cake on last day) were great. Lots of variety of food. Went away from table full every time. Servers, chef, water porter & Alex did an excellent job. Alex always making sure everyone was happy.
- Everyone liked the after lunch siesta.
- Alex keep us informed on what we were seeing, why we were leaving a location at a specific time, and what to expect. He answered every question we asked. Let us set the pace of the hike. Almost always bring up the rear but appearing in time to explain something, make sure we were Ok or didn't miss something.
- Inca trail is wonderfully maintained. No litter.
- Sun Gate on Day-4 on Inca Trail was everything I wanted it to be.

Non-Inca Trail
- Angela was excellent accommodating Devina & Susan every wish. Giving them more or less time as they wanted. . Great explanations & tried really hard with dietary. Very proud of her country.
- small issue - itinerary activity was changed. "Farm to Table" was cancelled. The replacement activity turned out to be great. Devina and Susan just would have liked to know about it ahead of time.
- "rustic hotel" in the Amazon was wonderful.
- food was excellent, and Angela was very attentive.
- Driver was excellent & always help Susan with mobility issues in and out of the vehicle. Helping with luggage.

Back from our 9 day trip to Peru. It was an amazing trip with fantastic sights, food, and experiences.

Clara/Liz from Andean Experience did a great job planning the trip and setting up the hotels, tours and transfers. Some of the highlights of the trip
- Transfers: we had many of them and every single one of those went amazingly smoothly. All the drivers were helpful, courteous, punctual and drove clean vehicles
- Great tour guides: Alexandra, our tour guide in Sacred Valley was very... read more

Back from our 9 day trip to Peru. It was an amazing trip with fantastic sights, food, and experiences.

Clara/Liz from Andean Experience did a great job planning the trip and setting up the hotels, tours and transfers. Some of the highlights of the trip
- Transfers: we had many of them and every single one of those went amazingly smoothly. All the drivers were helpful, courteous, punctual and drove clean vehicles
- Great tour guides: Alexandra, our tour guide in Sacred Valley was very knowledgeable and made the day very interesting. Jackson, our guide in Posada Amazonas was also very friendly, helpful and informative. Jamie, our guide for the Inca trail hike and Machu Picchu was very encouraging when the going got tough.
- Paul, our co-ordinator in Cusco met with us and explained our itinerary. His restaurant recommendations were spot on and he made restaurant reservations when needed. Nice!
- Clara and Liz were available for questions during our planning and very helpful in suggesting itineraries and activities. Glad they Clara got us on the Short Inca Trail hike!!

Things that could have been better
- Chinchero was a canned experience showing just one weaver. Felt it was setup mostly for selling their products. It could be removed from the itinerary.
- Hotel in Ollantaytambo didn't have working showers. Location and garden was great but the room and shower were sub par.
- We could have gotten a warning about the access to Posada Amazonas. We were taken by surprise when we were faced with over 100 stairs to access the resort; it was strenuous for the grandparents (over 80yrs) in our group (rest of group was perfectly alright with them).

Overall, loved the sights and experience in Peru. Inca trail, salt ponds of Maras, Ollantaytambo ruins, WinayWayna ruins are spectacular. The eco experience at Posada Amazonas was unique and well worth the time spent.

We had a fantastic trip to Peru and really appreciate all of the help from our coordinator, Liz Karen. We had unexpected delays with our incoming flights and Liz was able to help change our itinerary! She was a pleasure to work with.

In country, our guide's name with Extreme Adventures was Ronny Pillco Farfan - he was absolutely awesome! He was fun, knowledgeable, accommodating, and was a great guide for our trek.

The Sankaltay Trek was an unbelievable experience! Our guide Ronny was very good and accommodating to our group and did an amazing job! Our chef Grimaldo and Manuel also did an incredible job for us and together, the three of them made the trip wonderful! The trek itself was beautiful, the scenery was pretty incredible. We had a beautiful day for our Machu Picchu tour and were able to see everything! Overall wonderful trip.

The trip to Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu was planned meticulously. Paul, our coordinator was on top of things and whenever I reached out to him, he was extremely responsive and supportive. All in all, the trip was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed it. So many beautiful memories. The planning and follow-through were top notch. Restaurant reservations and recommendations were spot on. Hotel Sumaq, Aranwa, and Casa Andina were awesome!! Guide in Cusco - David was fantastic. Guide... read more

The trip to Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu was planned meticulously. Paul, our coordinator was on top of things and whenever I reached out to him, he was extremely responsive and supportive. All in all, the trip was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed it. So many beautiful memories. The planning and follow-through were top notch. Restaurant reservations and recommendations were spot on. Hotel Sumaq, Aranwa, and Casa Andina were awesome!! Guide in Cusco - David was fantastic. Guide to Machu Picchu, Marco saved me from me, by carrying my backpack for a quarter of the hike!

Here are some things to consider for refinement:

Novotel in Cusco - nice location but the room size, layout and sofa bed were not very good.
Dazzler - nice hotel but the front desk was not very well informed, consistent or helpful.
Lunch for Hike - we ended up carrying a lot of unnecessary load. If they are providing protein bars, chocolates, and juice, it might be best to ask people to bring their own favorite brands. Should send bananas. Luckily, my guide shared their's with me.
Allergy information - even though we shared our daughter's allergy information, this wasn't passed down or communicated very well downstream.

The trip to Iquitos and in the Amazon for 6 days was excellent. There were a few small glitches but Anne was so responsive & was able to get everything fixed for us quickly & efficiently. The river trip was fun and the guide we had for the six days in the Amazon basin was outstanding. Juan, our guide, of Amazonia Expeditions, was exceptionally knowledgeable about all living things in the rain forest, as well as the people and cultures of the area. Juan was available to us at all times and... read more

The trip to Iquitos and in the Amazon for 6 days was excellent. There were a few small glitches but Anne was so responsive & was able to get everything fixed for us quickly & efficiently. The river trip was fun and the guide we had for the six days in the Amazon basin was outstanding. Juan, our guide, of Amazonia Expeditions, was exceptionally knowledgeable about all living things in the rain forest, as well as the people and cultures of the area. Juan was available to us at all times and kept us organized & comfortable throughout the trip. He was also a very kind and ethical person who cares very much about the rain forest environment & shared that passion with us. This made our trip very special.

The Lodge and Research Center were very clean, comfortable and the staff at each location were exceptionally friendly and helpful. The food was also excellent. The staff at these locations on he Tahuaya River work well as a team to make sure their guest have a wonderful experience in the Amazon Basin & they succeed!

One final comment about Anne. Anne really went above & beyond in her assistance to my friend and I before the trip, and throughout the entire trip. Anne is a top rate local specialist in Peru. She did everything necessary to make our trip perfect. Thank you Anne!

We had an amazing time in Peru, largely due to our guides. Alex was fantastic, a fountain of knowledge and very friendly and accommodating. Anjela was very helpful, patient and loved sharing her love of Peru with us. The food, drinks and entire experience was enjoyable. We hiked the Inca Trail with Alex and he let us move at our own pace and had no trouble answering our questions. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who asked.

Our thirty day tour of Peru was amazing! We visited Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Chacapoyas, Tarapoto, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu and Paracas, with excellent support from our local specialist, Nicholas, and each of our fantastic guides. Special thank yous go out to Henry, Gustavo and Julio, who taught us so much over several days, and made all of the pieces of our trip work together seamlessly. The best thing I can say about the trip is that there was not a... read more

Our thirty day tour of Peru was amazing! We visited Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Chacapoyas, Tarapoto, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu and Paracas, with excellent support from our local specialist, Nicholas, and each of our fantastic guides. Special thank yous go out to Henry, Gustavo and Julio, who taught us so much over several days, and made all of the pieces of our trip work together seamlessly. The best thing I can say about the trip is that there was not a single place we visited, where I wouldn't have been happy to spend more time. We wanted a tour which included history, culture, food and nature, and the Peruvian Soul plan provided this, perfectly. It was an incredible trip for us, one we feel very lucky to have made with Peruvian Soul.

What a great experience it all was from the beginning of the trip to the end. Our trip to Peru was very adventurous and memorable. We took the Andean Adventure but added additional excursions to our trip. Steve spent much time talking to us and customizing our trip. He was very reassuring about the places that we would visit.
After the trip was booked Katy took over and the experience was just as great. She provided us with all the necessary information, from what to expect to what... read more

What a great experience it all was from the beginning of the trip to the end. Our trip to Peru was very adventurous and memorable. We took the Andean Adventure but added additional excursions to our trip. Steve spent much time talking to us and customizing our trip. He was very reassuring about the places that we would visit.
After the trip was booked Katy took over and the experience was just as great. She provided us with all the necessary information, from what to expect to what should be brought.
From getting off the plane to meeting Luis for the first time everything was perfectly organized.
Luis was an awesome guide. He obviously loves his job and his passion for his culture and country is clear. We can't say enough about Luis as you always worry about spending a long time with someone you don't know, but we did not have to worry about it at all as he was fun to be around with and easy going.
Our full day hike through the Andes was challenging at times due to the altitude but at the end, it was a great experience. We finished that day at our homestay. Our host Irene was welcoming and authentic. We felt we had a true picture of farm life in the Andes. Machu Pichu was everything we hoped it would be. Unfortunately, we missed our biking day at the salt mines due to a transit strike but if we were to go back we would definitely try to do it. Thanks to the great team, Luis and Mayli, we organized something else and was able to see the salt mines the day after.
All aspects were memorable and we were especially happy with trying different Peruvian cuisine. Thanks to Luis in the Andes and Arturo in Lima we were able to go to more local restaurants.
We spent a whole day with Arturo on a food tour in Lima. Arturo has a big smile and a bigger laugh and made our day taking us to the market where we tried many kinds of fruit and sharing Lima's history. He also took us to a great local restaurant called Gloton's in Miraflores.

Steve, Katy, Mayli (organizer in Peru), Enrique (driver), Miguel (horseman) and especially Luis ....thank you for an amazing memorable trip. We would recommend Aspiring Adventure to anyone looking for a unique customized adventure in Peru. What a great team!!!

This trip was everything I hoped it would be. On the practical side, all the connections and transfers went according to plan and no time was wasted. We had an excellent guide, Jhon, and driver, Carlos (in the Andes - there were other drivers on the coast). Both were friendly and made the time in the car interesting and fun. Through them, we were able to spend whatever time we wanted in each place and they were only too happy to make unscheduled stops whenever we requested.

I hadn't... read more

This trip was everything I hoped it would be. On the practical side, all the connections and transfers went according to plan and no time was wasted. We had an excellent guide, Jhon, and driver, Carlos (in the Andes - there were other drivers on the coast). Both were friendly and made the time in the car interesting and fun. Through them, we were able to spend whatever time we wanted in each place and they were only too happy to make unscheduled stops whenever we requested.

I hadn't anticipated the drive through the Andes from Cajamarca to Leymebamba would be so important. It immersed us in the beautiful, rugged physicality of the country and took us completely into new territory - like a trip to Oz. The primary reason for me taking this trip was to see the sarcophagi of Karajia and the experience did not disappoint. They have a silent, majestic mysteriousness that must be experienced first hand. When you are walking through Kuelap, you can begin to imagine what a thriving bustling place it must have been in its heyday. The museums at Leymebamba and that of the treasures of the Lord of Sipan should be singled out for the creativity they show in the way their artifacts and information are presented.

Booking our trip to Peru through kimkim could not have been easier! With the help of Jesus, we planned a custom trip to accommodate our time constraints and so we could see exactly what we wanted to. All of the guides were friendly and knowledgeable. We definitely recommend kimkim and will be using them again in the future!

Wow!!! What a great experience we had in Peru using KimKim! It was a bit overwhelming to try to figure out hotels, excursions, local guides on my own, so I started looking for help online. Finding KimKim and especially our local contact Jesus made ALL of the difference. We had a FANTASTIC trip with a great itinerary of hotels and activities. We did a half day of zip line, we visited the salt pools. Of course we had a fabulous day at Machu Picchu. One surprise - the horseback riding in the... read more

Wow!!! What a great experience we had in Peru using KimKim! It was a bit overwhelming to try to figure out hotels, excursions, local guides on my own, so I started looking for help online. Finding KimKim and especially our local contact Jesus made ALL of the difference. We had a FANTASTIC trip with a great itinerary of hotels and activities. We did a half day of zip line, we visited the salt pools. Of course we had a fabulous day at Machu Picchu. One surprise - the horseback riding in the hills above Cusco was a huge hit with the family.

I highly recommend Jesus and KimKim. The communication during the planning phase was outstanding. Jesus even helped us recover a Kindle that my wife left in a hotel. He went above and beyond to make our trip special and unfortgettable.

I came late to this trip, which was originally planned by my friend and travelling companion, Alan. However, once on board, Martina and team made it easy to get everything organised - the packing list was especially useful!

There's a blog on peru2019.wordpress.com.

Trip notes:
- Everything went pretty smoothly, organisationally, especially once we'd realised some of the hotels had "Alan John" as the room occupant!
- Cumbemayo, Kuelap and Karajia especially good for me, largely because they... read more

I came late to this trip, which was originally planned by my friend and travelling companion, Alan. However, once on board, Martina and team made it easy to get everything organised - the packing list was especially useful!

There's a blog on peru2019.wordpress.com.

Trip notes:
- Everything went pretty smoothly, organisationally, especially once we'd realised some of the hotels had "Alan John" as the room occupant!
- Cumbemayo, Kuelap and Karajia especially good for me, largely because they were more into the countryside
- "local" lunches in village restaurants were great - I really enjoyed dancing with la abuela and her 6m old grandchild in Karajia
- Jhon was a great host and representative of Peru; we had a good time in the cars with him and the drivers, in a very relaxed atmosphere; he tried hard to answer questions (so many questions!!) about all sorts of random aspects of Peru past and present, and took our banter well
- Hotels were generally great, but it's a shootout for top gun between Rangua Wasi (great location, incredible food, a very personal experience) and Hotel Achemaqui, just for the DIY sarcophagus tour in the rain alone ... Nah, Rangua Wasi! Some were more "characterful" than others, but then we met
- Drivers were very careful and confidence-inspiring, given the often challenging conditions and traffic state, and very courteous about going over the innumerable speed bumps on every pavement in Peru
- Cars generally good, but last leg of trip (Trujillo-Casma-Lima) car was not especially comfortable for 10? hours in rear seats
- Everyone we interacted with, from hotel staff, people on the street, village people, was friendly and open - we had many surprise encounters that added a lot to our experience

Anne was always available, friendly and did an outstanding job for us!

While Carla was great planning the trip, our guide, Rolfi, left much to be desired. Rolfi was rude, uninformed, unpleasant, unhelpful and unprofessional.

He was late picking us up by almost 20 minutes. When he finally arrived, he muttered something like the flight was early (by 10 minutes), it's only 10 minutes you had to wait. No apologies. Nothing. At lunch, Rolfi insisted that we order the baked Guinea Pig (which was very expensive) and reminded us that our drinks were on our own but... read more

While Carla was great planning the trip, our guide, Rolfi, left much to be desired. Rolfi was rude, uninformed, unpleasant, unhelpful and unprofessional.

He was late picking us up by almost 20 minutes. When he finally arrived, he muttered something like the flight was early (by 10 minutes), it's only 10 minutes you had to wait. No apologies. Nothing. At lunch, Rolfi insisted that we order the baked Guinea Pig (which was very expensive) and reminded us that our drinks were on our own but failed to mention that his drink was on us too. We also had to pay for a side order of corn, which he put it on his bill and asked me to add it to my payment (which I corrected). Rolfi is also inaccurate in his account of local history, i.e., that the Inca towns and Machu Picchu were built several thousand years before Christ. When asked how far is Peru from the equator, he replied 6000 miles. Rofi also took us into a village shop, gave a short talk on everyday life and then told us to either buy something or leave a tip. Rolfi also asked a young boy to sing for us and then told us to give him money, which I find totally inappropriate and offensive. Rolfi gets irritated if he had to repeat something and like to test us to see if we remembered his lectures.

We wanted to get into Machu Picchu as early as possible and Rolfi agreed that earlier time is better, so we made arrangement to meet at 5 a.m. to catch the 5:30 bus in order to enter the park when it opens at 6 a.m. Rolfi failed to inform us that our tickets for entering Machu Picchu is for 8 a.m. After failing to persuade the park officials to make an exception for us, he then blamed the problem on us because we wanted to be at the park early. We had to wait over 90 minutes before we were allowed to enter. Again, no apologies, nothing. We incurred $21.49 for coffee and tea while we waited.

Rolfi told us that we are limited to 3 hours in Machu Picchu and we felt rushed through the park. And to fill the 3 hours, we came to the end and sat around and waited to fill the time. We then had to wait an hour before a terrible buffet lunch was ready, and another 90 minutes before going to the train station for the 2:30 train. The entire day was very poorly planned even if the park admission time fiasco had not occurred.

Our trip to Peru was exactly how we wanted it. Kristy was amazing, easy to reach. She was always checking on us to make sure we were fine. The trip was well planned and well organized. We visited the places we wanted and the excursions were perfect and beautiful to experience. The locals are so friendly, warm. and loving. Peru is a place we would definitely recommend, book your trip with Kimkim.

Peru is much more than anyone could expect for their first visit there. Is the first country in years for which I can definitely say that I will return. There are so many things to see, so much diversity and wonders to discover.
For the guides, I will mention only the one that from my opinion was the best prepared, and that is Julio Cesar, yes :) like the roman emperor. He has provided a lot of useful informations and was connected in a natural and sincere way. All the guides were polite and... read more

Peru is much more than anyone could expect for their first visit there. Is the first country in years for which I can definitely say that I will return. There are so many things to see, so much diversity and wonders to discover.
For the guides, I will mention only the one that from my opinion was the best prepared, and that is Julio Cesar, yes :) like the roman emperor. He has provided a lot of useful informations and was connected in a natural and sincere way. All the guides were polite and willing to help with anything, but Julio seemed less commercial than all :).
Thanks to Anne, Julio and to everybody that contribute to a memorable experience in Peru.

Due to craziness at work, I had zero bandwidth to pull together any of the details for our trip to Peru. Thankfully, Jesus of Peruvian Soul took care of everything. He put together a lovely itinerary for me and my 9 year old that balanced our respective needs, helped us connect with the history and beauty of the Andes, and allowed us to explore the natural wonders of the Amazon. He arranged all of our hotels, site tickets, and in-country flights. Every detail was well-communicated. Transfers... read more

Due to craziness at work, I had zero bandwidth to pull together any of the details for our trip to Peru. Thankfully, Jesus of Peruvian Soul took care of everything. He put together a lovely itinerary for me and my 9 year old that balanced our respective needs, helped us connect with the history and beauty of the Andes, and allowed us to explore the natural wonders of the Amazon. He arranged all of our hotels, site tickets, and in-country flights. Every detail was well-communicated. Transfers were seamless. And the little extras were much appreciated. For example, during our last day in the jungle, I realized that I would need to figure out a way to make productive use of a 6 hour layover in Lima the next day to get fresh clothes and a hot shower. Jesus found a hotel near the airport that provided these services at a very reasonable cost. Thank you, Jesus, for an amazing adventure!

First, I want to say our trip was awesome! Using Kim Kim for our travel earlier this month, is one of the wisest things we’ve ever done with travel. They took care of all the details flawlessly and even some that we hadn’t even contemplated. Kristy, our travel assistant was wonderful in planning details to match our travel interests. Our trip started out as a suggested itinerary and she helped us tweak it to fit our needs and interests. The time of year that we traveled, played well as a less... read more

First, I want to say our trip was awesome! Using Kim Kim for our travel earlier this month, is one of the wisest things we’ve ever done with travel. They took care of all the details flawlessly and even some that we hadn’t even contemplated. Kristy, our travel assistant was wonderful in planning details to match our travel interests. Our trip started out as a suggested itinerary and she helped us tweak it to fit our needs and interests. The time of year that we traveled, played well as a less crowded, off-season travel time. Our local guide at Machu Picchu was named Luis. He was exceptional! He knew the answer to all our questions, provided us space to enjoy the experience, and was fun to be with. Another great arrangement by Kim Kim.🙂 We encountered a small change in our travel plans and received a small cash refund, before we even left Peru! We couldn’t have asked for a better planned vacation to Peru. Next year, we’ll see what Kim Kim can do for us again.

Everything was great!!

All arrangements was very good
Great guides both place
All other staff van driver
Host wear very nice
Over all all your staff or subcontractors very helpfully people we knowledgeable
Very friendly and helpful

Great job by all but best from Emilia for Machu Pichu Least impress with service provided for Rainbow
Overall great experience

My husband and I just returned from a lifetime trip to Peru where we both celebrated our birthdays! Everything went beautifully and according to plans. The service offered by Kim Kim and Peruvian Soul exceeded all our expectations, mostly regarding our three main contacts: Anne (Local Contact), Cesar (Guide) and Roberto (Driver).

Anne who was involved in the full logistics and planning was excellent since her very first contact with us, always very friendly, very helpful, very responsive,... read more

My husband and I just returned from a lifetime trip to Peru where we both celebrated our birthdays! Everything went beautifully and according to plans. The service offered by Kim Kim and Peruvian Soul exceeded all our expectations, mostly regarding our three main contacts: Anne (Local Contact), Cesar (Guide) and Roberto (Driver).

Anne who was involved in the full logistics and planning was excellent since her very first contact with us, always very friendly, very helpful, very responsive, and very patient...she ensured that every detail of our trip went spectacular, THANK YOU Anne!! Cesar, our very friendly and knowledgeable guide provided us every possible detail to make each experience memorable, including his help taking beautiful pictures for us. Roberto, our driver, in addition to being responsible for safely driving us to every destination, provided us a peek inside the quechuan traditions and practices through his marvelous stories. He even had the very special detail of sharing with us a quechuan tradition the day of our birthday! THANK YOU Cesar and Roberto, our two new peruvian friends!

Finally, we want to thank Peruvian Soul for the delicious chocolates left for us at our last hotel room, it was a beautiful birthday surprise!

It was our very first experience booking a trip through Kim Kim and we had an EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE! We would DEFINITELY recommend Kim Kim and will DEFINITELY book through Kim Kim again. Thank you Kim Kim for making our birthday trip to Peru such a memorable life experience!

Many thanks to kimkim and Peruvian Soul for making our vacation a trip of a lifetime!

From the minute Carlos picked us up at the airport, he was friendly and welcoming which was a perfect start to our trip. Our lunch at Maido to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday was fun and delicious. Then, we learned so much from Diego about the history and politics of Peru during our drive to Pisco to see the Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines flyover was fascinating and memorable, although a little more... read more

Many thanks to kimkim and Peruvian Soul for making our vacation a trip of a lifetime!

From the minute Carlos picked us up at the airport, he was friendly and welcoming which was a perfect start to our trip. Our lunch at Maido to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday was fun and delicious. Then, we learned so much from Diego about the history and politics of Peru during our drive to Pisco to see the Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines flyover was fascinating and memorable, although a little more adventurous than I anticipated (still super glad I did it though). During the ride back to Lima, Diego heard us talking about how we were interested in seeing the Barranco neighborhood, so he took us on an impromptu and walking tour there.

But the person who made our trip absolutely over the top perfect was Julio Caesar. He is so kind, knowledgeable, and just an absolutely wonderful human being. We loved the women's textile collective, the salt mines in Maras, the circular terraces in Moray, Ollantaytambo Fortress, the Andean Pacamana lunch, and the outdoor market in Cusco. But the absolutely best part of our trip was the day we went to Machu Picchu. It was beautiful, spiritual, and life-changing.

Thank you again kimkim - we are already talking about where to go on our summer vacation and we wouldn't dream of planning it without you!

I really enjoyed this trip. In general it was organized very well. Hotel during sacret Valley tour can be better.

I had a wonderful trip in Peru. Everything was very well planned and executed. The accommodation and transport was good.
I would highly recommend this adventure.

Steve and Katy at Kim Kim made the planning for our first trip to South America incredibly easy. They sorted out everything for our 8 day trip - hotels, transfers (planes, trains and buses), entrance tickets to all the sites and most meals. We saw most of what there was to see in the Rainforest with our guide Yuri, who was amazing with a machete! Aldo took us around Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Moray and Machu Picchu; sharing with us interesting history about the Incas. He even climbed Huayna Picchu with us.

Thank you all for making our trip so memorable!

Sent from my iPad

I can definitely recommend the trip that was organised for me by Clara (and others).

- All communication was prompt and easy.
- Every single transfer/pick up was bang on time. This I thought very impressive given I had so many of them! Not once was I left waiting at all. That is obviously comforting when you are travelling alone.
- The itinerary was very well spaced out, not too much, not too little. It was nice to have a little bit of down time, especially in the Sol y Luna Hotel... read more

I can definitely recommend the trip that was organised for me by Clara (and others).

- All communication was prompt and easy.
- Every single transfer/pick up was bang on time. This I thought very impressive given I had so many of them! Not once was I left waiting at all. That is obviously comforting when you are travelling alone.
- The itinerary was very well spaced out, not too much, not too little. It was nice to have a little bit of down time, especially in the Sol y Luna Hotel which was absolutely magnificent.
- All of the hotels that were booked for me were excellent.
- All of the tour guides were great company in their own unique way. All really friendly and knowledgeable.

Tips for improvement.

I can only think of two tips whereby the trip could be made even better. Hopefully these tips will benefit future travellers.

- I was booked on a horse riding activity ( I am a novice). The guides were fantastic, the horses were fantastic and the scenery was just incredible. My tip here however is that a novice such as me would be better served riding for say 2 hours/half a day. The ride I was on was an all day affair and the terrain very challenging. The guides conceded that the difficulty level was high. Having checked my iPhone, I believe I clocked up something like 28km's! It was an awesome experience without question, it just needed to better reflect my ability level.
- This tip relates to the amount of time spent in Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes). I saw Machu Picchu itself in the morning (absolutely fantastic) leaving me the afternoon to explore the town in the afternoon and evening. I wasn't booked to leave the town until around 4.00pm the next day. If that departure can be moved forward in the day, you would get to enjoy more of Cusco (I arrived at approximately 8.00pm that night).

Many thanks once again to Clara and the entire team. I would absolutely recommend this company.

Excellent experience overall! Everyone involved was great, from initiating the planning process with Clara to working through problems with Paul.

All of our guides were top notch and very knowledgeable. Everyone was prompt and went above and beyond our expectations to ensure we had a great trip. Would definitely recommend KimKim to anyone wishing to travel without the stress of planning.

Our trip to Peru is one of our top 5 trips ever taken (and we have done a lot of traveling). In large part the reason this trip was so good is because of the excellent itinerary, seamless transitions and transportation to each of our destinations, and wonderful accommodations. We started our trip in Lima - we arrived in the morning after an evening flight from the states. We were picked up from the airport and taken to our hotel. From there we were on our own to explore the city which... read more

Our trip to Peru is one of our top 5 trips ever taken (and we have done a lot of traveling). In large part the reason this trip was so good is because of the excellent itinerary, seamless transitions and transportation to each of our destinations, and wonderful accommodations. We started our trip in Lima - we arrived in the morning after an evening flight from the states. We were picked up from the airport and taken to our hotel. From there we were on our own to explore the city which was easy to do. We stayed in the Miraflores neighborhood and explored that region on foot. We took a taxi to the historical part of the city. Taxis were easy to hail. On day 2 we flew from Lima to Puerto Maldonado where we explored the Amazon basin. We were met at the airport by our hotel greeting party and were taken by boat to our lodge - Inkaterra. Here we stayed in delightful cabins equipped with hamocks (as well as beds of course) where we could lay down and relax and watch the river flow by. From the hotel we were able to do several excursions led by our excellent guide, Michel. We saw all kinds of rainforest flora and fauna, walked across rope bridges in the rainforest canopy and learned about the food and medicinal gifts of the rainforest. We spent about 2 full days in the rainforest and one more would have been good but we were on a tight 9 day schedule. From the rainforest we headed to the mountains. We landed in Cuzco and then were taken down to our hotel in Urumbamba - lower elevation to help with adjusting to the altitude. The whole family took Diamox before getting to Cuzco and we all avoided altitude sickness. We stayed in a fabulous hotel called Sol y Luna. On our second day in the sacred valley we took part in the Llama pack project. This involved trekking and herding llamas up the side of a mountain. After a breathless but beautiful hike, we stopped for lunch with the llamas which was delightful and then trekked back down the mountain. This experience was incredible and I would highly recommend it to any travelers to the Sacred Valley. The local llama herders who were with us have some llama/alpaca wool souvenirs to sell. If you are interested, make sure you have plenty of cash for the larger items (the prices are a bit high). The next day was spent exploring the other wonders of the sacred valley to include Inka farming site at Moray and the salt flats of Maras. Our guide Danny did a fantastic job teaching us the history of the Inkas as well as modern Peruvian culture. From the sacred valley we took the trip to Machu Picchu. The train ride to Ollantaytambo was very scenic and a small snack and drink were served. After a night in the hotel we boarded a bus and headed up the death defying road to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu itself is indescribable and even more beautiful than pictures suggest. Danny again served as our guide through the site and let us take our time to take it all in all the while explaining to us one of the most amazing and mysterious civilizations of the world - the Inkas. That afternoon we made the trek back to Cuzco and spent the last day of our trip exploring this beautiful and culturally enchanting city. We were sad to leave this amazing country. All ground transportation was planned by Jesus. I bought the intra-country airline tickets (cheap) but Jesus helped me determine which flights to choose so the itinerary would work well. Reading the guide books, I found a trip to Peru intimidating but Kimkim and Peruvian Soul made it easy. The hardest part was deciding what we wanted to see - with only 9 days to see it.

This was our first time we booked an entire trip using kimkim. At first we were very skeptical of how this worked, however after reading a variety of reviews by other travelers, different travel blogs we decided to go with it. Clara helped plan a perfect Peru adventure for us. We let her know what our budget was, what kind of hotels we preferred and what kind of itinerary we wanted. In the end, she came up with a plan which worked best for us!
In terms of communication, Clara did a... read more

This was our first time we booked an entire trip using kimkim. At first we were very skeptical of how this worked, however after reading a variety of reviews by other travelers, different travel blogs we decided to go with it. Clara helped plan a perfect Peru adventure for us. We let her know what our budget was, what kind of hotels we preferred and what kind of itinerary we wanted. In the end, she came up with a plan which worked best for us!
In terms of communication, Clara did a magnificent job. We had all the information we needed for our trip from who will be picking us up, contact numbers, what time we had to wake up for a particular activity etc. She also swiftly responded to all our questions and concerns.

I would highly recommend booking your next vacation on kimkim, let them know whatever your requirements are and you will have a wonderful experience like we did.

Trying to plan our trip to Machu Picchu and the sacred valley online was confusing and stressful but Kristy smoothed out everything for us. She arranged transportation and provided us with an extremely knowledgeable guide, David. He was widely read and taught us about so much of the history of the Inca and pre-Incan peoples of the area. Our visit to Peru was much richer than we would have had on our own. We will use the KimKim team again.

I would say that the service received by Jesús Martel was beyond great. He coordinated a fantastic itinerary for our 6-day trip to Peru. Whenever I had a question, he replied immediately. If I needed a change in the plan and no matter how many questions I had, he replied promptly. In addition, he has a pleasant, positive and upbeat outlook and I would definitely recommend him to anyone and everyone. ¡Un millón de gracias, Jesús!
One of the guides who took us to historic downtown Lima and to... read more

I would say that the service received by Jesús Martel was beyond great. He coordinated a fantastic itinerary for our 6-day trip to Peru. Whenever I had a question, he replied immediately. If I needed a change in the plan and no matter how many questions I had, he replied promptly. In addition, he has a pleasant, positive and upbeat outlook and I would definitely recommend him to anyone and everyone. ¡Un millón de gracias, Jesús!
One of the guides who took us to historic downtown Lima and to the horseback riding tour is named Rodrigo. He was very knowledgeable about everything and pointed out many sites and anecdotes.
Diego Zimmerman was with us all the way when we requested a change in hotel. He is also polite and easy-going when confronted with our request!
I love, love, Peruvian Soul and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. I wouldn't have known about them if it wasn't for kimkim.
Thank you all!

Our guide Gino and the driver were fabulous. Our tour was for two full days and one night with transfers to and from our cruise ship. We combined every tour the cruise ship offered, added a few stops, had a very clean comfortable private coach and paid a reasonable price. Every aspect of the tour exceeded our expectation. Great job by Kimkim arranging the tour when other companies could not. The selection of driver and guide were nothing short of outstanding. Too many attractions for me to... read more

Our guide Gino and the driver were fabulous. Our tour was for two full days and one night with transfers to and from our cruise ship. We combined every tour the cruise ship offered, added a few stops, had a very clean comfortable private coach and paid a reasonable price. Every aspect of the tour exceeded our expectation. Great job by Kimkim arranging the tour when other companies could not. The selection of driver and guide were nothing short of outstanding. Too many attractions for me to comment on but one that stands out was the Peruvian horse show. The site for this show was beyond words. A suggestion for Clara is to always send guests to this horse farm. Gracias to all!

Great trip organized by Clara. All the tours and guidres were simply amazing and added up to the whole experience!

James was readily available to arrange me a guide for a hike in the mountains just one day in advance. The guide Washington had very good knowledge about the area and nature. Although I paid to have private transfer, we only used public transport. Just something to be aware of when you make your bookings. Other than that; highly suggest KimKim.

Slightly tricky to say who we are reviewing here; all the preliminary bookings, queries etc were expertly handled by Fiama, our KImKim representative in Cusco, but in reality both our trips were organised and run by Andean Lodges, a local company there, and their people were delightful. Especially helpful was that their rep, (Alphonso?) came to our accommodation before the trips to give us a briefing and answer questions, and he looked after the luggage we didn’t need whilst we were in the... read more

Slightly tricky to say who we are reviewing here; all the preliminary bookings, queries etc were expertly handled by Fiama, our KImKim representative in Cusco, but in reality both our trips were organised and run by Andean Lodges, a local company there, and their people were delightful. Especially helpful was that their rep, (Alphonso?) came to our accommodation before the trips to give us a briefing and answer questions, and he looked after the luggage we didn’t need whilst we were in the mountains. Our first trip, to Machu Picchu by minibus/train/bus seemed daunting at first because it required us to juggle several sheets of paper tickets for the various stages of the trip, but everything worked out well and our guide on the day was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It was an intense 4 hrs there, though, and with a touch of stomachs-sickness I would have liked to be able to just sit and rest for an hour or so. The included meal afterwards was excellent - but one suggestion from me; it was not explained which part of the menu applied to us, we were lucky that people on the next table had already worked it out.
Next trip - 3 days hike - was great, but let it be noted that altitude sickness made it far tougher than the website hinted at. The Lodges themselves were fabulous, much grander and impressive than the website had suggested. The best aspect of this trip was what I least expected - that the native Indian “road crew” , despite the language barrier, were great fun and good company, whilst staying discreet and not intrusive. Our guides (on different stages), Jeremy and Jacqueline, were excellent and genuinely were enjoying it as much as we did.

Can thoroughly recommend Andean Lodges to anyone looking to do these kind of experiences. One recommendation to the organisers, though - whilst we were totally expecting to give tips to the gang, it was unclear how much, to how many, and when, which could have been a bit awkward (we bluffed our way through) - so a bit more up-front clarity around that would be welcome.

Thanks, everyone!

Stars More than 5
Prompt
Exactly as what is needed
Timely arrivals

I would recommend to anyone.

We recently came back from Peru - we are a family of four (kids are 3 and 5). Kristy was absolutely spectacular. She was responsive and communicating with us throughout our trip. She quickly and efficiently resolved little hiccups along the way. In Lima, our tour guide David was amazing! He was incredibly knowledgeable and more than willing to accommodate variations in our itinerary. From Cuzco to the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu, we had the same guide - Flor. I cannot put into words... read more

We recently came back from Peru - we are a family of four (kids are 3 and 5). Kristy was absolutely spectacular. She was responsive and communicating with us throughout our trip. She quickly and efficiently resolved little hiccups along the way. In Lima, our tour guide David was amazing! He was incredibly knowledgeable and more than willing to accommodate variations in our itinerary. From Cuzco to the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu, we had the same guide - Flor. I cannot put into words how wonderful she was. She has a 5 year old daughter, and was able to anticipate the needs of our children to a tee. Not only was she an amazing tour guide, but she was more than willing to act an extra set of hands for our children. Even now, they still ask for Tia Flor! We were nervous travelling with young kids, but thanks to Kristy and her team, everything was well organized and seamless. Thank you so much for an amazing vacation!

Steve was very responsive. Nestor, our guide, Alex and Guido as well as our boat crew were excellent. The trip accommodations were more basic than expected. The definition of our overnight accommodations as lodges was stretching it. Hot water did not exist for the entire trip. The activities were outstanding!

My trek to Ausangate was the trip of a lifetime and Quechua Treks is a first-class company. Quechua was extremely responsive immediately after my first email inquiry and provided me with three great trek options. They are incredibly knowledgeable about the area and their crew couldn't have been better. Rolfi, my guide, was beyond personable, funny, flexible and extremely experienced. Always felt safe and like I was experiencing and learning so much about the area and culture because of... read more

My trek to Ausangate was the trip of a lifetime and Quechua Treks is a first-class company. Quechua was extremely responsive immediately after my first email inquiry and provided me with three great trek options. They are incredibly knowledgeable about the area and their crew couldn't have been better. Rolfi, my guide, was beyond personable, funny, flexible and extremely experienced. Always felt safe and like I was experiencing and learning so much about the area and culture because of his years of experience.

Loved Edgar, our cook. His food was amazing and he's experienced to cater to any dietary needs.

All in all, couldn't have asked for a better experience and I have traveled to many places around the world.

David was excellent would definitely recommend him and the company.

Edy was the best!! Local tour guide made the trip an awesome experience.
Kimkim company meet our needs but there would have been less travel stress with increased communication form the company. More emails, quick call or check in would have been easy to do and made our travels much better.

Kristy was absolutely incredible! From planning the trip, to the level of communication we received during the trip, I felt well taken care of throughout the whole thing. Kristy was able to create a custom experience for a trip to Peru for my friend and I. No matter what we threw her way (new locations, different sights to see), she was able to revise our itenerary quickly each time while giving us real-time feedback on what she would recommend.

During the trip, my friend and I truly felt... read more

Kristy was absolutely incredible! From planning the trip, to the level of communication we received during the trip, I felt well taken care of throughout the whole thing. Kristy was able to create a custom experience for a trip to Peru for my friend and I. No matter what we threw her way (new locations, different sights to see), she was able to revise our itenerary quickly each time while giving us real-time feedback on what she would recommend.

During the trip, my friend and I truly felt like we were VIP. When we arrived at each destination, there would be someone waiting for us to take us to our hotel. It was completely stress-free! The majority of the tours were private, meaning my friend and I could ask all the questions we wanted. We felt like we got the most out of each experience. The tour guides were so friendly and passionate about the history behind each sight or destination.

I would highly recommend traveling through KimKim (as long as all the agents are as incredible as Kristy). It takes the stress out of planning, booking and traveling throughout a foreign country.

5 stars all around :)

Once again another absolutely amazing trip with Quechua Treks. Our guide, Wilson was amazing, as were every single one of our porters (whose names, unfortunately I can't remember). Wilson was a gem, took extra time with my daughter, who has never been to Peru. He got some truly exceptional photos of us along the trek. The planning was seamless and tons of fun thanks to all the hard work from Haley and crew at Quechua Treks. The food was beyond amazing, I always look forward to the food... read more

Once again another absolutely amazing trip with Quechua Treks. Our guide, Wilson was amazing, as were every single one of our porters (whose names, unfortunately I can't remember). Wilson was a gem, took extra time with my daughter, who has never been to Peru. He got some truly exceptional photos of us along the trek. The planning was seamless and tons of fun thanks to all the hard work from Haley and crew at Quechua Treks. The food was beyond amazing, I always look forward to the food on these treks, the chef is a true magician. He even took into account my daughter's crazy stomach and make what she liked and could eat. She liked the avocado disc so well, she got the recipe from him!!! I love love this group of people!!!