Kimkim Trip Reviews for Peru

Jorge was very helpful pre-trip and set up the entire itinerary- the highlights of the trip was the Sky pod lodge up in the cliff

Hotel Reviews

Casa Andina Premium Arequipa

Arequipa

Clean, Helpful staff and amazing ambience

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aranwa Pueblito Encantado del Colca

Arequipa

Clean, Helpful staff and amazing ambience

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Casa Andina Premium Puno

Puno

Absolutely perfect location and amazing Ambience. Great staff and very clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Cusco

Cusco

great location and great staff. Very clean and great bar....very clean rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

SkyLodge

Urubamba

Was waiting for this adventure for last 15 years and did not disappoint. Awesome and amazing. Nicely challenging but not impossible

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Walking City Tour in Arequipa

Arequipa

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colca Canyon: From Arequipa to the Colca Valley

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Colca Canyon 2/2: The Condor’s Cross View Point & Journey to Puno

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lots of good things to say about our specialist Jimena. She took great care of us.
Our guides were knowledgeable and gave us the history and information we needed as we toured Peru.
Special thanks to our guide Guido and driver Willy.
The sites, the hotels , the transportation were first class.
We learned a lot about Peru!!

Hotel Reviews

Tierra Viva Miraflores Centro

Miraflores

A nice hotel with all the amenities needed. Front desk was helpful and getting a taxi or uber here was no problem. Overall a good stay😁

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the main walking area in the Miraflores district. Safe, lots of shops and restaurants and money exchange

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

A nice three star hotel. Close to everything we needed

Los Portales Cusco

Cusco

Only stayed here overnight. Nice enough hotel. Breakfast was fine.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Within three blocks of the main square

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ava Valle Sagrado Spot

Urubamba

Stayed here during our trip to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Nice three star hotel. Comfortable, good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleaned every day. Great staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tierra Viva Cusco Saphi

Cusco

Nice three star hotel. Staff was friendly and the breakfast good. Clean rooms, king bed, hot shower, enough space for our luggage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A couple blocks from the plaza de Armas.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Moray Terraces

Peru

A great outing with our guide Guido. Lots of history, great location. Loved the site. Everyone should come here.

Quality of Experience

K

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Machu Picchu Exploration

Peru

An amazing experience from beginning to end. Wilson our guide was great. Full of knowledge and passionate about the Incan history. We had a great time

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Soft hike from Yanahuara to Ollantaytambo

Sacred Valley

A walk through the Sacred Valley! Interesting plants and history as we walked. Guido our guide was knowledgeable and kept to a pace we could handle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at Chuncho Restaurant

Peru

We stopped here for lunch and our expectations were high after having marvelous meals on our previous tours. The waiter told us that we would be served the special of the day. It turned out to be a chicken quarter of breast and wing on the bone. It was not cooked through and impossible to get the meat off the bone. The potatoes tasted like flour and the vegetable was a pepper. A dish of beans and corn were also on the table to be shared but the skins on them were tough and hard to peel. All in all it was an unappealing meal and impossible to eat.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loop

Transport

Lunch at Ama

Peru

An amazing experience here. Great good, quality , variety and great service. Wonderful to hear the work AMA is doing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cusco Walking City Tour

Cusco

A very interesting walk through Cusco city. Lots to see, a lot of history and our guide was terrific

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jimena and team put together an amazing adventure in Peru for our family. We have used KimKim before and found it quite easy to use; this time was no different. We were able to give insight into some of the things our family enjoys and from there an itinerary was created which we refined to meet our families specific interests and requests. We even made some last minute adjustments that were graciously accommodated.
To add more detail, we are a family of 5 with two adult children and one younger child. We had asked to see Machu Picchu as well as the Amazon rainforest and Jimena delivered an amazing trip plan. Every detail seemed well planned. Each transfer (and there were many) was seamless and our guides brought us to the airport or train station and ensured we were all set. On the other end of each transport, someone was there to receive us. We always felt safe and taken care of. Our guides from Peruvian Soul were all lovely and informative. They made sure we were comfortable and all our needs were met. We also had a separate driver so the tour guide was able to focus just on sharing stories and information with us. The places we stayed were all beautiful and great for our family. People there were friendly and accommodating.
I could go on and on about all the details, but suffice it to say that this trip was packed with activities and internal travel to multiple different locations, which would have been extremely difficult for us to plan on our own. Kim Kim and Peruvian soul made sure all of these details were perfect.

The experience planning and going on our trip to Peru utilizing KimKim and Andean Travel Experience was outstanding! LizKaren was our point of contact during the planning stages and she provided great recommendations, strong guidance, answered all our questions, and was extremely responsive. Once on the ground in Peru, Lisbeth took over as our primary contact and was always available whenever we needed to reach out via WhatsApp.

The trip itself was seamless. Our drivers and guides were always on time and communicated well. In addition to the obvious highlight of exploring Machu Picchu, other highlights included our ATV tour to Maras and Moray and our Michelin-quality lunch at Hacienda Sarapampa.

Thank you LizKaren and Lisbeth for all your help!

We really appreciated all the planning and details that wen into our trip to Peru. The trip was amazing and the team we interacted with was great! Enfrain was a great guide throughout Cusco and the surrounding areas. Sergio was amazing at Machu Picchu. We really did enjoy everything that got booked and all the hotels we stayed at. Thanks for all the help to make sure we made the most amazing memories!

Hotel Reviews

Innside Lima Miraflores by Melia Hotels International

Miraflores

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa San Blas Boutique

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The best staff we came across on our trip. Really stood out with trying to make sure we enjoyed our stay and were taken care of.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shared Half-Day Lima City Tour & San Francisco Catacombs

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Half-Day Cusco Walking Tour: Sacsayhuamán, Qoricancha & San Pedro Market

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to Awanakancha, Pisac Sites & Market: Hacienda Lunch

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Machu Picchu exploration with a private guide

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sergio was an amazing guide!

Transport

Private Llama trek, Ancestral Weaving & Salt Flats of Maras

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Full Immersion Cooking class

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jorge was very helpful and responsive while planning our trip! Our guide, Julio, in Peru was very dedicated and knowledgeable, it was a pleasure spending time with him. In Bolivia, our guide Frans, and driver Ivan, were great! We really enjoyed both of them for our tours of La Paz and the Bolivian side of Titicaca. All of our guides, including the daytrip guides, were good.

Hotel Reviews

Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay

Urubamba

Very beautiful grounds, nice breakfast. Unfortunately we stayed only one night and left first thing in the morning

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa del Sol

Machu Picchu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Novotel Cusco

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitru Sur Hotel

La Paz

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel de Sal Luna Salada

Uyuni

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca Puno

Lago Titicaca, Puno

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pisac Archaeological Site & Village Tour

Peru

the archaelogical site was interesting, beautiful setting. The town of Pisac was in a beautiful area, I wish we could have spent more time in the town. I don't always love when we're taken to a particular store but hopefully it's for good reason.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Machu Picchu Exploration

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Of course Machu Picchu is an amazing place, which is why it is so popular. Despite the number of tourists there it didn't feel too crowded. The transport to and from was pretty well organized and ran smoothly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free day in Cusco

Cusco

We really enjoyed having a leisurely morning and exploring the town on our own

Quality of Experience

We found a small family-run restaurant in San Blas neighborhood where we had coca tea and amazing ceviche. Hiking up the steps in the San Blas area gave us an amazing view of the city

City tour & Valley of the Moon

La Paz

We enjoyed seeing La Paz and the Valley of the Moon was beautiful. We really enjoyed the cable cars

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Titicaca 1/2: La Paz to Sun Island via Copacabana

Bolivia

It was all beautiful. Unfortunately we had to rush this excursion because of being stuck in Uyuni the day before

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lake Titicaca 2/2: Sun Island, Copacabana & Puno

Bolivia

We really didn't have much time, just enough to arrive in Puno and spend the night there. Beautiful view from our hotel

Sillustani tombs

Puno

Beautiful setting, and pretty drive to the tombs. Perfect stop to occupy us since we had time before our flight. The tombs are interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uyuni Salt Flat Adventure

Bolivia

The salt flats are very unique. I have mixed feelings about traveling so much just to see the area for one day, but it was a beautiful day and interesting scenery. There isn't much else to see or do in the area. The guides fixed us a nice lunch on the flats. We took the popular silly pictures. The hotel we stayed at, (The Salt hotel) was amazing. Unfortunately I was sick and didn't get to enjoy the hotel much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I would have given five stars but there was some misunderstanding either on my part or the travel agents causing a rather large expense on my choice of a hotel in Cusco. I wish communication had been a little bit better but that being said, Hilda was great she found a retreat that was not only very safe, caring and conscientious but has now actually become a place that I will be returning to this December for a large family celebration. I could not have done it without his help and guidance

All the guides were very knowledgeable and amazing, especially Juan Carlos and Julio.

Hotel Reviews

Intiqa

Puno

Needs better cleaning, the floors both times were dusty and dirty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acolpacha - Tambo Boutique

Arequipa

Nice views and breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Innside Lima Miraflores by Melia Hotels International

Miraflores

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Colca Lodge

Cercado, Yanque

Authenticity & Character

Hot springs

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Cusco

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Loved the courtyard and restaurants

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Art and Local Cuisine in Bohemian Barranco

Lima

It was interesting but not amazing, the chocolate and coffee stop was the highlight

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

From {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Peru

Saw over 30 condors, amazing experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Condor's Cross viewpoint

Colca Canyon

Probably my highlight seeing the condors

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chimu Floating Island and Luquina Community Homestay

Peru

Enjoyed the experience of seeing a different lifestyle

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning activities at Luquina, lunch and drive back to Puno

Peru

Painting the bulls was a little boring, could have done without

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Bus Journey to from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}

Peru

Too long of a drive, could have done without

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class with Seledonia Mesa

Cusco

Great class and food

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Andean Sound Ceremony, Pachamanca & Pisac Site

Peru

Very spiritual and the outdoor cooking was amazing

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Soft hike from Pachar to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Enjoyed the walking and glad I was not in a car or van

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Machu Picchu Excursion: from Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu - Cusco

Peru

The scenery and walking at the site was incredible

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica 2/3: Sandoval Lake & Canopy Walkway

Tambopata

Enjoyed the walk across the canopy

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moray Terraces

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica 1/4: Arrive in Tambopata

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Lop

Quality of Experience

Lop

Food

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Our trip to Peru was fabulous! Jimena did a wonderful job of planning activities that would be appropriate for both myself (age 65) and my son (age 35). We were able to complete separate guided hikes at Machu Picchu and then enjoy one of the circuits together. She reworked our itinerary when our flight schedule changed, and her communication both before and during our trip was excellent.
Our guides through Peruvian Soul and other tour companies/freelancers were top-notch. Nancy, who introduced us to Lima, was such a sweetheart. She was very knowledgeable about Peru’s history, and her love of and pride in Peru was evident in her enthusiasm.. the lunch spot she took us to was so cute and cultural, and we appreciated her ordering the food for us. Delicious all around!
Danny was our second guide and was with us for several days/outings. He was also very knowledgeable and answered all of the many questions we had about Peruvian culture. He was very flexible within our routine, and made time one day to visit Seminario Ceramics which I requested on a whim. Danny always explained the plan for the coming day(s) so that we were aware of places and times. He has a great sense of humor and made our time not only interesting but also fun. Danny made an extra effort.(along with Eddy ) to return my jacket which I’d accidentally left in Eddy’s backpack at Machu Picchu. I didn’t specifically request the jacket back, just mention that I’d left it behind, and somehow between the two of them, the jacket was returned to me. This was above and beyond what was necessary and I am very grateful for their efforts and thoughtfulness.
Our Machu Picchu guides (Eddy snd Wilson) we’re also terrific. Eddy provided so many details I’d not known about Machu Picchu. He kept the pace comfortable and stopped when he felt like I needed a breather and/or a moment to rest. He was very patient and attentive to my questions and picture requests. Thank you, Eddy,for a great MP tour and for getting my jacket back to me!
Miguel was with us at Rainbow Mountain and was, as the others, an exemplary guide. He was willing to let us explore a bit on our own yet kept a watchful eye on us as we climbed higher..
He stopped on our way to give a ride to a native Peruvian woman carrying a pack - a lovely gesture.
Marco was our guide on the bus trip to Puno. He gave us great service and kept Andrew and me aware of what would occur at each stop, speaking personally to us in English as we were the only native English speakers on the tour.. We appreciated the extra effort. Marco made to help us understand what he was saying and to make us feel more comfortable.
Our final guide was Aldo, who led our group tour to Lake Titicaca. He again was very knowledgeable and entertaining. He kept us traveling at a doable pace and made us aware of the altitude changes that might affect us. He also provided valuable tips about interacting with the native folks at Uros and on Taquille Island. Aldo encouraged me at lunch to try the trout.(I don’t care for Midwestern.U.S. trout), and I’m glad he did as it was delicious.
One other delicious aspect, I must mention was the market tour and cooking class we did at the Mama Seledonia restaurant. Mama.Seledonia wasn’t able to be there, but her son stood in for her and did a great job. It was such fun! I will be trying to make Pisco sours at home.
Our drivers were excellent all week - Luis, Kevin, others whose names I missed -we felt safe and in good hands. So glad we had experienced drivers to get us from one place to another, safely and on time.
All in all, our trip to Peru was truly a “once in a lifetime experience” thanks to kimkim, Peruvian Soul, and all of the above. I’m sure I missed a few names and I apologize but send a big thank you to all. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Our entire trip was well planned. We asked for a change in itinerary and the local tour operator really was flexible with accommodating our request. Our guide David in Cusco was really great. He was patient, explained all the history and culture and we will be sure to ask for him if we return! Our guide Gilmer for the Humantay hike was also excellent - very patient with our (slower of course) pace and explaining the history. Overall it was well organized trip focus and well worth it.

Exactly the trip I wanted. I appreciated getting to know the country in a variety of ways, particularly in terms of the history, culture and nature. I also really enjoyed getting off the beaten path for several days of more aggressive hiking, and away from the crowds. I had great guides all around - Guido, Hugo + Team, Juan Carlos and Dennys. Many thanks to Jimena for creating a great itinerary.

Hotel Reviews

Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay

Urubamba

Beautiful and relaxing. An extra special place

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa San Blas Boutique

Cusco

Great location, beautiful hotel. A little loud. Great staff.

Location

Staff

Activity Reviews

Sacsayhuaman, Temple of the Moon and Koricancha

Cusco

A great base of knowledge for the entire trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moray circular terraces and soft hike to Maras salt mines

Peru

Choquequirao Trek 1/6

Peru

A challenging hike, and totally worth it. Great to get away and get in to Choquequirao.

Quality of Experience

Food

Amazing food in very remote locations.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Amazing team. Hugo, Martin, Fortunato, Juan Carlos y Jose

Transport

Activities-a-la-carte at Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Beautiful lodges. Very interesting set of activities and opportunities to engage with the research.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide and ariquipa
And Erica was exallent

Hotel Reviews

Del Pilar Miraflores Hotel

Lima

Simple, I prefer to take hotel in the old town

Authenticity & Character

Not a botic ik very simple

Location

I prefer the old town

Staff

Poor ebpnhkush

Cleanliness & Comfort

Location,style

Las Dunas

Ica

Amazing,pools ,gardens,horses,perfect breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Gardens,style

Location

After dunas a cool 🏊

Staff

Helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vacation atmosphere

Casa Andina Select Paracas

Paracas

Nothing to do

Authenticity & Character

Like a club

Location

Nothing around

Staff

Ok

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gim room

Casona Plaza Hotel AQP

Arequipa

Amazing ,style,atmosphere

Authenticity & Character

Amazing,bring you back to history

Location

Middle of town

Staff

Perfect

Cleanliness & Comfort

Unique

Killawasi Lodge

Yanque

Nice ,empty

Authenticity & Character

Nothing unique

Location

Far a way from hot springs

Staff

Nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nothing to do there

Taypikala Lago

Puno

Far away from center every time we needed a tax time and money.

Authenticity & Character

Nothing

Location

Far from city

Staff

Nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ok

Jose Antonio Cusco Hotel

Cusco

Nothing unique

Authenticity & Character

Style

Location

Could be better

Staff

Ok

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maintenance

San Agustin Urubamba

Urubamba

Nice garden and atmosphere at night with fire pits

Authenticity & Character

Nice atmosphere

Location

We need taxi

Staff

Ok

Tierra Viva Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Good location

Authenticity & Character

Nothing special

Location

Center

Staff

Ok

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ok

Activity Reviews

Lima City Tour; The Colonial & The Modern

Lima

Not proffecinal

Lima – Paracas – Ica

Peru

Very nice

Quality of Experience

Amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The dunes experience

Transport

Long

Ica to Nazca: Scenic Flight over the Nazca Lines - Return to Paracas

Peru

To long drive for the experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From Paracas to Lima - Afternoon at leisure

Peru

Nothing special

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arequipa City Tour & Santa Catalina Monastery

Arequipa

Very good interesting

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arequipa City Tour & Santa Catalina Monastery

Arequipa

Very good interesting

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Ok

Food

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transport

Transport

Eduardo was amazing!

We are a family of five and so we had a lot of opinions and needs...which kept changing. Eduardo responded kindly and quickly to each of our last minute requests. Everything Eduardo planned for us was seam-less. I really appreciate that he was available by WhatApp throughout our trip...that really helped.

Thank you for a wonderful trip Eduardo!

Activity Review

Machu Picchu Excursion: Aguas Calientes - Only Guidance + Consetur Bus

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All the drivers were fine, only one was less than amazing.

Transport

We had an amazing time! Thanks Nancy for showing us Lima and talking archaeology. Thanks Julio for sharing your stories we had a great time in Cuzco and Sacred Valley. And Jimena we had a great time appreciate all the planning you did to ensure a great trip.

All guides were wonderful.

Hotel Reviews

Innside Lima Miraflores by Melia Hotels International

Miraflores

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Colca Lodge

Cercado, Yanque

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Intiqa

Puno

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Cusco

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Chimu Floating Island and Luquina Community Homestay

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Machu Picchu Excursion: from Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu - Cusco

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Liz Karen was fantastic and thorough in planning out my itinerary, and all the guides and drivers were wonderful! They were reliable and helped me with every stage of my trip. Peru is truly beautiful and I loved my time in Cusco and Machu Picchu! I enjoyed seeing Pisac and Ollantaytambo -- the views and the history! I felt the altitude and breathlessness, so I highly recommend hiking preparation for all the steps, drinking lots of filtered water and coca tea, and taking altitude meds. I didn't have much time to acclimate so those helped. Javier was my guide for my circuit at Machu Picchu and provided a lot of interesting info about Incan culture. If you plan to hike Huayna Picchu, I suggest taking the 8 am slot because I took the 10 am slot and it was hotter and I got dehydrated from the intense climb. The guards also close the HP trail at 1 pm so you'll have more time to summit and not feel rushed if you take the first entrance. Pablo was our terrific guide at Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain and helped us with nose spray and trekking poles to adjust to the altitude. It was worth the views! I would've needed more time to acclimate so I'm glad I chose Palccoyo and not Vinicunca (but I'd love to visit there as well). Lastly, driver Dionicio was fantastic and took me around Cusco to the Inca Museum, Cristo Blanco, and an alpaca textile shop, as well as a restaurant where they served cuy and had a great view of the city. The hotel staff at Tika Wasi were very helpful and friendly and assisted me with ordering food delivery when I was tired after my day tours. Watch out for unauthorized taxi drivers at Lima Airport and only use the free shuttle to the hotel! From start to finish, Peru was magnificent and I'd love to return! Thank you to kimkim and Andean Travel for a great experience!

Overall, the planning and execution of the trip was excellent. Eduardo was a fantastic coordinator and was always ready to help. Gerbreth in Lima and Andres in Cuzco were also excellent coordinators and very helpful, always on time and polite. The itinerary was great, but we would have done some things differently if we had known. The initial stay in Lima was too long and we could have skipped the Danza show (which was very nice but not essential) and the gastronomic tour (also very nice but not essential). Instead, we would have preferred to stay an extra day in Cuzco which is more interesting to us. Rolando in the Amazon jungle tour was great and very knowledgeable. In Cuzco we enjoyed the visits to the various ruins and Machu Picchu. Julio was a good guide but his English was hard to understand at times and he always seemed in a rush. The city tour of Cuzco was not really a city tour as much as a tour of the cathedral and a convent that contained some Inca temple ruins. The Cathedral and convent tours were far too long and very boring to us. The guide, Emil, was enthusiastic and polite, but his English was very hard to understand. He also seemed in a rush all the time and we did not have time to stop to buy snacks or drinks. The latter part of the tour to the ruins on the outskirts of the city were interesting but were quite rushed and again hard to follow Emil's English. We were hungry most of the time and there was no chance to get a snack along the way. Overall we'd prefer a bit slower pace with a bit more free time to visit markets and try food on our own.

Hotel Reviews

Dazzler Miraflores by Wyndham

Lima

Very nice hotel but a bit out of the way for walking around Lima.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Corto Maltes Amazon Lodge

Puerto Maldonado

Excellent lodge in a primitive setting. Staff are friendly and helpful. Food is simple but good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was no hot water for showers in our cabin and overall it was a bit too rustic for our taste.

Sonesta Hotel Cusco

Cusco

Excellent hotel and location. Excellent breakfast. Staff were all great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Lima Airport

Lima

Good airport hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Inside the hotel it is clean and safe, all modern and up to date.

Location

Good for next day air travel. However, even being so close to the airport we needed 20-30 minutes to get to the terminal due to traffic and construction. The surrounding area is unpleasant and not walkable.

Staff

They were all friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No issues at all.

Activity Reviews

Full day Machu Picchu (Group)

Peru

Need to allow more time and have better a English speaking guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Corto Maltés 3D/2N (day 2)

Puerto Maldonado

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exquisito Peru - Gastronomic tour and local market visit. - Private

Lima

Not very interesting to us but should appeal to many others.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour - Shared Services

Peru

Need to allow more time and have better a English speaking guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima: Colonial city tour & Larco Museum

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cusco city tour & nearby Archeological Sites (Small Group)

Cusco

Need to allow more time and have better a English speaking guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything was amazing! We loved the trip

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Lima Miraflores

Miraflores, Lima

Nice hotel, breakfast was perfect

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sonesta Posadas del Inca Yucay

Urubamba

I love this hotel, beautiful en everything was good

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción

Puerto Maldonado

Perfect hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lima: History, Culture & Local Gastronomy

Lima

Quality of Experience

Food

Perfect

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Lima Airport

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inca Megalithic stonework in Cusco and surroundings

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Cusco Airport

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Misminay Community, lunch and hike to Moray

Sacred Valley

Very nice

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Second day at Hacienda Concepción: Sandoval Lake & Canopy Walkway

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Third day at Hacienda Concepcion: Botanical Garden & Inland Collpa

Tambopata

Amazing

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Time to depart from Hacienda Concepcion

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Cusco & The Sacred Valley!

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maras Salt Ponds

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Machu Picchu Exploration

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Amazing so beautiful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

First afternoon at Hacienda Concepcion

Peru

Everything was perfect

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Final Evening with Peru’s History and Flavors

Peru

We had a lunch/ no dine! We are at 19:30 on the airport, but the flight was 00:55 yet. We have to wait very long

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pisac Archaeological Site & Village Tour

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at a local restaurant

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cusco Walking City Tour

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I appreciated the very personalized trip planned by Io. She is exceptionally responsive and understood the kind of trip we wanted....deeper immersion, fewer hotel stays and long car rides, some independent time to explore, great food and stellar accomodations. We absolutely loved every hotel: gorgeous Sol Y Luna, Belmond Sanctuary where we had the best food of our lives, and the warmth and location of Antigua Casona. Highly recommend all three. We loved the cultural immersion trips: Llama trekking and the Potato experience were standouts. Machu Picchu was of course stunning. I appreciated the recommendations for our free days and restaurants. Jimy, our guide was fantastic,knowledgeable, fun and flexible. I also appreciated Lisbeth's efforts to retrieve and return a hat I left in MP.

Overall it was a great trip, however, we had some really basic logistical missteps that caused hassles that should have been avoided on a high end trip such as this. I shared that feedback and frustration directly and felt that they did their best to address it, and treated us to a dinner to offset some of the hassle. This is the second time we've booked with kimkim and the first time we have encountered logistical difficulty on the ground.

Hotel Reviews

Sol y Luna Hotel (Relais & Chateaux)

Urubamba

Exceptional, gorgeous and wonderful food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Belmond Sanctuary Lodge

Machu Picchu

Absolutely beautiful, loved the ease of going the MP, exceptional service and among the best food we have every had, anywhere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Beautiful, well located, exceptional service and food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private tour to The Salt Flats of Maras, Llama Trek, Shared Pachamanca Lunch & Self guided tour to Ollantaytambo town

Sacred Valley

Loved this, especially the Llama Trek. We learned so much and our guide Jimy was fabulous. It is a very, very long day and the road to Ollantaytambo was really rough. The Pachamance lunch was delicious, but it was a long drive and we ended up there very late due to the road so we missed some of it. The food was excellent, though.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Potato Experience in the Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

This was one of our top experiences. We learned so much and the warmth of the family and stunning scenery on the drive made it so memorable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Machu Picchu & Return to Cusco (Private Guided tour in Machu Picchu) SV

Peru

The Belmond Sanctuary is well worth the price. We had two circuits on one day. Worth it, but it is alot so rest up!

Quality of Experience

Food

Best food of our lives.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Extremely bad transport experience. We were booked for a private driver up to MP. Turns out that is not even possible, and we missed the last bus up trying to scramble to get bus tickets. Eventually made it. Big hassle. The next day it then took us 6 hours to get to Cusco: bus ride down, late train and an absolutely harrowing drive from the train to Cusco via extremely deserted roads, many with previous rock slides causing the road to become one lane and very, very rough dirt roads. I know there must have been a different route through the mountains. It was a terrible drive. I don't know why we couldn't have gone directly from MP to Cusco and had our luggage delivered. A six hour, extremely uncomfortable journey was competely unacceptable on a trip like this. We loved MP, but the travel hassle in both directions really impacted our impression of what was to be a highlight.

Flight to Cusco & Direct private transfer to the Sacred Valley w/assistance

Peru

Flight from CUSCO to LIMA I had to ask repeatedly for the boarding passes. We never received them until around 6 pm before our departure at 4 am. As a result of the late check in, we were in a very late boarding group requiring us to check luggage (we always do carry on and always plan for that) and weren't seated together. I shouldn't have had to ask repeatedly for the boarding passes. It would have been easier to handle this myself.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The drivers were fine on both airport transfers. The driver on the transfer from Ollantaytambo to CUsco never said a single word to us, even through a terrible drive over roads that made us nearly sick to our stomachs.

Transport

The route taken between Ollayntambo to CUsco after our MP visit should not be allowed by your company. It was deeply unsettling and extremely uncomfortable.

My small group thoroughly enjoyed Alfredo’s deep knowledge of the history of Lima and Peru, and learned so much from him. We also really loved our time with Alvaro exploring Paracas Natural Reserve. His passion and knowledge of the park was incredible. Both these guides were personable, easy to chat with and made our full days with them very memorable!

Hotel Review

Innside Lima Miraflores by Melia Hotels International

Miraflores

Excellent. Great location and spacious rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Must Sees Lima: Casa Aliaga & Larco Museum with Lunch

Lima

Quality of Experience

Our guide Alfredo was excellent. He was incredibly knowledgeable and very easy to spend the day with. We learned a lot and had a great time.

Food

Lunch was great at the Museum

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Art and Local Cuisine in Bohemian Barranco

Lima

The bartending and cooking class at Hotel B were both fun and it’s a great venue! We went right from this to lunch - at a wonderful restaurant (owned by husband-wife team in their former house!) and it would have been much better if there was a bit of time between the cooking class and lunch…

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive to Paracas

Lima

This day trip was incredible. Exploring so many parts of Paracas Natural Reserve was beautiful and awe-inspiring. Our guide Alvaro was knowledgeable and passionate, which added to our enjoyment. He also instilled confidence that he knew the park so well, that you’d be safe and comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Our guide Alvaro was incredible!

Food

Lunch at Inti Mar was breathtakingly beautiful and delicious and so fresh!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alvaro was passionate about Paracas and also very easy to spend the whole day with - funny, interesting and very knowledgeable. He was also an excellent and confident driver.

Transport

Alvaro is an excellent and confident driver, with a vehicle that is in tip top shape.