Kimkim Trip Reviews for Peru

Recently came home from a wonderful vacation in Peru, and everything about it was FANTASTIC!!!! The tour was crafted perfectly for our group, and despite some obstacles outside of anyone's control, our guide was quick to course correct and ensure that we still enjoyed every second of our journey. I cannot say enough wonderful things about our tour guide Julio. He is extremely knowledgeable, very patient, and fun to be around. I learned so much about Peru because of how thorough Julio was. Our driver Roberto was just as good, and made sure that we made it to all of our destinations safely, and on time. We spent most of our time in Cusco, but I must say that our time in Lima with Ximena was a blast, and we learned so much about the food and culture. Last but not least, Anne crafted an itinerary that gave us the most rewarding experience in Peru, and we have created memories that will last a lifetime.

Hotel Review

Aloft Lima Miraflores, a Marriott Hotel

Lima

Activity Review

Discovering Machu Picchu Citadel and hiking to it's viewpoints | Double entry

Peru

I am so glad that we found Kristy through kimkim. From the beginning, Kristy has been extremely helpful and patient as she answered all of our questions about a trip to Peru. Clearly, she has a lot of knowledge about the country. She was always trying to get us the best experience within our budget and came up with various options for us. Whenever there was a curve ball (postponement due to Omicron variant, transportation strikes in Peru), Kristy and team were prepared to adjust things as needed. We are very thankful for the peace of mind and security we were able to get knowing that we were relying on experts on the ground and didn't have to worry about going to a new country where we barely spoke the language. Special shout-out to Cesar in Cusco who was an amazing guide for us. This team always went above and beyond what we expected from them. Fully deserved 5-stars.

Activity Review

Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was the dream destination in Peru. Kristy and team made it work for us in spite of having to change tickets at the very last minute due to circumstances beyond our control. We ended up doing a day-trip to Machu Picchu from Cusco. Our local guide, Cesar, made sure that the day was as comfortable as possible and allowed us enough time there to enjoy the unique beauty and history of the place.

Quality of Experience

There's a reason Machu Picchu is one of the seven modern wonders of the world!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Extremely helpful guides and staff who were patient and gave us our time and space to enjoy the experience.

Transport

Transportation was taken care of by our guides and was as comfortable as possible.

We just got back from an amazing trip to Peru. 11 days, 10 nights and all planned and executed to perfection by Liz and her team. If you are looking to visit Peru, Liz and the KimKim team are your go to team. They made our trip comfortable, punctual, with guides that were fluent in English and very knowledgeable about everything. Our first guide in Lima was Massiel who was very good and showed us around Lima and helped us with the local logistics. Our second guide in Cusco and Sacred Valley was Alexandra. We've been to over 16 countries and used so many guides and Alexandra was the best. Very personable, knowledgeable (knew all the great spots to eat especially with 2 vegetarians on the trip). Our final guide who came with us to the Inca trail was Joel and he was an expert in everything Inca (food, flora, fauna, Machu Picchu). All these guides were also excellent photographers, finding the right spots for some amazing pictures and memories. All the drivers who accompanied the guides were also very good, getting us on time and safely. Finally the person behind all this was Liz. From the day we landed, she was on Whatsapp with me, making sure we were in good hands. Great experience and will be using them again !

Once in a lifetime trip!

The overall feedback for the trip was excellent. Johanna organised everything so well We couldn't have done it without her. When we initially thought of a trip we were considering booking everything separately and trying to do it ourselves but the logistics proved too difficult. Johanna was excellent and worked with us to develop our ideal itinerary. The suggestion she made were excellent and things we wouldn't have thought of were covered.
The first section of our trip was to the Amazon this was an amazing experience and the accommodation was superb. We then travel to Cusco for the inca trail. Our guide Edwin was fantastic and was so helpful and knowledgeable and really gave us a feel for inca life. He supported us on our trek as some of our group was struggling and made sure we arrived at all the checkpoints on time.
All the flights and transfers were on time.
Overall I am very glad we booked with Kimkim a 5 star service.

Hotel Review

Hotel Antigua Miraflores

Lima

Activity Review

Into the Amazon: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Quality of Experience

Food

Food was amazing not what I was expecting in the middle of the jungle

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides and very good and make everything enjoyable

Transport

Anna arranged our trip in a few days! We really didn’t know if we would have time to get a good feel of Peru in 9 days but Anna made it all possible.
Excellent tour recommendations and personalized approach to fit our needs. We traveled with our 15 yo twin boys and the journey was surely unforgettable for us and for them.

Thank you

Hotel Review

Refugio Amazonas Lodge

Puerto Maldonado

Everyone must experience nature this way! This plaice really makes you fell like you are close to something higher than yourself…

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fantastic views

Staff

Attention to detail

Cleanliness & Comfort

Considering you are in the jungle, the lodge is so well kept!

Activity Review

Boat Ride to your Rainforest Lodge at Tambopata National Reserve

Tambopata

Spitting the animals and just taking in the nature

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious local specialty rice wrapped in green leaf

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kristy at Kimkim was absolutely a dream to work with. We kept changing plans and she kept working things out for us even when we go on the trip. We had last minute train & bus rides we wanted and with a quick text to Kristy she made all arrangement’s. Kristy kept in touch with us throughout the entire trip & made this trip fabulous. We wanted adventure and she did that as well. Thanks for a wonderful trip to Peru we would recommend Kristy and Kimkim to anyone.

Hotel Review

Costa del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport

Lima

Great location for a late flight in to Peru. Very convenient.

Activity Review

Sky Lodge Adventure

Peru

What a wonderful adventure. I am 58 years old and out of shape. The team at the Sky Lodge were patient and helped me do the via ferratta to the sky lodge where they had a wonderful dinner for us and great accommodations in the pod. Would recommend this to everyone.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very good and knowledgeable guides. Loved the city tour and food tour.

Activity Review

Private Tour to Lima highlights & Food Tour

Lima Int. Airport (LIM)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flor Zuniga through Miski travels was our guide for 4 days in Cusco, sacred valley and Machu Picchu. Her English is fantastic. She is extremely knowledgeable and had answers to all of our questions. She went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience possible. She even walked us to dinner one night even though our tour portion was over to ensure we got there on time and safely. You can tell her customers are very important to her. She’s extremely friendly, fun to be around, and all around the most amazing tour guide. I would 10/10 recommend this tour company- and make sure you request FLOR! Can’t say enough good things.

I cannot even begin to express how incredibly thankful my boyfriend and I feel to have found Jesus's team at KimKim for our trip to Peru. From our very first message with Jesus to the second we landed back in the U.S., we had just an amazing experience. In part due to the rich history and culture Peru has to offer, but mostly because of the wonderful people we met along the way. We had private transportation everywhere we went (Carlos, Jose, and San), who were always friendly, accommodating, safe, and very hard working, and we were also paired with the best tour guides we could have ever asked for! Guido and Abel in Cusco both will be lifetime friends, they were incredibly knowledgeable, funny, and caring.
We were given all of the flexibility in the world by Jesus's team, which really helped keep the stress of a big/long trip at bay. We opted to arrange our own sleeping accommodations with the exception of a few nights, one of which we stayed with the sweetest local Andean family. Each day, we were able to choose within reason the time we wanted to start our day, there was never any rushing to be anywhere at a particular time. Every single day was a new adventure and we learned more than we were ready to! We spent 11 long days in Peru, but we still didn't want to leave. We miss the people, the food, the sites, but we are so thankful for the friendships and memories we made!

Activity Reviews

Journey through the Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain: {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Machu Picchu Exploration

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Peru was simply amazing!! We've never been to South America and we decided that the first country we should visit would be Peru after doing some research. We are so happy that we went with Peruvian Soul because it made logistics in the country really easy and we visited places that we would have probably never thought to go to. Not to mention that we met amazing people in Peruvian Soul that treated us like friends. We never used a travel agency for trips since we typically do all the planning, but this time it was nice to have some help with planning the entire trip from accommodations, covid testing, flights, and setting an itinerary that was both adventurous, cultural, fun, and relaxing.

The trip was to celebrate a birthday and everything was great! Our accommodations were nice and Nicholas was so helpful and communicative from start to finish. He picked us up from the airport and gave us a nice welcome package which consisted of hand sanitizer, a face mask, snacks, and a cool tote bag. We only got to see Nicholas once, but we were in constant contact with him during our trip via What's App.

We started in Lima and stayed in a cute boutique hotel (Casa Republica) in Barranco for 2 nights. The service there was great and it was cool to be in a historic mansion right near the water (seriously it was steps away). We were able to catch the sunset which was beautiful. There is also a cool rooftop bar at the hotel and we received complimentary Pisco Sours which were so good! When we left, the staff gave us Coco tea because they knew we were flying to Cusco which was very thoughtful. They also gave us breakfast to go in addition to the tea.

When we arrived in Cusco, we saw Julio who is such a genuine and nice person. He is incredibly knowledgeable of Cusco and could tell us anything about Cusco. We did many tours with Julio which included seeing Moray Terraces, Maras Salt Mines, and Ollantaytambo. In Ollantaytambo, we were able to experience a traditional meal cooked in the ground using stones which was awesome! The restaurant has food that comes straight from their garden and it was so good and cool to have that experience. We also tried different types of Piscos and coffee and the owner was quite the character!

After Cusco, we were finally in Aguas Calientes to prepare for Machu Picchu the following day. We met Eddy from Peruvian Soul who gave us the rundown for Machu Picchu. Eddy is funny and super nice. The hotel we stayed in was near the water and it was really nice. Again, the staff was so helpful and accommodating during our stay. Their breakfast was also really delicious! Eddy was our guide for Machu Picchu and it was cool to learn about the mystical place that is Machu Picchu. We went during rainy season, but luckily it was a clear day for us! It was also very peaceful because we went really early in the morning and not too many people were there.

After Machu Picchu, we were going back to Cusco for a night and we were met by our awesome driver. We thought we were going back to the hotel, but we made a surprise stop in Chinchero in the Sacred Valley. We saw Julio there, and went with the flow of the trip. We met some women there that explained how they make and dye their items for sell which was cool and informative. After that, Julio came out with a birthday cake and candles and everyone was singing Happy Birthday which was so thoughtful and unexpected! The women also blessed us with yellow flowers and it was such a special moment. The women also sang a song in their native language which we greatly appreciated. What a great way to spend a birthday! It was a great experience and probably one of the more memorable moments of the entire trip. Before we left Cusco, Julio gave us two bulls which represent good luck which was soo nice of him!

Our final location was Tumbes so we could relax at the beach. We were met by our driver Gaston who gave us water and was really nice (everyone in Peruvian Soul is soooo nice!!). We had a long drive so we talked and got to know more about him as a person. We stayed in Punta Sal resort and had a bungalow right on the beach! The bungalow, food, staff, and view were amazing! We are so grateful that Nicholas added Tumbes to our trip! We truly enjoyed the beach and the food!

All in all, Peru is such an amazing country and there is something for everyone! Peruvian Soul made the trip very memorable and we feel like we can always reach out to them whenever we are back. We had so much fun and the team was so thoughtful and helpful. We recommend Peru to everyone we know now, and we definitely suggest Peruvian Soul as agency if need be. We had such a great time and we definitely want to come back!!!

This trip was one to remember! Anne planned the best itinerary for us! We spent about 3 days in Lima, 2 days in Tambopata, and 4 days in Cusco/Machu Picchu. The days were early and long so if you're able to have a longer trip, do so. But we saw everything we wanted to see in Peru anyway!

Everyone throughout our trip (guides, drivers, hotel staff) were wonderful. Carlos, our driver, and Julio Quispe, our main guide, were highlights! We would recommend the Casa San Blas Boutique hotel (Cusco) and Posada Amazonas Lodge (Amazon). Both were fantastic! Hotel Casa Republica (Lima) was our least favorite. A bit loud with construction and the rooftop bar and outdated. Good breakfast though!

We enjoyed booking through KimKim for such a complex trip and are planning to use KimKim to book our trip to Israel! Thank you so much Anne!

Hotel Review

Posada Amazonas Lodge

Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Hands on Cooking Class at a Chef's house

Lima

Such a fun experience learning how to cook some authentic dishes and visiting local markets. Would recommend this activity!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Anne was absolutely wonderful to work with throughout the entire process. She was very quick to answer our questions during the planning process, and provided us with numerous options that fit within our budget. Most importantly, we really valued the type of activities she planned for us. We got to interact with the communities and experience the culture firsthand. I feel sometimes that travel agencies will only focus on “Instagram moments” and that is not what we experienced at all. Our tour guides were wonderful, and we learned SO much (and still got great pictures as memories!).

For upcoming travelers, here are some places we really enjoyed: Machu Picchu, private lunch at the plantation outside of Lima on our way back from sandboarding, the rainforest (we only stayed two nights and wish we would’ve stayed 3), the local market in Cusco, and our extended stay in sacred valley.

Additionally, even with traveling during covid Anne made us feel comfortable and prepared throughout the trip. We loved that she met us in Lima on our first day! It helped us feel more prepared and comfortable walking into our 12 day trip.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience and we could not have asked for a better honeymoon. In 12 days, we went from the coast line, to the desert, to the rainforest, and ended our trip in the mountains. If you are looking for a great adventure - Peru is it!!

Hotel Review

Refugio Amazonas Lodge

Puerto Maldonado

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Ollantaytambo Village and Inca Site Exploration. Pinkulluna Hike

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wow!! What an amazing journey! Anne and the entire Peruvian soul team was just amazing. We already had a trip planned to Southeast Asia that got derailed because of the Omicron variant of Covid. We were able to book an amazing trip through Kim Kim and Peruvian soul To South and Central America. We began in Peru and it was absolutely magical! We started in the rainforest in Tambopata National Reserve. Our guide and lodging were great. We saw all kinds of insects, animals and birds. From there we went to the sacred valley and saw the ruins of Ollantaytambo and the Moray terraces. From there we went to Machu Picchu and our minds were blown. Our guide along the way, Julito, was extremely knowledgeable, professional, warm and kind. In Cusco I suffered some altitude sickness and he took the best care of me. I felt like I was in very capable hands. I grew to love the people, culture, history and nature of Peru during my stay there, We will be back one day for sure! Thank you to the entire team!

Thanks to Liz! for an AMAZING trip!
For this once in a life time trip, we entrusted Liz at KimKim.com to plan our trip. This is our second trip with KimKim and I have to say just amazing.! This trip was postponed 3 times due to the pandemic and Liz made it seamless. Planning our trip, she kept up with all the changes and challenges thrown at her even with flights were cancelled intra, she moved to private car transport. During the trip the arrangements seemed flawless to us. Even when mother nature threw a curve ball causing train delays on a late evening, Liz had arranged for car transport to get us to our hotel. Our family loved the 7 day trip to this magical place called Peru, but with Liz's experience and guidance the trip was flawless, enjoyable without worry and perfectly managed. Thank you Liz and KimKim.com! Truly loved it.

We had an incredible experience working with Kristy from the very beginning.

Kristy answered all of our questions and was always very attentive when we were debating between places to go or activities to partake in. She was very knowledgeable about the country and the various activities to do and places to visit.

Our experience in Peru was incredible. All of the details were taken care for us and it was very simple to figure out where and when we needed to be throughout.

Finally, all of our guides and drivers were great. We REALLY loved Edy in Cusco, who went above and beyond multiple times to help make our tours and stay that much more enjoyable.

Hotel Review

Second Home

Barranco, Lima

Incredible hotel. We loved the Mirador room - it had a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean and was centrally located in Burranco.

Tips for future travelers

None

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Moray & Maras, and ATV Tour

Peru

Amazing views and really beautiful experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything provided by Kimkim Travel (through Peruvian Soul in Peru) was perfect. I had some nervousness about using an agency since I usually travel independently, but with my wife and my advancing age, and her mobility challenges, I decided it was the best option for a trip to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. I was impressed with the attention we got, and the adaptation to our needs. First, communication, online and with whatsapp: Jesus must sleep at his keyboard, since every time I had a question, concern, or panic, he responded, usually within minutes, although occasionally when at night, it was the first thing in the morning. Likewise, Carlos, who handled airport pickups/dropoffs, and Julio, our personal guide for 4 days from Cusco to Machu Picchu and back, were equally responsive and helpful. Beyond communication, Julio was a font of knowledge, adapted the tour to our needs, attentive, and facilitated numerous accommodations for my wife that made our Machu Picchu experience possible. In Lima, we also enjoyed the services of Abraham for a few hours, and were pleased with his manner and helpfulness as well. The trip provided by Kimkim/Peruviansoul was well designed as a private conducted tour, very fairly priced, and conducted without a hitch. All the personnel were reliable and excellent. The hotels were great.

We had an incredible 10-day trip to Peru. Kristy & Miski Travels crafted a wonderful itinerary for us, and we got to explore the Amazon, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Macchu Picchu / Aguas Calientes, and Palccoyo (Rainbow Mountain). Kristy was extremely helpful in answer all of our questions, particularly around COVID requirements and protocol. We showed up at the airport prepared with the affidavit of health that she informed us about, and were able to use the at-home rapid testing kits that she told us about in order to get back home to the US. Peruvians were incredibly diligent and respectful about keeping masks on, and we felt very safe while there. Around Cusco & Macchu Picchu, our guide José taught us an incredible amount about Incan history, architecture, religion, and more. We are so excited about everything we had learned, seen, and eaten, and can't wait to go back again someday!

My husband and I used Peruvian Soul through KimKim.com for our two-week Peru honeymoon, which included Lima, Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Tambopata in the Amazon.

My overall takeaway: TAKE THIS TRIP. Here’s why:

Peru has so much to offer. We had a new adventure every day. The people, culture, history, food, drinks, architecture, animals, views etc. are so fun to experience. We never felt unsafe, lost, or unprepared. The travel agency prepares you before the trip and we tried to be smart travelers anyway.

Peruvian Soul, booked through kimkim.com, will make your trip so EASY and SPECIAL. The itinerary made for us by Anne based on what we wanted was perfect and we were given freedom to make changes as needed. The inter-country travel is all taken care of by the agency which is a huge help; i.e. you don’t have to buy separate tickets from Lima to Cusco to the Amazon – just your flight to Peru and back. We had private vans for transportation provided and private tour guides. We could have, but ended up not needing one taxi. All of the tour guides, especially Julio, are professional, extremely knowledgeable (trust me – we asked a lot of questions), and passionate. They knew all of the best photo-ops, every available bathroom, times in between bathrooms, and had good tips along the way like when we needed COVID masks, bug spray, extra water etc.

Kimkim.com made it easy to communicate with Peruvian Soul, our travel agency. It’s easy to make payments on the site. The itinerary is easy to look through, and our travel agent was always quick to respond if we had questions. The itinerary is great to print out before your trip so you can be organized as well.

COVID in Peru: up until we finally took our flight to Peru we were monitoring the COVID situation to make sure we were safe/eligible to travel. As of Sept 2021, the Peru govt. had a mask mandate in all public places including outdoors. All markets, restaurants, tourist stops were required to take visitor temperatures and give hand sanitizer out. These requirements really didn’t end up being big deal, and it was really nice having the peace of mind that we were being safe, and Peruvians were being safe. Peruvian Soul also coordinated an antigen test for us our last day in Peru so we could return to the U.S., which was also a huge help since we speak limited Spanish.

All in all, you will not regret this trip and fall in love with Peru just like we did.

Incredible trip, amazing country. Kristy was great with helping promptly for various hiccups etc on the way. José was an absolutely phenomenal guide in the Cusco area, teaching us so much about the Incas and the local culture and customs. His English was fluent so conversations were had easily. The ecolodge in the rainforest was all-inclusive and pampered us, as well as took us on many tours and etc that were great, although our particular guide (Hugo) didn't speak English super well and was also kind of uh... boring, so I felt there could have been some improvement there.

This was an absolute once-in-a-lifetime experience! Everything that Aspiring Adventures did for us was fantastic - all of our needs were either anticipated (in style!) or someone bent over backwards to meet them at the drop of the hat. I don't think we could have possibly been in better hands.

Our guide for the main part of the trip, Orlando, is one of my new favorite people. He was super knowledgeable about everything on the trip from astronomy to archaeology to Andean spiritual beliefs to geology and everything in between.

If you want a challenging (and we aren't a group that shies from a physically demanding hike in Colorado) and rewarding trek, the one we did is a tall (but awesome) order.

If you're wondering if you should book a trip with Aspiring Adventures, I say you should for sure. They only thing at all (and I really mean the only thing) I would have changed about the trip was our little jaunt at the end to fly over the Nazca lines - it ended up being a ton of driving for not a ton of Nazca line time. This was more of a function of COVID-19 than Aspiring Adventures though since the Ica airport was closed. Our guide for this portion out of Lima, Arturo, was great and did his best to make it fun even though some of us mostly just slept in his car.