Kimkim Trip Reviews for Peru

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 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 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 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. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.