Kimkim Trip Reviews for Peru

This was the trip of a lifetime. We initially were planning to go to Peru, however, due to some issues over there we were able to quickly re-route to Chile - with outstanding support from KimKim. They always put us at ease and ensure we have seamless travel. The trip itself was planned to perfection and we now have memories that we will cherish for a lifetime. As always, KimKim rocks!

Fantastic vacation. Highlight was that the guides were professional, knowledgeable, flexible and perfectly match to our interests. Everyone exceeded our expectations. All tours were "personal" where my wife and I had a guide.

Hotel Reviews

Gran Hotel Bolivar

Lima

Hotel of former glory. Fun experience. The 1920's rooms felt like you were in the movie "The Shining". Bar was a highlight and was packed with Peruvians having a drink after work. In the heart of the old town, so everything is walking distance.

La Estancia Ecolodge

Isla del Sol

Abittare Hotels

Cusco

Hotel Pakaritampu

Ollantaytambo

Intiqa

Puno

Fine hotel. Just tell them to get better coffee for breakfast. Worst coffee that we had in the entire trip, which was a big disconnect to the quality of the hotel.

Wilkamayu Hotel

Sicuani

Restaurant was closed when we went, maybe because the main road outside the hotel was under construction. Very few other options for dinner. Good hotel otherwise. Seems like a place Peruvians go for business conferences.

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Cusco

Tourist hotel. Well organized money-making factory. Our package included a dinner which was fast, but boring plus they charged outragous amounts for the beverages that were not included. Appropriate for a bus tour groups, but not people who want the small group experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

This is the only plus. Right next to the train station.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Costa del Sol Whyndam Cajamarca

Cajamarca

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Las Brisas

La Paz

Disappointed on this one. We though we were booked at Las Brisas North, the main hotel in the heart of the old town area. The photo is from that hotel. Instead we were booked in the Las Brisas South hotel which is on the outskirts of town in an affluent neighborhood. This made is difficult to do anything with our free time except eat at the fancy restaunts (we planned on seeing museums missed on our tour).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Peru

This experience was misleading. It was a fancy restaurant with a traditional cooking method. I thought we would be in a village with guinea pigs running around. Also, they had their own coffee roaster and whiskey distillery which was good for getting gifts, but made the experience feel completely modern. Owner was fantastic and personable guy, so I wish him success. Food good. Just rephrase the description

The level of service provided before and by each of the three tour guides was overwhelming in its quality and case. Upon landing at each airport we were promptly greeted by the guide, easily guided to the awaiting driver and van and helped with gathering luggage and checking into each hotel. I cannot imagine how we would have navigated each step without the experienced guides.
in Lima Blanca and driver Michael met us the first/next morning with an agenda that filled each morning with information about each place we visited. Each day she went out of her way to be sure I got the SIM card I wanted at a CLARO office, found a manicure at the last minute and found us quality places to shop for gits and outstanding food and drink. She was flexible and patient as we chose little side shops to visit.
In Arequipa, Jesus and driver Juvenal were friendly and brought us to amazing shops and sites, and most important Jesus took us to a small town, Tingo Grande, that was close to our family history.
In Cusco, Julio was the best! We spent about 5 days with him and the driver. Julio helped me when I got altitude sickness in Cusco. Julio was adaptive to the needs of each person in the group of four: a person with walking limitations, a shop-a-holic and responded to each when we wanted a break, refreshment and answered our questions
Each of the guides knew their cities intimately and loved the Peru community. each knew many other guides and certain shortcuts that kept the pace up.

Shawna was amazing to work with. Very articulate and patient, a wealth of knowledge and flexible. Every aspect, door to door, was thought of and executed. Bosco who met us at the airport, along with Oscar our driver, provide us with a readers digest version of some of the cities culture, history and politics. It was intriguing and fasinating. He assisted with our check in and a couple days later, retrieved us to head to the airport on our way to Cusco. He provided a breakfast pack for us. He checked us in and walked us all the way to TSA. Nothing short of a class act.

We were glad we met with Shawna in Lima the first full day there. She took us to an excellent coffee shop and then to a shop where enjoyed the most tasty chichoron sandwich. This was all before Nancy, our foodie and historian guide took us on a 6 hour city tour that both educated us and introduced our pallet to amazing cuisine. She too demonstrated her passion for her culture and region.

Once in Cusco Cesar our guide and ODee our driver could not had been more fun, knowledgeable and accommodating. Cesar is the epitome of the consummate guide. Expert level with every level of our trip locations and expert level of working with people. Our trip was made all the better and memorable because of him. We even met some of his family in Machu Picchu. We were dazzled by his ease of explaining everything and sharing so many insights of each of our destinations. They will never be forgotten.

Once back in Cusco, Juan, our guide seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Cesar. Attentive, humorous and sincere. Super knowledgeable and patient and accommodating. He checked us in for our flight back to lima.

We haven't stop raving about our trip, kimkim, our agent, guides and drivers to whoever will listen. And, of course, we share the great experience we had in Peru. It's culture, history, people and amazing sites.

Thank you all so much. We have so much love and respect for you and your country.

Hotel Reviews

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Perfectly lovely hotel to end our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Every level, super polite and helpful. Front desk, bell service bag staff, restaurant staff, bar and spa.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautiful room. The sheep skin hot water bottle in bed was a very sweet touch.

Casa del Sol

Machu Picchu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sonesta Posada del Inca

Urubamba

So authentic

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Innside Lima Miraflores by Melia Hotels International

Miraflores

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cusco Walking City Tour with San Francisco Church

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain Tour

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon at Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maras & Moray

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pisac Archaeological Site

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at Hacienda Sarapampa

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pass by Pisac Market & an Andean camelid Farms

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Art and Local Cuisine in Bohemian Barranco

Lima

Nancy was so natural and passionate. Super informative. A reservoir of the cities history and culture. She was amazing. As was the food

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We love that it was so comfortable and private

Welcome to Peru and Lima

Peru

Bosco and Oscar were delightful and welcoming

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Peru was amazing. Loved our guide Diego in the sacred valley area would highly recommend to all our friends and family. Loved our train ride to Machu picchu from the sacred valley and highly enjoyed our private lunches. Thank you Anne for a great trip

Hotel Reviews

Pullman Lima Miraflores

Miraflores, Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palacio del Inka Cusco

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection Resort & Spa

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa del Sol

Machu Picchu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking and Bar Master Class in Machu Picchu town

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Must sees in Lima

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reaching the Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gourmet Picnic at the Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stop over visits at Sonidos del Andes with Vicente Rayo & Pisac Village

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities-a-la-carte at Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities-a-la-carte at Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip includes taking a 2D1N short Inca trail to Machu Picchu, a day trip to Rainbow Mountain and another day trip to Humantay lake. We had three different guides respectively for the three trips, Reynaldo, Simon and Jamie. We had some problems with the first trip due to some miscommunication at the beginning: for some reason Reynaldo sent Whatsapp messages to one of us who did not read her messages instead of contacting me, the main person to communicate with Kimkim. As a result, we were briefed by someone else sent by the tour operator Alpaca Expeditions and there was confusion as to how to deliver our luggage to a new hotel before our return from the trip to Machu Picchu. Reynaldo turned out to be an acceptable guide especially for his knowledge about nature, plants and animals, but I feel he can improve by being more dedicated. We were put off at the end of the trip because we felt pressured to write reviews in front of him. Simon is amiable who put us at ease right away. We did not reach the peak to see the rainbow mountain because we were very slow paced and also because of the bad weather condition. Jamie was very patient with our slow pace which we appreciated. We were able to complete our hike to enjoy the fantastic view of the lake.

Hotel Reviews

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Nice design with beautiful details all around. But it was a bit expensive particularly considering we left in the early hours of the morning for hiking and didn't return until evening.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quinta San Blas by Ananay Hotels

Cusco

Ruby at the reception was very friendly and helpful. But there was a problem after we checked in. She told us she could not find our immigration entry record and as a result we were forced to pay the 10% charge which can be waved for foreigners. We eventually obtained the record with the help from our ministry of foreign affairs and got the money back. But it seems that Ruby and another hotel personal may have looked for our entry records under China and we are from Taiwan!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hiking to Humantay Lake: A Scenic Adventure in the Andes from Cusco

Peru

Similar but perhaps a bit easier than our hikes to some of the 100 peaks (each higher than 3000m) in Taiwan. But still very challenging for us, three, all seniors. We were glad that we made it and the beautiful lake isn't disappointing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainbow Mountain Trek

Peru

Didn't finished the hike, stopped short of summit by about half hour (more than 1 hour with our slow pace). Foggy with light snow occasionally. Figured wouldn't be able to see the rainbow colors. Short of cash, otherwise might have considered taking horse ride.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short Inca Trail Day 2: Machu Picchu Guided Tour and Return to Cusco

Peru

A bit anticlimax because we already had a fantastic view after we passed the Sun gate to arrive at the upper level of Machu Picchu. But the close up view is still worthwhile a second trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short Inca Trail Day 1: Hiking to Machu Picchu via Chachabamba and Wiñay Wayna

Peru

Great trail. Everything as I expected.

Quality of Experience

Food

Hot meal in the middle of the trail is more than you can ask for.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A long and bumpy van drive to the train station. Nevertheless, I felt we didn't have to get up so early -- were asked to be ready at 4 am.

Trek Briefing

Peru

We reported to the office upon arrival but was told briefing would be conducted at our hotel later in the evening, by a person different from our guide for the next day. This is a bit strange as it was a waste of time and I suspected there was miscommunication within the office.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival to Cusco

Peru

Cusco is a beautiful city, the narrow streets and alleys are especially attractive. We had a little bit more than one day to tour the city. We basically walked but a couple of times hailed a taxi or used Uber to visit attractions of longer distances. There were no problems except that Peruvian cash is often required.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was well planned and executed by the kimkim staff.
the information was given up front, and there was a direct communication line while on the ground in Peru.
we greatly enjoyed the amazing guides we met in the different locations. They are part of local tour offices who work with kimkim.

We had a wonderful Peruvian adventure. We loved the specialty meals and the traditional Incan meditation/ educational experience. Our guides were exceptional with Diego being one of our favorites! The hotels in Lima, Sacred Valley and Cusco were great and the train ride to Machupicchu was truly amazing! We would highly recommend to our friends and family!

Hotel Reviews

Palacio del Inka Cusco

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa del Sol

Machu Picchu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection Resort & Spa

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pullman Lima Miraflores

Miraflores, Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cooking and Bar Master Class in Machu Picchu town

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Must sees in Lima

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain Tour

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacsayhuaman & Cusco Guided

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Second visit to Machu Picchu and Hike to its viewpoints

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Exploration of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moray Terraces

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maras Salt Ponds

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Peru

Fabulous

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gourmet Picnic at the Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

wow fun delicious meal

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stop over visits at Sonidos del Andes with Vicente Rayo & Pisac Village

Sacred Valley

Exceptional

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kristy was extremely helpful in a number of ways. She did a great job setting up the trip and was kind enough to help one of our travelers that had issues with departing flight. She also helped to retrieve something we left in a hotel room. Excellent job!

Liz Karen was great in helping us plan our trip. She was patient and thorough throughout the process. She was open to feedback and adjustments in the schedule and got it to what was feasible for us.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Andina Premium Puno

Puno

Great experience here, no issues. Right on the lake and very quiet

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jardines de Uyuni

Uyuni

Really great hotel. My only issue was that the bed was a full sized bed which was small for the two of us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Presidente

La Paz

The hotel was okay. We faced the the Main Street so it was very loud. The window was single-paned so even when we closed it, you could hear everything happening on the street. We were supposed to stay here two nights but we found a different hotel instead.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Cusco

This hotel was also fine. Nothing exceptional about the room itself. The bed was comfortable and room was clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Cusco

Cusco

Very nice hotel, clean, beautiful and great location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dazzler Miraflores by Wyndham

Lima

This hotel was fine. Nothing exceptional, needs some updates but the bed was comfortable, the room was spacious and quiet.

Authenticity & Character

It’s just kind of tired

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Shared Uros & Taquile Floating Islands tour

Puno

Very interesting

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Uyuni Salt Flats tour

Uyuni

Incredible. This is was one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen.

Quality of Experience

All of it

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Briefing about your future tour/trek

Peru

N/A we decided to skip this and take a rest day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Half-Day Walking Tour: Sacsayhuaman, Cusco City & San Pedro Market

Cusco

It was really a good walking tour, we learned a lot during this tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

No

Transport

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

Peru

Our guide, Jacqueline, was great. She arrived early and got us there early and ahead of the crowds. Very knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to The Sacred Valley: Salt mines, Terraces & Pachamanca

Peru

Overall a good tour. Our guide, Juan De La Cruz, was good as was our driver. The only thing we didn’t like about this was the stop in Chincherra. This felt like a total tourist and we felt pressured to buy something (which we did). Didn’t love it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Urban Kitchen Experience

Lima

We loved this experience. A fabulous experience and very fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip overall was incredible! It was so easy to navigate so many things, and would have been incredibly challenging to coordinate ourselves. We would use KimKim again.

Activity Review

Urban Kitchen Experience

Lima

Patrick and his assistant were incredible, welcoming, and honestly it was some of the best food we ate on our entire trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the most wonderful trip. All of our guides were phenomenal and the accommodations were lovely.

Hotel Reviews

El Mapi by Inkaterra

Cusco

Very cool stay z would stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

StarLodge

What an incredible experience! Staff was incredible. Will recommend to everyone.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Premium Villas

Urubamba

Incredible experience- will absolutely revisit and bring kids next time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quinta San Blas by Ananay Hotels

Cusco

Very limited options. Clean, but no tv, no fridge, no heat during certain hours. Will not stay here again or recommend others. Staff was very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Antigua Miraflores

Lima

Wonderful hotel in a great location. Would absolutely stay here again and recommend others. Food was great, service was lovely, and rooms were perfect (including fridge & tv).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rainbow Mountain Trek

Peru

Hike up was steep but worth it - it took us about 1.5 hrs to hike. What a cool sight to see!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Originally I wanted to justleave this review as: its machu picchu, need i say more? In short, it was unbelievable. In long, the tour made the difference. Our guide was fantastic, answering all questions and giving us a tour we would have absolutely not gotten had we gone independently. She picked the trails we went on strategically based history, pure convenience for photo opportunities, and crowd control. This tour made it unforgettable, not just unbelievable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

StarLodge Adventure Suites

Peru

We had no idea what we were getting into but it was incredible! In short, we climbed up the mountain and zip lined (6 times) down. What an incredible experience- kept the adrenaline pumping, the views were spectacular and you can hire an incredible photographer. Highly recommend for a once in a lifetime experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour: Pisac, Maras and Moray & Lunch at Mountain View

Peru

This was a very cool tour. The restaurant where lunch was served was delicious and the views were phenomenal. The salt mines were very cool. We enjoyed the brief history lesson and bringing home some salty souvenirs. Learning about the pre-incan and incan planting techniques and mountain side tombs was also a suprisingly fascinating highlight. Would recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly to Cusco, and Sacred Valley Expedition: Exploring Chinchero and Urubamba

Peru

This was a cool "entry" experience to the culture. We got our first taste of ancient sites and the weaving experience and demonstrations were fascinating.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pachamanca Lunch at El Albergue Farm in Ollantaytambo

Peru

Unbelievable experience- way more than we were expecting. This place was incredible - they had a spacious farm, international elementary aged school, animals, coffee distillery, and liquor distillery. Not to.mwntion the practice of cooking the food was insightful and delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima Food Tour

Peru

Food was delicious, tour Guide was fantastic - she provided us with a detailed email at the end containing thw dishes we ate, restaurants we ate at and some recipes! The travel was easy with driver picking us up at, and dropping us off directly from our hotel, and everything in between.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip to Peru. The KimKim team planned an adventure that touched on many different activities including a food tour in Lima, a Hacienda luncheon in the Sacred Valley, 4 wheeling to salt mines, the rainbow mountains, a luxury train ride to Punta, a boat trip to the floating villages with a luncheon at a private residence. Then, there was the Inca Trail hike which was both challenging and amazing with a culminating visit to Machu Picchu. We were impacted by altitude and could have benefitted by an additional day acclimating so that should be a consideration for anyone visiting Peru. And this is an early to bed, early to rise trip as most of the tours start early to beat the traffic and because some locations take longer to get to than the distance implies. Our hotels, particularly in the smaller towns, were quaint with impeccable service. Guides were generally knowledgeable and easy to understand. Everything went pretty smoothly; pickups were as scheduled and there was a lot of coordination between our guides and our drivers. Highly recommended!

Perfect trip, very well executed by local team! Highly recommended Kim Kim!

This was our first time using kimkim.com to plan our vacation (Peru). We were paired with Andean Travel and Lo assisted us in our planning. She was great to work with and very flexible to our wants. Then once we were in Peru, Lisbeth took over and was in constant communication with us to ensure everything went smoothly, and it did! It was great to have private drivers to/from the airport, for taking us to needed spots, etc.

Our guides were wonderful! Oscar was very knowledgeable about the Sacred Valley and we learned so much about the history and people. Javier guided us through Machu Picchu and it meant so much more to understand this special place. The Amazon and the Corto Maltes Lodge did not disappoint and we saw so much wildlife! We ended back in Lima for a day before catching our flight home and the Lima Food Tour with Amy was a great way to wrap up our time in Peru.

We will definately use this service again. Made it so simple and took away the stress of planning!

Hotel Reviews

Corto Maltes Amazon Lodge

Puerto Maldonado

Highly recommended! The programs and guides were great and the experience is something we will never forget.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

San Augustin Plaza

Cusco

Right in the middle of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona de Yucay

Cusco

Loved the grounds and views from this place!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Estelar Miraflores

Lima

Nice hotel in middle of Miraflores made walking and getting to places very easy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Interactive City & Gourmet Lima Food Tour (AM)

Lima

WOW! Food, food and more food! Our guide Amy was very delightful and we experienced such great food that Peru has to offer. The places we visited to eat were an added plus to our trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flight to {{end_location}} & Corto Maltes 3/3 (Sandoval Program)

Peru

Spent the early morning at the salt lick watching different birds. So colorful! I would highly recommend staying here and experience their programs. It was nice to have downtime and the food was great!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Corto Maltes Lodge 2/3 (Sandoval Lake Program)

Puerto Maldonado

We spent day 2 with our guide Franklin on Lake Sandoval. We saw otters, caiman, monkeys, and tons of different birds. It was a special day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flight to Puerto Maldonado & Corto Maltes 1/3 (Sandoval Program)

Peru

First day in the Amazon and it was amazing! Our guide Franklin gave us a simple overview of the jungle and then we headed out at night looking for wildlife and boy did we get to see it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Ollantaytambo town, Shared Pachamanca & Transfer to {{end_location}}

Peru

We explored Ollantaytambo on our own and it was nice to have some free time. The Shared Pachamanca was a complete surprise and we enjoyed the experience very much.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Machu Picchu exploration with a private guide

Peru

Once in a lifetime trip! Our guide, Javier, was from here and provided so much history of this special place and people.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private tour to Moray, Maras & Chinchero

Sacred Valley

We had Oscar as our tour guide again this day and it was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flight to Cusco & Private tour to Awanakancha, Pisac Sites, Market & Inkary Museum

Peru

Our guide Oscar was wonderful and we learned so much about the history and people. Highly recommend Oscar for tours!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jimena and Jesus recently organized our vacation in Cusco and were outstanding! They were responsive, clear in their communication and incredibly helpful in planning. In addition, they lined up local guides who were also outstanding! Our local guide, Ceasar, and driver, Ollidon, took extremely good care of us and more importantly, we kind and nice to be with.

Everyone explained what was needed, what to expect and plan for, and how to best navigate our short time in Cusco. Highly recommend them and Peruvian Sol if you are looking to book a trip to Peru.

Hotel Review

Costa del Sol Wyndham Cusco

Cusco

The hotel TV and aircon didn't work well. Room was basic and had a slight moldy smell. Would have also liked a hotel with a fitness center. Although they advertised one they didn't have one. Service in the bar was not as friendly as reception and the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

lots of peruvian character in design

Location

very easy to walk to restaurants and shopping

Staff

Bar staff could be more friendly like reception and restuarant.

Cleanliness & Comfort

air con and tv should work and rooms shouldn't smell moldy

Activity Reviews

Join us to Palccoyo Rainbow Mountain

Cusco

Highlight of the whole trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Our driver, Ollidon, arranged a lovely picnic with flowers and excellent food from Cicciolina. Highly recommend this restaurant! So thoughtful of our driver and he took care of every detail for the picnic.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Machu Picchu Exploration

Peru

Extremely well organized by Peruvian Sol and our guide and driver. Train travel was ok and worth paying for the upgraded experience. Bus travel to and from Machu Picchu was rough, scary, and seemed dangerous. Unfortunately, it's the only way to the site unless you want to hike up the hill which requires a lot of time and to be in good shape. Overall the site was crowded and so many people taking social media pictures it wasn't the best experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

transport to and from Macchu Picchu was great and the trains were great. Bus travel to and from the site was horrible.

Ollantaytambo Village and Inca Site Exploration. Pinkulluna Hike

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacsayhuaman

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cesar was so informative, kind and has a fun sense of humor. He was a treat to spend time with during our stay. If we do another trip, will definitely ask for Cesar!

Transport

My daughter and I get motion sickness easily. However, even with the winding roads and traffic, our driver, Ollidon, didn't make us sick while driving and was an exceptional navigator. We felt very safe and cared for and would use Ollidon again and again.

I am going to be as fair and balanced with this review as possible.

Kimkim connected us with Miski Travel for our trip to Peru. Here are the things Miski did really well. The hotels, restaurants, and tour guides they set us up with were really superb and top notch for our budget. Cusco and Lima were amazing times. They upgraded my 2-day Lares hike to a private tour (more on this later); which was a wonderful experience. 5 stars for Cusi Travels. 5 stars for my driver, Alex. 5 stars for my Cusco and trekking guide, Sonia. 5 stars for my Lima guide, Valeria. The biggest thing: when local protests shut down the route to Machu Picchu, they went above and beyond and did everything they could to find an alternate route for me and even covered the additional costs, which were substantial for me.

Where they came up short; and this is something I unfortunately and absolutely cannot overlook or understate... I came to them last NOVEMBER. My very explicit and primary objective for this trip was to hike the FULL INCA TRAIL and see Inca ruins (especially The Sun Gate). They told me this was something they could book for me. So I put a down payment and officially booked with them in FEBRUARY, for a trip in SEPTEMBER.

Come JUNE, 3 months before our trip; they tell me they failed to book the Full Inca Trail for me and that it is now sold out and impossible to join. As I understand it, 7 months is more than sufficient time to book the trail and double-triple check it's been secured. I would be fired for a mistake of this magnitude anywhere I've worked. What I found especially infuriating was they initially downplayed it as a simple mistake and "inconvenience".

At this point in time, there are too many things set in motion for me to simply cancel my trip. This is when they offer to put me on an upgraded Lares trail for 2 days and then do 1 day on the final leg of the Inca Trail. Not at all what I want. Not at all ideal. But my only option.

To be fair, the Lares trail was lovely. I had a great time on it. But still, it wasn't what I wanted. There were NO Inca Ruins on that trail. I do love hiking, but I didn't come to Peru to hike for the sake of hiking. The goal from the very beginning was to hike to SEE RUINS.

After Lares, local protests made it impossible to transfer to the part of the Inca Trail I was supposed to do and cut short the time I could spend at Machu Picchu. The big frustration was I did not get to visit the Sun Gate as I was very heavily and excitedly anticipating. Now of course, I'm not blaming Miski for the protests; and I absolutely give them credit for navigating the situation and finding a way for me to get to Machu Picchu. However, you can't ignore the fact that had they put me on the Full Inca Trail, as originally planned and paid for; my time at Machu Picchu would not have been cut as short and I would've seen the Sun Gate.

So my experienced is mixed, and that's honestly the best I can say about it. I did have a good time. But it also was not what I wanted. I did have a good trip, but I cannot say that I am 100% satisfied. And I definitely cannot say Kimkim can guarantee 100% satisfaction as they state. My 3 stars are generous. The one big failing was really threatening a 1 star.

Because of everything Miski did manage to get right, I imagine had they actually booked the Full Inca Trail for me, this trip would've exceeded perfection. And I see that they do get really good reviews, so maybe my experience with them was a fluke? They tried, but unfortunately, I'm left feeling really iffy about them and Kimkim as well. Your mileage may vary. Maybe I'll peruse Kimkim again? I don't know. I had booked another trip through Kimkim years ago (Nepal/Bhutan) that was absolutely perfect; but this one fell quite short. I'll definitely be exploring other options for my next trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Antigua Miraflores

Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lares Valley Camping

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Abittare Hotels

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lares Trek Day 1: Sacred Valley to Lares Hot Springs & Wacawasi

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Cusco Tour

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lares Trek Day 3: Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu via Sun Gate

Peru

Was supposed to do it but didn't get to!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Historic Center & Larco Museum

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lares Trek Day 2: Ipsayjassa Pass, Patacancha Village & Pumamarca Ruins

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip itself was amazing. Praise needs to be given to Sonia and Yovena from Cusi Travel , Mauricio from Cusco Culinary, and Flor from Curious Monkey Food Tours for providing unforgettable private experiences for their individual tours and classes. Their knowledge and friendliness made them more fun and memorable. My friend and I stayed for approximately 10 days in Peru, staying in Cusco and Lima. The trip was not without its hiccups. We were in the middle of the protests in Cusco which blocked many tourists from going to Machu Picchu by train. However, Cusi Travel offered an alternative option to get us to Machu Picchu. I chose to remain in Cusco but my friend was able to get his time in Machu Picchu thanks to this alternative option. Kristy from kimkim helped us navigate these difficult waters during this time and we were able to enjoy our trip safely.
Kristy put up with a lot of our last minute requests and changes, not only due to the protests, but also with how we ended up doing some last minute changes with the travel plans due to our own personal needs. While unprecedented, she adapted and pivoted professionally and did her best to accommodate us. Because of this, I will use kimkim again to plan another trip (and even a 2nd trip to Peru). For that 2nd trip to Peru, I will go in more experienced and having made contacts with Cusi Travel and Curious Monkey.

Javier at Machu Pichu was amazing
Mateo driver for Rainbow Mountain was also excellent as well as our tour guide I believe Judith

Activity Reviews

Shared Palcoyo Trek: Small group

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiram Bingham Belmond train to Machu Picchu

Cusco

great staff and attention to detail!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Tour to Moray & Maras: Lunch with Views

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Paracas to Lima: Ballestas Islands & Nasca Lines

Peru

the tour itself in the air is very long and was a bit too much with all the flying back and forth for each side

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer to {{end_location}} +Lunch+Tacama+Winery+Tasting+Huacachina Adventure

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our Cusco and Machu Picchu guide - Edy - was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and passionate about all things Inca. He was extremely respectful and enhanced our experience in every way!