Ariel Chasi

I must say that Ecuador has been one of my most memorable experiences in my travels. Kimkim taylored the trip in such a way that it exceeded my expectations. In working with Ariel on the specifics of my desire have cultural experiences was the beginning of my amazing journey. My tour guide Jeannin made it the most safe and enlightening glimpse of Ecuador. I am physically challenged and did my 1st solo trip with KimKim. The country was breathtaking, the indigenous communities in Quito, San Antonio, Otavalo, Cuenca and their free expression of their artistic expressions through murals, music, hat making, wood carving, weaving traditions of wool and alpaca created masterpieces were just a few of my awesome experiences. As an African American, it was important for me spending a day of having lunch with a successful Afro Ecuadorian female artist and goat farmer from the Afro Ecuadorian community in Mascarilla. I learned how they live as African descendants in the area using the fruit of the land, goats farming and artistic creativity to create carve out a living in the middle of the mountains. I went to Mindi, the mountains in the clouds, and I fed hummingbirds and butterflies! I learn about the Amazon! Kimkim heard my heart and delivered a safe and unforgettably rich week in Ecuador from the moment I landed until my departure. Jeannin, thank you! I will be back. Ecuador- One of the most beautiful places in the world!

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

This hotel was so very clean, warm, cozy and hospitable in every way. From the security to the front desk. I loved my time in this place tucked away in the city of Quito.

Authenticity & Character

The decor is very authentic and each room has its own personality.

Location

It’s in the heart of the city. You have access to the city amenities and there is a fantastic restaurant right next door!

Staff

The staff are very accommodating and thoughtful in servicing your needs without you having to ask for assistance. As a physically challenged person, I appreciated that more than anything.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and cozy room and sitting areas!

Hotel Otavalo

Otavalo

This hotel is stunning!!!! The hidden paradise in plan view is how I can best describe it. The wall art and statue pieces along with interesting relics will have you awestruck if you love art and museums. The music and onsite very exquisite atmosphere along with the hotel restaurant will leave you feeling the taste of luxury intended.

Authenticity & Character

From the service to the architectural design inside out, this hotel has character and is indeed very authentic. It’s like a hidden treasure tucked away in a vibrant community with tons of personality!

Location

I have never experienced something like this before and I travel luxury on vacation. This place is an experience!

Staff

The staff is amazing from the front desk to the restaurant waiters. Everyone is committed to giving guests a superb experience.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place is immaculate!

Activity Reviews

Visit an Indigenous Comunity and a Traditional Botanical Garden

Ecuador

I learned so very much and loved the tour! She was wonderful and well informed. John was great also assisting Jeanin who was also well informed on botanical garden items introduced.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Cultural Afro Mascarilla

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Oatmeal soup! Never experienced that before. I loved sitting in Betty’s kitchen eating what she prepared for us. It was an honor.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quito City Tour

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

The huge statue of Mary with wings stood out to me and the Spanish’s reasoning for creating the statue in that location at that magnitude overlooking the 4 corners of Quito.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Leaning was well informed and taught me a great deal about Equador, it’s history and the driving factors behind the eye witness of its beauty and progress.

Transport

Jeanin was great company and ever teaching about what was before me.

Ariel was great to work with, and he made it very easy to plan this somewhat complex three-week trip, spanning almost the entire length of the country, including a week in the Galapagos Islands. His attention to detail was much appreciated as well as his perfect English language skills. We did all of the planning quite easily through email communications and the kimkim ap. We eventually were able to meet him in person in Quito on our first day. Authentic Ecuador was the in-country tour company that contracted with our personal guide on the mainland, Sebastian, who also turned out to be a fantastic host. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, friendly and fun, and a very skilled and safe driver. He really helped us to better understand and truly appreciate our Andean adventure. The week in Galapagos was more self-exploration and joining up with other tourist groups for snorkeling and boating activities to view wildlife. Park sanctioned guides were also very well trained and knowledgeable.

Hotel Reviews

Vieja Cuba

Quito

Clean. comfortable and quiet!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Llullu Llama Mountain Lodge

Isinliví

This is a great place to stay and probably our favorite of the entire trip. Not super fancy but overall perfect.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Floresta

Baños

Good location to walk around town and even had a view of the waterfall.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mansion Santa Isabella

Riobamba

Would have preferred to be more on the outskirts of town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hostal Posada Del Angel

Cuenca

Good location to walk around town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hostería Paraíso Vilcabamba

Vilcabamba

Very nice garden and vibe. Staff were excellent, especially Franklin.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holiday Inn Guayaquil Airport

Guayaquil

Pretty standard fare for a big city airport hotel. We didn't spend much time here, but breakfast was good and we were able to walk to the airport for our Galapagos flight.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lava House Galapagos

Puerto Ayora

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very noisy on the street side so would suggest requesting a more interior room.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Laguna

Puerto Villamil

Great to be on the lagoon and so close to the beach. Staff was very accomodating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Estalien was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Quito City Tour - Middle of the World

Quito

Very touristy and not as interesting as the historic Quito City tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking around Isinliví

Isinliví

We adjusted this hike to better fit in with a visit to the Zumbuhua market. Did a hike in Isinlivi the following day which worked out well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Quilotoa Crater Lake, Transfer to Baños

Ecuador

Do not bypass Quilotoa, a absolutely gorgeous spot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Pailón del Diablo Waterfall, Explore Baños

Baños

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Chimborazo Volcano

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cuenca City Tour

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bay tour

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Cajas National Park, Transfer to Guayaquil

Ecuador

Cajas hike was very nice and a good leg stretcher.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Mandango Mountain

Vilcabamba

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Guayaquil Airport, Arrival to Galapagos & Highlands of Santa Cruz

Ecuador

Viviana was our sanctioned guide who met us at the airport and David was our driver on Santa Cruz. Lunch was great and the tortoises were amazing. Lava tubes were interesting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking Sierra Negra Volcano

Ecuador

Good to experience the volcanic zone.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Snorkel at Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

A nice adventure even in the rain. Darwin was a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide and boat crew was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

Galapagos Islands

Saw lots of wildlife on this activity. Micheal was a good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Otavalo Market & Cuicocha Crater Lake

Quito

Actually preferred visiting the market in Zumbuhua as it was more authentic and less commercialized. The hike at the Cuicocha Crater Lake and stop in Cotachi for leather shopping were good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cuenca to Vilcabamba

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ariel Chasi did a fantastic job helping us plan the trip according to our interests, and Sebastian Carrera was an excellent guide who made our trip very relaxing and enjoyable. He taught us so much about Ecuador that we never would have discovered on our own. We really enjoyed the hikes we took at Cotopaxi National Park, Quilotoa Crater Lake, Chimborazo Volcano, and Mandango Mountain in Vilcabamba. Our favorite cities were Quito, Banos and Cuenca. Galápagos Islands were really special for the snorkeling and wildlife that we saw there. The trip was an experience we’ll never forget!

My most memorable experiences were the wildlife at Tucan Lodge, the river excursion up the Serpentes river birdwatching and Las Tuneles on Isabela Island. All the guides were excellent, but a special Thankyou goes to Stalin at Tucan Lodge who saved us from enduring some very unsavoury tourists.

Muchisimas gracias to Paola & Ariel for orchestrating such an awesome trip to mainland Ecuador & Islas Galápagos!!
Every day was like living our own wildlife documentary!!
The Ecuadorian Amazon, Santa Cruz & Isabela all amazing
The transport & assistance was first class, as were the local guides. Absolutely recommended!!

I am incredibly impressed with the customer service provided by the team at KimKim! It was wonderful to not worry about ANYTHING - even all the taxis and boat trips were scheduled and paid for. We felt so taken care of and respected by everyone.

Veronica was our favorite guide. She was so knowledgeable and eager to answer our questions. One of my favorite moments was day one at Rancho Primicias - having lunch and watching the tortoises roam. I also loved our snorkeling and kayak experience at Concha Perla - we saw so much wildlife and had such a serene experience. The only struggle was that this guide did not speak any English on this tour - we of course understand that it is not something to expect, but all of our other guides did speak some English. The up side was I know a little Spanish so I was able to translate a bit for my mom and practice my own Spanish!!! :)

Fabricio was wonderful too - we loved our trip to North Seymour to see the frigates!!!

Overall, 100/10 experience and it was worth every penny. So happy and pleased with it all!!! Thank you!!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Fiesta

Puerto Ayora

Incredible location and beautiful pool! We loved Gabriel - he was so kind and helpful!

Authenticity & Character

The pool was very lagoon-like. So beautiful and relaxing!

Location

Staff

Gabriel - so kind and went out of his way to help us.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Laguna

Puerto Villamil

Our room overlooking the bay was incredible! We loved hearing the flamingoes from the balcony. The downside to this hotel was hearing street noise - there was a dog barking through the night on both nights we stayed there. I know this is not something that can be helped, though!

Authenticity & Character

Water on each floor, the open air concept, the breakfast on the third floor

Location

Right next to the bay with the flamingos and around the corner from wonderful shopping and food.

Staff

I cannot remember names, but all the staff at the front desk were wonderful! Two younger men.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was great and we loved the room!

Activity Review

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

This was the last stop of the day for us on day 1 and we had already had a full day (plus waking up at 5am for a flight), so we were a little too tired to enjoy it fully. We wished it would have been scheduled for a different day so we could have gone to the hotel to rest. But otherwise, we loved seeing the baby tortoises and Lonesome George!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything from start to finish was wonderful. Ariel helped us plan our trip and he was very responsive to our questions and requests! His communication with us throughout our trip was excellent. We began our trip in Quito. Our driver, Cristobal, was very helpful. He gave us suggestions for things to do in the city, and types of Ecuadorian foods to eat. More significantly, he walked us through the airport to get us to the Galapagos - customs, check in, and location of the security gate for our flight. Once in the Galapagos we had outstanding guides and Kimkim boots on the ground help. In San Cristobal, Ian made sure we were at the right places and on time. In Santa Cruz, Viviana gave us an outstanding Highland Tour. We’d highly recommend this tour as you can get up close to the giant tortoises in their natural environment. Scuba Iguana was an outstanding dive outfit. Our dive guides, Gabby and Kike, were awesome. We’ve dove in multiple places around the world and we’d say that Scuba Iguana was the best thus far - and we thought the others were good too! Staff is friendly and fun. They make a point of knowing your name, comfort level, and help every step of the way. We felt spoiled. While in Santa Cruz, my husband came down with a bad bacterial and viral infection that left him very dehydrated. We couldn’t have navigated this issue without the help of Kimkim boots on the ground. Many thanks to Diego, Veronica, and Tatiana for helping with Spanish translation, rearranging our stay, and ensuring we were well taken care of throughout a stressful situation. I will definitely work with Kimkim again on future trips.

Hotel Reviews

La Casona de La Ronda

Quito

Small boutique hotel with outstanding service. Clean and comfortable, friendly staff. We had a great breakfast at the hotel and dinners were wonderful too!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the architecture

Location

In the heart of the historic district and walking distance to many sights.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Galapagos Sunset Hotel

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Centrally located and close to many attractions

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Isla Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Clean and comfortable. Breakfast each morning was very good. Centrally located with many attractions within walking distance. Staff was very helpful and friendly. Loved the shower - it’s huge!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Highlands of Santa Cruz Island

Galapagos Islands

Fun to see the giant tortoises in their natural environment.

Quality of Experience

Food

Outstanding!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Viviana was very knowledgeable.

Transport

Snorkel at Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Certainly not the fault of the guides - visibility was not great. Make sure you don’t go when there’s a full moon. Apparently it impacts what you can see.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

Scuba Diving - Day Trip from Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Scuba Iguana is a top notch dive outfit. Highly recommended!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Gabby and Kike were super! The captain of the boat, Enrique, was very good. Jose helped out with dive gear, snacks and lunch- outstanding.

Scuba Diving - Another day to dive in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Hammerheads!!

Scuba Diving - Another day to dive in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Discover Isla Pinzón & Playa La Fé

Puerto Ayora

Swimming with sea turtles! Watching hundreds of parrots coming to eat in the early morning hours. Biking in Quito. Sharing a boardwalk with a sea lion. Tasting different chocolates. Balancing an egg on the top of a nail at the equator. These were just some of our adventures.

Initially we planned to do a trip to the Galápagos Islands, then we decided to add a trip to the Amazon as well. Ariel did a great job of finding local accomodations and arranging transportation. We even got to meet him while we were in Quito.

Thank you Ariel. Thanks to all the staff at KimKim, the Napo Wildlife Center, Joseline at Galapagos Suites, the team at Casa Playa Mann, the guides and all the others that helped to make this an awesome adventure.

Ariel was amazing from the start and through out the trip. He was very responsive and helpful throughout every step of the trip. We were welcomed in the Galapagos by an amazing guide Vivianna. She was so knowledgable and helpful through out our whole stay. We had so many wonderful guides throughout the entire trip. Thank you to everyone who made this trip easy and exciting and unforgettable for our family of 5. Our hotels, drivers, boats, etc were all top notch. I cannot reccommend the entire team enough!

Hotel Reviews

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

Great staff. Great rooms. Top notch

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ikala Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Amazing location. Comfortable rooms. Great ambiance. GREAT breakfast. WONDERFUL staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

Great location and staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer to Quito Airport, Arrival to Galapagos & Highlands of Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Vivianna our guide was absolutely amazing. She was knowledgable, kind, helpful. We learned so much and saw some incredible things.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

What a great experience for our family. We learned so much about the wildlife, as well as had a blast snorkling with some amazing creatures

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bay tour

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkel at Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

Absolutely the highlight of our trip. Great guide. Great experience. Unique landscape and wildlife.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Trip to Flamingo Lagoon & Tortoise Breeding Center

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Garrapatero Beach

Galapagos Islands

Great way to end the trip, playing in some beautiful water

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All was planned very well. We had a wonderful time in the Galapagos. They even planned a nice 50th Birthday dinner at a fancy restaurant including the cake in Santa Cruz, Galapagos. They accommodated when I had to cancel at the last minute an excursion due to my wife getting sick, and they were able to reschedule for the following day without to much hassle for me. Hotels were very nice as well as the private driver. They had somebody with us from the time we landed in Quito to the time we left Baltra back to Quito. I appreciate this attention to customer service. I would definitely travel with them again.