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active 1 day ago

Emanuela Grieco

I am an Italian Travel Designer mostly based in Iceland.
Traveling has been my passion since I was young, being always fascinated by other cultures and people.
In 2005, after living and studying in Norway and Denmark, I got my degree in Scandinavian languages and cultures at the university in Rome and began to travel the world. I never stopped since then.
So far, I have been traveling for 20 years across more than 100 countries and lived in 12 different ones. And counting....
In 2016, after an unforgettable summer spent in Kulusuk, East Greenland, I went back to Italy to get a new degree as a Travel Designer in order to make my love for traveling becoming my job. So now here I am, on this amazing new adventure called Arctic Travel Designer, where I can finally help people making their Arctic dream becoming true.

In 2021 I published my first book: "The tiny book of traveling with an open heart.
A travel checklist, a mindful travel guide and a travel diary, all at one!".

What places and activities do you specialize in?

"I specialise in customised experiential holidays across Iceland and Greenland. Having lived in both countries allows me to have a deeper insight about places and activities not to miss when visiting these stunning countries."

How did you get involved in travel?

"I am a globetrotter at heart, who loves slower paced travels, experiencing and taking my time to get absorbed by new cultures and people.
I mostly travel alone. My first solo trip was in 2003 when I discovered the beauty of exploring and discovering the world and simply never managed to stop since then. Traveling for me is not only a life style but it is my life in general. I simply can´t stay still in one place...and who would, when there is the entire world to be discovered out there?"

Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.

"My most beautiful travel experience has been being part of "Viking Across Africa", the first overland expedition ever to go from Iceland to South Africa.
Back in 2013, together with other 16 adventurers, I traveled for seven months across 23 countries, for 22000 miles, on an old war truck, experiencing some of the most remote places and people in the world. The experience of a lifetime!"

Top itineraries and travel advice
Family itineraries
Road trip itineraries

Recent trip reviews for Emanuela

Emanuela was the Best!
Iceland | Sep 12 - Sep 24, 2025

Brian
Brian H.
Los Angeles, CA | Reviewed on Oct 27, 2025
I recently decided to visit Iceland but didn’t know much about the country, so I started researching things to do there. While browsing online, a chat box popped up asking what I needed. After entering some general information, I was connected with Emanuela from KimKim Travel. She asked me a few questions about my interests and travel goals, and I explained that I wanted her to design a trip for a best friend visiting Iceland for the first time. Within a day, Emanuela sent me a... Read more

I recently decided to visit Iceland but didn’t know much about the country, so I started researching things to do there. While browsing online, a chat box popped up asking what I needed. After entering some general information, I was connected with Emanuela from KimKim Travel. She asked me a few questions about my interests and travel goals, and I explained that I wanted her to design a trip for a best friend visiting Iceland for the first time.

Within a day, Emanuela sent me a complete itinerary featuring some of the most incredible sights and experiences in Iceland. As I reviewed her recommendations, I was amazed by the variety of unique and fascinating activities she included. A few days later, I reached out to her to adjust the schedule based on my arrival and departure dates, and she quickly provided a revised version that was absolutely perfect.

Once I approved the plan, Emanuela took care of all the bookings and confirmed every detail. She was incredibly attentive, ensuring everything matched what I envisioned for the trip. Before my departure, she sent me the final itinerary, all reservation details, and her personal contact information in case I needed assistance during my travels.

What truly impressed me was that Emanuela even checked in during my trip to make sure everything was going smoothly. Her professionalism, responsiveness, and genuine care made the entire experience seamless and stress-free.

I highly recommend Emanuela and KimKim Travel for anyone planning a trip to Iceland!

Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco

Emanuela was amazing to work with. Highly recommend.
Iceland | Oct 15 - Oct 19, 2025

Amber
Amber P.
Tampa, FL | Reviewed on Oct 26, 2025
Emanuela was amazing to work with from start to finish. Always responding quickly and having all the answers we need! She planned us the perfect trip and took into account everything we wanted to do. One of our excursions canceled before our trip and she informed us quickly before the trip happened and was able to book something else in a timely manner so we didn’t miss out. While we were in Iceland having her as a point of contact was very helpful as we once felt lost and we almost... Read more

Emanuela was amazing to work with from start to finish. Always responding quickly and having all the answers we need! She planned us the perfect trip and took into account everything we wanted to do. One of our excursions canceled before our trip and she informed us quickly before the trip happened and was able to book something else in a timely manner so we didn’t miss out. While we were in Iceland having her as a point of contact was very helpful as we once felt lost and we almost immediately sent us the exact address of where we needed to go and we enjoyed all the restaurant recommendations. Highly recommended using Kimkim if you want to have a stress free trip where you can just show up and go and not have to think much about it. Highly recommended.

Activity Reviews
Ice cave tour under Katla glacier
Ice cave tour under Katla glacier
Vík

Our favorite thing we did! There’s stunning views all the way around and the ice caves literally look like out of a movie set. It was stunning from start to finish.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Northern Lights tour with your driver
Northern Lights tour with your driver
Iceland

It was so amazing, the lights were the strongest the night we went they’ve been all year! Our tour guide canceled our trip the first night due to low visibility which we appreciated him not just taking us out anyways and wasting our money. He was honest and waited for a better night and it was perfect!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Sky Lagoon
Sky Lagoon
Reykjavík

Our favorite lagoon! The 7 step ritual was a really cool concept and as someone with a husband who doesn’t love just floating and doing nothing it was the most enjoyable to have something to do and go through it was clean and organized. We really enjoyed this lagoon experience.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco

Iceland done right and awesome experience.
Iceland | Aug 27 - Sep 4, 2025

C
Carol V.
Canada | Reviewed on Sep 08, 2025
We just returned from 8 days in Iceland that blew us away with the beauty of the country. We did many activities - lava tunnel tour, ice cave tour, whale watching, boating among the glaciers, helicopter tour. Each one was so exciting and elevated our experience with the “fire and ice” that is Iceland.
Emanuela at Arctic Travel put the whole trip together for us and was endlessly patient as we tried to plan the perfect trip. It worked! We started the trip with a visit to the blue lagoon and...
Read more

We just returned from 8 days in Iceland that blew us away with the beauty of the country. We did many activities - lava tunnel tour, ice cave tour, whale watching, boating among the glaciers, helicopter tour. Each one was so exciting and elevated our experience with the “fire and ice” that is Iceland.
Emanuela at Arctic Travel put the whole trip together for us and was endlessly patient as we tried to plan the perfect trip. It worked! We started the trip with a visit to the blue lagoon and ended with a visit to the sky lagoon. Both great and would do it the same way again. Perhaps one of the biggest thrills was seeing the northern lights which we hadn’t expected as it was only end of Aug. but Sept 1 the lights were out in full and it was just the icing on a delicious cake.
Emanuela stayed in touch with us the whole trip and quickly dealt with a couple small issues so so could keep the trip going with just positive vibes.
Thomas was our tour guide and driver and he went out of his way many times to make our experience the best it could be. I would definitely recommend Kim Kim , Emanuela and Thomas. Perfect combination.

Activity Reviews
Katla Glacier Ice Cave Private Tour
Katla Glacier Ice Cave Private Tour
Iceland

This tour deserves 10 stars. Our guide Rafal did an awesome job to plan the whole experience. We loved it but must admit that it was a private tour which I think was the right choice. If you are going to splurge on a tour, this is the one I would do private.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Lava Cave Explorer Tour- Private
Lava Cave Explorer Tour- Private
Iceland

So interesting and informative. Well worth doing and seeing this lava tunnel.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Helicopter tour- waterfalls and valleys
Helicopter tour- waterfalls and valleys
Reykjavík

We got so lucky today. The sun was shining and not many cloud in the sky. Perfect day for a helicopter ride.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private transfer to the airport
Private transfer to the airport
Reykjavík

Thomas - our guide and driver for the entire trip, picked us up for the return trip to the airport. He was very personable and flexible. He made sure that we got there on time every time.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco
Emanuela
Emanuela Grieco
Local specialist in Iceland | Replied on Sep 09, 2025

Hello Carol,
Thank you so much for your beautiful review. It just made my day to read it and to know that you and the ladies had a great time, after all the planning we did together!

It has been truly wonderful to connect with you from the beginning of our conversation, and I am very happy to know that Thomas did a great job and you had a lot of fun.

Please feel free to connect again if you return to Iceland or if you and the ladies decide to visit Greenland, and I will be very happy to help you again with the planning.

All the best to all of you!
Emanuela

A once in a lifetime trip!
Iceland | Aug 2 - Aug 10, 2025

P
Patricia A.
Flagami, FL | Reviewed on Aug 11, 2025

A once in a lifetime trip! Emanuela helped us plan an amazing vacation that fit everything we asked for into an active 8 day adventure.

She was in touch along the way to make sure all was running smoothly. We deeply appreciate her and would recommend her and Kim Kim to anyone looking to plan an unforgettable experience.

Our only issue was that some of the driving maps took us to the incorrect spots (off by a couple of km). But it was easily fixed.

Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco
Emanuela
Emanuela Grieco
Local specialist in Iceland | Replied on Sep 09, 2025

Dear Patricia,
I am so happy to ehar that you and your family had a wonderful time in Iceland, full of life memories and precious moments together. Thank you so much for your beautiful review and I hope to have you back again one day, here or in Greenland, wo knows....

Greetings from Iceland!
Emanuela

A Great, Relaxing Trip
Iceland | Jun 27 - Jul 1, 2025

Dan
Dan E.
Newark, NJ | Reviewed on Jul 14, 2025
As a single parent, it was tough for me to design a trip while working and doing housework. My girls were excited about visiting Iceland, but I was overwhelmed with options/decisions to be made. That's where Emanuela came to our rescue! She responded quickly with a great plan that the kids loved. Once we arrived in Iceland, she was communicative and responded quickly if I had questions or concerns. We left feeling that we got a good first taste of Iceland -- now we want to go back! Read more

As a single parent, it was tough for me to design a trip while working and doing housework. My girls were excited about visiting Iceland, but I was overwhelmed with options/decisions to be made. That's where Emanuela came to our rescue! She responded quickly with a great plan that the kids loved. Once we arrived in Iceland, she was communicative and responded quickly if I had questions or concerns.

We left feeling that we got a good first taste of Iceland -- now we want to go back!

Activity Reviews
South Coast Day Trip
South Coast Day Trip
Reykjavík

Our driver was a local, super informative -- and funny! Enjoyed learning a little more about this fascinating place from a local,

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon on small groups
Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon on small groups
Reykjavík

Clean, well-organized, and tons of fun. Our driver was very informative and helpful, and he was prompt.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Icelandic Lava Show
Icelandic Lava Show
Iceland

One of the highlights of our trip. The host of this show was very informative, and it was amazing to see real lava in person after watching so many hours of Floor is Lava at home!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Reykjavík Puffin Watching
Reykjavík Puffin Watching
Reykjavík

This activity was really cute. My kids loved the binoculars onboard and the very informative Puffin expert.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco
Emanuela
Emanuela Grieco
Local specialist in Iceland | Replied on Jul 31, 2025

Hi Dan,
I am so happy to read that you enjoyed Iceland with your daughters and that you wish to come back.
I'll be always happy to help you again.There is so much more to see and do!

Thank you again for choosing me and my little Arctic Travel Designer!

Emanuela

Second Trip
Iceland | Jun 2 - Jun 11, 2025

Megan
Megan D.
Siloam Springs, AR | Reviewed on Jun 25, 2025
This is my second trip to Iceland planned by Emanuela, and it was somehow even better than the first one! She did a fabulous job planning both trips. On this trip, we started off with two days of orange advisories for the wind. Emanuela rearranged some things at the very last second to help keep us safe. When we finally did go out there were so many campers and cars were flipped on the side of the roads from wind. Emanuela kept us up to date on everything important and was there for us... Read more

This is my second trip to Iceland planned by Emanuela, and it was somehow even better than the first one! She did a fabulous job planning both trips.

On this trip, we started off with two days of orange advisories for the wind. Emanuela rearranged some things at the very last second to help keep us safe. When we finally did go out there were so many campers and cars were flipped on the side of the roads from wind. Emanuela kept us up to date on everything important and was there for us during both trips.

Her recommendations were beyond stellar—we had one of the best meals of our lives at Slippurinn in Heimaey on our anniversary at Emanuela’s suggestion. Our three favorite things aside from all the food and spending time together were the glacier lagoon boat ride, whale watching, and the food walking tour of Reykjavík.

Go to Iceland and let Emanuela plan it for you—you won’t regret it!

Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco

Trip of a lifetime and a very organized planner!
Iceland | May 31 - Jun 9, 2025

Dawn
Dawn S.
Charlotte, NC | Reviewed on Jun 20, 2025
Wow, just wow!! I looked around for the best self-guided driving tours. I compared Kimkim to others. I ended up picking Kimkim because I liked the way they were able to customize the tour for us. I picked a 10 day driving tour driving around the Ring Road and also the Golden Circle. My guide stayed in touch with me via WhatsApp. I freaked out a lot in the beginning because I wasn't sure I was doing things correctly. Emanuella was very responsive and helpful. Because of the snow storm, we... Read more

Wow, just wow!! I looked around for the best self-guided driving tours. I compared Kimkim to others. I ended up picking Kimkim because I liked the way they were able to customize the tour for us. I picked a 10 day driving tour driving around the Ring Road and also the Golden Circle. My guide stayed in touch with me via WhatsApp. I freaked out a lot in the beginning because I wasn't sure I was doing things correctly. Emanuella was very responsive and helpful. Because of the snow storm, we ended up staying an extra day in Akureyri instead of two days in Myvatn. We were still able to catch up on some of the sites we didn't get to see because of the missed day in Myvatn once we headed there. Some excursions we couldn't do because of the weather - we were warned to go straight from Reyjavik to Arureyri. There was an excursion over gravel roads that we had to skip. Just wasn't safe because of the bad weather. But, there were so many sights suggested along the drive that we were always busy and didn't feel we were missing out. We went the first week of June. Such a great time because we have so much daylight. With driving, we got to see all the landscapes. From sunny and clear while we were in Reykjavik, to windy and snowy in Akureyri and other parts in the North, to sunny along the south. We lucked out on our days on boats with sunny weather. It was an amazing trip. We used the suggestions Kimkim provided for finding places to eat, where to visit, geothermal pools, boat tours, and even a horseback riding experience in Vik! I highly recommend using Kimkim. The driving tour came with driving instructions that included all the stops. All the excursion tickets didn't need to be printed - I just needed to give my name and they had our info. The food was so delicious. Highly recommend Icelandic lamb soup. Moe's Food truck in Akureyri was a hit with Gf fish and chips. Thank you, Kimkim and Emanuella!!

Activity Reviews
Amphibian boat tour
Amphibian boat tour
Jökulsárlón

We arrived over an hour early and they were able to move us to an earlier boat. The guide was really nice. I liked that the guide talked the colors of the ice and what they were. We even got to touch a piece of ice as well as taste it! I felt this tour was a good length of time. We were able to walk around the park afterwards.

Quality of Experience
It was fun!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The guide was informative and fun.
Glacier Walking
Glacier Walking
Skaftafell

I was a bit confused where to meet but eventually made my way over after parking. It was a warm day and I was surprised that it was just as warm up the glacier. Our guide prepped us with ice pick and crampons for our shoes (some people didn't have the correct shoes and they had extra hiking shoes for those people). We took a 20 min 4x4 bus ride to the glacier. The off road part is really bumpy! Then, we hiked up to a base area where we put in our crampons. Our instructor was a glacier hiker from Finland. He gave us lessons on how to walk up and down with crampons on the ice. I went from nervous to confident in a very short time. We even got to look down a steep hole in the glacier. I highly recommend this tour. Definitely a highlight. We got lucky with the weather, too!

Quality of Experience
The young guide was very knowledgeable and a great teacher.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Even the young driver who brought us to the glacier and then picked us up at the end was amazing. She really handled the rocky terrain so well.
Transport
Horseback riding on the black sand beaches
Horseback riding on the black sand beaches
Iceland

Definitely one of the highlights of the tour for my daughter. I had to back out after an injury and was refunded for that. They meet at the barn. The guides explain the difference between the way Icelandic horses walk and American horses. Icelandic horses tölt and American horses trot. Then, all got on horses and they walked along the black sand beach in Vik. I drove over to the beach and watched them. Everyone was smiling and giddy at the end.

Quality of Experience
The staff was excellent and organized.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Reykjavík Puffin Watching
Reykjavík Puffin Watching
Reykjavík

My daughter loved this and we lucked out with sunny weather. They provide binoculars as you can't get too close. Nice tour guide. We saw lots of puffins!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The captain and guide worked well together
Explore Reykjavik and Sky Lagoon
Explore Reykjavik and Sky Lagoon
Reykjavík

This was our first stop after arriving. It was such a wonderful intro to Iceland. We loved going through the ritual. I was nervous about all the lagoons on our trip before arriving but I'm glad these were added.

Quality of Experience
People are friendly. They speak English everywhere.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
I was using a rental car.
Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco
Emanuela
Emanuela Grieco
Local specialist in Iceland | Replied on Jul 03, 2025

Dear Dawn and Gabriella,
Thank you so much for your wonderful and extensive review and for sharing all these amazing pictures. It was super nice and fun to stay in touch while you were traveling and check on you each day at the end of the day, to make sure you were both safe and happy.
I am glad to hear that you fell in love with my iceland and I am waiting for your next trip soon! There is still so much more to see!

Tons of hugs to both of you,
Emanuela

This was my first time using kimkim and I was...
Iceland | May 23 - Jun 1, 2025

MICHELE
MICHELE A.
Denver, CO | Reviewed on Jun 02, 2025

This was my first time using kimkim and I was very pleased from the start how easy it was! Emanuela was amazing from start to finish customizing our trip to Iceland. She was in touch with us during the trip and we felt very much taken care of. Having accommodations, excursion vouchers, car rental, restaurant recommendations, side trips, optional stop etc. made the trip easy to navigate. I love that Emanuela is living in Iceland and knew so many of the little details like the old ice cream. Thank you and I'm already looking to have kimkim plan our trip next year.

Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco

Trip of a lifetime and couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect honeymoon
Iceland | May 5 - May 12, 2025

Henry
Henry G.
Los Angeles, CA | Reviewed on May 26, 2025
Emanuela helped spectacularly plan the itinerary for my honeymoon trip to Iceland. My wife and I found it very easy to communicate to Emanuela what we wanted to do and found that everything that she recommended to us was just simply amazing. Even with flight delays causing us to get to Iceland a day later, Emanuela helped us with modifying our itinerary and making sure we didn't lose anything we had already booked. We were completely thrilled with our food tour group as Stefan from Your... Read more

Emanuela helped spectacularly plan the itinerary for my honeymoon trip to Iceland. My wife and I found it very easy to communicate to Emanuela what we wanted to do and found that everything that she recommended to us was just simply amazing. Even with flight delays causing us to get to Iceland a day later, Emanuela helped us with modifying our itinerary and making sure we didn't lose anything we had already booked. We were completely thrilled with our food tour group as Stefan from Your Friend In Reykjavik was incredibly funny and also very informative regarding Icelandic cuisine, history, and culture. My wife and I enjoyed learning from our tour guide on our lava tube cave tour and also our lovely chats with the wonderful people who work at the horseback riding stable in Vik! My personal favorites, outside of all the food we had, were certainly Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi because I could walk around and under Seljalandsfoss and I had to walk through the canyon to get to Gljúfrabúi. We would recommend Emanuela to anyone looking to make their way to Iceland! Thank you again for all your help and we both hope to be back in Iceland very soon!

Hotel Review
Hótel Kría
Vík

Hótel Kría was extremely comfortable for the time that my wife and I stayed there. Check-in process was very easy and our room had everything we could've needed. The breakfast that was provided in the morning was also delicious and sufficient before we went horseback riding. I would certainly book with Hótel Kría again if I needed a place to stay in Vik and would highly recommend to anyone.

Authenticity & Character
Hotel has a lot of charm to it and immediately feels very cozy the moment I walked in.
Location
Location of this hotel is easy to find, would be hard to miss.
Staff
Staff was very helpful and attentive.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Everything was clean and comfortable.
Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco
Emanuela
Emanuela Grieco
Local specialist in Iceland | Replied on May 26, 2025

Hi Henry and Morgan,

Thank you so much for your lovely words and review! It means the world to me!

I am very happy to hear you fell in love with my tiny Iceland and that you would like to come back again. Please feel free to get in touch again when that happens, and I'll be happy to assist you again.

A big hug to both of you,
Emanuela

Trip of a life time..
Iceland | Nov 28 - Dec 4, 2024

Kelly
Kelly S.
Ashburn, VA | Reviewed on Jan 24, 2025

We had the trip of a lifetime. Emanuela with Kim Kim took very good care of us. We had weather issues that required us to change hotels twice in one day. We were extremely grateful to her for working so hard to make sure we had the best accommodations. She even had a bottle of champagne waiting for us in our room. We were in very good hands with our guide Svavar. He was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond for us. I would highly recommend booking with Kim Kim and ask for Emanuela!!!

Local specialist: Emanuela Grieco
Emanuela
Emanuela Grieco
Local specialist in Iceland | Replied on Feb 04, 2025

My dear Kelly,
what a joy to read your review! Thank you so much!
It was lovely to connect with you and follow on your adventure ( and what an adventure!) when you were in Iceland. Glad that it all went well and you had an amazing time.
I hope to have you back again one day! Maybe in Summer next time ;)

All the best,
emanuela