Kristy Tizon

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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StarLodge

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

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Casa Andina Premium Villas

Urubamba

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

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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.

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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).

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Food

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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.

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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

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

Peru

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Half Day Cusco Tour

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Peru

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

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Historic Center & Larco Museum

Peru

Quality of Experience

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

Peru

Quality of Experience

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The Salkantay Trekking organization was terrific. Our guide, Yuri and the team went above and beyond anything we expected. They were thrown a powerful curveball with a train strike in Aguas Calientes which upended their carefully planned logistics. They helped to navigate the evacuation all while ensuring that we were still able to get to and enjoy Machu Picchu. They did it with enthusiasm and endless patience. We loved this trip, the trekking outfit and guide

We were equally impressed with each new adventure that came along. Although there were a couple of hiccups, none of which were Kimkim's fault, Kristy quickly resolved the issues and each and every meet up and transfer went off at planned. The accommodations were perfect and the did was very good. What a great trip we had!!