Meghan Doiron

All of the transfers and accommodations were fine but we were disappointed in the level of English spoken by the owner/staff at the Tariri Lodge. There weren’t many guests but the majority of the other guests were Portuguese speakers. The guides didn’t always translate everything into English and we frequently had to rely on one of the other guests to translate for us.

We just completed our 8-day trip, covering Rio, Iguazu from Brazil and Argentina sides, and a day in Paraguay. It was a memorable experience. We had been planning this trip for about two months, and Meghan helped fine-tune our itinerary multiple times. Meghan and the Kimkim team were very flexible in accommodating our custom requests. On the day we were supposed to go to Christ the Redeemer in Rio, the weather turned out rainy with poor visibility, so we had to cancel. Meghan worked with the tour company to accommodate our tickets for another day and that worked out very well for us. Without her help, it would have been quite a hassle otherwise. The local transportation and bilingual tour guides appointed by Kimkim were great and we didn’t have to stress about safety, convenience of pickups/drops and tour tickets. We usually tour on our own, but this time we made an exception to go with a travel company and we think it was a wise choice. Thank you, Meghan and Team!

Hotel Reviews

Nadai Confort Hotel

Foz do Iguacu

We loved the outdoor pool and hot-spa which helped greatly recovery from tiring tour days. The room service was poor.. took an hour to deliver food twice and also messed up the orders. Breakfast was ok. Rooms were small but clean.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice pool

Arena Leme Hotel

Rio de Janeiro

Great location - Leme beachfront next to Copacabana. Nice rooftop and bar, though very small pool. Breakfast was ok, but not many choices for everyone in the restaurant. I wish they accommodated more vegetarian options. Rooms were good.

Location

Beachfront

Windsor Florida

Rio de Janeiro

Nice connecting rooms, though no views except buildings. Breakfast was ok. Overall, an average hotel.

Activity Reviews

Argentinean Side Falls & Gran Aventura Boat Tour

Foz do Iguaçu

The Argentinian side of Iguazu is beautiful beyond words. The walkway is serene, and the boat adventure was so fun!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The boat operator was not bilingual, and his commentary was only in Spanish/Portuguese. English should be mandatory as there are foreign tourists always.

Guide and vehicle at disposal to explore Paraguay

Foz do Iguaçu

The Monday Falls at Paraguay were amazingly beautiful. Do include this in your itinerary even after visiting the mighty Iguazu!

Arrival transfer in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

On time pickup at an odd hour - thank you, for making it safe and convenient.

Exploring the Brazilian Falls

Foz do Iguaçu

A visual treat to eyes .. so many beautiful vista points and then the final stop at the grand Devil's Throat is an unmatched experience.

Day Tour of Sugarloaf Mountain (cable car) and Christ the Redeemer Statue

Rio de Janeiro

I wish we had some visibility at the Sugar Loaf.. it was a blanket of white. It was fun to ride the cable cars. But we overcame that in the Christ the Redeemer part - beautiful beyond words!

Evening Tour to Three Borders Mark (Brazilian side)

Foz do Iguaçu

Nice spot to spend your evening - view of the 3 borders, the show they put on with dancers and drama, and the beautiful monument itself. Relaxing after the day tours of the falls.

Overall I had a very good trip. The communication between Meghan and me before the trip is essential and was always good.
The full day for the hiking trip was very good. I think Meghan was successful in selecting the hike that fulfilled my requests (duration, elevation change, length, waterfall).
Augusto is a good guy who is personable and friendly. He answered all of my questions whether it was about details for the trip or about the hike itself including flora and fauna. He was very accommodating, more than happy to comply with my requests or make minor changes to the itinerary along the way.
I only have one criticism. Augusto explained his hiking tour method; he would hike at his own pace and then wait for me to catch up. I agreed to this. I had no problem with this since I was comfortable hiking in the woods and because I needed to hike slowly and carefully.
However, on the return this method broke down. At one point there was a fork in the trail and Augusto was ahead on the trail and out of sight. Remember, these trails do not have any trail markers so at this point I did not know which way to go. I tried one direction but guessed that it was not the correct way. Then I went the other way and caught up with Augusto. I briefly mentioned the fork to him. Then it happened again.
It all worked out fine but a hiking guide should not lose track of his clients.
Again, overall the tour was great. It was a great hike to a nice waterfall on a beautiful day. I would recommend Kimkim and Aniyami to others and I would book with you again.
Thank you very much for organizing it all and please thank Augusto.

Activity Review

Full day tour of Serra dos Orgãos National Park with Véu da Noiva Waterfall & Petrópolis

Brazil

Overall I had a very good trip. The communication between Meghan and me before the trip is essential and was always good. The full day for the hiking trip was very good. I think Meghan was successful in selecting the hike that fulfilled my requests (duration, elevation change, length, waterfall). Augusto is a good guy who is personable and friendly. He answered all of my questions whether it was about details for the trip or about the hike itself including flora and fauna. He was very accommodating, more than happy to comply with my requests or make minor changes to the itinerary along the way. I only have one criticism. Augusto explained his hiking tour method; he would hike at his own pace and then wait for me to catch up. I agreed to this. I had no problem with this since I was comfortable hiking in the woods and because I needed to hike slowly and carefully. However, on the return this method broke down. At one point there was a fork in the trail and Augusto was ahead on the trail and out of sight. Remember, these trails do not have any trail markers so at this point I did not know which way to go. I tried one direction but guessed that it was not the correct way. Then I went the other way and caught up with Augusto. I briefly mentioned the fork to him. Then it happened again. It all worked out fine but a hiking guide should not lose track of his clients. Again, overall the tour was great. It was a great hike to a nice waterfall on a beautiful day. I would recommend Kimkim and Aniyami to others and I would book with you again. Thank you very much for organizing it all and please thank Augusto.

Quality of Experience

The selected hike fit my requirements perfectly.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Personable, friendly, accommodating, knowledgeable.

Transport

Newish car. Good route.

The title says it all. We were looking for a panorama of Brazil and boy did we get it. We saw Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, Manaus and the Amazon, and Salvador, each destination better than the last. All our guides were professional and made our experience better with their behavior. They were easy to talk to and offered insight on the life of the Brazilians in each city we visited. Especially in Rio we were guided by the greatest guy, Felipe, who went above and beyond to make us feel safe and comfortable.

The destinations were all gorgeous. Rio is beautiful and surrounded by many great vantage points that offer spectacular views of the whole city. The monuments were breathtaking and the food was plentiful and delicious.

At Iguazu, all words fail to make justice to the grandeur of the waterfalls. All visitors be prepared to get wet, especially if you book a boat trip as you will find yourselves directly underneath the falls!

At Manaus, prepare to get hot! It is a very humid city, we could feel it almost as soon as we landed. But it is all worth it when you get to the Amazon forest and get to see river and the jungle. We had plenty of activities here, like fishing for piranhas, night animal watching, walking in the jungle and swimming with pink dolphins! We also had the opportunity to taste awesome local cuisine and everything was produced right there in the forest. And our guide, Antonio if memory serves right, was pretty easy going and cool.

Finally at Salvador we saw what I think is the most beautiful city of Brazil. Colorful houses and vibrant street culture bring this city to life. Capoeira dancing, African drum playing and dancing can all be seen simply by galivanting through the streets. We had some interesting activities here as well like drum and cooking lessons. Like always, the food was delicious.

Overall this was one of the most memorable experiences of our lives and we were saved a lot of hassle thanks to Meghan who handled pretty much everything before our arrival, all we had to do was discuss the trip plan and book the trip. 10/10

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Cruz do Pascoal

Salvador

The location was good but other than that it didn't offer much else. The breakfast was offered in another hotel se we had to leave to eat. The most important issue was that the room was not really clean and we woke with bug bites, possibly from some bed bug. These were not mosquito bites.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room hugiene

Nobile Hotel Copacabana Design

Rio de Janeiro

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nadai Confort Hotel

Foz do Iguacu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Perpetua hotel d charm

Manaus

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tariri Amazon Lodge

Iranduba - Amazonas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Porto da Lua

Mata de Sao Joao

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sugarloaf Mountain Walk

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rio City Tour & Carnival Culture

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Art & Architecture Tour in Niterói

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Corcovado & Christ the Redeemer Tour

Rio de Janeiro

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iguaçu Falls Hike on the Argentina Side & Gran Aventura Boat Tour

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day of Hiking & Cycling in Iguaçu

Foz do Iguaçu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazon River to Jungle Lodge & Rainforest

Brazil

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rainforest & River Tours

Brazil

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

African Heritage City Tour

Salvador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whale Watching in Praia do Forte

Praia do Forte

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bahian Percussion Workshop

Salvador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Salvador Market Tour, Cooking Demonstration & lunch

Salvador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Art and Literature Tour of Bahia

Salvador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Cultural Experience in Rio Vermelho

Salvador

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you! It was an amazing trip.

All the flights worked out. Very smooth.
Lucas in Rio was awesome. And the tours were great. The bike tour was dangerous to be on busy city streets. Along the beach was fine. But my 12 year old got bumped by a truck on the busy streets with no bike lane. Got a bruise. Luckily it wasn’t worse. Carlos was great on the Corcovado tour. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate. Lots of rain and clouds. But we had a memorable time.

Orico was great at Iguaçu Falls. Very knowledgeable and definitely indispensable in the process to get over to the Argentina side of the falls. Again that bike trip was dangerous. The should is not very wide on that highway and my 15 year old was inches from getting hit by a bus. Very scary. But besides that we had a great time.

I would not recommend the bike tours next time. Or at least 18 and older and very competent on a bike if you’re going to do it.