Preeti Bhide
Travel is an experience that enriches our lives and is essential for all of us to grow as individuals.
Personally I love my holidays to be slower paced with time to stop and smell the flowers; a balance between the famous sights and the offbeat lesser known places; and opportunities to experience local culture, people and cuisine.
At the same time, I strongly believe that a holiday is all about the person travelling and the essence of travel planning is to help people plan an itinerary that is exactly how they want it to be!
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"I specialise in customised holidays all across Iceland. For me, your holiday is all about you. You let me know what you want and I will try my best to make it happen!"
How did you get involved in travel?
"I have always loved travelling. After many years of working in consulting, I had an opportunity to take a sabbatical which is when we started our travel company, Wild Westfjords.
I have never looked back and it seems that this is what I was always meant to do.
Today, under our umbrella, we also have the Icelandic Aurora, specialising in winter & northern light holidays; and Iceland Offbeat, catering to the traveller who is looking for something different."
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"Iceland is beautiful, in a surreal way, and it is difficult to pick one unique experience. I know it sounds cliched but it's true.
However a few of my travels in Iceland that I especially remember are:
- a trip to the gorgeous Westman islands: Hiking to the newest volcano Eldfell, looking for puffins, attending a festival and enjoying the fantastic food. Apart from the breathtaking scenery, most interesting, were the locals who are so passionate about their little island.
- a trip through the Northern Westfjords and North West Iceland to Akureyri to see the Holuhraun eruption: Stopping for the best waffles in Iceland, driving the remote coastline of Skagafjordur and Trollaskagi and of course flying over the eruption. The most fascinating part of this trip was discovering the hidden beauty of the North West which many people consider to be a less interesting part of Iceland."
Featured trips & expertise
A Week in Iceland: 4 Unique Road Trips Filled with Highlights & Hidden Gems
With 7-9 days in Iceland, we recommend you hit the road and explore the incredible wonders further afield from Reykjavik. We’ve put together these unique one week Iceland itineraries which let you explore a variety of landscapes: volcanoes and lava fields, green pastures and farmlands, scenic vistas above fjords, beaches of every color, glaciers and ice caves, and the rugged interior. Here are our recommended drives, an option for all travelers and seasons.
Ultimate Iceland Road Trip Guide: The Ring Road & Other Popular Drives
The Ring Road is the most popular way to see and experience a variety of landscapes and sights all over Iceland. Route 1 starts from Reykjavik and circles to Akureyri in the North, to the small fishing villages in the East Fjords, passing Vatnajökull National Park and the South Coast. From this highway, you can also get to all the main detours like Snaefellsnes Peninsula, the remote Westfjords, Thorsmork, and the Highlands.
Best Day Hikes in Iceland
In a wilderness as wild and dramatic as Iceland’s, you’re sure to find countless opportunities for long day hikes. Here's a list of the best day hikes, ideal for a day’s adventure from your road trip around the Ring Road, or from a base camp in the highlands.
Recent trip reviews for Preeti
Self driving including short hikes and other activities, Iceland - Sep 1 - Sep 14, 2017
Friendly and responsive staff. good itinerary. We enjoyed the trip very much.
Navigation directions had inaccuracies or were out of order that led to skipping some destinations or having a "phantom" starting point on one of the detours.
Not clear if going on a potholed road all the way to Látrabjarg makes sense, since the puffins leave in mid August.
5-day tour of the north: akureyri, lake myvatn, waterfalls, and geothermal hotspots, Iceland - Jul 30 - Aug 5, 2017
Very helpful for a very last-minute vacation! We loved some of our lodging accomodations and really enjoyed the sites you suggested.
Preeti was very responsive at every moment that we needed her, and she created a terrific itinerary for us as we knew little about our destination and what we wanted to see.
Iceland with an 11-year-old, Iceland - Jul 31 - Aug 4, 2017
This was my first experience using kimkim and I'm now a huge fan. I had a last-minute trip to plan and little time to do so and kimkim connected me with a wonderful travel agent. I felt completely confident sending funds to someone in another country I had never met because of the structure of kimkim and other's reviews. I would never have found this travel agent without kimkim but I'm so very glad I did. And I appreciated the ability to look at potential itineraries before making a choice... read more
This was such a great experience!! All we had to do was follow the itinerary. It was so detailed and so easy to follow. Thank you so much kimkim!!
30th birthday trip two sisters traveling together, Iceland - Jul 31 - Aug 6, 2017
However, one detail that would've been nice to have is the suggested resturants closing times so I could have planned dinner better, as I was usually arriving just in time.
Preeti was AMAZING, available everyday until my last day of trip. It made things really flexible as I altered my trip when learning new sites to see as I met fellow travelers.
Well, it was between really good and perfect. We had a great time. The itinerary allowed us to see everything without feeling too overwhelmed. We only missed one thing on the super rainy and windy day. We are already planning our return trip! Turns out that where we spent our first night (and also our last) is a great place for seeing the northern lights, we are thinking of coming back for that, hopefully this winter. Thank you for your help in everything, you made our trip trouble free and memorable.
