Sara Martinel

I just returned from one of the most epic adventures of my life. I went on this trip as a 57 year old single mom from Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
I have Sara, (my wonderful Kim Kim Travel contact/trip organizer) and Gilmar (my amazing jungle guide) to thank for this superior experience.
Sara organized the entire trip for me down to the last detail. She made sure that all of my requests were fulfilled and that she was available at all times to answer questions and navigate through itinerary changes during the expedition. From the moment we met over the KimKim website Sara was responsive, detail oriented, and timely in her feedback.
She supported me the entire way from the take off at IAD to landing back home 12 days later.
Sara's English was excellent and her resources on the ground in Manaus were reliable and friendly.
My guide, Gilmar, had 14 years of jungle guiding experience and provided for my safety and well being from the moment he met me to my final drop off at the Holiday Inn. Gilmar spoke English well and knew the jungle inside-out. I felt safe with Gilmar by my side and learned so many wonderful things about the Amazon jungle from him. He showed me how to fish for Pirhana, set up hammocks in the deep jungle, fry fish on a fire and build a frying rack made from jungle wood. He showed me how to spot Caymans at night and sight monkeys and iguanas and sloths in the tree tops and make plates out of palm leaves.
On my final day in Manaus I woke up unbelievably grateful, thinking that this had been one of the most epic adventures of my life. I actually shed a few tears of happiness when I thought of everything that I had done and experienced in the last two weeks.
This trip did not just meet my expectations; it surpassed them.
It is without hesitation that I would recommend Sara and Gilmar for anyone wishing to have the ultimate Jungle Experience.

Our Brazilian adventure was amazing! There was a drought in the Amazon that impacted our visit in that it maybe reduced our chances of encountering wildlife but it did not diminish the overall excitement of our experience. Sara was an expert and accommodating specialist (as was her entertaining husband who drove us to our hotel in Rio and greeted us before our final departure). The lodging in the Amazon was great, with decent meals and comfortable (and cool-temperatured!) accommodations. Highlights included piranha fishing, caiman spotting, pink dolphin sighting, a jungle hike and lots of fun boat rides on the river. At the end of our trip, a sumptuous lunch in Manaus and time with a fun local guide left us very contented.
I had high expectations for our time in Rio, and they were exceeded! The hotel near Copacabana was in a perfect location and provided a terrific breakfast. The best part of the trip was spending the day with local guide Albert Cardoso! He expertly led us through the main attractions with the perfect amount of narration and personal descriptions of life in Rio, got us to our exhilarating hang gliding experience, and, after an enjoyable lunch showcasing the best of Brazilian cuisine, showed us other wonderful highlights, sometimes wandering off the beaten path. We finished with an evening ascent to Sugarloaf that was quite a finale. Another very kind guide led us on a hike up Morro Dois Irmaos. A somewhat scary motorbike ride to the starting point and a delicious lunch in a local favela restaurant after our climb made for an adventure that we still reminisce about fondly! I fell in love with Rio and will never forget our trip there. Thank you, Sara, for all you did to assure we had the trip of a lifetime iin your spectacular country!

Mr Elisio Teba and Mrs Teba, and Auri owners of pousada Santa Barbara and pousada Bawary, respectively, are a great asset to Kim Kim. They provided professional assistance, great living quarters and they made you feel at home. The indigenous guide , Claudio, was very competent and I am happy he brought his son as an apprentice because it made the venture pleasingly personal.

We had a great time at Iguazu Falls and Rio. Sara, the local specialist did an excellent job - especially so because our plans changed a couple of days before arrival and also we had some delayed flights during the trip.

We especially enjoyed the Argentinian side of the Iguazu falls and the boat trip.

Both guides were outstanding.

Activity Reviews

Dinghy trip from the Argentinian side ´Gran Aventura´

Foz do Iguaçu

Great fun

Full day main City Tour: ¨Um dia no Rio¨

Rio de Janeiro

Wonderful day. Guide was outstanding.

Sara planned a great trip for us. The tour guides were all incredible in both the Amazon and Rio. Lima was our guide in the Amazon and he was very knowledgable and went out of his way to improve the experience every way he could. In Alberto was phenomenal. He knew plenty of history and trivia and also is very well traveled himself, relating other countires to Rio. He also connected us with his son who took us to a playoff soccer game. Incredible experience. Sara's communication was superb.