Tom Christer Larsen

Tom has been very helpful and patient with our inquiries. The trip was tailor-made to suit our needs, and it has been a very pleasant experience. We will definitely consider KimKim for our future trips.

I found Kim Kim on Google after a search and I’m glad I went with them. Traveling with a family of 8 poses challenges and I didn’t want to participate in a tour group together with 15 other people going to the same touristy spots and following a tight schedule. Kim Kim uses local people in the country to suggest and plan an itinerary based on your preferences and comfort level. Tom was our specialist and our first trip to Norway was enjoyable and manageable on days we had to take public transportation ourselves. Some days the apartments we had were far apart ( 15 min) but that was also due to the big group size we were in and it was difficult to secure housing of that size. Most of the times, the accommodation we were given was amazing. When we needed assistance, the team was responsive via the email chat. Perhaps the only gripe was that I didn’t know the breakdown of the costs I was paying for. Only a lump sum was charged. If you want a customised itinerary with suggestions from locals and don’t want to fret over planning of all your days overseas, then give Kim Kim a try.

Hotel Reviews

Sommarøy Arctic Hotel

Sommarøy

Lovely red house by the sea. Big enough for 10 people and there were toilets in every room. The restaurant served amazing reindeer meat as well. We tried the outdoor jacuzzi and it was an unforgettable/challenging moment to do this in winter when we were all so accustomed to tropical climates.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near the Northern lights park

Staff

Waitress in restaurant constantly checked on us to see if we needed anything else

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wangen Apartments by Fjord Resort

Aurland

Loved the penthouse. Cosy and big enough for family of 8. Kitchen was well equipped and we had a great time cooking our dinner with the kids. Only gripe was that there are no lifts and we had to lug our luggage up several flights of steps to reach the top level. Otherwise we had a memorable time there

Authenticity & Character

Loved the sea view

Location

Near to a supermarket and next to the harbour

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Sailing Cruise

Tromsø

The ship was lovely! If it weren’t so cold, in sure it would be even more enjoyable. Nevertheless kenett and sachi kept us occupied with delicious reindeer stew and games within the insides of the ship. There was also a hot tub experience outdoor but we skipped that one as my husband was having a flu that day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Dog Sledding

Tromsø

Loved the dogs. They were very friendly and enthusiastic. The ride through the beautiful snowscape was breathtaking and our guide was patient and constantly turned back to resolve any issues we might have with the dogs or the sled. Definitely something all must try in tromso!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Park

Sommarøy

The park was the place we had an amazing display of the northern lights. We were lucky enough that day and it was cloudless. The guides were very patient and the sky was littered with stars and because there was little light pollution, we could see the milky way and the Big Dipper. Great place just to chill and play with snow as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was absolutely amazing! Thanks Tom for all the great suggestions, patience with all the questions and changes, and efficiency in always getting back to me quickly and thoroughly. Your ideas of how we could have a magical time with a family with two young kids in Norway and Lapland were perfect.
Thanks again!!

This company, especially Tom Christer literally made my dream come true. I had booked this trip in 2019 and had already paid a part of it. Tom, kept contact and waited for me to both manage my new work situation as well as changing finances for "4 YEARS!!!!" They kept my payment and tweaked the tour based on my new needs. I am 67 and was travelling alone in a new country I haven't experienced before. Tom (and the team when he was otherwise busy) had extremely helpful suggestions throughout the trip. I never felt alone and saw wonderful things, ate wonderful food met very interesting people on the way.

They answer every question, you feel you have your private tour guide right next to you during the trip. North Americans must be aware that Europe does not have "coffee cream" (although I found Kaffeflote from Supermarket https://meny.no/varer/meieri-egg/flote/kaffeflote/kaffeflote-10-7038010043307 😁 Hotels were quite comfy, also, North Americans pay attention single room or budget means very narrow one person bed !!! twins were really good and Norway hotels do not have Air Condition !!! This is nobody's fault but if you go in summer you can suffer a bit. The silver lining is you can open windows in Europe which we cannot in the US and Canada, hence, need AC.

I have been to Bergen Trondheim and Tromso, and although I liked all of them my favourite will always be Bergen. I will definitely come again and ask these wonderful people for a new arrangement then. I suggest if you like travelling in Norway, let them guide you without breaking your bank. Thank you very very much for this once in a lifetime trip , which will hopefully be twice or thrice in my lifetime🥰🇳🇴👍

The trip that we went on this summer to Norway was magical and in everyway, met all of our key expectation with many visual, hands on experiences and delicious surprises too! The places that we visited like Oslo and Bergen (at Tom Christer's suggestion, set up walking tour guides ) This was most beneficial since we had a limited time to explore and enjoy each destination and activity (ies) all along the way. Both guides, (Stig, Mr. Oslo, a native Oslonian) and (John, a local and nature enthusiast, our guide in Bergen) made the whole experience educational, fun and encouraged us to seek out some other special gems of both cities respectfully before we left for further adventures to come.....Like the Fjords!

I must say, Greg and I could go on and on for hours sharing our kimkim travel experiences!!! The fishing/angling day trip on the fjords (Balestrand) was amazing and Captain Tor (a local of Balestrand, Norway) was exceptional with his stories (loved it), answered all of our super interested Q's...we had a successful time, catching fish and touring the fjord areas there. Very first time I realized that seagulls can understand English, after a fashion. "Larry and Denise" are friends of Captain Tor's , the pair are a delight to have around, for sure. I liked all hands on education surrounding the creatures that live in the water and land there, the Starfish where beautiful and I was surprised that they, Starfish actually have a visible, tiny starfish shape on their underside, brillant! Oh the Cider tasting and Lunch super culinary experience and the Hard Ciders went so well with our lunch spread. Like I mentioned before in this review , all the details of the entire trip where very easy to implement including public transfers by train, ferry, cabs, trams, sooo important. The ease of our tour was so well planned by Tom Christer, every special detail , Perfect. We loved love Norway and will return as we can do...so very much more to experience...we speak of all we enjoyed and can hardly wait to return.

Thank you thank you ...Tom Christer~

Hotel Review

Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Aurland

Wonderful Hotel Aurlandsfjord. Comfortable, interior designed and care of a stay here was A plus, the staff and the cusine impeccable, excellent. Location was a joy to walk around this hotel site, the water, the trails and shop s wonderful! There was absolutly nothing we did not like about our stay here. We liked all of the places we stayed. wouldn't change a thing.

Authenticity & Character

The Staff, the Comfort, beautiful! Warmily met (I'm very observant) I've been told by family, friends.

Location

It beauty there getting to it and scenery, jaw dropping beauty... Norway is very clean...can't stress enough!

Staff

All staff were helpful...Anne the young worman who managed the nite from late afternoon until after the dinner hour was fun and enjoyed working there making sure all the guest where attended to in a timely manner at the Hotel Aurlandsfjord

Cleanliness & Comfort

Yes...the Dinning areas and social/ relaxing areas were always impectable, and the rooms and beds, linens where fresh and "just Nice"

Activity Reviews

Balestrand Orchard Walk & Cider Tasting

Balestrand

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lifestyle: Balestrand Fjord Angling & Trolling Excursion

Balestrand

NO

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Wonderful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Royal Palace Tour

Oslo

Very beautiful. We love the History...Nice to observe the guards and just stroll the grounds... really nice in parks too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Easy Accessible

Transfer from Flåm to Aurland

Norway

It was all so fantastic... easy and compfy

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Every one was on time...and Norway is sooo CLEAN!

Transport

Ease of connecting....really not hard or difficult.

Nærøyfjord Cruise & Viking Valley Tour

Norway

We love the History of the Scandinavian Countries, expecially the Viking era.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All Aspects

Transport

Tom Christer is a most excellent tour planner. Tom Listens

Viking Dinner at Ægir BryggeriPub

Norway

The dinner and tour of the area was so exceptional and more than I expected.

Quality of Experience

History

Food

All the Food we were served

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Norwegians are just like that.

Transport

Bergen Walking Tour With a Local Guide

Bergen

Love the Tour and really found John to be very very knowledgeable

Quality of Experience

Yes the consistency

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Well the people of Norway are extremely good looking and intelligent!

Transport

I was introduced to Tom Christer with Ethical Travel in Norway through KimKim. Tom was responsive, knowledgable, willing to express his own opinion when asked, and flexible to our travel requests. Highlights of our stay included Stavanger and climbing Pulpit Rock, Aurland via ferry and rail, Alesand via overnight ferry, and Oslo. Tom arranged local guides for us both for the Pulpit Rock climb and a 3 hour walking city tour of Oslo. Both were excellent.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Brosundet

Ålesund

Best hotel in Alesand. It is just charming and one can easily just hang out in the lobby by the fire or at the spa when not experiencing the town. Rooms are a little small but appointed very nicely. Food is excellent. Overall, it is a first class hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amerikalinjen

Oslo

Loved everything about this hotel. Ideally located, super friendly and helpful staff, fantastic breakfast, comfy bar, and beautiful large rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Aurland

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff was very nice but did not have as much knowledge of the local attractions that you would normally expect from a larger hotel conciegre.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hurtigruten

Bergen

Older ship. We had an outward facing room, but the window view was fully obstructed by a life boat. Also, our room was very very small. For three people we would have gladly paid for a nicer and larger room if that option had been presented and explained to us. The boat is old, but well maintained and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel No13

Bergen

Super location, very welcoming staff, art deco rooms, quiet. Not a 5-Star hotel, but nice and pleasant for a short stay in Bergen.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Victoria

Stavanger

Authenticity & Character

Charming.

Location

Ideally located close to shops and restaurants.

Staff

Very helpful. They even arranged breakfast bags for us as we had to leave at 5:30 am for an early morning ferry.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Pulpit Rock Classic Summer Hike

Norway

Our guide picked us up and returned us to the hotel as well as accompanied us on the hike. She was wonderful, sticking with the slower hikers and allowing those that wanted to go faster hike at their own pace. We were concerned that the weather would prevent us from making it to the top as it was raining hard and quite windy when we left the parking lot. Fortunately, it calmed down after the first few minutes and even cleared up enough at the top for us to see the fjord. This is a definite bucket list item.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjordcruise on UNESCO Nærøyfjord

Norway

Quality of Experience

In addition to the phenomenal views, our trip was made even more special as a traveling teenage choir from the United States was on our boat and we stopped in the middle of the trip for them to sign a song. Very cool!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Very nice modern boat with lots of outdoor viewing space.

Transit Between Stavanger and Fjord Line Terminal

Stavanger

Right on time. Clean van and a good driver.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Stegastein Viewpoint

Norway

An amazing view.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Viking Dinner at Ægir BryggeriPub

Norway

Even though this experience is commercialized and designed for tourists, we really enjoyed it. The food was excellent and we enjoyed trying all the items on the plank.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Flåm to Aurland

Norway

Driver ran a few minutes late as he got tied up on another ride, but he was super nice and told us a lot about the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Embark Hurtigruten

Norway

An older boat. Our cabin for 3 was extremely small. We had an outside view, but our window looked directly into a life boat. Would have paid for a larger and nicer cabin if given the choice. Food was good but nothing special.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

A great introduction to Oslo. We did this on our first afternoon in the City.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Would recommend Stig to anyone. He is local to Oslo and loves the City.

We were supposed to do this trip in 2020 so over the years I have dealt with a number of Kimkim people. All have been excellent and Tom was no exception. I found Kimkim online and had never heard of them. I normally plan our trips but Norway just seemed like a bridge too far. The 14 night trip was a perfect match for our kind of travel. Be warned though Norway is a big country!! Lofoten is crowded but a must see. Highly recommend utilizing Kimkim for your next holiday

My wife and I usually plan trips ourselves but I was short on time for planning our trip to Norway. Relying on kimkim and its Norway-based Ethical Travel partner greatly relieved the stress. After some initial guidance, our knowledgeable local specialist Tom Christer proposed an itinerary. We communicated back and forth a few times, with Tom providing clear answers to all questions, to refine the plan. The high point of our trip was a 4-night stay at a boutique inn called BesteBakken, in Hafslo. The owner personally hosted delicious family-style dinners and breakfasts where we had a chance to meet other travelers including quite native Norwegians. It was a great base for exploring the local region, including a glacier hike, a kayak day paddle, and a hike up Molden mountain on our own. Our family of 4 adults needed some rest as well as wonderful sights and that's what we got on this trip. Tom or others at Ethical Travel were available to answer questions during the trip, and rebooked us in advance when one boat tour was cancelled. I would not hesitate to use kimkim again.

A belated Thank You to Tom and the Norway crew at kimkim!

Back in the cold days of February this year, my spouse and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Norway for a short time - and on short notice. Not being good at quickly making detailed plans to visit a new country for the first time without a car in the winter, we went with a recommendation to try kimkim. We are soooo glad that we did!

Tom transformed our desires for beautiful fjords, train travels, and a chance or two at northern lights into a fantastic itinerary of unique memorable experiences and splendid overnight stays in towns rich with history.

The arranged tours, travel, and lodging were all top-notch. Communication was great! The availability of the team's 24/7 phone assistance really helped put our minds at ease with the travel connections.