Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

This was our first trip using kimkim to plan and book the entire experience. We were connected with Peruvian Soul and rep Anne Godoy. Because of Covid and then variouschallenges on our end, this trip was several years in the making. But Peruvian Soul and Anne really delivered. She helped us create an itinerary combining her recommendations and experience along with our research and goals. It was a true collaboration. And then Peruvian Soul really came through on the logistics. During the trip, their operation manager Jesus Martel, provided us with frequent updates as needed. He was available for questions. And he was able to make happen a short notice changes in our itinerary that became necessary. This was our first time trusting someone to take care of travel arrangements other than ourselves, and I was very impressed.
So many highlights but want to mention several that were suggested and/or coordinated by Anne & Peruvian Soul.
- Home visit and Homestay on Capachica Peninsula, Lake Titicaca: We visited two kind, delightful families to get a glimpse into their lifestays, and share several meals, next to Lake Titicaca. We were shown how they use local plants as everything from soap to medicine. We witnessed (and slightly helped) our host Ruffino fishing on Lake Titicaca by hauling in nets. It was a cool opportunity to get a bit of insight into their lives and to simply get to know them a little. We had a very good guide, Luis (forgive me, I lost his last name), who shared the history of the area and the customs of the people on the penisula.
- El Alberque, Ollantaytambo - in one place we were able to enjoy a Panchamanca lunch; learn about and roast a batch of coffee; and then create our own botanical liquor in their distillery. We had a fun and insightful afternoon.
- Misminay Community, Sacred Valley - We spent several hours in Misminay with were our local hosts showed us about their weaving; demonstrating the process and showing us how they create their colors with plants and minerals. Then we had a short lesson, trying to learn the local language, Quechua. From their compound, we were able to take a short hike to see the Moray terraces.
- Market visit and cooking glass in Cusco - Anne set us up with the restaurant Mama Seledonia to get a educational (and tasting) tour of 2 Cusco markets. From there, we took the purchases back to the restaurant to make our own lunch, cocktails and then to try a variety of fruits we purchased. The chef (Gustavo) was great and it was a wonderful experience.
- Not surprisingly, Cuscuo, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu were trip highlights. But what made it excellent was our guide, Luis Caceres. The poor guy was stuck with us for almost 5 days :) He truly made the trip excellent for us. It was more like travelling with a friend than a guide. (But a friend who knew a ton!)

I enthusiastically recommend kimkim and Peruvian Soul. Anne sincerely created an amazing experience for us and they all (Jesus, our guides and drivers) made it go great. They really took care of us.

Trip of a lifetime!
The organization was very good, the activities were well planned and Jesus' daily updates including with boarding passes for internal flights were excellent. It did not seem to me that Jesus went to sleep.
I thought the guides were very well chosen - Fernando in Quito was an amazing fount of information about Quito, its history and the area. Our guides in the Galapagos, Justin in Santa Cruz and Oswaldo in San Cristobal, were very well-informed and good hike guides, though they was not with us all the time owing to boat trips and island changes. I would like to mention our transport driver (Arturo?) in San Cristobal - he was very courteous and prompt.
In the Galapagos, I would only change our hotel - the Golden Galapagos. It did not meet the standards of our other hotels.
The Indigo seemed much more organized.

In Lima, Nancy was an excellent guide with lots of historical details that we learned from her. However, our guide in Cusco was exceptionally way above the guides we had on this trip (Julio and the driver Robert) were above and beyond. Partly it was due to the elevation and related issues, but they also had really detailed knowledge and insights that were very interesting to hear.

We had a great time!

What could you improve - ditch the Golden Galapagos. Also, I noticed that the company always picked the cheapest room in the hotels. Can you manage to upgrade it a bit, to the second lowest level? At least ask the question!

This trip was a dream every step of the way. I had a lot of questions which were always answered quickly in detail, and with patience. Peru has so many amazing locations and experiences but we were able to narrow them down to a perfect trip, customized to our exact preferences, budget and interests.

Once we got there Anne sent thoughtful notes to our room and checked in periodically to make sure everything was going well.

Everyone we met in Peru was so kind, accommodating and friendly. We spent time with several guides who were very knowledgeable and personable, but I’d give a special shout-out to our Cusco guide, EJ. His background in archaeology made every historical site even more interesting. We saw so many amazing things but wouldn’t have fully appreciated them without EJ’s insights and his photography skills left us with so many great photos and memories to take home with us.