Lares Trek to Machu Picchu

We started planning very early & Jimena was amazing from the very start. She asked about our preferences and curated 2 starting off points. From there we were able to customize the exact activities we wanted. Jimena was incredibly supportive through it all, moving activities around & determining how much was possible each day. Once we got closer to our travel dates Jimena got on a call with us to answer any of our outstanding questions. During this call we asked about adding another activity & although it's a super uncommon option, she made it happen for us! We ended up with issues commuting to our destination & were delayed a full day. Jesus & Jimena were able to rework our itinerary so we didn't miss any of our planned activities even though we arrived a full 24 hours late!

While in Peru, we hit the ground running with Edwar (guide) & Wilmer (driver). Edwar was the PERFECT guide for us. He was honest and straight forward. He kept us on track without us ever feeling rushed, if things were running early or late we never noticed because he was taking care of everything in the shadows. He knew exactly when to call our driver back so the whole time in Cusco was effortless. Edwar even stayed with us all the way to the security check point for our domestic flight, to make sure we had no airport hiccups. I recommend KimKim 11/10 & plan to come back for any future travel like this.

Our trip to Peru was our third trip with kimkim and it could not have been better! The guides, excursions, hotels, etc. were wonderful. Our guides Martin, Diego, and Wilson were kind and knowledgeable and felt like friends. My husband had stomach trouble on the trip and within an hour of notifying our guide Diego in the Sacred Valley he came to our hotel with medicine and rearranged our schedule the following day so as not to miss anything. Thank you kimkim for another amazing trip!!

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.