Authentic Ecuador

We booked our Galapagos trip with Paola through KimKim. Itinerary was amazing! All of our guides, and naturalists were full of knowledge and went above and beyond to make sure we had the best time.
Danny greeted us at the airport in Quito and guided us through the city. He knew exactly what we wanted to see and do.
In Santa Cruz our naturalist guide was full of knowledge on the history of the island, the turtles and the volcanic tunnels. We visited the Charles Darwin Centre and again he could answer any question we asked.
Next we travelled to Isabella Island-Diego, Julio and all the guides again were amazing. I highly recommend using KimKim and definitely will for my next adventure!!

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

We felt very safe at this hotel. They created us at the door and escorted us to our room. Everything was fantastic.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fiesta

Puerto Ayora

The pool and Hot Tub were amazing. Nice to come back from a day in the heat and cool off! Have a drink and unwind. The bar staff made yummy drinks!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful entrance, pool and hot tub area. The flowers and trees where beautiful!

Location

Was within walking distance to downtown, yet in a quiet location far enough away.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

The view was amazing. You could hear the waves rolling in and watch the sunset right from your room.

Authenticity & Character

Nice lobby and beautiful pool with flowers surround it. A nice rooftop sitting area and wonderful staff

Location

Right on the beech in downtown Isabella island.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

At first, we were worrying about the length of this trip and the fact that it said 80% on land and 20% in water. But this was one of the most memorable excursions we did. Our guide Diego had years of experience doing this excursion. It was nice to snorkel at your own pace and someone always had an eye on us to ensure our safety.

Quality of Experience

Food

All of it. The appetizers amazing!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nice boat. Santa Fe and the crew made us feel special!

Quito City Tour - Middle of the World

Quito

Danny was amazing. Everything was perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkel at Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

Our guide had a wealth of knowledge and treated all on board equally. He made sure to spend time with everyone individually which was nice. He explained things and shared his pictures with the group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So knowledgeable and really took care of us all.

Transport

The driver of the boat knew exactly how to ride the waves to get into the area safely.

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Unfortunately it was raining when we visited here but our guide didn’t let that change the plans. We still have a full tour.

Quality of Experience

Adding fresh cold water when picked up at the boat would have been nice.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking at Garrapatero Beach

Galapagos Islands

Although we couldn’t kayak. Our guide took us to a coffee, sugar and alcohol plantation which was great

Quality of Experience

P

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

Galapagos Islands

Great experience. Saw lots in the snorkelling adventure. Including sharks, penguins, turtles, and lots of colorful fish.

Quality of Experience

OP

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The small group size.

Transfer to Quito Airport, Arrival to Galapagos & Highlands of Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Danny made sure all our travels were worry free. Escorted us throught he airport and sent us on our way. To the next adventure.

Quality of Experience

Food

The table and VIP service!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A great experience!! The knowledge of our guide was impressive! He could answer any questions we asked.

Transport

Our trip to Quito and The Galapagos was terrific. The guides were all terrific, Jose is Quito was pleasant, efficient, informative and very helpful. The traffic in Quito is quite challenging, we were glad Jose was driving. We needed a stop at a pharmacy and Jose bilingual skills were a great help. We loved the interactive experiences at The Center of the World, seeing the gold leaf churches with the native animal gargoyles and the chocolate shop. Salome met us at Baltra, ferrying us to our driver. We visited the Highlands, Tortoise Ranch, Lava Tunnel and Darwin's Research Center. All was very interesting. Salome took extra time to tell us the story of Lonesome George and we were impressed with the Tortoise nursery. At the Tortoise ranch we were surprised by how active the tortoises were, but it was mating season. We met Diego later who immediately helped my husband find medical care for a gash he got after a fall, (transitioning from bright sunlight to dark wearing sunglasses is not the best idea). Our visits to uninhabited islands and snorkling were very interesting and fun. We were very happy with the accommodations on the day cruiser, Ricardo our guide, the crew and a delicious lunch. on our day off we enjoyed a walk to Tortuga Bay and took the ferry back. We loved Santa Cruz. Next stop was Isabela which we also loved. The speed ferry over was great but the harbor is frenetic and we were running late. Our guide, Julio kept us on track. In hindsight we could have skipped the kayaking, however, we did see a tiger shark. The tour on Las Tintoreras was interesting. The snorkel at Los Tuneles was a favorite. Our guide was skilled and personable and knew how to shepherd us. He photographed our experiences and interactions with the sea life we encountered and allowed us to download to our phones. Brilliant! We did rent bikes and went out to The Wall of Tears. It was a long ride and of course it was always hot. We were glad to have done it. San Cristobal was next, Julio was very helpful at the airport. Javier (Pico) made sure we were ready for Kicker Rock which was over the top. The scuba divers saw the Hammerhead sharks, but the snorkelers saw lots of fish, sea turtles and white tip sharks. The brought everyone to a bay first to assess skills then we were off the Kicker rock. The guides on the boat were TERRIFIC. The seas were rough and we had many different skill levels. The guides were professional, kind and safety conscience above all. Our last day we were able to fit in a walk to La Loberia and Barranco which was harder than expected. Pico was very good getting us there and back before a rain storm hit. Off to Quito and a final meeting with Jose picking us up then dropping us off at the airport. It was a very active trip which we enjoyed immensely, the guides made everything run smoothly in a very relaxed way.

Tamer and Ariel helped plan what we wanted to do on this trip. We were able to specify what kind of activities we were interested in, what animals we wanted to see etc. The recommended itinerary met our requirements very well. It was easy to communicate with them. They responded promptly to our queries.
Liz Arboleda was in charge of the logistics locally. She met us and gave us her number and responded promptly to our queries. When we were going to Isabela, she personally got our boarding passes for the boat trip and held our spot in the queue. We requested a change in the itinerary (we wanted to return from Isabela in the afternoon rather than morning) and she accommodated our request.
Astrid Friere was our guide to see the tortoises and the Darwin Center as well as kayaking another day. She was a pleasure to be around and was extremely well informed about what we were seeing.
Marcelo Friere was our driver for the transfers. Always on time, courteous and efficient.
Rodolfo was our guide on the highlight of the trip, the visit to Los Tuneles in Isabela. We were extremely inexpert snorkelers and he ended up having to tow us around in order not to delay the other snorkelers. He showed us Blue Footed Boobies, including their courtship dances, sea turtles, sting and eagle rays, sea horses. Just an awesome experience.

Great Trip! Lots of fun and very interesting. We had a wonderful time in the Galapagos. Our guides Vivienne and Ricardo were very nice and informative. Our guide for the snorkeling trip was very good as well but I can't remember his name. We saw lots of wildlife both on land and sea. Our accommodations at Blu Galapagos were perfect. This is my 2nd trip through Kim Kim and it is really been a pleasure having the trips tailored to what you want. Paul was a great local specialist, very responsive and answered all of my questions in a timely fashion.

I found the guides to be extremely educated in-the history and culture of their country and specific area they are guiding they are excellent drivers and their social skills are at a higher level Actually I found the people of Ecuador to be friendly and inviting I found myself in awe of this countries beauty and magistryI feel like I left a friend and I want to return Ecuador is a country I could easily call home I've gained abetter sense of who I am for spending just 2weeks there my spirit has been rebooted

Hotel Review

Hostería Paraíso Vilcabamba

Vilcabamba

Very relaxing don't forget your swimsuit

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Kindness that comes from the heart

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cuenca to Vilcabamba

Ecuador

The drive through the country was breathtaking

Quality of Experience

Feeling embraced by a culture Paola is an exceptional coordinator and host can't thank her enough

Food

Everything

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Saraguro Community & Transfer to Cuenca

Ecuador

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guides in Amazon rain forest were amazing , very caring and helpful throughout.

Hotel Reviews

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Napo Cultural Center

Quito

The food was amazing . The items that were served were never repeated . Staff was very courteous

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The facility was very clean

M/C Treasure

San José de Conocoto Quito

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrival in Quito - Transfer to Your Hotel

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival to Coca, transfer to rainforest lodge, rainforest hike

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a terrific trip. From a logistics perspective, everything ran very smoothly. The transfers were arranged and happened as they should. People met us when they were supposed to meet us. Everyone was friendly and lovely. Ariel answered all of my (many) questions quickly, accurately and with great patience. It never took more than 30 minutes to hear back from him no matter what time of day I sent my message. (I never expected him to answer at any time of day or night - I was just sending my questions as I thought of them). The only slight issue was that I have food restrictions and the chef on the boat didn't seem to know that. Once I brought it to their attention, he made sure that I had something to eat at every meal.

Jose was our guide in Quito and he was a pleasure - very knowledgeable and flexible. His English is excellent.
After Quito we were on the ship Anahi for a week in the Galapagos where Luis was our guide. I cannot commend the crew of the Anahi enough. Happy and friendly and very hard working. The boat was always sparkling clean, there were ample towels, they were snacks waiting for us when we would return from a hike or a snorkel. Everyone was very knowledgeable about the wildlife in the Galapagos and went above and beyond to ensure that we got the most out of our experience there.

Luis was a great guide - like everyone on the ship, he's local and that makes a big difference. He was also very knowledgeable and energetic. He did all the hikes and dives with us, even when he wasn't feeling well one day. He was available any time we needed him for anything and always smiling.

I would highly recommend using KimKim and sailing on the Anahi

Hotel Reviews

Patio Andaluz

Quito

The hotel was clean and lovely. It included breakfast which had lots of options. The staff were friendly and helpful and the location was very good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very central in the city - allowed for easy walking

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was very clean, the bed was comfortable, the shower was good. I was uncomfortable with the rosary and cross above the bed. Not all tourists are catholic.

M/C Anahi

Quito

Everything about this ship was great. It holds 16 passengers which is a great number for a trip like this. We were on and off the boat frequently so there was no waiting in line for a tender ever. We had 2 zodiacs and were able to embark and disembark in no time. There was a dining area for our meals, an indoor 'living room' near the dining area, an outdoor partially covered bar and sitting area as well as a lounge area up top. The lounge area could get very hot so we weren't up there much. The food was plentiful and good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It's a boat. No location

Staff

If I could give the staff ore than 5 stars I would. Happy, helpful. hard working. I can't say enough

Cleanliness & Comfort

The whole boat and our rooms were cleaned multiple times each day. We even saw the bartender Roberto taking down the dinner bell he rings to give it a good shine

Activity Reviews

Visit the "Middle of the World"

Galapagos Islands

This was very fun. All the 'experiments' on the equator. We also learned a bit about the indigenous population. Our guide spoke English fairly well but she spoke quickly and was hard to understand at times because of the accent.

Isabela Island: Las Tintoreras

Cruise Ship

The itinerary changed and we didn't actually go here.

Isabela Island: Wetlands

Cruise Ship

We hiked to Sierra Negra volcano which was amazing to see. The hike wasn't hard at all but it was about 6 km.

Isabela Island: Moreno Point

Cruise Ship

The panga ride to the nuke was amazing - we saw so many birds and lizards - marine iguanas, penguins, flightless cormorant, blue footed boobies, pelicans. The hike itself was a bit challenging. It was all irregular lava rock with lots of cracks and crevices. It was also very very hot up there

Isabela Island: Tagus Cove

Cruise Ship

Great snorkelling - awe saw sea turtles, penguins, sardine balls and a ton of fish. It rained very hard after the snorkel so our afternoon hike was cancelled as it was very steep and slippery after the rain and wouldn't have been safe, We watched a Disney movie about sea ions instead!

Santiago Island: Egas Port

Cruise Ship

The walk in the morning was fine. e saw a couple of fur seal pups but not much else. The snorkeling after that was amazing, Warm calm waters, tons and tons of fish - it was like swimming in an aquarium. We also saw sharks, sea turtles, flightless comerants swimming, marine iguanas eating.

Chinese Hat Islet

Galapagos Islands

More of the same amazing things - penguins, sea ions, giant sardine balls, blue footed boobies from the panga. We also went kayaking and snorkling. Again it was like being in an aquarium - so many fish, sharks, star fish etc

North Seymour Island

Cruise Ship

This island houses several icons Galapganian bird as well as many many sea lions. It did small a it like kitty litter because of that but there was so much to see

Isabela Island: Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center

Cruise Ship

It was interesting to see but I feel like it was all things we could have learned while seeing the tortoises out in the wild

Fernandina Island: Espinoza Point

Cruise Ship

this was a long walk over lava fields. The main attraction here was the marine iguanas although there were some seal ions and lots of Sally lightfoot crabs. There were hundreds and hundreds of marine igunanas and we learned a lot about them. We did some terrific snorkeling that same morning too

Quito City Tour

Galapagos Islands

Very interesting and it's always fun to learn about a new city and culture. There were just too many churches in the tour - lots of amazing architecture but too many

Isabela Island: Elizabeth Bay

Cruise Ship

We did a panga ride around the mangrove lagoons which was great. We saw a ton of wildlife there and the weather was perfect.

Isabela Island: Vicente Roca Point

Cruise Ship

Zodiak ride was great - saw some cool cliffs, caves and birds, The snorkelling was good too but to as good as some other spots. Later in the day we crossed the equator and got to go to the bridge to watch the latitude change to 0.0.0

Otavalo Market & Cuicocha Crater Lake

Quito

The market was fun as was seeing and learning about the cities and villages along the way. We had a short boat ride around the lake.

Rabida Island

Galapagos Islands

Beautiful island with red sand. We saw pink flamingos, did a fairly easy hike to a beautiful view. Sea lions playing at the shore line.

Day trip to Cotopaxi National Park

Quito

This was amazing but hard. The views are spectacular and it's a great sense of accomplishment to make it to base camp. But the air was thin for someone coming from sea level, even though we'd been in Quito for a few days by then. The walk u to base camp was hard work

Isabela Island: Urbina Bay

Cruise Ship

We did a short walk around the area - lots of giant tortoises and land iguanas. We learned a lot about both species. we also did a quick snorkel at the beach. There wasn't a ton to see in the water but it was nice and refreshing. There were some sea Lions, pelicans and iguanas on the beach

Bartolomé Island

Cruise Ship

Amazing snorkling - swam with sea lions

Quality of Experience

Santa Cruz Island: Highlands

Cruise Ship

So many Giant tortioses! And they're really big! The lava caves were also very cool

Ariel was incredible - always responsive, helpful, and there when we needed. Everything was well organized, from the pick ups at the airport or hotels, to the excursions themselves. Ariel created the perfect itinerary for my family based off what we were looking for. Would highly recommend using kimkim (and Ariel!!) if you’re looking for the perfect trip to the Galapagos!

Hotel Reviews

Old Town Quito Suites

Centro Historico, Quito

Great location and super unique hotel. Very nice and large rooms with a cool authentic feel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acacia Galápagos Boutique Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Beautiful hotel with a great breakfast. Perfectly located. Super clean with nice bathrooms and very comfortable beds. Staff was extremely nice! Would recommend!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

Activity Reviews

Snorkel at Los Túneles

Galapagos Islands

We snorkels in two locations - both were great. The first was through the tunnels themselves which was so cool and in the next we saw a TON of sea turtles, as well as a sea horse and reef shark. Darwin was an incredible guide. We also had a delicious lunch on the boat. My family’s favorite activity we did while in the galapagos. It was also nice because we left at 11:30 and returned by 5:30, so it didn’t take the whole day!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Darwin was awesome and super knowledgeable!

Transport

Excursion to an uninhabited island

Galapagos Islands

All day experience but so worth it! You will be on a very cool sail boat for about a 2.5 hour ride (both there and back). We were served a delicious breakfast and lunch. Snorkeling was great, as were the views from the top of the hike!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport