Ethical Travel Portal

As senior citizens traveling on our own (with too much luggage), this trip looked to be ambitious and arduous. I was anxious about our extensive in-country travel, with all the buses, trains, ships, planes. But it went smoothly, thanks to pretrip communications with Christina, maps she included in the itinerary, and because she booked us into nice hotels close to terminals. Bente in Lillehammer, Stig in Oslo, and John In Bergen were all excellent. We especially appreciated Bente's efforts to bring us to Øvre Ulland, the farm my great great grandfather came from in the 1850's. That was special. Our walk through Oslo with Stig was great. He was easy to talk to about life in Norway, current events, and we were able to effectively explore your beautiful capitol on our own afterwards. At City Hall on Sunday we visited with residents, many wearing their bunads, who were attending a weekly ceremony celebrating and welcoming young children. Three days was not nearly enough time for Oslo. Every part of the country we visited was spectacularly beautiful. We did the Norway in a Nutshell experience with a little hesitation (because we were going to be spending a week cruising with Havila), but we are very happy we did it. So beautiful! The cruise along the coast was lovely. All aspects were great, except for cloudy nights obscuring the Northern Lights. I guess we'll just have to come back and spend enough time away from the cloudy coast to see them. Spending 2 days in Tromsø and the excursion to the Sami reindeer family was also highlights. And the food was great! Minnesota is 1,500 km from the nearest ocean, so to be able to eat fresh seafood 3 meals a day - I was in heaven, gastronomically speaking. Overall, the trip of a lifetime for us. Many thanks, Christina!

Kim Kim Coordinator Tom Christer helped us put together and organize a nearly perfect 2 week trip in Norway. The accommodations were as advertised. They were comfortable, friendly, and always well located. The various elements of the trip such as train arrangements, city walking tours ( Guide John in Bergen was particularly good!), ferries, car rental, and taxi pick up were flawless. We especially loved the flower garden island and boat trip from Stavanger. Highly recommend without question! The driving route suggestions including hiking trail recommendations were perfect for our needs. We enjoyed Flam with the train ride and kayaking tour. A great day!
Tom was available to meet with us through Zoom several times prior to our departure from the US. His consideration and friendly personality were quite reassuring and he and other members of the Kim Kim team on the ground, were available and immediately responsive, the few times we had questions or sought information.
Norway is a stunningly, beautiful, easy to be in country of friendly seemingly happy people. It is a gem and we recommend, as we did, traveling there exclusively so it can be fully appreciated and explored.
Please consider for future reference, providing more specific directions, on arrival at Oslo Central Station to hotel accommodations. It is a bit overwhelming to arrive at a large station with seemingly dozens of exits. Also, since there are many Thon hotels the need for more specific directions would be helpful.
When we arrived in Bergen by ferry, we decided to walk from the dock to our hotel. This proved to be an interesting but arduous walk up and over steep cobblestone streets. We would recommend the short taxi ride.
While our all electric rental car ran beautifully, the need to secure charging, and paying for the charge was somewhat stressful at the time, but ultimately worked out well.
We’re not sure what happened with our first class train ride from Oslo to Stavanger, but halfway there we were required to de-train and complete the second half of the trip on what was a more local, less comfortable conveyance.
We particularly loved the hotel Ulansvagen. Awesome scenery, accommodation, history and food.
We also greatly enjoyed our stay at Bestabakken. The setting was gorgeous, the accommodation excellent. The owner – hosts were very nice and the guests who shared the family style dinners were interesting and fun.
The dining experience was beautifully presented and the food was good. Breakfast not great. I think potential guests for this place should be informed that the pre booked dinner with wine is quite expensive. Two nights’ dinners, for two people, was close to $600. It would be helpful prior to dinner for the host to inform guests that wine is extra. We fully enjoyed the experience, and/but the Bill was a bit salty.
In short, we could not be happier with all aspects of our trip. We look forward to future travel opportunities with Kim Kim. Shout out to Tom.
Joel B
Barb C

I had not heard of kimkim before starting to plan for our trip to Norway, so I was a little apprehensive. My experience could not have been better and it exceeded my expectations by far. I found the website online and after reading some of the good reviews (and endorsements by familiar companies), I typed in general thoughts about what kind of travel we enjoy, and some of the things we wanted to do. Anna, our specialist, sent back an itinerary that was a great first start, and within a week or so, we had it almost finalized. I was able to talk with her a couple of times to go through the plan carefully, and she tweaked some things based on feedback. I never felt like I was being forced to pick the most expensive choices, rather Anna was able to point out value where appropriate. She also responded to concerns and adjusted our plans accordingly (where I felt we might benefit from a car service, rather than public transportation, as an example).

Our trip had a few twists and turns, and was not straightforward (one person had to leave early), and we added one person after the trip had been planned, and Anna handled it with grace and a bit of humor. She went above and beyond to help me make it work within my budget, and we wound up with a spectacular experience all around.

The price of our trip did adjust upwards a couple of times, and while it was likely due to adding some things, I would make sure to make sure I know the final cost (and what is included) before I finalize a trip in the future. I will definitely plan on using kim kim in the future, though!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Continental

Oslo

5 star hotel with all of the expected amenities. Beds and rooms were very comfortable (but small). Breakfast was a highlight!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

One of them took the time to walk us to the train station so we wouldn't miss it.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Highland Lodge

Geilo

Very comfortable and clean. Small rooms, but nice to have common area, and the bakery was great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nice lake and hiking in the area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Svinøya Rorbuer

Svolvær

Very spacious, comfortable, beautiful views, great location.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful cabin in traditional style.

Location

Just a few minutes walk to town. Great location on the water.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Norge by Scandic

Bergen

Loved the upbeat atmosphere, and the rooms were very comfortable and relatively spacious. The breakfast was amazing - it would be impossible to try everything!

Authenticity & Character

Nice vibe - dj in the lobby was fun.

Location

Great location in the middle of everything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean and comfortable

Thon Hotel Oslo Airport

Gardermoen

Typical airport hotel. It was a bit worn, and could use a bit of a fresh coat of paint and carpet repair.

Authenticity & Character

It's a hotel airport

Location

Staff

Nothing lacking, but nothing beyond basic service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfortable, and room was clean.

Manshausen

Leinesfjord

Simply amazing! Breathtaking views and totally worth taking a detour to stay there. Everyone was very accommodating and because our unit wasn't rented, they were happy to let us have a late check out, so that we could explore the island until time for our ferry ride.

Authenticity & Character

Unique and wonderful.

Location

Breathtaking.

Staff

Very accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

lovely all around.

Activity Reviews

Explore Oslo's Hidden Gems with a Local Expert

Oslo

Loved Stig - very knowledgeable, and we really enjoyed our time with him.

Quality of Experience

Very knowledgeable, and he was very engaging and cared about our time in Oslo.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Not applicable - we walked, but it was a fun walk.

Explore Bergen with a Local

Bergen

John was a great guide. He was very knowledgeable about Bergen, and took the time to explain the history and to make sure we got a chance to see things that were of interest to us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Not applicable - we walked, but it was a good pace.

Private Lofoten Sightseeing Trip

Svolvær

Andrea was a highlight of our trip. We spent a full day touring with him, and we could have spent another day with him! He went out of his way to show us things. It was clear he loves the islands, and sharing his love of the area with others.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrea had a delightful personality, and clearly loves the out of doors and the environment.

Transport

Comfortable car.

Katie has been very responsive and helpful in planning our perfect trip. There were so many highlights from our trip. The Northern lights tour guides were knowledgeable and so much fun to spend the evening with watching the northern lights. Anastasia was fabulous. Our lodgings were perfect. All were so unique and easy access to everything we needed. They did a great job finding the right fit for our family. Our favorite place was the Norweigan Wild. Our glacier hike was a special memory. We had a personal guide who was knowledgeable and friendly. We were so thankful for his skills. Be prepared for a work out and bring a good backpack. Our captain for our Lyngen boat safari found the fishing spot and shared the history of the area. We had a wonderful meal of Coal Fish. Thank you KimKim!

Hotel Reviews

Vander Apartments

Oslo

Great location and beautiful apartments. Groceries are right next door. Great second hand store across the street

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Norwegian Wild

Vangsvik

Our favorite! The northern lights cabins were insta worthy. Can't describe the beauty from our deck and large windows. Northern lights dancing over head and hot tubs to relax after hiking. The owner is friendly and so helpful. The staff in the café made special pizza at our request. Breakfast was very generous. Location can't be beat for access to national park across the road

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mefjord Brygge

Mefjordvær, Senjahopen

Quaint town with a great location on the water. It was busy with fishing groups but never loud or a problem. It was fun to watch them come in and visit about their catch of the day. The location is close to hiking trails. Amazing views and northern lights from our deck.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Viking Cabins

Lyngseidet

Unique experience in beautiful cabins. Probably only needed one cabin for the whole family of 5. Owners are entertaining and helpful. Very generous with use of space and helped us with ingredients for our fish fry. Check out the handmade sweaters the owner makes. They are amazing. So special they were handmade

Authenticity & Character

Unique cabins with authentic craftsmanship

Location

Beautiful view and friendly sheep visit ofteb

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Ishavshotel

Tromsø

Great location. Comfy beds. Great view of the iconic Tromso sites. Northern lights outside the hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Glacier Hike in the Lyngen Alps

Norway

Wow what an experience

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Kayak Tour in Tranøybotn

Senja

Fun and peaceful

Aurora Safari Minibus

Tromsø

Anastasia was energetic and knowledgeable. She was so excited taking time to take pictures of us and explain the differences in viewing the lights in the artic oval

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver was hilarious. It was great that he shared stories from Sami people

Transport

Fjord Cruise - Sightseeing in the Lyngen fjord

Norway

Great guide. So funny. He was patient with me tangling the fishing line!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife & Fjord Safari by boat

Senja

Captain was great. Not alot of wildlife. Time of year wasn't right. Beautiful boat ride

Mathia was wonderful to work with. He explained trip in detail and anytime I had a question he would be available.

Thank you very much Mathia for an amazing itinerary!!!

After decades of planning my own travel, I tried KimKim on the recommendation of a friend. Mathia put together a great itinerary for us which included the unique and memorable experience of glamping on a fjord! The balance of planned vs unplanned time was just what we were hoping for and allowed us to research and incorporate a few extra stunning hikes.