Ethical Travel Portal

Just returned from a totally epic trip to Norway, planned with great care by our awesome specialist Linda. Linda service was nothing short of perfect. She listened to what we wanted to do during our visit, understood and respected our budget and planned a trip for us that maximized our dollars and used our travel days very efficiently. Without Linda's help I am certain that we would not have been able to see so much of the country in such a smooth and logical manner and would never have... read more

Just returned from a totally epic trip to Norway, planned with great care by our awesome specialist Linda. Linda service was nothing short of perfect. She listened to what we wanted to do during our visit, understood and respected our budget and planned a trip for us that maximized our dollars and used our travel days very efficiently. Without Linda's help I am certain that we would not have been able to see so much of the country in such a smooth and logical manner and would never have found the interesting, charming and cost efficient accommodations that she did. In addition that tours she planned were spot-on and unique to our family. I was really impressed with Linda's ability really get a sense of what we truly wanted out of the trip (i.e. to experience the "real" Norway, not a tourist version). We had so many wonderful experiences, but I would say the best was probably our stay in Aurland. Our accommodations were amazing (cabin overlooking the fjord) and our tour of the area with Mathilda was just amazing, and included a hike to a beautiful lookout and glassblowing with a local artist. Our tour through Bergen with David was equally awesome. He gave us a local's view of the "scene" in Bergen and had so many great recommendations for restaurants, kafe's, shop's etc. that were off the tourist-path. I think the best part of the tours were that both guides were lovely and engaging and happy to chat and share about what life is like in Norway. We also took the Hurtigurten which was really interesting and fun and ended our trip in Trondheim which is a simply beautiful, young, fun city. I think it is worth mentioning two very important things: 1) Linda really did a great job ensuring all of our booking and travel transitions were smooth and easy to follow, including arranging taxis and pick/ drop off and being considerate of train/boat/travel times to ensure we were not wasting time waiting or were stuck in one place with hours to kill and nowhere to go. 2) When there were a couple of (very minor) hiccups with hotel bookings, Linda was accessible, available to help and dealt with the issues immediately. It was very comforting to know that she was available to help during our travel. Well done Linda! Truly was a trip of a lifetime and my mother was so impressed and happy. Best, Katie

We had a fabulous trip to Norway, orchestrated by Ingrid.
She was patient, kind, responsive and so extremely helpful!
We would definitely do this again!

Our trip to Norway was great - helped in great measure by Ingrid, our travel advisor.

She helped us a lot in planning our itinerary - listened to what we were interested in and followed through with thoughtful suggestions. Once we decided on a trip plan, Ingrid made accommodation suggestions and then made the reservations. It was so helpful to have an agent from Norway who knows the country and helped us make excellent choices.

As to the trip itself, it was wonderful. The accomodations... read more

Our trip to Norway was great - helped in great measure by Ingrid, our travel advisor.

She helped us a lot in planning our itinerary - listened to what we were interested in and followed through with thoughtful suggestions. Once we decided on a trip plan, Ingrid made accommodation suggestions and then made the reservations. It was so helpful to have an agent from Norway who knows the country and helped us make excellent choices.

As to the trip itself, it was wonderful. The accomodations were excellent - we stayed the right amount of time at each place and the trip went without a hitch.

We started out in Oslo - what a wonderful city. We then went to the mountains around Lom. We stayed in an old wonderfully maintained hotel full of history. It was a great launching point for our hikes in the Jotunheimen national park.

Next, we went to the charming city of Alesund - stayed in another charming hotel and enjoyed the sites of the of the city including an amazing walk up to a lookout over the city - 500 plus steps and well worth it - suggested by the TI near our hotel.

Geiranger was our next stop - a beautiful location. Ingrid suggested we stay away from the bustle of the tourist town at a great hotel in Nordal - Petrines - probably our favorite of the trip. Geiranger fjord is beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Following Geiranger, we travelled to Aurland in stayed in the Aurland Fjord Hotel - another excellent accomodation. The Aurland area was our favorite fjord region. Ingrid lined up a Nærøyfjord cruise from Flam to Gudvangen which showed off the beauty of the fjord. We also took the train from Flam to Myrdal - also enjoyable.

Then it was back to Oslo - sad to end a great trip - met lots of interesting people - some travelers, some native to Norway and others who emigrated to the beautiful land.

The whole trip was wonderful - thanks Ingrid and kimkim.

Our wonderful trip to Norway went off without a hitch. Linda was knowledgeable, cooperative and flexible during the planning process. She was willing to Skype with us as well as communicate by E-mail. All the arrangements she made -- hotels, cruise ship, and other transport tickets -- were fine. She did as she was asked when we wanted to be near an airport or a train station. She was also very pleasant personally.

The only thing that might have been better is that a couple of the rooms... read more

Our wonderful trip to Norway went off without a hitch. Linda was knowledgeable, cooperative and flexible during the planning process. She was willing to Skype with us as well as communicate by E-mail. All the arrangements she made -- hotels, cruise ship, and other transport tickets -- were fine. She did as she was asked when we wanted to be near an airport or a train station. She was also very pleasant personally.

The only thing that might have been better is that a couple of the rooms were a bit below our usual standard (at 1 Scandic in Oslo, e.g., room was extremely tiny and there was no closet and -- amazingly -- no place to lay out clothing flat, as in a bureau or on shelves; our cruise cabin was directly behind a lifeboat, hence had no view). However, I suspect she was trying to minimize our cost (and cost was very reasonable). The lesson I have learned is that I should make clear if I want higher-grade accommodations.

All is all, a memorable vacation! I would recommend to other that they plan such a trip with Kimkim/Linda.

Vivian Berger

My Oslo tour experience was a great one. Thank you very much Ingrid for booking this at such short notice. I really enjoyed the long walk along the river because it was beautiful and quiet especially in the middle of a very busy city.

My guide, Stig, was very helpful in explaining the history behind the tiger for example close to the train station. Stig also shared facts about other things we saw and was of tremendous help in showing us around other places we needed to visit before we left for home. You guys are the best! Thank you:)

All of Ingrid's recommendations were terrific. We had a great experience! She even went above and beyond to give us directions at each site. The glacier hike at Folgefonna was amazing! But the highlight of our trip was a sunrise hike to Priekestolen. Driving around on our own was a great way to explore and see the "real" countryside... it's beautiful!
Thank you Ingrid!

It was pretty good but I had to check some details. Flemmet at Bergen did a good job too. We had a good time in Norway over all. Thank you for the arrangement.

Our guides in both Bergen & Tromso were excellent!
When we arrived into Bergen off our cruise ship Vilde was there with a huge smile and waving! She called up Ben who was waiting with the van and our luggage was taken care of with out any fuss.
Our walking tour was just right... We saw so much but at a leisurely pace. Enjoyed sharing the lovely City with a local.
Our guide arrived at our hotel in Tromso (sorry I cannot find the notes with her name ) and gave us an excellent over view of... read more

Our guides in both Bergen & Tromso were excellent!
When we arrived into Bergen off our cruise ship Vilde was there with a huge smile and waving! She called up Ben who was waiting with the van and our luggage was taken care of with out any fuss.
Our walking tour was just right... We saw so much but at a leisurely pace. Enjoyed sharing the lovely City with a local.
Our guide arrived at our hotel in Tromso (sorry I cannot find the notes with her name ) and gave us an excellent over view of Tromso and then tailored our walk to suit or interests. We enjoyed it all very much
Thank you to both guides and to Linda for the arrangements!

Wonderful trip, Ingrid was fantastic with all details, hotels, and guiding us to make a schedule that made sense for our various driving trips. Highlights were definitely the driving trips to Geiranger - Trollstigen and the Gamle - Strynefjellsevegen roads.

Ingrid did a phenomenal job helping to plan and book our trip. Even when we changed our plans multiple times, she was able to quickly adapt to our changes and come up with constructive solutions.
She knows her country very well, so was able to advise us on the best travel plans, since we were traveling with a child and elderly parents.

Ingrid did an amazing job helping us plan our trip. She was very responsive to all our questions and always made sure she was available.
Even during our trip she provided us suggestions for restaurants and axtivities to do

Thanks you Ingrid

Linda, Vilde, and Julie collaborated to create a wonderful experience for me in Norway for 5 days on a budget of $1000. I managed to see the sights without being overwhelmed by a packed schedule. I love relaxing for an afternoon in Flam and the ferry ride from there to Bergen was probably the highlight of my trip. The only downside to my trip was that the timing of transportation somewhat limited what I could do in terms of activities in each city. I would get to a city with limited time to... read more

Linda, Vilde, and Julie collaborated to create a wonderful experience for me in Norway for 5 days on a budget of $1000. I managed to see the sights without being overwhelmed by a packed schedule. I love relaxing for an afternoon in Flam and the ferry ride from there to Bergen was probably the highlight of my trip. The only downside to my trip was that the timing of transportation somewhat limited what I could do in terms of activities in each city. I would get to a city with limited time to explore in the evening and only have a little time in the morning before I had to be at a train station. That said, the amount I got in given that I only had 5 days was definitely enough. It also left me spending less than I expected on activities leaving me with a bigger-than-expected food budget, which was great, because I could spend more exploring all the great food in Norway!
Overall, my experience booking through KimKim took almost ALL the stress out of planning the trip. My guides were extremely helpful in providing detailed information, even helping me track down which buses to take, maps of routes to/from train stations, etc. All I had to do was show up in a city and find something fun to do! Next time I plan a trip I will probably be coming back to KimKim, and will just keep an eye to arrival/departure times (maybe see if I can't do overnight trains and such)

Our recent trip to Scandinavia was wonderful! Ingrid, from Ethical Travel Portal, did a great job of helping us find the right balance between city and rural travel in our trip to Norway, Sweden and Finland. Before we found kimkim, all the options we were provided by travel agents were "canned tours" which were really just packages to save money on air/hotel travel with bus-type sight-seeing tours. In comparison, Ingrid helped us figure out a plan of cities and villages that let us explore... read more

Our recent trip to Scandinavia was wonderful! Ingrid, from Ethical Travel Portal, did a great job of helping us find the right balance between city and rural travel in our trip to Norway, Sweden and Finland. Before we found kimkim, all the options we were provided by travel agents were "canned tours" which were really just packages to save money on air/hotel travel with bus-type sight-seeing tours. In comparison, Ingrid helped us figure out a plan of cities and villages that let us explore a few countries in Scandinavia over 17 days without feeling rushed.

She was clear up front that her expertise was mostly in Norway, but she still helped us find well-located hotels in Helsinki and Stockholm. We were happy with both choices in those cities.

We typically don't like tours in cities, preferring to explore on our own. However, we had such a great morning tour in Bergen with Ingrid herself, that we arranged one with Stig in Oslo that we enjoyed very much. These tours were informal discussions while we walked around parts of the city we'd never find on our own.

I also really liked the process with kimkim, where we could chat on the site as we honed in our schedule and different choices for each place. Ingrid was very patient with all our changes as we made our plans and helped us while we were in Norway to make some last-minute adjustments.

We couldn't have been happier with kimkim and Ingrid at Ethical Travel Portal and would use both for future vacations, if they serve the country we'll be visiting.

I just got back from Bergen, Norway. Ingrid Thornes arranged my excursions. She was knowledgeable and kept in constant contact as we were planning the trip. She guided my hike and city tour. The kayaking tour was very easy to do. Don't miss it. Also recommend the Fjords boat rips.
I had a very pleasant stay in Bergen.
Kimkim is a reliable company. I felt safe and relaxed, especially since I was travelling solo.
I will definitely use them again.

From start to finish, Ingrid provided exceptional service. She carefully listened to my list of criteria and dutifully created an itinerary that suited all my needs. We worked collaboratively to refine the trip as my interests shifted, and I ended up with the trip of a lifetime: 4 days of kayaking and camping in the Lofoten Islands of Norway. For anyone looking for travel guidance in Norway, I highly recommend Ingrid.

Lofoten Aktiv -- the company that led the kayaking trip -- was equally... read more

From start to finish, Ingrid provided exceptional service. She carefully listened to my list of criteria and dutifully created an itinerary that suited all my needs. We worked collaboratively to refine the trip as my interests shifted, and I ended up with the trip of a lifetime: 4 days of kayaking and camping in the Lofoten Islands of Norway. For anyone looking for travel guidance in Norway, I highly recommend Ingrid.

Lofoten Aktiv -- the company that led the kayaking trip -- was equally outstanding. My guide, Christian, was absolutely phenomenal. His passion and skill for outdoor tripping were immediately apparent as he showed us the local area. He thoughtfully took the group's goals into consideration when planning the trip to make it a resounding success. Jann, who owns the company, has been a pioneer in this industry and takes pride in providing high quality experiences for all his quests. He is a native of the Lofoten Islands and possesses a deep knowledge of the area. For those adventurers looking for a rustic experience in the most beautiful environment, I highly recommend booking with Christian, Jann, and Lofoten Aktiv.

We had a large family group of 12 people that traveled to Norway on a custom trip to see both north and south Norway. Out trip included trains, buses, ferries and flying. Some of the travel logistics were complicated but it all worked out great. Ingrid at Ethical Travel Portal was very responsive and designed a great trip for us.

Ingrid was amazing to work with! She created an amazing trip for my son and I and planned fun activities for us to engage in. I, personally, loved kayaking on the fjord and would highly recommend this activity for others. My son hiked Trolltunga, and although a very difficult hike, if you are physically prepared for this hike it is a must! Ingrid did a great job of organizing travel, hotels and activities for us and provided all itineraries, ticket, and maps to get us to where we needed to... read more

Ingrid was amazing to work with! She created an amazing trip for my son and I and planned fun activities for us to engage in. I, personally, loved kayaking on the fjord and would highly recommend this activity for others. My son hiked Trolltunga, and although a very difficult hike, if you are physically prepared for this hike it is a must! Ingrid did a great job of organizing travel, hotels and activities for us and provided all itineraries, ticket, and maps to get us to where we needed to go.

One additional note, our luggage was lost at the airport and Ingrid went out of her way to help us with the airport to help us reunite! Ingrid was a blessing :)

Thank you so much for creating such a memorable trip for us!

Our family's trip to Norway, with the help of Linda, Wilda, Samuel, Stieg, and all the folks at kimkim, was truly amazing. What Linda arranged for us to do and see, the intelligence of all our connections and the appropriateness of all our activities to our interests, made for a wonderful vacation. None of us will ever forget it. Our 3 mountaintop hike, the cabin on the water in Aurland, hiking around Aurland, the fjords, the history as well as the place, our hike to the goat farm, our... read more

Our family's trip to Norway, with the help of Linda, Wilda, Samuel, Stieg, and all the folks at kimkim, was truly amazing. What Linda arranged for us to do and see, the intelligence of all our connections and the appropriateness of all our activities to our interests, made for a wonderful vacation. None of us will ever forget it. Our 3 mountaintop hike, the cabin on the water in Aurland, hiking around Aurland, the fjords, the history as well as the place, our hike to the goat farm, our railway trip, and the sights, museums and coffee in Oslo -- I only wish we had had more time. Thanks so much to kimkim. What an incredible service!

Dear Ingrid and Kimkim
Why there are only five stars in rating? I deeply appreciate your help in planning, booking my short 10-day trip to Norway. Found myself to be very lucky to discover Ingrid and Kimkim. It turned out to be most fabulous trip. Weather was excellent as well.

My wife and I have been travelling abroad for the sightseeing at least twice a year for last 20+ years. We take ride in designing the itinerary and make the booking ourselves. This was rare exception. Here also... read more

Dear Ingrid and Kimkim
Why there are only five stars in rating? I deeply appreciate your help in planning, booking my short 10-day trip to Norway. Found myself to be very lucky to discover Ingrid and Kimkim. It turned out to be most fabulous trip. Weather was excellent as well.

My wife and I have been travelling abroad for the sightseeing at least twice a year for last 20+ years. We take ride in designing the itinerary and make the booking ourselves. This was rare exception. Here also I planned to join the itinerary made by my friends.

However Ingrid was so good, so resourceful and helpful, after getting her quick prompt replies, I could not let her go and not take her She help. She precisely made all the bookings at the hotels, excursions, train, ferry tickets consistent with bookings done by my friends with no error or mix up. She was excellent in understanding all requirements, changes and communication via e-mail as well as phone calls. She has very good command over English. In writing and speaking. She managed to get all the bookings where my friend original travel agent could not. She was very resourceful, insightful and prompt with absolutely no pressure. She provided me additional contacts when needed. She was frank to inform me of the areas (like Stockholm) where she was not most familiar. Few days later my son joined me for the driving tour. The whole trip was very smooth and without any glitches. She and Kimmkim were very price competitive as well and I did not have to concerned at all about the cost of the agent’s services.

Ingrid provided her phone number, e-mail and was in constant communication with me during the trip as needed. I got a chance to meet her in person at Bergen. Very smart, warm, friendly young lady. I felt like having a local young personal friend.

Norway was stunningly beautiful. I will be posting pictures and write-ups at my blog TusharInIceland.blogspot.com in coming days. I do wish to visit Norway again with my wife with alternative driving trips and areas in north like Lofoten Islands, North of Alta, Svalbard etc. with my wife. I will also consult kimkim for future trips to Vietnam and Nepal..

Kimkim specializes the travel with local travel agent who know the place and culture well. Maybe Kimkim can consider an expansion of “meal with local family” (done by Trafalgar) or cultural event like wedding or trip on special events like constitution day for the travelers interested in the cultural tourism. Highly and strongly recommend Ingrid and Kimkim.

Our Norway trip was incredible and absolutely spectacular! Alesund is a very beautiful town with great seafood and views, and the fjords and natural scenaries in Trollstigen, Geiranger, and Fjærland were breathtaking and unparalleled to many other places I’ve been! Hotels were really nice with great amenities and views. Our trip would not have happened without our local specialist Ingrid’s awesome service. She is attentive, informative, and supportive end-to-end, from initial planning to... read more

Our Norway trip was incredible and absolutely spectacular! Alesund is a very beautiful town with great seafood and views, and the fjords and natural scenaries in Trollstigen, Geiranger, and Fjærland were breathtaking and unparalleled to many other places I’ve been! Hotels were really nice with great amenities and views. Our trip would not have happened without our local specialist Ingrid’s awesome service. She is attentive, informative, and supportive end-to-end, from initial planning to adhoc support throughout the trip and we ended the trip with a nice personal touch, i.e., grabbing lunch with Ingrid at a nice local cafe in Bergen. Thanks Ingrid for your detailed planning and support, and for making this trip memorable for us!

We were pleased with all parts of the trip. All the guides were accommodating and interesting, they all helped with interests and attention span of the young children of our group. The hotels were located in convenient locations, easy walks to and from trains and ferry. Linda had great ideas for us and put it all together....even delivered train and ferry tickets to us. The mini bus tours were perfect, just long enough for families and to places hard to reach other ways. All members of my family were pleased with the trip and the pace of the trip

The whole trip was amazing and this will go in the list of the best holidays I have ever done. The trip was well organised and detailed, down to the time in which I had to catch a train or a bus. This was most helpful. The stay at the three mountain hotels/huts (Haugastol, Geiterygahytte and Osterbo) was most pleasantly surprising. I was expecting something rougher, but rooms and food especially were amazing. Same for the Ronda Hoyfjellshotell in the second to last day. Our preferred spot was... read more

The whole trip was amazing and this will go in the list of the best holidays I have ever done. The trip was well organised and detailed, down to the time in which I had to catch a train or a bus. This was most helpful. The stay at the three mountain hotels/huts (Haugastol, Geiterygahytte and Osterbo) was most pleasantly surprising. I was expecting something rougher, but rooms and food especially were amazing. Same for the Ronda Hoyfjellshotell in the second to last day. Our preferred spot was in Kalvag. We loved it and we may go back there as it was a real paradise.

Linda was super helpful in designing the holiday and in creating the itinerary. She was patient with the changes I asked her to do and was very responsive.

The only suggestions for improvement are:
- the hut suggested for stop in the second hiking day (Stein Bergdal) did not appear to be open to the public. Other hikers stopped there but ended up eating outside on the grass like us. I think it needs to be clear that there are no hospitality places where one can stop. It helps setting up the right pace and mindset at the beginning of the hike
- all the hiking times are excluding stops and probably it is better to specify it
- the hike on the third day was too optimistic and strongly not recommended by the staff in the hut where we stayed overnight. It was possible to do it with no stops and no time for contingency, but it also required leaving at 8 am. Breakfast only gets served from 8! so we shortened it and we took the bus earlier in a spot suggested by the staff in Osterbo
- the overview of Bergen was good and with interesting insights in the culture. I would have probably cut a bit certain areas less interesting and added the bit around the old harbour. Also, I would have liked to hear more about the history. There was no coffee and cake :-(

Overall I thought Ethical Travel Portal was great and I would recommend them to friends. I would recommend Linda to anyone who wants to go to Norway.

Amazing trip - Norway is incredibly beautiful! The trip was amazing - perfectly planned to see the countryside. Linda was responsive and customized our trip perfectly.

Ingrid's help planning this trip was incredible! We told her what our interests were, she made suggestions, then adapted them to specifically meet our needs! She was patient with any changes we had! It was nice to know she was there if we had a specific question! We spent the first week of our Norway adventure renting a car and traveling the Kimkim trip that Ingrid planned and the second week on a Holland America Fjord cruise. The land trip Ingrid planned was by far our favorite part! ... read more

Ingrid's help planning this trip was incredible! We told her what our interests were, she made suggestions, then adapted them to specifically meet our needs! She was patient with any changes we had! It was nice to know she was there if we had a specific question! We spent the first week of our Norway adventure renting a car and traveling the Kimkim trip that Ingrid planned and the second week on a Holland America Fjord cruise. The land trip Ingrid planned was by far our favorite part! We were immersed in the beauty, experienced the culture, food, and landscapes of Norway, and traveled at our own pace! We especially loved the Hotel Utsiken in Geiranger - sitting on the balcony drinking a delicious local beer, we counted 11 waterfalls around us (we could hear them rushing!), and had the most breathtaking view of the Fjord! In addition, we loved the Trollstigen road and staying in Kalvag, a small fishing village, for 2 nights was so relaxing! The fish dinners there were just phenomenal! You should have see the view from our hotel window in Fjaerland - right ON the fjord - I was just in awe at the gorgeous setting - WOW!! We stayed in Stryn one night and drove out to one of the glaciers - what a spectacular scenic drive!!! As a photographer, I was overwhelmed with this trip!! We have even talked about coming back for 2 weeks of travel to see more of Norway! Thank you Ingrid and Kimkim! You are highly recommended - we could not have done such good planning all on our own!

Amazing Experience!

We organized a short 4 day trip, courtesy Ingrid from the Kim kim team.

Remain amazed by the fabulous service levels on display, especially when it came to acquiescing to our requests for changes/amendments/plans, in line with our sensitivities and special considerations. Top notch!

Our trip included Geilo, Bergen, Oslo. Would like to come back again sometime soon (hopefully)

Highly recommend:
- a trip to Norway;
- under the aegis of Kim kim
- handled professionally by expert staff like Ingrid.

Linda helped us plan a trip through Norway that was a nice overview with a few touches just for us. We did the usual things of seeing Bergen, taking ferry trips on the fjords, riding the train to Flam, and even hopped on the Hurtigruten for a few days. These were really lovely. We loved best our time in Tromso and our car trip in the Lofoten Islands. It was a great solution to get us out of the crowds and into nature, which is always what we prefer. Well done Linda. The stay at Eliassen Rorbuer was a special treat.

We had a great vacation in Norway! Ingrid was very helpful throughout the entire planning process and also during our trip.

Thank you Linda Verasdal, our trip planned by you was amazing, so well organised for us, so easy to follow.
Highlights for us was Flam Railway breathtakingly beautiful. We loved Balestrand enjoyed the kayaking and hiking amazing views to town. Cruise on Naeroyfjord was surreal.
Accommodation was easy walking distance from train.

Dear Ingrid and kimkim, Tom and I appreciated your planning of our Scandinavian trip this year. Ingrid, your suggestions and fine-tuning help to structure our trip so we were able to enjoy new experiences and culture that was absolutely fresh to us. Ingrid, From structuring the best way for us to travel to numerous contacts with Tom to polish our itinerary to prompt responses whenever we had a question you were patient, friendly, kind and reliable.

We were happy, well fed, and well... read more

Dear Ingrid and kimkim, Tom and I appreciated your planning of our Scandinavian trip this year. Ingrid, your suggestions and fine-tuning help to structure our trip so we were able to enjoy new experiences and culture that was absolutely fresh to us. Ingrid, From structuring the best way for us to travel to numerous contacts with Tom to polish our itinerary to prompt responses whenever we had a question you were patient, friendly, kind and reliable.

We were happy, well fed, and well housed. We could get around very well using public transportation. Ingrid, your warm welcoming tour of Bergen was just what we needed to help us get our feet on the ground and learn so many new things about amazing beautiful Bergen. We loved our fjord cruise and were happy to stay in Aurland, which was gorgeous. We were relieved that we hadn’t pushed to stay in Flam which was essentially a group of souvenir shops punctuated by bakeries. Really good bakeries.

While in Aurland, the prices were very high in the restaurant which had no competition and served badly cooked food. We thoroughly enjoyed the magical train ride from Flam to Oslo. ( Such Beauty!) Sarah was a splendid guide in Oslo, kind and so well informed. She was very responsive to our specific interests and was so knowledgeable about Oslo; its history and present. The ferry to Denmark and our stay in Copenhagen was also excellent. Stockholm was a total surprise for its amazing city square and museums.

After being home for one week, we can appreciate the cultural aspects at a deeper level: near-universal English being spoken, often with no discernable accent, the tolerance of people in all countries to any need we might have. I loved especially that atmosphere of reverence toward the past and the sense of history that seemed to co-exist with the present.

We highly recommend Ingrid Thornes as a trip planner and guide. Sarah in Oslo was an excellent, personable guide. We were very satisfied kimkim is a terrific travel service. We will happily return for future travel.

In Gratitude and Satisfaction,
Best,
Tom and Susan

Linda planned the perfect trip for us. The hotels were all carefully chosen to be within an easy walk of trains and ferries and fully met our expectations. Linda’s local knowledge ensured that we had just the right amount of time in each place. Her recommendations were spot on. Local guide Wilde in Bergen gave us an interesting and personalised tour which was infinitely better than the usual city walking tour experience. Lofoten Islands were an absolute treat. Lone at Westerålen is the most... read more

Linda planned the perfect trip for us. The hotels were all carefully chosen to be within an easy walk of trains and ferries and fully met our expectations. Linda’s local knowledge ensured that we had just the right amount of time in each place. Her recommendations were spot on. Local guide Wilde in Bergen gave us an interesting and personalised tour which was infinitely better than the usual city walking tour experience. Lofoten Islands were an absolute treat. Lone at Westerålen is the most delightful,warm and welcoming hostess. This experience has inspired us to come back and see more of Norway and we will definitely use Kimkim again.

We have just returned from an amazing 9 day trip to Norway which has been truly one of the most memorable family holiday's we've had.

KimKim connected me with Ingrid, a Norwegian specialist in Bergen. She listened to what we were looking for and created a unique trip that met the different requests of my husband, myself and my two children. Not only did she save me hours of research, but she managed the hotel bookings, train and ferry tickets and provided recommendations of things to do and... read more

We have just returned from an amazing 9 day trip to Norway which has been truly one of the most memorable family holiday's we've had.

KimKim connected me with Ingrid, a Norwegian specialist in Bergen. She listened to what we were looking for and created a unique trip that met the different requests of my husband, myself and my two children. Not only did she save me hours of research, but she managed the hotel bookings, train and ferry tickets and provided recommendations of things to do and places to eat. Her organization enabled us to experience Norway independently but without the feeling that we were all on our own. I contacted her a couple of times while we were on our trip and she answered my questions and provided guidance quickly and efficiently. It was super to meet up with her personally in Bergen where she gave us a fascinating tour of her hometown.

Cannot complain about anything! Really was an incredible experience.

Our trip to Norway was all that we had hoped it would be and more! Thank you Linda for doing such a great job of making all our dreams into reality! We travelled to many places that are not necessarily on most tourist’s destination lists because we were searching for ancestral roots. This meant that the modes of travel and accommodations changed nearly daily requiring careful planning on Linda’s part to make sure we were able to get where we wanted to go in as economical a manner as... read more

Our trip to Norway was all that we had hoped it would be and more! Thank you Linda for doing such a great job of making all our dreams into reality! We travelled to many places that are not necessarily on most tourist’s destination lists because we were searching for ancestral roots. This meant that the modes of travel and accommodations changed nearly daily requiring careful planning on Linda’s part to make sure we were able to get where we wanted to go in as economical a manner as possible! We found her very easy to work with and very responsive to any communications by email. We had a detailed itinerary and every ticket and/or voucher in hand before we ever left home and all the information was correct and current. I’ve already recommended KimKim and Linda to several friends.

My husband and I had a wonderful trip planned to Norway. Unfortunately, we had to cancel due to my husband's health. Despite this, I would highly recommend Ingrid and kimkim. The messaging platform with Ingrid and with the central office worked seamlessly. Ingrid responded so quickly to our questions. She went out of her way to find out about luggage storage, unrelated to this trip and was flexible with changes. I think the trip she planned would have been fantastic. Hopefully we can go to Norway in the near future.

I worked with Ingrid who was based in Norway and she was great. She even met us for a hike in her hometown of Bergen. I would highly recommend KimKim to anyone who is planning a trip and wants the expertise of those living in the area.

Ingrid would get more stars if you offered that option.
Having just returned from 2 weeks in Norway arranged by Ingrid at Ethical Travel I can write an informed review. Ingrid, you are fantastic! The KimKim web portal works very smoothly and makes planning efficient and easy. You are attentive, detail oriented, personable, optimistic, very knowledgeable about Norway, flexible, accommodating, responsive, creative. And, you have a high power to weight ratio as we learned on our walking tour of... read more

Ingrid would get more stars if you offered that option.
Having just returned from 2 weeks in Norway arranged by Ingrid at Ethical Travel I can write an informed review. Ingrid, you are fantastic! The KimKim web portal works very smoothly and makes planning efficient and easy. You are attentive, detail oriented, personable, optimistic, very knowledgeable about Norway, flexible, accommodating, responsive, creative. And, you have a high power to weight ratio as we learned on our walking tour of Bergen. You are extraordinarily customer service focussed. The most telling example of this is when we texted you late on a Saturday afternoon that the hotel we were checking into did not have operable air conditioning and was uncomfortably hot. You not only helped make arrangements for a different hotel, you interrupted your personal activities to meet us in the lobby of the hotel to attend to the details. I can give Ingrid, KimKim and EthicalTravel my highest recommendation. FANTASTIC!!!!

James Flax, MD, MPH, DLFAPA

Fantastic experience. I am a last minute planner and Ingrid was exceptionally patient and helpful. Helped arrange a great tour, was available for last minute changes and was always on top of things.

Highly recommended!

We had an amazing time in Norway. Ingrid was great with organising the whole trip and was very knowledgeable. She was always very prompt with responses.

Would highly recommend.

Alta was my favorite part of the trip, especially dog sledding!! The hotel we stayed at in Alta was great and had an amazing breakfast buffet. The tours we took were a lot of fun and allowed us to view as much of Norway as possible in the small amount of time we had. We did two dog sledding trips, went ice fishing/snow shoeing, RIB boat on the Fjords in Flam, and more. Ingrid did a great job listening to what we wanted to do and helped plan a trip that was really memorable. I can't wait to visit Norway again!!

We had a fantastic time on our trip to Norway. The highlight for me was definitely the two days of dog sledding in Alta. We had two fantastic guides - Elaine the first day, who was very experienced, friendly and helpful, and explained everything we needed to know very clearly, and shared lots of great stories and knowledge about all the dogs and her experiences with them. I loved how they really let us do everything ourselves too, after they gave us some instruction, so we got to walk... read more

We had a fantastic time on our trip to Norway. The highlight for me was definitely the two days of dog sledding in Alta. We had two fantastic guides - Elaine the first day, who was very experienced, friendly and helpful, and explained everything we needed to know very clearly, and shared lots of great stories and knowledge about all the dogs and her experiences with them. I loved how they really let us do everything ourselves too, after they gave us some instruction, so we got to walk around the yard and find the five dogs assigned to each of our teams, meet them and get comfortable with them, then we got to harness and hook them up to the sled ourselves. That made it way more rewarding than if they had done everything for us. Our guide the 2nd day was not as experienced with teaching tourists the ropes, but her personal story was incredible (she is only 18, and is the youngest person to ever complete the Finnmark race, which is the northernmost and second longest dog sled race in the world at 1200km), and we had a great time with her as well. The actual experience of dogsledding was one of the coolest things I have ever done, it was amazing, and I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed it.

The first day we also visited the ice hotel in Alta (recommended by the cook from lunch), which was incredible. The ice sculptures and carvings in the walls were unbelievable. Even if you don’t stay there, anyone who visits Alta really needs to check this out!!!

Since we had some time the second day in Alta, we booked an ice fishing/snow shoeing excursion through the same company that did our northern lights outing, and I would highly recommend them as well. Our guide Rolf (and his trusty dog Javri) took us on a beautiful forest hike (on snow shoes) to a lake called Kvenvannet, nestled in the snowy mountains, where he showed us everything we needed to know to try to catch fish in a lake that was about a meter of solid ice with another half meter or so of snow on top. I did catch a small trout, which was pretty exciting. He then made us an awesome lunch of salmon and vegetables cooked over the fire. Which reminds me - you Norwegians know your food! We did not have a disappointing meal all week. The breakfast spread at the Thon hotel in Alta was phenomenal, and the staff there was great as well. I wish we had good bread everywhere in America like you seem to there! The meals we had at the dog sledding place and the northern lights place were both delicious, two very different style soups with local fish and vegetables, and of course really good bread.

The northern lights tour was great, but unfortunately it was pretty much completely overcast the entire time, so we did not get a chance to see them, but we still enjoyed ourselves. I guess we’ll just have to make a trip back!

The 2nd half of the week was great as well. We had an awesome time exploring Bergen, we had beautiful sunny weather when we were there, and we had a great dinner at the restaurant attached to the fish market. After dinner we took the funicular train up to the mountain overlooking Bergen and the fjord where we saw the sunset which was beautiful.

The train rides from Bergen to Flåm were great, and the views were gorgeous. The fjordsafari tour on the RIB boat was really fun as well. They gave us plenty of extra layers so we all stayed pretty warm except maybe the bottom half of my face, I guess I needed a scarf, but our guide (I forget his name) was great, the ride was smooth, we stayed totally dry, and he did a great job of stopping and telling us all about the fjords, the mountains, and the villages all along them. We got a great lunch afterwards at one of the cafes in Flåm before our train ride back to Oslo.

Kevin and Betsi took off that morning, but Cyndi and I had one last day in Oslo where we went cross country skiing at Oslo Winter Park which was great fun and great exercise (we had both downhill skied before, but never cross country). We figured when in Norway might as well do as the Norwegians do!

We had such a great time, and I left Norway just wanting to come back again. Thanks so much for all your help in planning this incredible trip!

Great trip. Great guides. Better than we imagined. I'd do it again!

We had a fantastic memorable holiday experience in Norway. Both Tromso and Malangen were stunningly beautiful. The trips and the guides were excellent; we loved the dog sledding and the overnight Sami experience. The holiday was both adventurous and cultural; learning about the Sami people was fascinating and the environment and scenery were amazing.

We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on two occasions, both in Tromso., which is quite an experience!

We are very grateful to... read more

We had a fantastic memorable holiday experience in Norway. Both Tromso and Malangen were stunningly beautiful. The trips and the guides were excellent; we loved the dog sledding and the overnight Sami experience. The holiday was both adventurous and cultural; learning about the Sami people was fascinating and the environment and scenery were amazing.

We were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights on two occasions, both in Tromso., which is quite an experience!

We are very grateful to Linda, who arranged our holiday for us, she did a great job! The accommodation and food were first class.

We will be recommending kimkim to our friends. Thank you for a memorable experience.

Ingrid did an amazing job planning our trip and with our hike in Bergen. The hotels she picked were great - nice rooms, friendly service, and close to activities so that we could walk every where. She truly did a marvelous job. The companies she booked for the hike in Stavanger and the fjord tour and snow shoeing hike in Flam were great as well - professional, good equipment and full of information about the area.

Ingrid was quick at responding, understood what we wanted out of our trip and made the whole booking process very easy. I would definitely use Kim Kim again and would recommend it to others.

Really good planning. Enjoyed the activities arranged for us

KimKim and Linda are the way to go! We got the trip that we wanted, with expert advice along the way. For me the Fiords were absolutely enchanting, I could have lost myself in them. For Paul, the whales were the highlight.

We did not get to see the Northern Lights so we already figure another trip to Tromso. Besides it being magic, I got my hair cut there and love it!

Thank you

We had the most amazing time in Norway. Linda went above and beyond for us and customized the perfect trip for my husband and I and our two young sons (1 & 2). It is probably the best vacation we've ever had. Thank you, Linda!

Fantastic trip- we loved the reindeer sledding and Sami experience which we wouldn’t have thought of. Northern lights chasing was great, although small hitch when the bus would not start. Dog sledding camp and the lavoo were great, but there was confusion about whether or not we were driving or riding. We would also have liked to have more time dog sledding, as we were only out for about an hour. All of the providers were professional with small groups and great guides. We really liked the hotel, which had great free breakfast and was in a convenient location.

Linda was always quick to respond and listened to everything I wanted to do. The end result of the trip exceeded all of my expectations. Would definitely recommend!

Great accommodations! We saw northern lights 2/4 nights!!!! The weather was perfect we Loved the Hardergruten MSSpitsberg it was a great size great bed!! We added a guide for our day in Tromsø her name was Edle with Individual tours. She was fantastic all day too. We had a carefree adventure because of your help! Thank you so much

Linda made it all possible!!!! Sweet great response time No question was to small....

Great communication before leaving and during our stay.

Linda was excellent, she was on hand whenever I had a query. A landslide occurred whilst we were on the train and I knew a taxi would be waiting for us in Aurland, obviously we did not know what time we would be expected in due to the delays, however, Linda was on hand and continuously kept us updated and also updated the taxi and our accommodation that we were significantly delayed. Couldn't have asked for more.