Odynovo Tours Co., Ltd

Christine designed a trip to South Korea that was filled with memorable discoveries. We started with tours of Gyeongju and Busan, led by Anthony Sung. Anthony had just passed his national travel guide exam and was very knowledgeable and friendly. He took us to burial mounds, museums, and temples in Gyeongju and drove us to Busan, where we saw the fish market (possibly my wife's favorite event of the trip), Gamcheon Village, and markets and towers and the coast. On Jeju Island, we were escorted by Jimmie Koh, the son of a sea woman diver who took us to watch these remarkable people in action. Jimmie accommodated our challenges as 60-something tourists in leading us up 500 steps to the top of Sunrise Peak, and he catered to my background in geology by showing us the largest lava tube in the world and columnar basalts on the coast. Next, Jade Kim took us to Haeinsa Temple near Daegu. That was my favorite temple in South Korea, and Jade expertly described its importance in the history - and present practice - of Buddhism. All of our guides took us to amazing restaurants, and we felt that we sampled a lot of different cuisines by the end of the trip.

I was most impressed that Christine managed to weave our trip within the constraints of a separate itinerary that my student created. We were able to meet my student and his family at the beginning of the trip and to attend his spectacular wedding at the end, and the kimkim trip meshed perfectly with that. Most important, at every transfer, the kimkim drivers and guides were there to meet us, and Christine responded quickly to every email request.

We had an amazing two week trip with our 18 year-old son to visit the highlights of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka/Nara and the Kumano Kodo trail. Our local specialist Winnie did a great job coordinating the complexities of transportation so that everything went smoothly, and her choice of guides, hotels, and activities were excellent. She checked in with us regularly, and I found the kimkim app to be very helpful with regards to communication and itinerary review. I was especially impressed with our local tour guides- all were outstanding/highly recommended (Yumi in Tokyo, Yoshiko in Kyoto/Nara, and Wada from the Wakayama local guide association for our hike of the Kumano Kodo trail). Can't wait to get back to Japan!

Activity Review

Full Day Tokyo City Tour

Tokyo

We had an exceptional guide (Yumi). Since this was our first visit to Japan, we really appreciated her expert knowledge and review of Japan's important history and culture as we visited all of the main historical/cultural sites in Tokyo. She also gave us additional very helpful suggestions for places to see later on our own in Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

the quality of the guide was outstanding

Guides, Drivers and Staff

highly knowledgeable, went above and beyond to explain things and offer additional suggestions for things to see and do

Transport

driver and guide were always punctual and notified/confirmed everything in advance (via whats app, which was easy)

We had an amazing trip thanks to kimkim and Christine, our local specialist. While I am a more seasoned traveler, my husband and our son are not. Having all of the transfers to and from hotels to the airport/train station was huge. We had two private tours, one in Seoul and one in Busan, and both experiences were excellent.

Jun was our guide is Seoul and started off our trip on the right foot. He knew exactly how to navigate the sights to give us the best experience, and even got me a discount on my purchase at Gwangjang Market.

Luke was our guide in Busan and was so informative and engaging, especially with our 12-year-old son. If we go back to Busan, I would love to go to more sights with Luke.

I would definitely recommend kimkim for anyone planning an international trip and Christine specifically for any trips to South Korea.

The trip was very well organized, seamless transitions, all transfers were timely, we never felt rushed, short of time or being late. Jessica was sending us messages with heads up before every event and/or transfer. The hotels were excellent and in great locations, right in the middle of the activities and sightseeing places. The tour guides Sebastian, Danny and Kim, did a great job. We spent long days with them. Excellent English, very nice presentations, and the fund of knowledge, perfect pace and very informative! We felt we were very well taken care of.
On a separate note, I booked this trip only three weeks before the actual departure date, so everything was sort of last minute. I was very impressed at how quickly kimkim managed to create a very nice itinerary and do all the booking. So, thumbs up to your whole team!

I wanted to thank Christine (planning), Hera (Seoul), and Luke (Busan), you made my family’s first trip to Korea an AMAZING experience! You are all so knowledgeable and helpful from pick up from the airport from the first day, I felt we were in great hands. Our local guides, added great touches to our experience and provided solid additions and suggestions to enhance our experience. I will definitely highly recommend to my friends and family your services.

I love working with KimKim - all of the specialists are very knowledgeable and helpful. My trips are much more enjoyable and less stressful when they have taken on the heavy-lifting of helping me organize and plan my trips.

Hotel Review

G2 Hotel Myeongdong

Seoul

Great hotel! Breakfast was great and the staff was helpful. Rooms were nice and AC worked great.

Authenticity & Character

nice interior - clean and simple

Location

close to Meyongdong street market and quiet

Staff

great staff - very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

cleaned daily

Activity Reviews

Full Day Korean DMZ Tour

Seoul

The tour guide, Sophia Kim, was amazing! I can't recommend this tour more!!! She is full of knowledge, very accommodating and just a delight! I would not hesitate to book with her again! This tour was the highlight of my son's trip!

Quality of Experience

My son loved this tour so much! the highlight of our trip!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

knowledgeable and very accommodating and helpful

Transport

good driver and great vehicle

Tokyo Night Foodie Tour in Shinjuku

Tokyo

Great tour! Loved the pace, the food and Jun was great - helpful, great English, accommodating and thoughtful.

Quality of Experience

Food

so grateful our guide was concerned about our dietary restrictions!!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Enjoy Temples & Bamboo Grove in Kyoto

Kyoto

Love the tour and tour guide - Taka!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Taka was great!

Transport

use of public transportation caused us not to be able to see the monkeys, which was one of the events we were most looking forward to. I would recommend using private transportation.