Old Town Outfitters

Wonderful! Thanks to Chris and our guide Joel for putting together a great itinerary and shepherding us through a phenomenal trip. I traveled to Guatemala with 4 teenagers...who thought this might have been our best adventure yet. Chris and the team suggested a great itinerary, matched the level of adventure + downtime our group was into, were collaborative with adjustments, helped manage within our budget, and communicated well throughout. If we return to Guatemala, we'll work with Chris again....and I'll recommend him to friends.

From the first interaction, the experience was outstanding. I entered the basic ideas around the type of trip, I wanted to plan for me and my nine year old son. Alex took those basic ideas and shaped an unforgettable trip filled with adventure. I didn’t want to stay in “budget” hotels but certainly didn’t have the need to be at glamorous hotels either. Alex found the perfect balance! The hotels were beautiful, amazing staff, great restaurants onsite and amenities.

There were a couple of times that I even went back to Alex and mentioned some other ideas or tweaks we were interested in making to the itinerary. He helped us figure out those adaptations within budget. Alex was a fabulous partner at each stage before, during and after our trip.

Alex was unavailable to be our guide during the dates of our trip but he substituted his brother Viny, who was also fantastic. Although Alex was away from the office, he gave me a proactive heads up about Pacaya being unavailable. This was one of our primary goals for our trip so we were very concerned and were debating to postpone - just as we were getting ready to catch our flight out. Alex, his cousin and brother who all work for OTO, worked to get confirmation about whether we could go to Pacaya or not and how to make it happen safely. It gave us the confidence to continue with our trip and really appreciated their attention to it in short order.

Viny was such a friendly, warm and knowledgeable guide. Since this was supposed to be just a mom and son trip, my son was very concerned that a third person would be with us. The end of the trip my son said he missed a Viny and having a guide was a great idea! Viny made it very easy, taking charge to manage our timeline, transportation coordination with local guides, different sites and coordinating with hotel, concierge and restaurants. He really removed all of the administrative efforts for me so that I could focus on being with my son and enjoying our time together and experiencing Guatemala.

We went the zip lining, hiking Papaya and roasting marshmallows where Viny prepared a nice picnic, and kayaking at Atitlan, and went to Mayan Ruins. We were originally supposed to do more hiking, but my son was all hiked out, so Viny adapted our itinerary last minute so that we could go to textile and a cacao shop.

Then on our last night, Alex got a hold of me to alert me to a local event transpiring that roads were potentially going to be blockaded and we could get stuck potentially missing our flights the next day. I told Alex that I would prefer to leave Lake Atitlan that night and head to Guatemala City. He swiftly arranged transportation, and a safe and comfortable hotel stay in Guatemala City at no extra charge. We caught our flight the next day with no issues.

I’m so grateful for Alex’s attention to detail and genuine concern for us and our trip or we wouldn’t have known in real-time what was happening. I highly recommend Alex, Viny and OTO. This was my second time to Guatemala and we’re already planning the third trip. Definitely will be looking to use them again!

Hotel Reviews

Porta Hotel Antigua

Antigua Guatemala

Beautiful experience, great rooms, water filters amongst other amenities, staff offers high service level and the onsite restaurant is fantastic. I needed laundry done before leaving and the staff took it late in the day after the cut off and returned it to me that night. Highly recommended!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Atitlán

Panajachel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Zipline Adventure at Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our brief tour in Guatemala, arranged by Alex of Old Town Outfitters in conjunction with KimKim, was outstanding . In four days we visited Tikal and Lake Atitlán and surrounding Villages of San Jose and Santiago. We learned about the history of the areas and people who lived or live there as well as the flora and fauna.

At Tikal, we saw ancient Mayan Temples and dwellings.and our guide shared history. We saw several spider monkeys and birds. Our guide was knowledgeable about plants and how Mayans used them. He named birds for us.

At Lake Atitlán. we had a wonderful guide and helper for our two-day stay. Vinicio. our guide. was totally bilingual in spanish and english so everything at restaurants and accommodations were seamless.
My husband and I are birders; so we had a birding tour with Pablo Chumil, a premier birder in Guatemala. We were delighted to learn new birds .
In the village of San Jose, we we had educational demonstrations on bee-keeping and honey production, weaving and natural dye-making, and chocolate-making. In Santiago, Pablo Chumil, who is Mayan, told us about the blending of the Mayan and Christan religions and took us to a shrine that honors both.

We had excellent drivers who were always on time and made safe transfers.

Our accommodations and meals were good. The Casa del Mundo, perched in a cilff above Lake Atitlán was lovely . Unbeatable view of the lake and three volcanoes !

All in all, a great trip.

Just returned from an exciting 9 day mother/daughter trip to Belize! This is the second tour that I've booked through kimkim in the past two years, and again, it proved to be a wise choice and an east platform to use. Our local expert, Alex Coronado, with Old Town Outfitters based in Guatemala, was very personable and fun to work with. He listened to my suggestions and concerns, and made appropriate changes to the itinerary as needed. He was then very approachable and helpful while we were en route, making restaurant suggestions along the way.

One of my biggest concerns in advance with this trip was that the ground transportation go smoothly. Alex booked our transfers through the Belize Airport Shuttle Service (BASS), which proved to be wonderful! Lilia, a local BASS representative, met us at the airport upon arrival with a friendly, reassuring face and a big hug. She introduced us to our first driver and went over the itinerary. She then kept in touch with me through Whatsapp to make sure all the pick-up times went smoothly. We loved all of our drivers!

Most of our tours while inland at San Ignacio were booked through MayaWalk tours. They were wonderful to work with, and we thoroughly enjoyed all of our drivers and guides. Our first guide, Richard, to Mountain Pine Ridge was particularly knowledgeable about local flora and animals. Our second tour was a day-trip to the Tikal ruins in Guatemala, which I highly recommend to anyone considering a Belize trip. It's an enticing glimpse into the beauty of Guatemala. On the second part of our trip, out on the island of Caye Caulker, we used Black Hawk Tours for a full-day snorkeling excursion. Those guys were an absolute blast, and managed to find not one, but an entire group of 4 manatees for us!

Finally, the hotels were lovely and exactly matched to our preferences. The Falling Leaves Lodge, our favorite, in San Ignacio, had lovely jungle grounds, and a very warm, welcoming staff. We ate most of our meals at their restaurant, the Obsidian, and enjoyed happy hour cocktails each day from their bar. They have a brand new, absolutely lovely, pool, which we had all to ourselves most evenings.

I will continue to recommend friends and family to the kimkim model, and will also consider another trip to Guatemala through Old Town Outfitters!

Hotel Reviews

Villa Boscardi Belice City

belice

Nice B&B for the final night in the country. Lovely, clean room, and a wonderful breakfast the following morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Short drive from the water taxi and the airport. Also within walking distance of a great little restaurant called Smokeez, which one of our BASS drivers recommended.

Staff

Very friendly host for breakfast.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Falling Leaves Lodge

San Ignacio

Loved the small hotel charm, and cute cabanas. Very warm and welcoming staff, particularly the guys running the bar. We loved the food at their restaurant, the Obsidian, and ate most of our meals there. The grounds were lovely and peaceful, especially early in the morning when the birds were waking up. The brand new pool was a delight, and we got to enjoy it by ourselves most evenings.

Authenticity & Character

Very charming. Loved the small size. Staff were very friendly.

Location

Good views, and nice proximity to the Cahal Pech ruins.

Staff

Because of their small size, it was easy for them to get to know people. One of the groundkeepers noticed me bird-watching, for example, and gave me a local map of excellent bird watching sites.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very nice, clean, and comfortably cool room. Loved the large stone shower.

Activity Reviews

Guided Tour of Mountain Pine Ridge - full day

Belize

Loved our guide, Richard. He stopped at a small road-side bakery on the way and we got freshly made plantain chips. He then told us stories about the Mayan gods en route, and provided excellent tidbits about local flora and animals all day. Lunch that day was one of our favorite meals.

Quality of Experience

Food

We had beans/rice with jerk chicken. The chicken was some of the best we had the whole trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Loved Richard. Very knowledgeable guide, and fun to spend the day with.

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

San Ignacio

Wonderful glimpse into Guatemala. The border crossing was easy and fun. The ruins are spectacular. We saw lots of wildlife and beautiful trees as a bonus. Lunch en route was very good.

Quality of Experience

Very knowledgeable guide. There was another family with us on this tour, so it was fun to be part of a group.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Long drive, but a very comfortable and cool van.

Transfer from San Ignacio to Belize City with Cave Tubing Tour en Route

Belize

Very nice way to break up the drive back to the coast from inland. The cave and the river that ran through it were a wonderful relief from the heat. The water was crystal clear and very inviting to swim in.

Quality of Experience

Easily manageable as an addition to the drive back to the coast.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Juan was fabulous. We had him all to ourselves, so really got the VIP treatment.

Transport

Good timing. He managed to get us to the water taxi with plenty of time to catch an earlier boat.

Snorkeling Tour in the Belize Barrier Reef

Caye Caulker

The guys at Black Hawk were very fun and very skilled at finding wildlife in the ocean for us to see. We were very fortunate to get to see a group of 4 manatees.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of the Black Hawk guys were very funny and personable. Our boat driver, John, was very good at finding wildlife.

Transport

This was such a memorable trip! Kim Kim was a great interface through which to connect with Alex at Old Town Outfitters, who crafted an incredible itinerary according to the activities and learning that I was hoping for in visiting Guatemala. My guide for the historical tour (Dary) was so knowledgeable and friendly, and my guide for touring Lake Atitlan and Pacaya Volcano (Christa) was personable, attentive, professional, but also just so gracious and fun to hang out with! The drivers, too, were exceptional, and the accommodations were overall really tasteful. I can’t thank the team at Old Town enough for all their work and expertise, and for the kindness and genuineness they treated me with.

We just returned from an awesome trip to Guatemala that Chris and his team arranged for us. Chris took the time to meet us for coffee the morning after we arrived so we could ask any questions and discuss our plans for the week- super friendly and made us feel immediately comfortable! We spent two days exploring with Jerry, who was wonderful as well! We did a walking tour of Antiqua and learned so much with him! The next day, a hike up the Payca volcano, which was definitely a highlight for us. We moved on to Panajachel for a few days and explored the surrounding towns with Pablo- loved it! Ivan, our driver was always on time for our adventures and incredibly kind and accommodating. I think private transportation and guides was key for us being able to relax and absorb our surroundings. This is a trip we will never forget and I would highly recommend Old Town Outfitters to anyone planning to visit beautiful Guatemala!

Great time in Guatemala!

Matt was our specialist at the beginning of the process, but Alex Coronado took over our planning process when Matt had to do some guiding. Alex was terrific! Very responsive, friendly, and he provided excellent advice. He touched base with us frequently throughout the three weeks we were in Guatemala to ensure that we were enjoying the trip. We had to make some last minutes changes which he accommodated quickly and efficiently. Alex went over and above making sure we were well taken care of.

All of the guides were professional and knowledgeable about the areas we were visiting. The drivers were prompt and the cars were in good shape. There was one situation where a car broke down (could happen to anyone) and Alex and our guide arranged for another car very quickly.

All of the accommodation was very good and the food was excellent. As was the Guatemalan coffee.

Thanks to Alex and the KimKim team for making our visit to Guatemala very special!

Honestly dealing with Alex (the travel agent) is what made us decide to go to Guatemala. He made us feel safe and worked very well with us. We even got to meet him and his beautiful family while we were there. What I also really appreciated is him always being available on WhatsApp for questions and addressed any concerns that I had. He had us working with our favorite tour guide Christa who me and my wife got close to and learned to love Guatemala and the people of Guatemala because of her.

Seriously the whole team that we had was amazing from our agent Alex, our guide Christa, and our driver David.

Activity Reviews

Antigua Walking Tour

Guatemala

It was good but we would’ve liked to do it with our guide who was also with us on it.

Kayaking & Hiking Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Our favorite place!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christa was awesome

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

Guatemala

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

We had a great time with Tomas and Michael in Belize. The tour guide in Guatemala gave us a good suggestion to do the tour at 4 am instead of later in the day bcoz the temperature was very high ( 101) and that helped us a lot!
Overall a great experience!

Hotel Reviews

Black Rock Lodge

San Ignacio

Best experience ever! The staff is fantastic and the hotel is so close to nature- great way to disconnect!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location is beautiful but the 6/7 mile long road going to the lodge can be improved.

Staff

Best experience ever- everyone was super nice!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramon's Village Resort

San Pedro

Paradise!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jaguar Inn Tikal

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Issue with water supply and fan in the summer heat

Jaguar Creek Lodge

Cayo District, Belize

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff is good but they can help with lugging the bags to the rooms especially if the room is far away from the reception. No one offered to help us

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves day tour

San Ignacio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He could have planned for the tubes to be at the cave and not for us to carry it along the way. We saw other guides doing that and even offering to take family pics - he didn’t even ask

Transport

Cacao Farm & Chocolate Making Tour

San Ignacio

Very enriching experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

San Ignacio

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He charged us extra money for the 4 am tour

Transport

Canopy Tour in Tikal National Park

Belize

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Awesome staff

Transport

Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley - from Ramon's Village

Belize

Dream come true!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best staff - so helpful and made me and my daughter so comfortable

Transport