Peruvian Soul

We started planning very early & Jimena was amazing from the very start. She asked about our preferences and curated 2 starting off points. From there we were able to customize the exact activities we wanted. Jimena was incredibly supportive through it all, moving activities around & determining how much was possible each day. Once we got closer to our travel dates Jimena got on a call with us to answer any of our outstanding questions. During this call we asked about adding another activity & although it's a super uncommon option, she made it happen for us! We ended up with issues commuting to our destination & were delayed a full day. Jesus & Jimena were able to rework our itinerary so we didn't miss any of our planned activities even though we arrived a full 24 hours late!

While in Peru, we hit the ground running with Edwar (guide) & Wilmer (driver). Edwar was the PERFECT guide for us. He was honest and straight forward. He kept us on track without us ever feeling rushed, if things were running early or late we never noticed because he was taking care of everything in the shadows. He knew exactly when to call our driver back so the whole time in Cusco was effortless. Edwar even stayed with us all the way to the security check point for our domestic flight, to make sure we had no airport hiccups. I recommend KimKim 11/10 & plan to come back for any future travel like this.

The organization of the trip and constant monitoring of location and help by Jimena and Jesus was quite amazing. Someone was always there to help, offer advice, and make suggestions while en route. My husband, 80 years, was not feeling well at 12,000 feet altitude and they were quick to offer help and solutions. We were very grateful.

Our guides were exceptional with their knowledge, especially our guide the second day in Lima. I can’t remember his name, maybe Jose. We had Martin in Sacred Valley and Cusco who not only was extremely well informed but full of fun , knowledge, and personal information. He was outstanding!

Eddy was able to get us into Machu Picchu when the tickets were sold out for the day and he kindly helped my husband navigate the terrain. Luis, in Puno, was also very helpful in assisting my husband through the climbing.

The guides were all excellent and helpful.

Lake Titicaca at the island of Uros was absolutely amazing and my favorite area.

For us being near or at 80 years and coming from sea level, we found the schedules very tiring with early departures and constant activity at difficult altitudes. However, we enjoyed the trip very much . If I went again, I would go at a slower pace.

All in all, Kim Kim, Peruvian Soul, did a great job.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Northern Peru. The places we visited were fascinating and the local guides/drivers selected by KimKim were top-notch. Yelsin and Carlos in Chachapoyas, Grace and Alberto in Chiclayo, and Cinthia and again Alberto in Trujillo. Our ride over the Andes was memorable but our driver Elvis got us to our destination safe and sound.

We did have some logistics challenges and overall, Anne and her team were available to help us sort them out. Our main critique is how the Keulap portion of the trip was organized. As it turns out, the cable cars up to Keulap are closed the month of May which resulted in a longer drive for us from Leymebamba. In fact, on the day we visited Keulap, we left Leymebamba in the morning, visited Keulap and then continued our drive to Cocochimba which ended up being a very, very long day. A better itinerary would have guests staying in a lodge closer to Keulap (for example one called Amazilila) and then doing Leymebamba as a day trip from there.

The lodging at Leymebamba leaves a few things to be desired. While the room and the property are lovely, and the staff very accommodating, during this time of year, the room was freezing at night and no amount of blankets helped. The property could consider adding propane heaters during the cold season. Also, the stairway between our cabin and the restaurant was steep, slippery, and dark, and there were no handrails since they are replacing them. But they could add some rope as a temporary measure and install some solar lights to operate at night to improve safety. We were honestly afraid of falling down those stairs.

We really wanted to explore the town of Cocochimba, but the town had a general strike. We decided to leave a day early but this was no reflection on the lodge we stayed in. That said, they too could benefit from some solar lighting along their pathway. When we contacted Anne's team, they didn't readily have the number of the driver assigned to us - we had received that from Yelsin ourselves.

Which is actually another suggestion is to provide guests with the directly numbers of the guides ahead of time. In case of a sudden change of plans it is important for us to be able to contact the guides/ drivers and not wait for KimKim to provide us with contact information.

During our time in Chiclayo, there was a mix-up in the sites that we visited. Our itinerary showed that we were supposed to visit the pyramids of Tucume in the morning and then right after, visit the Royal Tomb Museum of Sipan. However, what we did instead was visit the town of Sipan to see the site were the original tombs are and then we went to the museum. That is actually a better trip and we were happy to do that. However, our guide and driver had no idea of the previous itinerary and also, there was no lunch break built in to that day, which cut short our time at the museum because we were getting faint from hunger.

Everything worked great in Trujillo and we appreciated the transfer back to the airport because we had forgotten about that.

Hotel Reviews

Costa del Sol Wyndham Trujillo Centro

Trujillo

A lovely hotel right on the main square in Trujillo. Friendly staff and great facilities.

Authenticity & Character

It is a lovely old building nicely restored.

Location

Right on the main square.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Costa del Sol Whyndam Chiclayo

Chiclayo

A modern hotel with all the amenities. A nice change after staying in more rustic hotels.

Authenticity & Character

It is a corporate hotel in a bland building.

Location

Very centrally located

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything worked!

Mamaq Tambo Lodge

Cocachimba

Comfortable room in a nice location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is a nice location, but a bit far from town.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rangra Wasi

Leymebamba

It's a lovely hotel, but the rooms have no heat. Depending on the time of year, it could be freezing. Also, there was no hot water in the shower. The property is lovely, but dark in places - be sure to bring a flashlight. Staff is great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely garden and nice view.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Need to add a little heater in the room, improve hot water to the shower, add lights to the property and a handrail for the outside stairway.

Activity Reviews

Chan Chan & Huaca de la Luna

Trujillo

Fabulous visit to the ruins of Chan Chan, followed by a lovely lunch by the sea and then a visit to see the murals at Huaca de la Luna. Our guide Cinthia was great and we learned a lot about this fascinating pre-Inc site.

Journey to {{end_location}}, visiting El Brujo

Peru

Great museum and burial site that shows that there were female rulers among the Moche people. First go to the museum to learn more about the burial site and what was found there and then go visit the actual site near by

Tucume Pyramids & Tumbas Reales Museum

Chiclayo

We did not go to the Tucume Pyramids. Our itinerary was changed and we went first to the town of Sipan which is where the royal tombs were found and then to the Royal Tombs museum. This is the best way to truly appreciate the scope of of this archeological discovery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our local guide Grace was great!

Hummingbird Sanctuary

Cocachimba

This is a small eco-tourism project designed to protect a rare type of hummingbird. You walk down many stairs and then sit down to wait for hummingbirds to come to the feeders. They may or may not come.

Quality of Experience

Nothing - it just not what we expected

Journey to Cocachimba: Kuelap Fortress

Peru

If you've come to this isolated pat of the world, you're probably here to see Kuelap! Our guide and driver from KimKim were excellent. 4 stars instead of 5 because that day should have been planned with less driving (see suggestions).

Quality of Experience

Kuelap is incredible. The drive is HARD.

Quality of Experience

Kuelap is incredible. The drive is HARD.

Food

We didn't have any food at Kuelap.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had an excellent local guide, Yeslin.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had an excellent local guide, Yeslin.

Transport

Carlos was a great driver

Transport

Leymebamba: Workshops & Museum

Peru

Fabulous museum in a great location. This was a highlight of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Excellent local museum

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yelsin is a great guide who explained what we were seeing.

Transport

Our driver was Carlos - very safe and courteous.

We had a great experience in Peru with KimKim and the local tour company Peruvian Soul. Jimena worked with our preferences in setting up our trip, made great suggestions, and patiently helped us to make changes and add ons as we finalized our plans. She helpfully answered many questions that we had prior to our trip.
We did a city tour in Lima with Nancy as our guide. She was great and was willing to tailor the tour to our interests
After Lima, we flew to Cusco and won the lottery with our amazing guide Julio who we were fortunate to be with for the next 8 days. I would give Julio a 15 rating out of 5 if that was possible. Super knowledgeable about every area that we toured and able to answer our numerous questions but also amazingly patient, kind and friendly. KimKim is lucky to have Peruvian Soul as their local travel company (maybe they contract with others as well?) and Peruvian Soul has a gem in Julio as their customer facing employee. Julio went the extra mile daily and we couldn't be more grateful for the time that we had with him.
Guido was our driver and was also great; friendly and kind with a great smile and also able to handle many narrow roads, switchbacks, and hairpin turns in our travels with ease. We were returning from the Rainbow Mountains and came to an area that was under construction: Guido got out and helped to shovel so that we could continue on our way back to Cusco.
We had such a good experience with Julio and Guido that all six of us (including my 20 something kids and their significant others) had tears when we had to say goodbye at the airport.

Hotel Reviews

Hatun Inti Boutique Machupicchu

Machu Picchu

This hotel is right on the river and we were lucky to get rooms on the riverside. Very spacious rooms with a lot of character. A window in our shower opened up to the river which was fun and unique. We only spent one night here and all felt it would have been nice to have a second night as it was such a great location with fun rooms

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casona de Yucay

Ollantaytambo Urubamba

We overall loved this hotel; beautiful setting with an amazing green space surrounded by mountains. We read somewhere else that the rooms were dated, but the place was built in 1810, so I'm not sure why people would expect a modern look. The hotel was clean and staff was gracious. We had several hours free one afternoon and were able to enjoy some relaxation time by the pool with the mountain views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Innside Lima Miraflores by Melia Hotels International

Miraflores

Nice location in Miraflores. We got to our hotel around 6:30 in the morning and allowed all of us to check into our rooms immediately which was very much appreciated after a long night of travel. I'ms sure this is based on availability. Rooms were clean and the breakfast included a great selection of foods. The rooftop bar is cute and a free welcome drink was included.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain Tour

Cusco

Beautiful hike in the Rainbow Mountains followed by a delicious lunch near a river. Another remarkable experience on our last full day in Peru. This area has been another bucket list item for us and we are glad we were able to experience it

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Julio and Guido picked us up a little after 4 in the morning to get us to the trail before the crowds. They had pillows and blankets in the van for us so that we could nap on the way; this was much appreciated. We were the first people there which made this even more of a special hike. We again are so thankful for the dedication of both Julio and Guido as well as for their selflessness and kindness.

Transport

Exploring Cusco & Sacsayhuaman

Cusco

Fun tour of historical Cusco including Sacsayhuaman, Cristi Blanco, the San Francisco Convent and the San Pedro Market as well as the main square

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Short Inca Trail: Morning at Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Today, we returned to the Machu Picchu site by bus and toured the actual site (rather than the overview following the hike the day before). Again, so much history here and in Peru in general. We felt lucky to get a second day at the site with good weather on both days. What an incredible experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Short Inca Trail to Machu Picchu: Ollantaytambo - Km 104 - Aguas Calientes

Peru

We had to start at marker 106 instead of 104 as part of the Inca trail was washed out which meant we missed the first archeological site of Chachabamba which was a bummer but also could not be helped. It also meant that we had to use the very steep switchback trail that is used by the porters. This was a touch trail, but we are so glad that we experienced it and were quite impressed with the fitness level of the porters running up and down the steep trail with heavy packs. We had a nice lunch at the mid point and visited the site of Winay Wayna which was an amazing site on a very steep hillside The second half of the hike was less grueling but still physical. Getting to the Sun Gate to our first view of Machu Picchu was spectacular. An emotional and somewhat spiritual moment as this is a trip that we haven't wanted to take for several years. The mountains and ruins of Machu Picchu are everything but also much more than what was expected. It is hard to describe the beauty of the site in words. Completing the difficult hike first, made getting to the site so much more rewarding

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We can't thank Julio enough for his patience and kindness on this hike. Breathing was difficult for a couple of us and he always stayed behind with whoever was struggling a bit. He is full of great Peru facts and legends and this was definitely appreciated for the information as well as for the distraction as we climbed. He was so encouraging the entire time. We also appreciate all the pictures he patiently took of all of us.

Transport

Guido had a lot to do today with driving us to the train, getting out overnight packs on the train and then getting our main luggage to our next hotel in Cusco which was in San Blas on the hill of which he could not drive fully to the door meaning, he had to carry luggage for 6 people up a long steep set of stairs and then down a street to get our luggage in storage until the next day. He is also such a nice and kind man. And obviously very strong.

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Very interesting Inca site that we were not aware of until planning this trip. Another beautiful area with so much history. The town was also very cute.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Julio had restaurant suggestions for us throughout the trip and we can honestly day that everywhere we ate had excellent food

Transport

Discover Traditional Farming in the Andes: Amaru & Pisac arqueological site

Peru

We started the day with a hike around the archaeological site of Pisac; another amazingly beautiful setting with Inca ruins and so much interesting information shared by Julio. We were also lucky to have some of the local llamas and alpacas on the trail so were able to get some great photos next to them. We then headed to Amaru to have lunch with a local family. They were all kind and welcoming. They taught us about their farming and we were able to cut down some of our food and also able to help prepare the food a bit. We saw how the women made some of their crafts; it was a group of highly talented people and the food was delicious

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As stated in the trip summary, Julio and Guido were both such great people. We so appreciated both of them

Transport

Maras & Moray

Peru

Both of these areas are a must see. We were at the salt flats of Maras near sunset which made for a beautiful setting. Julio also took us to a nice shop where we were able to buy some of the salts. The chocolate at the same shop was amazing The "experimental laboratory" of Moray was also a great experience. Amazing the knowledge that people had so many years ago and the setting was gorgeous

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at the Shores of Piuray Lake

Peru

Absolutely gorgeous setting with amazing food. We all agreed that this was some of our favorite food on the entire trip

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Must sees in Lima

Peru

We started the Lima tour with a visit to the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site and were surprised that we didn't go in. We just stood outside for some information. We should have asked about it, but just assumed that it was not allowed. We looked it up later, and you are able to go in with a guide. We then went to the Larco Museum which was super interesting This was followed by a visit to the El Centro district with historical buildings and churches as well as a visit to Chinatown with lunch at a Chifa restaurant Nancy was our guide and was great

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Peru and Lima

Peru

Basically, this was the pick up at the airport which was seamless. Our daughter and her boyfriend arrived late the night before and four of us arrived at 5AM. We appreciated that someone was there for two different transports at odd hours

We could not have been happier with our trip to Peru. We worked with Anne and Jesus in planning the perfect trip which included multiple hikes and interesting tours. We loved Blanca who took us on a walking food and art tour in the Barranco district in Lima that was incredible. The best ceviche we have ever tasted. And we can't say enough about our guide Edwar who guided us through Cusco's history, the Sacred Valley, the short Inca trail and Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain. He was knowledgeable, upbeat and took great care of us. He felt like family by the end of our 8 days touring with him. Peru was so beautiful and we hope to make it back.

Nancy, our guide in Lima, was passionate and did a great job at engaging us through each experience. Wily, our guide for all of Cusco,, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and then Cusco again, was EXCEPTIONAL. He provided a thorough and educational experience while working tirelessly to not only meet our needs but exceed our needs to make sure our vista weee the best they can be. And the were amazing! Wily worked well with Alan, our driver, to make sure that we were safe, arrived safely at all locations, that our luggage was generously and graciously cared for. We all felt safe and protected in their care at all points. Wily accommodated 1 injured member of our group and I friend who became ill while on the last part of our trip.

I highly tecommned all of our guides, our drivers and the leadership of Wily and Alan.