Peruvian Soul

We had a fantastic trip to Peru. We started our adventure in Cusco where we were picked up and delivered to the airport for a flight to Puerto Maldenado. The staff literally walked us into the airport and assisted us getting our boarding passes and bags checked. In Puerto Maldenado, we were met by Carlos who helped us get our bags and into a waiting van which took us to the Peruvian Soul office. At the office we separated out the clothes we needed for the Tambopata River trip and our stay at Finca Sachabacayoc lodge. After separating our clothing, Carlos delivered us to a dock where we were met by Freddy who told us he would be our activity guide while we were at Finca. We boarded a motor boat for a two and half hour ride up the Tambopata River to the the Finca Lodge. Along the way Freddy pointed out Macaws, Parrots and Eagles. The boat also literally took us right up next to a family of Capybaras.
The Finca Lodge was beautiful. Our cabin had two queen beds, a very modern bathroom and shower, and a screened in front porch with a hammock. The main lodge structure had a large restaurant and a lovely bar. We were assigned a table where we ate all our meals with our guide, Freddy.
The Peruvian food served us throughout our three night, 4 day stay, was terrific. I do not know the chef's name but he was awesome! Every meal the he would stop at our table to make sure we were happy with the food and drink; which we were. The bar was also terrific. We made friends during our stay with a couple from Portland Oregon and another couple from the Netherlands. Every evening the six of us had a beer or a Pisco Sour in the bar and chatted about our adventures that day.
Speaking of daily adventures, on the day we arrived, Freddy took us on a night hike where he showed us creatures of the night, including monkeys, scorpions, and tarantulas. The night sounds of the jungle during the night hike were amazing. That night after dinner, we went to our cabin for bed. The cries and sounds of the birds, monkeys and insects were mesmerizing. But just before we went to sleep a thunderstorm rolled in, the temperature dropped 20 degrees, and we slept like babies!
In the days that followed Freddy took us on a jungle hike to a lake where we paddled a canoe looking for Anacondas and Caymens and wild birds like Macaws. We had a marvelous time. Later that day we hiked to a 50 meter tower located in the middle of the jungle. After climbing to the top, we could see the jungle below. Freddy set up a spotting scope and he showed us many different kinds of birds and monkeys. We stayed on the tower until after sunset. Again the sounds of the jungle at night were mesmerizing!
The following day we got up at 2:30AM and took a boat to the Chuncho Clay Lick- a place where every morning at dawn, thousands of birds from the jungle come to eat the salt they need for their diets. We arrived just before dawn and set up our chairs and spotting scopes . As the sun rose, thousands of birds arrived; red and blue macaws, blue and yellow macaws, white and black toucans, green and yellow parrots and a sinister looking hawk that the other birds clearly did not like. The birds were beautiful. Freddy attached our phone cameras to his spotting scope and recorded slow motion videos of the birds flying in and around the salt lick. The video's are wonderful!
After about 2 hours (7:30AM), the birds began to leave the salt lick. We loaded up our stuff and headed back to the boat. But, much to our surprise, Freddy an other staff from the Finca Lodge had set up a breakfast table with eggs, fruit, pancakes, juice and coffee. In the middle of the jungle and on an island in the middle of the Tambopata River we had big and delicious breakfast!
Later that day Freddy took us on another boat ride to the Condenado Lake, where we took a raft built on pontoons that Freddy maneuvered using an unusual rudder device that allowed the raft to move. While traversing the lake Freddy spotted a family of giant River Otters. We followed them and got many great photos of the giant creatures. On this trip we also saw caymans, capybaras, monkeys, beautiful Macaws and an illegal gold mine set up in the middle of the river!
The next day we had to return to Puerto Maldenado. We said good bye to the friends and, with Freddy's help, took the boat back to Puerto Maldenado. It rained the entire trip back, but the boat had a roof with side plastic windows that kept us dry. The boat trip in the rain was actually quite fun.
In Puerto Maldenado, we retrieved the rest of our clothes and went to the airport, where Carlos helped us get our bags checked in and collect our boarding passes for our flight to Lima. Carlos literally walked with us all the way to security.
When we arrived in Lima, a man named Bosco and a van picked us up at the Lima airport and transported us to the Hotel Limade in the Mira Flores district. During the ride, Bosco regaled us with a very entertaining history lesson about Lima.
The Hotel Limade was brand new. I was told it had opened only 4 months earlier. The hotel was like a very fine hotel in a major city in the US. It was bvery nice with a great rooftop bar and a wonderful restaurant for the complimentary breakfast. The hotel was about 6 blocks from the Pacific Ocean and the beaches of Lima. After checking in, Wendy and I walked to the beaches and took many photos of the beautiful beaches, shops and parks. Th beaches reminded me of Miami.
The following day we were met by Nancy, our guide for the day. In a nutshell, she was awesome! Her English was perfect and her knowledge of Mira Flores and especially the Barranco district was superb. Nancy took us to the Barranco District which is famous for it's art, art galleries, restaurants, shops and beautiful boutique hotels. Nancy's tour was to last only 4 hours, but she stayed with us for nearly 6 hours! We ate at three separate restaurants sampling the unique food and drink of Lima. We also stopped at a chocolate factory where we sampled chocolates and watched how chocolate candy was made. We toured some of the beautiful boutique hotels of Barranco that were built in the early 1900's as private mansions for wealthy people from Europe and elsewhere. When Peru's economy struggled the homes were abandoned. Beginning in the late 1990's, these old mansions were bought by local Peruvians and who turned them into boutique hotels. We stopped at the Hotel B where Robert DeNiro stayed a year or so ago. It was magnificent!
Nancy also took us to several art galleries and to many street art paintings. We loved the art so much we bought a print from a famous Peruvian artist by the name of Jade Rivera.
Nancy was a spectacular guide. If you are in Lima make sure you ask for Nancy!
The next morning we had to return to the US. Bosco picked us up at the Hotel Limade and delivered us to the airport, including getting our boarding passes and our luggage checked. During the ride to the airport, Bosco told us more stories about Lima and Peru. Like Nancy, he too is a very good.
We loved Peru and and our trip to the Amazon and Lima. Thank you KimKim for taking such great care of us. Hasta la proxima vez! Tom and Wendy.

Hotel Reviews

Finca Sachabacayoc

See my review of the trip. But this is a very fun place to stay with great food in the middle of the jungle

Authenticity & Character

It's adjacent to a huge river and in the jungle. The sounds during the day are great but at night they are spectacular

Location

Staff

The chef was terrific. He was always smiling and makig sure we were enjoying the food. Emerson is the manager. He was always around. If you had any questions or needed anything, Emerson would take care of it.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our cabin was super clean. Staff made the bed and cleaned our cabin every day.

Hotel Limade

Lima

Great hotel. It is new in 2025. They have a great roof top bar and a nice restaurant for a very extensive complimentary breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

It is in the middle of the Mira Flores District, a beautiful suburb of Lima

Location

It is about 6 blocks from the beaches. There are restaurants, shopping and art all within walking distance

Staff

Everyone was super nice and they all spoke English

Cleanliness & Comfort

No, everything was terrific.

Activity Reviews

Finca Sachavacavoc - D1 - Venturing into the Amazon

Tambopata

Se my earlier report. We loved the Lodge.

Quality of Experience

The Lodge and our Guide, Freddy

Food

The authentic Peruvian food was special. We loved it. We also loved the Pisco Sours!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The van drivers, boat drivers, guides were all super.

Transport

The van was always neat as a pin!

Finca Sachavacavoc - D2 - Chuncho Claylick and Condenado Lake

Tambopata

Se earlier report. This is a great activity- despite having to get up at 2:30AM. It is well worth the sleep deprivation!

Quality of Experience

This something you cannot see in the USA.

Food

the breakfast at the salt lick was a very nice touch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything was always on time.

Transport

The boat driver and the guide.

Finca Sachavacavoc - D3 - Sachavacayoc Lake

Tambopata

Freddy took us on a 2+ mile hike through the jungle to the lake. On the way Freddy educated us on the trees that grow in the Amazon, the various plants used medicinally by the indigenous tribes , and about the Anacondas we might see at the Lake. The canoe trip on the lake was beautiful. We saw anaconda tracks but no anacondas, but the birds, butterflies and monkeys we saw made up for not seing anacondas.

Quality of Experience

Freddy. He is really good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Freddy knows the jungle!

Transport

The canoe was perfect for the lake.

Finca Sachavacavoc - Farewell Amazon

Tambopata

See my earlier report. We loved the Finca lodge.

Quality of Experience

The Lodge is very well maintained. Staff is very attentive. The food is terrific and the bar a great place to hang out after a day in the jungle.

Food

We loved the food. there was plenty of it and it was always top notch. We drank Barley Juice a couple of times and I have tried to recreate it at home, but alas, the Barley Juice at Finca was much better!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Freddy is the best!

Transport

The boats were great and the drivers excellent.

Art and Local Cuisine in Bohemian Barranco

Lima

Nancy, our guide was perfect. She spoke excellent English and answered all of our questions. She took us to restaurants, art galleries, unique shops, and boutique hotels. Nancy was to be our guide for 4 hours, but she stayed with us for 6. She is incredibly good as a guide.

Quality of Experience

See above. At the end of our time with Nancy, we were friends.

Food

Nancy took us to three restaurants and a chocolate manufacturing business. The food and chocolate were wonderful. We especially enjoyed the restaurant Horneando Ando.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Although we didn't need a van, when we had to walk a few blocks, Nancy texted the driver and amazingly he would show up a minute or two later to take us to our next stop!

Transport

See above

Everyone we interacted with was amazing from picking us up in Cusco and getting us to security, on every flight we took. The Finca lodge was quite nice. Beautiful grounds. Our Jungle Pro guide, Freddy was very knowledgeable and made sure we got to see and learn about wildlife and plants and trees, including ants and termites and spiders, as well as so many birds. The boat captains and staff at the lodge were also very good. On to Lima, again very smooth pickup and delivery to airport. Nancy, our guide for the tour of Baranco was so knowledgeable about the history of Peru and the Baranco as well as being very friendly and a joy to spend the day with. We could not be more pleased with the entire trip. Thank you for your thorough planning.

Hotel Reviews

Finca Sachabacayoc

Friendly staff. Lodge and rooms are nice. Well screened to minimize mosquitoes. Food was good. We were pleased

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Limade

Lima

Nice new hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Art and Local Cuisine in Bohemian Barranco

Lima

Nancy was awesome. We learned a lot of history about Peru and the Baranco. Toured beautiful buildings and restaurants and galleries and met many wonderful people there.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finca Sachavacavoc - D1 - Venturing into the Amazon

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finca Sachavacavoc - D2 - Chuncho Claylick and Condenado Lake

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finca Sachavacavoc - D3 - Sachavacayoc Lake

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finca Sachavacavoc - Farewell Amazon

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the most incredible trip and felt like royalty from beginning to end! All details and booking were handled by Shawna from KimKim in advance with a full itinerary so we didn’t have to coordinate anything. Once we arrived, Cesar (private tour guide) and Odi (private driver) from Peruvian Soul were by our side every step of the way with fun anecdotes, interesting historical facts, and amazing interactions with locals. They had lots of little surprises for us like an interactive art experience, side tours, and more. It was truly a once in a lifetime trip and I would recommend KimKim and Peruvian Soul to anyone in a heartbeat (and already have)!

Hotel Reviews

Sonesta Posada del Inca

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cusco Walking City Tour: San Pedro Market, San Francisco Church & Koricancha

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Palcoyo Rainbow Mountain Tour

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free day in Cusco

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer to the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pass by Pisac Market & an Andean camelid Farms

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free day at the Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering Machu Picchu from the Sacred Valley

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maras & Moray

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Journey to Cusco: Visiting Maras & Moray

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

🌟 I'm absolutely blown away by the incredible trip to Peru that Kim Kim Travel Agency, as arranged by Jimena for my family! 🤩 Every single detail was meticulously planned, and they went above and beyond to ensure we had an unforgettable experience.

The guides were top-notch - flexible, pleasant, and personable. They made sure we were comfortable and happy throughout the trip. And even when an outside vendor didn't quite meet our expectations, Kim Kim Travel Agency still fought for us and made things right. Talk about amazing customer service! 💪

From start to finish, Kim Kim Travel Agency carefully monitored and supported every aspect of our trip. They truly made this vacation a huge success for our family. If you're looking for an stress-free, incredible travel experience, look no further than Kim Kim Travel Agency! 🙌

Thank you, Kim Kim, for making our Peru trip truly unforgettable. We can't wait to plan our next adventure with you! 😊

Shawna did a great job planning. Jesus was our contact in country, he did a wonderful job being responsive to all our needs. Our tour guide Guido in Cusco and the Sacred Valley was knowledge and experienced he went along our family’s wants and needs. A true gem!

Overall, we had an incredible vacation. Jimena and Jesus were not only very attentive to all of our needs, but incredibly proactive ... both anticipating problems and immediately responding to any queiry that I had.

All of the guides were all very good, but Wily (in the Sacred Valley) was exceptional. He not only was knowledgeable but had a very comfortable personality the melded well with us.

We asked to make our trip a culinary experience and Jimena did not disappoint us. The food offered along our 9-day tour was exceptional.

The one "other" with using Kimkim is that detailed pricing information is not available. That said, Kimkim offers not just a number of different tour events piecemealed together but rather a thoughtfully planned vacation with interwoven events tied together with both theme and a support team from A to Z.

Hotel Reviews

Tierra Viva Valle Sagrado

Urubamba

Authenticity & Character

Location

Location is isolated.

Staff

Very pleasant

Cleanliness & Comfort

Abittare Hotels

Cusco

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Limade

Lima

Our stay at Hotel Limade was perfect for our needs. The hotel was clean, in a good location, and met our expectations. It was a nice place to stay and we'd stay there again. Overall, all the hotels during our trip were satisfying and met what we were looking for. They weren't top of the line, but they were really nice and suited our needs for exploring more than staying in.

Activity Reviews

Reception and transfer to hotel

Lima

Lewis is an outstanding driver. I felt entirely safe in his hands. We had several drivers during our trip (all were good), but none were even in the same league as Lewis. Safe, professional and expedient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at a local restaurant

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Food Tour in Barranco (Group tour)

Lima

Aura gave us a very fun and educational tour. Really, I think that it was the most fun that we had on our entire trip. You can't beat getting to interact with the chefs and bartenders of fabulous local establishments.

Quality of Experience

Food

I can't put one experience over the other but the Pisco Sours were the most fun (and tasty).

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kudos to our guide Aura. Her personality kept the tour lively.

Transport

Food, History & Culture: Local Market & Nikkei Experience for Evan's Family

Lima

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Machu Picchu for Evan's Family

Peru

Emerson did a great job guiding us throughout the site. This is the crown jewel of the Sacred Valley.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Wily was the best of tour guides bar none!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I can't give Wily enough accolades. At the end of the day, we found that our train to Machu Picchu was 3 hours delayed. He could have left us at the train depot, but instead he found us seats on an earlier train!

Transport

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Peru

Food was very good, but the experience was outstanding. Beautifully set in a working garden.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time in Peru. The country is beautiful, the people are so friendly and helpful and on top of all of that, it felt very safe. Shawna did a great job getting us set up with excursions, hotels and all of the details including tipping standards (which was very helpful throughout our trip), restaurant suggestions and the kinds of hotels we like to stay at. All the accommodations were perfect for us. Our "on the ground" 24/7 specialist (Jesus) was also the best. We had an issue with one of our daughters coming down with the flu on day 2 in Lima. Jesus worked with the hotel and got us to a clinic where she got tested for the flu and got meds that helped her feel better in about 24 hours. We didn't really think that we would need someone always on call, but there were a couple times we needed him and he was there!

Our main tour guide was Martin. We loved the time we spent with him. He was so knowledgeable and entertaining with all the info he shared in our various tours and excursions. He definitely went above and beyond for us. And his laugh was amazing. We really had the best time because of Martin's energy! He loves his country and it made all the info he shared (both about his own life and experiences in Peru as well as historical and local info) so much more interesting.

I think the only drawback to our trip is that we spent too much time in Cusco. Maybe there were things we should've done there that we didn't know about. But after going to Machu Picchu, Cusco seemed a little anti-climatic. We did a walking tour with Martin that was great and a cooking class that we booked separately. Both of those things were great, but we felt like we just ate out while we were there and there wasn't much to do otherwise. Again, that could just be our experience and having not found the other things to do there! But overall our trip was fantastic, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime trip!

Jimena did an amazing job and was very responsive with all our questions throughout the planning phase. On the ground all our guides were amazing. Of particular mention was Martin in Cusco /Sacred Valley who was probably one of the best guides I have had in all my travels. He was very committed to our comfort and kept us informed of everything. His knowledge and experience was very evident. Thank you! Highly recommended

Activity Reviews

Evening Culinary Experience in Lima

Lima

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome! Reception and transfer to hotel

Lima

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reaching the Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cooking Class with Seledonia Mesa

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Machu Picchu Exploration!

Peru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities-a-la-carte at Tambopata Research Center

Tambopata

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Peru absolutely exceeded expectations.

From the beginning, Shawna was a fantastic partner in helping us plan the best itinerary for our family. She answered all our questions quickly and thoroughly, providing excellent guidance as we weighed different options. She helped us create a balanced itinerary filled with unique, authentic experiences.

While all our guides were terrific, Abel - our guide in Cusco and the Sacred Valley - was in a category of his own. He went above and beyond, helping us navigate unexpected flight issues and some altitude sickness our daughter experienced when we first arrived in Cusco. He was incredibly knowledgeable about Inca and Quechua society and was able to explain things in an accessible that engaged our kids and got them excited about the history. He truly made our trip special.

From the food tour in Lima, to the dune buggy adventure in the Paracas desert, to exploring Ollyantaytambo and Machu Picchu, to visiting the local Cusco markets and cooking authentic Peruvian cuisine with a chef at her restaurant, it was an unforgettable vacation. I highly recommend Peruvian Soul.

Hotel Review

Antigua Casona San Blas

Cusco

Beautiful hotel with unique architecture. Terrific restaurant and bar. And the hot water bottles in our bed at night was such s treat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Art and Local Cuisine in Bohemian Barranco

Lima

Blanca was a terrific guide! She brought us to an amazing market to start our day which helped us better understand the fruits and vegetables we would later see in the dishes we tried. From chocolate tasting to ceviche to classic lomo saltado - and ice cream to cap it all off! - the food was delicious. Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Blanca was knowledgeable and very friendly.

Food

Absolutely perfect way to try Peruvian classics. Great start to our trip

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sandboarding at Paracas Desert

Paracas

So. Much. Fun. Our kids (ages 24 and 11) had a blast!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Andean Textiles at Misminay Community, lunch, hike to Moray & visit Maras

Peru

One of the highlights of our trip! The people were so kind and genuinely seemed interested in sharing more about how they make the textiles. Lunch was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

One of our favorite food experiences!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morning Visit to Ollantaytambo

Peru

Abel was an amazing guide. He taught us all about the history and importance of Ollantaytambo and was very engaging.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Abel is incredibly knowledgeable and helped us really understand the Quequan people.

Transport

Cooking Class with Seledonia Mesa

Cusco

Our favorite experience in Peru! Seledonia is a remarkable person and an incredible chef. We had so much fun visiting the market with her and then learning from her in her kitchen. Such a unique experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport