For the first time, we went through a travel ...
Peru
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Jul 1 - Jul 13, 2025
For the first time, we went through a travel agency for our vacation, and the experience was extremely good. Highly recommended for a trip to Peru for sure. Kimkim and the local agent, Liz, were very good at understanding our style of vacation, and after very few iterations, the agent came up with a plan for 2 weeks that was above and beyond our expectations. We knew we wanted to go to the jungle, Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca, but the trip was filled with a lot of little things we would not have thought of if we were organizing it ourselves. For the main sightseeing places, we had either a private guide (Machu Picchu) or we were at most 2-3 families (ATV tour through the Sacred Valley or the Rainbow Mountain). Having the guide was really good since there is no signage explaining the various sites. The guides also took the time to take a picture of the whole family, and it is nearly the first time in our lives that we have beautiful photos with the four of us.
Aside from the must-see places like Machu Picchu, the travel agency proposed a few things we did not know. First was the excursion to the Rainbow Mountain. They booked for the new excursion (less touristy) where three mountains can be spotted, and it was fantastic. The walk to the "top" was wonderful, surrounded by alpacas and beautiful views. The second big surprise was the train from Cusco to Puno. A 10-hour ride through the Andes on a beautiful old-fashioned train, with an amazing 3-course meal, live music, and panoramic car. Last but not least, they booked us a meal at a farm in Ollantaytambo, and it was such an authentic experience with some of the best food I had ever had.
The agent organized a private pickup to the minute for every transportation and helped with the logistics for some excursions (such as a van brought our luggage while we were riding the ATV). Of the whole trip, the only thing we did not like was the visit to the Taquila island, since we were on a boat with 35 people and we were rushed on numerous occasions.
The hotels they chose for us were extremely good, always very central. Particularly good was the one in Cusco, in the middle of the historic center.
Throughout the trip, we had a contact person in Peru (Thank you, Lisbeth!), always ready to help us and answer questions.
The trip was unforgettable and organized nearly to perfection, I truly don't think I could do the same on my own. My only reservation about Kimkim is a bit about the price transparency. The money we paid seems a little high given the local prices, but in fairness, we got quotes from other travel agencies, and it was in the right ballpark.
Hotel Reviews
Perfect safe location. Rooms are very small. Breakfast was amazing.
What an amazing experience. Yes, what you see in the picture is going to be your room. Perfectly maintained little paradise in the middle of the jungle, only reachable by boat. A semi-private guide took care of us for 3 days, bringing us the excursions to Lake Sandoval, on the river at night to see caimans, and some walks in the nearby jungle to see trees, birds, and more. Meals were included and very good.
Wonderful location in front of the train station and around the corner from the busy streets. The room was small and not the best but ok for one night
Wonderful hotel, just a few minutes from he main plaza. Amazing breakfast in the morning and extremely polite staff. The second two nights we got a view of Cusco and it was beautiful
good hotel. Safe and clean. very good breakfast and the staff was friendly.
The hotel was a bit old but the room was on the seventh floor with a view of the lake. The sunrise was amazing
Activity Reviews
Amazing meal at the pachamanca farm. It was cooked in front of us in an inground oven filled with hot stone. Everything was so fresh and tasty. Ollantaytambo was very interesting, we did not have a guide but we ended up hiring a private guide on the spot. It was super interesting to hear about the inca and how it was built. The train to Machu Picchu was cool, with a panoramic view (glass roof).
The kayaking was good, but it was attached to the group (a very large group) to go to the Taquila island. We were rushed to he island with the Uros, and also, all the time, on the Taquila island, we were rushed. I strongly advise getting a private tour on the lake instead; this excursion did not work for us. A real pity since the kayak part was nice. Also we were expecting 1.5 hours of kayaking but we did only 1 h.
WoW. What an amazing and unforgettable experience! This old-fashioned luxury train felt so authentic, and the scenery was amazing. The meal was absolutely delicious and the staff was so attentive. One of the best experiences of the trip
Amazing view. We truly enjoyed the short walk on the Andes with an alpacas along the way. This is the new site (there is another rainbow mountain a lot more popular) and we were the first one to reach the top. The stop to the buffet restaurant for breakfast and lunch was a good way to interrupt the long drive and the food was very good.
Amazing view. The private guide was really good at explaining and taking pictures of us. We were never rushed and it was not too crowded thank to the fact we did the 8am tour
Very cool way to experience the sacred valley! We drove around and reached Moray and the salt mines. It was really fun
We loved the trip to the Sandoval Lake. We did a beautiful walk in the jungle, seeing monkeys and birds, and then we took a canoe on the lake to see more animals (caimans, birds, sloths). The guide was amazing at spotting animals
cool tour of the surrounding jungle learning about walking trees, strangling figs, termites, and fire ants. At night, we went on the Madre de Dios river to spot caimans.
The market in Puerto Maldonado was so and so. Very poor area, but glad we got to walk a bit around with the help of the guide
Hi Angela,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed feedback! I'm happy to hear that the trip exceeded your expectations and that you felt well taken care of throughout. It was a pleasure to be part of your family’s adventure in Peru.
Please take care!
Liz.