This was Eileen’s dream trip.
Galapagos Islands | Oct 21 - Nov 4, 2021

T
Tom D.
Dedham, MA | Reviewed on Dec 27, 2021

This was Eileen’s dream trip. In March of 2020 we came one question away from booking our trip with another company when COVID-19 stopped the world.

At the beginning of June 2021 we started talking to KimKim and they connected us with Daniel Larrea, their Ecuadoran expert. They could not have found anyone better. Three different itineraries came to us in a couple of days. They were all good, but one was really on target for us. We asked, and Daniel answered a lot of questions over the next few months. A number of tweaks to the schedule were not a problem. We booked and waited for October.

At every step, Daniel was superb and a pleasure to speak with from the “middle of the world” as he likes to say. Responses to our questions came within hours.
They always contained an amazing level of detail, whether on hotels, guides, pickups, or transfers. Everything was well planned.

He even came to meet us at the hotel the day we landed!

We got home on November 4th and it could not have gone better. Everything Daniel arranged worked out like clockwork. The guide, David, in Quito was a true professional. He has an amazing level of knowledge on everything from history to the flora and fauna we saw along the way. After we expressed interest he rearranged the whole 5 day schedule so that we could participate in the Sunday Quito bike ride. The bonus to that was being able to hike at Cotopaxi on Monday with almost no one else there.

Once we transferred to the Galapagos, the ship the Integrity, was luxurious and beyond our expectations. The staff was outstanding. Having a stateroom with a kingsize bed, a private balcony, and only 16 other guests certainly helped add to the level of luxury and attention provided. 8 days flew by in a blur of hikes, snorkeling, kayaking led by the expert naturalists on board. All of the meals were delicious and varied and they accommodated a dietary restriction perfectly .

Another terrific choice by Daniel was our guide in Guayaquil. Francisco provided us with a wonderful city tour in the morning and early afternoon. He then came back to get us at the hotel at 11 PM to drive us to the airport and walk us through every aspect of airport check-in up until we said our goodbyes at the entrance to security.

We are happy to give top marks in every category for Daniel and all the folks he lined up to take care of us. The KimKim model of using local experts certainly worked for us and we wholeheartedly recommend the company and its chosen experts!

Local specialist: Daniel Larrea
Daniel
Daniel Larrea
Local specialist in Quito, Ecuador | Replied on Jan 04, 2022
Hola Tom and Eileen!
I cannot thank you two enough for such fantastic comments. It was fantastic to have you here at the middle of the world!!
I am insanely happy to read that the results for this trip ended up as we planned and probably even better!
It was great to plan this trip for you two and improvising while you were already here made things even more fun like the biking tour of Quito haha!
We had some great times, even realizing how huge yet small the world can be, expecting Mike's...
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Hola Tom and Eileen!
I cannot thank you two enough for such fantastic comments. It was fantastic to have you here at the middle of the world!!
I am insanely happy to read that the results for this trip ended up as we planned and probably even better!
It was great to plan this trip for you two and improvising while you were already here made things even more fun like the biking tour of Quito haha!
We had some great times, even realizing how huge yet small the world can be, expecting Mike's turn to come to Ecuador and all :)
I truly hope we at Kimkim and the EGTeam got to forge some unforgettable memories for you and Eileen!

I wish you two the best in the future, and if you ever wish to return you can always count on your local friend from the middle of the world,
Daniel :)