Kimkim Trip Reviews

We returned last week from a 7 day self-drive tour in Iceland. We connected with our Icelandic travel planner Gudmundur Oli, better known as Gummi, through Kimkim. Planning our customized tour with Gummi was easy through online chat, Zoom calls and phone calls. We were a group of 6, ages 10 to 71 and Gummi helped us plan a trip with something for everyone.

Our trip was fabulous! From the Blue Lagoon, to the stunning waterfalls, to the thrilling Zodiac boat ride on Glacier Lake, and the ice caves, and the black sand beaches, to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and the puffins!!

The landscape of Iceland is a study in contrasts. One day you feel like you could be on the moon and the next like you might be in the Rockies in Colorado. It's stunning. I loved the contrast between the vast open spaces and rocky landscape and the warm and cozy indoor spaces like our accommodations and restaurants. There's a very Zen feeling to it all.

If I had to mention one negative it would be the cost...of everything. Lunch for 2, no drinks will cost you 75 bucks. Even souvenirs are outrageous. I thought Bermuda was expensive, but Iceland has them beat.

Thanks Gummi, it was great! We felt like we had a friend in Iceland and knew you were just a phone call away.

Hotel Review

Frost & Fire Boutique Hotel

Hveragerdi

Loved this property! It was our favorite. The location is so unique and interesting along the river with views from our room.. The hot tubs and heated pool were great, even on a cold and rainy day. The staff is great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

The river view and quiet area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Explore Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon by Zodiac Boat

Iceland

Fabulous! The lake was full of ice floes and seeing the glacier up close was very exciting.

We had driven the golden circle in 2023. This time we wanted to see the North. The Kim Kim team did a superb job on planning the routing, suggesting stops along the way, sourcing great accommodation, and even suggesting some restaurants. They made it easy, with clear maps, descriptions of points of interest, confirmed arrangements along the way, and clearly a thorough understanding of what would interest us. I don't think we could have made these kinds of choices on our own, since we don't have the experience of Iceland and it is a very long way between towns. There was a huge advantage for us to have a rental car so that we could stop where we wanted, spend extra time at places of interest, or skip something where we didn't have the time to stay. The highlight was seeing the full solar eclipse at the Western most tip of Europe. When we return (and we will), we will be contacting Kim Kim again for the planning.

All the guides, drivers, hotel staff, etc were very friendly, caring and tended to all our requests and needs.

Hotel Reviews

Buri Rasa Samui Village

Samui

The beach was great! Extensive food options and staff ready to greet and assist with needs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

De Chai The Colonial Hotel & Spa

Chiang Mai

Breakfast was extensive and staff always ready assist with anything needed

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riva Vista Riverfront Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai

Close to temples

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Once Bangkok

Bangkok

Great breakfast and able to get it “to go”!

Authenticity & Character

Rooftop

Location

The view of the river

Staff

Breakfast staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bangkok Symbolic Temples

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Doi Inthanon National Park - A Nature Walk and Culture

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lanna Lifestyle & Cooking Experience with A Local Family with dinner

Chiang Mai

This was some fun and the family was just delightful. That two sons are very funny and personable. We got lots of great information and had lots of fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Monk Blessing at Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vivid Arts of Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Visit Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (Joining)

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Street Food Tour After Dark by Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Premium Koh Tao & Koh Nangyuan Snorkeling by Joining Speedboat (Tue/Thu/Sun)

Thailand

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai Culture and Art

Chiang Mai

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Scenery of Golden Triangle Region

Chiang Rai

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Back to The Glorious Days of Ayutthaya Kingdom

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Railway Market & Floating Market

Bangkok

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was planned flawlessly by Leslie at KimKim! Can’t say enough how incredible the trip was and how every place, guide, and tour were wonderful - - - even in 100 degree heat!

Venice:
Our guide Sara was so warm, informative and loved her City. We learned so much about the history, saw the basilica, and went on a gondola ride. So lovely. Our hotel was fabulous and we made friends with the staff.

Florence:
Our guide Marco was charming and knowledgeable. We did some wine tasting, visited sites and were again spoiled at our hotel.

Rome:
Once again our guide and hotel were memorable. Our guide did her best to help us be more comfortable in the extreme heat, while we learned about our host city. We visited the Collisium and the Vatican; both left us speechless in their beauty.

Amalfi Coast:
We had a full day boat ride. The Captain and Marta were the perfect hosts who love their professions! We were shown the Blue Grotto, Mt Vesuvius, Capri, and the Sorrento coastline. We swam in the sapphire blue water, had a delicious Italian lunch and learned about the locations history. Our hotel was on the water and we got to relax a couple days and even got to see the Solar Eclipse!

I’m really not able to do the trip enough justice. Every guide, tour, ride, etc. was on time and high quality. Each hotel had a great location and was 4 - 5 stars. The memories my kids, grandkids and friend made together will last a lifetime. Can’t thank Leslie enough for her careful planning, availability, and kindness.

Review of Road Trip In France
What a great service! Marianna, our local specialist, was wonderful to work with. She was very responsive and had some good insights. Now for some specifics:
Picking up the rental car was seamless. With everything prepared and paid for it took just a few minutes to do the paperwork and drive away. As with every other driving excursion, a quick click on the embedded link brought up a saved Google map with a detailed route right to the exact next location.
Deauville was a good stop for us. It was a short drive after leaving our cruise ship to this wonderful seaside resort that had obviously been visited by many film stars and other well-known people. The Hotel Barriere Le Normandy deserved the 5-star rating – great facilities, great service, wonderful charm.
Another click on an embedded link, and we were off for the drive to Mont-Saint-Michel. This was one of the highlights of the trip. What an inspiring feat to build such a grand abbey on an isolated small island so many centuries ago.
Next stop was Amboise in the Loire valley region. The Hotel Le Clos d’Amboise was a charming converted chateau with a courtyard and inground swimming pool. The reception staff was extremely gracious and helpful. The breakfast included was okay. However, we would not recommend the restaurant for dinner. The servings were small, the service was slow, and the price was way too expensive for what was received.
A major highlight of the trip was the visit to the Clos Luc Castle, the final home of Leonardo da Vinci. It was fascinating to see his drawings and the replicas of machines based on his ideas. What a visionary individual he was!
Now came the only hiccup in the entire experience. Before we took the 30-minute trip to turn in the rental car we called the transfer company that was to give us a ride back to our hotel. The company had the return transfer scheduled for the following day and could not get us a driver for the current day. The hotel staff lined us up with a different transfer. We paid for the transfer, but Kimkim graciously refunded us the charge. Specific instructions on how to return the car to the underground parking garage would have been very helpful as the Avis representative was not in his office and did not speak very good English as he tried to transmit instructions as we circled the train station a few times.
All in all, working with Kimkim exceeded our expectations. We have already recommended them to others and will not hesitate to do so in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Le Clos d'Amboise

Amboise

Nice converted old chateau. The reception staff was very good and helpful. The restaurant was OK for breakfast but would not recommend it for dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mercure Mont Saint Michel

Le Mont-Saint-Michel

Typical U.S. style basic modern hotel. We wanted to make sure we had A/C, though it was not necessarily needed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Barrière Le Normandy

Deauville1

Great old 5-star hotel in a wonderful seaside resort

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very short walk to the beach.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private transfer in town

France

Transfer was scheduled on the wrong day.

Visit the châteaux Chenonceau on your own (timed tickets provided)

France

Quality of Experience

All guides and drivers were great as we have become to expect from Kimkim.

Hotel Review

Electra Palace Athens

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free Afternoon in Athens

Athens

Quality of Experience

Y

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Acropolis Museum Private Guided Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Athens Highlights Private Guided Driving Tour with Jewish Heritage

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Athens Food Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

National Archaeological Museum Private Guided Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Acropolis Private Guided Tour

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guides God bless and George were fantastic. Request them!! George maneuvered well in heavy traffic in and out if Nairobi and always provided fantastic views of the wildlife. We had bird enthusiasts in our group and Godbless was very knowledgeable. He also gave us excellent views of the animals. He had an engaging personality and it was obvious he had good relationship with other guides.
Joseph did an excellent job of curating a customized experience for our group of six.
He was responsive to our questions.
It was an experience of a lifetime.

All connections were smooth. A no hassle experience where we could still do things independently.
I thought the hiking around Pyha was exceptional. It is nice there was plenty of independent time in location ( except bear watching cabin) to be able to walk about.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ski-Inn Kultakero Hotel

Pyhätunturi

Loved this place off season , after the big concert crowd had left. Was so nice to have our own sauna and hot tub. Such a nice spacious room for two people with kitchen facilities. The walking and hikes nearby were great. Unfortunately, our two outings with the same guide we didn’t get a chance to see much wildlife, but the weather was an issue and we enjoyed visiting with him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bear Watching Cabin

Kuusamo

It was a long time to be cooped up. I would have had second thoughts , if I knew it was 14 hours in a stuffy cabin with no chance to take a walk to get fresh air. It n the other hand it makes a memorable visit and a great story to see bears by the Russian border. I didn’t realize they bait the bears directly in front of the cabin. Something about this struck me as wrong , but my wife liked it more than I did.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Long drive to get to this cabin.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Can walk anywhere from here

Staff

Attentive and accommodating staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sauna in excellent shape

Overnight Train

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Solo Sokos Hotel Turun Seurahuone

Turku

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Haven

Helsinki

Liked the buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Midnight Sun Photography Tour

Rovaniemi

Ryan was a very patient and enthusiastic guy that made for a memorable evening.

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Turku City Walking Tour

Turku

Informative guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Canoe Trip in Lapland

Rovaniemi

Beautiful spot , very private. Good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Helsinki Sauna Tour

Helsinki

Was a fun trip. Bike riding was no problem , felt safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Supportive and informative. Excellent English.

Transport

Overnight Bear Watching Experience

Kuusamo

Long time at a stuffy cabin. An interesting experience to see bears that close to the Russian border. I didn’t realize they baited the bears to come to the right in front of the cabin.

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Clearer communication

Transport

Good drivers on a long drive.

Porvoo Private Day Tour

Helsinki

It was fine , seemed a bit touristy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fishing Experience

Finland

Didn’t have much time to get the line in the water, but still a nice spot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bird & Wildlife Watching Tour

Pyhä

Rainy day and didn’t see much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Reliable for a rainy day

Transport

River Cruise on an Eco Rubber Boat

Rovaniemi

Our guide was informative and personable. He gave us a choice of rubber or rustic wooden boat. I chose the wooden, but there was a problem with a bit of a leaking. The bailing made for a memorable journey.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guide should have probably checked boat leak before guests.

Short Arctic Wilderness Hike (Summer/Autumn)

Rovaniemi

Nice hike , young French guide didn’t add much info.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Never felt like Ryan was rushing through things.

Transport

Picnic Cruise Along the Aura River

Turku

Boat operator did not arrive.

Transport

Back up plan for boat operator.

Guided Hike in the Archipelago Sea

Helsinki

Our guide Alex was excellent with good sized group.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taste of Helsinki & Tour of Suomenlinna

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a marvelous trip to Finland. Emerson established our itinerary, and every phase of the trip played out exactly as planned. For example, every driver we expected for a transport showed up early. I never felt worried that we would be stuck somewhere and have to figure out an alternative plan; things occurred as stated in the itinerary.
I loved the app too - it kept all of the important information, directions and tickets together in one source. I will definitely use KimKim again for international travel.
Emerson was available during the trip via the app or email, just in case we had questions or concerns. It was reassuring to know that we could consult with our travel specialist at any time. He was pretty quick to get back to us when we did contact him.

My Uganda trip, booked through kimkim, was an incredible experience overall. The itinerary covered everything I had hoped for: gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, and Queen Elizabeth National Park were all absolute highlights, each with fantastic wildlife sightings and well-timed, well-organized days.

A special mention goes to my guide and driver, Steven, who was outstanding throughout the trip. He was knowledgeable, attentive, and brought a level of care and professionalism that made a real difference, from the way he timed the trekking activities to how he handled logistics day to day. He's a big part of why this trip felt so memorable.

I also want to highlight Fred, who checked in with me by phone almost every day to make sure everything was going smoothly. That level of attentiveness gave me real peace of mind traveling alone, and it didn't go unnoticed.

One area for improvement: the overall pricing felt too high, not because anything was missing from the trip, but because it's clear a significant markup was added on top of the actual bookings. This isn't a reflection of Steven's or Fred's work, both of which were excellent; it's specifically feedback on kimkim's pricing structure. If I might book with them again, I'd go in more price-conscious, even though the on-the-ground experience was fantastic.

Activity Reviews

Kazinga Channel Water Safari

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half Day Game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ride 4 a Woman Biking Community Tour

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Chimpanzee Trekking

Kibale National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This trip was amazing! Chris booked eight of us according to our needs, and also provided a wonderfully eclectic experience! We chose to break up into two groups of four so we could see different places, and the timing of the split was perfect. It was wonderful to see so much of Athens, staying in three different hotels, and all were unique in their own ways. The car rentals went very smoothly too. We talked the whole trip about how wonderful Chris' arrangements were, and how much we appreciated the recommendations and free time. He was also very responsive whenever we had questions while on the trip.

My only recommendation is for the car rental: the Nissan Qashqai, while very comfortable, would not allow for turning off driver assist. This meant if I hugged the shoulder to let cars pass, the wheel would automatically and immediately move the car back into the center of the lane. It pinged whenever I drove 1kph over the speed limit. Not ideal for local driving behavior! The rental agency contact said, "this is a good car, but not a good car for Greece." The Ibiza SEAT was perfect though!

Please know the tour guides were wonderful. Irene at the Acropolis group tour and Penny at the Delphi private tour had us laughing, taught us a great deal, were very caring about the heat and shade, and thorough in where to go at the end of the tour. Experiencing two different styles of tours was also very thoughtful! Penny was delightful, and we still quote her.

Lucie was incredible! From start to finish she listened, planned, reworked and was just amazing! She included everything we wanted, selected lovely places for us to stay, made sure the trip went smoothly with a rental car, and gave helpful tips to us. When we added or subtracted things mid- planning she didn’t hesitate! She reworked our itinerary so quickly! I cannot say enough about how kind funny and professional Lucie was. We are planning our next trip in 2027 and will be asking for Lucie specifically! Thank you so much for planning our One of a Kind Grimm Faery Tale Trail Adventure! It was magical!

Adam Warszawski of Iceland Offbeat was simply amazing!!! He was kind, patient, thoughtful, funny, and told us great stories about Iceland and about his guiding experiences. He even cleared an injured duck off the roadway as we were driving. We saw so many wonderful sights, and learned so many things about the land and its history --- all because of Adam. We miss his company in the days since we've arrived home!

The entire experience was fabulous. The only reason I gave KimKim just 4 stars was because of a mix-up at the very beginning of our trip. Another guide picked us up at the airport (ahead of Adam) and was brusque about not being our guide. I had talked to Adam for months ahead of time, planning this trip, and was in communication with Adam even as we landed in Iceland. But when we descended the escalator, there was Svarnen (?) waiting with a sign in his hand that had my name on it. All was eventually sorted, but we found those first few moments odd and uncomfortable.

Fanny and Adrian did a great job. The food tour in Kinsale and the Connemara Sheepdog demonstration were fabulous and definitely the highlights.

From the initial introductory discussion with Janneke through to the end of our trip, our experience of working with Janneke was absolutely superb. She organised a 3 1/2 week family holiday in South Africa and Namibia. Her knowledge and advice from the outset was second to none and ensured that we had a very memorable holiday, staying in 10 different locations, with no 'duds'. We immediately warmed to her enthusiasm for her country, and she was always available throughout the trip to give advice. We even met up near her home on the garden route which was particularly lovely. Given our family situation we had some specific requirements, which were all clearly understood and acted on. All the local partners that she worked with were friendly and knowledgeable - they were clearly well vetted. Particular shout out to Andrew our guide in Cape Town and the wine region and to the team in Namibia.

In terms of highlights, I'd go back to every spot, but top of the list would be Franschhoek (La Cotte Farm) and Hohenstein Lodge in Damaraland, Namibia.

So thank you Janneke and to the team - we will be in touch next time we come to south africa for sure! We need to go to Babylonstoren when it's not raining!

Hotel Reviews

Agama River Camp

Stunning place

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sossus Dune Lodge

Beautiful place in the middle of nowhere with fantastic views. The stars were mindblowing. Really lovely food too. Slightly let down by one or two of the staff members giving a 'can't be bothered' impression, exacerbated by several missing things in our rooms (a missing duvet, missing towels). It was a long walk from the rooms to the reception so this stuff was annoying, but didn't overall detract from a memorable stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Incredible place in the middle of nowhere. Stunning views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Several missing things in the rooms

Swakopmund Guest House

Swakopmund

The Windhoek Luxury Suites

Windhoek

Xanatseni Private Camp

Bushbuckridge

Wow. What a place. Beautiful rooms with high ceilings and thatched roofs. Decent (perhaps not stellar) food. Super friendly and helpful staff - they were a real joy to be around. Fantastic game drives with knowledgeable guides. It was a real privilege to stay here - I would love to come back.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Harbour House Hotel

Hermanus

Very spacious. Great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Lofts Boutique Hotel

Knysna

Brilliant place. Real character (the kids loved crossing a bridge over the lobby to get to their room). Stunning location.

Authenticity & Character

An old boathouse. Real character to the place

Location

Incredible views

Staff

My daughter was expecially chuffed that they found a suiteable khosa name for her.

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Cotte Farm

Franschhoek

Staying at La Cotte was of the highlights of our trip. Such a beautiful, peaceful location with lovely food and lovely rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Romney Park Luxury Apartments

Cape Town

Lovely small boutique hotel/apartments. Worked well for us as was well equipped (washing machine / kitchen), large and comfortable rooms and nice views towards the sea.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

A Day in the Kruger Bush with Two Game Drives

South Africa

A superb few days. Big thanks to our guide, Ross, who was super knowledgeable of the area and the animals and looked after us well. A real highlight of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Knysna Featherbed Eco Experience

South Africa

A nice trip. Quite busy on the initial part of the walk as everyone set off at the same time, but it did thin out. A nice way to explore the area, and the food at the end was super!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Franschhoek Scootours

South Africa

This was so much fun!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cape Town to Franschhoek with Wine farm visits

South Africa

What's not to like about a wine tour in the beautiful landscape and towns of the area!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bo-Kaap Walking Tour

Cape Town

Interesting, but I wouldn't say it's a must do. Can wander around the area and get a feel in your own time

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cape Peninsula & Penguins

South Africa

Wonderful trip. Big thanks to our guide Andrew for creating a wonderful tour. Kayaking with the penguins was a particular highlight.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Food tour in Kinsale was great
Hotels without elevators were a surprise and should be advised about before booking.

Both Adam and Sandy were outstanding. All the hotels were amazing. Pauline with help from Gabriella could not have been better. If you had a question, they got back to you with an answer almost immediately. They were great! Thank you so much, Pauline!!!

Thanks for all your help with this trip. Apart from a few hiccups all went as planned and we loved Greece.

Hotel Review

Paros Agnanti Resort & Spa

Paros

Beautiful food, service and surrounds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to town but away from the bustle

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunset & Wine Tasting Experience

Santorini

Lovely experience and evening.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Acropolis Beat-the-Crowds Discovery Walk

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This trip to South Africa was my first time using KimKim. I wasn't quite sure how to even start with a 2-week safari trip and since a family member recommended them, I decided to give it a try. From the very beginning when Anna-marie answered my request it was simple and reassuring. After we had our first call, she grasped exactly what our family group of eight was looking for. The recommendations were spot on and now that the trip is over not one thing disappointed. Anna-marie was always available and ready to help both before the trip and throughout our two weeks of travel. Top notch travel agent!!!!!
First off, every driver was on time and waiting for us with a smile and more than willing to help and educate us about the area, no matter how long or short the transport was. We never experienced any issues at all. Even the weather cooperated 100%!

Capetown - The rooms and staff at Blackheath Lodge were outstanding. Riano greeted us and made sure we were taken care of all three days and nights. The welcome cocktail and anniversary bubbles were a great surprise after the long travel. The hotel was close enough for us to walk down to the waterfront the next morning after a great breakfast. The first day was on our own to catch up from the day of travel and that worked great. That night Anna-marie made us reservations for dinner at Kloof Street House. Highly recommend this. The dinner and atmosphere were wonderful!
The next day we were greeted by Radheeka, our A+ guide with Earthstompers, for the next two days. She entertained us and safely drove us around the Cape, to the penguins, lunch at Crofter's Kitchen and to and through the wine farms in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Both days exceeded our expectations and were a great quick lesson about southern South Africa.

Franschhoek - We spent two nights at La Fontaine Boutique Hotel. Again, the hotel and staff were excellent. Our free day was a Saturday so after breakfast (where Anna-marie joined us, which was so great to meet her) we decided to venture out to the town's market. We managed to spend hours there and then relaxed before dining at Reuben's, another restaurant Anna-marie recommended. And again, very good. We loved having time in the wine country.

Walkers Plains Camp - Anna-marie really talked this place up. Honestly, we didn't really know what to expect but it was outstanding! All eight of us wished we would have spent another day. We ended up with two nights and four game drives. Our guide Roan and his tracker, Walter, were with us all four drives and we had the time of our lives. Searching out the animals was so fun and finding them was like WOW! Watching the lions, the elephants, the giraffes, the hippos, the leopards, the hyenas, and then all the birds and impalas in their habitat, while being educated at the same time in a private quiet setting was amazing! After the ~4 hours we came back to outstanding meals in a beautiful setting. Perfect!

Panorama Route Scenic Tour to Tanamera Lodge - Themba drove us through the beautiful mountains of South Africa from our safari to our hotel before flying out to Victoria Falls. Again, Anna-marie highly recommended we do the day long drive and we were amazed at the scenic viewpoints and the stops along the way. Again, she was right. Themba was a great driver and provided an entertaining educational "lecture" thru out the drive. We learned alot about the native South African history as well as the importance of the area we were touring. Themba arrived at our hotel just in time for the sunset. We knew we wanted to see the sunset at Tanamera and again WOW! The view was spectacular!! The hotel was very unique and we loved it. The dinner was delicious and the hot water bottles in the beds were perfect for the chilly night. It was fun spending the night in the trees and admiring the night sky.

Victoria Falls - This is something we said we needed to do if we were this close. The Falls were absolutely beautiful and powerful and the walking path around the falls was amazing. Hundreds of pictures! The sunset cruise on the Zambezi Vista was one of our highlights. More animals but the sunset was huge! As someone who loves sunsets this was one of a kind. The drinks and food were very good and our captain, (? we forgot his name) and bartender, Freeman, took excellent care of us. It was sponsored by the hotel, so transportation was provided. I would say if there was anything that was a little disappointing during our trip it was Insinka Lodge. The hotel wants to be a high-end hotel but they definitely cut corners. Most of the staff, especially front of house, were not as helpful or friendly as the other places (except Trudy in the restaurant). I had read reviews about checking your bar bills and that was very good advice. Nothing bad happened but I would probably look for some other place next time. The side trips were good. We were glad we did the Dusty Road Township, especially because our Victoria Falls driver Tuffy (A+) was from the township and provided us with a narrated tour which was very interesting. Tuffy also took us the Botswana for the Chobe day trip with Bushtracks which was again something we were not sure of but turned out to be one of our favorite days. It was a great final day.
As a family, we have done some great overseas vacations, and this one is rated our number 1! We were treated like royalty from the moment KimKim connected us with Anna-marie. Many thanks to her for all her hard work and to all the fabulous people she lined up and we were fortunate to meet along the way! She made our 50th wedding anniversary very memorable!!!

Hotel Reviews

Insika Lodge

Victoria Falls

The hotel was nice. The staff, especially the front of house, was not very accommodating or willing to offer assistance. Never really got that friendly feeling or that they were glad we were there. The one exception was the sunset cruise staff on the boat. They were very friendly and wanted to make sure everyone had a great night. And we did. We had read reviews that suggested you make sure to check your bar bills and that proved to be good advice. When we checked in, our four rooms were located across the resort from each other even though our reservations were mad months in advance. That was disappointing and could not be changed. One of the rooms had the wrong name on it and the wrong name was still on the emails received after checking out. They want to appear as if they are a higher end resort, but they definitely cut corners that make a difference.

Authenticity & Character

The layout and landscape.

Location

The shuttle rides seemed short and close to what we needed.

Staff

Just not very friendly or helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tanamera

Hazyview

Unique smaller hotel that is tucked away and very private. You feel like you are living in the trees and the views are spectacular. The owner and her staff were outstanding. The food was excellent! The rooms were very unique and fun to be in. Make sure you are there for the sunsets! Quiet and relaxing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Walkers Plains Camp

South Africa

Very nice, small private lodge great to experience a safari. The guides and staff were wonderful. The food was very good and the rooms were very clean and comfortable. We truly enjoyed our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Fontaine Boutique Hotel

Franschhoek

Great, friendly and comfortable hotel. Location was perfect. Rooms were lovely.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blackheath Lodge

Cape Town

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Reuben's restaurant

Franschhoek

Loved the food and very close to the hotel.

Quality of Experience

Full Day Panorama Route Scenic Tour

Hazyview

Had no idea the landscape of South Africa had such variety. The mountains were absolutely beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Van was very comfortable for the six hour drive.

Dusty Road Township Lunch/Dinner Experience **highly recommended by our team

Victoria Falls

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tuffy was excellent driver. Very familiar with the neighborhood.

Arrive at Walkers Plains Camp in Kruger & First Game Drive

South Africa

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roan and Walter were great

Transport

Sunset cruise Zambezi Vista

Victoria Falls

Beautiful night on the river. Relaxing, the food and drink were very good. Staff excellent.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giovanni and Freeman took great care to make sure we had a great night

Transport

Full-Day Wine Tour

South Africa

Wine farms were all different and fun to visit. The wines were good and the hosts were knowledgeable. Countryside was beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Radeeka was great

Transport

Lunch at Crofter's Kitchen

South Africa

We all enjoyed the food and experience. The amount of time devoted to tasting and educating us to the plants and flowers in her organic garden was a little long. The food we were served by Nicki and her staff was delicious. Also, we appreciated what we learned about Capetown and the neighborhood she resided in. Her house was gorgeous.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Another Day at Walkers Plains Camp with 2 game drives

South Africa

Final Morning Game Drive

South Africa

Chobe Day Trip

Victoria Falls

Adding this additional safari adventure to the trip was great. Both the land and river tours were good and the lunch at the golf resort was very good. The connection between our two guides, Tuffy and Mateo, made the transition from Zimbabwe to Botswana very simple. Mateo was an excellent safari guide. Very knowledgeable and fun to be with. We had quite a show watching the elephants swim across the river!

Quality of Experience

Food

Buffet at golf resort very nice addition

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tuffy and Mateo very good

Transport

Bushtracks was very good

Cape Peninsula & Penguins

South Africa

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guides (Tomoe in Tokyo and Mitch in Kyoto) were super knowledgeable and went out of their way to make sure our family was happy.