Kimkim Trip Reviews

Amazing trek. Our guide Gyaljan and our porter Khawa were superb. They looked after us exceptionally well, from our arrival in Kathmandu to our return to Pokhara. They made sure we had the best rooms in the tea houses and even woke us up some mornings when we nearly overslept..! We had lots of laughs along the way 😁. The trek itself was superb. The Thorang La was tricky and requires a reasonable level of fitness, but the sense of achievement was incredible. Would recommend this trek and our guide/porter/friends Gyaljan and Khawa to anyone who wants to experience this area.

Some portions of the trip were absolutely fabulous and a few things left something to be desired. I'll start with the positive. The hotel in Panama City was fantastic. Our trip to Broquete was almost seamless and our Gapa travel guide, Plinio, was beyond fantastic, especially when one tour had to be canceled due to weather and he came up with a fabulous backup solution. 5 stars for Plinio. Our trip to the San Blas Islands was fantastic, though we felt very underprepared. I wish someone had told us to bring a towel, extra water, and even a snorkel mask. Most other tourists seemed to know this information but we did not. And our accommodations did not remotely match the pictures provided in our itinerary. Maybe we were on a different island? We thought we were getting it huts above the water and that was not the reality. But the island was still great. Our guide via Gapa travel in Panama City was extremely friendly and sociable, but did not have the depth of knowledge I would have expected of a guide and spent a lot of time videoing and posting on his personal social media account. A bit disappointing. There was a bit of a snafu with our driver on the final day to return to the airport but Jesse was very available to help correct the situation. I'm not sure where the breakdown in communication occurred. But we made it in time to make our flight.

Hotel Reviews

Private Cabins at San Blas Islands

San Blas

I don't know where you got this picture but these are not the cabins we stayed in. So I have to rate them as a one because this is what we expected and not what we got. Now if I were rating the actual huts we were in on Iguana Island I would give them 4 stars.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Waldorf Astoria Panama

Panama City

Hotel was absolutely fantastic. The staff was impeccable, their concierge set us up with a number of fabulous tours, 100% would stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Panameña Night

Panama City

The restaurant chosen for this night was fantastic. We started at the Mercado de Pescado for a beer and some ceviche and continued on to a fabulous restaurant whose name I unfortunately don't remember. The staff and food at both locations were great. The only downfall of our tour again, was our guide. While very friendly, he didn't provide any information on Panamanian food culture.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boquete - Hanging bridges

Boquete

This is a fabulous activity and a great way to see the cloud forest of Panama! Highly recommend. We had a great guide through Tree Trek.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Soberania National Park

Panama City

This had the potential to be a fantastic tour but our guide unfortunately, was not very knowledgeable. He knew a lot about birds but not a lot about any other flora or fauna. The walk he chose was strange compared to where other cars were parked. We did see a lot of animals so that was neat. But at times I felt I knew more information having been to Costa Rica six months ago, than our guide. Still a fabulous national Park that everyone should visit. Just go with a good guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Experience

Boquete

We did the coffee experience also through Tree Trek. Highly recommend, especially if you're headed up to Tree Trek for any of their other activities. We had an extremely knowledgeable guide who gave a fantastic tour that included an up close experience with hummingbirds. The coffee tasting was superb.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The boat trip to Higgins National Park, and the bus tour through Torres Del Paine National Parks were amazing. We were blessed with great weather and a very good local guide, Daniella (on the TDP trip.) The pristine natural beauty of these parks is a sight to behold!

Hotel Review

Altiplanico Sur Hotel

Puerto Natales

Great Service! Excellent food options in the restaurant. Amazing view of the bay from our ocean facing room.

Authenticity & Character

The postcard picture window with unobstructed view of the bay. Comfortable common areas gor sitting around with friends sipping hot tea!

Location

Serenity, away from the crowds.

Staff

Helpful, and easy to communicate with.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room fixtures are dated, but bed was comfortable. Good bathroom with shower stall and towel warmer.

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour to Bernardo O Higgins National Park, Serrano & Balmaceda Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Comfortable boat ride. Great views of waterfalls and glacier. Hearty lunch of barbecued chicken and lamb. An overall great experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park (Full-Day Group Tour)

Argentina

Wonderful day-long trip. Very scenic, populated with llama-like deers. Took plenty of pictures with many stops along the way. Good lunch with soup, entree, and dessert. Good local guide, Daniella who made the trip enjoyable and comfortable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time in Morocco. The hotels, the food and the people were great. The country is beautiful, it has a great variety of ecosystems. The country's history came to life during the trip. Younes Bouabid our driver/guide who was with us throughout the trip, was wonderful. He was very courteous, helpful and available at any time of the day or night to answer questions or take us to additional locations that were not on the itinerary. He took us to local restaurants, off the beaten path, where we could experience local food at the places where locals eat. He got very good guides in the cities that we didn't have. He was always happy to answer any questions and advice on how to improve our experiences in Morocco. His advice, warnings and recommendations were priceless.
We felt very safe traveling with him even in the most remote areas of the country. It was a great experience.
I highly recommend Younes. If we return to Morocco we will definitely look for him to be our driver/guide again.

Erin was responsive and helped plan our trip given the limited amount of time we planned to spend in Puerto Natales. We were a group of four (2 couples).
Erin and Nara responded promptly to our questions and requests that we raised during the trip planning stage.
The Hotel Altiplanico Sur was a great choice as the views from our room were amazing. We were there for three (3) nights. Hotel was a short driving distance away from downtown as well as the airport. The included breakfast was good. Each night we dined at the Hotel and the food was well prepared and delicious. The Hotel staff including the front desk was friendly and courteous.
The full day catamaran boat tour to Bernardo Higgins NP, Serrano & Balmaceda Glaciers was amazing. It included a delicious BBQ lunch which exceeded our expectation.
The full day group tour to Torres del Paine NP was great with amazing views. The tour guide was friendly, helpful and courteous. The stop at Milodon Cave was quite interesting! The included buffet lunch at the park restaurant was good. The Airport/ Hotel/Airport transfers were on time with courteous drivers.
In summary, we had a great time and recommend Erin and her team for planning a trip to the Patagonia!

Hotel Review

Altiplanico Sur Hotel

Puerto Natales

Excellent location and views from the room. Friendly Hotel staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Short (10 min) drive to downtown as well as the Airport

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overall, a great place to stay !

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour to Bernardo O Higgins National Park, Serrano & Balmaceda Glaciers

Puerto Natales

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Torres del Paine National Park (Full-Day Group Tour)

Chile

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip to Japan was awesome. Eleanor, my representative from KimKim, worked hard to make sure that all of my wishes were included on my itinerary. I had a blast at the Sumo Wrestler stable, the hedgehog cafe, lacquer store where I was able to finish painting a design on a small tray, seeing the city of Sapporo from the top of the Olympic ski jump, and using my skills to find a particular restaurant in Sagamihara where I used to eat the most delicious gyoza many years ago. (And yes it is still open after 40+ years!). All of this would not have been possible without the help of Eleanor and the private guides that I had in each city for a day. I would definitely use their services again on another trip. I do like being able to discover places on my own but having a one day guide in each city increased my confidence and gave me information that I wouldn't have known on my own.

Hotel Reviews

Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Nihonbashi

Tokyo

Super convenient location with the subway station being under the hotel. Great included breakfast buffet. Wonderful registation and concierge staff that were able to help me transfer my luggage by courier to my next location so that I could travel luggage free on public transportation. Only down side to this hotel is that they do not have self-serve guest laundry machines, but I was able to find a public pay laundromat just about one or two blocks away. Very easy to use just needed Google translate to work the machines!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Residence Hotel Takayama Station

Very interesting small hotel in Takayama. I can see how this hotel could be used as a long-stay place. The room was comfortable, nice batieGood location to food, and convenience stores. I would choose this hotel again if I ever found myself in the area. Also, the registration staff was extremely helpful with luggage service to my next location, making calls to help with the language barrier, and overall answers to my questions,

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa-Eki Nishiguchi

Kanazawa

Have you ever heard the saying location, location, location? Well, the saying fits this hotel. Adjacent to the bus station, and a short 5 minute walk from the train station makes it very convenient. Again, the front desk staff was very helpful and friendly. Would stay here again if in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marunouchi Hotel

This hotel was also in a very good location in relation to public transportation. Helpful and friendly staff, and a clean and inviting atmosphere. I would stay here again if in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West

Sapporo

This hotel was also in a very good location in relation to public transportation. Helpful and friendly staff, and a clean and inviting atmosphere. I would stay here again if in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Tokyo City Tour with Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Tokyo

Super fun but soooo crowded. I would prefer to see it at a less crowded time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Authentic Sumo Experience in Tokyo: Enter the Sanctuary

Tokyo

Oh boy! I Ioved this experience! I would definitely suggest this experience if you are even just a little bit interested in sumo. I had the opportunity to watch some wrestlers show us some of their exercises and even let the participants get in the ring to try to do them with guidance. At the end of the demonstration each group participant had the oppertunity to get in the ring once again and try to out-do the pros by pushing them out of the ring. We were able to put on an informal kimono and have our pictures taken in the ring with both wrestlers. After the demonstration was done, we were invited to have a hotpot lunch made by the wrestlers in a very informal setting were we could ask questions and get the answers from the sumos. I really liked this experience. It is suitable for families with children of about 8+ years old.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Takayama City Tour

Takayama

I had a wonderful day here with my private guide. It was during a festival that I visited and was able to try many different foods from the street venders as well as see the parade of Japanese shrines. Learned quite a bit about the history with my guide. I would definately go to visit here again if in the area. It is a breath of fresh air after spending time in the busy city of Tokyo.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle & Tea Culture Tour

Kanazawa

Wow! What a beautiful area to visit. I had a great day with my private guide and learned quite a bit of new information regarding the area. I would visit this area again if in Japan.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sapporo City Discovery with Genghis Khan BBQ and Sapporo Beer Tasting

Sapporo

The Sapporo Brewery is a sight to behold. It is a beautiful brick building the has been well maintained and houses a museum of the beer industry in Sapporo. My guide was great at pointing out details that I would have missed in being there on my own. I didn't take advantage of the BBQ or the beer tasting, as those things don't appeal to me. Instead we ate at a smaller local restaruant and had great ramen and gyoza! If in the area I would suggest visiting the Olympic stadium, Clock Tower, and the Sapporo TV tower.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Thank you for the incredible team you’ve assembled to represent your tour company and Morocco. From the moment we booked with KimKim, the communication was clear, concise, and helpful. Maryem was wonderfully responsive—quick, kind, and always available. Does she ever sleep?

Every arrangement at our Riyadh was both comfortable and elegant, offering the traditional Moroccan experience we were hoping for. Our days were packed with sights and activities, and we truly got an exceptional guide in Sallam. His knowledge of Moroccan history was impressive, and he had a wonderful ability to engage each of us, ensuring everyone felt heard, involved and comfortable exploring. Our expectations were high, but we came away with far more enjoyment, understanding, and appreciation for your culture and country than we ever anticipated.

When a medical emergency unexpectedly interrupted our travel plans, your team went above and beyond to arrange excellent care for me and smoothly adjusted our itinerary to meet our specific needs. Every response from your organization was outstanding, showcasing remarkable professionalism and genuine care.

The attention to detail you provided ensures the ongoing success of your company. For anyone considering a trip to Morocco, this team is second to none. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Overall, we had an amazing time seeing highlights of Thailand and Vietnam over two weeks. Our tour guides really made the trip special and cannot thank Mem, Annie, Long and Peter enough for going above and beyond for us.

Hotels were ok, which was fine as we weren't spending a lot of time in the room (out sightseeing much of the time). Some had peculiarities such as not providing an iron but charging for ironing services, and ok breakfast selection. However, the hotel in Hanoi was the best one by far, especially the staff - really helpful and personable, would recommend if you want to be right in the centre of the Old Quarter area. In hindsight, we could have looked more into specific hotels to help inform our local specialist and take into account differing standards.

It was really helpful to have Trang available during our trip for any issues (only had a minor delay with a driver, otherwise it all went pretty smoothly).

Activity Reviews

Bangkok Explore Tour with River Boat & Tuk Tuk

Bangkok

Hanoi City Tour

Hanoi

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Halong Bay - Hanoi

Ha Long Bay

Half-Day Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Chiang Mai – City tour & Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai

Koh Samui Free Day

Koh Samui

Hanoi - Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh

Ben Tre Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

This was my second booking with KIMKIM and it didn't disappoint. Both times I have used this service I have been blown away. Our guide was amazing (I must start there). Hatice traveled with us for the entire 11 days and she was absolutely fabulous. She was knowledgeable, friendly and wonderful. She was like part of the family before we left. We shared meals, met her family and had just an incredible time. She made reservations at restaurants, knew the best times to visit each attraction and treated us like she knew us forever. It was an incredible experience. Of course, Berat and her team did an amazing job with all the arrangements. The hotels, food and locations were exactly what we wanted and needed for our vacation. Turkey is a magical safe place that everyone should enjoy at least once in their life. You will see amazing historical places, eat too much (watch the ice cream) and love living life there.

Ngima was my first and only contact with KimKim and provided first rate service, keeping me informed during every step of the planning process. Communications were both timely and thorough. Ngima was the consummate host and guide, catering to our every need during our travels. We enjoyed his company, knowledge, camaraderie and sense of humor. Food and accommodations were greater than anticipated. We can easily recommend planning and traveling with Ngima and with KimKim.

Highlights included the cultural tour of Kathmandu and the natural safari tours at Chitwan National Park. We were fortunate to be traveling during the Diwali holidays, as this added to the whole Nepal experience.

Activity Reviews

Kathmandu Sightseeing tour to Boudhanath, Swyambhunath, Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square

Kathmandu

Excellent interpretive guide and great introduction to Nepal. The Stupa and artist’s school at Boudhanath were highlights of this first day of touring.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traffic is an experience of its own.

Full-day Chitwan activities

Chitwan National Park

Safaris included jungle tours by jeep, canoe, and by foot, each offering different experiences and opportunities for wildlife viewing. These were spaced out over three days, and afforded rest and relaxation along the way. We stayed at Green Park and highly recommend for its wonderful accommodations, gardens, meals, swimming pool, and overall service.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Early drive to Sarangkot for Sunrise and Pokhara Sightseeing Tour

Pokhara

We looked forward with great anticipation to our first views of the Annapurna range, but were disappointed that the weather did not cooperate. We enjoyed the experience none the less.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive from Pokhara to Nayapul then Trek to Trek to Ghandruk and return back to Pokhara

Pokhara

We hiked from Kimchie to Ghandruk and were impressed by the gardens, forests, and villages. Ghandruk was a welcome destination on our itinerary.

Huyen was great to work with. She listened carefully to my requests and was flexible in her recommendations so that the trip was tailored to our needs. I joined my husband on a trip for work so we did not need help with hotel reservations. Huyen was great at suggesting options for things for us to do when he was not working. She arranged for tours of Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, including an overnight boat cruise on Ha Long Bay. In Thailand we had a half day elephant sanctuary tour that was great as well as a trip to the highest mountain in Thailand and a hike through the mountains by several waterfalls and through terraced rice paddies. Once the trip was underway, Huyen remained in contact and was incredibly helpful when we had problems. When I left my passport on the boat in Ha Long Bay she contacted the cruise company for me and arranged to have the passport delivered to my hotel the next day! The only glitch was when she gave me the wrong time to meet the tour for the Elephant Sanctuary. However, she called the tour and arranged for a private car to pick us up within 10 minutes to bring us to meet the others on the tour. She never missed a beat!

Hotel Review

Athena Cruise

Ha Long Bay

We loved our overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay. The staff was friendly and the food was excellent. Our cabin was comfortable and roomy. We enjoyed sitting on our private balcony as well as making spring rolls with the crew staff.

Authenticity & Character

The cruise ship is clean and comfortable.

Location

this is a cruise on Ha Long Bay!

Staff

very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean and comfortable

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Ancient Capital & Tam Coc Boat Trip - Hanoi

Vietnam

We enjoyed our day in Ninh Binh. Our guide was very informative in the ancient capital and the boat trip was great.

Quality of Experience

OVerall great day

Food

Lunch was good.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We loved our guide, Brian. His English was great and he was very informative and easy to talk to

Transport

we were very comfortable in our private car.

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

We loved this trip to Ha Long Bay. We had a comfortable room with a private balcony. The food was very good and the staff was friendly. I loved waking up to do Tai Chi on the deck at dawn.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok - Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - half-day free

Bangkok

We were picked up and driven 1.5 hours south to a floating market. We had a boat ride through the canals but it ended at the floating market. There we walked around but would have had to hire a different boat to actually take us through the market. Our guide left us alone in the market and went to have coffee. That was fine for us as we enjoyed the time to browse, but I think some people would have enjoyed having more guidance and an interpreter in the market.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was excellent. He drove quickly but safely in heavy traffic.

Transport

Bangkok No guide – Morning flight to Chiang Mai – Doi Suthep Hill (B)

Vietnam

We enjoyed going to the the top of Doi Suthep Hill. However, it rained and was cold. Our guide made the best of it and was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chiang Mai – Half day Elephant Sanctuary (Join -in tour) - Evening Foodie tour by Tuktuk (B,L,D)

Chiang Mai

We had a great trip to the Jungle Elephant Sanctuary. We got a late start due to a miscommunication about the start time, but Huyen arranged or a separate car to pick us up and we joined the bus part way. The day itself was great. We enjoyed feeding the elephants, bathing with them and having a mud bath with them! The food was so so but that is not why you take this trip. The elephants are amazing! our evening foodie tour was fun but it was rainy and a bit cold. Our guide was great at finding all different foods for us to try and even at finding a dry spot to sit in despite the rain. I would never have known to try these foods without our guide!

Quality of Experience

Food

lunch was served but was not great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ms Wandee was great at leading us through our foodie tour.

Transport

Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon National Park - Chiang Mai (B)

Chiang Mai

This was a great day despite it being somewhat rainy. Since the top of the mountain is a temperate rain forest, the rain did not matter. We drove up into a cloud and wandered through moss covered trees and temples. Beautiful and eerie! Then we hiked further down the mountain for a about 1.5 hours near several waterfalls and through terraced fields with a local guide. The rain stopped and we were really able to enjoy this!

Quality of Experience

Food

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the park which was not included in the fee, but the food was delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ms Wandee was informative, friendly and a great guide

Transport

Great driver!

Yassine our local specialist, along with the booked driver aka local tour guide in disguise, Said Misser, for our 15 day trip in Morocco , really made our trip an unforgettable experience!

Yassine is so communicative, helpful, proactive, flexible and anticipates our needs - he made the planning part of it seem so effortless! It just relied on my two friends and I to make decisions, which was the only hard part of it. In fact - I previously worked with Yassine on an attempt to travel to Morocco. It fell through on my end, but because Yassine was so great to work with then, I immediately thought and requested to work with him again on this trip!

Said, our local driver from Casablanca, was with us the entire 15 days of the trip. We got along really well and he was someone we didnt even know we needed. It was the 3 of us women and he made us feel safe in a place where we all have heard mix things about traveling as a woman in this part of the country. He was also helpful in making more local less touristy recommendations for activities - he knew us well. His English is on point and it helped us conversate really well. He is also hospitable, personable and just so knowledgeable about his home town/country that has allowed us to learn so much of the Moroccan and Muslim culture. If it wasnt for him to allow us to connect with him and people there, the trip honestly would not have been the same and probably a bit more touristy. This is what truly made the trip above any other trips I've gone to and I travel frequently! (side note: we grew attached to Said by the end of the trip and we were sad to have had to say goodbye!)

A quick note - through Yassine, he booked several local tour guides for certain cities and events like Fatima for a food tour in Fes - she was amazing and so supportive of us women, and honestly can't remember the other local tours in other cities but we had a few more. Said helped us with smaller tours that made it more meaninful. We stayed in 9 cities and saw probably about 11-12 cities total.

also this is my second trip using KimKim and can't say enough good things about their services. You do pay extra but it is worth every penny! Use Kimkim when you dont have time to plan with people to take ensure you have an amazing trip - and reach out to Yassine for a Morocco trip and request for Said Misser for your driver!!!

thank you so much Said, Yassine, Kimkim for an unforgettable trip!!!

My hopes for an epic trip to China and Japan were realized thanks to
蒋海丽 (Heidi). She gave me alot of her time and energy to help me plan the trip, and she was with me every step of the way during the trip.

I was a little anxious about traveling to China on my own but Heidi was a reassuring influence as I planned the trip with her through convos on KK Platform and phone calls. Typically, I would send her a lot of questions and she always answered promptly with great options and solutions.

The several tours arranged by Heidi were excellent, especially the tour guides. She selected great hotels for me and booked the train rides I needed to see both countries.

Halfway through trip planning, I needed to switch from another Asian country to Japan. Heidi sent me an itinerary and plan for Japan the very next day!

It is always good to balance a review like this with some positive criticism, but I have none. I am so pleased with how smoothly the trip played out, which allowed me to experience both countries to the max. Thanks again Heidi!

Activity Reviews

A Glimpse into China's Imperial Past: the Fobidden City

Beijing

Angela tour guide in Beijing Wu Qiong (Angela) really took care of me in my visit to Beijing. She is an outstanding tour guide, reassuring, and very fun to be with. If you like to grow and learn about the history and culture of China, Angela is like an encyclopedia. Angela led me on two unforgettable days in Beijing, which covered the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. Angela made sure to ride the gondola with me at the Great Wall, which was a scary ride for me. When not touring with her, she recommended and arranged reservations in interesting local restaurants when I was not on the tour. The time with Angela in Beijing went by way too fast. I could have spent many more days exploring the city with her and learning from her.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Highlights of Shanghai with Yu Garden and the Bund

Shanghai

JJ, Shanghai tour guide During my tour of Shanghai, JJ (ChenJie陈杰) shared her incredible insight into China and its relationship to the rest of the world. I will remember those experiences as much as the Shanghai that she introduced me to. Although it was a whirlwind couple of days in the busy city of 25 million people, JJ made it all enormously fun and stimulating. JJ always let me set the comfortable pace for me. I appreciate so much how she was so flexible and creative when I asked for changes in the itinerary. There was so much to see and talk about and think about, and JJ made it all very easy. Go see Shanghai for yourself, and try to get JJ for a guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We spent a wonderful 10 days in Colombia looked after by Michael and his team at Chaska Travels.
A special mention about our guide Marylin in Bogota who went that extra mile to look after us personally especially when my wife and daughter were a bit under the weather. All the tours and travel arrangements went without a hitch and frankly there was no part of our trip that we had any negative experience. We loved Colombia as a country, its people and of course its amazing Geography.
The highlight of our trip was our stay at the Sofitel Santa Clara where we could not have asked for more. The service and facilities were wonderful.

All three of our guides were very responsive, knowledgeable, and friendly. I would highly recommend them.

Berat was very available for any changes that we made along the way. She was easy to contact and always followed up in a timely manner. I t was a very good expereince. Thank you
Gina Suozzi

We had a truly spectacular 7-day trip to Portugal early November 2024 -- our first not only to Portugal but to Europe. We credit the success of our trip to Pedro, who was the local specialist who consulted with us to truly understand what would work best to meet our needs. In our case, it was a balance of experiencing Portugal, its people, its history, its cities and more leisurely sights at a comfortable, low key pace that wasn't too overwhelming for us.

We arrived in Lisbon early on a Sunday morning, were greeted by a wonderful driver (Rui) who recommended some of the key places in the city and near our hotel (including several of his favorites). Our first stop was the Heritage Avenida Liberace hotel in Lisbon, which was a perfect and lovey location up the hill from downtown, a perfect place for exploring the city. The hotel was beautiful, filled with beautiful design inspiration. We were most grateful for the lovely and thoughtful welcome basket of wine, snacks and aromatic soaps Pedro had left for us. We strolled the city on Sunday, and were ready to do more on Monday when we were greeted by Rita for an amazing tasting tour throughout the city.

Rita introduced us to many favorite foods of Lisbon, and shared so many stories about the city and its history! Her thoughtful and delicious tour ended at the Time Out Market, where they were actually filming an episode of a Chef's show. Later that evening, we immersed ourselves in Portuguese culture by experiencing a Fado Dinner at Mesa de Frades, a delicious and moving experience we won't soon forget.

The next day, we were greeted by Helio, who was the main driver for the next several days of our visit. He was incredibly warm, flexible, knowledgeable and helpful! Funny, too. We visited the fairytale vila of Sintra and toured the Pena Palace and Gardens. Later in the day, we drove down through coast and returned to the Heritage hotel via Cascais. We had a most delicious lunch (Hello proactively made reservations for multiple meals on our behalf) of seabass and other local delicacies.

On our second day traveling with Hello, we traveled to Porto (via Obidas and the awe-inspiring Nazare, where Hello also proactively reserved a lunch of seaside delicacies (the tuna was amazing!) for us. We checked into the NH Collection of hotels in Porto, another centrally located hotel inviting many adventures on foot.

We were greeted by Bernardo for an historical walking tour the Porto . Talk about an incredibly passionate and knowledgeable tour guide! We would highly recommend Bernardo.

The next day Evol greeted us at the hotel for a day trip to the Douro valley, including a boat tour in Deltatur and a memorable and delicious lunch at the Quinta da Pacheco. Both are must-sees! Evol was a wonderful driver who shared many stories and tips about the Douro Valley and the sites we were seeing, and made a special stop so for photo opps, doubling as our photographer (thank you, Evol!).

We re-engaged with Helio on our final full day in Portugal, when he met us in Porto and drove us from the city all the way down to Cascais, via stops in Coimbra. We said a grateful farewell as we hiked into the Cascais Miragem hotel -- the views were spectacular and left us wanting to return to Portugal for more on a future visit!

Finally, Andre greeted us the morning of our last day and made sure we were all set for check in at the hotel in Lisbon. Another comfortable and pleasant drive and conversation about Portugal.

On last note of gratitude, Pedro used WhatsApp to manage our expectations with the perfect amount of detail a day ahead. He was always at the ready to respond to questions and requests, no matter how small or seemingly trivial.

Adam our travel consultant was very approachable and very knowledgeable about Portugal which made planning the trip easy and satisfying. The drivers who transferred us around were all quite accommodating and very efficient and easy to communicate with . There were some excursion options that we were interested but not available thru KimKim , which forced us to book outside of their app. Overall, a great experience.

This was our first time using KimKim and appreciated the ease in which options were provided by the local specialist, Vicky, and how we were able to provide input. During our trip, we reference the on-line itinerary several times a day. Vicky was a joy to work with and was available seemly 24 hours a day. She made multiple changes to our plan and responded to questions very quickly.

Hotel Review

Harbour Rocks Hotel

The Rocks, Sydney NSW

Nice boutique hotel and centrally located. However, the room we ended up getting was extremely small. Literally couldn't open up two suitcases at the same time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sunset Dinner Cruise

Sydney

The cruise was nice - food was decent. The duration of the cruise was perfect (not to long - my personal preference). The "sunset" part of the cruise didn't really exist -- the sun was still fairly high in the sky when the cruise ended.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Blue Mountains Wildlife Full-Day Sights and Hiking from Sydney

Sydney

This was one of our favorite activities during the trip. We asked for and got a private driver that was very friendly and knowledgable. The hike in the Blue Mountains was the best!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sydney Bike Tour

Sydney

This was a great way to see a lot of Sydney in a short amount of time. The only complaint we had was that the final part of the tour was through a heavily congested (by pedestrians) trip on the boardwalk by the harbour. My wife and I both felt a little unsafe during this and I'm sure we totally annoyed numerous pedestrians. Probably could be easily solved by starting the tour earlier the morning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

McLaren Vale Wine Tour by Bike

Adelaide

Totally glad we did this tour - BUT felt a little unprepared for the skill level/fitness needed for the tour. I'm sure the "mountain biking" aspect of the tour was at the low end of average of skill/fitness for mountain bikers - but I felt a bit terrified during part of the tour (sharp rocks, narrow tracks, steep hills). I'm a semi-fit 60 year old that bikes quite a bit (albeit not mountain biking) and was pushed from a fitness perspective to complete the tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

DOLPHIN SANCTUARY & SHIPS GRAVEYARD KAYAK TOUR

Adelaide

We saw dolphins (which was great!) though they were from quite a distance away. However, I was really looking forward to seeing the ship graveyard and picked this tour because of it. The tour guide decided to cut the ship graveyard from the tour - because he said we spent too much time looking for/viewing dolphins. We did have a nice trip through the mangroves. The tour guide was very monotone and did not speak very loudly. I'm sure most of the people on the tour gave up on trying to hear him - he seemed oblivious.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Laneways of Melbourne

Melbourne

This was a big surprised - but we loved it. We never got the sense from reading the tour description that this was actually a tour of graffiti in alleys. Loved the artwork and the chance to see some sights you normally don't see walking through a big city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private and Customised Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles Tour

Melbourne

Really have mixed feelings about this tour. We loved the sights. We had a private driver. The mini-van we were in was a bit run down. Both my wife and I had trouble hearing the driver due to the road noise from the van and the driver not speaking loud enough. The driver wouldn't stop talking even after we told him we couldn't hear him. We told him a couple times to save his voice and stop talking, but that didn't stop him. Since about 60% of this tour is driving, this became awkward at times.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The van we rode in was run down. Windows didn't work in the back. Very loud. The tour operation should consider an intercom system (very common) or something to make driver more audible.

Kuranda Scenic Railway Gold Class and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway

Australia

One of our favorite activities on our trip to Australia. Both the railway and cableway were outstanding!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gold Class VIP Great Barrier Reef Cruise from Cairns by Luxury Superyacht

Cairns

The boat ride was very rough and I learned that snorkeling isn't for me (neither of which is the fault of the tour operator). Many people we sea-sick for the entire cruise. We paid extra for the Gold Class VIP treatment with a private stateroom - and very happy we did this. The staff was wonderful. The food good.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Daintree Wanderer Tour

Australia

Another highlight from the trip! We had a private driver who was very knowledgable. He actually walked with us on many parts of the tour which was nice. Never felt like his presence was intrusive. Newer mini-van. The only part of the day-long tour that was a bit of a dud was the one hour Crocodile Boat Tour. There were no crocodile sightings. The boat driver said that he had had several trips out with no crocodiles to be found. I don't think the other crocodile tour operators were having any better luck.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning and booking our bucket list trip through Kimkim was so easy. Thank you, Amanda, for answering our questions with knowledge, compassion, and grace!

We started our trip in late September and did run into some late monsoon season rain that made trekking in some place difficult. Guide Bire's experience, energy, and gentle encouragement got us through some tough days and made it all worth it (seriously, give that man a raise!). Porter Tez was so attentive and kind. They're a great team! Trip highlights were the beautiful remote villages of Shyala, Samagaun, and Samdo. Thank you Kimkim!