Kimkim Trip Reviews

We spent a magical week of wild life safari in Kenya thanks to the extraordinary services provided by Joseph and his team at Nariku Travel Experiences. Andy, was our personal guide and jeep driver who ensured that we had no difficulties in checking in to the various lodges and kept us informed and entertained during the several game drives we went through. Andy went above and beyond to ensure that we got to see the Big 5 animals and much more!

Joseph addressed all of our questions and concerns before and during our trip very quickly to give us peace of mind. There were no surprises either in the itinerary or costs - everything was well designed and transparent.

We very highly recommend Nariku Travel and will most certainly be using their services in the future…

Hotel Reviews

Pride Inn Mara Camp

Accommodation is excellent, and we loved the outdoor shower experience. Lots of modern amenities provided. Indian food here was the best we had on our trip, really fantastic. We celebrated my son’s birthday here, and they baked a cake for us, and had the Masai tribesmen wish him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom shower and sink is very luxurious

Lake Nakuru Lodge

Nakuru

Location and rooms are good. Food was below average, and not many vegetarian options. They let the bonfire die by 8pm, and didn’t kindle the fire even when requested

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lake Naivasha Simba lodge

Naivasha

Good accommodations, and wonderful food! Hotel grounds are v exquisite. Hippos are shy didn’t come out of water

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fair Acres Boutique Hotel

Karen, Nairobi. P. O Box 1121 – 00208 Nairobi.

Rooms are good and clean. Room service is non responsive. Breakfast menu is very limited, Restaurant service is very slow.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kibo Safari Camp

Amboseli

Lodging is good , food is excellent and people are the best! My spouse fell sick while we stayed here, and the Asst Manager Mr. Joseph helped us so much, I will always be grateful to him.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Maasai Mara Game Drives

Masai Mara

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara

Lake Nakuru National Park Game Drive

Nakuru

Lake Naivasha Hells Gate National Park

Kenya

Our guides Kevin and Dennis made Hells Gate very memorable for us! Their energy and enthusiasm kept the trip very interesting and fun.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Lake Naivasha Boat Tour

Kenya

Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I do not typically review experiences to be posted online. However, I received an email asking me to review our experience with kimkim and our specialist in particular. I was just trying to figure out how to do that on my own and I am happy to oblige.

Our trip to Norway was a twice thwarted attempt to bring our family to Norway to see where our family had immigrated from years ago. With four busy kids, a busy family schedule and careers to manage, it didn’t look promising and I reached out to a number of companies, a few of which said that I should have started months before. That was decent advice, but not helpful.

I ran across kimkim randomly online and was curious about the ability to curate our own interests into an agenda with a date range focusing on Norway. Admittedly, not everyone would want the same experiences if given the option to give their opinion, but the tool which gave me an option to select certain things as options including experiences -like a survey-was very clever and helpful. Once that was done, Kadri was assigned as our local expert. I don’t know how much time Kadri spent with us, but she was extremely patient behind the scenes as we had to maneuver a few schedule changes when our airline would not allow us to use stored miles to apply towards the trip (even though previously they indicated we could). Kadri faithfully put together a number of options for an itinerary that fit our desired agenda and had some great additional options as part of our schedule was fluid. When one part of our trip could not come together, she gave some very specific insight about an alternative that ended up being one of the highlights of our trip (spending time in Balestrand and staying at the Kviknes Hotel). In addition, she gave us practical advice which was very helpful.

I did find a friendly competitor of kimkim online and out of curiosity I submitted a similar criteria and was told that we would need months more to plan. That was all I needed to know as Kadri was at work behind the scenes.

The professionalism of the agenda, the links, the access to tickets and the detail was elegant and user friendly. Being able to share it with the family was great. Also, I had priced this trip several times and I found the overall package price of the trip to be very competitive to some long-established travel companies that I had tried to put this trip together with in the past.

We had an amazing trip and I referenced the kimkim itinerary and website several times a day. We are very grateful for Kadri as she was simply excellent not only in her work product, but patience, understanding and additional insights that I did not expect. I highly recommend her and the kimkim team for travel and I hope to use them again.

KimKim saved us many hours in planning last minute trip to Scotland during the height of the season.

Hotel Reviews

AC Hotel by Marriott Inverness

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

The architecture of the building does not match and fit in with the charm of Inverness.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Newton Lodge

Sutherland

Authenticity & Character

The hotel architecture does not match the surrounding charm of Inverness.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Northern Sands Hotel

Thurso

Authenticity & Character

The outside curb appeal does not match the pleasant interior of the common areas or the room.

Location

Staff

River Ness Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals

Inverness

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cruachan Hotel

Fort William

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Breakfast was not good. Only instant coffee, no fresh fruit, I think there was not even yogurt.

No17 The Promenade Hotel

Oban

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Glasgow

Glasgow

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat Ride Around the Canal & Loch Ness including a Visit to Urquhart Castle

Scotland

Private day with a driver/guide from Inverness

Scotland

Ian is a top notch, very informative guide and excellent driver who tailored our experience to our personal needs and interests. Anyone who gets him as a guide, is very lucky.

Private guided tour with driver/guide in Skye from Fort William

Scotland

Evening cruise on Loch Linnhe

Fort William

Cruise of Mull, Iona and Staffa Islands

Scotland

It was cancelled by the operator due to weather but the ferries continued to run and we wish that we had been better informed of the option to take a ferry to one of the islands on our own. This was a big disappointment.

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Glasgow

Linda set up a wonderful trip for my family. We made changes- sorry- but she rolled with the changes and made it so easy. Thank you. The guides were great, accommodations were wonderful. LeeeAnn

Eirini was so knowledgeable and responsive with ideas to create the most perfect trip for our family of 5. The experience in pairing our travel needs with Eirini’s extensive network to create a custom vacation was a great match. She understood our goals, actively level, and budget, and inserted her knowledge of climate, crowds, and seamless logistics. It was a best in class, interactive experience for us, and would highly recommend Eirini and KimKim. Thank you for sharing the best of your country and people with us!

Our first city, Kathmandu, afforded us an instant and memorable view into their culture and city life! Our hotel was very nice! Staff was friendly and attentive. Our room was clean and well appointed. Their fitness room was nice! (I’m always happy when there’s a fitness room)

While in contrast to Kathmandu, the Chitwan Jungle Resort was beautiful, the room was spacious and we had gorgeous views from our balcony and on the resort grounds. The staff was very friendly and accommodating! Likewise we had an altogether different but equally beautiful atmosphere when we stayed overnight at Matan Chhen in Panauti.

Our guide in Kathmandu was great and we had fantastic tours. Our host in Panauti, Grishma, was very helpful and charming!

If we did the trip again, I would not go to Panauti on our last day before departing Nepal. After the morning flight back from Chitwan to Kathmandu, we didn’t feel like driving another 1.5 hours only to go to a small town, with little to do or see and then just hang out in the residence the rest of the day. (We walked around the town for a little bit as Grishma was kind enough to walk with us but there was not much to do or see) And then having to drive back to Kathmandu exceptionally earlier than needed the following morning only to sit at the airport for 3 hour and 45 min ahead of our flight (and then add on another 1.5 hours for a delay). Had I known all the travel time and the lack of really anything to do in Panauti, I would have opted to stay in Kathmandu or somewhere a lot closer. That’s my only constructive feedback for the tour company. With limited time in the country anyway, the less ‘travel time’ to get to places, the better. Or at least a better call out on the planning side about total trip times.

Overall, it was a very positive experience and I would recommend Himalayan Trails to anyone! We were well taken care of!

Overall, our first trip to India was a memorable one! We love to experience new cultures on our trips and India has a unique one! Because my daughter and I are on a two-month, 12-country trip, we were only able to spend five nights in India. However, we experienced some of the best places India has to offer by visiting Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Our local guides in each city were professional and knowledgeable. We learned quite a bit from them! Our driver the entire time, Mr. Puran, was awesome! He took care of us traveling from city to city and on all of our tours. Kudos to him for be able to navigate what we would consider ‘crazy’ traffic!

The hotels hand-picked for us in Agra and Jaipur (The Grand Imperial and the Dera Rawatsar respectively) were excellent! Highly recommend! Alternatively, in Delhi, I would likely want to stay somewhere else on a return visit. While it was clean and the staff was accommodating, the rooms were a bit tired, and some common things not provided in the rooms such as tissues and bath mats. And while the breakfast each morning was good, it was a little ‘unorganized’ if you needed/ordered something. Again, not a show-stopper, just providing some additional feedback that might be considered for clients coming from the US.

If I had to book the trip over again, I would likely not be so aggressive in trying to visit three cities that are each about 5-6 hours driving distance apart in 5 days. It was a lot of driving in such a short amount of time. It would have been helpful to know in planning the trip if this were called out so I could make a more informed decision. I may or may not have opted for something different, or even extended our stay, but at least I would have a little better idea about drive times.

Thanks to Active India for taking such good care of us while in the country and for selecting tours and sites that interested us. I would certainly recommend them to anyone traveling there!

Hotel Reviews

Dera Rawatsar

Beautiful rooms reflective of Indian culture! Very spacious and clean! All amenities needed! Very accommodating staff!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Grand Imperial

Agra

Embodies Indian culture, very nice open spaces and very roomy accommodations. Staff professional and accommodating!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Udman Ferns N Petals

New Delhi, Delhi

Clean rooms, accommodating staff. Rooms were not tired looking. Common hotel room items like tissue and bath mats were not provided. A little unorganized for breakfast in ordering or asking for items. But nice selection of breakfast items.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In a location were you really couldn’t walk out anywhere.

Staff

Professional and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bathe, Paint and Feed - (Un-forgettable - experience with elephants!)

Jaipur

Once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with these gentle giants!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Taj Mahal Sunrise Visit

Agra

A MUST SEE!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the best time!! Thanks for everything and everything so perfectly planned. Kids are exhausted but that's to be expected. We really enjoyed Rovinj and wish we had more time for the beaches. Zagreb was so charming and easy to explore. The cannon at noon scared us even though we were waiting for it. In Plitvice we had the best tour guide. She even showed us the news report of her and her friends knitting winnie warmers hahaha. Thanks for all your work on this trip!!

Dalia did a great job putting together an itinerary that everyone in my family (especially my teenager) enjoyed. The boutique hotels were perfect, with great service and locations. Dalia and team were always accessible, especially when we had some travel issues. We would definitely use KimKim again.

Activity Reviews

Modernist Barcelona: Gaudi's Highlights

Barcelona

Your guide was really knowledgeable and provided tons of insight into the architecture and sites. Private tour was super nice.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Marbella Boat trip

Spain

Tom our boat captain was great. He provided a really fun experience for the whole family. One of the highlights of our trip. Amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Costa Brava: Kayaking & Snorkelling experience

Barcelona

Really fun experience. My one complaint is that the group was a bit large.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent communication, Eric followed our outline and provided great suggestions for optional activities. All reservations came through perfectly without a hitch.

Great Trip with no complaints. Really appreciated the hotel selection as well as the smaller more intimate tours. Especially enjoyed the Blue Mountains tour with the hike. The Go West tours out of Melbourne were also well led and fun. Would recommend the foodie tour of Melbourne too.

Everything was very well organized and took the hassles logistics out of your lap.

Would do again

Hotel Review

Crystalbrook Bailey

Cairns

Activity Reviews

Kata Tjuta Sunrise and Valley of the Winds Half-Day Trip

Uluru

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great Ocean Road Scenic Tour

Melbourne

Foodie Discovery Walking Tour

Melbourne

Blue Mountains Wildlife Full-Day Sights and Hiking from Sydney

Sydney

Francesca did a great job of being available via phone or text during our vacation if we had any questions or wanted to make itinerary changes on the fly.

I think main problem was selection of hotels. Their locations were right in the busy place with no access by car. On Saturday Drivr left us to block away from Moon sun hotel Loan. We had to log our luggage. We had the similar problem when we came back in Lisbon to Behotelisboa hotel.where hotel was more than half kilometer away from parking spot. Cars were not permitted in front of the hotel.
For Tuk ride, we could not find the driver. We called number on the seat and was told this is a porto branch number and they could not find our reservation. We arrived at the location at 4.05. We even talk to other Tuk driver. They tried to help and call the local number as was mentioned on the voucher with no success. It was really disappointing.

A great experience for our family of 5 visiting Italy for the first time. The week was planned expertly with how we like to travel. The hotels and guides were memorable. August is very hot so be prepared. Very authentic experience( the food was so good!) and I highly recommend kimkim to anyone traveling. Looking forward to using Martina again for Northern Italy in the future!

Hotel Reviews

Palazzo Caruso

Rome

Very authentic and unique hotel located within walking distance of everything.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Residence

Amalfi

Great location in Amalfi next to the busiest shopping and eating street but the early mornings were loud on our side with the shops being restocked so you hear pallets being loaded and unloaded. Very nice morning breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

As mentioned, the road by our window was very loud in the early morning. but the location for the throughfare and action was on point.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half day boat tour in Amalfi Coast

Italy

Great views from the water and a great place to jump off and swim or snorkle! Water was warm and easy to spend time in. Not a large boat so the water was a little choppy to navigate through.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to the Amalfi Coast!

Italy

Wonderful location to visit. Picturesque views from the water and a cute little town. Close to other well known cities to make day trips to.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Driver wasnt in the anticipated waiting area at the Naples airport. We had all 5 family members spread out and searching for him.

Transport

Wine Tasting and Lunch in Amalfi Coast

Italy

We loved our time spent on Patricia's vineyard! An amazing lunch followed our knowledgeable guide's discussions of how they make their unique wine and a tour of the grounds. Many great picture stops along the way.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chris was an excellent host for the day!

Transport

After Closure Tour of the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel

Rome

Enjoyable evening spent in the Museum. Our guide was very knowledgeable but sometimes hard to hear as there are lots of twists and turns during the tour and the earpiece couldn't pick up his microphone. The entire grounds were much larger than we expected. More of a history of the paintings and sculpture than talk about religion.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market Tour & Cooking Class

Rome

Chris was such a great guide and chef! What a memorable experience we had making pasta. It was the first meal we tried to recreate when we returned back home.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Rome

Rome

Demetri--the tallest guide in Rome-- was an excellent host for our morning. Very knowledgeable guide and informative which made the morning so enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Everything about our experience with kimkim was exceptional. I would definitely use them again and would recommend to anyone looking for an awesome trip and vacation. We received a detailed itinerary and a trip tailored to how we like to travel. Hotels and guided tours were excellent and memorable. Correspondence during our week in Greece was also excellent and very responsive. Well done!

Hotel Reviews

Agali Houses

Firostefani 00

Amazing views and the rooms were unique and different from each other. Very kind staff for breakfast and centrally located to be able to walk to many restaurants and a 25 minute ride to each tip of the island.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Pinnacle Athens

Athens

Great location of hotel and a nice Greek breakfast option in the morning. Unfortunately the elevator wasn't working so we had to carry our luggage up 8 floors but the staff was apologetic and very kind to us during our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Santorini Caldera Small-group Sunset Cruise with BBQ on board and Open Bar

Santorini

Enjoyable way to see the island from the water. Able to jump off and snorkle a little but the water was pretty cold.

Quality of Experience

Food

Authentic Greek!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santorini Island Discovery Private Tour

Santorini

Enjoyable visit through the southern part of the island. Knowledgeable guide about wine and long history of the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Santorini

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Acropolis & Athens Old City Private Guided Tour

Athens

Demetrious was an awesome guide---very knowledgeable and enjoyed his passion of his city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Day in Athens

Athens

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was amazing! We had a great time visiting Firenze, Chianti, Siena, and Roma. Pick-ups and drop-offs were all on time and went smoothly, the guides and drivers were all outstanding, and the places that we stayed were beautiful, the service was excellent, and the food superb! We had no problems at all. In fact, we were able to see and do more than planned because the guides were so helpful with suggestions to make the trip even better!
Thank you for organizing everything, KimKim! We will continue to use your services in the future!

Cris Kenudson

Hotel Reviews

Argentina Residenza Style Hotel Rome

Rome

Great hotel in a great location in Rome. Easy to walk from the hotel to our tour starting points.

Authenticity & Character

Comfortable room with a sauna and jacuzzi!

Location

Outstanding! Walking distance to everything!

Staff

Very friendly, professional and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very happy with everything!

Salvadonica - Borgo del Chianti

San Casciano in Val di pesa

Amazing place. Stunning panoramic views from the restaurant! Delicious food and wonderful atmosphere.

Authenticity & Character

The room was large with high vaulted ceilings to give it a gothic vibe!

Location

Situated on a hilltop in Tuscany with amazing panoramic views!

Staff

Friendly, courteous and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Really nice! Lots of space!

Hotel L'Orologio

We had stayed at this boutique hotel before (14 years ago) and liked it so much much that we requested to stay there on this trip. While the hotel was still visually interesting (the interior decor), the hotel had undergone renovations and our hotel room (the same room as 14 years ago) looked very different. It was no longer split-level and had a lot less space. Otherwise, the stay was okay. The hotel staff were friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Visually interesting interior decor!

Location

Beautiful view of the Duomo from our room window!

Staff

Very friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel room bathroom was a bit cramped

Activity Reviews

Bye Bye, Italy!

Italy

This was the last day, we had breakfast, checked out, were driven to the airport for our flight home. Everything went smoothly! Great trip, but just very hot and humid in Italy in August!

Foodie Walking Tour of Roman Neighborhoods

Rome

We had a great time on this small group walking food tour of Rome! We especially loved visiting the Jewish Ghetto quarter of Rome and experiencing the food there! The Gelato we had at the end of the tour was also amazing!

Quality of Experience

A really fun tour with an excellent guide!

Food

Everything was delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Really great! She took us to some amazing places!

Transport

It was great! Very scenic, but hot and humid!

Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Rome

The Vatican is an amazing place! Impressive fortress walls, museums, gardens, the Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica of St. Peter. So much to see and take in!

Quality of Experience

Fantastic tour!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very courteous and knowledgeable guide!

Transport

Amazing to walk through the museums and St. Peter’s Basilica!

Guided Visit to the Colosseum & Roman Forum

Rome

It was an excellent tour! The guide was extremely knowledgeable about the colosseum and surrounding areas. She really knows her Roman history!

Quality of Experience

An excellent tour! We learned so much about Roman history!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She knew it all - and had lot of opinions about it!

Transport

A walking tour. Got a great physical workout!

Tuscany: San Gimignano & Siena Day Trip

Italy

Absolutely amazing! We fell in love with Siena! The driver and guide were excellent, the place gorgeous, it was the day before Palio, an important cultural event held twice a year in the city, so there was an excited atmosphere everywhere as people prepared for the next day!

Quality of Experience

An amazing tour!

Food

Delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and very knowledgeable

Transport

Very comfortable rides!

Chianti - Small group guided Tour with Tuscan Wine Tasting

Italy

It was great, but too much was packed into the time allotted. We visited 5 places in all (we were told that it would be 3), and we drank a LOT of wine! It was fun, but we were tired toward the end of it.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful places, great wine and food, just tired from lack of sleep and the heat!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very good!

Transport

Excellent! Comfortable vehicles!

Florence Food Tour

Florence

Excellent! The guide really knew her stuff about the local cuisine. We visited some great places, tasted some great food, and had some great wine. We learned quoted a bit about the local Florentine food culture!

Quality of Experience

It was a great tour! It ended with some delicious Gelato!

Food

Fantastic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was great! Very knowledgeable about the local food!

Transport

Lots of walking as it was a walking tour

Pisa Day Tour with Leaning Tower by bus

Florence

It was great to visit Pisa and the guided tour was great and informative, but the time of year to visit wasn’t the best. It was SUPER HOT and HUMID! 🥵

Quality of Experience

Just too too hot!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very good and knowledgeable!

Transport

Comfortable bus.

The accommodations were great and the trip itinerary and arrangements were seamless making our trip very enjoyable and relaxing. Zeta was very attentive and responded to our requests in a timely and efficient manner.

We have taken seven trips with KimKim, and Leo was one of the best, if not the best, hosts we have had. His communication and follow-through were the best yet. We had hotel complications, not because of Leo, but I called him directly, and he fixed everything immediately and was so easy to get a hold of while traveling. He knew the trip guidelines well, we like to go out of the box, and he would let us know when ideas weren't that great and offered other ideas that I didn't think I would like but LOVED! I usually don't want to get a rental car or drive over 5 hours on a trip, but Leo said that's the way to go, and he was right. It was great having our car and doing all the national parks/ recreation spots we could fit in from San Fran to Las Vegas. Thank you for being the most wonderful travel planned we have had so far with all of our Kimkim trips.

Each and every place we visited was amazing and memorable. Clemens, our travel agent was virtually with us every step
Of the trip. We visited 4 countries and without the travel agents help, I don’t think we could have managed it all by ourselves. Everything from train tickets to hotels to excursions were handled by Clemens and he did a fantastic job. He had booked good hotels for us. We had everything we needed in a click. He was available on whatsapp all the time if we needed some change or some assistance. Thank you Clemens and kimkim. This was my second endeavor with kimkim travels and I will certainly go back to them again be it Morocco or cough America trips in future. I would give 10/10 for our trip.

Sara was incredibly responsive. She answered every question I had in a timely manner, and when there were logistical problems she worked to quickly solve them. She tailored our trip to our unique interest. We enjoy being in nature and the energy of a vibrant city. We would definitely work with Sara again.