Kimkim Trip Reviews

8 Days in Iceland! This was our second trip my husband and I have booked through KimKim and we really enjoyed it! Gummi did a great job planning our itinerary and was extremely responsive when we had questions or needed to tweak our plans. We travel a lot and using Gummi and KimKim really saved us time by booking hotels and activities and planning our route. This was a road trip, starting and ending in Reykjavik. We had a fairly aggressive itinerary and a lot of driving but we were able to fit everything in and are looking forward to another Iceland adventure. Loved the glacier hike and ice cave adventures, stopping at many beautiful beaches, waterfalls, cliffs and other geologic features of this unique landscape!! We loved riding Icelandic horses on the beach near Vik. We stopped at 3 different geothermal pools -- Sky Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon. Each had its own unique vibe and definitely worth a visit. We were surprised at what an incredible foodie town Reykjavik is - Gummi provided restaurant recommendations for the city and smaller areas as well. The tasting menu at Fish Market in Reykjavik is spendy but not to miss! Our hotels in the outlying areas all had very good restaurants, too. There were a few days when we rolled in late and it was nice to be able to head to the dining room for a great meal - without having to get into the car again in search of dinner. We did have a couple of reservation mixups at two hotels but we called Gummi and he got things sorted out speedy quick. Things happen on trips, I get it, but the key is having a super-responsive travel agent who can fix the problem in a heartbeat.

Activity Reviews

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

This was a lower-key outdoor pool experience than Sky or Blue Lagoon but equally enjoyable. Loved the gravel bottom. There were foam pool noodles that were fun to float around on.

Quality of Experience

Lower key than Blue or Sky Lagoon. Enjoyed floating around with the pool noodles - loose gravel bottom felt great under foot.

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Another great glacier walk! Guide was thorough but he could've used a helper as a "tail gunner" to keep an eye on everyone from the rear. As it was, Connelly and I took on that roll. The guide clipped in an older woman in our group to ropes anchored in the ice.

Transport

Phew! Our guide/driver knew the back road but it was rough and he drove (what I thought) was too fast. Lost of turns - i was feeling a little carsick in the back of the van on the way back to the parking lot.

Icelandic horse riding tour

Iceland

Fun, fun, fun! These shaggy little horses were so cute and friendly and well-mannered. The guides did a thorough demo before we set off. It was fun going along the black sand beach and lots of photo ops. My only wish is that we could've had a longer ride, but we had other sights to stop at and a drive back to Reykjavik that day so it worked out fine.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Solheimajokull Glacier Hike

Iceland

Beautiful area! We felt safe and well-taken care of. Fun going up and down - the crampons were easier than I expected. The only problem with these types of events is that there are always one or two people who maybe don't have the best fitness level for this type of activity. Our guide really wanted to be accommodating to all the guests but we ended up stopping a lot- and we were a little concerned! It's a good hike just to get to the glacier and then an uphill walk in crampons. The glacier ice was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Emphasis on safety. Double-checked everyone's harness, helmet and crampons.

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

What a fun experience! The 7-step ritual was unique! The outdoor setting and infinity pool view was gorgeous. Loved having a swim-up bar!

Quality of Experience

Great trip. Fantastic accommodations. Trek with chimpanzees and gorillas are unforgetable.
Great safaris. The itinerary was great. Bright ( the driver ) was very efficient, always on time and knowledgeable

Hotel Reviews

Mihingo lodge

Great hotel also, felt like in a safari lodge again

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gorilla Leisure Lodge

Bugambira

Great hotel again, fantastic place

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Twin lake safari lodge

Felt like in a safari lodge like in a movie. Exceptional place

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Isunga lodge

Kibale

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pakuba safari lodge

Murchison falls national park

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

2 Friends Beach Hotel

Entebbe

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local Community Tour with the Batwa

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ultimate Gorilla Trekking Experience

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Fantastic interaction with gorillas

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kazinga Channel Water Safari

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Uganda

saw several leopards again!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local lunch at Tinka’s homestead

Kibale National Park

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chimpanzee Trekking

Kibale National Park

fantastic interaction with chimps

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer Murchison Falls to Kibale National Park

Uganda

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Murchison Falls Cruise and Hike

Murchison Falls National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Murchison Falls Morning game drive

Murchison Falls National Park

finally saw a leopard

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Top of the falls trek

Murchison Falls National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rhino Trek

Uganda

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our primary driver Younes was amazing. He was very capable, respectful and caring. We enjoyed our tour guides from Rabat, Fez, and Volubilis. Our guide for Marrakech was good but we were under the weather and hence the tour was less impactful.

After our trip and speaking with other travelers, we would have done a differ ent itinerary. We did not like Marrakech as it was very touristy. We would have appreciated input from Yassine that we should spend 2 days in Merzuoga and dropped the amount of time in Marrakech to 2 x 1/2 days which would have been plenty.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Big hotel. Only 1 water bottle, 1 towel, minimal service

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Sabah

Marrakech

Nice facility

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Caravane

Ouarzazate

Nicest hotel. Downside is that it is further away from the center

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luxury Camp Chebbi

Merzouga

So surprised the tent was so nice. One thing is that the generator is on all night. Can easily hear the humming

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Dar Laura

Fes

Staff was very nice in a good location and nice rooftop. One challenge is that it can be loud if there is a large group having a late dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Almazhar

Rabat

Room was small

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

ONOMO Hotel Casablanca Airport

Nouaceur

Activity Reviews

Exploring the Medina and Historical Sites Of Marrakesh

Marrakesh

Spent too many days here. 2.5. Very touristy city. Way too many scooters in the Medina and city. Didn’t like seeing monkeys in chains or plastic items from China being sold to tourist Food was very good here

Food

Overnight in the Sahara Desert with Sunset Camel Ride

Morocco

Loved it. We wished we stayed 2 nights. Too short

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Imperial City and Medieval Medina of Fes

Fes

This was an amazing city.

Joao was amazing, before and during our trip to Portugal. Helpful, knowledgeable, quick to respond, kind, always on time, adaptable...great all around.

We booked a duplicate trip that my sister in law and brother in law had already planned and reserved. We accompanied them on the trip. All our guides were fantastic and knowledgeable. We usually do not book tours, and was very impressed with our guides and small group tours.

Hotel Reviews

Locanda Leon Bianco on the Grand Canal

Venice

We had a wonderful room that had a Canal view. Even though it wasn't a grand Canal view it was still extremely nice view. Delicious breakfast buffet and the scrambled eggs were outstanding! The Staff is friendly and made sure we had what we needed. We had to leave very early on our last day due to flight arrangements and the staff provided us with two breakfast bags full of breakfast goodies that we were able to eat most of throughout our flight home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to all shops and restaurants. We could walk anywhere from this location.

Staff

Very friendly and made sure we had everything needed.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was very clean each day!

Hotel Orto de' Medici

Florence

Great hotel located near city center. Walkable to many sites and restaurants. Beautiful architecture. Great breakfast buffet. Room was very small and not much wardrobe space to hang or unpack clothes. Beds were extremely firm which I like, but was not my husband's favorite. We arrived on a Friday night and was given a complimentary beverage at the bar. Was disappointed to find out that the bar was closing for the season that evening. The only other negative comment is we requested laundry service and due to the holiday the hotel staff said there would be none during our stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near city center

Staff

Everyone was friendly and were given a great recommendation for dinner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Imperial Hotel Tramontano

Sorrento

This hotel is beautiful inside and out. There are lush gardens out front to enjoy day and night with seating, pool with food/beverage service. We enjoyed an amazing buffet breakfast daily, and evening cocktails, all with an amazing sea view at the hotel restaurant. Our room was beyond expectations; a two level accommodation with a gorgeous view of the sea from both floors. We opened the large window to let in the warm sun and light breeze. Plenty of wardrobe and drawer space for our clothes.

Authenticity & Character

Hotel was elegant and was well maintained.

Location

This hotel was centrally located and had access to many sites, shops and restaurants.

Staff

All staff we encountered were friendly and helpful with any questions we had. We also had our clothes laundered and they came back professionally clean and smelled amazing! Kudos to the porters, front desk staff, cleaning staff and wait staff that made our stay extra special.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The entire hotel was extremely clean.

Casa Montani Hotel

Rome

The hotel was very nice and secure. Comfortable accommodations and had space to hang up clothes . It was located a bit far from some of our destinations but was definitely a walkable route to them. The light breakfast provided was delicious and was at our door within 5 minutes after requesting it. However, we got bored with having the same each day. Would have been nice to be able to substitute an item or two. Was only provided with a menu on the first day.

Authenticity & Character

Charming and authentic to the area

Location

Close to restaurants and shopping

Staff

The introduction we received on check in was helpful. The breakfast staff was very quick

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Exclusive Capri Boat Tour from Sorrento

Italy

This was an amazing and unforgettable tour and day! Breathtaking scenery and awesome tour guides. We got to take canoe into the Blue grotto. Took a chairlift ride to the top of AnaCapri with more breathtaking views of the other grottos, rocks and lighthouse. Boat tour gave us close up views of all and we even saw a waterfall!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our boat guides deserve 10 stars!! They ensured we saw all the sights that make this coast so beautiful. Great personalities and fun people. Would repeat this tour.

Transport

It was a short drive from our hotel, which was a nice change.

Rome Street Food Tour

Rome

If you are a foodie or not, highly recommend a food tour. It was fun walking through different neighborhoods to learn about their specialties Started at a bakery and had sampling of baked goods, then onto another to have sweet and savory Marizotto, enjoyed Supli, pasta , wine and lastly stopped at a gelato shop. We even went to a local butcher/market and sampled a variety of meats and cheese. Everything was delicious but it was a lot of food for me in a few hours. My husband enjoyed what I could not!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

She was wonderful and very friendly. We felt like we made a new friend!!

Transport

We walked to our destination. But it was a wonderful walk to the meeting point for the tour.

Best of Tuscany tour: Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa from Florence

Florence

This was an all day tour. Saw beautiful countryside driving to Siena and Tuscany. Enjoyed walking through the streets in Siena and learned more about their history. Wish we had more time in San Gimignano, it's absolutely beautiful there. Touring a family vineyard was awesome and the lunch served was delicious as well as the wine. Had to ship some wine back home! Pisa was a nice ending to the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was our guide. She was awesome and gave us a ton of information about these regions!!

Transport

Florence Art Tour: Uffizi & Accademia

Florence

Learned a lot about the history of Florence and the periods of art history. The highlight was seeing the statue of David..., a gorgeous piece of art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable and can tell she loves the arts!

Transport

Giotto Tower, Dome & Piazza del Duomo Monuments - Only Tickets

Florence

Wow.. incredible architecture. Loved the walk up the 440 steps to the incredible view. Only negative is once we got inside church, the staff didn't allow us to stop to view the church and were a bit rude about it. It wasn't busy so not sure why I couldn't stand there for one minute to look at the beautiful inside of the church. They hurried us outside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See comments above. This was a self guided tour.

Storywalking Experience: Full Day Tour of the Amalfi Coast with Limoncello Tour & Tasting

Italy

The Amalfi coast, Positano and Ravello are gorgeous and breathtaking. Nature's perfect gift. We had a tour with Chef from La Bonita del Capo. Gave us a tour of his lemon, orange and fruit trees/vines. Made limoncello in a small group with tasting. Had a full lunch with all courses. Delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Gondola Ride Venice & City Stroll

Venice

We were looking forward to the gondola ride but was disappointed. Our gondola driver wasn't dressed in authentic attire. He was wearing plain street clothes. Assumed he would speak about points of interest but that didn't happen. He was nice to us and maneuvered the gondola safely. Tour was supposed be 30 minutes but ours over in 20 minutes.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

St Mark's and Doge's Palace Tour | Semi-Private

Venice

We were tapped out of tours and historic sites by this point. St. Mark's church is beautiful and the square definitely has a lot of history. Tour guide knew her history and provided many details.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Naples to the Amalfi Coast or Amalfi Coast to Naples - Pompeii en Route

Italy

Our train arrived late but arrangements were made to have our driver remain with us and tour was not shortened. Cool place to learn about Pompeii history and to view Mt. Vesuvius.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Storywalking Experience in Castelli Romani

Italy

Our contadina breakfast at Ornesto's vineyard turned out to be a very special experience. He not only shared his vineyard, food and wine but also his life. The views were beautiful and food and wine were outstanding. We walked the vineyard and got an in depth tour/understanding of farming/wine making. We made a life long friend. We didn't want to leave and actually stayed longer than our schedule called for.

Quality of Experience

Food

Everything was homemade, delicious and plentiful.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ornesto makes sure you enjoy your visit

Transport

Our driver was patient with us, as we extended our time there, which cut into our next destination which was a self guided tour.

Highlights of the Vatican & Sistine Chapel Tour

Italy

Thankfully we had skip the line tickets and tour guide. Guide was very knowledgeable and was helpful when visiting this site. So much to see and was a bit overwhelmed with so much to look at.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pizza School at Agriturismo

Italy

A must do when in Italy. Enjoyed meeting the family who owns the farm. It was a fun, delicious and authentic experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mini Private Rome Tour in Golf Cart

Rome

This was a perfect day for a golf cart tour because it was raining. Our driver/guide was great! We had lots of laughs. He was knowledgeable on all the sites he showed us. He even gave us a surprise visit to the Pantheon which we really appreciated!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Crypts, Bones & Catacombs: An Underground Tour of Rome

Rome

We learned quite a bit about The Roman catacombs and the history behind it. Enjoyed our guide who was very knowledgeable and friendly. Nice drive thru Appian Way and past Circus Maximus.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum

Rome

Our guide was not only knowledgeable, but he had a sense of humor and a great personality.! (I wish I could remember his name.) Although the tour was lengthy, it was not overwhelming or boring. He gave us plenty of time to take photos and tour a little bit on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The organisation, transfers and guides, accommodation, quality of the activities and everything about the trip was just sensation!.. would highly recommend !

Hotel Review

Hotel Continental

Sorrento

Fantastic facility, Amazing staff, centrally located and great views across the bay to Mt Vesuvius!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Amalfi and Positano discovery boat tour in a small group

Sorrento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Colosseum, Roman Forums and Palatine Hill

Rome

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family trip to Norway!

I reached out to kimkim to get an idea on how to plan our trip. I was put in contact with Eliise, one of kimkim’s local specialists. She was always quick to respond and came up with several options on excursions for my group. It took us several months to finalize our trip and Eliise was there to guide us from beginning to end. She was open to our suggestions for hotels too.

Fenne was great to work with as well. Always quick to follow up and respond. Rufo the local emergency contact was amazing. He was extremely patient and quickly to follow up with questions and suggestions.

Thank you all. We definitely could not have planned this trip without your assistance and guidance.

Our trip started with a few hiccups all related to KLM which had nothing to do with kimkim. We arrived into Oslo spent a night there and started our train ride to Bergen early the next way. Best idea. Although the trip started early in the dark we enjoyed a lovely local breakfast on the train. The attendant in the cafe was friendly and helpful. As the sun rose and the beautiful scenery came to view we were all left speechless. The colors, the clear water had us escaping from Houston. We changed trains in Flam and enjoyed more scenic rides all the way to Voss. Unbelievable is all we can say.

We finally made it Bergen. Checked into Scandic Byparken. Hotel was ok. Apparently they have an old section and a new section. Some of my group ended in the new section which were bigger and better rooms. I would definitely pick another option for the hotel. Breakfast was good though. We took the Fjord cruise. Spectacular doesn’t even describe our experience. The stories of the trolls 😀 and the views were unbelievable. We returned and enjoyed an amazing meal at the wharf near Bergen Brygge. The freshest seafood I have had in a long time. Even tried the local fish soup. Very tasty.

We took the tram to the Seven Mountains. It was quite windy up there but again spectacular views if the city. Completely surreal.

Next day we took a flight to Tromso. The Paris of Norway. Radisson Blu was a great hotel.

First stop was Magic Ice. It was a cool experience, but you could tell it was a common tourist attraction. Nothing very impressive. There were some pretty nice sculptures.

At the recommendation of staff at Magic Ice we went to dinner at La Famiglia. Do not go there. The food was extremely salty and very basic flavors. The best item was their reindeer burger. Everything else was subpar. Not worth the money we spent.

We were scheduled for the Winter Fjord Cruise on a yacht but had yo cancel. Half our group got sick due to food poisoning. It sounded like a great trip.

Our next excursion was the Aurora Dinner Cruise. Going into the cruise we were informed that there is a low chance we would see the Northern Lights since it’s been a cloudy day so our hopes were not too high. Meal was good and the tour guide was really entertaining. The cruise staff took good care of us. About an hour into our trip the captain spotted the special clouds. We all went upper deck and to our surprise got the opportunity for some light Northern Lights. After a few minutes they were amazing. We were so happy to have experienced the Northern Lights. We returned back after completing our meal.

Next morning was our trip to feed the reindeer and get to know more about the Sami culture. Tried the reindeer soup. Different. Needed some flavor very bland. Our local tour was great. Loved the stories he shared.

We came back to the hotel and rested to prepare for our Northern Lights chase. We drove for about 2 hours out of Tromso and made our first stop. Again concerns with the weather preventing us from finding the Northern Lights. Our first stop we waited around and saw some lights, beautiful but not spectacular. The crew was waiting to hear from other team members if they were finding anything. Unfortunately they hadn’t had any luck. After enjoying a local warm drink of Ribena and cookies our tour guides decided to head towards Finland. We were about 1 1/2 hours away from Finland. We got there and watched the sky. After about 20 minutes what we saw left us speechless. The dancing of the lights across the clear skies and it was beyond imaginable. We were able to check off an item off our bucket list. I can still feel what I was experiencing when I saw the lights. No words can describe that feeling. You just have to experience it. And it was time to head back after enjoying the lights dance around us after a couple of hours.

We started our morning leisurely the next day. Took the taxi and rode the cable car up the mountains. It was cold!!! We enjoyed a light snack in the cafe and headed out to look at the amazing views. Tromso did not fail either. We came back down and visited the local cathedral. It’s a beautiful church. That evening we had scheduled a trip to the sauna and did the arctic plunge. What an exhilarating feeling and experience. You should do it once.

We found a restaurant close by and enjoyed some tasty tapas.

Unfortunately our last day in Tromso we had scheduled the whale safari. The trip was cancelled due to weather. Thankfully kimkim issued a full refund on the excursion. We ended up having a free day and spent our time shopping and exploring the city. We went to the oldest pub in Tromso and enjoyed some good ale and tried Aquavit.

We had dinner at Mathallen. Amazing experience. Food was fresh and flavorful. Make reservations early. Seating is limited.

It was time to return back to Oslo and head back to Houston.

Overall it was a great experience. Thank you kimkim for the memorable experience. Will definitely work with you for our future adventures.

Next time we plan a trip we will be more mindful of the early activities. It was a vacation for us so doing things a bit more leisurely would have been nice. We felt we were on a tight schedule.

Hotel Reviews

Hotell Bondeheimen

Oslo

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Byparken

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Dinner Cruise

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Winter Fjord Cruise in Tromso

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Gallery Experience

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fløibanen Funicular Ticket

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostraumen Fjord Cruise

Bergen

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Norway in a Nutshell Tour

Norway

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Key goal - see the Northern Lights, unfortunately we didn't see them as we had hoped with swirling shapes of color and only saw a weak light through our camera lens on 21 Oct 2024. Seems that we missed a great light show on the day we arrived in Tromso, 19 Oct but we didn't have anything scheduled that night. The rest of the trip had cloudy nights with poor sightings. Even though our goal had been the Northern Lights, Norway and it's people definitely made up for it with the country's beauty and the people's hospitality

The following are snapshot reviews by category to help future travelers, especially seniors like us

City Tours -
Private tours are very helpful to adjust endurance as needed. Our guide Lena in Oslo did that because the weather wasn't good for walking and we bought tram tickets to a location where she was able to show us non-touristy areas which is what we requested. There was some confusion with our guide in Bergen, itinerary listed Synnove and when I texted her to confirm, she said she wasn't scheduled but she did get back with us and told us Thomas would be our guide. He met us at our apt but was puzzled as to why we would start our 2 hr walking tour in the outskirts of town when he usually started them in city center. We ended up having to buy tram tickets to get to the city center where Thomas started the tour which of course was less than the two hours but Thomas was very good and actually stayed a little longer. If outskirt accommodations are scheduled, notify travelers and guide to have a plan for transportation and sights prior to starting the tour. Private city tour in Tromso was ample time

Scheduled Tours -
Nutshell Tour - our favorite. Due to the length of time to do it in one day, staying overnight in Flam was a great idea and we think you should recommend it to all travelers. As for the luggage transfer to the hotel in Bergen, the luggage transfer did work but the problem was it not being delivered on time at the Bergen Apt due to logistics issues.

Fjordsafari - 2 hr 15 min was too long for us, very cold and windy, would have preferred a one hour tour
Aegir Viking dinner - too bad we didn't catch it in time but neither of us drink beer, so the 5-course beer tasting with the sampler dinner could have been switched to just a traditional dinner but the atmoshpere made up for it

We had requested a longer stay at Voss but once we arrived we were too tired and found out that an earlier train could be taken by requesting it to the conductor on the earlier train. This would be a good note to advise travelers, that based on availability, they could move up their scheduled time

Hardangerford Express in Bergen - enjoyable relaxing cruise, limited eating and shopping locations during off season
Coastal Scenery Safari in Tromso - conflicting notes on where to meet, Radisson or "from Oct @ Bus Terminal Prostneset but this was resolved by checking with KimKim
Northern Lights Expedition in Tromso - 21 Oct, due to rain sat in mini van for over an hour before getting out to go to down to the fire and wait for the lights that didn't happen. The walk down the wet, slippery embankment was a challenge for these seniors but thanks to two wonderful helpful passengers, we were able to go down and back up to the mini van.

Aurora Husky Visit - still no Northern Lights, excellent staff and our favorite meal on the trip. Tour was listed as "Small Group" but it was actually a full bus with about 40 passengers

Private Transfers - all excellent and very helpful to these seniors

Hotels -
Oslo - Hotel Bondeheimen, good location for walking to key sites and public transportation
Flam - Flamsbrygga Hotel - good location
Bergen - Bjorvika Apartments - good accommodations but logistics to receive keys and not in city center was an issue
Tromso - Specialty Stay-Standard Apts - comfortable accommodations but hike up the hill from the reception area was another challenge to these seniors but we made it. Very friendly staff that helped us at check in with out luggage and offered great waffles between 5-7 pm
Alta - Glod Aurora Domes - interesting change to a typical hotel but not in city center and had to order dinner to be delivered from a restaurant because we arrived too late for their dinner. Our disappointment again was no Northern Lights but we felt this area had too many lights from the office area, to the adjoining buildings making it not very dark
to see the lights even without lights in our dome. We found out later that they offered off site Northern Light Expeditions, so maybe notify passengers of this option

Our disappointment of no Northern Lights continued after we left Norway and stopped off in Iceland for 7 days.....hard to believe, but again no Aurora Borealis..... maybe next time. Thanks to all the staff at KimKim for making this a wonderful trip and we'll certainly contact KimKim again once we decide where we want to go on our next adventure

Alicia & Gloria

Ana proposed right away a plan on this platform, which is a big plus that for most of the country tour guides don’t do. We had already the chance to review a practical proposal and we could change things very fast. The vacation overall was the best of our lives. Beside Bali being a paradise by itself, we squeezed in our two weeks trip everything we could, from workshops to treks, to beaches and cultural visits. Ana was always available and helped us with a last minute change of plan due to our sickness. At the next Asia trip I will definitely hope to have her agency (if not her directly) organise our trip.

Hotel Reviews

Puri Pandawa Resort

Uluwatu, Bali

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Private cruise trip in Komodo National Park

Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Artini 2 cottage

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

De Moksha Eco Friendly Boutique Resort

Tabanan

This place is a paradise, we hoped to spend more time there

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Experience Balinese Cooking Class

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Komodo Cruise Day 1

Indonesia

Quality of Experience

Food

The cook on the boat, even though very young, was incredible

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both the guide and the crew on the boat were EXCELLENT

Transport

Our trip to morocco was amazing. It was very well planned from start to finish. Everything was well organized from pick up at the airport accommodations guides and driver. We had access to a contact person 24/7 to answer questions and provide direction when needed. Our driver Tayeb was what made our trip! He was the first driver we have ever had on a trip. He was professional knowledgeable and super friendly. By the end of the trip we felt like we had made a great friend. Would highly recommend Kimkim.

Hotel Review

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

The best hotel experience we had in morocco. The hotel was beautiful and quaint. Exceptionally clean and well appointed. The had both breakfast and dinner at the hotel and this was hands down the best meal we had on our trip !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located in a beautiful setting

Staff

Owner was attentive and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Transfer from Dades to Merzouga via Todra Gorges & Erfoud

Morocco

Our trip to the Sahara was one of the most memorable travel trips we have had.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver Tayeb was the best part of outcrop. Friendly professional knowledgeable and made out trip from excellent to outstanding.

The primary reason for visiting Finland was to attend the 2024 NHL Global Series games in Tampere. Naturally, we wanted to make the most out of traveling such a long distance from Miami and pack as much fun into the trip as possible. It was such a relief to know that the hassle of setting up transportation and convenient lodging would be taken care of, as it was one of our biggest concerns when considering a trip in an unknown region. Our vacation would’ve been drastically different and wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if it weren’t for the expertise provided by Moonika and the kimkim team.

Moonika was extremely accommodating to our travel needs and was able to provide frequent and timely communication with us both before and throughout our trip. She also exceeded our expectations by keeping an eye out for a better-suited hotel in Tampere months after we had booked our trip.

Our itinerary was not only well-thought out, leaving a perfect balance of leisure time without seeming like time was being wasted, but the amount of detail provided to us left us very little room for questions and concerns. All of our drivers were on time, personable, and professional.

In Helsinki, Nadia from Green Cap Tours was a fantastic guide and provided us with so much information about both the city and Finland in general. It was the perfect way to officially begin our trip and left us feeling more confident when we were left to explore the city on our own once the tour had concluded.

Visiting Tallinn in Estonia wasn’t something we wouldn’t have considered without Moonika’s suggestion and we were so grateful that she had! The massive size of the ferry was a pleasant surprise to us as we were expecting a significantly smaller boat. Tallinn was such a beautiful city and we enjoyed our walking tour with Jorge. We appreciated that he didn’t let the rainfall that occurred throughout the afternoon and evening put a damper on our travels to many key destinations within Old Town Tallinn.

Immediately after our return to Helsinki the next morning we were driven to Tampere. Now, we’d been warned that snow was an unlikely possibility at that time of year, but we held out hope regardless…To our complete surprise we were welcomed with the first snow of the winter! Prior to both hockey games we spent most of the day exploring the city in awe of how gorgeous everything looked covered in fresh sheets of snow. Thanks to a suggestion by another traveler we made the trek to the Pyynikki Observation Tower and it was absolutely worth the walk! We could’ve spent so much more time exploring all that Tampere had to offer, but next on our itinerary was our overnight train to Rovaniemi. That too was an exciting experience as we had never traveled in a sleeper cabin like that before.

Upon our early arrival to Rovaniemi we met Joona. He happened to be both our driver and our guide for the Northern Lights Hunting excursion. He was extremely friendly and so passionate about his craft. The pictures he was able to capture of us on that phenomenal night are almost unbelievable!

We also had an exhilarating time on our Quad Bike tour with Pure Lapland. Our time was filled with laughter from start to finish and we even had a bonus drive-by look at many of the huskies they had on site! However, getting to make a face-first snow angel in the middle of nowhere was my personal favorite part of that adventure.

One of our final destinations of our trip was the Korouoma Canyon. It was one of the most scenic and breathtaking experiences we’d had! The hike was a bit more strenuous than anticipated given the icy surface, but we managed to make it through and got to enjoy a nice snack around the fire.

Without getting into any more detail than I already have I also wanted to mention just how fantastic each of the accommodations were! We really wish we had more time in the Glass Resort to fully appreciate all the amenities and gorgeous views, but we made sure to make the most of it by using the outdoor hot tub before rushing to the indoor sauna!

This trip wouldn’t have been nearly as incredible and unforgettable without all of Moonika’s hard work! We were genuinely surprised by just how smoothly everything had gone and we could not have asked for a better experience. Our expectations were very much exceeded and look forward to planning our next trip in the near future.

This was the first time trying Kim Kim. Throughout they were so approachable, accessible and flexible to our needs in the tour to Argentina.
The trip itinerary was modified so many times, but they have been as patient and detailed every single time. Aappreciate Jimena and Hugh for their flexibility and professionalism.

The guidance provided by Nacho on how to navigate the Iguazu National park was spot on.
The boat/ship tour in El Calafate took us so close to the glacier and kept us there for sufficient duration for everyone to take some amazing pictures from every direction.
Andres, the cheerful tour guide in Usuaia, pampered us with chocolates. Something I was not expecting at all, and it showed how much they cared about the tourists.

Hugh also came to meet us on the last day, a very kind gesture, and guided us more on exploring Buenos Aires shopping areas and I finally got the one souvenir at the right price that I had been looking for, one fifth the price of what I was getting in some other shops.

I had a wonderful safari with Kaka and Jambo! I saw many, many animals including the big 5. The following beach trip to zanzibar was also lovely! It was a great vacation!

A Feast for all the Senses
Our Morocco Immersion and Adventure Tour was indeed a feast for all the senses.
Thanks to Abdourachman Idrissi, Sharon and Maryem and Hisham and Mustafa,our driver.
A feast of Touch - from the hammam in Fez, the camel ride and the feel of the rugs in Toudhra.
A feast of sights - from the vistas on top of the Atlas Mountains, from the Ksar at Ait Benhaddou, the sea of Date Palms, the olive groves and most specially the amazing sunset at the Saharan Desert.
A feast of smell - from the spices at the souk, to the roses at Valley of the Roses, and the seafood at the market in Essaouira.
A feast of tastes - the home cooked meal at the Idrissi home and the food we helped cook at Khadija’s Kuzina were the best.
A feast of sounds - from the drums and Rababs in the restaurant in Fez and the night music at the camp in the desert, the ululation of the women at the Hamamatsu and at the Argan cooperative and the muezzins’ call to prayer.
We are left with an abundance of wonderful memories to last our lifetime. Again Shukran to Morocco Immersion and Adventure

Everything was perfect. Your choice of hotels were perfectly located in the center of the activities that we wanted to see and do. Your choice of restaurants were great.
Thank you for all your support.

Jessica was amazing. She managed to understand and follow up with all my requests. This was my first solo trip and I felt safe. I had wonderful guides. Mr Taylor Woo and William were amazing. Had a great vacation.

Hotel Reviews

The Westin Josun Seoul

This hotel is great and has an amazing location. I had 2 situations. 1) there was construction and they had to relocate me to another room. 2) In The second room the A/C was not properly working so they had to move me again. Although I had to change rooms three times, the staff was very helpful and acted quickly. They tried to make me feel comfortable and well cared for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Soi Hanock Stay

Gyeongju

Very nice host and very clean! So relaxing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

There is no on-site staff. The owner of the house is pretty accessible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Josun Busan

Loved the location, the staff, the room and the food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lotte City Hotel Jeju

Jeju

I wanted to share some feedback about my hotel experience, as it was unfortunately the only downside of my time in Korea. The hotel lacked room service and didn’t have an onsite restaurant, so I was left with only the convenience store onsite for meals—which wasn’t ideal, especially with the heavy rain preventing me from going out. The TV was outdated (not a smart TV, NO netflix or other apps), with only CNN available for English-speaking guests, and the staff’s limited English fluency made it difficult to get assistance. Additionally, there was a strong, overpowering smell of wood in both the hallways and the rooms, making the environment uncomfortable. I seriously considered changing hotels due to these issues.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They took my shower cap and didn't replace it. NO hand soap. Only 2 large and medium towels. NO small, face towel.

Activity Reviews

Full Day Petite France and Nami Island Tour (join in )

Seoul

Self guided. They just provide transportation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hwadam Botanic Garden&Gwangmyeong Cave tour

Seoul

This was a group tour. They just drop you there and you walk and practically self-guide. If you want to do the Monorail you have to purchase ahead of time since it gets sold out quickly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sightseeing in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village & N Seoul Tower

Seoul

Mr. Woo was a great guide

Support in-country, and especially with language barriers, was really helpful and important. Itineraries include pretty touristy stuff, but also things you don't want to miss! Kate was very kind and responsive - added a special touch when I had my birthday in Japan! Second time using KimKim and it is very useful.

We booked the Andante hotel, Paella Cooking Class, and the Tapas Tour. The hotel was alright, it's not the cleanest, but it serves its purpose and a bonus to convenient location. The Tapas Tour and the Paella Cooking Class were one of the highlights, wine was definitely not scarce with either of these. We also got the Welcome Pick Up where a taxi cab immediately pick you up from the airport and to your hotel and vice versa, this was an absolute game changer for us.

Hotel Review

Andante Hotel

Barcelona

Great view and location. The infinity pool is picture worthy.... Could be cleaner though.

Authenticity & Character

It's pretty and modern and of course the infinity pool

Location

Near a convenient store and a few restaurants

Staff

They can be stingy with the cups of ice and housekeeping is a hit or miss

Cleanliness & Comfort

Stains in bedding sheets and towels can be seen even after being changed. The tiles of the pool looks neglected. We also might have had bed bugs.

Activity Reviews

Gothic Quarter Tapas Walk

Barcelona

We happen to be in a small group so we were able to get to know the other guests more. We walked to multiple restaurants and tried a variety of dishes - think of it like bar hopping if you will. As we walked to each place, we gain insight of the city and the origin of each tapas dish.

Quality of Experience

Super casual and you'll be well fed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Multi-Course Cooking Class with Wine Pairing

Barcelona

Very friendly staff with a hipster atmosphere to the place. We paired up and made a unique paella dish per group that we then got to sample each dish made.

Quality of Experience

We learned so much history about Spain as we cook up our Paellas.

Food

The Paella of course! The bread they give you during the cooking session was good too.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They are nice and engaging. You won't feel like a complete stranger.

Marta from KimKim put together a perfect itinerary for our first trip to Spain and Portugal with two other couples. The itinerary was thoughtfully crafted, covering a blend of cultural, historical, and gastronomical experiences that brought out the true essence of each city. From the grand architecture of the Alhambra to the seaside charm of Lagos and Porto, every moment was enriched by the friendliness, knowledge and local expertise of our exceptional guides and the comfort provided by our dedicated drivers.

Hotels were perfectly selected for their comfort, location, and hospitality, making each stay a delight. I particularly liked that each boutique hotel had its own charm and reflected the local architecture - plus, every one was centrally located so we could easily walk to restaurants or catch a short Uber ride to an activity. And I can't say enough about the delicious food in both countries. The recommendations provided by Marta/KimKim were great and we especially appreciated the quick response when we didn't have any plans and I texted in the app "can you recommend 1-2 local seafood restaurants near our hotel" and got an instant response - even after normal business hours!

The activities, from the (super fun) cooking class at The Cooking Clubhouse and a Fado dinner to the scenic wine-tasting experience and lunch in the Douro Valley, were well-organized and immersive. Highlights like the Flamenco show in Seville and a visit to a hammam in Seville brought unique local color to our journey, making the trip unforgettable. The only disappointment was that our boat excursion to Benagil Caves was canceled due to weather (but that was unavoidable as we were in Spain the days there were terrible flash floods in Spain causing tragic fatalities in the north).

Overall, this itinerary was flawless in its execution. The attention to detail and seamless coordination ensured that we could simply enjoy each day without a worry. This is our second trip with KimKim and they've done a spectacular job each time customizing each tour to our interests, preferences and budget.

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Italy. Melanie did a great job planning a “Comfortable Trip” for my mom. My mom can walk but not long distances so we needed an electric wheelchair for this trip. Melanie was able to find one for us to rent and had it waiting for us at the hotel. After talking w/ friends from the USA and reading reviews online, I was led to believe that Italy was not a wheelchair friendly place and we were going to have difficulty using it. Fortunately that was not the case. Yes, there were some narrow streets and steep hills but we were able to work around the obstacles and my mom did not have to miss out on any of our Italy experiences. Very happy that Melanie listened to our requests and planned the trip accordingly. She was also very accessible on what’s app during the trip and checked in with us regularly. Highly recommend her company. The only negative was that I had to postpone the trip a year and the price ended up increasing by about $1k a person. Not sure if that was because of inflation or because there was originally going to be 5 of us and it only ended up being 4.

Activity Reviews

Explore Pompeii Walking Tour

Italy

Loved Pompeii. Our guide was very knowledgeable and it was very interesting hearing the history of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrew was very knowledgeable and nice. He made the tour interesting. Only thing is that he often walked far ahead of us and was on his phone a lot. There was one time when he took my mom by elevator and we took the stairs and met him. He said do t worry, I will stay with her. When we met up with them he was walking far ahead of her.

Transport

Driver was nice but not a very good driver. His van was a lot older than the other vans we had taken. He drove fast and passed other cars in traffic. This was the only day that my niece got car sick during any of our tours.

Capri by ferry with private guide from Sorrento

Italy

Really fun day. The driver was very friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pizza Cooking Class in Sorrento

Sorrento

So much fun. The chef was so funny. We really had a great time and the pizza was yummy. We met another group from the US on this experience. When we left, someone from the group forgot something at the restaurant and the chef chased us down on his motorcycle to return it to him.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chianti Wine & Olive Oil Tour and Village of Siena

Italy

Food and wine were great - the gnocchi was AMAZING! Family was very friendly. The only negative is that if u place an order it takes about 30 days to receive it which is fine because they tell you that upfront. However, I live in Atlanta and was having the wine shipped to San Diego for a party that I am attending Nov 9. The some said that he would ship the Monday after our tour. Unfortunately, totally dropped the ball on this and as of Nov 4th the order still hasn’t shipped. Had I know. That they weren’t going to follow through, then I would have just had it sent to Atlanta. I spent a lot of money on wine, olive oil, and vinegar that I won’t be able to enjoy.

Quality of Experience

Wish a tour of the vineyard was part of the experience. Maybe it wasn’t because the grapes had already been picked for the season??

Food

Gnocchi and tomato’s were so yummy!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rey friendly but son didn’t follow through on shipping my order in a timely manner

Transport

The driver was very friendly