Kimkim Trip Reviews

Nadine was simply amazing! Throughout the planning process she was so dedicated to making sure our honeymoon was exactly what we wanted! She was so knowledgeable on the area and offered amazing recommendations for things to do and see outside of our itinerary. Traveling to another country can be intimidating but with the wealth of knowledge and resources provide by Nadine, we traveled with such confidence which made our trip SO enjoyable! When we had a personal matter come up that delayed the start of our trip, she was so caring and helped to make necessary adjustments. We cannot thank Nadine enough for making our trip one that we will remember for a lifetime!

Balance of activities and free time was perfect. Recommended and scheduled activities were ideal for us. Could not be happier with the service and really enjoyed working with Arianna!

Activity Review

Private Truffle Cooking Class with Hunt

Italy

Highly recommend the truffle hunt, whether you know anything about truffles or not. Hosts were excellent. Cooking class and wine tasting was a blast.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We just returned from an awesome trip to Guatemala that Chris and his team arranged for us. Chris took the time to meet us for coffee the morning after we arrived so we could ask any questions and discuss our plans for the week- super friendly and made us feel immediately comfortable! We spent two days exploring with Jerry, who was wonderful as well! We did a walking tour of Antiqua and learned so much with him! The next day, a hike up the Payca volcano, which was definitely a highlight for us. We moved on to Panajachel for a few days and explored the surrounding towns with Pablo- loved it! Ivan, our driver was always on time for our adventures and incredibly kind and accommodating. I think private transportation and guides was key for us being able to relax and absorb our surroundings. This is a trip we will never forget and I would highly recommend Old Town Outfitters to anyone planning to visit beautiful Guatemala!

The summary first: in general, we are very pleased with our Namibia trip; it was a great experience and fulfilled our expectations.

Let me now give some more detailed, constructive feedback and please keep in mind that this was our fourth trip with Kimkim.

Positive things first:
- We were really satisfied with our guide/driver Pagge, who did his job without one mistake during our 14 days of traveling together. He was very experienced and knowledgeable, plus he gave us a lot of information even beyond classic information for tourists.
- All accommodations were fine. They were quite different in style (from tent style lodge to ordinary hotel) and we liked the diversity. Quite satisfied also with all arranged breakfasts and dinners!
- Most of the time the “intensity” of the trip was just optimal. Meaning that we had some activities every day (except first day), but we also had some free time for some rest or optional activities.

Not so optimal:
- If we compare with our previous Kimkim trips, preparations for this trip were “below Kimkim’s standards”:
o Starting with Kimkim platform: there were a lot of small mistakes (persistent wrong maps, inconsistency in texts, copy-past errors…)
o We needed several iterations before we came to acceptable plan (for example we asked for the driver at the very beginning…) and delays between iterations.
o Our contact Esther was always responsive and cooperative, but we believe that most of the time it was out of her power to fix the problems or to speed up the process.
- Additional surprise came when we got detailed plan from Namibian company executing the trip: plan was in several points different to the agreed Kimkim plan, but it was also more logical and more “executable”, so we accepted it.
o Important to add: during the trip we additionally tuned a trip a little and the trip was very good(!), so we are speaking here only about the preparation phase.
- It is not on us to judge what were the reasons for non-optimal preparation phase, but one simple explanation could be that Ester’s company was just not also the company later executing the trip

- We had one only operational “problem” at the beginning of our trip: we had Windhoek city tour planed for 10am on 8th April and we were waiting for a guide at the gate of the guesthouse. Nobody arrived, so at the reception we learned that they were just informed that the city was postponed till afternoon!? When we complained that we do not intend to wait for a guide the whole day in the hotel, we finally settled that we would meet with a guide by the church at 3pm and we later got originally planned city tour.

- Last comment is our subjective opinion that the whole trip was slightly overpriced. This opinion is based on our comparation with other three Kimkim trips (all of them were cheaper, but approximately same duration and all were including multiple internal flights) plus we learned during the trip that the cost of living in Namibia is quite low. Again, one simple explanation for the high cost could be that in this case just too many intermediate companies were involved.

To end in a positive tone: overall we were pleased with our Namibia trip.

Regards
Zvonko

Our trip to Morocco was fantastic. We had Lahcen as a driver, he was such a nice guy and made it easy for us to have an enjoyable experience. Travelling is a small group (we were a party of 4) gives you access to experiences you would never get on a big tour bus. For example: Upon arrival in Merzouga in late afternoon, our 4 camels were waiting for us and we were led across the dunes to see the sunset then continued into darkness (1.5 hr camel ride with a guide) to arrive at the Tiziri desert eco camp. The camp staff had our 2 luxury tents ready for us, provided a scrumptious dinner, then played traditional Berber music for us around a campfire under the Saharan moonlight. It was a magical experience that I never would have had without the expertise of Kimkim tour (Said in particular) setting it up for us. Many thanks.

We had an amazing and meaningful trip to Spain and especially the Basque Country. My main purpose was to discover more about my grandfather, about whom I knew very little.
I was able to do so, and greatly enjoyed that and many other experiences as well.

I would like to commend our guides Diego and Dario. Diego I appreciated especially because the main focus of the trip for me was to absorb as much about Basque culture as I could, and he fulfilled that wish admirably. To do so was the dream of a lifetime, and I will be forever grateful to him.

Dario was a most excellent and considerate guide also. He took care that we should get the most out of our excursion to Potes and Picos de Europa. We were fascinated by all the history and other information he shared with us. He truly enriched our understanding of this part of Spain in way that added a great deal of depth to our experience of the country as a whole.

For improvements I suggest that in the future travelers should be warned to be better prepared for the train trip from Madrid to San Sebastián. The trip took 8 hours, and nothing was provided to eat and drink.

We would have been glad to bring our own provisions had we known we would need them. As it was, we arrived in San Sebastián in an especially depleted state from which it took extra time to recover.

Another difficulty occurred on our train trip from Santander to Madrid. Our information from Raquel was that we would change trains at Valladolid.

The misinformation confused us greatly because the information at the station didn’t support a change of trains. I thought my confusion was a result of my limited Spanish and anxiously boarded, unsure about exactly how we were to arrive in Madrid.

Just before we were about to get off the train for a change, another passenger informed us at the very last minute that we needed to remain aboard as the train we were on would go through to Madrid. If it had not been for this passenger, we would have made a mistake that could have really cost us.

Our guide Karin was the best!
He took care of our every need. We were 8 friends, so many times we could be difficult , but he solved all our Indecisiveness with a solution.
He was very knowledgeable about the country..
One of the best vacations we ever had! .
.

The trip to Greece was absolutely amazing. Everything about it from the food to the culture was unforgettable. Kimkim provided us a great experience and there was absolutely no hassle when we were travelling. Since, this was our first trip to Greece, the experience was unlike any other and it was unforgettable

Hotel Reviews

Manili Boutique Suites & Villas

Archanes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Myrion Beach Resort & Spa Chania

Gerani, Chania

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thermes Luxury Villas Santorini

Santorini

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Electra Palace Athens

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Useful Information

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local Beach Transfer in Santorini

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Local dinner in Archanes

Heraklion

Palace of Knossos Private Tour

Greece

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cretan Villages Food & Culture Tour

Greece

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Cape Sounion Driving tour

Greece

Transfer with visit to Rethymno

Greece

The Athenian Democracy tour

Athens

Caldera Cruise & Volcano Visit

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Santorini Driving Panorama

Santorini

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Excursion to Elafonisi Beach

Chania

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Planning was easy, responsive team and would highly recommend

Everything was pretty much amazing, there were a few things we didn’t love (like sometimes not being able to choose our food or know how long we were going to be doing an activity or how long it would take to get a place). Those kind of things come with the territory of having a guides on the ground and having someone who knows the area/culture/etc. outweighed most of our drawbacks! We even lost some nice headphones and were able to get them sent to the next place we stayed before we left to be back in the states. Overall if you’re going to a place where you don’t have experience traveling or possibly are worried about language barriers (or like us) don’t want to have to worry about the headaches of booking and transportation yourself DEFINITELY book with KimKim!

Hotel Review

The FloatHouse River Kwai

Chang Wat Kanchanaburi

This place is an experience all its own!! A ABSOLUTE MUST STAY! We loved every moment we stayed here.

Authenticity & Character

You feel like you’re really in nature with all the luxury of a 5 star hotel!

Location

It’s off the beaten path, and you have to take a boat to get there which was so fun!

Staff

The service here was amazing!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

John Gray's sea canoe - Hong by Starlight - Joining excursion

Phuket

This is an ABSOLUTE must do on your trip if you have any time in Phuket!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Melanie was great to work with and she was very responsive and pleasant. She was always checking in, without being pushy. We especially appreciated all of the drivers that got us safely to our destinations and they were always waiting and very helpful. The hotels were centrally located and even though we did have one issue, Melanie was responsive and is working with us for that to be resolved.

I would highly recommend her to book any of your travel needs in Italy!

Great time in Guatemala!

Matt was our specialist at the beginning of the process, but Alex Coronado took over our planning process when Matt had to do some guiding. Alex was terrific! Very responsive, friendly, and he provided excellent advice. He touched base with us frequently throughout the three weeks we were in Guatemala to ensure that we were enjoying the trip. We had to make some last minutes changes which he accommodated quickly and efficiently. Alex went over and above making sure we were well taken care of.

All of the guides were professional and knowledgeable about the areas we were visiting. The drivers were prompt and the cars were in good shape. There was one situation where a car broke down (could happen to anyone) and Alex and our guide arranged for another car very quickly.

All of the accommodation was very good and the food was excellent. As was the Guatemalan coffee.

Thanks to Alex and the KimKim team for making our visit to Guatemala very special!

We had a really wonderful experience on this trip. It started with planning the trip with Marc, who helped us figure out what to do throughout our 5 day trip. Marc was really flexible in ensuring that our specific interests (historical sites, local food, swimming with a manta ray, snorkeling) were part of the plan. And it all happened (although the manta ray part cannot be guaranteed every time :)). Then, on the trip the itself, we had a fantastic driver, Jering. There were lots of nice touches from him, from the welcome flower garlands, ready availability cold water (critical in Bali), through to the discussions about culture and history, and advice on what to look for (with fascinating touches of stories to enrich the experience). And oh, he found us the perfect (and good value) durian experience that was to die for (if you can deal with the smell). I'd definitely recommend working with Marc and Jering for your next trip to Bali.

I wish I could give this trip more than 5 stars! From the first interaction with Abdellah and Said trip planning was easy and pleasant . The response time was extremely fast before and during our trip. We had a group of four people with different interests and tastes, Abdellah and Said were great at answering all of our questions, we really appreciated their suggestions of tours, restaurants and hotels in our itinerary. We all loved every single one of our guides.
Faissal, our driver was amazing, always on time and a great communicator , he went above and beyond expectations to ensure we got to see and do what was planned for that day and got us in and out safely, certainly, by the end of the trip we all considered him a friend!
Said (different person than above) gave us a tour of the Medina in Marrakech, very knowledgeable and was able to convey information in an interesting way, the day went by way too fast!
Youssef Azdour: Youssef was our guide to summit Mt. Toubkal, he did a great job keeping us safe, ensuring we had amazing food at the "refuge" (lodging just below the summit). We are thankful for our cook and porter too! Interestingly, he also leads ski tours (skinning up, ski down) in the winter, it was nice to hike with a local that knows the mountain and the community.
Abraham: Camel guide Sahara Desert. We all truly enjoyed our camel ride at sunset in the Sahara, a one in a million experience!
Youssef: Driver/guide in the Sahara at Tiziri Desert Camp, Youssef showed us around the Berber communities and homesteads, and enlightened us of the cultural importance of music, and geology in the area. We all enjoyed spending time with him!
Mohammad: ATV guide Sahara Desert; He did a great job in showing us the area, brought sand boards which was a ton of fun and was great at taking amazing pictures!
What I really appreciated was the high quality and authenticity of all of our guides, we would have never have found them if we would have booked this trip our selves!

Hotel Reviews

Refuge Toubkal les Mouflons

Imlil

great place to stay before summiting!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

We are so thankful we stayed 2 nights! so many things to do and see! We loved the staff, music and food. The location and accommodations are wonderful! Highly recommend riding a camel to get to the site and take advantage of sand boarding and ATVing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

All staff made us feel at home! Youssef was great showing us the Berber community, geology and the sharing the importance of music in the Berber culture .

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ksar El Kabbaba

Skoura

Beautiful Riad! Wish we could have stayed longer! Staff was informative and the grounds were amazing, we wished we had more time to visit the spa!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Jnane Imlil

Imlil, Asni Marrakech

Perfect location to stay when hiking Toubkal! views are amazing and the staff is fantastic. Loved the decor and the food was great. Make sure to visit the roof top deck!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Great location in the Medina! Staff was wonderful, breakfast was delicious, loved the architecture!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Chamaa

Ouarzazate

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Toubkal's Majestic Summit Expedition  

Imlil

A high light of our trip! Youssef Azdour our hiking guide is an experienced mountaineer, he did a great job getting us up the mountain well fed and safe. We also appreciated the porter and cook during the two strenuous days of hiking. As always, it was nice to spend time with a local that is familiar with the area.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful views, great places to stop for fresh squeezed orange juice!

Food

Our cook was amazing! We were so thankful for the great meals that were carried up by the mule ! Our cook/Youssef set up a table at the refuge on the patio over looking the Atlas Mts. and we enjoyed an amazing lunch after summiting Mt. Toubkal !

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very passionate about his culture and was a joy to talk with along the way

Transport

We were impressed that all of our stuff got to where it needed to be, our large luggage bags were carried to our hotel in Imlil by mule as well as our small bags we needed for the night at the refuge were all carried by a mule, along with all our food!

Skoura to Merzouga via Dades valley, Todra Gorge, Erfoud, Rissani & Camel Ride

Morocco

We visited a women's cooperative rose distillery shop where we learned how roses are turned into different products, we also purchased a rug in a small village, much different experience than Marrakech, in the small village rug shop we received photos of the women that crafted our rugs and a little history of the different tribes, an experience we will never forget! We enjoyed the visit to the fossil shop, it made us appreciate the geology in that area also we were able to visit the Khettaras traditional water system in the drylands.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Imlil to Skoura oasis via Ait Benhaddou & Ouarzazate

Morocco

We enjoyed the visit to the Argan oil cooperative, we were able to "help" make the oil with the local women and see the process in which it is made, Truly an enjoyable experience! We also enjoyed the l Aït Benhaddou Kasbah, Morocco's most famous kasbah and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was great to get out and stretch our legs! We were a little skeptical about visiting the movie sites, but it turned out to be a lot of fun! our guide made a short video of us in the studio, once again the guide did a great job of making it a unique experience!

Quality of Experience

Our small group size made it possible to really interact with the locals and we truly felt like welcomed guests!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Transfer from Marrakech to Toubkal National Park (Toubkal Refuge)

Morocco

A high light of our trip! Youssef Azdour our hiking guide is an experienced mountaineer, he did a great job getting us up the mountain well fed and safe. We also appreciated the porter and cook during the two strenuous days of hiking. As always, it was nice to spend time with a local that is familiar with the area.

Quality of Experience

Youssef 's knowledge of the mountain

Food

Wonderful to have a home cooked meals during the 2 days of strenuous hiking

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cook and porter were wonderful, great food and people!

Transport

Our porter got our luggage we did not need for the hike to the hotel we were staying at after the hike , lots of coordination!

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Said is very knowledgeable and was wonderful at answering all of our questions, the time went by way too fast and we were thankful to spend the morning/afternoon with him!

Quality of Experience

Food

Said took us to a roof top Riad for lunch, great food!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ouirgane at Leisure

Ouirgane

We changed our plans to stay in Essaouria at the Hotel Le Medina

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A Private Transfer from Merzouga to Ouarzazate

Morocco

Great to see the Rissani medina and the Mausoleum of Molay Ali Cherif plus visit a market to sell animals and ty camel milk!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Morocco Last Nomads Experience: Tea, Tales & Desert Adventures

Merzouga

Another highlight of the trip! Loved the Tiziri ECO Desert Camp! Youssef did an amazing job in showing us the Berber Nomad lifestyle, music and geology of Merzouga and Erg Chebbi area. The sunset camel ride into the camp was unforgettable plus dinner and the Berber music was delicious. Lastly, the ATV and sandboarding was a blast!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The KimKim team in Greece made every moment of my trip effortless and memorable. From coordinating transfers, to suggesting attractions and tavernas, Maria and the entire team took my modest description of a dream trip, and made it a reality. The private food and culture tours they coordinated were informative, delicious, and introduced me to aspects of Greek cuisine and culture that would have taken me years to discover. They even coordinated shipment of a few bottles of mastiha and tsipiro that I bought, and followed up with packing and package arrival. The KimKim team acted as a private concierge service while I was there, coordinating church visits and transportation. I am already planning my next trip, and will recommend and only use Maria and the Greek KimKim team on future trips. 5 stars!!!

I had the most amazing wk tour. Originally opted for 5 days but Odynova tours and KimKim suggested 7 for a more comprehensive tour and it worked out really well. The tour guide, Ms Jang, was friendly, courteous and very informative. She was always on time and met me at my hotel each morning. I had a few reschedulings for my departure transfer but Jessica from KimKim/Odynova tours, was able to respond immediately and made the changes for me. I was very impressed by how efficient they were on resolving curveballs in my end and all with a friendly manner and followed up after as well. I will not hesitate to book through them again and recommend them to anyone looking for a tour in Seoul. South Korea. Thank you. Jessica, KimKim, Odynovs and Ms Jang. I am bringing back memories that will last a lifetime!

Hotel Review

NINE TREE BY PARNAS SEOUL MYEONDONG 2

Seoul

Bed was a little too firm. Only complaint but that’s my individual preference . The rooms were clean on arrival and always kept clean. Cleaning staff were on top of it and I was very happy. Front desk was helpful, the gym was adequate and the rooftop lounge had a great view and my fav drink - toddy. Very satisfied with the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Heart of Seoul. Within walking distance to anything.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Suwon and Yongin Tour From Seoul

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoul Food Tour: Street Eats and Korean BBQ

Seoul

Quality of Experience

K

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Seoul Highlights & K-drama Tour

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover K-drama Locations in European Villages & Nami Island

Seoul

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

If you're looking for the epitome of travel excellence, look no further than Tamer. Let me tell you, our experience with Tamer, in collaboration with Kim Kim and Responsible Travel, was nothing short of enchanting.

This marks our second consecutive year entrusting Tamer to craft a journey of a lifetime for our students, and boy, did he deliver! Our destination this time was Peru, with all its awe-inspiring beauty. Tamer's meticulous planning ensured that every moment was infused with magic and wonder.

One of the highlights of our trip was undoubtedly the outstanding tour guides he arranged for us, Renato Diaz and Henry Gonzales. Their expertise in working with high school students was evident as they effortlessly blended fun and education throughout our 14-day adventure. From delving into the history of the Incan Empire to exploring the mystical Peruvian Amazon, every aspect of our itinerary was flawlessly executed.

Our journey took us through Lima, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, and Puerto Maldonado, with each destination offering its own unique charm. The accommodations were nothing short of breathtaking, and our air travel arrangements went off without a hitch.

From the bustling streets of Lima to the awe-inspiring Machu Picchu, every moment was filled with awe and wonder. Our days were packed with unforgettable experiences, from cooking classes to day trips to Rainbow Mountain and exploring the ancient ruins of Moray. And let's not forget our daily excursions into the heart of the Amazon rainforest – an experience that left us spellbound.

Already, we find ourselves eagerly planning our next adventure with Tamer. Year three beckons, and this time, we're setting our sights on Chile. With Tamer at the helm, we know that another extraordinary journey awaits us.

In short, if you want an unforgettable travel experience that seamlessly blends adventure, education, and pure magic, Tamer is the only choice.

The service we received throughout our trip was amazing. From the start in Windhoek and the instruction guide from Maxine down to our airport return with Josef we could not have had a better time.
The planning and TravelKey app were fantastic - Anna at Spitzkoppen was great, Tim who flew the hot air balloon was funny and incredibly skillful while all the locations we stayed in were also excellent. Our tour guide in Swakopmund who took us to the dunes at Sandwich Bay - PJ Breytenbach - was fantastic - very knowledgeable and passionate about the area and he was determined to ensure we had a fabulous experience. The vehicle we had was superb - my wife and I and our two friends whom we toured with cannot have been happier.

Working with Majid to plan our perfect trip was simply amazing! He would answer our questions immediately, he would redo our itinerary every time we wanted to do something different, he was so easy to work with, very knowledgeable and helpful with everything! Moha, our driver was simply the best! He made our trip personal, and accommodated to all our needs. He was so kind, knowledgeable, he made our trip so memorable. We would not have done or seen everything we did without him! I would highly recommend him! All our other guides were amazing. Very knowledgeable, so kind, attentive, and really wanted us to enjoy our experience.

Paris was delightful. It was fun to see the preparation for the upcoming summer Olympics.

Hotel Review

Hotel Le Cardinal

Paris

This property was on a quit side street, but the property was dated. Our rooms were poorly appointed and we were disappointed in the hotel overall. The carpet was very worn, rooms were very small, the breakfast was minimal in comparison to other properties. The location seemed far way from the other outtings planned for us.

Authenticity & Character

Rooms, cleanliness, overall quality.

Location

Staff

The manager was very pleasant and attentive to correct our concerns about the property. Desk staff was inattentive. They barely greeted us and then directed us to a closet to store our luggage with no assistance. We are fine on our own and fully capable, but this was unlock any other property we’ve stayed at with KimKim.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs updates.

Activity Reviews

Small group cooking class with a Chef

Paris

A highlight of our trip. This was a fun and unique experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious and experiential.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Outstanding chef and guided through the market and entire experience.

Transport

They had Metro tickets ready and available for us to go from the market to the cooking school as a group.

Gourmet food tour in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris

This was a fun experience and different than other food tours we have experienced. Lare did a great job teaching and guiding us. She was a fun host.

Quality of Experience

Interesting visits with shop keepers.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport