Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was my first, but not last, time using kimkim! The experience was fantastic from start to finish. Our travel guide, Angela, put together the perfect itinerary for us (2 couples celebrating our 30th anniversaries) based on our feedback and coordinated every aspect of our travel experience, making it stress-free, while also filled with private tour experiences we never would have discovered on our own. Each transfer was perfectly timed and each tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and flexible to make our trip as personalized as we wanted it to be. When we hit snags along the way (which weren't many), Angela was right there to revise the itinerary. I'm usually the one to plan our trips, so it was a real treat for me to have someone else take that on and who better than someone who knows the country and can provide more than just a "tourist's" view. Thank you, Angela, and all the amazing tour guides who made our trip so special!

Hotel Review

xenodocheio Milos 5*

Athens

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easily walkable to all major attractions, restaurants and shopping

Staff

Friendly, helpful and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were spacious, comfortable and well-equipped with wonderful products.

Activity Reviews

Delphi & Arachova full-day tour from Athens

Greece

Tour guide was very knowledgeable and personable and easy to spend the day with. He also brought us to a wonderful lunch spot in Arachova that we will always remember!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

LS Catamaran Cruise ECNM

Santorini

A beautiful way to appreciate the island and have an incredibly relaxing afternoon. Food was unexpectedly delicious and staff was attentive and personable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We guide you in the Past winter tour

Greece

We almost had to miss this tour because of a flight change, but our travel advisor made it work and our tour guide made sure we saw as much as we could in our limited time. We were overwhelmed with the experience and so glad we didn't miss it. Could have spent more time at the excavation site and in the museum. Not to miss!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Knossos Palace & Authentic Crete with Local Experiences from East P9

Greece

We had a wonderful tour guide (Roxi?) at the palace and then a completely customized tour with our guide, Aleksander, who showed us sights we never would have found on our own. He definitely made the day memorable and unique.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bea was so patient and helpful in planning our trip to Portugal and Morocco! She checked in with us throughout the process and during the trip. The trip itself was incredible. All of the guides we had throughout the journey were fantastic, but particularly our two guides in Lisbon: Gisela Gouveia for our tour of the city and Paulo Pires for our day trip to Sintra. They were both so knowledgeable, kind, and fun. I would highly recommend them both to anyone who has never visited!

During our stay in Morocco, we had a designated guide/driver with us throughout the trip which was really nice for consistency. Our guide in Marrakesh, Hamid, was fantastic. I was so impressed with his knowledge and ability to help us understand Moroccan culture. He was very kind and helpful. We also had a really great guide in Chefchaouen, also named Hamid. This was my favorite city in Morocco and he really helped us see so much of it's beauty. Overall, just an amazing vacation!

Hotel Reviews

Palais Zahia

Old Medina, Tangier

I really loved this hotel--it's beautifully decorated and well cared for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

We had booked a twin room and when we checked in there was only one bed but the staff was very kind and accommodating when we asked to switch to a twin room with two beds.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dom Henrique Downtown

Porto

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Olissippo Castelo Hotel

Lisboa

We loved this hotel! On our way back through Lisbon before heading home, we ended up booking here again because we liked it so much. The staff was wonderful. We had some issues with lost luggage and they were so helpful in calling the airport to check on the status of our bags so we could go out and do some sightseeing. The rooms are lovely and it's a great location with a beautiful view of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Chergui

Marrakech

This was probably my favorite hotel of the trip. It was in the middle of the medina so it was easy to walk to everything and the hotel itself is just gorgeous inside! I could have spent all day sitting in the courtyard.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Oum Palace Hotel & SPA

Casablanca

Pretty average hotel. It was fine for just one night stay but it was really loud because of the street noise.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa

Rabat

Beautiful hotel. We only stayed one night but I would definitely go back.

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully decorated rooms and courtyard. Very clean.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

VANCII HOTEL

Chefchaouen

Really nice hotel--very clean and well taken care of. They have a beautiful rooftop deck where they serve breakfast and a lovely sitting area where you can see the entire town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was really close to everything. We could easily walk to restaurants and shops. The only downside was the street noise at night, which was really loud.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Day Excursion: Sintra, Cascais & Estoril

Portugal

This was one of my favorite days during the whole trip. Our guide, Paulo, was friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. We really appreciated his good recommendations for food during our tour as well as other suggestions for food and sites to see in Lisbon. I really loved the visit to Pena Palace and the beautiful walk through the woods on the way back down.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver and guide, Paulo Pires, was fantastic!

Transport

Privately Guided Tour of Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen

This was my favorite city in Morocco, by far! I couldn't stop taking pictures! We had a really lovely guide, Hamid, who took us on a walking tour of the city. He led us up pretty high in the city so we could get a nice view of the whole area and led us down through all the shops. He was very patient as we stopped all the time to take pictures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride over Marrakech

Marrakesh

Honestly, I was a little disappointed in this experience. We thought it was a sunrise hot air balloon ride but when we got to the area with the balloons they had already taken off with other passengers so we didn't get to watch the sunrise in the balloon. There was a lot of confusion about when we would get to take the balloon ride and, essentially, we spent almost an hour waiting around not knowing what was going on. After about an hour, our driver had us get back in the car and drive to another point to get in the balloon. The ride itself was nice but leading up to it was pretty disorganized and there was a lot of waiting around.

Quality of Experience

Organization and communication

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our driver was late picking us up so by the time we got to the balloon field the balloons had already taken off with other passengers. We missed seeing the sunrise in the balloon.

Day Excursion to Douro Valley: Wine Tasting & River Cruise

Porto

Beautiful drive and experience. We did a wine tasting and had the entire place to ourselves. We had a wonderful lunch and a scenic boat ride along the river.

Quality of Experience

Gorgeous area

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Nelson, was great!

Transport

Privately Guided Visit of Marrakech & Bahia Palace

Marrakesh

Overall, this was a really great tour. Our guide, Hamid, was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. Marrakech is an amazing city and we were able to see quite a bit in just a short time. The only criticism is that we were taken to two places (one that sells creams and perfumes and one that sells rugs) to basically sit for a sales pitch to buy things from these vendors. It was interesting to learn about how these things are made but this cut into our tour time significantly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Get to Know Lisbon with a Local

Lisbon

Lisbon is such a beautiful city! We really enjoyed our tour with our guide, Gisela Gouveia. She really helped us get acclimated to the city and taught us a lot about Lisbon in such a short time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was fantastic!

Natalia was a fantastic coordinator for our trip. She was extremely knowledgeable and responsive. The KimKim team went above and beyond to make our trip memorable and made sure we always had information and never had to worry. Our guides were professional, kind, and were always amenable to tailoring to our preferences. With KimKim we were able to craft our trip to be exactly what we wanted and would absolutely use the company again.

Hotel Reviews

Loi Suites Iguazú Hotel

Puerto Iguazú

Authenticity & Character

Location

Ecotourism in the middle of the rainforest was fantastic! The pool, drawbridges all helped create that atmosphere. We loved to watch the monkeys each morning.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Argentino Hotel

Mendoza

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very centrally located, loved being able to walk the square at night and found amazing food close by!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

There were heavy rains that exposed a leak in our room.

Amerian Park Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Authenticity & Character

Location

This was very close to the Galerria Pacifica which ended up being perfect for us to grab breakfast and use the ATM.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

One of the best breakfasts we had.

Activity Reviews

Dinner at Casa Coupage

Buenos Aires

Extremely authentic Argentine family dining experience. Fantastic food and wine!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Iguazú Falls Great Adventure

Puerto Iguazú

Such a unique experience to see the falls up close we would recommend this to everyone!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Colonia del Sacramento

Buenos Aires

This was a very convenient and easy day trip from Buenos Aires that provided a great perspective of a unique area.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aconcagua Landscapes

Mendoza

This was a fantastic trip to be able to get to hike around Aconcagua! We loved that on the way we had many breaks to stop at towns along the way, explore and have free time. The guide was extremely knowledgeable ! For us this was a hidden gem and other who enjoy the outdoors should absolutely do this!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uco Valley Wine Country

Mendoza

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We did arrive late to one of the wineries so perhaps allowing a little more spacing between. Or having the guide let us know we are running late and we should leave.

Trek & Kayak in Potrerillos

Mendoza

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Brazilian Falls

Puerto Iguazú

This a fantastic way to start your trip in Iguazu! Seeing the landscape view is breathtaking and helps put the Argentina side in perspective when you do it the next day.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Northern Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Southern Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

We loved doing this tour by car reaching many different neighborhoods like a personal hop on and hop off! The guide was extremely knowledgeable and left us time at each place to walk around and explore which we loved!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leo was amazing in putting together a seamless and unforgettable national parks trip. He was super communicative and came up with a flexible plan that allowed us to get some remote work done during our time away as well, as he arranged unique weekend guided tours and self-guided hikes during the week. He understood our goals with hiking and came up with trail options that matched the technicality and difficulty level we were looking for. The guided tours were so much fun and we had really interesting guides that we enjoyed hearing stories from about their personal lives and adventures- the mountain bike and kayak guides were super cool. The ATV tour was quite a thrill ride! Altogether, the trip was amazing, and we crossed off a major bucket list item of seeing the big 5 utah parks plus more (Grand Canyon + Lake powell)! And all of the hotels were perfect - many served breakfast, and they all had good wifi so the two of us were able to get work done remotely. We owe it Leo for the awesome memories we shared and beautiful sights we saw!

Once again a superb experience planned by Raisa. From start to finish every detail was taken care of. We were met at the airport, escorted through immigration and with ease. Or guide Ahmed was amazing. I had so much fun on this trip. I loved hiking in the Dana Biosphere, seeing Petra again and staying in the Bedouin camps. I look forward to my next visit to Jordan.

My husband and I booked our whole trip with KimKim and had an amazing time. We spent 4 days in the Amazon of Puerto Maldonado and 5 days in the Cusco and Sacred Valley area of Peru. Our travel was fairly smooth. There was one point when our flight was changed but Johanna helped us and made sure the Hotel would still be able to pick us up to bring us to the lodge in the Amazon jungle that night. It was so amazing to have everything already worked out, and we never had to wait for rides or our tour guides; they would always be ready for us! Our tour guides through Cusi Travels were also amazing and very knowledgeable and passionate. Flor was especially helpful to me and treated me like her own daughter. I don't speak much Spanish and I didn't really need to as all my guides and drivers were English speaking. I would highly recommend, as this was my second time to Peru and I learned so much more then the first trip I took there! Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

Very clean and comfortable place in the jungle. We never saw a single bug in our riverside bungalow! The hammocks were the best to relax in. The food was amazing! So were the drinks. I think more excursions could be offered, as we did virtually all of them. We wanted to do the fishing trip for piranha however they needed more people to go so we were able to to. I will say that the bungalows are very loud so there is no sleeping in, as the birds chirp very loudly and the bungalows are very close together and also close to the river with loud boats going by at times. I love the bird sounds though! We didn't get to see all the wildlife we wanted to, but we saw lots of monkeys!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mamasimona Cusco

Cusco

A nice cheap place to rest your head. We didn't spend too much time here. The floor boards were very squeaky when you walked around and the floor was slanted. There was also no shampoo or conditioner in the shower. The bed was comfortable though and the room was tidy. Service was quick as well checking in and out. It was nice and close to the Plaza De Armas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mamasimona Ollanta

Ollantaytambo

Very cute hostel in the heart of Ollanta. Just a 5 minute walk to the town center. Very clean and staff were so nice. I loved how our room had a balcony overlooking the creek and mountains, and we could eat breakfast in the beautiful garden area. No shampoo or conditioner in shower though.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gringo Bill's Boutique Hotel

Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu

Great location but too many stairs! It was a bit hard to find since it was down a back alley. It was like a maze of stairs getting up to the 6th floor, also no one spoke much English. The room was beautiful though and the shower was amazing and hot with shampoo. They held onto our bags after check out while we were at Machu Picchu.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Into the Amazon: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Puerto Maldonado

We arrived and got a huge sandwich snack, then went on the twilight River excursion to look for caimans. We saw about 5 or 7 white caiman! Very cool for the first night. We also still had time for dinner when we got back.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Jungle Excursions

Puerto Maldonado

We had 3 excursions today. We started early with a boat ride to Lake Sandoval. We saw so many monkeys on the way to the canoe. Then we canoed around the lake and saw caiman, parrots, bats and monkeys. We can back and had lunch and rested in our hammocks. Then we did the canopy walkway which was very cool climbing up high and walking across the bridges. You got the see a different view of the jungle, but we didn't really see any wildlife. We had dinner after that, then did the night walk into the jungle. We love tarantulas and got to see about 5 of them come out of their dens! We also saw some lizards, possum, rat, other bugs. It was a long day but very cool!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Jungle Excursions

Puerto Maldonado

We did two excursions today. We started with Gamitana Creak in the morning. We saw monkeys, turtles, caiman, birds and piranha. I loved the canoe trip. We came back for lunch, and afterwards did the Hacienda Conception tour. This was more educational about plants. It was very buggy and mosquito filled even with bug spray. We saw monkeys and some birds but not too much else. We came back for happy hour and dinner.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Inkaterra: Depart Puerto Maldonado to Cusco

Peru

We woke up at 3:30am and paid extra to see the parrot Clay Lick. We saw hundreds of macaws and parrots and had a great breakfast on the boat. When we got back we were ready to check out and pay, and we boated back to PEM airport. I believe I was infected with a small parasite at some point this day, perhaps I talked too much and swallowed river water. Later that evening I got sick and had a fever. Luckily I had antibiotics with me.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Lima to Cusco, Explore the City

Peru

I wasn't able to explore, as I got sick with a fever and couldn't walk around much or eat. I went to bed nice and early!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cusco Tour

Peru

Flor was our guide and she was amazing! She took her time since I wasn't feeling well, and made sure I stayed hydrated and ate some soup. She was extremely knowledgeable and passionate when speaking about her ancestors and the temples we visited. I learned so much more than the first time I came to Cusco 6 years ago. She also took us to a shop just outside of the main city area with great deals for alpaca clothing shopping. She was able to be flexible with the plan and stop for us if needed. It was an amazing day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sacred Valley Tour

Peru

We had Flor as our guide again and the same driver, and both were excellent. Very flexible with the plan and stopped where we needed. Very patient with us as we shopped at the market in Pisac. When we were about to start the hike up the temple in Ollantaytambo, I spotted my host family from 6 years ago in the market and Flor let us stop to catch up. Also turns out my host mother is her Aunt! It was a very wonderful feeling to have family here. Then we continued our tours and had a great time. Flor took some great photos of my husband and I, thank you For!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly from Cusco to Lima

Peru

No issues on our trip to the airport and flying back to Lima.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Train Journey to Aguas Calientes from the Sacred Valley

Peru

I've taken the train to Aguas Calientes before, but it wasn't like this! We were on the train with only about 6 other people and it was so comfortable. The views were breathtaking on the way, and they even had us all go to the observation deck for drinks at the bar, dancing and a live band. We also got to go outside on the back deck of the train to watch the tracks roll on by and get some fresh air. Also gave us great snacks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discovering the Treasures of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

We met our tour guide at 7am for our 8am tour of Machu Picchu. Richard was very cool and knowledgeable. A little preachy at times but he gave us good information. This was my second time to Machu Picchu and I get a bit of a different story from each tour guide I have! The clouds covered the city at first, and the clouds are always my favorite part! Then they disperse and show you the hidden city and it's amazing! It wasn't too crowded either.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lima Food Tour - (PM Tour)

Peru

Lima was awesome! Kimberly met us in Miraflores and took us around for drinks and food. Food was amazing and we were so stuffed by the end of the night we couldn't finish! It was so nice to have everything prepaid for and we could just get up and leave when we needed, and Kimberly had already paid. She was so fun to eat and talk with! A walk at the end of the night down the streets was my favorite part. I want to come back and see more of this city!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alvaro booked a series of wonderful tours for me. With one exception, the Galapagos partners and guides were reliable, knowledgable and personable, with a true interest in sharing their knowledge of the island and its wildlife and ecology, willing to share of themselves and make a personal connection, as well as get me to and from destinations safely and on time. Particular standout guides were Danny (for the introduction to the Island), Solange (everyday assistance and San Cristobal Highlands visit), Christian (for Espanola), Patricio (for Santa Cruz), Freddy and the crew of the Nautilus (for Bartholome), Rita (Santa Cruz), for getting me to and from places on time and helping me search for my phone, and the crew of Wreck Bay Adventures.
Best trips, in my opinion, were Espanola and Bartholome, with the service and comfort on the Nautilus exceeding all expectations. Occasional miscommunications did occur, but the overall experience was wonderful.

Hotel Review

Isla Azul Eco Hostal

Puerto Ayora

This hotel was a good fit for me. I like a comfortable bed, a hot shower, and a nice common areas, but don't need much in terms high luxury. The rooms were clean and nice and the owners and staff were very interesting to chat with and very accommodating to my dietary needs. overall I had a wonderful stay at Isla Azul.

Authenticity & Character

I liked the use of wood in the rooms and the building, it made it very cozy and pleasant to sit in. There is a semi-outdoor common area/lobby that was very comfortable and stocked with books. The owners had interesting stories to tell

Location

It's an average location, felt safe, some stores and bars nearby, about 10 min walk to the "strip"

Staff

Very helpful and accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

rooms were cleaned daily, water refilled every other day.

Activity Review

Embracing Nature: Discovering Wildlife on Española Island

Isla San Cristóbal

This was a fantastic trip -- the amount of wildlife we saw was mind-blowing and Christian was a wonderful guide. The crew on the boat was very personable and even found my lost waterbottle! Should have brought a better wetsuit for the snorkeling. The water was really chilly!

Quality of Experience

All of it

Food

The food was good. I liked the fresh fruit. Overall the boat lunches are so -so, but they always have rice, so great for gluten-free dietary needs.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So helpful, communicative, and personable. The guide knew a lot!

Transport

We were lucky with the ocean not being too choppy that day. The boat can be a little crowded for longer trips

One hotel was changed from the documentation the Driver and Guide carried with them that was printed from "Enjoy Jordan" (aka i guess Samir). Petra Moon was changed to the Premier Elite and may have been similar quality but one (Petra Moon) was in the hub of the Petra area and the other was in the dark outskirts. Thus, not the same, as when the guide called about the change from the documented itinerary, the office response was the Elite is better (not) , The downgrade was at the Wadi Rum camp here the room was stated on "EJ" (aka Samir) printed documentation guide and driver carried. Thus, the top of the line room (all booked up!) and thus we were in standard accommodation. First time we have ever been downgraded (:.
A few days prior to leaving I would have thought Samir (EJ) would have touched base to see if we were alive and to "assure" the customer. No response thus we emailed him just to assure him we were coming and our plans re: flight etc had not changed. Also one would think the agent was inform us of the names of the driver and guide in advance. I would suspect that that EJ (Samir) might respond that a disclaimer of "things may change but all quality will remain the same) would be appropriate. Maybe in his eyes but in ours a communication well in advance of those changes would be appropriate and certainly not by us calling attention that the final documentation the driver and guide carries states what we were told. I have my own suspicions as to why the changes occurred. Some other annoyances and concerns between his staff and our interaction with them was really pushed at us and was a little uncomfortable.
We have traveled extensively independently and using "my terms" booking agents (i.e. Black Tomato, Belmond, A and K, Kensington, ATR to name a few). This journey overall was only slightly dented by KimKim local agents / company. My suggestion is to really check out the local agent and get final truly final verified document. KimKim and, at least the agent need to acquaint themselves with the service RATER principle.

Samir tailored the type of trip was asked for through Israel abs paired us with an amazing driver and Jerusalem guide. I highly recommend KimKim and Samir to use them as their number one drive and number one guide. Both then tailored our trip even more for us once we could focus on what we really really wanted to see on our trip. Although none of the hotels in our voucher where actually booked due to over flow the replacements hotels were in even better relocation for us to make the most of our trip… so that was also a major win! Thank you for everything!

Hotel Reviews

Tal By the Beach Hotel

Tel Aviv

Did not stay at any of these hotels but I will say amazing to all as don’t want to hurt the hotels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Magdala Tiberias

Migdal

Did not stay at any of these hotels but I will say amazing to all as don’t want to hurt the hotels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Harmony Hotel Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Did not stay at any of these hotels but I will say amazing to all as don’t want to hurt the hotels.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

JORDAN VALLEY TOUR (J) (Tiberias to Jerusalem)

Israel

This was a great day as we wanted to tailor it complete so our driver suggested the Dead Sea… so we had an incredibly beautiful and fascinating drive to the Dead Sea. Great day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TEL AVIV / CAESAREA / HAIFA / ACRE (ACO) / ROSH HANIKRA / GALILEE. (J)

Israel

Loved R.H and Gailiee!!! Everything else was fascinating too but really enjoyed that part of the day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Professional, prompt, informative, personable and listened to what we’d like to do and flexible with leaving times from Hotels.

Transport

Safed, Golan Heights

Israel

Banias Springs was lovely to walk round and Golan Golan Heights Fascinating

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

JERUSALEM TOUR (J)

Jerusalem

Very moving morning to go to the Holocaust museum. Our guide was phenomenal and changed a lot of the planned day to accommodate what I’d really like to see. Amazing day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Just like our driver… our guide was Professional, prompt, informative, personable and listened to what we’d like to do and flexible with leaving times from Hotels

Transport

JERUSALEM WEST TOUR (J)

Jerusalem

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Bethlehem

Israel

Bethlehem is a must!!!!! Incredible day and again our guide and driver made the day so smooth and amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lovely trip. Great help in planning the trip by Ravi who was knowledgeable, kind, gracious and really made us feel that he cared for us to have a great trip.

Our guides were very insightful and welcomes d us with grace. Special mention for Giriraj, Harish and Jitendra. Our driver was also incredibly kind (Rahul) and brought a smile to my daughter every day.

My only constructive feedback would be:
-just as restaurants in India ask westerners « how spicy do you want it » this should be asked as well to the guests. We sometimes felt too protected , experiencing an abstract visit taking us by car from one historic site to another and then to a « hygenic » restaurant. The great service that Ravi offered was to pivot and allow us to change plans last second in order to get spend time in markets and just walk around with everyday people.m which was also important to us.

- just a slightly negative note on our hotel in Delhi. After great hotels across all other cities we visited, this was definitely a grade below.

That said, KimKim and using Active India was the best decision. Ravi was truly a marvelous host as were the individual guides who shared the love and knowledge they have of this marvelous country - INDIA.

WE HAD AN AMAZING JOURNEY

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Amet Haveli

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Royal Heritage Haveli

Khatipura, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Grand Mercure Agra

Agra, UP

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Udman Ferns N Petals

New Delhi, Delhi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Udaipur Sightseeing

Udaipur

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jaipur Sightseeing and Spending time with elephants

Jaipur

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jaipur - Agra via Abhaneri

Agra

Abhaneri is worth the detour

Agra - Delhi (Train - 1745/1930hrs)

Delhi

Part of a visit is trying to blend in and not being accompanied or guided. So we loved this experience.

Quality of Experience

Full Day Delhi Sightseeing

Delhi

Great guide.

First class trip with amazingly informed and helpful guides.Kinlee and sonom were extremely kind, fun to be with and went out of their way to make sure I had everything I needed. Kinlee helped me find the perfect Piece of art and is following up making sure the shipping and everything goes smoothly. Vishal was very helpful from the start helping me to plan and organize The trip to fit my needs. Definitely exceeded my expectations and would not hesitate to use this company again! Namaste🙏 Chris

My sister in-law booked our trip so I can only report on the planning experience second hand. We were very pleased with Sallam our driver and tour manager and couldn't imagine a more pleasant person to spend our time with. The cities we visited and the country side we rode through provided an encompassing perspective of Morocco. I learned a great deal about Morocco's history and culture. We enjoyed the local food and found the prices unbelievably reasonable. Our day tours were educational. We appreciated all of our city guides. We especially like Said who was very knowledgeable. I enjoyed the co-ops where we were shown the artisans working on leather, jewelry, pottery, etcetera. It is good to see crafting traditions being preserved. Overall, I thank Kimkim for a wonderful vacation which was a great value.

My trip to Morocco was once in a lifetime experience. Megan was very helpful in finding us excellent Riads & hotels , she is quick to response if i have questions. There's 3 of us on this trip & were assigned to Hassan as our driver from Casablanca to Marakech. Hassan is very friendly & jolly and a joker at timeshare's like a brother to us, if we need a local food he took us to a place where we can taste local Moroccan food which we enjoyed . All the places that were selected by Megan were all excellent. Kamal our tour guide in Fes is also wonderful, We learn some history of Fes & took us to a beautiful restaurant. Our stay in Sahara desert was also excellent a high end tent with a/c & our own toilet. Our servers & entertainers the 2 Saeds & Mohammad work hard just so we can enjoy our stay and lastly Mohammad our tour guide in Marrakech did an excellent job touring us in the market area. above all we had a great time thanks for everything

Hotel Reviews

Ksar Sultan Dades

El Hart

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Es Saadi Marrakech Resort - Palace

Marrakech

Merely had her birthday in Marakech the staff came to our room & had a cake for her to blow. We didn't expect that & we say thank you for that wonderful gesture.

Authenticity & Character

the hotel is really nice & beautiful

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Odyssee Center

Casablanca

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Dar Mounir

Chefchaouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Maison Bleue And Spa

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Location

very unique & beautiful

Staff

Edriss & Navil very friendly

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kasbah Mohayut

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradis Du Sahara

Merzouga

Mohammad, & the 2 Saeds were very helpful they're the cook & entertainers as well

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boumalne Dades to Marrakech, via Ouarzazate and Ait BenHaddou

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

Its a must to see this magnificent mosque

Quality of Experience

Transport

Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Transport

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

Quality of Experience

From Fes to Merzouga via the Atlas Mountains (Ifrane, Azrou and Zaida)

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Transport

Erg Chebbi Dunes to Boumalne Dades

Morocco

Quality of Experience

Guided Hike in the Dades Valley

Boumalne Dades

We did not hike coz it start to rain

Quality of Experience

Tour Marrakech with a private guide

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything was great.
The tours were excellent. I was a little late to the ATV tours in Sedona because I did not have enough time to drive from the airport to Sedona.
The grand canyon was impressive.
The antelope tours were great but very busy.

One note: communication was very challenging when we were trying to finalize all the details because Leo was in a remote part of the world and had very bad service.

We wish to thank Hakim that helped organize our trip to Morroco. Communication with Hakim was always easy and he was always willing to help. We had to make changes due to flight cancelations but Hakim took his time to make the changes that will work for us. We had such a wonderful experience and overall had pleasent company especially with Mohammed. He was a God sent to us. We felt safe and he was so knowledgeable about everything we asked him, and believe me, we asked alot! He was punctual and went out of his way to make us feel comfortable. What a wonderful personality he has!

Our trips to the Medinas with our guides made a great difference. We really enjoyed how Youssef (in Marrakech) and Hafid (in Fes) explained with passion about their culture, their history and their faith.

The hotel Riad Kniza was a beauty, but specially the owner of the Riad and his staff made us feel like family. The Saharai was gorgeous. We enjoyed how comfortable the rooms were and the food was delicious. However, the hotel in Casablanca could have been better in the sense that the rooms where a bit rundown.
The balloon ride breath taking and Abdala was such a treat to get to know. We will not forget our crazy photographer. Thanks for the wonderful pictures he took. We are truly thankful to everyone that made our trip so special.
Cecy, Lilly, Mary and Taty

We had a fantastic time on our trip overall though there were some logistics that I wish had been communicated better. I had provided the hotels and general itinerary and I was pleased with my choices. The guides in El Chalten were wonderful. Some items that could have been improved upon:

- When telling us the documentation necessary to travel, it would be helpful to have been told the tipping expectations for our trip.
-Seeing a detailed price breakdown for the total cost
-Park fee for the Perito Moreno was not included in our cost and we were not told how much to bring, that should've been mentioned
-Private transfers were requested for the entire trip, but my transfer to the Perito Moreno glacier was in a large tour bus of over 50 people and the guide there did not know how/when I would meet my mother later in the day.
-Every excursion had two options, one for me and one for my mother. I assumed this would be communicated to Awasi, as when we got there, they did not know we needed to do different activities. They luckily had an extra guide one day, but if not, we would have had to choose between my mother not visiting Torres del Paine park or me skipping the iconic Base de las Torres hike. This caused several hours of miscommunication upon arrival that should have been avoided.
-Unsure if Awasi communicated with you, but the hot tubs were not working due to weather and the park was partially closed off due to a strike - we would have appreciated knowing that prior to arrival.
-Awasi requires a guide to accompany us on every activity (this was unclear to us) and the guide who I was given to do my trek with had never done the trek and therefore did not know the correct signed route up, was not knowledgeable about the weather and climate (he claimed my outfit would not be enough, turns out it was completely fine), and walked over 30m ahead or behind me most of the way. Guides should match the speed of the guest they are with.
-It would be helpful to have been told about the various exchange rates in Argentina, it was confusing to see different ones across the country.
-We requested a private driver only for four hours in Santiago and I was shocked that the quote was $750 USD. We were able to get a taxi each way for less than $60 each way. No follow up was made to try and find us an alternative.
-We would have appreciated being told about a ten hour layover in Santiago, as we were not able to check in until four hours before so that would have left us six hours with no plans and our suitcases. Had we known before, we could have planned something earlier than day before.

Absolutely wonderful trip! We had a fabulous time in South Africa.

To start off, we stayed at the Hotel Onyx. It was a great location - not far from the airport or the tourist-friendly waterfront area, but not itself in a crowded or tourist-heavy area. Enough street activity that you felt safe walking around, but nothing loud to keep you up at night. The hospitality from the staff was first rate. Our room was beautiful and gave us a great view. The breakfast spread was expansive and the waitstaff was very attentive. We never ordered off the menu because the continental offerings were more than enough food to get us started. We took advantage of all the amenities - the lounge on the 4th floor, the pool, and the spa. All were great and lovely options to have. The lounge especially was a great option for those in-between times when you didn't want to be in your hotel room, but maybe too tired to be out at a bar or restaurant. The spa was beautifully soothing and the massage I received was the perfect ending to our stay in Cape Town before a long flight home. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

We walked to the V&A waterfront and kept walking along the path curving along the north side of the city, along Mouille Point. We walked for about an hour and a half, finally stopping for a drink and snack at the Hussar Grill along the seafront. We walked through Green Point Park, which was abuzz with families picnicking in the shade, before uber-ing back to our hotel. After a short rest, we hopped in the car and drove down to coast to the Cape of Good Hope. We saw our first wildlife - some ostriches and springbok were along the roadside. There were only a few tourists, so we were able to climb up a few of the boulder paths to the top and got our picture with the sign. We drove back north along the False Bay coast, and stopped in Simon's Town to see if we could still see some penguins. The very helpful parking lot attendant told us the beach was closed for the day, but we could still walk along the path. I'm so glad we took him up on it, because we had such a unique experience - all the penguins had come in off the beach for the night and were nestled along the fenced boardwalk, and we had the place to ourselves to see the penguins get ready to sleep for the night. It was a top rate experience. That educated us on parking attendants and learned that tipping those folks was a wise investment to feel your vehicle was secure. We ate dinner at Dixie's in Glencairn and had a great meal. The hospitality from all the folks we interacted with in SA was really stand out.

The drive to Hermanus was pretty simple and straightforward. The Guest House was beautifully appointed in a French country style and a major change from the urban hotel in Cape Town. We were again greetly very warmly by the host/receptionist, who directed us to the parking and our room. We had an amazing balcony that faced the water with doors that opened spanning the length of the balcony. Unfortunately, the weather was quite windy, so we weren't able to take full advantage of the beaches or waterside offerings. I walked along the beachwalk that started directly outside our hotel and was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and get a sense of Hermanus. I walked to the quaint little downtown area and perused the many artist galleries and shops. We went out in the downtown for dinner and had a lovely meal. We returned in the morning and purchased some art to remember our trip by. We had a quick stay in Hermanus. It was a lovely, quaint beach town that we didn't get to know very well, but we were charmed by what we were able to see/experience.

It was a long drive to Knysna, but the landscape and scenery were enrapturing. My husband comes from a dairy farming family, so he really enjoyed seeing the farmland and cattle. We were advised by one of the gallerists in Hermanus to stop by a farmstall along the way, and I'm glad we took his advice. We stopped by a farm stall and roadside shopping area, where we picked up some locally made snacks and adorable keepsakes for us and friends and family back home.

The Brenton on Sea guest house was a luxurious stay, and if anyone is interested in true beach time, I highly recommend it. Again, the weather was quite windy for our stay, so we weren't able to use it as such, but I still greatly enjoyed walking along the beach picking up shells and watching the waves. It was both mine and my husband's first times touching the Indian Ocean. Our room had a deck that looked out to the ocean and a walking path that led directly down to the beach. That was great and felt very special. We drove back into Knysna and east towards Plettenberg Bay to check out the area. On our full day in Knysna, we found a place that offered 4-wheeling (4x4) rides, which was a fun stop. Chase had been wanting to golf, so we popped into the Knysna Golf Club and he was able to scoop up the 3:30 tee time for the same day.

We had a bit of a nightmare the next morning when we woke up to realize our 3:30 am alarm had never gone off and we were going to miss our flight from George. That is when the travel agency came in clutch and were able to reschedule us out of Cape Town and, overall, we only landed about 30 minutes later than originally scheduled. It was a stressful morning, but we were grateful to have someone on call to help us. And boy, am I so glad we didn't lose a day at the Thabamati. I am in love with that place.

We have never stayed at a place so beautifully designed as Thabamati. Mich and Charlie are wonderful hosts, and again, the staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating. We both so enjoyed our time there and could rave about it at length. But I will summarize to say - the accommodations were beautiful and luxurious. The food was incredible - every meal was a delight. Charlie and Caswell were a great guide/tracker team, and their approach to game drives were incredibly respectful of the animals, which made me feel very comfortable. Their knowledge was incredibly deep and broad. I am an "animal nerd" and peppered them with questions - none of which they could not answer. We saw lots of animals, and even on the "slower" rides, it was a joy to take in the scenery, and Charlie didn't shy away from calling out every bird and bug to really give us an in-depth knowledge of the place.

We were sad to leave, but excited to experience our next stop. We are low key, flexible travelers and I would encourage anyone who is traveling from the Timbavati to Sabi Sands to bring that same attitude. It is a very long drive from one to the other - about 3.5 hours. A lot of the roads are dirt and ridden with potholes, which makes for very slow-going. Only about 1/3 of the drive is on paved roads where you can drive with some speed. You also travel through some villages, which is a real opportunity for humility, gratitude, and reflection about the developed vs the developing world and the history of colonialism by the white Europeans into black Africa. We drove through both on our way to and from the Sabi Sands, and both of our drivers were friendly and chatty about village life. I was glad to have learned from them about what day-to-day life is like.

By the end of our time in Nkhoro, I really came to enjoy it, but it was a real adjustment from Thabamati. Coming from a lodge of 4 tents, only 3 of which were occupied, a lodge of 8 fully-booked tents felt like a huge change. There were a majority German tourists there, so we weren't really able to chat with any of the other guests our first night. However, the game drive our first evening was a very good night of animal sightings. That was really the saving grace in our first 24 hours. And luckily, all 10 of the Germans left the next morning, so the rest of our game drives were only with one other Dutch couple, who were our age and much chattier. Our guide, Deon, was also much younger than Charlie at Thabamati, and while he was also incredibly knowledgeable about the animals and the Sabi Sands overall, you could tell he was still getting his "sea legs" with working with the tracker, while also operating the vehicle and keeping track of the radio. The general attitude was also different from Thabamati. Because there are so many more reserves in the Sabi Sands, the radios were almost constantly going off, and there was a bit more of a frantic attitude when one car would report a sighting to rush to get there. It by no means felt exploitative or invasive to the animals, it was a little more competitive than Thabamati. However, the animal sightings were top notch. We saw some incredible sights and some really rare animals, which was very special. My advice for future planners would be to start with Nkorho, then move to Thabamti, because Thabamati is a superior stay, but Nkorho had better animal sightings. But we still saw the Big 5 at both. Another minor disappointment was that at Nkorho, the ranger was away for the week, so we weren't able to go on a game walk there, like we were able to at Thabamati. Overall, I'd say Thabamati was a 10/10 and Nkorho was a 8.5/10. Still a wonderful experience, but Thabamati is hard to top.

Our travel on the way back home went very smoothly. We had about 6 hours once we landed back in Cape Town before our flight out of the country, so we returned to Hotel Onyx, where they didn't blink an eye when we asked if we could stash our luggage there. That is when I took advantage of the spa, which was very enjoyable and soothing before 24 hours of straight travel. After the massage, we walked back along the V&A Waterfront and got dinner and a drink in the shadow of Table Mountain, which was a beautiful way to say goodbye to a place we had really come to love!

One small area of improvement for KimKim. As we got closer to the start of our trip, I thought of a few different logistical questions. I was a little disappointed in the nature of the answers - they were quite vague and didn't really give me what I was looking for. In the future, I'd recommend a bit more in-depth answers or a more personal touch. I felt like I needed to look elsewhere (which is what I was trying to avoid) to really get the real answers I wanted. However, I was overall very pleased with our experience with KimKim. We definitely wouldn't have found the accommodations they booked for us, and I was very thankful to have someone hand me an itinerary with every booking and activity listed in one place, as well as a resource to fall back on when/if anything went awry.

We both thought of this trip as a trip-of-a-lifetime, but I think we might be back! We so enjoyed our time and everything was absolutely beyond our wildest expectations.

Hotel Reviews

The Onyx Hotel

Cape Town

I talked about the hotel in my previous review. A great place - beautiful design, lovely accommodations, warm and friendly staff, great location that is convenient to the airport and the waterfront.

Authenticity & Character

Location

20 min from the airport, which is great. Wouldn't really want to be any further than that. And walkable to the waterfront, which is very tourist-friendly, and a great place to walk around your first day in Cape Town to get your barrings.

Staff

Staff went out of their way to be accommodating. All very friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were very clean and comfortable. The bathroom showers were lovely.

Hermanus Boutique Guest House

Hermanus

We only had one night here, but it was great. Staff were friendly, rooms were beautifully appointed, breakfast was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

An easy drive from Cape Town. Right on the water. A quick 15 min walk from the quaint downtown.

Staff

The receptionist that greeted us was exceptionally friendly and ready to make recommendations at the drop of a hat. If we were to spend more time here, I think she would have been a great resource.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Brenton Haven Beachfront Resort

Knysna

Amazing for real beach time. The walk out from the deck directly to the beach path would be worth it alone to me. But the room was also huge, and the restaurant had great breakfast and dinner.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A bit off the beaten path if you're looking for time in Knysna itself, but if it's beach you're looking for, it's the perfect spot.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thabamati Luxury Tented Camp

Kruger National Park

The best stay of our whole trip. Send everyone here. The lodge, the tents, the food, the staff - all stunning.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. You can feel the love that Mich and Charlie have for the lodge and the area overall. They really set the tone for the whole place, and it's amazing. They knew it was our honeymoon, so they arranged a lovely meal at our tent for our first evening's dinner. They had also drawn the bath and strewn the bathroom with rose petals. Made us feel very special.

Location

Not a far ride from Hoedspruit, which is nice after a busy morning of travel.

Staff

The place is so small you know all the staff by name/sight. All very friendly and ready to pour you a drink at the drop of a hat. Left them all hefty tips.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nkorho Bush Lodge

Kruger National Park

Furnishings were a bit more economical compared to Thabamati, but still clean and functional. The A/C unit in the room was greatly appreciated.

Authenticity & Character

We were treated to a dance performance by some of the staff our 2nd night.

Location

If you want to see a lot of animals, you will be thrilled.

Staff

The staff were very friendly - the hosts and guides dine with you at night, and we had a great time drinking at the bar and chatting after dinner on our 2nd night.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We really could've used a welcome mat at the entrance to our room/tent, as our shoes got quite sandy on the game drives, and we couldn't help but track that into our space. Each day, I smacked my shoes together outside the room to get the dirt out.

Activity Reviews

Timbavati Private Game Reserve Safari Day

Timbavati Game Reserve

Amazing. We saw a lot of animals, but also had some down time. Charlie and Caswell did a great job - they were a good team and communicated well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Timbavati Game Reserve to Sabi Sands Game Reserve

South Africa

There's no getting around it's a long day in the car. But our driver Kingsley was friendly and chatty, and willing to put the car in reverse when I spotted a buffalo snoozing under a tree along the roadside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Days on Safari

South Africa

We saw an unbelievable amount of animals. It was fabulous.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I think our guide Deon will get better and better with time. He was still amazing, and I recognize I'm being a little nitpicky. He's quite young, and I think can get sucked into the competitive nature of spotting something first or rushing to someone else's sighting, but that seemed to improve even over the course of the 4 game drives we did with him. A wealth of knowledge.

Transport

My wife and I had an incredible experience in Iceland, largely thanks to KimKim.

More specifically, our local specialist Sylvia. She was responsive and organized. She suggested many activities we would have never thought of by ourselves and help us coordinate along the way as our plans changed. I can’t stress enough how amazing she was!

Countless waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, lakes, and of course natural hot baths. I would recommend to anyone that they visit, and get Sylvia’s help to do so!

Thank you thank you THANK YOU, Megan!!
Beautiful Moroccan adventure. Everything was even better than expected. Hassan made our long-hours trips very enjoyable. He was very professional, super nice, kind, patient, and funny. He always had our requested water available and cold. He made us feel safe. Our check-ins were easy and smooth. The riads were the best stays, and every single one of our guides was very knowledgeable.
Ever since I came back I've been telling my friends and acquaintances that KIMKIM is the best company.

Maribel Gonzalez

Portugal was one of our favorite trips we have taken. Karina was wonderful throughout the process
and it was a long process during the tough covid period. She was always responsive and helpful throughout.
Karina laid out a very good itinerary of Lisbon, Porto, and Algarve region. The hotels were very consistent in quality and
the transportation provided to and from train stations and hotels was very efficient and friendly. We are already
taking about our next trip and thanks to Karina and our amazing Portugal experience we would certainly use KimKim again.