Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was a bucket-list trip for my wife's 60th birthday. It was amazing. Tamer and Nick were super responsive and put together an amazing array of activities. Los Tunneles, Sierra Negro, Mountain biking, all unbelievable and the guides were like none we've ever experienced. Every guide had masters-degree level knowledge of the islands - the Geology, animals, plants, aquatic life, ocean currents. plate tectonics, ... absolutely incredible educational experience. The animals we saw blew away what we had previously seen in Hawaii and the Caribbean. The only thing we'd change, and it was on us, not on Tamer and Nick, is we'd schedule a down day or two rather than stacking activities every day we were there. We are not spanish speakers (still learning) and the coordination by Nick and Tamer was just perfect. Just the right amount of guidance to force us to learn a bit about the locals and the culture, but not feel lost. There's a lot of different people to interface with, and Nick and Tamer knew where we'd be a little challenged, and took care of it. We took a more land-based approach on this trip - we're not cruise people and a lot of folks see the Galapagos from a larger boat
- staying at locally run hotels was another way to meet locals and fellow travelers. We will definitely use these Nick and Tamer (KimKIm) for another trip in the future. We have multiple places in South America to experience - Patagonia is next.

Hotel Review

Isamar Hotel

Puerto Villamil, Isla Isabela

This is a really small hotel, right on the beach, run by super nice locals. We'd return in a heartbeat. short walk to mainstreet for renting equipment and authentic food, or eat at the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In all of our studying for the Galapagos, we did not expect a locals hotel on a beautiful white sandy beach. 5 minutes walk from unbelievable local seafood and equipment shops.

Staff

Everyone was amazing - Daniel, our bartender, breakfast guy and mountain biking guy was our favorite, he has a standing invitation to stay with us any time he comes to the US.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Exploring the Santa Cruz Highlands & a Local Coffee Farm

Galapagos Islands

I need to split this one, too. The coffee was kinda cool, and I love coffee, but the whole experience was a bit heavy on marketing. The highlands and the tortoise refuge were unreal. Watching these massive animals wallow in the mud, sleep, wander, was once in a lifetime. The education was incredible, and again, they're doing great work within the culture and needs of the locals and the island.

Kayak in Puerto Villamil - Biking in Cave Sucre

Galapagos Islands

I need to split these. The biking and cave Sucre were amazing. we spent 30 minutes within 10 meters of a galapagos hawk, saw a bunch of the agricultural area of the island, and got some decent singletrack in, all with a fabulous guide. The kayaking was fun and educational, but honestly, after everything else we'd already seen, the kayaking would have been the one activity that we'd cut. The guide was good, and we saw great wildlife, but we were so spoiled with the other activities, that the kayaking didn't stand out.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our cave sucre and mountain biking guide was awesome!

Hiking the Sierra Negra Volcano

Galapagos Islands

This is the second largest caldera on the planet, it's huge, and the hike is really cool, though could be challenging for some. Our guide had more knowledge of the plate tectonics, volcanos, lava types, and wildlife than you'd find in a major university - he was simply amazing. This is an important activity in understanding how truly unique the islands really are.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

This was the snorkeling highlight of our trip. The sharks, rays, sea lions, turtles, and fish were unreal. we'd be swimming with 3 or 4 400 pound sea turtles at once, or 10 sharks, or have sea lions messing with us. None of the wildlife was afraid or nervous around us. Simply amazing. The boat ride is pretty exciting, and the last bit, through the surf break, is a testament to the boating skills of the captain. How we did it without bouncing off the volcanic flows was magic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

This was a great day, the old volcano hike was educational and beautiful, and the snorkeling was really nice , though not as amazing as los tuneles Note, this is a decently long boat ride, and the seas can be a little rough. Plan accordingly. The food prepared on the boat was the best we had on any boat on our trip.

Dinner by the Sea

Galapagos Islands

This was probably our best food of the trip. The owner is very proud of what he prepares and the service was very friendly. Just note, they do not like to bring your bill to you anywhere in Galapagos, you have to politely ask. We were hopeful to get back here for another meal, but ran out of time. Beware, a couple of the restaurants on the main street, not too far from these guys, are really expensive and mediocre, like chain restaurants in the US.

Arrival to Santa Cruz Island - Charles Darwin Station

Puerto Ayora

Darwin Station is a very special place, very educational, and they've put together a breeding and re-population program that meshes well with the locals. It can be a fairly short visit, but is not to be missed

Rinolda responded immediately when I had a medical question; I was much relieved by her thorough answers to my question.

And the guide for our South Coast tour, “David” was a wealth of information. We learned so much from him about the country’s history and culture

Hotel Review

Skuggi Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

Great location and very helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Near the waterfront as well as a great street for restaurants and shopping g

Staff

Very helpful with any questions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Two day/one night South Coast tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

“David” our guide was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Too crowded

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both of our local guides were fantastic, very knowledgeable and willing to adjust the plan based on what we wanted. The only shortcoming of our trip was the choice of hotels. The Shinjuku hotel was right next to the red light district, not the best choice when traveling with an 11-year old. The ryokan in Kyoto was lovely but on the opposite side of town from our guided tour, which resulted in unnecessary travel time.

The trip was excellent. We worked with Randall to plan out three days of activities and transfers, and our family had a great experience. I think it would be valuable for the trip planner to check in at some point during the trip to see how things are going. The logistics ended up working out great, but I wouldn't say that we felt like we had someone watching out to make sure it went well -- maybe that was true behind the scenes.

In terms of the activities, the hike on the volcano was good but shorter than I would have expected. The guide was excellent -- really knew his stuff.

The multi-adventure day was amazing -- the adventure provider was Arenal Mundo Aventura. the van dropped us off there and we had a full day of hiking to a waterfall (and swimming) followed by ziplining, followed by rappelling followed by horseback riding. We definitely got our money's worth! The rappelling didn't feel super-safe -- we found ourselves asking if the ropes were old, if the knots were tied, if the ladder would hold -- but we made it. The last part where you go to a traditional village is a little bit misleading in the description of the tour -- we thought that we would be eating a traditional meal, but you actually go to a shop where you can buy things and then you go to the adventure part restaurant and have food. All in all it was a great experience.

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike in Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Spectacular hike. We thought it would be longer than it actually was.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day of Adventure in Arenal Mundo Aventura Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

{{start_location}} to {{end_location}} - Visit La Paz Waterfall

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the most incredible 2-week honeymoon to Spain thanks to KimKim! We didn’t have to worry about anything. We were in such good hands. And every excursion/activity was fantastic! The highlight of the trip was The Paella Club in Barcelona.

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to an Olive Oil Mill & Carmona

Seville

Our guide was lovely and the olive oil mill was so interesting! We loved learning about the process and what makes a great olive oil.

Gothic Quarter Tapas Walk

Barcelona

Our guide and the food was amazing! Highly recommend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Costa Brava Hike & Tossa De Mar Day Trip

Barcelona

Beautiful hike, but much more intensive than advertised. Would label this as “moderate to difficult” hike.

Multi-Course Cooking Class with Wine Pairing

Barcelona

I would go back to Barcelona just for this activity! It was the absolute highlight of our trip.

Park Güell & La Sagrada Família Experience

Barcelona

Enjoyed this tour to 2 of Barcelona’s most iconic locations.

Planning a trip with KimKim was so easy. From beginning to end there was such ease in the planning process. The website is intuitive and easy to navigate, the local specialists are adaptable and work with you to plan the best trip that fits your budget.

Adam was great to work with, he adapted the trip to fit some of the places I specifically wanted to see.

Communication was clear with everyone involved. There was a change that needed to happen for one of my excursions, it was so easy to remedy and an alternative option was provided.

I will be using KimKim again for my future travel needs.

Fantastic!!! Fulfilled the dreams I had of going back to Africa. All of the staff at Flatdogs Camp were kind, friendly and helpful, including sweeping bugs off your back. My guide Chris was outstanding! Extremely knowledgeable ! You could see his passion and excitement about the wildlife in South Luangwa and he was always checking to make sure his guests were good. He worked to give me chances to see the species I was hoping to, including Wild Dogs and a whole lot more. The park is teaming with wildlife and truly the eden I had heard about!

Hotel Reviews

Flatdogs Camp

Mfuwe

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Latitude 15 Degrees Lusaka

Lusaka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Safari

South Luangwa National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring South Luangwa National Park Central

South Luangwa National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Game Drive

South Luangwa National Park

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kristy planned out a great trip for us. She was accommodating to our requests.

Kristy’s recommendations on where to go and what we should do were top notch. All of our tour guides in all our destinations were super knowledgeable and passionate in their work and we really enjoyed our trip!

We knew this would be an awesome trip but when executing it, it turned out to be even more amazing than expected.
I loved the fact that I could cuatomized the trip /design it exactly as per my wishes, and Kim kim just help me with the logistics arouns it.
Everything was arranged perfectly, from transport to accommodation to time slots etc. 6 of 5 points!
Hotels, specially the Tierra Viva chain hoth in Lima and Ollantaytambo, were very nice, with the only exception of the hotel (hostal really) Amaru in Cusco where the sound from the rooms above us in all nights we stayed there didnt help us sleep much, and the cleaning could have been better too. Also ahead of our stay in the Jungle, in the TreeLodge, we should have been give more factual info that there is no mobile coverage, no cashier nor any emergency shop at all, so for example, if you are a woman and happen to get your mens while there, as it happened to me, you rather were mega prepared ahead having bought even female patches/tampongs with you as there is simply no way to get them in the jungle. Prior to pur trip we had understoodd it was ju gle but as we were staying on a 'resort'/'lodge', we thought there'd at least be a survival shop /pharmacy at the premises.

The guides in Puno, Cusco and thr jungle have been very different styles one vs the other, but each od them had its own charm, a lot of knowledge and have made our trip a real joy. Kuddos to Maycol in Puno, Emilia (Cusi travel) in Cusco and Carlos & Jaimer in the jungle.

An advice for other travellers is to do your research thoroughly of what you'll like to visit and only after that design your trip. Peru has far too many things/places to visit, so one cannot leave it only to the typical 'for tourist' tours if one really wants to cover the most 'corners of Peru' possible in the time one has there.

One other suggestion to Kim Kim/advice to traveller is that the INCA Trail hike, even the short one we did, requires higher than standard good condition. 7h and more than 200 staircases, under rain or heavy sun, and even if with stops to drink/grab an energy bite and a breath, is not a trivial challenge. And I say this having grown up hiking the Pyrenees in my home land Basque Country (North Spain).

To visit Machu Picchu and a piece (the Peruvian) of the Amazon River/jungle was my dream since young ago (I am 47 now :)). This trip has not only get me to fullfill this dream, but also to even get to see other fascinating places in Peru like Lake Titicaca or the Rainbow Mountain. The trip is expensive but worth every penny.

Be patient with the organizer but at the same time, do not have stuff "fall into the cracks" It was a very good and diverse trip during my week there. My only regret was to have listened to his hotel recommendations (apparently they were close to the metro). Felt very safe and secure. The other tourists also made this trip very memorable. Would highly recommend Angel.

Activity Reviews

Visit Undurraga Vineyard - Wine Tasting

Santiago

Bought a sauvignon blanc; just tasted it today in the US. Went well with a salad.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine Tasting at Viña Cousiño Macul & Visit the Bahai Temple

Santiago

I wish the weather was not hot; it was almost 30 degrees C and I felt really tired after doing the tasting and walking around the vineyard. A lot of historical value and it was nice to taste different wines during the tour instead of at the end. I bought two wines. Bahai was a good experience. A lot of tranquility there. I wish there was no smog that covered much of the city. I also went to Los Domingoes and got some souvenirs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Viña Casas Del Bosque -Wine Tasting & Lunch

Santiago

This was a good tour and very focused on the wines rather than the house or garden. Wines were pretty good. The lunch was really awesome and bought a wine that was not on the tasting tour but at lunch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Casablanca, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar- Shared Tour

Chile

This was one of the best parts of the trip. I had a nice lunch that contained seafood and I was able to touch the Pacific Ocean. It has been the second time in my life that I was able to do this. The drinks were tasty.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chris was an awesome tour guide.

Transport

Concha & Toro Wine Tasting Tour

Chile

The wine tasting tour seemed too commercialized. Also, did the wine tasting as the second part of the tour instead of the last. It was nice to see the ghost in the cellar. It seemed the tour focused on the house and garden rather than the winery. If it weren't for the other tourists in the group, this would have been a 1 star.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The other tourists and the driver (Carlos)

Transport

Carlos.

Private Bike Wine Tour - Maipo Valley

Chile

Haven't biked since 2009; great experience; did not realize that we biked for 13 km. Nice to learn about wineries and the famous Carmenere.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chilean Food Tour & Picnic with a View of Santiago

Santiago

Everything was tasty; the Vega market and Central Mercado, food can be cheap and it's best to eat at the outer areas of the market. Watch out for the floors as they can be slippery.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santiago City Tour

Santiago

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I travel quite a bit, but this was the first time I've leveraged a travel agency. I find it very enjoyable planning all aspects of an upcoming vacation, but I didn't have the time nor capacity this time around to fully delve into planning mode for Morocco. I've heard good things about KimKim and decided to give them a try.

From my initial outreach, Ali and the full team have been a dream to work with. Ali has been a saint with all the changes we made to the itinerary and always responded immediately to my emails. Said, who was our local contact, was equally responsive and amazing to work with. Throughout the entire trip, I felt like he had a pulse on what was going on and did everything he could to ensure we were having a great time and had everything we needed. Lastly, we had Reda, our private driver. Having a private driver on this trip made everything so much easier. Reda is kind, knowledgeable, and safely got us to every location we needed to go.

The highlight of the trip for me was the night in the desert (and the team at the camp was equally as wonderful); however, I also have to mention that the optional dinner activity with the local family was a treat. The family we were paired with is special. The kids were charming and entertaining. The food was absolutely DELICIOUS, and it was the best way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday. I highly recommend adding this activity to your itinerary.

This level of customer service at KimKim is top-tier.

The travel agents that we met, they were very friendly and help us answer every question we had. We had a very nice experience with Ivo, Andre & Luis, sorry if I forgot other person.

Would be really happy again to work with you Joao!

We had a wonderful trip to Chile and greatly enjoyed the fantastic accommodations in Santiago, Atacama and Vina del Mar. Tours and tour guides were excellent, and we especially enjoyed the personal tour of the Moon Valley Andes hike and tour of the Atacama Desert. Both were a wow! Jesse did a great job and was readily available to answer any questions and make modifications in real time when needed. All guides and transfers were on time and friendly! In principle the personal Chilean dinner in someone's home was a disappointment and I wouldn't recommend it (it took more than an hour to get there, the food was marginal, and it didn't completely meet our dietary restrictions). Jessie's attention to detail was very good and I would use her again!


My review of Bhutan
1. All hotels chosen were very good. I loved that almost all had a view- made the accommodation exceptional
2. The food was generally simple and healthy. The Olathang hotel in Paro the food was the plainest.
3. We did 13 days-in retrospect 9 to 10 days would have been sufficient. We could have eliminated the Haa Valley as it didn’t add anything more than what we’ve already seen. Many people do a day trip to the Chelela pass and hike and that would have been sufficient.
4 Lhab the driver was exceptional. Very caring and attentive to our needs.
5. Sangay was an exceptional guide for in-depth Buddhist knowledge. His explanations of temples and paintings was also exceptional. For those like us with limited Buddhist knowledge, we were not prepared for the amount of information and would have liked if there had been some suggested readings to do in advance.
6. We flew from Jakar back to Paro- such a good plan ( rather than driving back to Paro) and great to see the high Himalayan peaks
7. Mieke was absolutely exceptional. When it came to helping me plan the trip she spent over a year, fine-tuning the details, answering my questions and adjusting the itinerary.

We had an amazing time doing the coast to coast trip across Costa Rica everything run smoothly from start to finish our guides Dani , Jose and Memo where fantastic and speak perfectly good English nothing was to much trouble the food that they prepared in the evenings, was excellent all are very knowledgeable and kept us updated on the wildlife and facts I wouldn’t hesitate to use Kim Kim again

Incredible trip to our favorite parts of Brazil! My wife and I had lived in Brazil for a time doing volunteer work. We were unable to do much tourism when we lived there so we didn’t have tons of knowledge about what to do or how to book it. Luckily we had the fortune of using Kim Kim and getting to have Chayda’s recommendations. It was very short notice but everything was done extremely well. Our plans were updated on the fly as we wanted to have a little bit of extra time in certain areas. We loved our guides in Rio and Jericoacoara namely Miguel, Cézar, and our driver from Parnaíba to Jericoacoara (for the life of me I can’t remember his name but he was amazing).

Activity Reviews

Half Day- Rio by Bike

Rio de Janeiro

Beautiful parts of Rio and at a great pace.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dune Buggy Tour

Jericoacoara

Great opportunities to see the cool areas of Jericoacoara. Knowledgeable guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Cézar was very friendly and made sure we got to spend our time well

Transport

Half-Day Tour of Two Brothers Peak & Vidigal Favela

Rio de Janeiro

Tour guide Miguel was awesome and flexible to our needs. We had some of the most amazing moments exploring Rio and the Favelas. We felt very safe and well guided the whole time

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excepcional English skills

Transport

Authentic Brazilian

I definitely recommend booking a trip through KimKim! I was on a solo trip to Colombia and I felt very well informed and taken care of throughout my entire trip. From the driver picking me up at the airport despite my flight being delayed to having a translator in the Amazon I felt that someone from KimKim was always there to help.
I even price checked and compared the cost of booking my trip with out KimKim and there was almost no difference. Regardless I would have paid extra to have the comfort and security that was provided.
Thank you so much Margarita for being with me every step of the way, you really went above and beyond my expectations!
I am looking forward to booking my next trip with KimKim in the future!
Robby Putnam

Everything from beginning to end of our trip to the Galapagos was a wonderful experience! This was our first trip planned by KimKim, and we could not be more pleased. Linda Schultz was so easy to work with, and patient with questions and prompt with her answers. The welcome gift of Ecuadorian products that was waiting for us at our hotel before departure was a pleasant surprise. Indira Torres met us at the airport on Baltra and endeared herself to us immediately. What a treasure of a local guide! Liz Arboleda also took good care of us on Santa Cruz Island, helping us get to and from our transfers to Isabella Island. Our guide on Isabella (Nelly) was also attentive and flexible to our needs. Our two hotels (Plaza Luna and Isamar) were fantastic! Plaza Luna stored some of our luggage so we didn’t have to take it all to Isabella, and sent some laundry out for us (all thanks to Liz’s suggestion.). And what a fantastic breakfast! Both hotels had great locations and amenities. Every meal arranged by KimKim was a winner. The snorkeling excursion on Isabella was most enjoyable. We did everything we wanted to do in our 5 day itinerary, and had the perfect amount of free time for doing our own exploring. Thank you, KimKim and Linda, for a perfect vacation to Galapagos!

Hotel Reviews

Isamar Hotel

Puerto Villamil, Isla Isabela

We loved this little cabana style hotel. It is right on the beach, and we could always hear the surf. The staff was intent on making us feel at home while we were there. The breakfast was good. They always had coffee in the “lobby” while the reception was open. HUGE beach blankets in each room for use on the white sandy beaches. Other good food prepared to order as desired.

Authenticity & Character

Cute cabana style hotel. Very beachy!

Location

Right on the beach, but not too far to walk into “town” multiple times!

Staff

Extremely nice and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great air conditioning in the rooms, good maid service as well. Loved the homey lobby where we were welcome at all hours.

Plaza Luna Suites

Puerto Ayora

We loved Villa Luna! Loved the ambience, the service, and the location. The breakfast is amazing and beautifully displayed. Scrambled or fried eggs available. Lots of fruits and vegetables. Wonderful servers. Jessica (owner) welcomed us both days with cool aromatic wash cloths and refreshing water. She graciously offered to hold some bags while we went to another island for a couple of nights. And she offered to send our laundry out so it would be ready when we returned. This hotel is near a restaurant that has live music, but it did not bother us at night time. My 6’4” husband would have preferred to have a bed that was a little longer, but he survived. We loved this hotel and would definitely stay there again!

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully appointed island hotel.

Location

Close to shopping, restaurants, walking distance to everything important.

Staff

Jessica, and the girl who was in charge of the breakfast buffet were SO friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice to have a couch in the room! Everything was spiffy clean!

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike to Tortuga Bay & Free Afternoon

Galapagos Islands

Again, it was hot. But this is a great hiking path, and not too difficult. The hardest part is hiking up to the entrance of the path. There are a couple of shady places to stop and rest. Not much wildlife to see…a few birds. The flora is more interesting here. The last kilometer is on a beautiful sandy beach, where there are plenty of marine iguanas. It is sandy, but not difficult to walk on barefooted. There are a couple of places for snorkeling and swimming, which are a wonderful way to end the activity.

Quality of Experience

Indira Torres was, as usual a charming and witty guide.

Food

Great sack lunch (sandwich) from a local deli.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The boat ride back was fun and a relief!

Snorkeling at Las Tintoreras

Galapagos Islands

This was a highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tito was great!

Transport

Great boat staff.

Visit the Flamingo Lagoon

Galapagos Islands

Only six flamingos when we were there, but I guess we were lucky to see any at all. I didn’t realize that they were so transient.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

It was so hot and humid, but we enjoyed seeing all of the tortoises and learning about Lonely George. We were flagging from the heat and having gotten up so early, but we got there before the crowds and enjoyed seeing and learning about everything.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer Baltra Airport - Puerto Ayora with visit to the highlands of Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

Indira Torres met us at the airport and she endeared herself to us immediately. Could not have been happier with our escort. She knew exactly what she was doing, and handled everything. We loved the trip to the highlands to see the turtles! And the lunch was fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Indira Torres made everything so interesting!

Food

Every meal that KimKim arranged was great! Loved the sandwiches even, on our wetlands/beach day.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Their sincere interest in us, and appreciation of our tips.

Transport

Comfortable minivan and/taxi trucks.

We worked with kimkim and Matias to book our honeymoon to Argentina after work and wedding planning got too busy to tackle it ourselves. There was very limited time to plan and Matias was patient with us and accommodating to our various requests and edits, but there were also some mixups - for example, the first trip Matias planned was far more expensive than expected. We said that and worked out a different trip, which somehow came in at an even higher price point. At that point, I asked to see the price breakdown and from there was able to make decisions to get us to a budget we were more comfortable with. It was still higher than I hoped to spend, but we figured that was the price for waiting until the last minute.

Overall, the trip itself was great. Some really amazing experiences that I don't know we would've found ourselves include the tour to milongas with a professional tango instructor, the food tour of Palermo, and the wine tours in Mendoza. There is not a lot of English in Argentina and we don't speak much Spanish, so it was helpful to be paired with English speaking guides. It was also a relief to know our internal flights and hotels were taken care of, and all we had to do was show up!

This was our first time working with a travel agency and not the usual way we travel, so there were some bumps in the road, but overall we are very grateful to kimkim and Matias for making our honeymoon so memorable, and thank you Matias for sharing the best of Argentina with us! We hope for many trips back some day.

Activity Reviews

Uco Valley Wine Country

Mendoza

We had this tour the day after our tour of Lujan de Cuyo and it was so interesting to learn about the different region and what makes their wines so unique, and of course sample some! Our guide and driver were wonderful and played us some really great Argentinian music!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lujan de Cuyo Wine Experience

Mendoza

Suchhhhh good wines, and the lunch at the end was incredible. Really fun to learn about wine directly from the people making it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wine & Cheese Tasting at Palacio Duhau

Buenos Aires

This was a really nice and individualized experience in a beautiful setting. The wine and cheese pairings were unlike any I have had before. It was amazing to hear directly from the sommelier and cheese expert.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sherpa Gastronomic Tour

Buenos Aires

Such a fun and delicious tour. Our guide was wonderful and had great recommendations for bars and restaurants outside of our tour. Very accommodating to vegetarians too :) It was really nice to do a group tour for this and bond with people over good food and wine!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excursion to Two Milongas

Buenos Aires

Such an incredible experience to get a sense of the REAL tango scene in Argentina.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wow, I can't say enough how grateful I am for the services provided through KimKim and their experts in Morocco at Original Travels! This vacation was initially scheduled for March 2020 and was rescheduled due to the pandemic. I worked with Ali on the initial itinerary and was able to find a way to cram in Chefchaouen, Fes, the desert and Marrakesh into 7 full days (+ 2 half days with arrival/departure). We were then assigned to Said who was equally helpful and responsive in the days leading up to our departure and with questions I had along the way. We had a wonderful driver (Ayoub) with us the entire time so it made the trip easier and even better getting to know him and having him provide us with info along the way. Morocco was magical. Our vacation was a mix of guided drives, some guided tours, time spent with local families and visiting Nomadic camps, and exploring on our own in the cities. I hope you get the opportunity to experience it someday and if you do, I highly recommend booking through KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

One of the best places we stayed while we were in Morocco. It was a great way to spend our last two days in Marrakesh. Beautiful decor throughout the building, breakfast and all the options were amazing, and the staff was helpful. The location is fantastic and we walked everywhere but had the option to hail a cab when our feet were too tired. I was sad to learn on our last day that there was a roof deck which we somehow missed and would have loved to check-out.

Authenticity & Character

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy to walk to main sites and restaurants or to get a taxi from

Location

Easy to walk to main sites and restaurants or to get a taxi from

Staff

Very courteous and helpful (they will help you get a taxi or help you with directions)

Staff

Very courteous and helpful (they will help you get a taxi or help you with directions)

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was very clean. You could hear sounds from outside during normal business hours (we slept fine at night!) and the room was a little dark despite having windows.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was very clean. You could hear sounds from outside during normal business hours (we slept fine at night!) and the room was a little dark despite having windows.

Kasbah Titrit

Ait Ben Haddou

Pros: Scenic location set away from the main touristy area of Ait Benhaddou. Nice staff. Our room had an open patio with a view. Cons: Found dinner to be a little more expensive than other places with the food only being OK compared to other places we stayed throughout Morocco. Note: this area was impacted by the recent earthquake (the hotel was fine!) so the town seemed especially quiet and you could see that some repairs were underway. Hope more people are able to come visit this beautiful area!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not on the main area of Ait Benhaddou where there are more options (restaurants, walking around, etc.) but it's just a short drive from there

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sheets on the twin bed did not seem clean

Desert Luxury Camp Erg Chebbi

Merzouga

One of the highlights of our entire vacation in Morocco! The accommodations were extremely comfortable given we were in the desert and on the edge of the sand dunes. You are surrounded by beauty. We got to see the sunrise and sunset on the days we were there. We rode camels, sandboarded, and had the option to swim. The staff was courteous and helpful. We got to spend extra time with Ali who was a great guide around Erg Chebbi and Merzouga.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Secluded and not near other camps

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Amani

Fès

A beautiful oasis within the medina. We had a lovely room with an upstairs space that was perfect for our daughter. We only got to spend one night here and I only wish we could have stayed longer. The staff was top notch. We enjoyed drinks at the end of the day in the beautiful courtyard. My only complaint was with the amount of scent used in our room. It was not a bad smell but it was overwhelming.

Authenticity & Character

Gorgeous building, courtyard and decor

Location

You walk out and you are immediately in the medina

Staff

Very pleasant and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Would be 5 Stars except the perfume/scent used in the room was a little too strong for our liking

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Charming place in the heart of Chefchaouen. You will get dropped off in the main square and need to walk a few minutes to get to the hotel. There was someone there ready to meet us and help us with our bags. Great location near vendors and restaurants. My favorite part was the lovely rooftop with a view of the city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mövenpick Hotel Casablanca

Casablanca

This was our least favorite place we stayed during our entire trip. That being said, it was just for one night and we had quiet, restful sleep in the room we were in. The hotel is listed as a luxury hotel but it was pretty run-down and the food served in the main restaurant was very average. The roof deck upstairs was a nice place to hang out for drinks, though.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff was polite and nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Run-down

Activity Reviews

From Merzouga Desert to Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

This was the longest part of our journey - partially because we tried to fit in some stops that were supposed to be scheduled on our route to Merzouga on top of stops that were already planned for the day. While the drive was long, the scenery did not disappoint as we started to make our way from the sand dunes into the Atlas Mountains. Some of my favorite stops with our wonderful guide Ayoub was walking at the base of the Todra Gorge and getting views/pictures of Aït Benhaddou at sunset. Along the way, we managed to fit in stops at the fossil mining town of Erfoud, an ancient water mining site, a legitimate Berber rug shop, and a rose oil co-op. My only recommendation might be to pare down on the number of touristy spots or to give the traveler a choice on which ones to really stop and see. It was A LOT for one day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aït Benhaddou to Marrakech via Tizi-n-Tichka Pass & Ounila Valley

Morocco

We spent the morning exploring Aït Benhaddou with our wonderful driver/guide Ayoub. We jumped the rocks to start at "The Game of Thrones" entrance instead of crossing over the bridge and then made our way up to the top of the ksar where you could see some damage from the earthquake in September. Afterwards we started the drive towards Marrakesh and made our way through the Atlas Mountains and through more towns that had been impacted by the earthquake. Thankfully the roads were all clear. We made a stop at an argan co-op and then had lunch at a great grilled meat spot with outdoor courtyard seating. As we approached Marrakesh, Ayoub gave us a driving tour as we headed into the medina and then we were dropped off at our hotel.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

The drive to Merzouga is long but incredible. You see so much change in the landscape! We drove through a town called Ifrane which is referred to as "Little Switzerland". Not only is the architecture Swiss-inspired but we were surprised to see beautiful fall foliage in November. A little bit further and we stopped to see MONKEYS (Barbary macaques) on the side of the road! As the terrain became more rocky and dry, we came upon some refreshing oases in the region of Tafilalet. We were trying to get to our camp in the desert before sunset so that we would have time to do our camel ride but we got there just a little late. Instead we took a fun 4WD drive to our desert camp and did get to watch the sunset right outside of our room.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Despite the long drive and windy roads, the car we were in was spacious and our guide Ayoub was an excellent driver

Morocco Last Nomads Experience: Tea, Tales & Desert Adventures

Merzouga

One of the highlights of our trip! We had time in the morning to sandboard on the dunes surrounding our camp until it was time to leave with our wonderful guide Ali. He showed us some fun driving through the desert sand where any road goes, then he took us to visit a nomadic community situated on the outskirts of Merzouga. We were served tea and snacks and got up close with their livestock (there was an especially friendly goat who photo-bombed us a few times!). From there we went to hear music and dance at the Gnawa House in Khamleya village. We stopped off at a smaller oasis and walked through the canals. After lunch, we had some time to rest back at camp before our surprisingly comfortable camel ride through the desert. We got to hike up some dunes to catch some epic views and watch the sunset. An amazing day!

Quality of Experience

Food

We ate at the local restaurant on the end of the desert that seemed to be where most of the tour groups were going. There wasn't really a menu - you were served a 3 course meal with lots of bread. Portions were big (almost too big!).

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ali was an excellent guide. We really enjoyed his company and his insight.

Transport

Private Transfer from Chefchaouen to the Ancient Fes

Morocco

A beautiful drive from Chefchaouen to Fes. We passed through many little towns and saw the scenery change quite a bit. One of my favorite stops was at a vista point where there was a pomegranate juice stand - freshly squeezed on the spot! When we got to Fes, we started in the new part of the city, got to take pictures outside of the palace, and then drove to see the views from the Marinid Tombs. We made an unplanned stop at a local pottery place that ended up being more interesting than I thought it would be. We got to watch the employees make and shape the clay, paint designs and lay down mosaic tile - not an easy task! My only complaint about this day is that we did not have enough time to explore the medina and enjoy more time at our beautiful hotel. I would suggest asking future travelers what time they want to get to their hotel and spending less time in the new part of the city, on lunch and on unplanned stops.

Quality of Experience

Food

Lunch was fine - just a "fast food" stop in the new part of the city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dine with a Local Family

Morocco

Such a treat to be invited into a Moroccan family's home! Said and his son came to pick us up at our hotel and then helped us navigate the labyrinth in the medina to make our way to their home. We arrived to a delicious home-cooked meal of numerous vegetable side dishes and a chicken pastilla! Said's son speaks excellent English so helped with communication and kept us entertained with his conversation and musical skills - along with his younger brother and sister. Shukran to Said and his family!

Quality of Experience

Such a treat to eat in a local family's home vs. at the hotel or at a restaurant

Food

Delicious vegetable side dishes and homemade chicken pastilla (a traditional Moroccan dish)

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Said and his family were most gracious

Transport

A brisk walk to/from the host's home through the labyrinth of the medina