Kimkim Trip Reviews

1. Enjoyed Arenal. Mau was an exceptional guide and we enjoyed spending extra time with him birdwatching. We added the 1968 trail and the waterfall to your itinerary.
2. Enjoyed Monteverde. Andre was even better! We spent most of the day with him and definitely got our money's worth. Selvatura was also a hit.
3. Enjoyed Quepos. Manuel Antonio was crowded due to the holiday, but we saw a lot with Andre (a different Andre!). The kayaking was fun, but the snorkeling was subpar- didn't provide fins, so we couldn't really get deep, and the reef we dove was pretty bare. As we were finishing, another hundred snorkelers jumped off another boat into our area.

All the rooms had great views, the breakfast services were wonderful, and all the pickups for our activities worked perfectly. Couldn't imagine how the trip could have gone smoother.

Thanks!

Hotel Reviews

Studio Hotel

San José

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Costa Verde

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Establo Mountain Hotel

Monteverde

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Hike

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Hike

Monteverde

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Birdwatching in Arenal Mundo Aventura Park

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day at Selvatura including Hanging Bridges and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float Experience

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee & Chocolate Tour

Arenal/La Fortuna

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Kayaking Adventure

Manuel Antonio

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We used KimKim to plan an itinerary for us to explore Iceland this winter. The trip was myself, my husband and our 18 year old daughter. We had a fabulous time! Our daughter said it was one of the best trips we have ever taken!

We had a car reserved and itinerary/route mapped out for us with hotels booked and appropriate tours/adventures booked for us.

The directions on how to pick up our car, links to google maps to all destinations and information on locations were easy to use and helpful.

All of our adventures that were booked were terrific…food tour, Silfra snorkeling, Golden circle tour, Bubble hotel, ice cave, into the glacier tour, various lagoons and more!

We had a couple small changes during our trip and our travel guide, Migle, was very responsive via What’s App. (Elisa was on maternity leave). The weather deteriorated before our last night in the south and we decided to head back to Reykjavik instead of risk driving in a storm the following day (or being stuck). It worked out fine and we enjoyed an extra night in Reykjavik complete with NYE fireworks!

We were blown away by the beauty of Iceland and can not wait to go back!

Hotel Reviews

Hótel Egilsen

Stykkishólmur

Loved this quaint hotel. Breakfast was delicious!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ísland – Spa & Wellness Hotel

Reykjavík

It was a bit removed from the city center. The spa was a nice option. The staff wasn’t very helpful

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling – Dive Between Continents in Crystal Clear Waters

Iceland

Crystal Blue Ice Cave

Iceland

Into the Glacier

Iceland

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

Reykjavík Food Walk

Iceland

Bubble Hotel with Golden Circle tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My 2nd time in the Maasai Mara and every time it just gets better & better. Our local specialist, Nicolas, was exceptional. His knowledge of the country, the Maasai Mara, the wild life was top notch. He also had a great attention to detail to make our trip a memorable one.
We managed to see so much wild life it felt we were in a Netflix nature documentary at times.
The accommodation recommended was perfect, from tents on the river over looking hippos and crocodiles, to the food and massages. Perfect places to rest after full days of safari.
I can’t recommend Nicolas and a trip to Kenya enough

We unfortunately had to cut our two week trip very short due to a family tragedy but Esther was an amazing travel agent. She meticulously planned our trip and thought about everything and for the few days we’ were there was very responsive when we were in country. Even after we had to cut our trip short she helped us with our insurance claim. I really wish we had been able to complete the rest of the wonderful trip she planned and can’t recommend her enough.

Our 10-day trip to Morocco was full of wonders! From Chefchaouen to Fes, from Rabat, Casablanca to Marrakesh, my husband and I have enjoyed the uniqueness of each city and the crowd of medina. Our Morocco photo album was filled with bright colours, distinctive arts and breathtaking panoramas. At the planning phrase, Abdel was able to provide various proposals based on our requirements. While during the trip, Said was flexible enough to accomodate our last minutes requests and changes. From the moment we arrived, our driver-guide Faissel has provided a much appreciated reliable service. He also offered some valuable insights along the way. Our trip high points started from the moment we arrived at Agafay desert where the camp experience was definitely one of a kind. Marrakesh, our last stop, was definitely the highest point of the entire trip. Hanan, our local guide and a foodie herself, generously shared her knowledge and personal views of the city, the culture, and the food.

Rita did a great job listening to our wishes on our 6 day trip to Iceland and we were blown away with the trip plan, scenery, activities and people. Other the Hotel Katla, the accommodations were amazing and catered to individual travelers. Hotel Katla in Vik focued on large tour groups and the food was ok.

Jana of Troll Expeditions was a great guide for our snorkeling trip and she made us feel at home on 36 degree water.

We were so glad to go into winter with fewer crowds and great weather.

Hotel Reviews

Hótel Húsafell

Húsafell, Borgarbyggð

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Búðir

Búðir

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Greenhouse Hotel

Hveragerdi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Katla by Keahotels

Vík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Katla Ice Cave Superjeep tour

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fontana Geothermal Baths

Iceland

large commercial hot spring and not a great experience after some of the smaller ones

Quality of Experience

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jana is an amazing guide.

Transport

Ana crafted the perfect boutique itinerary for a birthday trip in Java and Flores - beautiful temples, volcanoes and mountain village trek, komodo dragons and manta rays! Our local guides were wonderful and very kind, going the extra mile to show us special sites in Indonesia. Cheers to Hieronimus, Rivaldi, Udin and Veri

Kim Kim put together an amazing trip with everything taken care of start to finish. Will use again.

The places we visited in Chile and Bolivia were unlike no other places we have been and probably will never be. The topography would change often and every time we felt like we were on another planet.

Francisco and his team planned an amazing adventure for us. All of our guides and drivers were friendly, knowledgeable and fun. Special shutouts to Jose, Manolo, Luna, Mauricio, Ariel, Danny and Gustavo in Chile and to Sandro and Johnny in Bolivia. To all the wonderful people who cooked and set-up our meals, thank you. They were all delicious.

Some comments on the trip to India planned by KimKim:

- overall, a very mid-level plain vanilla touristic itinerary
- guide (who was very nice and friendly) was not knowledgeable and added no real insight or value to our destinations
- itinerary was over-crammed, included nothing but visits to most prominent tourist sites of historic monuments.
- no culture, art, connection to local life
- forced stops on selected tourist shops where we felt like we were held hostage and exploited
- several of the hotels were sub-par. these may have been the only options available, but full disclosure and explanation would have helped us lower our expectations of promised "5-star hotels". several did not meet international standards for five star hotels.

From the moment I stumbled across Kimkim travel services, my expectations were exceeded by the service I received. Bianca was my coordinator and helped me plan the perfect experience in Victoria Falls and the surrounding areas. Every time I wanted to tweek my itinerary, she had the perfect solution. The trip went flawlessly. The lodgings she booked us at, Batonka Lodge, was beautiful and intimate and a perfect home base for our 5 day trip. Staff is so accommodating and had our trip details so could inform us daily on the timing of our excursions. While all the excursions were magnificent, the elephant experience was exhilarating!! We walked with, fed and touched the elephants while given a history of the area. Chobe National Park, the all day tour, is a must see. It is a both a land and water tour with a beautiful lunch over seeing the river. We will definitely use Kimkim’s services again.

Ravi, Aditiya and his team made our 2-weeks in India fantastic. After my husband was injured a few weeks before our trip, Ravi helped to accommodate us with a wheelchair and reassured us the trip was still possible. Thanks to our great guides and expert drivers, we still did almost all of our original itinerary. Communication was great in planning and while in the country. We visited 6 different cities and every staff, guide, and driver were great. Particularly, our driver Sachen in Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur was fantastic and a joy to spend our vacation with. Everything felt very organized except for some hiccups in Mumbai at the end of our trip, which seemed to lack some communication and foresight. All the hotels were very nice. We especially loved Udaipur and the beautiful location of the hotel right on the lake.

Hotel Reviews

Ramada Varanasi

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Set back from the bustle of the street, so very peaceful

Staff

Restaurant staff was very nice

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Jaipur City Center

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, but very strong perfume scent in our room which would not dissipait

The Suryaa

Delhi

Somewhat outdated and the rooms, hallways, etc were a bit roughed up with scratches and chips. Great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Amet Haveli

Gorgeous location and rooms. Was a dream eating meals at dawn and dusk outside. Walls in the room were a bit thin so could hear lots of outside noise.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Beautiful location right on the lake, but a bit inconvenient as cars cannot access the hotel so must transfer to tuk-tuk.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Courtyard By Marriott

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Marine Plaza

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Half Day Tour of Mumbai

Mumbai

We really enjoyed our tour with Shilpa. She had great insights about the interesting architecture of Mumbai, and we learned a lot about Gandhi and Indian history. She also took us for a food tour which was a big highlight of our trip to try different dishes at the spots locals enjoy.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Jaipur

Amber Fort and Palace were so beautiful. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was amazing to walk around and see the grandeur that still exists and imagine what was. Jantar Mantar (the astrology instruments) was very unique and fascinating. Our guide Ahjay did a nice job explaining all the instruments.

Taj Mahal Sunrise Visit

Agra

Went mid-morning as the guide Povin advised there would be a lot of fog during sunrise. So glad we went later just as the fog broke so we could marvel at the beauty of the Taj Mahal in all its grandeur. Lots of crowds, but our Povin did a great job of navigating around them and taking great pictures still.

Evening Aarti (Prayer Ceremony) in Varanasi

Varanasi

Very memorable and wonderful to experience the spiritual nature of Varanasi. Our guide Mohan took us to chairs on a balcony overlooking the ceremony which was much more comfortable, especially to be away from the crowd.

Sunrise River Trip Over Ganges and walk along the historical Ghats of Varanasi

Varanasi

So unique and a great way to experience the traditions

This was an amazing trip. We had a great time with Rikzin. He had a great personality and was very knowledgeable and made sure that we were safe and happy on our trek to Everest Base Camp. We both happened to have birthdays while on the trek, and he made sure that we each got cake and were celebrated. The entire trip to Nepal was so well planned and everything went seamlessly. Highly recommend!

It was a very great experience for us, when we visited Egypt for the first time in December 2023.

Potentially more on the higher price side, but we had a very smooth trip.

The quality of the tour guides varied, as some were a bit too pushy to bring us to tourists shops, which we indicated not to be in favor.

The best and most outstanding experience we had was with Abdul Hamid Ahmad.

Also Sameh (and the driver Romi) was very knowledgeable for our Cairo Trip.

My husband & I had a great experience vacationing in Guatemala. First of all Chris was amazing with his prompt responses, excellent logistical planning & flawless execution. He did not miss a single detail & made our lives easier with reminders of important details. Chris was also extremely flexible with the plan & modified some of the original ideas to incorporate new stops in the trip. Our guides were also excellent & extremely knowledgeable. Willy traveled with us for 3 days & was super helpful. Highly recommend him. Other guides at the different locations were also great! All in all, a very memorable experience.

Hotel Reviews

Isla de Flores

Ciudad Flores Petén-Flores

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Antigua

Antigua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kayaking & Hiking Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Local Foodie Tour

Antigua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

San Ignacio

Quality of Experience

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour the famous Chichicastenango Market

Guatemala

This was an incredible exploration journey through several parts of Argentina. We had 7 days split between the Northern mountain region, Mendoza and Buenos Aires. Camila, our trip planner, was so helpful, gave great recommendations and was very easy to work with.

Our local guides, Hassan and Marcos, were both so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We so enjoyed our time with them and learned a lot about local culture and history during our visit.

Hotel Reviews

CasaSur Palermo Hotel

Buenos Aires

This was a wonderful location in Palermo Hollywood. Walking distance to local shopping, lots of cafes and restaurants. Food wasn’t great here for breakfast which was the only meal we tried. Their plant based restaurant wasn’t open during our stay otherwise due to the holiday season.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Wonderful people. Helpful with recommendations and very friendly!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mine Hotel Boutique

Buenos Aires

Fantastic small boutique hotel that great for a short stay. In the heart of Palermo SoHo, a great base to explore the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Colores de Purmamarca

Purmamarca

Loved the 2 bedroom unit we had. Lots of space and enjoyed there are exterior spaces so you can enjoy coffee on the balcony. Comfy beds. Pleasantly surprised with accommodations for such a small village.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

I’m only giving it 4 here due to the breakfast which was limited in options. Would be nice to have in season fresh fruit available. Most of the breakfast was pastry and cereal/grain based.

Legado Mitico Salta Hotel Boutique

Salta

Really loved this boutique hotel. It’s in a renovated historic building g which I was curious to learn about. The common spaces were so I no it’s g and well decorated. Very large bedrooms and lovely spacious bathrooms.

Authenticity & Character

Gorgeous building and appreciated the original character that was kept intact.

Location

Walking distance to central Salta with lots of cafes and restaurants nearby.

Staff

The staff here was so nice and gave us great food recommendations.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Entre Cielos Wine & Wellness Hotel

Vistalba

Beautiful hotel and grounds. Good was excellent and loved our room. Each space has a private outdoor patio which was lovely in the evenings. Staff here is very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

It’s more of a modern design so wouldn’t call it authentic?

Location

Easy access into town and not too far from airport.

Staff

Very helpful, friendly, attentive staff at each interaction.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautifully designed, great pool area and spacious rooms. It does have an open bathroom concept so limited privacy for those sharing rooms with a friend.

Activity Reviews

Tango Class

Buenos Aires

Veronica, our instructor, was amazing! We had so much fun and the first time I had taken a formal dance class in many years.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tango Show & Dinner at La Ventana

Buenos Aires

The show itself was wonderful. Beautiful talented dna era and we enjoyed the music. The food was barely average and our dietary restrictions were not taken into account. Staff didn’t pay us attention so had to flag them down for water, drinks, etc.

Quality of Experience

Food

This place was so touristy. I would not recommend it for a special occasion. This was supposed to be our New Years Eve fun night out. The crowd was also much much older than us so not our scene.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver was great but didn’t speak much English so hard to communicate. We had no way of contacting driver when we wanted to leave early so just took a Uber back to the hotel but felt badly we couldn’t let him know. Staff at the restaurant at were not attentive.

Transport

Uco Valley Wine Country

Mendoza

Mendoza is beautiful. Wish we would have an additional day in the area.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking with Llamas

Purmamarca

Such a fun & unique experience to do. We enjoyed this excursion despite both being city girls and not very comfortable around animals. Our lunch was also so wonderful! We finally had good fruit and veggies which was the most difficult thing about our visit overall…the lack of fresh fruit & veggies.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to Purmamarca & Visit to the Salt Flats

Argentina

The salt flats were such an interesting experience. Beautiful landscapes and endless opportunities for beautiful pictures!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Drive to Cafayate

Salta

Such a beautiful drive. The scenery is spectacular!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of the City - Discovering Salta's Hidden Treasures

Salta

We were cut short here due to a change in flight schedules so it was brief. But good!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Connie arranged an amazing trip covering both the North and South Islands of NZ for me and my family. We decided to use kimkim because of our very busy schedules to do any of the planning ourselves. Connie had to make do with very little guidance from us but still managed to make it an enjoyable trip with just the right pace. The overnight stay on the boat in Fiordland was very special, as were the cute boutique hotels we stayed at most nights of the trip. I look forward to working with kimkim on future vacations given how positive my first experience has been. Thank you, Connie and kimkim!

We had an overall positive experience with KimKim travel on our recent visit to MachuPichu. Our main contact was Johanna. We made plans just a few weeks before actual travel. Johanna was very helpful in helping us plan out our 6 day vacation to Machu Piche, the sacred valley, Cusco and Lima. We had a detailed phone call with Johanna prior to travel and also got good advice about travel to Peru ( our first visit). Kristy was also given as a contact for our trip.

During the trip, everything also worked out great / as planned. Our guides - Richard in Machu Picchu, Jose in Sacred Valley and Sonya in Cusco were all excellent. They were knowledgeable and friendly.

I would have given this review 5 stars had it not been for a scheduling issue. Our final day was supposed to be a nice culinary tour in Lima. We were flying in from Cusco to take that tour. At the last minute, our tour was changed to a different one - more of a city tour, because of a realization that we may be short on time to catch the original tour. Since all the planning was done by KimKim, we feel this change could have been avoided by asking us to take an earlier flight from Cusco. Not sure why this was a late realization. When we expressed our dissatisfaction , they promptly refunded us for this part of the tour. Until this time, we were having a flawless trip.

I do appreciate the good support from the Kimkim team. Both Kristy and Johanna were extremely responsive throughout. Thanks ! Overall excellent communications throughout. Johanna even took a phone call from me on the evening of Christmas Day. She was proactive in advising us to go to the Ministry of Culture on our arrival in Aguas Calientes to check for tickets on a different circuit that we were interested in. All hotels and transfers were great and overall planning was superior.

Ashley helped us plan an amazing trip to Vietnam! She worked with us to customize the itinerary, hotels, tours, and activities to our interests. Once we got to Vietnam, she checked in with us regularly and answered our questions as we went. The guides we had in Hanoi, Ho An, and Ho Chi Minh City really made the difference. We learned so much about local culture, Vietnamese history, and cuisine. We enjoyed food tours in each city, with the Vespa food tour in HCMC being a highlight. Other highlights included cooking classes, bicycling through a village, picking tea, traveling on bamboo boats, exploring markets in each city, and navigating the Cu Chi tunnels. We are glad to have gotten to experience a 2 night cruise in Ha Long Bay and 3 nights at a beach resort in Vung Tau. Those stops offered a nice balance to the busier stops in Hanoi, Hoi An, and HCMC. We capped off our trip with a boat cruise on the Saigon River to experience the New Year's Eve fireworks celebration which was incredible. Vietnamese people were so welcoming and we didn't have any issues with not knowing the language. Highly recommend working with Ashley to plan your trip to Vietnam!

Overall the trip was excellent. Everything worked exactly as expected. Communication at each stage of the trip was really good. Our highlights include glacier hiking and seeing penguins! The vast majority of our guides we had were really passionate, enthusiastic and keen to ensure we had everything we needed to have a great trip. All of the hotels were comfortable and transfers were made easy and stress-free!

There are only a couple of things that were not as expected, or less enjoyable.

Firstly, the trip to Valparasio felt like somewhat of a wasted day. The port itself did not feel like a suitable tourist attraction. The street art is interesting but not worth the length of the drive. We were also supposed to visit Vina del Mar, which the guide merely pointed out from a viewpoint.

Secondly, the two excursions in Ushuaia were essentially the same thing repeated - trekking and canoeing. Again, this felt like a wasted day when there are so many other options for alternative activities in the area.

Lastly, it was not communicated to us in advance that the meeting point for the Buenos Aires cycle tour was a 20 min drive away. It was fine, because we were checking our itinerary thoroughly in advance ahead of time but if we did not have online access this would have been an issue.