Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had a few logistical errors but kimkim bent over backwards to make up for any problems. Our trip was incredible and I appreciate the help from the travel experts. Would highly recommend.

Hotel Review

Å Rorbuer

Sørvågen

We actually stayed at Å Hamna Rorbuer and it was incredible!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Summer Kayaking Excursion

Reine

A can't miss! Loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Lofoten Floating Sauna Experience

Svolvær

This was incredible! Loved loved loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We couldn't have been happier with the itinerary that Gary prepared for us. As someone who had never been to Australia before, he successfully translated our requests and lack of knowledge into a schedule that was easy to follow--and thoroughly enjoyable. The places he recommended and organized for our trip were mind-blowingly spectacular. The Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu, Litchfield, Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, and Uluru---our only complaint was that we didn't have enough time at any of these locations! Even more impressive is that he was able to pull together an itinerary with not much time to spare. We connected with him only 8 weeks before our trip (during peak travel season), so we were quite impressed that he managed to pack as much into our two week trip as he did. Thank you!

Activity Reviews

Sounds of Silence Dinner

Australia

Yet another event that I found tremendously moving. For a large group event (two buses worth of people), they did a fantastic job of making it feel special and more intimate. The setting is spectacular, the food was delicious, the didgeridoo player was phenomenal, and the star gazing was out of this world. And the time of silence was sublime. As a city dweller, I think that might be the first time I've ever seen the Milky Way! My suggestions for improvements are minor: I would have liked the star storytelling to be twice as long (at least). I so enjoyed it, but it seemed much too brief. A side note: the laser pointer he used was awesome! And they did something odd with the food service: we happened to be the first table that got served. (They ask each table to go up to the buffet line separately.) But then they reverse it for the desert, so we were the last to go up for desert. Thus we had a huge gap in our meal, and then only had 5 minutes to eat the desert before we had to depart. Not sure why the swap--it doesn't really make sense for the meal flow. And they need to provide a bit more time between when the last desert is served and the guests are asked to leave.

Uluru Sunrise & Kata Tjuta

Uluru

For a large bus tour, it was pretty well organized. Clearly the tour operators have a clear system for their trips. It was a bit wild, how many people were lining up before dawn for multiple bus tours. We had an awesome guide, Glennon--very high energy, and very knowledgeable. I very much appreciated that he gave us commentary while we drove to the sites. I think we might have gotten off to a late start, however--there really wasn't enough time to do the breakfast, see Uluru, then get back on the bus. I think all of that had to occur within a 1/2 hour, which meant that we had to leave Uluru just 10 minutes after the sun rose. The walk in Kata Tjuta was amazing. I've never seen that type of unconsolidated amalgamation of rock before. I very much enjoyed the experience of being in that place, and I appreciated that Glennon had us all gather at the end and engage in a minute of silence so that we could fully be present in this space. The only critique--and I know this is so common with large groups--is that he stopped several times to make a presentation, but didn't wait for the entire group to catch up, so only a small percentage of the overall group got to hear it.

Yellow Water Cruise - Sunrise

Australia

This cruise was amazing! It shows what difference a good guide can make on a trip like this. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, and open to questions and discussions. If we had had the time, I would have booked the afternoon cruise with him. I felt like I learned so much about the area, and the plants and animals that inhabit it. And he was so good at spotting things!

Darwin City Sights

Darwin

This tour was probably the least favorite of the activities we did on this trip (of course, it's competing with some heavy hitters!). That being said, this overview of Darwin was pretty disjointed, and didn't give us much information about Darwin at all. Basically, it was a bus ride pointing out various buildings (and even that not done clearly), then trips to several locations. To be fair, the guide was also the driver (I don't know if this is normal), and she mentioned she hadn't done this tour in quite a while. Since I don't have much interest in aviation history, that museum wasn't a highlight for me, but I definitely enjoyed the trip to the Botanic Garden and the Museum and Art Gallery.

Classic Kuranda Tour

Australia

Another amazing experience. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting this area, and getting to see the tropical rainforest and learn a bit more about the original inhabitants, plants, and animals. The cable car up and train down were a fun way to get to the town. And I was thrilled the buffet lunch had food choices there was both healthy and tasty. My major critique is that the entire day was so tightly programmed, it did feel a bit rushed. I understand that this can be an occupational hazard of having a tight schedule, but in our case, we were dropped off at the cable car entrance and had to wait for an extended time (maybe 45 minutes?) for our guide to show up with our tickets. It wasn't exactly clear what was going on at the time. If it could be arranged, it would have been a better use of that time for us to have our tickets when we arrived at the cable car entrance, so we could have just immediately gone up. Even better, I'd recommend that the train be used to go up, and the cable car to go down. That would provide a bit more flexibility in heading back down, rather than having to be at a precise location at a precise time in order to leave.

Transport

As I mentioned above, there was a lot of waiting around on this trip. Also, it was very confusing finding our transport van at the end of the train trip. We were not picked up where all the other buses where loading, but had to walk over to a separate area. If someone had not directed to this location, I don't think we would have found it on our own.

Day trip to the Great Barrier Reef

Australia

Seeing the GBR was an amazing experience, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so. The crew was high energy the entire time, and made the journey there and back a pleasant one. What I was expecting, but didn't get, was any information about the GBR. I had assumed there'd be some type of presentation about the plants and animals we'd be seeing during our 2 hour journey there, and how to maximize our snorkeling/diving experience. Even better would have been a discussion about the issues that the GBR is facing as the oceans warm. All we got was a disjointed, generalized slideshow AFTER we had done the snorkeling. In addition, I was given a wetsuit that was too large (never having worn a wetsuit before, I had no idea). Thus, for me, the snorkeling was uncomfortably cold, and I ended up with non-stop shivering even after back on the boat. Thankfully, a crew member noticed on the second round of snorkeling, so that dive was much more enjoyable. Lastly, I wasn't blown over by the food provided. Since I stayed out snorkeling until called in for lunch, most of the food was already gone, since others had come in early. What I had was fine, but cold (all the hot food was gone), and not particularly memorable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guides in Oaxaca, Alex and Anna from Etnoturistica, were beyond amazing. This was a family trip for 3 generations - ranging from 14 to 76 years old. Thanks to our knowledgeable and engaging guides and Kimkim's itinerary, this was a true cultural immersion trip. We loved the city tour, the gastronomical feast day, the cooking class, the visit to Las Mujeres de Barro Roja, the archeological sites of Mitla and Monte Alban, the pools and hiking at Hierve de Agua... and every stop in between. The staff at Hotel Tabaa Oaxaca was gracious and professional. It became our home for the week. Thank you, Rene and Lizbeth from Kimkim, for helping us make unforgettable memories together with this incredible vacation. We are most grateful for the kindness and hospitality shown by all.

Yuri and the entire team were great. The tours they picked along with hotel choices and transfers were bang on. I list them decide everything for me and appreciated every moment.
Will book with Kimkim again.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel & Spa Plaza Mercado

Valencia

Loves this place. The staff were great and location is absolutely perfect. Just outside of the Valencia market.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Palacio Garvey

Jerez de la Frontera

Nice location however tight outside of a patio bar so was quite pour the first evening.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

H10 Casa de la Plata

Sevilla

Great hotel, superb location and would book again.

Authenticity & Character

Modern feel in an old location.

Location

Easy to get to and fairly central.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Regina

Barcelona

Decent location, good staff. The pricing of things as it’s in Barcelona is quite higher that other areas of Spain.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Food Market, Tasting & Local Culture

Jerez de la Frontera

My guide made this amazing. She really knew a lot and was born and raised in Jerez

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Visit to Seville’s Cathedral & Alcázar

Seville

Beautiful cathedral. Something that is a must see in life.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Flamenco, City & Tapas Experience

Seville

This was something that so really didn’t know what so was going before I went. It was so emotional I literally held back tears. The small venue and use of genuine locals were perfect.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pop

Gary put together an amazing trip for us with very little notice and during Australian school holidays, which I am sure made the puzzle of finding flights and hotel rooms to all the places we went even more challenging. He was incredibly patient with all our questions and steered us to some fantastic places that it turns out many Australians never get too. This I discovered during my week work at the end of the trip in talking to Australian colleagues. He was incredibly responsive as well during the trip to questions we had as we moved through our trip. A heartfelt thank you for an incredible trip!
Laura

Activity Review

Darwin City Sights

Darwin

This city tour was a bit of disappointment. We were expecting that we'd learn something about the history of Darwin etc. Essentially the driver (there was no separate guide on board) pointed out buildings and told us what they were.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We have spent very nice and rather intensive holidays in Yasuni Natonal Park (by plane and boat), Quito-Mindo-Otovalu-Cotacachi (by car), Galapagos - San Cristobal-Santa Cruz-Isabela (by boat staying/sleeping on 3 islands)
Our experience was very good and I will recommend this type of trip to Ecuador to all people who are limited on time and have no time to plan/manage everything personally. It is possible that you can do it cheaper but you need to have a lot on information and do it long time in advance. I’m no longer a backpacker and wanted to see as much Ecuador as possible during given time. I decided to give this planning to the KimKim company. I think it was good idea.

There are two topic which I want to share however.
In hotel in Mindo someone has stolen a mobile phone of my wife. It was very unpleasant as she had already her pictures/movies from Amazon forest and obviously other important info there. It was family owned small and very nice hotel. The reception area was very small – we noticed that some local people are walking across without any control. The area was not monitored – no cameras. We realized that phone is lost and reported the fact to the owner. But he was of opinion that he can only ask some other guests. It was very disappointing. We left the hotel as there was already next activity planned but my wife was not in good mood… Fortunately and surprisingly after 1-2 hrs our guide (Ximena) got info that smartphone has been found… I do not how the owner has managed it but finally we got the phone back. Apparently someone was already unlocking the phone because date and some other settings were changed. My advice – keep all you important stuff with you, never leave it unattended and ask if there are cameras in the hotels. This is however another argument to travel through agency because owner of the hotel has been contacted by agency representative and this was probably most important.

Second comment is on guides. In general our experience with them was very good. Usually we had a local guides who ware looking after logistics and giving some practical information, sometimes travelling with us. Other guides were in the national parks - the certified professionals. Local guides however were sometimes also very talkative and helpful – sharing a lot of information with us (we send our best regards to Ximena in Quito and Stephany in San Cristobal). I have to mention however that on Santa Cruz Island we met a very nice person but she was not really speaking English. So the guide was only ordering taxi and informing us about time of departure and arrival. This was in contrast to all other locations. I recommend to address it. We were asking some questions about possible activities and places to visit on Island but there was no info - it was embarrassing for both sides (I guess).
I think KimKim/Responsibletravel knew that we do not understand Spanish.

Overall experience was fantastic and we regret that we did not have more time to explore more places.
I travelled with my wife and 13 years old son.

Activity Review

Kicker Rock: A Snorkeling Adventure

Isla San Cristóbal

this was definitely one of the best snorkeling points. Regret there was no time to organize scuba diving. We have seen white tip sharks, many turtles and hammerhead shark - which is not that often showing up. I advise to consider diving and during all snorkeling wear a swimming cloths (against sun)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to India was amazing. A once in a lifetime experience. We visited Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi over 8 days. Our driver, Prakash, was excellent. I don't know how he managed to dodge all the autorickshaws, motorcycles, pedestrians, and assorted animals without a scratch on the car! We loved the Taj Mahal, the stepwells, and the Amber Fort. Shopping in Jaipur was outstanding - we probably spent too much! The hotels were all excellent. Thank you Ravi and team for putting this together!

One opportunity for improvement - we would like to have had the expectation to tip the driver and tour guides explained ahead of time. As it was, we didn't tip the Agra guide and we used up all our rupees at the end to tip the driver.

The staff was professional, responsive, flexible, and smart. We could not have been better guided. This organization has a strong infrastructure. I recommend it for anyone looking for good, thoughtful guidance on a trip to Mexico.

Portugal-- what an amazing country. The people, the food, the culture and the beauty. We both felt like home in Portugal and loved our whole experience. Our local specialist Joao checked in daily and had us in the most beautiful hotels, with wonderful transportation and drivers who were very engaging and knowledgeable. He was available for any last minute changes and had great recommendations. From start to end it was a wonderful holiday and we look forward to visiting again with our children some day. Thank you.

We had a wonderful journey through Norway in July of 2023. We used the itinerary provided by Lisa as a foundation for our trip. She provided wonderful accommodations, recommendations and customer service!

All drivers were courteous and prompt and some were most entertaining. We trusted them to get us safely to our destinations. Your staff made speedy contact as necessary but really everything went without a hitch. Vivenda Miranda was heavenly. The tours of Porto were memorable as were the areas around our hotel.
We touched 13 countries in almost three months of travel. Our favourite is Portugal! Please thank Racquel and her support team.
Wendy McTavish

We were v happy with the service provided by KimKim and found Tom to be courteous and responsive. Love that everything you need (trip plan, hotels, chat records) is organised and can be found in your trip portal.

I unfortunately fractured my wrist the week prior and Tom went the extra mile in terms of rearranging some activities and also personally contacted me to assist when we had some issues with our rental vehicle.

My advice would be to do some initial research yourself so you can give your agent a detailed overview of what you want to see and do during your trip. Then let them come up with an itinerary for you.

We had the most amazing trip and hike of the Tour Du Mont Blanc. Everything was expertly planned by Stephen Molloy. We started planning this trip of a lifetime almost a year before. We knew we needed experts to help us plan our hike, book our refuges and help us to transfer our bags. We were in touch with several organizations and realized quickly, Kimkim and Stephen were the right fit to help us plan and execute the perfect vacation. Stephen was most responsive and attentive and helped us with all the details of an over seas trip. He also planned the perfect day in Chamonix for us at the start of our hike and the perfect day in Annecy at the end of our hike. All of our accommodations were great. We highly recommend using Kimkim and we are already planning our vacation for next year and will definitely use Kimkim and Stephen Molloy at High Point Holidays to make it happen.

Hotel Review

Boutik Hotel 3*

Annecy

Excellent accommodations! Clean and vintage fun decor. Friendly staff too. Loved our stay!

Authenticity & Character

Cool vintage decor!

Location

Close to everything

Staff

So friendly and helpful!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Super clean and comfortable!

Activity Review

Day 4: Hike from the Chapieux to Val Veny

France

Wow is all we can say!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Liz Neal booked our family a wonderful trip to Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora. From airport transfers to a ferry ride, ground transportation, a dolphin experience, and two Motu boat tours, everything was on time and exactly as planned. Our flight was nearly disrupted by an airline strike a few days before our trip, and Liz kept in touch with us the entire time, checking in and making sure our backup plans were in place. She took care to message me during the trip as well and make some wonderful suggestions! This was our second time booking a trip with Liz, and once again, it was smooth sailing and an excellent vacation. Bora Bora is like no place we've ever seen before -- a truly unforgettable trip!

Activity Reviews

Shark & Ray Lagoon Safari and Motu TAPU - Full Day

Bora Bora

Our tour guide, Vatea, was amazing. He was so friendly, knowledgable, and had a great singing voice alongside his ukelele! The food was quite good and the lunch on the Motu had a nice setup with picnic tables in the water and fish swimming right by your feet as you ate. Snorkeling at the designated coral garden was incredible. And an unexpected bonus, Vatea stopped by the channel to the ocean and we saw many dolphins swimming nearby.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Outrigger Miti Lagoon Tour - Full Day

Moorea

We weren't quite prepared to have this boat tour on a day of pouring rain and wind. We were cold and uncomfortable for the day, but our guide was pretty entertaining.

Quality of Experience

Perhaps a cancellation/backup plan for inclement weather.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dolphin Watching & Encounter - Educational Manea Program

Moorea

The dolphin expert at the Center was really knowledgable and made it a fun experience. It was incredible to observe the dolphins in the water firsthand.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Moorea !

Moorea

If we could do it over again, we would stay at the Hilton Moorea over the Manava Resort. Manava was nice, but our room air conditioning was not great and had a musty smell. However, the dinners and amenities (paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling) were nice. Our outrigger boat tour landed on a day that was rainy and windy, so it wasn't super pleasant, but it was just bad luck with the weather. However, the dolphin excursion at Moorea Dolphin Center was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Would rather have stayed at another hotel besides Manava

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The dolphin expert at Moorea Dolphin Center was really knowledgable and great.

Transport

Ferry ride to Moorea was pleasant, and we had very easy and seamless air transport from Moorea to Bora Bora.

WELCOME TO TAHITI!

French Polynesia

Intercontinental Hotel was great. We enjoyed snorkeling in their lagoon area and loved their restaurant service, which included a traditional Polynesian dance show one breakfast.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were greeted at the airport and given all our travel info, with quick transport to our hotel.

We will start by saying what a wonderful trip we had to Sweden and Norway last month. Julia and Fenne were our connections in these countries and did such an amazing job helping to plan our daily activities, travel, restaurants and so much more. It was a big trip in the making and they were there at every step with answers and suggestions to our questions sometimes on a daily basis. We would certainly recommend KimKim to anyone for any type of travel and will definitely use them again in the future. We had full confidence that our trip would go off without a hitch and it did!!

Thanks again to the KimKim team and especially Julia and Fenne..we will remember our trip for many years to come!!

Hotel Reviews

Bank Hotel

Stockhol

Another spectacular hotel with a great location in the heart of Stockholm

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Opus XVI

Bergen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very walkable location to many attractions in a beautiful city in Norway

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Private tour to Royal Palace & Drottningholm Palace

Stockholm

This was a wonderful tour with a private driver and tour guide. Well worth the time and money. Tobias was our guide who so passionately spoke about his love for his country and people and this was it evident throughout our tour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mathilde and her team at KimKim were instrumental in creating a wonderful relaxed road trip in France for our family. We are time-poor professionals with little room for research into the lead-up of our holiday. Mathilde and the team in France created an itinerary which included our must-see sites in Normandy, Loire and Bordeaux; and plenty more we had not thought of. She was thorough and the attention to detail was superb. Her accommodation choices pleasantly surprised us at every location. We could not have possibly have chosen better ourselves. Travelling with a toddler was factored in. Mathilde liaised with the hotel and found us a babysitter in Bordeaux. The itinerary was not rushed but still allowed us to make the most of our 2-week stay. We highly recommend KimKim to any busy professionals and families, or simply anyone who desires a stress-free and incredible holiday.

We had a wonderful trip to Tanzania and a large part of it is thanks to KimKim. We were matched up with local specialists which changed a couple of times. We ended up with Salty Travel. Nadia and Lucy were great to work with. They answered all of our questions patiently and were prompt in their responses. Also, they communicated our requests clearly and seamlessly to their on-ground team and partners.

The trip itself was amazing. We were a group of ten which included kids and we covered Tarangire, Central and North Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater area and a day at Moshi. Magi and Penda are excellent guides who have spent a lot of time doing safaris. They were patient with our questions and responsive to our needs. They were happy to provide suggestions about game drives and willing to work with us to modify plans as needed. Their knowledge of the area and animals were very valuable to us. They were able to get us to the right spots at the right time. We trusted them to take us where the animals were and we got to see the Big 5 and more! Our highlights of the trip included seeing a standoff between a herd of buffaloes and lions, watching a pride of lions eat their kill, seeing a couple of cheetahs eat a gazelle, and being in place to see the first crossing of wildebeests across the Mara river.

One minor area for improvement would be the vehicles. One of our vehicles had the misfortune of getting four flat tires over the course of our safari. Also, having working AC during the long days of travel would have been nice.

Overall, I will highly recommend KimKim, Salty Travel and our guides to anyone who is considering a trip to Tanzania.

I am impressed by how many people worked in a flawless coordination to make my short post-conference trip exceptionally memorable and enjoyable. People clearly put their hearts into their work. From the first phone contact to the last taxi drop off at the airport, I felt the attention and the sincere wish to share the beauty of the country. I won’t name any names though, because many deserve to be named and I am guaranteed to misspell at least one name ;)

Hotel Review

Sheraton Salta

Salta

A great place to relax after the trip. Very early breakfast is exceptionally convenient for the early pick up times

Authenticity & Character

Fresh flowers on the tables in the dining area, hanging decorations in the local style in the corridor

Location

Walking distance to the center. An interesting small museum of anthropology nearby (free entry)

Staff

Very helpful, anticipating your questions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Half Day Salta City Tour

Salta

Salta has a soul. My guide helped me feel it. And he told me stories about the fight for the independence and the birth of the Gaucho identity. The trip to the nearby village with a lush forest was also very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Comparing the interior of two main churches. Watching a religious procession

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The guide whistled to the birds and they whistled back! I wonder what is it they talked to each other about 😄😄😄. Honestly, he is just an awesome guy to be around. Great sense of humor.

Full Day Cafayate

Salta

The landscape is very scenic and keeps changing. The area has a rich history worth learning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Juan was very thoughtful and made great suggestions about what to see in the area. He is also a good listener so we ended up swapping quite a few stories while on the road

Transport

Full-Day Salinas Grandes through Purmamarca

Salta

This was pure magic. I have had my share of travels and seen many places. This place is like no other place. If you can stop and listen, that is...

Quality of Experience

It's a great combination of nature and local culture

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide suggested an earlier start, which was amazing because I got to see the stars of the south (he even stopped the car so that I could enjoy the moment on the dark road), I watched the sunrise in the mountains, got the best light for the photographs and we were there before the crowds flooded the place. Besides, Javier is an incredible person. His mountaineering and other life experiences and his life views make him a very interesting person to talk to.

Transport

Full-Day Tour in Areco & Estancia

Buenos Aires

Visiting craftsmen and craftswomen in Areco was very interesting. I did most of my gift shopping there - much more authentic than in Buenos Aires. You can use a credit card if you prefer not to carry too much cash with you. The best part of the visit to the Estancia was the horse ride. It's such a relaxing outdoors activity. I wish I had an option of a longer ride. The music and the performance were great as well. Seeing a family with a kid and his friend made it even better. It was a real thing, not a theater

Quality of Experience

Horse riding

Food

Huge portion. Can't eat that much

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Punctual but laid back. No hurry, no hassle

Transport

Tamer and Alejandra were wonderful to work with while planning our adventure in and around Quitó! They listened to all of our needs and concerns and crafted an agenda that was near perfect. Alejandra also supported all of our needs while traveling in Quito and checked to make sure all was going well.

Christian was our tour guide and was an absolute expert and very fun to be with for the week. It would be impossible for us to see as much as we did without him running the show.

We would absolutely return and use the same team on our next trip to Quitó.

Tamer at Kimkim was great to work with. Very patient with our many changes of plans. He recommended Huasquila Lodge to us. Wonderful!