Kimkim Trip Reviews

Considering traveling during a pandemic, my trip organizer, Murat Ornek and guides Rdivan Uyanik and Alp Sancar were amazing. They knew how to deal with new covid restrictions while I was there to make the trip as seamless as possible. I highly recommend working with Murat in organizing your Turkish experience. Very accommodating person and I had the privilege in meeting his lovely, warm family. I have to as much as I loved Istanbul with its astounding mosques, beautiful landscape, and wonderful food, I need to return to see the city in its full vibrancy after the pandemic is over. The highlights of the trip was being in Cappadocia. Seeing the incredible rock formations high above in a hot air balloon was wonderful. Additionally, I highly recommend visiting the Kaymakli Underground City near Cappadocia. Nearly a hundred tunnels built over a thousand years ago when it was used for protection from Muslim Arab raids. It literally is an underground cave city (something out of the 1960's Flintstones TV cartoon show). The most memorable moments was spending time with Murat and his family having wonderful conversation, being in their beautiful historic hotel and enjoying meals with them. Will revisit!

Long story short, I have planned this trip since last year but as we all know covid; came along and things got cancelled. My initial contact was Anne; which now I consider her as part of my family. She always responded to my questions and she took time from her busy schedule to meet me at the airport. My journey started with Bob; which he was a great guide. I am a solo female traveler and I never felt unsafe. I had a wonderful experience trekking for the silver back gorillas; it’s a feeling you need to experience on your own. The entire team tracking the gorillas and guides were amazing. Never seen how well a group of people worked together in such a remote location to facilitate a great experience. After the trekking I had a wonderful time with game drives, another kudos for Bob because he carries binoculars with him, books of the native animals and he’s well experience and communicates with others within the parks to get you to see more wild life. The accommodations were great, the staff members, the food and service were outstanding; taking in consideration these places are in the middle of nowhere. Driving was fun and relaxing; enjoying the African massage and enjoying the views of various people & scenery. At the end of my trip, I had some discrepancies with CoVid and I had to stay in Uganda. Luckily, I had a best friend at the end of my journey and I was able to get my situation under control and I finalized my trip. Thanks to everyone that made this possible in such a difficult time to travel. Totally recommend!!!

Olman was extremely helpful with planning. Both accommodations were just as described with friendly staff and nice rooms. The travel accommodations were also always on time and the drivers from each company were knowledgeable about the country and extremely friendly. The only discrepancy came to the nature hike in Manuel Antonio with Tucson Tours. Our itinerary said pickup time was 7:25; however the actual pickup time was 7:15 and the shuttle almost left without us. All in all it was a great experience. Thank you!

Maricruz was a great resource and help for us when booking our family trip to Costa Rica. She was conscious of our budget and our interest. The best part of our trip was definitely our guide, Jose. He was very knowledgeable, patient, flexible, and a great companion throughout the trip. He recommended a lot of great places to eat at and also additional activities when we felt up to it. We enjoyed the different cities of Costa Rica that we were able to see, the hotels were nice to stay at, and the activities were very fun. Maricruz definitely made this trip a stress free experience from the initial planning stage all the way until the end of our trip. She was also very quick to respond to any questions we may have had.

Olman was very helpful in helping me set up an itinerary that best fit my family and I’s wants. I had never used a specialist to help plan my vacation but this time I wanted someone to set it for me since I was going to a new country and was not too familiar with the surroundings. It can be stressful planning activities and hotels on my own but this was such a breeze having someone do it for me! Our transportation to and from the airport/hotel/activities was on time every time. The activitie tour guides were very kind to us and knowledgeable. I would definitely use KimKim again. This was my first time using them and I had a great experience!

I had Joseph as my contact for this amazing trip to Pemba & Zanzibar. I couldn't be any happier with his great customer service. Due to my busy work schedule, I was unable to book in advance and it was last minute. Finally, when I booked the trip I had a nightmare with CoVid19 as I was coming from Uganda. Joseph was very, very helpful and made sure that I initially received helped with the cancelations, but eventually I was still able to make it to my destinations and he helped me again and made sure the remaining of the days left were booked and ready for me. The hotels utilized were great, the food, the staff and every aspects of my trip were amazing. I am a single female traveler and safety it's always a must. Not once I felt in any danger or uneasy. Thanks to Joseph for putting up with me and arranging the CoVid19 test and everything else. Best luck and hope to work with you again ;)

I have to say this was one of the best trips. The itinerary completely curated by Abdellah was fabulous and our driver Faysal was the definition of professional with a side of humor! Morocco was made even more beautiful through the kindness of the tour guides and people Abdellah organized for us to meet. I also would like to add that I felt quite safe COVID wise as all the hotels that were picked were very clean (and beautiful). Don’t hesitate and book with this wonderful team!

My husband and I had a wonderful 8 day tour of Iceland's Snaefellsnes peninsula and the Golden circle. We had high expectations for the trip, but the actual sights exceeded them! We had excellent communication with our local specialist Michele both before and during the trip. He was extremely helpful in providing various trip options and helping us customize the trip to our liking.

Everyday was a highlight and memorable part of our trip. We especially loved Snaefellsnes, hiking up to Glymur falls, natural hot spring river in Rejkjadalur, black sand beach in Reynisfjara, and visiting the live volcanic eruption at Geldingalir. The Kimkim specialists Michele, Preeti, and Halldor helped us through some changes in our plans due to weather and quickly changed our hotel reservations and guided us on obtaining a covid test prior to leaving.

Overall, we would highly recommend both Iceland and the Kimkim team! We are definitely planning to come back!

My wife and I tried this company for the first time, and we loved the professionalism, efficiency, and quality service of their agents and managers. We would definitely recommend 100x this company to individuals that are looking for the best customer service yet. We look forward doing business with them again. Definitely worth the five stars.

As for our agent Harris, all we can say is WOW! What an amazing job he did. He is extremely good at his job. He planned everything for us and made everything flow so smoothly. I will absolutely use him again and I’m very picky on that. Harris not only was available 24/7 he went out of his way to make sure we were well prepared for all of the new regulations with Covid, and to make sure my wife had the best honeymoon/birthday ever.

To summarize we went to Greece for our Honeymoon and my wife’s birthday. A 9-day trip visiting Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini in May. A trip that was planned for June 2020, but with the pandemic we had to cancel, so it was no easy task to plan a trip during this unstable time. However, Harris kept in touched with us the whole time. Giving us updates on our accommodation and the situation within Greece with the pandemic. He had to adjust our accommodation a couple of times cause of the pandemic, but the changes were well worth it. From Athens, to Mykonos, to Santorini, our accommodation was great. Especially the Celestia Grand hotel in Santorini was top notch. From the views from our villa, to the service, and management of the villas was excellent. We couldn’t have asked for a better accommodation. My wife did not want to leave, especially after finding out her favorite show and family Keeping up with the Kardashians was filmed there…lol

Harris also checked with all the authorities/regulations and made sure we had everything we needed from Covid testing to different health forms we had to fill out within a certain time frame. He always responded when I text him at literally all hours (not sure how he does this, I think he got some sort of superpower or just extremely passionate at what he does lol)

Harris did absolutely great, and we couldn’t have asked for a better planner. I highly recommend him. I also rarely write reviews, but he absolutely deserves it. With all he did, he made me look like a hero in front of my wife, but Harris was the real hero of this trip. Thanks again Harris, looking forward to meeting you next time!

The Spanns

Our local specialist, Randall, helped customize my mom's birthday celebration in Costa Rica. The only complaint is that we couldn't stay longer from our drivers picking us up from the airport to taking us on our adventures and other cities. We enjoyed our trip and will definitely be using KimKim again!

Returned home from an EPIC journey to Egypt. Amr & Ibrahim helped plan an amazing trip for me and my wife for our 11th anniversary and it was one of the best trips we have every taken. I rarely use trip planning services as I like to do most of the work myself but with this trip, everything was executed perfectly. No wasted time. Perfect mix of sightseeing and relaxation. Would HIGHLY recommend this service to anybody wanted to visit Egypt and maximize their time in country.

Mathias is extremely responsive and organized. I asked for an adventurous trip filled with culture and that’s exactly what Mathias put together for me.

Robi was incredible from start to finish. I decided to go by myself to Croatia last second and on a budget. I normally do not do guides or tours but since I was trying to have an "aggressive" schedule, I decided to reach out. Robi was very responsive and presented different options to try to fit all of my crazy requests to see everything in such a short amount of time. I was extremely happy to have him as a guide as it made it seem like I was traveling with an old friend and he was flexible with scheduling. The days were long but Robi's positive attitude and jokes made it not seem like we were out all day. He provided local recommendations and suggestions that helped round out the trip. The trip was better than I could have imagined and that really was thanks to Robi. Hope to see him again!

Thank you Zulmy, the guides at Tucaya, and Nadia for planning and executing my vacation in Panama. They all did a wonderful job putting together an itinerary. They were all available for me if I had any questions or needed assistance. I was a little hesitant traveling internationally due to COVID but they helped me navigate any obstacles. Also arranged for me to get a PCR COVID test prior to returning to the US. The process was very efficient. I had a wonder time exploring Panama in the short week I was there. They have me a glimpse at all the wonders and beauty of Panama. Thank you again for helping me create wonderful memories!

The planning was excellent! Olman was very helpful, and knowledgeable, with great suggestions, patience with adjusting itinerary, and attentive to our needs. He did an amazing job of arranging things, and dealing with the changes and requirements caused by COVID, including the testing issues. I have already recommended him to several people!
The places where we stayed, and the activities planned, were all good. We were pleased with Tirimbina, as we anticipated, with delicious food ad friendly staff; We loved the chocolate tour and our tour guide ( a young man) was excellent! and very informative!
We enjoyed the rainforest tour at Tortuguero, the dining area staff at Mawamba was very friendly and professional, the lodging was average. (There was a misunderstanding about the canal tour time, but Laura came and got us out of bed, and was very gracious about it.)
The Azania Bungalows turned out to be the best! with great food and lodging, beautiful gardens and wildlife, and right close to the beach. Staff was great! We highly recommend it! Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, so we didn't get any relaxing beach time.
Jose drove us from SanJose to Tirimbina, and demonstrated much patience when he had to drive his vehicle over rough roads, out in the rural area of Tirimbina, only to find out that the Tirimbina Lodge was in a different location. It was a little rural "detour" but all ended well.
Fisroy was our primary driver, doing all of the airport arrivals and departure, as well as the trip to Puerto Viejo. He made himself available to us at all times and always went the "extra mile" to make sure things went smoothly. He gave us a great guided tour through Cahiuta National Park. He even offered to do Manzanilla the next day as well, but the weather did not cooperate in Puerto Viejo (clouds and rain). He also took the time to search out some restaurants with great local food. He added a real personal touch to all of our time with him. We so enjoyed it !
Thanks to everyone involved, including Alejandro who spoke with me on the phone within hours of our departure for Costa Rica, to assure us that our trip was still going to happen as planned (in spite of unexpected COVID restrictions).I am thankful that KimKim/ Amazilia provided direct phone access!
We look forward to another trip planned through you in the future!

We had a fantastic trip to Marrakech, very much thanks to our guide Abdel. He planned a great itinerary for us and had really listened to what we were looking for. The recommendation of everything from the Riad (Palais Sebban!) to restaurants and our local guide Hassan were such a good match for what we wanted. The best part of the trip was going with Abdel to the Atlas Mountains for hiking and meeting people in the villages around Imlil.
Thank you Abdel and Original Travels for an amazing trip!! We will be back!

We had such a great trip. Everything was planned out for us and our local specialist Yenyi helped us with everything we needed including rescheduling multiple times due to the pandemic, arranging our covid testing and providing us with great recommendations while in Costa Rica. Would use kimkim again and recommend to others.

As someone who usually prefers to make all of my own travel arrangements, I was hesitant to use Kimkim for my recent trip to Namibia. The Kimkim team and Petru in particular quickly proved that all of my biases against travel agencies were wrong. Petru was extremely knowledgeable about the lodges, parks and related travel information in Namibia, and was able to help me successfully navigate the difficulties of COVID-era travel. The lodgings and travel arrangements Petru selected were exactly what I requested, a perfect mix of luxury and adventure. Transfers to and from the airport in Namibia were seamless, and the team on the ground in Namibia was also extremely helpful. Whether you are a family looking for a luxury safari or a single traveler looking to get off the beaten path, Petru and the Kimkim team will find the itinerary for you.

Our trip to Morocco was a once in a lifetime experience thanks to Wanderlust Voyages. We spent 2.5 weeks travelling throughout the country, and our driver/guide Ibrahim, as well as Megan and the Wanderlust crew, made sure everything was just how we could have wanted it to be. Ibrahim took care of us as if we were a member of his own family, especially our two year old son - who to this day is talking about getting back "in the bus and going to Morocco".

Even with COVID restrictions, were able to see quite a few sites around the country. Our guide in Fez, Kamal, was spectacular - we highly recommend him! All the hotels took great care of us, but in Fez, the staff at Palais Sheherazade were welcoming, friendly, and caring for our son during our few days there, as well as for us and our needs. The Es Saddi resort was similarly wonderful. We would very much recommend them again! Thank you so much!

Our trip to Marrakech and Imlil in the Atlas Mountains, planned and guided by Abdel from Original Travels, was a spectacular (!!) return to travel for a group of vaccinated expats coming from Abu Dhabi.
We started out with a very smooth transfer from Casablanca to Marrakech with our wonderful (and safe!) driver, Samir, then had dinner at our gorgeous riad, Palais Sebban, a solid recommendation from Abdel. Our first morning, we took a super fun and informative cooking class at Maison Al Arabe then met up with our laid-back and kind local guide Hassan, for a loop through the Medina where we learned a lot about the culture and daily life of Marrakech and shopped for carpets, leather goods and argan oil.
The following day we were driven to Imlil in the Atlas Mountains for unforgettable hiking, visits with local Berber families for lunch and tea and a night of stargazing and some of the best tajine of the trip from Khasbah du Toukbal. Then it was back to Marrakech for our last two nights. We booked hammam treatments at the Royal Mansour, one of the city's prettiest hotels, a stop at the Majorelle Gardens and YSL museum and a final loop through the souq.
Phew!
We are a relatively well-traveled group and I have to say this was a trip of a lifetime, thanks to Abdel. He was so responsive and helpful in planning and leading us, but also patient and sweet when it came to giving us time to relax and do our own thing.
If you're looking to be a tourist, and I mean that in the very best sense of the word of experiencing and learning and feeling awe and gratitude for this big world, Original Travels is how to do it. Thank you, Abdel!