Kimkim Trip Reviews

I had an excellent experience in planning my trip to Myanmar with Anne and with everything that she arranged for me while I was there.

Anne was extremely responsive as soon as I was put in touch with her, and she was very patient while I went back and forth on what I wanted to do on short notice. Once I decided to pull the trigger, she gave me great options tailored to the way that I like to travel and was very quick with suggestions and changes. She was amazing with everything within Myanmar, and I have to give her additional credit and thanks for making really helpful suggestions related to my international travel/ long haul flights, which she certainly didn't have to do since she wasn't directly involved with them.

I feel that everything that she planned for me allowed me to see a lot of the country and certainly all of the highlights within a relatively short period of time (roughly 10 days). I loved everything that I did - sightseeing by bike and boat in Mandalay, visiting the amazing pagodas and taking a cooking class in Bagan, seeing the markets, countryside and caves from Heho to Pindaya to Kalaw, spending a day with amazing elephants at the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp, exploring Inle Lake, and finally seeing the sites in the big city of Yangon, which was so completely different than everywhere else I'd been. It would be hard to pick favorites, but Bagan, the elephants, Inle Lake, and Yangon were particularly wonderful.

Beyond taking in all of the places that that beautiful country has the offer, the people were amazing. Anne set me up with absolutely incredible guides and drivers everywhere that I went, and they were all for lovely to spend time with and informative about everything that they were showing me. I even got to meet some family! Anne herself also took the time to meet me in Mynamar and take me for a drink and nice conversation. As a more general note, I was traveling alone, and I always felt completely comfortable and welcomed everywhere I went.

I had always wanted to go to Myanmar, but it exceeded my expectations. I hope more people get to experience it and its lovely residents.

All transport and drivers felt safe and was punctual. Our guide to mindo (Marcelo Chavez) was maybe one of the best guides we have experienced. He really payd attention to the groups needs and gave good and pedagogical information. He was truly professional, positive and service minded. Hotel in mindo (Dragonfly) and Cotopaxi was memorable. All activities was good.

Vi did an absolutely fantastic job preparing our itinerary for Patagonia in January 2020. She was accommodating to our preferences (everything from date preferences to hotels to activities), and she served as a resource for additional activities and sights to experience during our time there. When we ran into issues with planned excursions, she went out of her way to find alternative solutions for us. I couldn't have imagined a better way to have spent 9 days in Patagonia. Thank you, Vi, for the trip of a lifetime.

Planning and booking our trip on kimkim was so easy and convenient. Visiting Patagonia can be complicated and you should ideally book everything months in advance since the campsites and refugios fill up. Since we didn't book far in advance, kimkim was super helpful in securing everything we needed. We did the 5-day W Hike and came home with lifelong memories. Having a guide show us the ins and outs of the park was great and super helpful when buses didn't show up when they were supposed to or ferries decided to leave early! We didn't have to worry about planning out our days or cooking our own meals, that was all done for us. Highly recommend. We can't wait to book our next trip!

Yassine was amazing, whatever he recommended about the time/places to be spent in different cities was totally on the dot. The driver (Mohammed) who was was with was for the full 12 days from our arrival in Casablanca till our departure out of Casablanca, was such a nice human being, I am just flabbergasted. I cannot find a single itsy bitsy tiny fault of Mohammed for the duration of our trip. The restaurants/hotels booked by Yassine were out of this world. No issues with any logistics/payments with kimkim / Yassine with any our bookings. I will blind foldedly recommend, Yassine / Morroco Off the Beaten Track / Kimkim anyday

Leo helped me plan 2 great adventures in the Philippines. Highly recommend!
Ifugao Trek: Jody was an AMAZING guide for the Ifugao trek. Very knowledgable, personable, genuine, fun, and kind. He went out of his way to make sure we got the experience we were looking for while also being safe. We had such a good time we would love to bring our parents back to share this awesome experience. One of the best tour guides we had, that is now a friend .

Northern Palawan Tour: Jhonas was very knowledgable about the area. We admire his dedication to the community and eco-tourism industry in Coron. He is a master of photography, and took some amazing pictures of us; he worked very hard to ensure that we captured the memorable moments of the Northern Palawan Tour. Jhonas also is an incredible cook; we did not go hungry on the trip, we felt very special and catered to which was amazing on our honeymoon trip.

We thoroughly enjoyed everything about our Vietnam trip.

Alex was wonderful in helping organize our trip and super responsive.

Halong bay and Tra Que were definite highlights, as was hiking through Sapa.

All of our guides were friendly and knowledgeable. We only wish we had more time to explore further!

Traveling to Norway in December presents its own unique challenges - mostly due to the fact that the weather is unpredictable (which we knew going into things)- but everything that could be controlled was handled smoothly and efficiently through Kimkim. We had a number of room reservations and travel connections that had to be coordinated, and Kimkim made sure that everything flowed together smoothly. We traveled northward by plane, train and ferry, and each step along the way we were where we needed to be when we needed to be there with minimal hassle. Kimkim also arranged for our local tours, including private walking tours, a bus tour, a whale watching tour, a Northern Lights chase, dog sledding, and reindeer sledding all of which were professionally run and very enjoyable. Ingrid, our Kimkim specialist, worked to incorporate our personal interests and was responsive to my many questions prior to departure. Once we were on the ground in Norway, a "glitch" arose regarding our whale watching tour (an equipment problem with the boat) and Ingrid quickly worked to rearrange things before we even became aware of any problem. As with any "complex" trip there were a few minor missteps, but overall things went very smoothly.
The highlights of the trip were our walking trip with Sonya, our guide in Trondheim, the Northern Lights Chase and reindeer sledding (also in Trondheim) and Birk Husky in Kirkenes. We traveled on two different Hurtigruten ferries, both of which we enjoyed - although we liked the smaller size of the Richard With better than the larger Trollfjord.

This is my 2nd time using kimkim to book a trip and I am so glad I did! This was my first time to go to Italy and I wanted to do/see all the highlights. Marianne created the ideal itinerary for me and I was able to do everything I wanted and more. I had the most amazing 19 days touring Italy-Venice (Murano and Burano), Florence (Sienna, Pisa), Naples (Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Pompeii), and Rome-with great tours and days to saunter and wander on my own. I mean, it was PERFECT! I did have a few hiccups but Marianne was readily and immediately available via WhatsApp to help and get things sorted for me and she did. Everything from hotels, tours, and transportation (private car and train tickets) were all booked ahead of time and I received all of that information before I even headed to Italy. Not having to worry about those things allowed me to relax and enjoy my entire trip. Marianne even offered great suggestions for things to do in each location during my days I had to explore on my own. I'm really grateful that those exploration days were part of my itinerary. I was able to revisit some sites as well as see things I encountered along the way. I didn't feel like I missed out on anything! I highly recommend Marianne to help you plan your Italy trip!

Pauline was great. Our Iceland trip wouldn’t have been the same without having this itinerary and the availability to discuss with Kim Kim while I was there with any questions or concerns I had.

Samad was absolutely amazing. He was a very good driver and became a good friend to me. He gave good tips, and was very flexible. He made great suggestions on where to eat, and told me things I never expected. He took pictures, and helped me with my things, and assisted me in other ways besides. Samad definitely helped make my experience even more amazing and I definitely want to go back to Morocco some time. He even taught me a little bit of Arabic at my request! Though I am not all that good.

The guides provided were very knowledgeable and were able to answer any question that I came up with, and that is saying something as a man who is both very curious and had a bit of knowledge already in the subjects covered. They were definitely experts and, just like Samad, were quite flexible to the whims I had as a solo traveller. My usual style is to "wing it" for the most part and I still felt plenty of freedom. I felt no pressure really to rush my little explorations.

The one person I interacted with in the tannery tour did pressure me a little bit. Not the Fes guide, but the person from the tannery specifically. And he is not associated with the company. So everybody provided to me by the company was outstanding and made this trip unforgettable. The accommodation at Riad Dar Malika was also great. I didn't expect that the company would rent out a whole Riad for me! It made my stay in Fes all the more relaxing to have free reign over my lodging.

I do not regret my decision to actually sleep in the Ksar of Ait Bennadou. The desert tour on camelback was awesome. The tours were super informative. The views in the Atlas mountains were stunning. This was my most amazing vacation in a while. It's thanks to Samad, and the other great people the company provided that made this an adventure I will never forget.

My daughter and I used Kim Kim on our recent trip to Thailand which was fantastic. They took care of all our needs whilst we were there booking trips, transfers, hotels etc.. Everything worked like clockwork. The hotels were perfect and the guides very informative and all spoke English. We did a three centre trip taking in Bangkok, Chiang mai and Ko samui. The highlight for us both was completing the 60km cycle trip in Chiang mai. Having said that all the trips we booked were excellent giving us a great experience. These included a day tour in Bangkok, foodie tour at night by tuk tuk, traditional Thai dance night, trekking, cookery class, snorkelling, kayaking and Island hopping by speedboat. We would highly recommend Kim Kim.

My wife and I traveled with another couple to Victoria Falls (2 nights) and South Africa. We toured the garden route (5 nights), had 3 nights in Cape Town, and had 2 nights at Inyati Game Lodge. Kimkim did an excellent job in making all our travel arrangements. This included internal flights, rental car, and all hotels. All our hotels were excellent with the exception of Ibhayi Guest Lodge in Port Elizabeth.

Our rooms in Victoria Falls Safari Lodge overlooked a watering hole. From our balcony we saw hyenas, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and multiple antelopes. Outside of Knysna we stayed at Brenton Haven. The rooms were large, self catering, and had excellent views of the beach. We also enjoyed the food at their restaurant.

Our last two nights were spent at the Inyati Game Lodge in Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve. Their food was excellent and plentiful. The rooms were also very nice. We loved our guide Diff and tracker Rodger and highly recommend both of them. We were fortunate to see a pack of dogs and a clan of hyenas fighting over a kill. We also saw a leopard in a tree eating an impala. Both Diff and Rodger were friendly and informative. Diff also would identify all the birds. We were able to see the big five before our trip was over.

The service from our travel specialist Lize was prompt and efficient. This included fulfilling our request to move our pick up time up by 30 minutes on our last day. (request was made at 9 am, pickup at 1230). She also arranged to have another couple added to our Cape Town tour with short notice.

This is the third trip my wife and I have taken with kimkim. We highly recommend them.

A great week in Morocco. Said our driver/guide was excellent very knowledgeable and easy to talk to alongside being a very good driver, my Mum sometimes gets travel sick but had no issues on the trip. Said was always on time or on the one occasion traffic held him up he kept us informed which wasn't a problem anyway. He was always incredibly polite and accomodating, we really couldn't have asked for a better guide.

The trip avoided tourist traps and we really felt we saw the 'real' Morocco alongside seeing the history and not missing any highlights. The Riads were fantastic, lovely smal homely places, particularly Riad Zyo in Rabat which was our favourite. The local guides was knowledgeable and friendly showing us the highlights of Fes and Marrakech. Be prepared to barter with the shop keepers to get a good deal!

We hope to return one day and see other parts of the country and would certainly recommend Wonderlust.

Our local specialist, Randall helped to plan an amazing visit to Costa Rica that was just the right combination of relaxation and adventure! The adventure started in Rincon de la Viejo National Park for a great hike with Andre. What an amazing combination of landscape, forest, volcanic pools and an abundance of wildlife. Andre was extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun! The next several days were all about relaxation in Playa Hermosa with stops in Playa Coco and Tamarindo. We then headed to Arenal for white water rafting, exploring the hanging bridges and lots of time in the hot springs. Magical is the best way to describe the experience and we had such a great time with Jairo and Koki from Wave Rafting and Christian on our tour through Mistico Park. It was our first trip to Costa Rica, but won't be the last. The Costa Rican people are so welcoming and friendly, many thanks to everyone for a memorable vacation!

Trip was great, the country is beautiful. we saw many beautiful spots. we had a very good time based on the itinerary that we had customized. Sigiriya rock, Dambulla cave, Cutlural dance show. Yala National Park was amazing. The tracker and naturist were very good and made us see mostly all animals. We saw Leopards, Sloth bear, Tusk Elephant, Crocodile, lots of Birds, Peacock, Land monitor, Deer, Eagle, etc. Then we went to Mirissa and saw the Blue Whale, it was so beautiful. We took a ride on Madu Ganga river seeing the mangroves and we watched the best sunset when the birds were flying over water. Gangarama temple was very beautiful. On the way to these places we stopped at couple of hindu temples that we customized in the trip. Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple, Ashoka Vatika, Sita Amman Temple, etc. The Peradeniya botanical garden is not worth the visit.
our Driver/ Guide Pradeep was great, very honest, tried everything to keep us happy. The hospitality at all hotels were great. Food was good everywhere. the only thing we didn't like is that every hotel, the dinner is open buffet but not so great menu. and the hotels are not interested to take a la carte orders. however on our last day we ordered a la carte, it was more expensive than buffet but it was very nice food and we were happy with that. The car also was too low and not fit for countryside driving, too many slopes, each time the bottom would hit the road when driving. next time, they should provide an saloon car or an SUV.
All the hotels, the guide, the driver, the national park people helped us to have a wonderful trip. Every single place we went to was worth the drive, we wouldn't remove any place we went to based on our customized trip.

Kim Kim was amazing. Very prompt in responding to our request. The bookings and hotels were just what we wanted and perfect for our family vacation. The only challenge we encountered was several of the guides only spoke Spanish yet were very helpful to try and accommodate our needs. Costa Rica was beautiful! Great family place to vacation.

My wife and I used Kimkim for our honeymoon to Peru. Their services, prices, availability of their staff and willingness to accommodate our travel arrangements were beyond wonderful. Booking our trip and mapping each stop, the length of the stay for each city, the mode of transportation through Peru, and the tickets for attractions and local flights was very easy and comprehensive. Across Peru, their team was friendly, on time, extremely knowledgeable about every site we visited and so very flexible. We loved the hotels Kimkim selected for us and were happily surprised by the meals they arranged to welcome us in Cusco and on the way to Machu Picchu. We absolutely recommend this company to anyone planning a trip abroad and will use them again in the future.

Carlos

Cant say enough good things about this service or our interactions with Andrea. This was the first time we traveled with our adult children as a Christmas present. Lots of different personalities and interests. Andrea took time to interview me. Asked lots of questions and helped design a week with something for everyone.
We spent time in Cartagena and the Rosario Islands. Our accommodations were lovely and all our excursions well planned with terrific guides.
Thank you for all you did
Lea and Jon Austen. Charleston SC

Firstly planning our trip with Kim Kim was a delight. The team really asked the right questions and understood what we were looking for in an itinerary. Amanda answered all my detailed questions about safety and they were able to use their local knowledge to suggest the best way to customise our experience. The accommodation exceeded our expectations in terms of cleanliness and luxury. We were given full disclosure regarding the eco lodge not having hot running water but the warmth of the staff (a Nepalese family of three generations) more than made up for it. The highly educated, well informed and friendly guide Surbash gave us insights into Kathmandu that enriched our experience and made lifelong memories.
Himalayan trails provided us with reliable, safe drivers and vehicles that were always in the right place at the right time to smooth our journey, often keeping our luggage secure so we could explore unencumbered. Kim Kim and Surbash only recommended food outlets they had tried and enjoyed and they could vouch for the hygiene standards, so we were able to taste a range of modern and authentic Nepalese food and not risk an upset tummy.
We had no concerns regarding procuring clean drinking water although resources are scarce but I would advise any western woman to take a ‘she wee’ device to ensure comfort during days of visiting historical sights and transiting through local airports etc.
Finally, we were pleasantly surprised by how well the Kim Kim staff communicated with us throughout the trip. I was not expecting each different staff member that dealt with us to be so fully informed of our itinerary and requirements. Kripa remained in daily contact to help us navigate changes to our itinerary due to the weather and maximise the enjoyment of our visit.

Nepal is a stunning location with fascinating history. We had an exciting and memorable trip and would definitely book with Kim Kim again and come back to Nepal in future.