Kimkim Trip Reviews

Nuestro conductor el señor Eider Zuleta fue la mejor compañía que nos pudieron ofrecer. Siempre estuvo muy atento de nuestras necesidades. En Neyva nos encontramos conque no tenían planeado el hecho de que pedimos guías que hablaron inglés pues mi esposo no habla español. Nos pusieron una traductora que en realidad no manejaba mucho el idioma.
En San Agustin los guías el hotel y todo el servicio en general fue excelente al igual que en Popayán.
En Cali nada de lo que estaba establecido en el plan se cumplió. El hotel excelente pero nada más. los guías son personas poco preparadas. El tour de la ciudad fue bastante limitado y no nos llevaron a ver las mariposas u otros lugares emblemáticos que estaban planeados.
La clase de salsa no la vimos y el club al que nos deberían de llevar fue cambiado por otro lugar horrible en el nos tocó a nosotros pagar la entrada pues según el guía está no estaba incluida. La verdad este tipo de cambios no deberían de hacerse y mucho menos el llevar turistas a un sitio que da miedo.
Al siguiente día en cali fue igual nos llevaron a la hacienda y después nos dejaron en el aeropuerto tres horas antes de nuestro vuelo. En el plan dice que ese día el almuerzo estaba incluido pero Natalia que era la organizadora en Cali dijo que ella no estaba informada de esto así que al final nadie respondió.

Dimitris did an excellent job of combining my ideas with his knowledge of Greece. This was my
third time to Greece so there were areas I wanted to revisit and of course have new experiences. Dimitris incorporated some exciting adventures into our vacation. Meteora, Olympia & Monemvasia are a must see. To relax after two weeks of our cross country drive we relaxed at his suggestion in a wonderful Villa on Naxos. Dimitris was patient and always available for questions and quickly resolved any issues. We stayed in wonderful homes with gracious people and of course fabulous food!! We will definitely use KimKim and Dimitris again.

Thank you,

Alexis Savaros

Fridur put together a great trip for us from start to finish. She was always accommodating to us before our trip and even during our trip. She was also able to help us on our extended trip to Iceland as well. We would definitely use Kimkim and Fridur again on our next trip back.

Ingrid was fantastic and helped us each step of the way. Highly recommend Kim Kim. Fast response times, good eateries were recommended and good hotels!!

It was too much driving for the week, we wish we would’ve had more activities to do.

We just returned from an 11-day family vacation in Costa Rica and it was truly fantastic. We had a great balance of planned adventures and downtime that we used to explore on our own. The tours and hotels organized by Randall were all great, and I am so glad we decided to have an expert organize our itinerary instead of trying to figure it out ourselves. Below are the brief reviews of the major highlights of our trip:

Balsa River rafting with WAVE: 5/5. Fun river, great guide, great lunch. Wished it were longer!
Arenal Springs Resort: 5/5. Beautiful resort, nice rooms, nice hot springs, amazing breakfast.
Horseback/Waterfall: 5/5. Nice guide, great scenery, just the right length.
Arenal Hike + Tabacon Hot Springs: 5/5. Terrific guide, interesting history, saw red-eye leaf frog. Evening at hot springs was really relaxing, the buffet at Tabacon was just OK.
Sloth Tour: 3/5. Booked this on our own... seeing the first sloth was cool but after 2 hours they're kind of boring. Very nice restaurant stop at the end.
Car/Boat/Car trip to Monteverde: 5/5. Enjoyed practicing my Espanol with driver Hugo. Rough road, wouldn't want to drive this ourselves!
Hotel Ficus: 4/5. Nice room, lacked fan, restaurant was just OK, too pricey for dinner.
Twilight hike: 3/5. It was OK, but we got really wet and only saw bugs.
100% Aventura Ziplining: 5+/5. Whole family loved this! Tarzan swing at the end is a true test of courage.... just do it!
El Trapiche plantation tour: 5/5. Booked this on our own... very nice coffee/sugar farm tour with chocolate demo too, and tasty samples of everything.
Car trip to Manuel Antonio: 5/5. Private van, our driver Rafael was very friendly and took us to a great soda for lunch. And he stopped so we could see Croc Bridge - very cool!
Hotel Costa Verde: 5/5. Great location, spacious rooms, and plenty of monkeys!
Catamaran Cruise: 3/5. Nice day on the water, but the snorkeling is not really any good. Lots of hot, boring waiting before boarding the boat. We paid for the ship paparazzi photos and felt it was a ripoff for what we actually got. Lunch was decent, crew was friendly.
Espadilla Beach: 5/5. Great beach for relaxing and swimming. Rented cheap surfboards for the kids. Lots of monkeys here too!
Manuel Antonio National Park: 5/5. Beautiful, but prepare to get HOT and SWEATY. Lots of monkeys here.

Overall we had a great time and we could have never figured this all out without Randall. Thanks for the great adventures!

Just returned from a wonderful 4 day trip to Casablanca, specifically to attend a wedding, an amazing experience!
I arranged through Yassine a driver for the 4 days and guides for Rabat and Casablanca. Our driver and guides were truly fantastic throughout. We couldn’t have been happier with their service.
After a great half-day tour of Casablanca, our driver picked us up at 8.30 pm for the wedding and waited willingly and patiently until 3.00 am when we left. Above and beyond! It was our good luck that Yassine happened to be in Casablanca during our visit (he lives in Seattle) and he accompanied us on our tours. An added a pleasurable bonus.
Thank you all so much. We won’t hesitate to recommend Kimkim to friends.
Fiona Lohrisch, Sarasota, Florida.

Alex and her team organised a bespoke company team trip in Hanoi. She was very flexible and patient and managed our requirements with great standards.

Thank you!

Anne was incredible from the first contact. She was flexible and seemed to understand the type of holiday we wanted and planned it fitting in everything we wanted to see and do.
All our guides were great and it was fabulous that they were all different.
Cherry was so bubbly and her knowledge of Yangon and enthusiasm to show us its highlights from the pagoda to trying the food was infectious. We laughed so much and felt really welcome.
Ney was more reserved but so accommodating and happy for us to climb every floor of every building, photograph every angle of every street and shop in every street of Mandalay. we joked with him and teased him and he just laughed. His knowledge of Myanmar history is incredible!
Aka was fun, taking us on a great scooter ride and showing us the highlights of Bagan including some great restaurants and encouraging us along to the UNESCO rock concert!!! His passion for Bagan and its history was also evident.
Naing was just an absolute delight! He wanted so much to please and share in our holiday. He had even surfed the net finding slang colloquialisms to share with us and desperately seeking to speak fluent English. He also is passionate about Myanmar, its history, culture and religion and has a lovely desire to see his country succeed. He shared a very intimate love of his family when he took us to his family home for lunch: an incredible experience with delicious food!

Cottage House in Pindaya, is an absolutely delightful homestay. The hospitality of the owner Miamia was second to none and her warmness and openness made our stay very special. The rooms are minimalist but clean with lovely linen and special touches of handmade paper wrapping the bathroom accessories, fresh mangoes from her trees and homemade jam along with a friendly, fun staff and great menu for dinner if you want to eat in. Breakfast also great.

Umbria hotel in Bagan was a great choice with a lovely infinity pool to use after a hot, dusty day out and big spacious rooms with nice linen. Also the proximity of the hotel to the sights and amenities was great.
The cooking class with Maymay was amazing. From the 7:30 start in the market where she explained the different veges and ingredients and their uses to the final sit down at the finish was so much fun and so interesting. Her passion for charity work was also infectious and truly admirable. I was so excited that we had been able to contribute in a very tiny way to helping children get access to books by doing her class.

One of the greatest experiences was having a day at the elephant camp feeding and bathing the great beasts. Hearing the story of the camp and meeting the wonderful man who set it up was very special. Being that close to the elephants and helping out was a privilege that I will never forget.

We had tea in 3 different families on our various adventures completely spontaneously with friends of our guides and the way we were made to feel so welcome was also a great privilege. We shared laughter, food and culture without language and that was incredibly humbling. In particular the lunch with Naings family was a very special time that I felt very humbled to be a part of.

All the modes of transport, train,kayak,cycles,e-scooter,trekking and boats in all the different waterways were such a great option as the perspective is so different from each seat!

The food was also a real highlight for this foodie! Curries, Mohinga, Shan noodles, ginger, garlic, chillies and so much fresh fruit and vege. What more could a girl want!

KimKim you certainly have my tick! When you want to add NZ to your list let me know.

Thank you for the opportunity to see Myanmar in such a fun,educational and varied way.

Amazing trip and everything went perfectly and Emily's suggestions were excellent.

The coordination of drivers, guides and various excursions worked well: the drivers and guides were personable, knowledgeable, courteous and punctual. The experiences were interesting too as these naturalists were able to spot hidden creatures in the murky waters or shadowy trees and shrubbery such as sloths, caymans, monkeys, parrots, snakes, frogs, millipedes and a variety of birds.

Loved Gallery Hotel. Tremendous value!

Marie was great but is a sommelier and should be touring the city and its wine bars in her element, not tapas.

Loved our sail!

Andrew and the Priorat region were absolutely amazing. One of our best days ever!!! The meal in the village was best meal of the trip!

Craig challenged us on the hike and it was a great day. Also gave us tremendous insight into Spanish art. Meal was disappointing but the service there was great as was the view.

Overall, great trip and thanks for taking the planning research off our shoulders!

We appreciated how hard Emanuela worked to ensure that we had a great trip. We found him to be knowledgeable throughout the pre planning stages. It helped to make for an awesome trip knowing that everything was looked after. Even when there was a mix up with our Glacier Hike, he was readily offering a refund but thankfully we were able to have the company squeeze us in.
My only feedback would be to offer more support in answering questions once we were there. We had asked about a pool, which was listed on the website of the hotel but was unable to locate it. We reached out to Emanuela but he only stated he didn't know and that we would find it. In the moment, I was frustrated as we literally had no one to ask and really wanted to find the pool.
Besides that, it was glorious! I can't wait to come back:) We especially appreciated the bday treat on our last night.
Thank you!!

First, I need to thank Deborah and Tara from Eglin Africa Travel in Cape Town for their recommendations and for planning & arranging an amazing two week holiday in Africa. This was important as my family celebrated my wife's 60th while away.
I cannot recommend their services highly enough - real five star support right throughout the process and they even created a WhatsApp group so we could communicate while away.
Deborah recommended amazing hotels in Cape Town and Stellenbosch and three fantastic game lodges in Khwai, Chobe and Victoria Falls.
Two of the lodges were Pangolin Photo Safaris. Each guest is given a Canon 80D DSLR camera with a 150-600 telephoto lens and taught how to use it to take fantastic photos of the amazing wild animals in Africa. My entire family, none of who have photographic experience beyond an iPhone, really enjoyed the experience and we have hundreds of photos of lion, leopard, elephant, hippo and the amazing African antelope and birds.
If you travel to Africa, please contact Deborah and Tara.

Working with Ingrid was amazing from start to finish! She listened to our preferences, built us a trip around them, and provided a detailed and highly organized trip plan. Her communication was wonderful and answered any questions we had. We particularly loved the breakfast at the Thon Hotel Cecil in Oslo, and the kayaking adventure we had in Fjaerland! We cannot recommend KimKim and Ingrid enough!

Our local specialist, KATY from Aspiring Adventures, arranged our local experience carefully, based on our preferences as a party of 6 adults with various levels of fitness ability and 2 active children. She got us a trip to experience Peru from the Pacific coast to the Andean mountains to the Amazon jungle. She arranged for us to taste Peruvian local cuisine at luxurious restaurants, a farmer's house, an Amaru village house, a boat picnic setting, and a set-menu dining in a jungle lodge. She got us to experience local lifestyle by having us to stay at hostels, Amaru village house, and a jungle lodge. The Muresan family also appreciated our 'green' experience in Peru.

The Muresan family appreciated Katy's list of What to Expect When Traveling to Peru and List to Bring. Perhaps Katy can add:
1. Amaru, the village experience living, is super cold, so please bring seriously warm clothes to be comfortable.
2. Riding ATV is super dusty, so please bring a face mask to cover up, and a backpack cover/plastic to cover yourself and your backpack.
Other than those, Katy was spot on. Please bring gifts for your host families. Something small from your country. From Indonesia, we brought keychains. From the US, we brought t-shirts and keychains. They cost $2-5 a piece and will last a lifetime for your hosts and friendship.

Aldo Sanchez was our ultimate BEST guide! He was patient, quietly listening to our needs, courteously adjusting our trip based on our requests, happily taking our pictures as a group in 'Instagram-worthy' places :), and most importantly, very passionate and knowledgeable about his mountains! He did not push us to buy anything from any merchants. He did not force us to do anything we were not comfortable with. He also made all those hiking and walking a pleasure because he carried a book with him and he kept on stopping to tell stories about the places we passed as we were walking. He was like an audiobook. No suggestion to improve for Aldo. Keep up your great work and service, Aldo! Thank you for your service to our family.

The Muresan family found Wilhen, the cyclist guide, fun, and careful with ensuring our safety on the trails and road. He went as far as we wanted to, as fast as our kids pedaled, and was willing to take several breaks to give Elisa a break because she was running out of gas from not eating proper breakfast. Her fault totally. Luckily, Aldo got a piece of Amaru potato for Elisa to munch and get a little more energy. Thank you, Wilhen.

The Muresan family enjoyed paddleboarding with David at Lake Piuray. He was competent, patient, and more than happy to have fun with my extremely happy kids. Our kids are fish in disguise. I thought they were goofing around a little too much, but David encouraged them to have serious fun. The kids ended up feeling ecstatic, I ended up relaxing, and the car ended up being quiet because both of them fell asleep after our water activity. Thank you, David. Stay safe, keep traveling, and carry on.

The Muresan family had a great time in Amaru. We loved the welcome 'ceremony' when we arrived. We enjoyed working the field for Fredy's family, using the tools that the Inca farmers had been using for centuries. We loved the cooking in the ground procedure that we witnessed and graciously devoured. We admired the camaraderie amongst Fredy's neighbors, who came to help and showed us how devoted the women were to care for their children. We adored the view from hiking 4000 m hill near Fredy's house. BUT the chill was down to every single tiniest bone in our bodies. It was extremely cold during the night that when we had to pee, we almost decided to pee on ourselves to warm our bodies up. But no, we walked down to the toilets, like proper ladies and gentlemen, to release ourselves. What a reward we got. We looked up the sky and saw what the Inca people saw many centuries ago, with our naked eyes, the clear sky with beautiful formation of the stars and the milky way. It was one of our moments of: man, we were glad we had to pee in the middle of the night. Thank you for your hospitality, Fredy. I will send you the printed picture, as I promised.

We loved the Amazon jungle that we got to experience from Puerto Maldonado. Oscar's lodge was pleasantly clean, rustic, and relaxing. The architecture and landscape looked to be carefully designed for ultimate enjoyment of the city people like us. (Juan) Carlos the chef was strict with dining timetable, but we loved his creations, every single time! Oscar's staff members were courteous and very honest. Perhaps, at the bar, for people who don't drink, Oscar can add selling chips, candies, or small muncheries. We enjoyed the common rooms very much, playing games and getting to know other guests, while swinging at the strong hammocks and imagining a leopard or a snake or a monkey or even a sloth peeking to watch us, humans.

Yuri is a passionate and competent guide. We appreciated that even with his stomach problem, he still stayed upbeat and strong to help us enjoy our time in the jungle. He spotted many animals for us when we couldn't even see the creatures! He found the best place (spots) for us to enjoy the clay-licking birds of Peru, had a picnic breakfast, and walked to another spot to enjoy those beauties! He skillfully took us for long day and night walk through the Amazon jungle and to Condenado Lake. He caught 3 piranha fish with ease and graciously shared 1 with us at the lodge. We 4 are still jealous at Yuri for catching those piranha, because none of us could do that! We appreciated Yuri taking us to try to find an Anaconda (or two or a few) at Tres Chimbadas Lake. Yuri knew Reserva Nacional Tambopata very well and was always being green and environmentally conscious, at all times. Thank you, Yuri. Keep up your great service!

The Muresan family would also like to acknowledge the super boat driver Carlo! Carlo drove very smoothly on Tambopata River, without light, at 4 in the morning!, maneuvering through deep and shallow spots, and avoiding fallen trees! WOW! Carlo also managed to stop his boat, to show us a small monkey hanging on the top of a tree, and several families of Capibara, cleverly camouflaged amongst the mudbanks of the river. To top it all of, Carlo ALWAYS kept his boat clean and tidy, every time we got on board of it. You are the man, Carlo! Thank you for showing us a great time at your Tambopata River.

The Muresan family enjoyed the kayaking down the Tambopata River on the last day at the jungle. Next time, please consider arranging this activity to NOT be on the last day, so that we could dry our wet clothes and not bringing those wet clothes back to the US, in our suitcases, for 2 days.

The Muresan family had a glitch with Mayli. She was not able to answer any of my questions during our trip in Peru. She was not helpful and was incompetent at Cusco airport, prior to our departure to Puerto Maldonado. She needed more training to help clients with their airport experience. I wish we had Aldo sending us off from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. He would have known what to do!

In conclusion, our trip to Peru was a blast! Thankfully, Mayli is just a little insignificant glitch. Our family had a once in a lifetime experience and will be sharing our reviews (minus Mayli) in Social Media, to promote Peru, Kimkim Travel, and Aspiring Adventures. Thank you.

We had a wonderful trip to Norway and enjoyed having the expertise of our KimKim specialist, Vilde. Our Norway trip included visits to Oslo, Bergen and Ålesund. We had done our own research, but it was great to have the local touch from Vilde - including some lovely recommendations for where to stay, shop and eat. Our favorite spot was Geirangerfjord - truly spectacular scenery and we lucked out with sunny and clear weather during the majority of our trip (July 2019). Another highlight was the hike up Fjellstua to see the panoramic views of Ålesund’s architecture, the surrounding archipelago and fjords. Thanks KimKim and Vilde for a memorable vacation!!!

Te trip was amazing. The organisation was superb and we were able to do all that was promised. Our guide and driver looked after us and we did not have to worry about anything other than having a good time.

Thank you for putting a terrific wonderful outstanding vacation for us. It was one to remember forever.
The team was amazing. From a birthday cake for our son, to cold water bottles delivered unexpectedly in the middle of a hot Santa Marta tour, even loaning me money until I found an atm, the team is exceptional. The best. I highly recommend them.

Wonderful knowledgeable guides. All drivers were professional, courteous and responsive. Francisco in Bologna was exceptional.