Kimkim Trip Reviews

What a fabulous introduction to Nepal my recent trip was. Whilst primarily visiting Nepal to attend a conference, I organised a 12 day tour to follow the conference using kimkim and their local Nepalese travel agent Sangita & Bipin and the team from HNB. “Wow” did I hit the jackpot, Sangita & Bipin were fabulous and put together a trip to encompass all my requirements of wildlife, natural and cultural sites along with an insight into to the cultural history of Nepal. From the first meeting Sangita was a true professional, continuity providing advise, updates on tour program and where needed calming words whilst I experience the frustrations of airport delays through out the length of the tour. In fact she went far and beyond when one of my travelling colleagues inadvertently left some expensive electronic items in her hotel room and didn’t realise till we were some two hours out of Kathmandu and could not contact the hotel by mobile phone - a quick WhatsApp message to Sangita and within five minutes the items had been located and placed in safe storage for pickup on return to Kathmandu. Sangita and her team use top rated guides, drivers and provided excellent accommodation during the length of my trip. A highlight was having breakfast on the balcony of the Sarangkot Mountain Resort overlooking Annapurna south mountain on what was an exceptionally clear morning. There were many trip highlights from the overnight trek to Australia camp with guide Bhim who is a top rate guide and certainly made the trek the fantastic experience it was, but the one highlight that will last a life time was the cultural tour of Kathmandu provided by Bipin, I can’t say enough about this experience-for me this was what the essence of what I wanted an insight into the cultural history of Nepal. Yes you can explore Kathmandu on your own with out a guide, but you don’t experience or receive the insight into the culture delivered by a local with an extensive knowledge and more so a passion for the history of his country - Bipin your in-depth tour will always be a lasting memory. So if you are planning a visit to Nepal for a multi- day trek or just to experience all it has to offer non trekking visitors I can highly recommend Sangita and Bipin and the HNB team they run a five star operation.
Wayne

I was very impressed with the kimkim platform and Dittmar Adventures! Erin was extremely helpful from the very first moment that I requested information, responded quickly, and worked with me to build a customized trip that fit into my budget and schedule. Not having to manage the logistics on my own made the planning so much easier.

Highly recommend the guided tours of Torre Del Paine, Perito Mereno Glacier, the Estancia and the guided hikes via Walk Patagonia (Pablo was great). All of these tours were very well run, and the guides provided very interesting information.

The one suggestion I have for the future- unfortunately, due to weather our Penguin tour in Punta Arenas via Solo Expediciones was cancelled. It is very important to have a plan B for this ahead of time, because it seems that the penguin tour is frequently canceled for weather and the “alternate Condor Tour” offered by Solo Expediciones was extremely disappointing.

Thank you to Erin and Julia for your responsiveness and for setting us up with a great trip!

My wife and I were unfamiliar with Costa Rica but she loves sloths so we selected this location for our honeymoon. With minimal details aside from sloths, Olman was able to plan a beautiful vacation for us. It included a romantic stay for a few nights at a resort as well as a multitude of excursions. Thanks to Olman, we had a great experience in Costa Rica with wonderful memories - we are now planning a trip to Hawaii because of our past experience with KimKim.

I had an amazing adventure in Australia. The in-country agents that kimkim set me up with were overall very good. Initially, I had to review everything quite closely and we made changes to a number of things on the itinerary, such as choice of hotels or upgrades to the hotel rooms. If I hadn't been so engaged I don't think the trip would have been quite as fun and satisfying as it was.

Peggy was very responsive to my requests and added a few nice touches, like private limo airport transfers, which I really appreciated.

All my stops were incredibly satisfying. Sydney was terrific. I did the Bridge Climb (pay the premium for the twilight option as you get afternoon light, sunset and night views) which was really fun. Swissotel was a fine choice — very central and make sure you choose the Executive Lounge option (thanks Peggy!).

Really enjoyed Adelaide and the Mayfair Hotel. About as central to city center as it gets. Wine tour of Barossa Valley was excellent. My two days of touring on Kangaroo Island was wonderful. Kangaroos, wallabees, koalas, sea lions, seals, dolphins, and more! My Inn, Wanderer's Rest, was a little downscale from my other hotels, but the owners and food were lovely. Next time I might splurge on Southern Ocean Lodge.

Cairns was really fun. Peggy suggested the Riley Hotel, which was an excellent choice. Great view of the sea and right on the promenade. Day of snorkeling the reef and the Sky Rail to and train from Kuranda were real highlights. Make sure to do the Gold Service on the train. Well worth the few extra bucks.

Ended my trip with three days at Uluru. I broke the bank staying at Longitude 131, which is the safari-inspired hotel with magnificent views (the only hotel with good views) of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Food, room, everything was amazing. If you can afford to splurge when you visit Uluru, Longitude 131 is the only option, trust me.

In terms of negatives, I was concerned that when I called kimkim customer service about an issue, not only did no one pick up but there was no answering maching. Please upgrade!

Overall, I must give it a big thumbs up, as I had a truly wonderful trip. Having all of Peggy's logistical help was incredibly helpful.

My husband and were able to see five of eight Grand Canary Islands in the course of 11 days. Gilles came up with a great itinerary based on our suggestions of things we wanted to see or do on our trip. The first portion of the tour, visiting the Tenerife and Gran Canaria Islands Gilles arranged local guides for us. Both guides, Juan Miguel and 'Paco' had amazing knowledge of the history of each island and we thoroughly enjoyed our time and hikes with both of them! Gilles then accompanied us for the last three islands, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa. Gilles is originally from Belgium but has made Lanzarote his home for 15 years. He has a great passion and love for his adopted home and has amassed a great knowledge of the history and the special features of the islands. Our days were full and some were long, but we enjoyed every minute of the experience. We met so many friendly people along the way and learned so much about the islands and the unique culture, landscapes and cuisines along the journey. We highly recommend Gilles and Grand Canary Islands!

Had a great trip, everything from planning, preparation and changes during the trip worked very well. We had a great driver who had a pleasant driving style and provided us with a lot of background info about Jordan.

I’m so happy with the Bali service of kimkim it’s beyond words! My guide Yohanes & driver showed me Bali the way I always wanted to see it. They were amazing!

The KimKim Team truly came through beyond my expectations for this short, but very memorable trip to Poland. The hotel choices were excellent, well except for one, but fortunately all others were top class. The drivers were very professional, puntual and friendly. The tours I booked were amazing, but also had plenty of time to spend on my own exploring Krakow and Warsaw. My visit to Auschwitz was with a private driver and guide. I strongly recommend it to avoid the crowds even in late November. Krakow is jut beautiful all around. The visit to Czestochowa was perfect to break the long drive between Warsaw and Krakow. They even drove me through various castles called the Eagle Nest drive. Upon my arrival in Warsaw they provided me with a local cell phone which I could use to contact their local agent Igor Setkowicz. Igor was amazing. He was very attentive to my needs throughout the trip. I book the trip through KimKim’s trip advisor Jared Reisman here in the USA. He also was extremely responsive of any questions or changes during the booking process and trip. I loved the KimKim contact online interface and the various things you can sign up for. They also provide you with online maps of places of interest, dining, etc. Which ai used quite a bit. Overall I will strongly recommended giving these folks a call if you are going to Poland or you are traveling anywhere else where you need to be more independent and not tied to a specific group travel. Before I decided to go with KimKim I tried to book my journey through other agencies I have use extensively in the past like Alexander & Roberts, Kensington Tours and Abercrombie & Kent. KimKim beats them all by far when it comes to customer service.

I recommend the Kimkim team in Colombia without reservations. We had a fantastic trip and I could not have asked for a better agency to work with.
In terms of the initial planning, they patiently helped me through deciding whether to go to Colombia or Peru, which areas to cover, and worked with me through my endless questions and changes. Lisa and Chio worked out an amazing itinerary for our family based on our stated interests, and changed it with only a few weeks to go when it turned out that we could not easily get the appropriate vaccine to visit the Amazon. I had been a little distressed at the need to change the plans at that late date, but they quickly came up with a revised itinerary and I think it turned out even better because we had one fewer plane flight that way within the country.
Chio and Jules answered every question I had after arrival with patience and frequently checked in on us. Jules brought us to our hotel late at night upon arrival in Bogota and made several good suggestions for the rest of the trip. I was really impressed with Kimkim's organization, planning, and the guides they chose in each location were fantastic - very nice, fun, comfortable to be with and knowledgeable, and patient with our attempts to speak and understand Spanish, which made the trip so much more fun and intimate. I really felt like we (me, my husband, and early twenties daughters) got so much out of the trip when with the guides, particularly in Bogota, on our hike in Tayrona Park, and our visit to La Boquilla fishing village. We also really loved going to Minca and staying in the mountains, and the hotel near Tayrona was spectacular. On the way from Minca to Cartagena, a long drive, we were a bit nervous about a country-wide protest's impact on our ability to get through (though sympathetic to the cause), but we had a fantastic driver with whom we had many good conversations and he took great care of us, in addition to being such a sweet and interesting person. We really learned a lot on this trip, stayed in some lovely places, saw varied terrain, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Thanks so much to Kimkim for this experience.

The trip was very well organised by Adriana, she was very helpful, especially when it came to last minute changes. The hotels where fantastic, all nature guides were awesome, very knowledgeable, pick ups were all on time and everyone was super friendly. La Paloma Lodge in Osa is outstanding, In hindsight I should have included a two night stay at Sirena Ranger Station, some people who stayed at Paloma did this and where blown away by this experience.
In Porto Viejo I would include a walk through Cahuita National Park rather than a walk at Punta Uva. ( this was very basic). The trip from San Jose to Porto Viejo was 6 hours due to road works......was not enjoyable but not much do be done about it. If I had to leave something out of the programme, it would be Porto Viejo and spend time in Arenal area instead.
The company at Monteverde who ran the zip line at Selvatura can be highly recommended.
All up, a fantastic trip, true pure vida........thanks a lot Adriana and the team, I will definitely recommend you......

Overall excellent experience. Vinales National Park was worth the 3 hour drive. Bike ride through Vinales was incredible. Very thankful that we did a full day guided tour in Havana on our first day. It helped us get our bearings and find a comfort zone for the remainder of the trip. Karin was very responsive and tremendous to work with.

Our driver (Mau) and our guide (Julio) we’re very friendly, knowledgeable and responsive to our requests and needs . They really added to the success and enjoyment of the trip. We would highly recommend this trip-especially with Mau and Julio.

We had a great experience planning our trip with Laura and the KimKim team.
All our drives we're nice and polite the vehicles were very clean, in all cases except once our drivers arrived on time.
Our guides were great and we got to ask them about their daily life and learn a lot more about Colombian culture. In general the tours outside the city were more comprehensive then the city tours. We especially enjoyed our in and around Valle de Cocora tour with the wonderful Mauricio, who was full of knowledge kindness and joy.
I wouldn't hesitate to plan another trip through KimKim as it really takes the hassle out of planning it yourself.

We had a wonderful 10 days trip to Colombia. From start to finish our experience with Laura in Kim Kim was perfect. She gave us plenty of options and listen to our feedback and needs and answered all very promptly and kindly.
I would highly recommend using her services.
The guides were good and I wish to particularly mention Mauricio who walked us through the Valle de Cocoa and Salento. His knowledge, energy and beautiful way made it the favourite part of our trip!!!

As someone who usually plans all my own travel.........I am happy we went with KimKim!
As someone who usually plans all our own (extensive) travels and doesn’t particularly like traditional tours, KimKim’s model intrigued me. I liked that they surveyed the type of trip I was looking for. I loved the fact that they use destination contacts local to the region. I loved the fact that they did all the vetting of guides and accommodations for me. Then, with so many options in my chosen destination and unfortunately a tight time schedule, I appreciated the customization based on all of the above.
We had a wonderful (albeit too short) tour of Sri Lanka. Shalindra listened to us well and put together the exact itinerary we were looking for. He was knowledgeable, communicative and responded quickly to any questions or concerns. He was available for support before and during the trip. Kapila, our guide, was friendly and knowledgeable. He was good company and a very safe driver at what appeared to us to be very challenging road conditions???
We loved the chosen boutique hotels and found the country fascinating. We will return to Sri Lanka to cover more ground when we can allot the amount of time that It deserves. Thanks to all involved.

Our trip was amazing from start to finish. Sharon was incredibly responsive each time I had a question and made some great suggestions that helped make our trip perfect. In fact, Sharon’s helpful and quick responses are the reason we chose Kim Kim and Morocco Immersions as our tour group. Even though it was our first trip to Morocco, it felt like we were visiting family. Hicham was an informative guide, and went out of his way at every chance to make our trip perfect. He narrated our drive to the desert through the High Atlas Mountains with the history of Morocco as it passed by our window. It was the best history lesson ever! The camel excursion was a highlight, and the luxury campsite in the heart of the desert was unbelievable. We had local guides in each of the cities we visited, and all were informative and sweet. Ait-Ben-Haddou was another highlight. Our Riad in Marrakech was beautiful, and right off the Jemma-al-Fenna square. We wandered Marrakech right from our bedroom door. From start to finish, this was the trip of a lifetime. Thank you to Sharon and her family for everything!

Every guide we had, and every employee at all the bed and breakfasts/motels we stayed at, were so kind, helpful and thoughtful. Emiline created an amazing trip for us unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Makes me wanting to come back to New Zealand for more! The itinerary was very detailed and Emiline was always very immediate with her response and helpful all along the way, from the planning to while we were on the trip and had some weather mishaps. Thank you Kimkim for yet another unforgettable trip for us!

The Manaslu Trek was fantastic. Everyday was stunning new scenery, amazing people and fascinating villages. Amanda was brilliant at fielding all our questions and patiently allowing us to investigate all options before settling on a final itinerary. Sonam, our guide and her team were incredible. Calm, capable and great fun. They gave us an amazing insight into Nepalise life and were so open, friendly and encouraging. They really made the trip.

Our experience with Kimkim was exceptional. To start with Anne was one of the best communicators I have worked with. She was professional, helpful and knowledgeable. Our guides were also wonderful and understood what we were looking for in experiences. In Yangon we learnt so much from our guide. Inle Lake was the highlight of our trip. We loved the 2 days and wished we had more time. This was enhanced by our wonderful guide, Wei. He was delightful. In Bagan we were once again thrilled with the guides we had. May really assisted and made the market and cooking class a day to remember. I have absolutely no negative feedback and will be recommending Kimkim at any opportunity. I hope to have the pleasure of travelling with your help in the future. Thank you

The whole Morocco trip was a memorable - from its rich history to the sensory delights, my travel buddy and I thoroughly enjoyed our time there. This itinerary was good for a taste of Morocco - we would recommend taking local walking tours and while you're at it, pester your guide for history and local anecdotes. And where they would eat, while you're touring the Souk. ^_^

We mostly stayed in the Medina to allow ourselves to be immersed in old Morocco (as opposed to life in the new cities). The desert camp was probably our most spectacular memory: Where else would you experience utter silence, or moon so bright that you don't need a torch to walk in the middle of the night, or sky so clear that you see galaxies and shooting stars (when the moon isn't so bright, that is!) The Riads we stayed in were all comfortable and full of character. We also experienced the local Hammam (traditional bath) - unforgettable! Definitely ask for the full traditional version if you can.

Our driver was Karim from Original Travel, he was warm and friendly throughout the tour. As a glutton for knowledge I personally hoped for more information though - eg we'd have pitstops and quite often we just got out of the car to take photos, with little or no explanation of the significance of these locations. Our local walking guides however were well-versed in local knowledge and history, knew the Medina like the back of their hands and were able to answer any questions we threw at them.

We had amazing memories of Morocco ... The tour was fairly standard in terms of itinerary - some of my friends who went to Morocco over 10 years ago said they pretty much did the same tour. For the uninitiated - it is not for beginner travellers, especially if you're not expecting the rampant aggressive pestering while in the souk. Having a guide helped a bit, as we received less pestering while walking with a local. Will I return? Yes, though will likely do it on my own, and have longer stays in one location to really take things in.