Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our Ecuador adventure was amazing due to the excellent support from Linda and Kimkim. Linda helped us pull together a diverse itinerary for the relatively short amount of time we had in a country we knew nothing about. She was very responsive to emails and patient with our questions and worked within our parameters that kept changing. We loved all the accommodations recommended by Linda, in particular the Inti Sisa Art Guesthouse in Guamote and Hosteria Mandala at the coast in Puerto Lopez - both so amazing and gorgeous, and each supporting important social and environmental projects in their communities which was important to us. And in our price range! We appreciated Linda’s recommendation to have a driver/guide traveling from Quito to Banos, and enjoyed a full day with Annibal V learning about Ecuador, and seeing the sites. A more expensive transportation option, but but well worth it and balanced off with the super inexpensive (and more adventurous!) buses we took at other points in our travel. Another highlight was our day trip to Isla de la Plata with Machalilla Tours - again recommended by Linda and we felt confident in the quality and safety of their equipment, services and guides. Thanks Linda for helping to create such a memorable trip for three Canadian gals, we would not hesitate to highly recommend your services to others.

I traveled to Colombia solo and returned home to Seattle with incredible memories, thanks to the KimKim team. My guides were attentive, informative and very punctual. They ensured that I had a great time - I got to tweak the itinerary to best suit my interests. So I was off learning salsa one afternoon and traipsing through the streets of Cartagena the next. I got to see the incredible variety of birds that Colombia is famous for - from the Andean cock of the rock and the wax-eared parrot in Jardin to the birds endemic to Santa Marta. Yuliana was very good about making last-minute changes to my itinerary. My local guides in Jardin, Diego and Paula were a young, enthusiastic pair that shared my passion for birding. Erik Ramirez knew the birds of Santa Marta as well as he knew the people. I have pictures to prove it! The members of the Colombian Project were proactive and responded quickly anytime I had questions.
I wish I could have visited Tayrona National Park - but if I finish everything in one trip I wouldn't have anything left for the next time, right?
Thanks again for a memorable trip. My friends are visiting Colombia and you are guiding them too! I hope they have an incredible time too!
Vimla

I liked working with KimKim because I always felt in control of our trip. I liked being able to add experiences which allowed us to make the trip personal. We could make decisions along the way and not have a tour guide telling us to get on the bus.
Our first tour guide in Tokyo (name?) was wonderful. She interacted with the children and they learned so much. She took the time with them and let them set the pace somewhat, making adjustments to places and time easily if needed.
The second tour guide in Kyoto was very nice but seemed more intent on getting us through everything rather than creating an experience.
The experiences such as tea ceremony and ninja lessons, and cooking lessons were wonderful. One of the highlights of the trip.
Our only complaint was the time schedule in Hakone. We were unable to fully enjoy the area due to the bus schedule. We didn't realize how far away from the train station was the hotel. We figured we would drop off our overnight bags and then explore. But we were 25 minutes out of town. However, the inn was wonderful and the children had a great time playing in the room and attached hot spring bath.
The support team was wonderful in helping along the way with questions and suggestions.

I loved that my grandchildren were immersed in the culture and loving every minute. My grandson even asked if he could live in Japan ! We bowed at every torii gate, prayed at every shrine, admired the cherry blossoms, and became pros at public transportation.
Thanks for a wonderful trip.

We traveled a lot and It was our first time to try a self guided tour. It’s an amazing experience since we have our time and choices to maneuver which places we like and explore. It’s an adventure that time is not pressured but it’s laid out for you to venture. As long as your provided SIM card is activated then everything is easy. Our best unforgettable adventure is the hike to Mt Tarawera by kaitiaki adventure which was arranged by Kimkim and the thermal spa . Breakfast was substantial and accommodations are acceptable. Valentin our tour organizer, was quick to respond and understand our interest and so we are happy and contented with our NZ adventure. I highly recommend Kimkim but make sure to have more time in NZ rather than just one week . I’ll definitely come back in the near future with more time. Kia Ora ! We are happy camper, thank you very much.

We had two tours- one with Eon and one with Lisa- and both were wonderful! Eon took us to the wine country- 3 wineries and lunch- and Lisa took us on a scenic tour of the peninsula- Cape Point, Boulders Beach- and lunch at Two Oceans. We cannot say enough about them- both guides were so knowledgeable, fun, interesting, attentive, sweet- we were so very impressed! Would definitely recommend both to our family and friends.

Yasantha did a great job and managed to tailor an amazing trip based on "Trails of an Ancient Kingdom" that perfectly fitted our desires. We decided to extend the 10-day programme, and modifying the itinerary, adding extra days of hiking, planning accommodation and connecting us with local trekkers and guides was always done instantly. Communication before our trip was excellent and ran very smoothly, all the questions that we had were answered which gave us the impression to be taken care of in a very personal way that you usually can't expect while using a booking platform. In the country itself we got in contact with awesome local guides, all the staff of Eco Team Sri Lanka works in an outstanding way, well trained, so kind and helpful and with a stunning experience and awareness of the nature (Knuckles Manigala trekking, Eshan and his team for the Belihuloya trek through the jungle, Adam's Peak and Russell and all the people at the Udawalawe Big Game Camp). Thanks to our driver Sanjaya who took us safely to all the exceptional places that this country has to offer.

Using Kim Kim was pretty easy. Dan set us up with things in line with what we were looking for. Our local guides were good, but I’m glad I spoke the local language as some of the English skills were rough.

Well what great organisation! Many congratulations Carmelo. We had a fab holiday thank you all very much.
Taxi was waiting at the airport, all the Hotels and B&B's were simply first class, the hosts were so friendly and so helpful, and the local guides were all excellent. We learnt so much from all of them.
The whole holiday was a joy and all places were memorable for their own reasons.
Katia was a particuarly instructive guide at Casale de Romana, her knowledge and manner was lovely.
It would be good for future customers to give more guidance about driving in to Ortigia. There is public car parking and a grid reference for this would have been helpful. As it was we had to ask locals to help us about how and where to park the car, due to the traffic zone car parking.
We will certainly use your services again and recommend you to others.

Kind Regards

Julia and Paul Vincent

Wonderful experience, Tamara and Mohammad pampered us with a perfect professional service, everything running smoothly and even more.
The guides were very professional, careful and deeply in love with their country, which makes the real difference between a good service and a wondefrul experience.

First time we used KimKim. Brahim was great and very responsive. All of our accommodations were excellent. Our driver Mohammad was great and made the time go by quickly.

A few things though for travellers to Marrakech. Be prepared people there are looking to take money from you. For us it started with the Global Currency Exchange in the airport. They insisted we need a prepaid credit card despite my many protests they would not relent as they said they had already done the transaction. The woman kept telling me over and over that I needed one and it was better than cash. Rip off. They charged me $30 Us to issue a $100 Us equivalent card and then most vendors there refused to accept it. Do not go to that currency exchange. It is the second one you see coming out of arrivals. In the Riad a random person showed up as we were off loading our bags from the baggage cart guy. He lifted two bags out of the cart. He then insisted I had to pay him $10 US for his services. In Tangier it was even worse as people followed you everywhere and were very aggressive.

Last thing do not go into a @Berner Home” for a visit unless you are planning to buy a carpet. This was one part of our trip I found very annoying. We were told we were going to see how the Barbers live. Instead it was a carpet warehouse and they pressure you like crazy to buy. And they are relentless and then get mad at you if you do not buy. I auggest in any excursions know exactly what you are getting into. Again we had the same experience in the so called “Spice Market” and Rose Water stop which which are both just high pressured tourist traps. Same thing again in Tangier’s.

All in all the country is beautiful and the people friendly and I get it that people are trying to live by selling but your operators need to be more honest. They get kick backs on all of this stuff and I feel I wasted a lot of my vacation time being pressured to buy stuff I had not interest in.

Randall was just awesome!! He created a wounder full trip for me. I been never to Cosa Rica before but I know what I like and how I like to travel. I just gave him the Information About what I was Looking for, and he planned a perfect trip for me. I had his number and I could contact him while traveling when I had any Questions. I will book again with KimKim and if I go back to Cosa Rica I will book again with Rendall. My trip was About 10 Days Long and I saw so many sides of Costa Rica (Volcano, Rainforest, Cloud Forrest, Beaches, Nightwalks, Mountains, Rivers and lots of animals).

If you never been there just give Randall Information what you are looking for and your Budget, and he will create you an individual Trip whit everything in what you love. I got exactly what I was Looking for and I can recommend Kimkim and specially Rendall to everybody. Thank you again for the awesome Trip!!!

Caro

Visited Jordan for 8 days with my mom & a friend. LENA was our coordinator. She was very patient with my requests, offered suggestions and was very communicative.The arrangements for our hotels were outstanding, all in the heart of town, allowing us to roam freely.Our driver was Safwat for majority of the trip.He was kind, helpful and very safe in his driving. We had a fantastic time with no stress.Thank you Lena for the superb arrangements.

One of my most increíble experiences ever! This truly was a bucket list trip and everything went perfectly, I enjoyed every second of the trip. Jawad, my guide, was perfect, knowledgeable, engaging, just all around great fun! My Bedouin guide made the most fabulous tea every day he was with us, and our cook for the evenings when were were camping made the most amazing dinners and fabulous breakfasts the next morning. Everywhere we stayed was unique and special and I enjoyed the special charactaristics of each place. The Lodge in Dana had the most amazing views from the room, Feynan ran by candle light and was beautiful, camping in the desert was so much fun, the Bedouin camps were an absolute treasure and a wonderful experience. While hiking (one of my upmost favorite activities) we got to see many birds, a blue lizard, herds of goats and sheep and camels and meet just the nicest people who asked us to stop for tea. What a welcoming and beautiful country Jordan is. Petra was breathtaking, and I truly appreciated Jawad's vast knowledge of the área, the people and the history. I got to go on my first ever camel ride in Wadi Rum, an experience I will never forget! The desert of Wadi Rum is truly beautiful - we even got to see some rock climbers! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the most amazing, unforgetable trip. This was truly the best!

Great experience! Chris was helpful in every aspect of making the arrangements. The hotel I was staying at was tucked away and very hard to find but to my surprise, my driver showed up early and was waiting for me within a few feet of my doorstep. The price was a little more than I wanted to pay but for the service I received it was well worth it. Thanks again and would recommend using this company.

This trip was an amazing experience owing to the excellent organisation provided by Sudarshan before the trip as well as along it. In addition, the Guide was extremely helpful and was always ready to help, as he knew everything about the trek itself and therefore gave us all the help that we needed. To sum up, it was an incredible trip due to the organisation and help provided beforehand as well as for the “best in class” guide that came with us. So we definitely look forward to our next trek with them.

I had a great time on my trip, and have already recommended several people to KimKim to plan their own vacations to Morocco. Everything was well planned, making it easy to move around. If I was on my own I would for sure feel overwhelmed by all of the sights and activity options. Using KimKim made it accessible and fun. What a fabulous time!

Our trip to Myanmar has been just excellent. From the start until the end the communication with Anne was great, as she organised in a very short time a trip which allowed us to see as much as possible of Myanmar in the limited amount of time that we had. Our guides were all knowledgeable and we felt always safe with our drivers, and we were able to experience local highlights which allowed us to get to know Myanmar and the people of Myanmar better (cooking class, eating lunch in the homes of local families ). All in all we were very happy with our trip and would definitely recommend Anne!

The trip was excellent! Everything was so well organized. I enjoyed all the events and the hotels. Thank you so much for a memorable trip. I will definitely use your services again.

The trip of a lifetime! The whole experience even managed to exceed my already high expectations. Our guide, Sonam, looked after us with exceptional care, attention and patience. She paced out our trek perfectly and made sure that we were always feeling well. What's more, her bubbly personality and positive attitude made her delightful to be around. She even stayed up late one night to make me a cake upon discovering that it was my birthday the following day. All in all she really made the difference to our trip. The porters were also great and funny and went well out of their way to ensure we always had what we needed.

The communication with Erin was great throughout the whole process and the trek she suggested was exactly what we were after. She organised a refund for my accommodation when my connecting flight was cancelled and was always on hand to answer our questions.

So overall a wonderful experience and very happy clients all round. Look no further for your trip to Nepal!

The Trek
The Nar and Phu trek was incredible and we can’t recommend it enough. The vistas were utterly awesome and the variation between days was great. The towns were interesting and the monastery at Nar phedi was a highlight. It was rare to see other western hikers (perhaps one or two groups per day) which was exactly as we’d hoped. It was physically challenging but aside from a bit of a few altitude headaches and sore legs, we made it through without any problems. The accomodation was simple but more than adequate and the food was what was expected (dhal bhat) with some other delicious surprises. I’m a big guy (6”5 and 220 lbs) and eat a lot so brought plenty of extra snacks as the volume of food in the distant regions could be a little on the smaller side.

The guiding team
Our guide, Sonam, was truly exceptional. She was bright, sweet, friendly and a very knowledgeable as well as being exceptionally well organised and caring for our group (making sure we didn’t ascend too fast etc). Our group cannot speak highly enough of her! Our porters Thilen and Peckma (apologies if I’ve misspelt their names) were very helpful and funny. The drivers through the treacherous route between Besishahar and Koto were also excellent.

Correspondence and KimKim
Erin was extremely helpful, timely and succinct with her correspondence before the trip and when we were on the ground. When a flight change altered our stay in Kathmandu she assisted us with a generous refund for accommodation.

All in all the trip was perfect. We will definitely use Himalaya Trails and KimKim again and try our hardest to work with Sonam (our exceptional guide) and the same porter team on our next trip.