Kimkim Trip Reviews

All of our guides were very good. The part of the trip we enjoyed the most was the hike in Hornstrandir. The hike was very challenging for us. The elevation gain and distance were just what we expected. We didn't expect the rocks to move around so much as we walked on them. The food at the farm house was great.

The Isafjordur Cultural walk was very informative and enjoyable.

The kayaking was similar to what we experienced in other places. The clothing provided was much better than we had at other places. I was confident that we wouldn't end up in the water, but it was good to know that if we did we were well protected from extreme cold.

Our guide on the 2 day van ride was knowledgeable and really looked out for us. The weather impeded our enjoyment of the Latrabjarg Cliffs, but our guide to took us back again on the second day and the weather was better. I(but not Peggy) got tired of being in the van so long each day and not being out and walking more. The weather again was a part of the problem. We of course don't fault anyone for that. We were well aware that the weather we saw was about average and could have been much worse.
Overall, Iceland was a new and very different experience. We would have had difficulty planning and navigating such an experience without of expertise of Kim Kim.

If given the opportunity to use this this site again - I wouldn't hesitate! The experience from first conversation with Andy to the last adventure on the Vespa tour of Saigon and each incredible adventure in between was perfection! Our guides and driver in each city (Hanoi, Hoi Ann, Mae Chau, Saigon) were professionals, full of knowledge and fun. We fell in love with Hoi Ann and wish we could have spent more time there!

I have nothing but kind things to say regarding my recent trip to Pikey Peak in Nepal. Both Rachel and I had never been to Nepal before, and were overwhelmed with the kindness and hospitality we experienced both with the company and people we stayed with throughout the trek.

Needless to say, you need a guide if you have never hiked or journeyed through Nepal before. It is not only essential for your safety, but also because local guides have immense amount of knowledge and insight about Nepal culture, people, language, and places. It really adds to the trip to have guide who can help show you these parts of Nepal as well.

Our six day trek was wonderful. Picky Peak gave us beautiful view of various mountain ranges, including Mount Everest. Naress, our guide, was absolutely wonderful in providing us with any assistance we needed (whether it be encouragement on long hiking days or making sure all of our lodging was warm and accommodating). We also enjoyed our porter, Mingma Sherpa, who taught us different words in the Sherpa language and took us around a monastery in Junbesi.

My only critique of the trip was feeling under prepared in terms of packing as my friend Rachel also expressed in her review. If you go during the rainy season, it is very cold at night, especially at high altitudes. Perhaps an area of improvement for KimKim could be more transparency in telling us to pack warmer clothes, a sleeping bag, and other necessities.

Overall though, excellent company, guide, porter, and experience. Would certainly recommend to anyone who has limited time but wants to explore Nepal!

Our feedback from our 12 day trip in May/June 2018 to Sicily organised for 4 adults by KimKim was outstanding to say the least. We asked KimKim to put together a leisurely itinerary that covered the history of Sicily, farmhouse lunches and a Sicilian cooking class.

From our pick-up on arriving by ferry from Malta at 6.30am by Stefano our driver and Maria our guide. Maria and Stefano (supplied by Valdinoto Tours) were both outstanding. So helpful throughout our 3-4 days with them. Maria was so knowledgeable and gave us an in depth history lesson on the areas we covered with her.

All the other transfers and guides were of high standards. They were all on time and helpful throughout their time with us. Only one slight hiccup being one driver could not speak English but was still helpful as 2 of our party could manage with Italian language.

All of the accommodation were to the standards we expected and in very good locations.
They all were very helpful with any requests and the breakfasts supplied throughout each B&B or hotel were excellent.

Our guide in Agrigento was also outstanding. So passionate about the history of the te archaelogical site we visited. One slight problem with our stay in Agrigento the street where this B&B is located is closed to traffic at certain times of the day and unfortunately we arrived during this time. Our driver overcame this by speaking to the police about how to get there and at the end we had to reverse up a one way street! The owner of the B&B met us to carry the bags up a stairway.

The cooking class we had in Taormina at the Porta Messina was excellent they could not do enough for us and it was such fun along with plenty of food and drink.

All the other farmhouse lunches the lunch at Acitrezza were excellent, so much food! We certainly enjoyed the experiences.

From the time we arrived in Sicily to the time we left we did not have to handle our luggage.

We highly recommend KimKim for their excellent organisation and their very reasonable pricing.

Planning Notes

1. Final itinerary should come out to the group sooner. There was little to no time to consider changes for the group (example, we would have liked starting an hour later each day)

Transportation Notes

1. Our Bogota to Santa Marta flight was a complete mess! We didn't have confirmed seats and couldn't pre book them due to bad wifi connection speeds in Bogota. Because of this we almost didn't get to go on our flight and needed to wait while the airline asked 7 volunteers to take a later flight. Even when we finally got seats they were all dispersed and it took additional changes to ensure the children could be with someone from our group.

2. Transportation to the fishing village and final transportation to the Cartagena airport for the last transfer were super tight! This was strange considering that for our other trips the vehicle was sufficiently large enough.

Bogota Notes

1. Walking tour was cut short due to rain. Is there anyway to have a more concrete back up plan if weather intervenes?

2. Adding a souvenir destination in some of the market areas of Bogota to the walking tour would be great to explore some of the handmade/cultural items available.

3. Ingrid, our Bogota guide, was kind, helpful, and friendly. Would definitely recommend her to other groups.

4. Hotel (Casa Deco) was in a good location and the staff were all helpful and friendly. Though the construction on that road made it difficult for our transportation to get in and out of the area.

5. Monserrate portion of trip was awesome. Great views, easy to access, & shopping available. Plenty of time to spend at our own pace.

Santa Marta Notes

1. Hotel was in a central location and staff was friendly & helpful.

2. However, hotel (Casa Ferol) nickeled & dimed everything we needed - extra charge for drinks during breakfast, charging for a bucket of ice without previously telling us it would cost us extra, etc.

3. Tayrona Park guides (Angel & Jorge) were great. Friendly, knowledgable, and attentive to the group. They did everything - helping kids and older adults with the hike and helping with ordering of lunch.

4. Tayrona hike is NOT for all fitness levels. Older adults and young children struggled with the heat, length of the hike, and large uneven steps in the hiking areas. Some of the adults with back and knee problems struggled with the hike as well.

5. Large waterfall of Marinka was awesome. High hammock and swimming was very nice.

6. Hummingbird stop was something we really enjoyed

7. Pozo Azul was a long, somewhat treacherous hike (wet rocks that we had to scale) for a small payoff compared to what we saw in the morning. Probably our least favorite stop on our trip.

8. Coffee plantation stop was boring. Nothing was actually happening (none of the equipment was running or being used) so following the guides words was difficult without seeing it in action. Also explanations given to the group were too detailed and made it super hard to follow.

9. A warning about how bumpy and windy the roads in Minca would have been appreciated. Several people in our party felt ill from all the bouncing (especially the children).

10. The driver in and around Santa Marta (and who also drove us to Cartagena) was EXCELLENT.

11. We loved the authenticity of the Minca restaurant on the slide of the cliff.

Cartagena Notes

1. Sergio (our tour gudie) was excellent. Presented things well about the history of Colombia.

2. The Emerald museum stop of our city tour by bus felt forced and more like a ploy to get a purchase of emeralds than an informational stop about Colombia's culture.

3. Rosario Island was a great stop. Snorkeling was fun and this stop was our most relaxing of our entire trip.

4. While walking tour was excellent, again, we would have appreciated a more planned opportunity for souvenir shopping.

5. Canoe trip thru mangroves was a bit too long. Crouched over for a whole hour was a bit rough on our backs and knees (especially for the older adults).

6. Our guide (believe it was Enrique) was awesome. He was open, friendly, and made it a point to learn our names. He also tried to relate to our children to make them more comfortable. He communicated things well and felt like a member of our group versus someone who was hired to guide us. Would definitely recommend him to others.

Joaquin Andino- very good guide with a en general culture. Someone who can be steongly recommended.
Pablo, a responsible and dedicated person. Simply adorable.

Our trip to Morocco was fabulous with the help of Larbi. We toured the country without any hassles, our ride was comfortable and the people who were there as part of Larbi's team were amazing. We don't have any complaints at all. The hotels all suited our needs. I am so glad we planned this trip through kimkim, I'm pretty sure there's no better way to do it. We recommend kimkim to everyone who wants to visit Morocco!

Wow where to even start. Our time in Bhutan was so incredible we are still dreaming about it, and it would not have been the same without the amazing care from Vishal and Sonam.

They put in so much attention to customize the perfect trip for your needs. (They even know which room in the hotel has the best views!) Vishal and Sonam will go out of their way to ensure your stay in Bhutan is comfortable.

Our guide, Tek, was very accommodating. My boyfriend and I were doing our first multi-day backpacking trip, and Tek was supportive through the whole journey. He gave us the perfect balance of personal attentiveness and space, had answers to all our questions, and also was very easy to get along with.

I am definitely coming to Trophel tours for our next trip to Bhutan- :)

Our guide arrived 1 1/2 hours later than scheduled. Concierge called you after waiting a half hour and we were informed that the guide would pick us up in an hour. The guide did arrive in an hour and was wonderful. He did not know what happened, only said that he got a call an hour ago and asked if he could do them a favor. Obviously, it was a major mess up. The guide did make up for your error as he was wonderful; very knowledgeable and a pleasure to spend the day with. Not happy and would not recommend Kim Kim. Sveindis Maria was very helpful with making plans.

We had a wonderful 14 days in Sicily with an extension of 2 nights in Lipari and 2 additional nights in Rome. Marianne was very helpful, especially when we altered our Mt Etna excursion and she then added an additional dinner to our trip. The only recommendation my husband and I were to make is if you plan to drive to Syracuse's part of the City called Ortygia, it should be mentioned that you need to 1st park your car in longterm parking and then take a taxi to the hotel as only residents' cars are allowed.

It was amazing specially Lena and Sharif the the tour guide.Highly recommend it.

Our trip to Iceland was terrific! Sotiria done a great job planning our trip and the information provided to us both before we arrived and with the information packet we received upon arrival made the trip go without a flaw. Gullfoss, Geysir, Skafoss waterfall, the black sand beach of Reynisdrangar, Glacier Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon all were amazing and did not disappoint. Our trip to the Westman Islands fulfilled my wife's bucket list of watching Puffins in their habitat. The hotels Sotiria set us up with were top notch and the breakfasts included with each location made the day start out great. Our family thanks you for making our trip to Iceland one of our most memorable trips to date. Iceland is such a beautiful country. Kimkim and Sotiria made our experience something we will always cherish.

100/10 would strongly recommend booking through kimkim for a trek through Nepal!

I inquired on a whim just to ask a few questions and Mads and Amanda took full reigns to cater the trip specifically for what we wanted to see, do, and experience all within our time frame. Their tips were very informative and helpful as well as prompt.

As for the actual trek, we got taxi pick up with our guide, Naress, on the first day and he accompanied us 24/7 after that. Naress was AMAZING. He cared for us on the 14 hour Jeep ride to Phaplu and made sure we knew what was going on. He always made sure we were fed, warm, and taking breaks to rest. His guidance was necessary and he taught us so much about Nepali culture. He also taught us plenty of Nepali phrases we could use to talk to the people we met at the tea houses. We also had a Sherpa, Mingmar Sherpa, who carried some of the luggage weight. GRATEFUL FOR THIS. My favorite town was Junbesi where we visited a monastery, but the highlight of the trip was seeing Everest from the top of Pikey Peak. A little cold due to the rainy season climate, but absolutely stunning.

On the jeep ride back, Naress purchased an extra seat so that we would have more room on the 8 hour ride home. This. was. life giving. THANK YOU NARESS!

Overall, the only thing I was confused by was the packing list. I don't remember being told we would have a Sherpa or that we should bring x, y, z warm gear. Maybe that could be an improvement?

I cannot thank the kimkim team enough for this trip. I have already recommended the company to 4 different friend groups heading to Nepal later this year, and I will certainly go back to kimkim if I return to Nepal one day.
Thank you and happy trails!

It was truly a pleasant and wonderful experience from start to end! Amanda and Mads were really awesome and prompt in answering my queries. Thank you for their patience because it took so long to confirm my trip. Co-ordination of the team was flawless, it was a thoughtful gesture for us to meet Raj at the end of the trip to review the trek and also to understand the company a little more. The trek was awesome, it was really beautiful and the landscape was so varied and diverse! Chhiring was a professional, helpful and fantastic guide! He went over and above to make our experience memorable, it was enriching to hear stories of his experience, the history and culture of the region. Our porters, Santa and Mannosh were also awesome! it was pleasant to have them around and I was very grateful for the hard work that they put in, we also had fun afternoons playing card games and sharing laughs! Himalayan trails has a stellar team! I will not hesitate to go on my next trek in Nepal with them again!

Amazing Experience!

We organized a short 4 day trip, courtesy Ingrid from the Kim kim team.

Remain amazed by the fabulous service levels on display, especially when it came to acquiescing to our requests for changes/amendments/plans, in line with our sensitivities and special considerations. Top notch!

Our trip included Geilo, Bergen, Oslo. Would like to come back again sometime soon (hopefully)

Highly recommend:
- a trip to Norway;
- under the aegis of Kim kim
- handled professionally by expert staff like Ingrid.

Booking the trip was fine, but once I got there I did not receive the services that I booked. So many important details were left out of the itinerary. I wish I could talk about my guide, but I wasn't given one. I was given a non English speaking driver. I can't talk about memorable experiences because I didn't get to enjoy any villages to meet local people and had no one to translate for me. The local tour company couldn't believe I wasn't given a local guide. This was the WORST TOUR I have ever taken. It would have been way better and less expensive to book my own driver. I even paid my entrance fees which were suppose to be included. I would like to see a breakdown of how the $1900 is dollars was spent. In my opinion, I did not receive the services that I paid for. This should be an embarrassment to your company @

Marco was so helpful and always responded very promptly. All the guides and drivers were great, especially Haile.

Preeti & Haldor did a great job with our itinerary! The kayak and hike on the glacier was a big highlight. We had a great guide named Marek. The blue lagoon is a must do and would only add the in water massages (must do in advance as sold out when we arrived). One of the most memorable trips of my life....and I proposed (Preeti gave me some great ideas of where to do it!) while on the Westman Islands and she said YES!. Highly recommend The Kimkim Team!

An amazing trek, short but challenging for us. Beautiful landscape and views of the Annapurnas. Our guide Tendu and porter Dorje were very patient and accommodating. We went in the off season, but were very lucky with both the weather and open tea houses. The only unfortunate thing was that the packing list provided to us was definitely optimized for the fall and winter, and we were way over-laden with warm clothes, rain gear and sleeping bags that we didn't need. Overall a fantastic experience from start to finish.

Marianne did a great job of arranging our walking trip on the Francigena way from San Miniato to Siena. The hotel arrangements were great, the bag pickup was flawless and the taxis she arranged that allowed us to cut down each day to a reasonable 10-12 miles a day of walking were aways on time. Working with her was well worth the money.