Kimkim Trip Reviews

Thank you for crafting a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my son and stepson. We had an amazing time in Vietnam under the care of Sens.
I’ve traveled to many places around the world, and I think Vietnam may very well be my favorite place. The food is wonderful, the scenery is gorgeous, and above all, the people are so kind and optimistic.

Regarding the tour. Mr. Khoa was an outstanding guide. He was pleasant, patient, and knowledgeable. He went out of his way to make sure we stopped at interesting places and beautiful views.

Our accommodations were great. The hotel in Hanoi was very well located, and the staff was attentive. The rooms were very spacious and clean. Our visit to Mai Chau was outstanding. Our lunch was tasty, and the “homestay” was a fun and delicious experience. We very much enjoyed biking through the villages. I hadn’t been on a bike for 20 years, but it’s true that you don’t forget how, and it was so much fun! Again, Khoa made sure to stop at interesting places and explain what was going on. Our driver was excellent. I always felt that we were in safe hands as he navigated the crazy streets of Hanoi, and the winding roads in the country.

Our visit to the school in Mai Chau was wonderful. We’d bought some soccer balls and badminton sets in Hanoi under Khoa’s recommendation, and they went over very well with the staff and students. We were warmly greeted by all of the staff/teachers, and were treated to oranges and conversation before we got a tour of the school. There was one young student in particular who was a wonderful conversationalist in English. He is a particularly fond memory.

I’m glad that you convinced us to go to Bai Tu Long Bay. It was stunning. The host on the Swan Cruise, Marcus (Minh) was very engaging and fun. I liked the size of the group on the cruise—being somewhat small.

I have only two disappointments I would like to convey. The first was the lunch at Mother’s Kitchen in Hanoi. The food was very good, but I would much rather have gone to a true local spot for some Pho or Cha Ca. Similarly, the lunch in Ninh Binh was another tourist spot I would like to have avoided. I recall the food being just “okay.”

While on the Swan Cruise we met a Vietnamese woman from Hanoi who was traveling alone for the first time, and rounded out our table of three to a table of four at mealtimes. In such a short time, we became friends, and continue to communicate!

None of this could have happened without the fantastic work that Linh and Ha did to pull this all together for us. Gam un!

I hope to visit Vietnam again one day, and look forward to you helping plan a trip to visit the South! In the meantime, I wish you all the very best.

This trip was like a dream, everything went just perfect and as planned. Yassine was incredibly patient and accommodating, he listened to us, responded to every question we had and made sure we would be happy with our finalized itinerary. Our trip started in Casablanca, our flight was more than four hours delayed due to bad weather in Montreal, our driver Mohammed was patiently waiting for us and it was a relief to see him there and greeting us with a smile, we immediately felt welcomed and safe. He drove us all the way to Fes with a quick stop at Rabat. We spent two nights in Fes, our guide Hakim was super knowledgeable and funny, we had a great day of learning and exploring the medina. We then drove all the way to Marrakesh via Casablanca. One tip for next time, I would avoid Casablanca all together, we just spent a few hours there but with traffic in the city it was more than needed and not worth it. In Marrakesh we spent three nights but only two full days, we had an amazing time and our guide Ali was super fun to be with, he was also very accommodating with our last minute itinerary changes and just adapted to our pace. On our second day we went to Agafay desert in the afternoon, this was definitely a highlight of our trip, if you have the chance, don't miss it! From Marrakesh we drove to Essaouira, we only spent one night there and I wish we had more time, it was one of my favorite places of all. One tip is, buy all your souvenirs there, its way cheaper than any other place and they have everything. Definitely don't miss Essaouria. On our last day we drove back to Casablanca and had dinner at a fancy restaurant our driver Mohammed suggested, we had an amazing time and the food was delightful! Well, food was amazing every single day, from the most cheap to more pricey places!
All of our accommodations were unbelievable nice and charming, it was definitely a huge part of our whole experience, we mostly stayed at riads, which were the perfect selection for us. We were provided with a small cel phone for anything that we needed at any time. Our driver Mohammed was incredibly helpful and friendly, and most importantly, drove us with professionalism and great skills all around Morocco, which involved a lot of driving!
I will definitely will be using kimkim services again and would recommend to anyone planning their next adventure!

It was a pleasure working with the KimKim team on our Philippine adventure!

The trip started with a trip up to Banaue and Batad for a tour of the rice terraces. They were truly spectacular and a highlight of the trip! It’s an 8 hour journey from Manila, but well worth it. We had a great driver, who was able to tell us about the Philippines, make stops and always recommend great local food for us to try along the way.

We hiked with an excellent guide through Batad. We got off the main trails and we’re able to see the rice terraces and village from so many great perspectives! We hiked well ahead of the main tour groups and were able to enjoy swimming at Tappiya Falls on our own. On the way back from Batad to Banaue, we rode on top of the Jeepney.

We stayed at the Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel. It was clean and in a great location, out of the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

Following Banaue, we went back to Manila for a great night at the I’M Hotel, before we flew to Coron. The I’M Hotel pool and rooftop bar are a fantastic place to relax and enjoy the scenery!

Coron was gorgeous. It’s such a chill town that provides amazing opportunity to get out on the water for island hoping. I loved the small town vibe. When I arrived in Coron I was a little surprised that it wasn’t a beach town, given the photos you see online (there’s no beach and the water is pretty dirty), but you’ll soon forget about that when you go out on boating adventures. I particularly enjoyed the coral garden, shipwrecks and Kayangan Lake! We loved the sunset drinks and dinner at La Sirenetta Seafood Restaurant & Bar. The restaurant is setup on the water and has beautiful views.

We stayed at Corto Del Mar and enjoyed the hotel. The hotel has a nice courtyard, pool and restaurant, but it’s not right on the beach.

Following Coron we had a wonderful time in El Nido and enjoyed some quiet time staying on Miniloc Island, where we could easily tour the Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Snake Island and Cudugnon Cave. El Nido resorts Miniloc Island offers great island hopping tours. The only disappointing part of our stay was the boating transfers to Miniloc Island. We were first put on a boat that wouldn’t start for about a half an hour, then once it got started this same boat stalled in the middle of our journey and we had to be rescued by a speedboat. The hotel didn’t really acknowledge the situation and I expected a bit more from a 5 star resort.

Following El Nido we had a fantastic time in Borocay for my cousins wedding. We stayed at the Coast Borocay Hotel. This is an amazing boutique hotel, on the beach at Station 2. From the moment we arrived at the airport, this hotel provided the best customer service of any place we stayed in the Philippines. We loved this hotel!

I’m happy about our KimKim experience and was happy to have the team just a What’s App message away from helping keep the trip on track and our tours confirmed, even when they’re running late or on island time. Everything was taken care of and we were able to relax on the trip.

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Costa Rica. All the events and lodging were impeccably planned and were first rate. All of our prearranged transportation was on time and friendly. We could not have had a smoother or more enjoyable vacation and we would use kimkim again in a heartbeat!

Nichols was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgeable, great communicator, available at all times via WhatsApp, Kimkim site email, and personal cell. It was our first time traveling to Colombia and relying on a local host to fully arrange a trip to Providencia gave us comfort and reduced our burden of researching and planning. We saved days by going with Kimkim and following Nicholas’s recommendation. Providencia was the most memorable part of our trip and every suggestion Nicholas made was worth it. Kimkim team, especially Yoos, was very helpful. I got sick two days before our trip and contacted Nicholas and Yoos and both very extremely supportive and gave me several options including cancellation with full refund. Luckily I got better and made the trip. If you are looking for trust worthy, easy to work with, knowledgeable, deliver as promise group KimKim is the best.

Our guide (Arun Panicker) deserves full marks. He is a classic CCC person (Cool, Calm and Collected) with a deep knowledge of everything Indian (history, culture, social issues, etc) and an excellent concise and precise information approach.
We all did some background reading about South India, so for me the "unexpected" was the most interesting (e.g. the room of thousands columns in the Meenakshi Amman Temple Complex - a fairy ordinary rectangular structure on the outside and an incredible jewel inside; the Sri Aurobindo Ashram - historically apparently a failure but still very impressive; the wide and very green streets of Chennai, etc).
Pondicherry's French quarters were quaint and charming; Goa was over touristy...
The houseboat on Kerala's tranquil backwaters was delightful and the boat ride through the narrow channels felt timeless - the women were doing the washing by the shores, the men were fishing for dinner, the kingfishers were flying above...
The spice plantation was a wonderful learning experience and in the little town of Trichy I finally found Tourmaline in silver setting!

Our Multisport Adventure Tour dome by Adventure Journeys was just superb! Our guide, Paul Aguilar was top notch - very professional, attentive, informative, mechanical, humorous and so knowledgeable about so many Ecuadorian things. He repaired broken bike chains, assisted in dealing with my Canon camera service issue in Quito, and guided us strongly in each of the sports. He became a friend. He deserves a huge raise in salary! He also convinced us that everything ever invented started in Ecuador!! Our driver, Alejandro, was superb as well - the guy can drive!! He handled our bus so well, at all times, and helped us all if we needed it. He also deserves a huge raise in salary!!

We visited Jordan and Israel. From the very beginning to the end Lena was amazing. Very quick to respond, accommodating, flexible and highly professional. She answered all of our questions effectively and organized specific individual requests we had. In both countries the service was lovely, comfortable and high end. Thank you Lena for your hard work! We had a blast!

I have been all over the world but my recent trip to Myanmar was truly something special. From the very beginning Shu Shwe Yee and Linn Linn were very hands on in helping me plan my perfect personalized trip. They were always available to quickly answer any questions, make any itinerary changes, and offer local advice. Everything about the trip happened without any incidents and I knew i was in good hands the entire time. I was able to enjoy Yangon, Bagan, and the Mandalay area on my trip. My only regret was that i did not have enough time to visit Inle Lake. By far the highlight was my two full days in Bagan. My guide, Mr. Aung Soe Min, was the best guide i ever had. He was able to personalize my experience based on my preferences. I told him that i was really into photography and he was able to show me the best places to capture the beauty of the land and include the locals in there as well. He gave me different options on things to do and the information i needed to make an informed decision. I also really enjoyed how he was able to include unique experiences with the locals that were different from the usual temple itinerary. I highly recommend using this company while in Myanmar and to spend more than a week here. Plenty to see and the people are very friendly. I felt safe and secure the entire trip.

Valentin gave us an itinerary that well suited our needs. We were able to cover a lot of territory in a relatively short stay. All of our reservations and arrangements went according to plan. A highlight in the South Island was the cruise on Milford Sound, but the overall scenery was very beautiful. We appreciated that city accommodations were on the edge of town to avoid city driving. In the North Island we especially enjoyed the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Hobbiton and also a day trip we took took to Waipu. Again the scenery was absolutely beautiful all along the way.

I had a great experience with Drive Albania on my whirlwind three-day car tour. Ed responded promptly to my inquiry about a custom tour for a single traveler in the off-season. The company built an excellent and ambitious itinerary which they fulfilled. My guide Ardi was enthusiastic, patient, and ever attentive. I highly recommend this company!

Great trip. Expensive for what you got. Most tents and sites were available and empty. Had been , prepaid for by guide companies, who monopolize the park. Locals would not let anyone stay in open sites if they did not have a reservation. Everyone we talked to had great difficulty getting reservation on their own. Drove the cost up exponentially. Kimkim was great to work with and tried to help with costs. Tent sites were the best vs. Made beds in dorms and snorers. Dittmar was ok. The sandwich they gave us the day before at orientation was bad by the next day. Totally soggy with tomatoes,cucumbers. Transportation in the park was not always on time as stated. Buses didn't run sometimes and neither did the ferry. A lot of standing around and waiting for it.

My wife and I spent a wonderful 10 days in Cambodia in Feb 2019 on a trip designed by Steve to see as much of the "authentic Cambodia" as we could in the limited time we had in-country. In short, to say that we enjoyed the trip would be an understatement. Steve's local knowledge and expert planning made all the difference - we hadn't been to Cambodia before so his suggestions and recommendations were absolutely invaluable. Our guides (Reya in Phnom Penh and Dy in Battambang / Siem Reap) and drivers were just fantastic, and all trip logistics (transport, hotels, restaurants/cultural events etc) were impeccably handled. Our trip really wouldn't have been the same without Steve's input...
We started the visit in Phnom Penh (to avoid the Chinese New Year tourist crush in Siem Reap) and had a great visit with Reya to the Royal Museum, National Museum, and the S21 Detention Centre and Killing Fields (pretty depressing, but obviously an important part of the country's recent history). Next was Battambang with Dy, in which we experienced the French colonial centre, saw the nearby bat caves at dusk (pretty amazing natural phenomenon), took a ride on the Bamboo train, and did a bike tour through local communities to see how they produce rice paper and other local products. Also saw the Phare circus one evening - definitely recommended.
Then onwards to Siem Reap to see some of the Temples of Angkor, including Angkor Wat. Totally amazing complex and history - with some of the oldest temples in the area dating back some 1,000 years - but the truth is you'd really need months to see everything! We also spent a morning on the Tonle Sap lake, which included a visit to the village of Kompong Khleang (only possible to drive through in the dry season when the lake level is at its lowest). Here we had a really heartwarming experience - whilst checking out the local fish drying process on an extremely hot day, a fortuitous encounter with lots of kids coming out of school and an ice cream vendor lead to about 70 ice creams being handed out to all the kids in town (plus a few adults as well). The cost was nothing but the happiness generated was incredible.
Aside from the sites we visited and the local cuisine, one of the highlights for us was the Cambodian people themselves - incredibly friendly, dignified, hard working. Truly amazing people.
But back to the overall trip - I can't emphasize the value of Steve's local knowledge in making this trip so memorable for us. I would highly recommend - especially for first time travellers to Cambodia - booking through Steve. And as for us, we will certainly be back in Cambodia sometime soon!

After some initial communication difficulties, Preeti’s responsiveness and the kimkim mail system greatly facilitated the trip experience. She did very well given that we were widely dispersed geographically and somewhat unsure of exactly what we wanted to do. In the end though, the whole trip came together really well.

Preeti excelled herself with the choice of guide, Arun Panicker. His maturity, experience and responsiveness were absolutely perfect for the ages of our group. And on top of all that, his excellent command of English and knowledge of all aspects of India made the trip highly educational and much more enjoyable than just a temple visit focused experience that it might have been under a different type of guide or tour leader.

Steve and Katy at Kim Kim made the planning for our first trip to South America incredibly easy. They sorted out everything for our 8 day trip - hotels, transfers (planes, trains and buses), entrance tickets to all the sites and most meals. We saw most of what there was to see in the Rainforest with our guide Yuri, who was amazing with a machete! Aldo took us around Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Moray and Machu Picchu; sharing with us interesting history about the Incas. He even climbed Huayna Picchu with us.

Thank you all for making our trip so memorable!

Sent from my iPad

A big thank you to the KimKim team for the planning, organisation and great communication that went into making our 5 weeks in Namibia a truly memorable trip. From the first contact, throughout our requests for changes and alternate itineraries, nothing seemed like it was too much trouble for Tara and Deborah.

Everything around our self drive Safari/Tour was exceedingly well planned and co-ordinated with a perfectly suited vehicle, that was ideal for the conditions and well equipped. Their local representatives were both very friendly, helpful and informative, which added to the overall sense of confidence in the planning and the enjoyment of the tour.

The trip turned out to be excellent. There was some confusion re the booking at first regarding the tickets for the plane and the fact they wanted photo copies of our passports, never done before but we later found out it is required by the Police.

So at first a bit of a lack of confidence that all would not be as good as expected or that the trip and people would turn up.

Both trips were excellent and we got exactly what we asked for.

The trip to Giza had a guide who thought he was in a lecture theatre at first but came around after a while.

Yes I would recommend Kim Kim

Overall the trip was absolutely amazing. It was also very easy to organise the trip through Kim Kim.
Two things to note were that on one day we sat on the boat stationary for 6 hours without a guide and weren't able to do anything as we waited for others to arrive.

Secondly, on our itinerary it was different to the itinerary the boat had for us on the last day. We had to go off by ourselves to see the tortoises and meant we were additionally out of pocket to go see this site as another place was planned for the others. This was our last chance to see them so we had to do it at this time. The people on the boat said this was an issue with the people who made our booking.

Other than that, was a great trip.

Thanks for everything.

Ben

Our recent 17 day tour in Myanmar was superb. Anne, our 4 guides and 4 drivers made us feel like royalty. We have never had the luxury of a private tour for 2 before and we have now been well and truly spoilt. The local people of Myanmar, the sights, the food - quite the experience. Thank you for having us.

My father and I spent 11 days traveling around Morocco with kimkim and had an absolutely incredible time. Right from the start, our local specialist, Brahim, was attentive to our questions and priorities, responsive and very patient as we put together our itinerary. Our trip was planned last minute-- we only had about 3 weeks between the time we contacted kimkim to when we landed in Casablanca, and kimkim was able to cater to our spontaneity, customizing the perfect trip for us. Brahim checked in with us several times throughout our trip to make sure things were going well and we always felt looked after.

Our driver, Amine, was polite, always on time, and flexible if we wanted to change plans or linger in one place. It wasn't long before he felt like a trusted friend. Most importantly-- he was a VERY safe driver-- particularly in Marrakech we were impressed with his driving skills, where the roads are chaotic. Getting to know Amine was one of the highlights of our trip.

Our tour guide in Fes, Hafid, blew us away. He was knowledgeable, charming, and spoke English very well. He was also very flexible with how long the tour lasted-- we didn't feel rushed and he kept asking if there were other things we'd like to see. We couldn't have enjoyed the Medina nearly as much without his local insight.

We chose 3* accommodations and found them perfectly adequate for a father/daughter duo. Always central to wherever we were staying, sparkling clean, with friendly staff and a delicious, fresh breakfast. The riads in Rabat (Dar Alia) and Fes (Perle de la Medina) were breath taking.

It's difficult to pick a most memorable place-- but I think I enjoyed Fes the most. We stumbled upon Cafe Clock; we actually went there twice for dinner because we enjoyed the vibe so much.

Speaking of restaurants-- the only negative about the overall experience I can think of was the surprising lack of diversity in cuisine. It seemed like almost everywhere we were taken to, tagine was the main offering, and after the first 1-2 times of tagine I craved something different, but did not find much variation. We didn't often pick where we ate for lunch (and we would have no resources to know where to go anyway), so I don't if it's just the way moroccan food is, or if it was because of the specific places we were taken to. So unless you know you love tagine, try to make sure your meals have some variation, even if that means eating non-Moroccan food at times. I think we liked cafe clock so much (we went 4 times! 2x in Fes and 2x in Marrakech) because their menu had interesting things to offer besides tagine, and you could tell it had a youthful, cultural community vibe.

Overall a 10/10 for kimkim and all our guides and the people who made our trip unforgettable! Thank you so much!

Holly