Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was our first time planning our trip through kimkim (or any online booking service) as it was our first time planning an international trip. Sometimes the communication was a little delayed, but some of that was due to our learning curve to online international travel planning.

The trip Zeynep put together for us was AMAZING. Everything was organized for us in a folder with our vouchers and itinerary ready to go. IcelandAir Hotel Marina (king attic room) was a great place to stay. Our Game of Thrones tour with Gray Line was fantastic. The 2 Day South Coast Tour (with waterfalls and ice caves!) and Snæfellsnes tour (with beautiful lava fields, glaciers, and volcanoes) were outstanding—both of which were recommended to us. She also recommended some awesome book stores and local spots for our day in Reykjavik and none of them disappointed.

We only had 2 hours at the blue lagoon, and I would recommend at least 3 hours or so if you get premium admission like we did. The restaurant takes a while so we only got less than 30 minutes in the lagoon and had to rush to shower and dress before our driver came to take us to the airport. Thanks for encouraging us to go Zeynep, even though we weren’t sure...it was definitely worth it!!

Zeynep and kimkim did a great job putting our honeymoon together...thank you!!

This was our first experience in Colombia and with KimKim. We worked with Nicolas while before our trip and he was very prompt and accurate in providing the detail level of information as well as customizing the entire trip for us.

The entire trip went very flawless and smooth as planned and committed. One thing to consider and be patient with is that there are several companies involved in the service chain including the KimKim, their domestic office, their local agent and their subcontractor which might make it a bit complicated but they planned all well. For example the driver picked us up on time from airport however he did not know the person who we had made the reservations, but everything went great.
The driver Anderson in charge of all transportation for the entire trip was fantastic, although he did speak almost none to minimum English, made every attempt to understand us and specially my limited Spanish.

The Coffee farm tour at Santiago's farm was amazing, the tour, lunch and their hospitality was amazing. Also the Cocora Valley and Finlandia tour guide Alberto was extremely knowledgeable and great company for the entire day.

Overall we were very pleased with the tour and highly recommend KimKIm company for Colombia and Zonacafetera visit.

At the end thank you Nicolas for this wonderful memory and experience.

Thanks
Greg G

First we were very pleased with our trip. This is our third one arranged by your company. We went to Croatia last summer and the last winter to Portugal. I'm going to divide my comments into two categories: The first will be the positives, the second will be some weaknesses.

Positives:
Everyone was punctual and right there to meet us and pick us up as scheduled.
Our driver, Nabil, who was with us the whole trip was exceptional. He was good humored and an exceptionally safe driver.
The cooking class that you scheduled us was terrific.
Our guide in Fez, Mohammed, was superb.
Our guide in Marrakech was very supportive and helpful, but he could have provided more information about what we were seeing. I did love that he added a trip to a Berber Village on our way to our hike.
We loved going to the desert. Riding a camel to the luxurious tent camp was a highlight of the trip.

Negatives:
The first night's accommodations in Fes were outstanding. The other riads were less pleasing due to the fact that we had signed up for four star accommodations. Since we one triple and one double room, we found them to be the same size with an extra bed thrown into the double which made it very tight. My understanding was that the Riads that we were booking would be giving us nicer than standard rooms when I questioned the travel agent about some of the very cheap prices which I saw online for the accommodations.
It would have been good to have received more information on the driving distances. Our third day was horrific and we were exhausted and irritable by the time we reached Fez. I wish the agent might have suggested that we skip Chefchalquin, although we loved it, as it was just too much driving.
I wish that we could have spent time in the Berber museum at Marjorelle Garden in Marrakech.
In retrospect, it would have been good to have more suggestions that would have made for a more relaxing trip. In the end, we canceled our accommodation in Eousoura (sorry for spelling) as it seemed to just far to go to the Casablanca Airport on the day that we would be leaving on an 8 hour flight home. We ended up going to Eousoura as a day trip from Marrakech. Our accommodations on our last night were paid for by us which was fine, but the riad, Riad Zanibar, was a bit rundown and it is a place that I would not have recommended. I understand that the last minute request probably had something to do with it.

Overall we had a really good trip. We were greeted at airport by Daniel, who was sweet, engaging and very knowledgeable. His English was quite good and he was very informative, sharing personal insights on history and culture. We never felt threatened or unsafe on the trip - we're also assuming that the second man who accompanied us during our first afternoon tour, and did not speak English, was there for security! Our lodging at Casa Canabal was very comfortable and very accommodating - though the rooms are small and have no windows. A very creative lighting system in the walls, however, gives the semblance of outdoor lighting and ended up being fine. Breakfasts were good and the waiters were wonderful and very friendly. I would suggest that the hotel have towels available at the pool.
We enjoyed the cooking class the second day with Sandra and Ellie. The trip to the market was eye-opening and truly a cultural experience. Visitors should be forewarned, however, not to wear nice shoes! We made ceviche, guacamole, fried plantains, salad, fried fish, coconut rice and passion fruit panna cotta - all delicious!! Sandra was engaging and very interactive - teaching us new skills and lots about Columbia.
We had been told in our tour itinerary that we would be going to Playa Azul in the Rosario Islands and getting there by private speed boat. We were surprised and a bit confused when we arrived at the dock, and amidst a large and equally confused crowd of tourists, found out we were going to Bendita Beach on a speed boat with 30 other tourists. No one spoke English, other than the other tourists, so all the safety and general information given once we got on the boat was entirely in Spanish - not very helpful OR safe! Once we got to the beach, we were pretty disappointed with the number of people there (masses) and being "herded" to the lineup of beach chairs which weren't very comfortable. All activities were pretty haphazard - again, because English was limited and there were so many people. The lunch was good. I'm not sure we would have gone if we had known it would have been so crowded and uncomfortable - it certainly wasn't very relaxing and not what had been depicted and described in our itinerary. There certainly wasn't any place to go walk and "explore the island" and no one was around to talk about the flora and fauna.
All transfers were very good and on time. Our driver to the Tayrona region was excellent - Jorge was a wonderful driver and spoke relatively good English. Our lodging at La Mer de Bien was lovely - though we didn't we didn't realize we were staying there until we read the fine print itinerary (it wasn't the lodging listed in the larger itinerary which was actually quite a bit closer to the park). We loved La Mer de Bien - and Sergio and Diana couldn't have been lovelier hosts. Food was delicious and they were very accommodating making us sandwiches to take with us with our pre-breakfast early departure. Tour of Tayrona and the Victoria Coffee plantation in Minca with José were great. At Tayrona we had a great hike and saw monkeys and lizards. The afternoon at the beach was terrific. The tour at the coffee plantation was incredibly interesting and very well done. Again, visitors should be forewarned about the bumpy road from Minca to the plantation! We were fine, but our driver seemed worried in the van he was driving - especially since the road is so narrow and there was definitely traffic going both ways. Overall - a great trip and we very much enjoyed seeing this part of Columbia. We felt the country has done an amazing job making visitors feel welcome and safe.

Chris from kimkim( Old town)organized our whole trip to Guatemala. He was very helpful in planning our trip to Guatemala. In fact when one of our friends did not make it to Guatemala in time, Chris was accommodating in making changes to our schedule at last minute. We had some great drivers and guides for our whole trip, especially Oseas who took us hiking to Pacaya Volcano, Hiking and kayaking around lake Atitlan. Our guides in Antigua and Flores were helpful in telling us the history of Mayan civilization and the history of the beautiful country.I need to even mention our drivers who were helpful and saw to that we were comfortable in our long journeys. If your looking to tour Guatemala, I will recommend kimkim:)

Muchos gracias!!

Kenya Game Drives and Much More (December 8 – 22, 2018)

Our family vacation to Kenya was exhilarating and surpassed our high expectations. Joseph Ngigi of Jossy Travel helped the “vacation of a lifetime” become a reality through his role as our planner, driver, and guide. Joseph carefully listened to our desires for the trip and developed an itinerary that completely met those needs. The trip encompassed exposure to: Kenyan culture (attending performing arts, visiting a Masai village, viewing a historical home); the beauty of the country (through scenic drives, a hike to the peak of Mt. Longonot, a bike ride and trek through the deep canyons of Hell’s Gate by Lake Naivasha); and of course, lots of game drives. We crisscrossed Kenya, above and below the equator, visiting eight different parks. Joseph’s knowledge of the parks, animals and birds was encyclopedic. We took morning and late afternoon safaris most days, and he was extremely committed to making sure we saw the broadest range of wildlife possible. Joseph’s relationships with individuals in the parks and other tour drivers also helped toward that end. Finally, Joseph was simply fun to be with. He always greeted us with a big smile, told interesting stories about Kenya, treated us to snacks on our trips between parks, was flexible in adjusting plans to meet our needs, and always checked to make sure we were enjoying the trip. Any family would be very lucky to have Joseph Ngigi plan and guide their trip to Kenya.

The suggested itinerary was good. The quality of the accommodation was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't have picked it better myself.

The motorcycle hire company "Club Sha Lanka" provided a clean bike that never let me down. There was a US$300 deposit that was required, which I was wary about paying, but glad to say I got it back with no issues.

Communication with kimkim was good, and readily available through my holiday should I needed clarification on anything.

Only gripe - better directions were / are needed to find the Big Game Safari camp (Uda Walawe). This would have been impossible to find if I didn't have a phone. The manager at the camp very kindly sent a vehicle to come and find me so I could follow him back. There really needs to be GPS coordinates or detail instructions / map provided.

We loved all three hotels. BOG hotel was excellent, had a wonderful breakfast and great service and was walking distance to restaurants. Great location.
Allure Chocolate is a wonderful hotel in a wonderful location. Service was great. The rooms are a bit on the small side but still a wonderful choice.
Las Islas is a dream resort. It’s very new so still has a few problems which I am sure will be fixed. We had an amazing time there.
The transportation everywhere was great! Drivers were always nice and the buses or vans were great. Apart from one problem where the driver didn’t know our flight got moved to an earlier time and wasn’t at the airport when we landed all of them were on time.
The only problem we had was the guide in Bogota who despite being a very nice person was very unprofessional , didn’t know the facts and gave us both days disappointing tours.
We can highly recommend a tour we booked ourselves in Cartagena with Experience Real Cartagena- Alex Rocha. His son Chris took us to a tour of Cartagena and a day later Palenque. It was amazing!!!!
Mathilde was always available on WhatsApp and always very helpful and so was NathLie who helped us with booking a restaurant in Bogota. Thank you all, we loved Colombia.

We have just returned from an amazing trip to Mexico that Jorge had planned for us. We were met at the Leon airport by a very friendly driver - Christian - and soon learned that every single person that the agency has assigned to us is just as nice. Our hotel in San Miguel was comfortable and centrally located and the tours that Maria gave us were informative and most enjoyable. We enjoyed visiting churches, monuments, and the Mercado without being pushed in any way. Being a great host, she even treated us to local ice cream!) The hotel in Guanajuato was just as nice, if not better. Here we met a family of tour guides. First Susana took us around town and gave us a lovely description of the city and its magnificent history. The next day, her father Antonio drove us to the mines and the mummy museum and showed us spectacular views of the beautiful Guanajuato. Not only does everyone in this family know their history and city, but also the friendly approach of those we met made us feel as if we were among relatives.
I would highly recommend a similar journey to everyone. I still can't believe that these magical cities are only a couple of hours' flight away and am confident that our family will take more trips to these destinations. Thank you, KimKim, and a huge thank you to Jorge who did everything he could to meet our demands. I hope to someday have a chance to thank him in person!

I did some research on the Internet on where to go in Costa Rica, gave Kimkim my preferences and date of arrival/departure. Randall took it over from there and came up with a perfect itinerary for us.

Before we left we received the detailed itinerary from kimkim, airport pick up was on time, as well as the rest of the private transport pickup. Hotels were clean and comfortable, the guides were knowledgeable and friendly. No complaints whatsoever.

Highly recommended.

Had great time in Colombia! Trip was very well organized by Lisa! Thanks!

We contacted KimKim literally a few days before we wanted to embark on an 11 day trip through Norway. We were lucky to be connected with Linda, who put together a fun yet relaxing itinerary for us. After a few days in Oslo, we spent Christmas in Flam which was a true highlight, topped off with a fjord cruise on Christmas Day. Then we journeyed to Bergen for sightseeing and wonderful seafood. The Floibanen funicular was really fun and after the clouds parted we got some amazing views of the city. After an overnight cruise we disembarked in Alesund to enjoy the art deco architecture, before returning to Oslo. Linda planned everything for us and was a joy to work with. I can't recommend Linda and KimKim highly enough. We can't wait to go back to Norway (in the summer) to see more of this amazing country. We will use KimKim for every major trip from now on. Thank you for the incredible memories!

Our trip was wonderful..Our drivers Ana and John were excelkent .Friendly and amazing druving skills and patient with our regular stops. They were wonderful to accomodate another person in our tour at the last minute.Marvin our guide was good and found great restaurants fir lunch Hillside Inn in Batad and Misty Inn in Sagada were both charming and served delicious food.
The terraced rice fields and Echo Valley were amazing and despite the long drive well worth it.Abother trip off my bucket list.Thanks Leo for your help and advice
Carina Law

We had a great trip and everything Oxana recommended and organised for us was fantastic. I would highly recommend both Kimkim and Oxana.

Tour at Nicky Amazon Lodge exceeded my expectation. My favorite part was exploring the night life of the Amazon rainforest. It is something I would never think because it was not mentioned in the textbook. Birding watching and hiking options at Bellavista was very good. This would not be possible without kimkim. Kimkim's online platform was helpful because I had a busy schedule and their advice and support made a difference in my decision-making process. To the point, the trip was well-tailored thanks to kimkim's service.

Trying to plan our trip to Machu Picchu and the sacred valley online was confusing and stressful but Kristy smoothed out everything for us. She arranged transportation and provided us with an extremely knowledgeable guide, David. He was widely read and taught us about so much of the history of the Inca and pre-Incan peoples of the area. Our visit to Peru was much richer than we would have had on our own. We will use the KimKim team again.

We had a wonderful family trip to Morocco during December (9 days).
We explored the beautiful land full of culture and enchantment.
Everywhere we went we met great people who extended their warmth to us.
Brahim guided us along the way since the early planning stages till we left.
The trip was immaculately planned and we mostly stayed in Riad's (local boutique hotels) and travelled by road to explore the country. Our driver Rashid picked us up at the airport in Marrakech and stayed with us the entire almost 2000 kms we drove. He was extremely courteous and helpful even going the extra mile and taking photos and guiding us where necessary.

We thank Orion travels and Kimkim for creating wonderful memories on this trip.

Wish you a very Happy New Year!

Regards,
Upesh

This trip so far exceeded expectations that it is hard to know where to begin this review. Tasos did an amazing job of customizing our 8-night trip to Athens and the Peloponnese to fit our family group’s unique mix of interests and personal style. We wanted to and did take in some of the “must sees”, such as the Acropolis and other ancient Athenian sites as well as the Acropolis Museum, which we explored on a wonderful private tour focusing on mythology and guided by warm and knowledgeable former archeologist. Another day, we explored the Mycenae archeological site and beautiful coastal town of Nafplio with Ilias, a historian, as our guide. Although both these experiences were wonderful, and made all the more so by the relative uncrowdedness resulting from our unconventional choice to visit Greece in December, it was the more personalized experiences that Tasos arranged that really set this trip apart. These included: (1) a wonderful day of rock-climbing with a fantastic and knowledgeable guide, Kostas, who took us to a stunningly beautiful location on the cliffs near Nafplio with routes for widely differing levels of climbers and helpful instruction for those who needed it; (2) a spectacular mountain hike above the clouds guided by Nick, who provisioned us well with both equipment and a satisfying lunch and Mountain Tea prepared by his wife, Daphne (we asked for and were given the recipe for her raw cereal bars; yum!); and (3) a visit to an organic olive farm and vineyard guided by Carola and effusively welcomed by farmer Dmitri and his family, who was the soul of hospitality and with whom we shared a wonderful home cooked lunch under his arbor; and (4) a tour of Athens street art with Niko (???), an engaging professional graphic artist.

Our accommodations were all charming and comfortable, ranging from a magical old stone bed and breakfast far off the beaten path in the mountain village of Kefalari, to artistic and eclectic suites in Nafplio, to elegant hotels in Athens and the Athenian Riviera.

Tasos and his team provided an extraordinary and thoughtful level of service. This included providing our party with a Greek cell phone with our itinerary pre-loaded and including google map links to all our destinations. It also included the services of our wonderful driver in Athens, Lampros, who was fantastic in meeting all our flights (including a much delayed 3:00 a.m. arrival!) and getting us to and from our city tours. Tasos and Lampros even got me an appointment with an eye clinic when I arrived in Athens with a terrible eye allergy, and Lampros came with me to the appointment to translate.

In sum, I cannot say enough good things about this trip and the incredible level of service provided by Tasos and his team.

The entire trip from start to finish was beyond brilliant . Our driver Mohammed was so knowledgeable and catered to our needs . A highlight of the trip was Wadi Rum Jeep tour . Thank you Amanda for your seamless and stress free travel plans.

Kelly and Valentin both did an amazing job, all our accommodation was first class, loved the wineries tour although that was probably because we were only 4 people , Ken our driver was great.