Kimkim Trip Reviews

We worked with Harris to develop a custom trip from Athens to the Peloponnese and back, by rental car. It worked out beautifully, allowing us to be flexible about arrival and departure times, and to work out meeting times and places with our tour guide, Ilias, on the fly. We were met by a driver, Lampros, at the Athens airport, and delivered to our hotel for the night. It was a short walk to pick up the rental car the next morning. Our local guide, Ilias, took us to four sites: Corinth, Epidaurus, Mycenae and Olympia. The sites were great choices, giving us some variety in site ages and styles. Ilias is a fount of information, easy to understand, and worked very hard to tailor his information to our interests. The hotels Harris booked were nicer than I would have chosen, and several of them were really special. One brought a fabulous breakfast basket to our room, one upgraded us to an ocean-front room with balcony, and one changed our room to a lower floor to accommodate our mobility issues. As a nice lagniappe, Harris provided us with a local SIM card to use in our iPhone during our stay.

Miguel was a very competent careful driver. The driving part of the trip was longer and tougher than expected - 9 hours day 2, 7 hours day 3, 6 hours day 4. There was a lot of extreme poverty with many beggars requesting water and rice because they were so hungry. The main sites to visit were nice enough but the scenery along the way much less interesting than I had imagined. Taroa dunes beach is lovely. Places we stayed at understandably very primitive. Food monotonous but we did not get sick.
We very much enjoyed the boat trip in camarones. Carlos, our boatman and guide was well informed and we saw many flamingos and red ibis. Learned about Wayuu which interested me. Would NOT recommend trip to others unless they have some real reason to be interested in area.

This review will inevitably be too short to capture the brilliance and splendor of Myanmar -- both its people and its places. My guides: Minthu, Thinzar, and Wai were all fantastic. Anne, owner of Myanmar Pure and all-around amazing human, used my input to handcraft a one of a kind spiritual and physical journey that had me interacting with locals, cooking meals, watching handmade crafts be made, and involved planes, trains, automobiles, e-bikes (think vespa), and boats. I met local fortune tellers and got a traditional tattoo. I took in the wonders of Old Bagan and the radiance of Inn Lay lake. I meditated for 20 minutes in a small crawlspace within the Pindaya Cave. Overall, this will forever be my favorite trip, partially because it is the trip of a lifetime, but partially because my guides and the local people made it so effortlessly special. THANK YOU.

We had a fantastic time in Myanmar; it's a magical place. Our itinerary: One day, Yangon, two days in Bagan, two days in Mandalay, one day in Heho.

We took four internal flights, and we found the domestic airlines to be excellent. I felt more safe than on some US airlines. All we're prop planes.

The whole tour was great and the guides we're wonderful. They all had different strengths
Our guide in Yangon, Ong, was extremely knowledgeable. We called him as a nickname Google. And his English was fantastic. Our guide and Bagan, Tin, was enthusiastic. He was very much concerned with us understanding Buddhism and the cultural practices surrounding the religion. He was thorough and seemed to really enjoy his job. Our guide in Mandalay, Ben, was more on the personal and caring side. He was quick to assure us when our children were running around not to worry about it that Burmese children do that as well in temples. Our final guide, a young lady in Inle was really sweet. We we're with her only for a short time and we were on the boat all day so there was a little less interaction. She actually gave her shoes to a woman who list hers in a temple. Talk about a good deed; ring the bell in a temple. Very kind. Of course my wife gave her her shoes at the end of the day.

The drivers in each stop we're attentive and careful.

The highlights of the trip both involved water. The sunset river cruise on the Irrawaddy in Bagan was once in a lifetime. We we're really moved by the experience. And the day on Inle Lake was fascinating. We loved every minute.

We experienced only one low point which was U Bein bridge. I saw it as a crowded tourist trap and we were out of there in 15 minutes. There is really no need to go there.

My only recommendation for future tours has to do with the hotels. Hotel Hazel in Mandalay had essentially no Wi-Fi. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things; however, it's nice to post pictures to Facebook at the end of the day so your friends and family can see what you're up to. Additionally the hotels were a little far from the city centers so in the evening we really couldn't stroll anywhere just to relax and taken some more of the cultural experience.

Our agent Linn did a really nice job; often following up with us.

I highly recommend using Kim Kim, especially if you have children, ours 11 and 5. I would use Kim Kim again. Thinking of Bhutan next!

The communications should be directly with the person and not with the whole group!
Payment should be in 2 installments, 50% down payment and the final payment of 50% 2-4 weeks before the trip.
You should give us the phone number of the local person who will be receiving us at the airport.
We should have a copy of the flight reservations/confirmation.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and the resort- I’ll at Lake Inle. We wish we had more time there!
Most of the guides were excellent.
Thanks,
Jaya and Satya Ahuja

Our trip to Jordan was beyond anything we could have imagined. From the “Grand Canyon”, Mt. Nebo, Wadi Rum and Petra, the landscapes were unforgettable. Our driver Akrem made it all come alive. He is so knowledgeable. He saw to our every need, and took us to places off the beaten path. Please give him a raise Carmen.!
KimKim does a good job of connecting with local agencies, and Lena from In2Jordan put together an amazing itinerary. Our only complaint was with one driver (George) in Israel. He needed a lot of improvement in his English speaking and comprehension, and should have at least known the names of the sites he took us to. Martin Handal, our guide in Bethlehem, did a great job. We're not sure what the purpose of dining in a local home in Wadi Musa served, but the “upsidedown” was delicious.
Maybe printed instructions for border crossings, and encouraging travelers to make sure they have WhatsApp or similar for storing all driver/guide numbers would be beneficial.

I am telling everyone that if they make one trip -go to Jordan and make sure Akrem is your driver!!!
Thanks Lena and Akrem!!!

Jordan is an example to us all of getting along no matter what your religion!

Guides in Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and inley lake were good. However, the ones in Mandalay and Inlet lake had no clue about our departure times or flight iternerary causing confusion on the last days in those cities. The guide in Yangon was misinformed about our arrival at airport on Dec 3rd and showed up 1 and 1/2 hours after our arrival at the airport only after we communicated with Su by email. If Su had not answered we would have had to find a way to reach Savoy hotel ourselves at night one way or the other.

We have just returned from a spectacular four week journey to Chile. Thanks in no small part to all the stellar folks at Kimkim and their wonderful contractors, our diverse wanderings went off without a hitch. Mariano, our Kimkim specialist was there for us at the start. We were a group of four people with diverse interests and pretty much zero prior knowledge of the country. We threw our various desires into a pot and Mariano sorted us out with a trip which took us from the high plains of the Atacama desert to the rugged coastline of Chiloe, from the bustling city of Santiago to the bohemian hills of Valparaiso. We had amazing local guides set up by Acorn where Ana was our 24/7 "go to" for requests, wrinkles and suggestions. From finding dentist to dealing with a missed flight, Ana was always there for us - cheerful and helpful!

We would definitely use Kimkim again any time!

This was a complete mess.
We were given no details regarding the tours beforehand. Only what time they began.
The paperwork said someone would be in touch to confirm our pickup time, etc. We didn't hear from anyone. I had to make an international call at midnight the night before to find out when we should be ready. When I inquired about a drop-off time, she couldn't tell me.
Then, we hated our guide (about 99% sure she was hungover). She threw up the entire first half of the tour, told us next to nothing about the places we saw. Then we were dropped off in town at the tour office, so had to walk back to the hotel. We only had about an hour and a half in between tours. The morning tour was so miserable, we didn't even go on the 2nd tour of the day.
We did however, stop by the tour office to find out what time our next morning pick up would be.
And lo and behold, we had the same guide. At least she was not sick the following day, but we were once again underwhelmed with her knowledge. We basically ended up eavesdropping other tours who had knowledgeable guides with interesting information.

Overall, our experience in the Atacama desert was underwhelming, which was extremely disappointing considering all the wonderful things we heard about it before going.

We had such an amazing time in Iceland! Our guide, Jon, was super nice, helpful and really help made our trip a memorable experience. The first day, there was a wind storm and many of the tours were cancelled - Jon helped us find an alternate route and rearranged the day's itinerary so we were able to still see all the attractions for the day. The accommodations provided were also very comfortable, and we especially loved Fosshotel Nupar (too bad there were no northern lights the two nights we were there), and also the apartment at Guesthouse Sunna. Everyone we met on the trip was very knowledgeable and kind, and we had a wonderful time!!

Highlights: The glaciers, Diamond beach and the glacial lagoon - those were my absolute favorites!!

8 day trek in Langtang Valley Nepal . Stunning and unforgettable ! Great Guide (Chhiring) and the organisation of everything was great. The Langtang Trek is perfect for a first timer but it is not easy, so make sure you have done plenty of walking before and have got yourself reasonably fit! Tips? take your own toilet roll, a face flannel for washing ( may not get a warm shower for several days), travel light and take layers of clothes not heavy jumpers, and one or two walking poles. Don't bother buying a Nepal phone card or wifi connection - just enjoy being out of touch , its still all there when you reconnect! I saw a post you can do this trip cheaper on your own . Well maybe you could , but if you want someone to take care of everything and not have to worry about who, what, when, where and how, then I recommend Amanda and the team

The Manaslu trek was excellent. It had great changing scenery, interesting people, nice teahouses and good food. We visited a remote school by chance on a Sunday and meet one of the teachers, and some of the kids, which was a real highlight of the trip.

Our guide Nawang was excellent, always making sure we were enjoying ourselves and full of information and a good sense of humor. He was helped by two great porters in Ngima and Gelbu, and this team of 3 made our trek so enjoyable, thankyou!

Thanks Mads and Amanda, organisation was great and thanks again for your time and efforts.

Loved every part of it. Erin and team saved our holiday and made our trip to Patagonia unforgettable. THANK YOU!!!

My guide was Tmazin Tamang or Timal
He was professional, reliable, attentive. I was very satisfied with his service
I spend with him 14 days on the trek, and i always felt safe and the journey was very pleasant with him in general.
the places we visited were all interesting and different.

We had a fantastic time in Morocco. We visited seven cities in a span of 12 days, accompanied by our Morocco Off the Beaten Track driver, Mohammed. We began our tour in Chefchaouen, then Fes, Merzouga, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Essaouira, and ended in Casablanca. Each city was uniquely different from the last and we were greatly pleased with the beautiful accommodations secured for us by the MOTB team. We met some wonderful locals while we were there, and felt so welcomed in a place so far away from home.

My bespoke trip to Nepal for 15 days in November 2018 was a brilliant experience.
My local agent, Sangita was informative and efficient in helping me to put an itinerary together within my budget and covering all the places I wanted to visit.
She met me in Kathmandu, introducing me to the guide I would have on my trek to Ghandruk village and was really considerate in checking in with me at every destination to ensure I was safe and happy and that I knew what was happening next. If something needed changing, she did it. Nothing was too much bother and her care was very reassuring, particularly as I was a solo traveller.
Each of my guides along the way, Mr Bhim, Mr Diwakar and Mr Govinda were helpful, good company and informative.
I covered a diverse range of places from Kathmandu, Lumbini, Pokhara, Ghandruk, Bandipur and Chitwan National Park where I had the rare privilege to spot a tiger. As part of my safari itinerary I did a canoe ride, a jungle walk, a jeep safari and ox-cart ride. The guides at Chitwan were knowledgable; the resort was eco-friendly, comfy and sustainable.
At Ghandruk, after a 6 mile uphill trek, I had an awesome clear view of the sunrise over Annuparna 1 and Macchupichre the next morning. That will be etched in my memory forever. The beauty and calm of the mountain village landscape more than made up for the uphill ascent.
Pokhara was a relaxing area and is a destination for foodies - the choice and quality of food was impressive.
Sangita and her husband saw me off with a lovely dinner and cultural show on the final evening.
I couldn’t have been better looked after.
Sangita is an excellent agent and I couldn’t recommend her highly enough.

The trip was AMAZING! So great to see and explore so much of east Java in such a short amount of time; Plateau Ijen, Mt. Bromo, Yojakarta, Borobudur and more :) The landscape is breathtaking (especially the sunrise over Mt Bromo) and I found myself time and time again in awe of the lush green surroundings.

A few things to call out - 1) underestimated the amount of time you spend traveling from one spot to another due to bad traffic, a lot of time spent in a car, and 2) the travel agency was a primarily french agency, so challenges finding an english speaking guide for our group - should have more explicitly called that out from the start.

We bought last minute tickets for Jordan, so we did not have time to organize it by ourselves so we decided to pick Carmen as our travel organizer. We only had 3 and a half day and manage to see everything that was our "must do places". Thanks to our driver Azzam, we did not feel tired at all and were enjoying our stay in Jordan to the fullest! Accommodations were also great and near to the everything. Especially we liked our stay in aisha luxury camp where we went stargazing! And the staff there was also amazing!

I would recommend Carmen to everyone who wants more free time on their vacation and for those who dont want to worry how their trip is gonna look like in the end.

Dina

My trip to Vietnam was packed with highlights. Here are the tops:

1) My first few days in Hanoi were great. I really enjoyed Kien and his historical perspective that he was able to provide about Hanoi and Vietnam. It was clear that he studied history at the university, and had many interesting stories and perspectives to share. I walked away with a very rich view of Hanoi and Vietnam, both historically and present day. Kien also let me take my time and come back to him with questions which I really appreciated.

2) The third guide Ngoc was equally excellent. He provided a great perspective of Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu, Tam Coc, the many religions of Vietnam, and daily life in Vietnam. He provided a great cultural perspective that gave me a real picture of what it was like to be Vietnamese. He also shared great personal anecdotes. Our boat ride on Tam Coc was a beautiful highlight!!

3) All hotel accommodations were excellent. The staff were professional and welcoming, the rooms were very clean and well- appointed, and the breakfasts delicious. Each hotel was comfortable and relaxing, including the cruise on Halong Bay. Each night I was able to sleep very peacefully.

4) Transportation was also excellent. All drivers were on time, courteous, and drove safely. This was a great feature for sightseeing!

My only feedback is on the second guide Sang in Sapa. Compared to Kien and Ngoc, she was not as engaged. She didn't share any stories or anecdotes about the region. I would ask her questions, and her answers were very limited. I eventually gave up and starting asking other tribal women we encountered hiking. I bought something from another tribal woman and gave her a big tip since she was more informative and interesting; I talked with this woman more than I talked with Sang.

Sang also made me feel very stressed out about the train back to Hanoi on November 20. She wasn't sure how to get my ticket for the train, and kept asking me for details. Eventually, she figured it out but I'm not sure why she panicked. This was the first and only time that I was concerned about logistics and my itinerary.

Despite my interaction with Sang, the trip was still unbelievable. Vietnam is a special and beautiful place that I hope to visit again.

I enjoyed the complete trip, my guides, Thwe Thwe Gmtt, May Han Thu, Kyikyi Aye and Ko Zay were all very knowledgeable and fun to be with. Riding the bike in Yangan visiting the villages and seeing all the markets were very special for me not only as a photographer but to interact with the people. Being able to go to peoples homes and have shared meals was very memorable. Seeing lots of things and never feeling rushed. The Balloons over Bagan was an experience not to be missed.