Kimkim Trip Reviews

Lenin and Mauro (our other guide) were both very knowledgeable about the native tribes, culture and history of Ecuador in general.
And they both had detailed knowledge of the specific places we visited … being Otavalo, Quito, the Avenue of the Volcanoes, Baños, Alausí and Cuenca.
Both spoke excellent English.
Lenin was particularly good when it came to knowing when to have a break, etc or comfort stop.
Overall the trip was a memorable experience and we would recommend KimKim.

Suggested considerations/changes …
- Do not use the hotel we stayed at in Baños again (no hot water, mould on the bathroom ceiling, no power to the room until sunset);
- Given the state of some of the roads we travelled on around Cotopaxi we feel that you need to provide a vehicle with better suspension … something like a 4 wheel drive;
- Mauro was working to his schedule … and we understand the need for a schedule … but we would have liked to be offered some flexibility.

We had a great experience. The booking process and all preparation felt very good. Good information and checklist for equipment.

The highlight of the whole trip was Chhepal, he was very friendly, knowledgeable and also curious about us. I really liked that he also made a good example pickup up trash along the trek.....

The porters was also very nice and friendly and made a good job helping out with food in the evenings and mornings.

The trek was excellent for our boy. The was no hurry and made it to the the houses by walking in our own pace.

Our family of five tried KimKim.com for the first time to help us plan our one week trip to Jordan.

Carmen showed great flexibility and willingness to adapt to our (changing) requirements until we had an itinerary fitting our wishes and budget.

On site in Jordan, things worked nicely and without hickups with regards to booked activities, over night stays and drivers/guides.

All in all a very good experience!

Thank you
/Jonas Adolfsson

Ed with Driving Albania put together a great 12 day Albania trip for us., filled with superb biking opportunities. Although occasionally we would have enjoyed road bikes, the mountain bikes Ed provided were perfect for the lesser roads with some broken pavement, and we appreciated the low gears for the mountain climbs. After a couple nights in Tirana to see the city and recover from jet lag, we hit the road , enjoying 25 kms of downhill riding to kick off our trip. After that our biking days ranged from 30 to 70kms on paved rolling roads through the mountain countryside and villages. Vehicular traffic was light. Our guide Nick, a former Olympian and Albanian road bike champion was always near by in the 4wd vehicle with water and snacks while we were on the bikes. Nick proved a conscientious driver when the bikes were loaded and we were in the vehicle and a competent guide to the many historical and nature spots we toured. We appreciated the dash cam videos Nick took for us showing the scenic landscapes and us on the bikes. Ed set us up in great hotels every night; food was plentiful, tasty and inexpensive. We would definitely recommend Albania as a destination and Ed to set up your Albania tour.

We loved the trip. Going to Jordan was a wonderful experience.
There were surprises. One was how long the travel took. Knowing the time frame better in advance would have settled some of our mild anxiety. We were surprised it took all day to get to Wadi Rum and arrived almost at dusk. But the camel ride was waiting and everything ended up perfectly.
Our guide was very good, but she held the mike too close to her mouth and some of her narrative was distorted by the sound on the bus, but that was a fairly minor issue.
The accommodations in Wadi Rum were wonderful, better than expected and the food was very good. Sitting by the fire and experiencing the singing and dancing there at night was a treat. The jeep ride next am was great fun and the scenery incredible.
Petra was magnificent. The hike was long and wearing, and the prospect of coming back on horseback or by carriage was impaired by gouging prices by the carriage drivers and too short a horse ride, so we just walked. We were most thankful for an honest boy who found the backpack I absentmindedly left on the trail. The police escort with us was a godsend as he contacted the police office there and located the backpack, all intact.
Hotel and food in Amman were great. Overall a great experience.

Bhutan was an incredible adventure and one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Vishal and Sonam put together a great trip!! I feel like Migmar and Gem were not only the best driver/guide in the whole country but lifelong friends as well. I had a great time and highly recommend Vishal and his team

I'm very grateful to Marianne and Carmello and the kimkim team behind them for their patience with my very specific interests and their continuing effort to find matches. Minori, on the Amalfi coast, was just the right size, the Hotel Lucia was simple and impeccable, local bus service to other coastal cities was as promised and their transfer arrangements spot on. I'm an experienced solo traveler but new to this part of Italy and wanted a little local insight beyond what's on the internet. I'll use kimkim again and recommend it to others.

Gabor was very flexible and patient with numerous changes to our itinerary. He uses fabulous guides and booked wonderful lodges. His expertise was invaluable in making our trip to Ecuador (Galapagos and Amazon) fantastic!!!

A Special Thanks to Diana (our assign local guide) she did the extra miles for us ensuring that all small details were met along the way.

I would strongly recommend KimKim !!

Steve and Christine.

Now time to start a new project, here comes Africa!

The whole trip was amazing. Thanks to the incredible organization by Vishal the trip ran smoothly and to plan, but we always felt there was flexibility to cater for the unexpected.
As I said, the trip was extremely well organized to cater for the two of us. Neither of us are young but we are both fairly energetic still. The activities, visits, walks suited us very well. Vishal constantly kept in contact with our guide to make sure everything ran smoothly for us.
We were both very pleased with the high standard of accommodation Vishal organized for us throughout the trip.
Vishal chose a driver and a guide both of whom can only be described as amazing.
I suffer from travel sickness. The driver and guide were both aware of this and kept a very close eye on me, particularly when we were on the very windy roads.The driving was also adjusted to ensure I had a comfortable ride. Our every need was anticipated.The driver never hesitated to find a safe place to stop when we wished to take photos.
My traveling companion doesn't like certain foods, our guide always checked to make sure that what was offered was suitable for her, and if not suitable had something else cooked for her.
Our guides general knowledge was amazing and he showed a great love for his country.
I can't say there was one place that was most memorable as each place we visited had its own story and its own beauty. Enhanced by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide.Every day and every activity provided us with an endless set of wonderful memories.There were no low points in the trip.
I have already started recommending Vishal and Bhutan to my friends who are interested in traveling there.

Susan was very flexible and patient with numerous changes to our itinerary. She uses fabulous guides and booked wonderful lodges. Her expertise was invaluable in making our trip to Kenya fantastic!!!
Virginia

All guides were very good.
We did not go much on Ragusa, this was part due to long trip after previous days journey, plus when we got there we had to search for information office, get town map etc. Maybe KimKim could provide this sort of info within welcoming pack, details of sites where not staying at hotel. Also checking of recommendations the week before would be advisable, the soap museum was closed and also website said booking required for visit. Yes we could of looked on website before we left but also KimKim should not be recommending visits without suppling this sort of info.
Response by KimKim staff , mainly Marianne, mainly on WhatsApp, was very good, when we needed her she was usually there ,if not replied within minutes rather than hours.
Hotel at Palermo is very tired and lacking facilities we had become used to, ie safe in the room, basic toiletries, and fridge. Also it needs to be noted that hotels parking arrangement not available 13.00-21.00 on sundays. Resulted in us spending all of Sunday afternoon at hotel rather than exploring the city.

Our Sherpa Lhakpa was great and the porter was excellent. The trip was a good trip for us - not too hard. The accommodation along the way was mostly good apart from Low Camp and High Camp where the toilet facilities were poor and the fire/heater were not turned on at these places even though everyone was cold. The accommodation in Sidhing was brilliant.
It was great to be met and farewelled by Ngima - the parting gift was a lovely touch.

This was our first time using Kimkim and it was a very positive experience. The local agencies they used in Morocco were excellent. From the beginning, our agent Brahim was very attentive and responsive. Any question or concern we messaged him about, he would get back to us right away. Additionally, he really took our requests into consideration when customizing our tour of Morocco. A highlight for us was the blue city of Chefchaouen, but honestly, Morocco is a stunning country with amazing landscapes, architecture, and culture, so it was all a highlight.

Our private driver, Rachid, was very punctual, responsible, and attentive to our needs. He would arrive on time every day and before arriving at our accommodation, he would call ahead to make sure they were ready for us. He was also great about suggesting local places to eat and when we should stop because some of our days were quite long in the car given the nature of the particular tour we chose. He also took some really excellent photographs of us (he's into photography). He is a driver that I would recommend other travelers to request :)

Additionally, the accommodation that was selected for us was just what we wanted--not big hotels, but local Riads (traditional Moroccan houses). One of the riads, Riad Sabah in Marrakech, was a highlight because the owner, Hans (he is from Germany, but lives in Marrakech because his wife is Moroccan) was so friendly and helpful and really made our stay pleasant.

Lastly, the local guides we had (Hafid in Fès and Khalid in Marrakech) spoke excellent English and were very knowledgeable.

All in all, this was a very positive experience and most importantly, it was very stress free. We chose to give Kimkim a try because with our busy work schedules, we did not have the time to plan and do our own research, so we wanted someone that could make this as stress free for us as possible. It was great waking up every day with our driver at the ready letting us know what our itinerary was for the day, not having to worry about how we were going to get to the next place, and arriving with our accommodation ready. Each day, we just got to sit back and enjoy, which is exactly what we needed. Though it was a little more expensive than we would have liked, time and zero stress is a luxury you pay for :)

We had a fantastic trek for our honeymoon and would highly recommend Amanda, our guide Tendu Sherpa and the entire Himalayan Trails team. Amanda was so responsive and helpful in planning our adventure - and went above and beyond to track down my bag that arrived late from our airlines and helicoptered it to the Himalayas to meet us a few days along our trek - really grateful! We have already recommended them to our friends!

The trip was a blast. Our driver Amjad was personable and professional. My only critique is that there was not enough time to do this trip properly. If I did it again, I would skip the Wadi Rum and spend more time in the other locations. We spent a long time driving just for a couple of hours touring the Wadi Rum. Otherwise, it is a good overview of some of the spectacular highlights of Jordan.

While we had a really good trip, we were honestly a bit disappointed with the city of Heraklion. (Should note that we originally intended to go to Chania, but we 'accidentally' booked flights to Heraklion, not realizing there is more than one airport in Crete. Perhaps we could have been steered further away from Heraklion, or just driven out for more day trips from there.) The pedestrian areas there were nice, and George did a great job w/our food/wine tour; however, it was almost frightening to walk around much of the city, since motorcycles abound on the myriad tiny, winding streets. We did thoroughly enjoy our wine tour to Douloufakis, as well as our olive oil farm tour to Koronekes. Our driver, Alexandra, was great! Always on time and very friendly, as well as an expert on touring commentary, especially cultural comments. Tasos was very kind and generous in taking good care of us, and again, a good trip, but would definitely have done a few things differently had we known that Heraklion probably lacks much of the charm that Chania apparently has. KimKim is, however, excellent to work with, always answering questions quickly, and very attentive. Thanks!

My trip to Croatia went smoothly as planned with the help of Alex. Zero hiccups on all arrangements made. He exactly knew how to select perfect locations and comfortable places to stay. I liked the flexibility of setting the itinerary to fit my preferences or recommendations from Alex. As a solo traveler, the open line between us during the entire trip was definitely a plus! Looking forward to more trips with kimkim's services. 😁

From the point of enquiry and putting together a personalised itinerary to the fruition of the trip the service has been five star.
Following a very late arrival we were met at the airport by a team member and taken straight to our hotel.
The following day we met with Ngima and Lhakpa who explained in full our next few days adventures.
Following a long car journey we arrived in Jhapre to begin our 5 day Pikey Peak trek.
We were a party of 2 adults and 2 14 year old boys and this trip was perfectly geared to our fitness levels. Challenging in places but most definitely achievable.
Of course, reaching Pikey Peak's summit at sunrise was awesome and we had a perfect view of the surrounding mountains.
What goes up must come down and this was equally a challenge with steep, rough, loose pathways underfoot but the guesthouse in Jumbezi with it's hot shower was most welcome. The following day was a rest day were we visited the Thuptenchholing Monastry which, along with the early morning summit climb, was one of the highlights of the trip.
The rest of the trekking was relatively easy following the ridge towards the final destination of Phaplu.
Our Guides and porters were all amazing but a special mention to Lhakpa who was the perfect trekking partner. Extremely patient with the slower members of the group, great fun with the teenagers and a master at Rummikub !!!
Ngima once again came to meet us on our final evening before his transport took us to the airport .
Thankyou everyone!!

We had the most wonderful trip to Jordan, thanks to Imke. She was knowledgeable, very pleasant, had great recommendations, answered all my questions and was very patient with me. We are seasoned travelers but this was our first time in the middle east and were a little apprehensive but not anymore. We were able to see Petra, Wadi Rum, Baptism Site and Dead Sea. The whole experience was breathtaking. We were very happy with our hotel accommodations. A special shout out to our wonderful driver Akram. If I had to rate Akram from 1 to 10, I'll give him a 20. He went above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and well taken care of. He was always prompt, looks professional, very informative and always in a good mood. He ensured that we were taken to the places as per our Itinerary. He made our trip to Jordan very enjoyable and definitely one for the books. Our trip to Jordan was only the first leg of our vacation, we went to Dubai and Switzerland after and enjoyed it but our trip to Jordan was our favorite and the most memorable one, thanks to Imke and Akram! I've already recommended kimkim, Jordan and Akram to a few of my friends who are apprehensive to travel to the middle east. I'm now planning our next vacation to South America through kimkim as well!! Can't wait!! :))

The trip over all was fantastic. .Weather was great , food was very good and the mountains
are beyound, to be so close to Annapurna is a experience in its own.
The check in/out time in Kathmandu is 2pm we arrived at the hotel at 9.00, so i had to wait 2 hours
to get in my room. That was the only small hinderance of the whole tour. ( from Jomson/Pockara)
I want to thank everybody who was concerned for making this tour a unforgetable experience.
Peter