Kimkim Trip Reviews

My travel specialist, Caroline, did an excellent job planning our summer vacation in Iceland! Not only did she book all of our accommodations, rental car, and some excursions, she also provided detailed information on sight-seeing and restaurant recommendations. She was even available while we were on the road in Iceland to provide tips on last-minute excursions. During the planning process, Caroline was very flexible with changes to our travel plans and provided excellent advice. I highly recommend Caroline to anyone looking to book a road trip in Iceland!

Marseille in lima was great however she never showed the catacombs.

Alexandra in cusco was fantastic

Jose was a little stiff at first but got better

Amazing trip to Macchu Picchu with incredible history lesson by Luis! Trek around Ausangate was spectacular! Great food and better people!

Overall, this was a rewarding trip, however, not without some issues. In general, too much time was spent traveling from place to place, especially with some of the long car rides for activities that were only a few hours in length. EVERY flight we took on Avianca experienced delays, significant delays or cancelation. By and large, our guides were excellent, except for our experience on Day 2 going to Chingaza (see below). No events / activities were planned for any of the evenings and it might have been nice if we had been able to attend some sort of cultural event or to be directed to a special restaurant. Some specific comments follow:

Day 1- Edgar met us at the Hotel just as the World Cup match ended with Colombia's victory. He was excellent. He took us around the park nearby, to a Sunday craft market, and he made several good dining suggestions. He was also our guide on Day 3 which was also an excellent tour of places in Bogota. At our request, he brought us to the main food and flower market and introduced us to numerous indigenous fruits. In retrospect, we should have flown to Pereida at the end of Day 3 to give us more time in coffee country.

Day 2 - Chingaza was interesting but not worth the long trip. We met our guide in La Calera but the vehicle was not large enough for all the passengers. At the park, it was cold, raining, windy and at high altitude. We needed extra layers of clothing and waterproof footwear. Our guide was completely immersed in her discussion of the surrounding environment, would not stop talking for the entire time we were with her and didn't properly assess my wife's level of discomfort and desire to return. The park was interesting but I think it likely that there may have been other activities near Bogota that would have be more interesting.

Day 4 - By far the best day of the trip. The visit to the coffee farm was without a doubt the highlight of the trip. We very much liked our guide, Juan.
Day 5 - Salento and the Cocora Vally hike were nice but we needed to end early to fly to Medellin. Worst day of travel on the entire trip. No direct flights on Avianca so we needed return to Bogota. Our first connecting flight was cancelled and the later flight was 2 hours delayed. In all, it took us 8 hours. It would have faster to drive and even faster to fly on EasyFly direct in 1 hour.

Day 6 - Medellin, we had a nice morning touring Medellin but it probably should have been the entire day. We did not see as much as we would have liked. Then we spent two hours driving to Guatape, a beautiful town with some stops along the way. Unfortunately, we arrived in Guatape late in the day and during a rain downpour and were not able to walk around much. The visit to the town should be been the priority of the trip, not the side stops. Long drive back resulted in a very late dinner.

Day 7 - Rafting. The trip itself was great and worthwhile but our departure from Medellin should have been earlier, not 11am. Consequently, we didn't get back to Medellin until it was almost too late to go out to dinner.
Day 8 - Cartagena. Excellent day touring the City with Richard.
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Day 9 - Isla del Encanto. Two problems. 1) We were not instructed to bring towels and I had to rent them for 60,000 COP. 2) The guides explained the set up of the resort to all the passengers in Spanish on the boat before docking. After docking, they repeated the explanation to a group in English. It was a busy day (national holiday). By the time they finished us giving information about the resort, more boats had docked and every cabana chair on the beach and near the beach were taken by people who had exited the boats earlier. We asked the staff to help but pretty much got a cold shoulder. Given that we probably paid twice as much as everyone else, we were fairly irritated by this sequence of events. Otherwise, the visit was nice.
Day 10, we spent in the old city on our own before going to the airport.

Dimitris was very responsive and planned a trip for me that was a true reflection of my desired experience. I had to make some last minute changes due to a weather-related missed flight and Dimitris dealt with things quickly and capably.

Our family's trip to Norway, with the help of Linda, Wilda, Samuel, Stieg, and all the folks at kimkim, was truly amazing. What Linda arranged for us to do and see, the intelligence of all our connections and the appropriateness of all our activities to our interests, made for a wonderful vacation. None of us will ever forget it. Our 3 mountaintop hike, the cabin on the water in Aurland, hiking around Aurland, the fjords, the history as well as the place, our hike to the goat farm, our railway trip, and the sights, museums and coffee in Oslo -- I only wish we had had more time. Thanks so much to kimkim. What an incredible service!

We had an excellent guide, Jhon, and driver, Dantes. They made us feel safe, gave us local insight into the regions we were traveling and taught us a lot about the history and current events of the areas. The sites were diverse and marvelous. Our favorites were Kuélap and Cumbe Mayo but the other sites we saw were not far behind, such as the Sarcophagi of Karajia or Huaca de la Luna. We had a local guide for the Museo Reales de Sipan who did a wonderful job shepherding is through the museum in the limited time we had. The scenery is beautiful and every meal somehow was better than the last. Phima, Jhon and Dantes went above and beyond in their advice, recommendations and assistance for the trip.

Carmen was great with helping me organise the trip based on my tight timelines.

My original driver Nedal ended up falling ill and was replaced with Ahmed who was lovely. He didn't have as much knowledge as Nedal but was nothing but professional and ensured my safety came first.

Loved the Jordanian hospitality. Amazing place and I look forward to returning, hopefully in the near future

This was, from beginning to end, a wonderful experience. Both Domen and Miha at Slotrips were amazingly helpful and went out of their way to make sure my journey went smoothly. I was traveling and hiking solo through Triglav Park, and they provided GPS, safety equipment, a cell phone to reach them, and explicit written instructions as well of maps of the area.

When I arrived I had a nasty sinus infection, and Domen was able to arrange transport to a doctor in a nearby town so I could be seen and get antibiotics. The day I was to summit Triglav, the weather was questionable, and Miha called me while I was on the trail to check in on me and make sure my trek was safe and successful. I made requests for minor changes to my transfers, which they accommodated on the spot.

I had wonderful places to stay (clean, quiet, and safe for a solo female traveler) and got recommendations for local restaurants and wineries to visit along the way. This was my first travel experience with KimKim and the gentlemen at Slotrips. It will not be my last! Thank you again for going out of your way to give me a fantastic holiday!

The tours themselves were not bad but the specialist Clara should be avoided at all costs. Slow to respond, repeatedly failed to answer questions (or gave me incorrect information), and provided misleading descriptions (ex. My 2 day "kayak trip" was about an hour alone in a kayak with a guide and no group before being dropped off to travel by motorboat the entire trip). She sent me a list of things I'd need a long time after I'd left home, 2 days before the trek, so I couldn't get any of them. Please, please do not book with Clara.

We had a wonderful time in Jordan. KimKim was very helpful in planning our trip. They were always very quick to respond to our requests or questions.

Dear Ingrid and Kimkim
Why there are only five stars in rating? I deeply appreciate your help in planning, booking my short 10-day trip to Norway. Found myself to be very lucky to discover Ingrid and Kimkim. It turned out to be most fabulous trip. Weather was excellent as well.

My wife and I have been travelling abroad for the sightseeing at least twice a year for last 20+ years. We take ride in designing the itinerary and make the booking ourselves. This was rare exception. Here also I planned to join the itinerary made by my friends.

However Ingrid was so good, so resourceful and helpful, after getting her quick prompt replies, I could not let her go and not take her She help. She precisely made all the bookings at the hotels, excursions, train, ferry tickets consistent with bookings done by my friends with no error or mix up. She was excellent in understanding all requirements, changes and communication via e-mail as well as phone calls. She has very good command over English. In writing and speaking. She managed to get all the bookings where my friend original travel agent could not. She was very resourceful, insightful and prompt with absolutely no pressure. She provided me additional contacts when needed. She was frank to inform me of the areas (like Stockholm) where she was not most familiar. Few days later my son joined me for the driving tour. The whole trip was very smooth and without any glitches. She and Kimmkim were very price competitive as well and I did not have to concerned at all about the cost of the agent’s services.

Ingrid provided her phone number, e-mail and was in constant communication with me during the trip as needed. I got a chance to meet her in person at Bergen. Very smart, warm, friendly young lady. I felt like having a local young personal friend.

Norway was stunningly beautiful. I will be posting pictures and write-ups at my blog TusharInIceland.blogspot.com in coming days. I do wish to visit Norway again with my wife with alternative driving trips and areas in north like Lofoten Islands, North of Alta, Svalbard etc. with my wife. I will also consult kimkim for future trips to Vietnam and Nepal..

Kimkim specializes the travel with local travel agent who know the place and culture well. Maybe Kimkim can consider an expansion of “meal with local family” (done by Trafalgar) or cultural event like wedding or trip on special events like constitution day for the travelers interested in the cultural tourism. Highly and strongly recommend Ingrid and Kimkim.

A great planning experience and an amazing trip. Thank you True Colombian Travel. The entire team was professional and personal and went beyond the extra mile to plan us the perfect Colombian adventure. They are there and touring you around. They are the perfect trip planners and guides. I can’t recommend them more. Responsive and flexible. We felt completely taken care of. Thank you.

Kimkim did not reply to emails. This was frustrating. James switched to Haley three weeks before the trip - we were not happy to have our specialist changed at the last minute without warning. We were disappointed in several aspects of the trip - neither James or Haley properly dealt with the following:
1. Informing us of luggage restrictions within Peru and our trip in particular
2. Informing us of the need for extra Peruvian currency in the small towns (and I asked about cash in advance)
3. Asking for and providing our seating preferences on domestic flights (no one wants a middle seat)
4. Informing us of the schedule/activities available at our resorts so that reservations could be made in advance to include limited enrollment tours and activities
5. The Inca Trail from the 104km point to Machu Picchu. This trail is very difficult - I was completely under-informed about the rigors of this hike (and I called and asked about it). James/Haley should understand their client base and plan accordingly -

Bottom line, I paid Kimkim/Quechua Treks a large sum of money and neither company met expectations.

Rolfi (Guide) was exceptional. His knowledge of the places we visited and his personality made for a memorable experience. He is easygoing, has a great sense of humor and was extremely flexible when we needed/wanted to make adjustments to the schedule. He was our guide when we arrived July 1st and our friend when we left July 7th.

Juan Carlos (driver) also took great care to make sure we got everywhere safely and even though his english is limited, we were able to have some good laughs.

Of course, we enjoyed the major sites/cities Rolfi took us to: Machu Picchu, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, etc. What we enjoyed most with Rolfi was when he took us off the "traditional tourist path" to local food and goods markets, restaurants, street food vendors, etc.

I would recommend anyone traveling to Peru to make sure Rolfi is their guide!

Where we do have issue is with the Kimkim - Quechua Treks relationship. We feel there are some areas where the trip could be enhanced - some of the little things that separate the good tour companies from the great tour companies. We paid Kimkim to connect us with a tour company and expected that company to be thorough in communicating all options, opportunities, etc. Naturally, these are issues specific to us and our travel experiences but I am certain many would have similar comments, namely:

1. When arranging the intra-country flights and train schedules, you should ask if travelers have a seating preference. On all internal flights, one of the seats was always a middle seat - very uncomfortable. You should have asked our seat preferences

2. Additional with number 1 above, you should advise price difference for various travel classes. Most people would not be opposed to a minimal upcharge for an upgraded, more comfortable class of travel

3. For meals that were included (we had 2 lunches at restaurants with Rolfi), we understand that alcoholic drinks are extra. However, you could include in the package pricing non-alcoholic drinks. It is one of those "little things" - if you charged me $5 - $10 more a day when we had a restaurant included meal and we could get water, tea, coffee, soda and not have to pay out of pocket, just makes sense. For the amount we paid for the trip, another $10 - $20 would not have been the difference between going and not going

4. With hotels you recommend, you should include an activity sheet for that property. We would have liked to know in advance all the available excursions @ Inketerra Pueblo Machu Picchu and Inketerra Amazonica, especially about the bear project excursion or at the Inketerra Pueblo. We missed out on a couple things we would have included. Knowing in advance helps planning for stays at the properties.

5. You should provide more specifics about baggage limitations for certain internal flights and limitations (train) for going from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu. Had we both done the hike from 104KM, there was no arrangement for bags to get to the hotel

6. We were advised we did not need much local currency almost everything was included. There were many places that took neither US dollars or credit cards so you need to review how you communicate the issue of cash needs.

Hoping these suggestions are helpful in improving your communications with future travelers. Overall, it was a fabulous experience. Rolfi is a tremendous asset to the company!

Please feel free to email or call if you would like to discuss any of these points further.

The information provided allowed us to make the best use of our short time in Iceland.

Fantastic travel planning by Clara and her team on our 15-day trip to Peru. They went above and beyond by helping us rearrange and rebook our schedule when our flight from Cuzco to Puerto Moldonado was cancelled because of weather conditions. They even helped up pick up our laundry and have it delivered to our hotel! I can't say enough good things about them. They helped make our trip to Peru amazing in every way.
We highly recommend them.

A TRULY MEMORABLE HOLIDAY — HVALA ANTE!

From the 2 weeks of planning to the duration of our holiday, Ante went well above and beyond his role of local specialist, which we never expected from someone we met for the first time!

He was consistently available to answer any and all questions; providing useful advice and numerous options for all aspects of the trip — activities, dining, transportation & alternatives when the weather presented setbacks. Indeed, despite thunderstorms delaying our transit via Zagreb, he kept us updated via messages on the status of the subsequent flights and ensured our safe arrival. Ante hand-picked our tour guides to best fit our requirements and personality, even guiding us through Split when he could have easily found someone to take his place — putting in extra effort with no hesitance. Throughout our numerous holiday stops, he would send regular messages to ensure our safe arrival and that all transportation and activities went over smoothly; always courteous and never forceful!

This holiday was also very special to me, because of my intention to propose to my girlfriend (now fiancé) — Ante proved a great asset; providing numerous ideas for romantic venues and settings throughout the trip, culminating in a wonderful sunset dinner atop Srđ Mountain overlooking the beautiful city of Dubrovnik where she would say yes! In her words: "the proverbial cherry on top, making an already fantastic holiday... perfect!"

Thanks to Ante's positive attitude, friendly demeanor, willingness to help, and passion for his role gave us peace of mind, but also a truly personal level of attention reserved to family and friends: which is how we both felt after leaving Croatia — we visited a truly beautiful country and wonderful friend!

Our Norway trip was incredible and absolutely spectacular! Alesund is a very beautiful town with great seafood and views, and the fjords and natural scenaries in Trollstigen, Geiranger, and Fjærland were breathtaking and unparalleled to many other places I’ve been! Hotels were really nice with great amenities and views. Our trip would not have happened without our local specialist Ingrid’s awesome service. She is attentive, informative, and supportive end-to-end, from initial planning to adhoc support throughout the trip and we ended the trip with a nice personal touch, i.e., grabbing lunch with Ingrid at a nice local cafe in Bergen. Thanks Ingrid for your detailed planning and support, and for making this trip memorable for us!

This was an incredibly well planned trip that was so enjoyable and excellent. Our guides were so knowledgeable and went at our own pace. Never rushed and each one was early every morning so no stress! Tatiana took us to the gold museum in bogota and her in depth knowledge made the next days trip to guaatavita very meaningful. We also went with her to la calenderlaria and the botero museum. The salt cathedral and guatavita are a must see. A highlight was the days we spent with David in the Corcora valley. We had an intimate coffee experience and amazing hike in the unique Corcora wax palm valley. David is so warm and enthused about his country and made the experience very personal with a coffee experience in pihao with a local farmer. In Cartagena the two best tours was a day trip to the sport baru hotel in the Rosario islands and the fishing with locals in la boquilla. Nathalie checked in on us was very responsive and definitely partnered with first class locals for the tours. It exceeded our expectations in every way!