Kimkim Trip Reviews

My partner and I had the most amazing trip to Jordan and Israel. Everything was seamless... from meet and greet at the borders to great accommodation to wonderful private guides at all the key sites. We had looked at doing a group tour and decided to book a completely private tour on the Jordan side, and a mix of day tours and group tours in Israel. You get the peace of mind of a perfectly organised trip created by a local expert, great local guides, and with the independence of a private tour, and very reasonably priced compared to group options. A great way to spend time one on one too with the lovely Jordanian people who were so welcoming and lovely. A special thanks to Tamara who organised our trip and was very easy to contact before and during the trip, and Hashim our lovely driver.

Amazing trip! Have not done much traveling outside the U.S., so was a bit nervous. Our travel specialist was James Mackender, and he made us feel very at easy with traveling abroad in Peru. Everything was perfectly planned--flights, pick-ups and drop-offs. Our guide for the Treehouse Lodge/Iquitos was Guido. Very knowledgeable, spoke excellent english, friendly, very personable. The Treehouse Lodge was beautiful, and the day and night excursions were once in a lifetime. Our next part of our Journey in Peru was seamless--the guide from the Treehouse took us directly to the river boat. The 7 man crew on the Spondias was amazing. They were so attentive, knowledgable about the amazon and Peru. My favorite part of this portion of the trip was when we spent time with a local family at the river village. They invited us into their home, we shared some food, and discussed the commonalty and differences of our daily lives. Our guide on the Spondias was Charlie, and he likes birds and was very knowledgeable about the different species of birds. Our chef, Francisco, was wonderful and his creations were excellent. Our waiter/purser was Jairo, he was a friendly young man, full of knowledge and we practiced english and spanish together. The only flaw was that we missed our connecting flight in Lima to Cusco. After an hour of being sent to 5 different desks to get our flight rescheduled, one phone call to James and in 10 minutes the whole situation was remedied. It relieved so much stress to know that James was looking after us. The last stretch of our trip was to Cusco and Machu picchu, and Zac was our guide. Zac was, hands down, the best guide I have ever had. He was so knowledgeable about Peru, Cusco, Incan history, Machu Picchu. The way he introduced us to Machu Picchu was perfect, and he even took video of our initial reaction to seeing this Wonder of the World. He was so kind, so enthusiastic, I definitely would do another trip with him as our guide.

This trip was just perfect. James did an amazing job listening to what we wanted to do, and making all of those wishes come true. Will definitely be using James and/or KimKim again when we travel!!

Erin, our local specialist, was really great helping us prepare for the trip, to the point that she helped us booking bus tickets between Kathmandu and Pokhara as well as researching various other things that we were asking about prior to arrival.

We initially booked a 5 day trek in the Annapurna range, but as our prior travels went on we realised that a 4 day trek suited our schedule better - Erin sorted this for us as well, and put together a more compact plan with our guide Naresh that meant we could cover the same trek in a day less.

The specific trek was the Mulde/Muldai/Muldei Peak and Poon Hill trek, with a maximum altitude of about 3600m, starting at around 1700m and ending at around 1500m. Apart from the unfortunate cloudy weather due to monsoon season, we got two clear magnificent sunrises, and if the weather had been clear on the second evening; a sunset as well at 3600m. We really had some great views, and an overall great experience, and just the view the first morning made our 6 week travel in India and Nepal worth it. Naresh, our guide, was incredibly nice, helpful and considerate, and helped us with everything from pointing out the mountain peak names to leech-protection, getting drinking water, and drying clothes in the tea houses.

I unfortunately reacted badly to the rapid increase in altitude and didn't feel too well the second and third day, but Naresh did everything in his power, including swapping backpacks with me, to take some of the strain off, as well as put the tempo down. This trek should be doable without any significant prevention of altitude sickness, and my partner was fine apart from slight loss of appetite, but some tablets for AMS could be useful, and make sure to communicate with you guide so he/she is aware, as well as be aware of the symptoms and react early if possible if any symptoms develop.

I would definitely do this trek again - next, maybe a slightly longer one to the Annapurna Base Camp. If you are inexperienced or new to the trekking aspects, or other aspects such as navigation etc (or just wanna enjoy doing the trek without planning it yourself), I would definitely recommend this way of booking.

Thank for a great time, kimkim, Erin and Naresh!

Van was wonderful- very well versed in Japan, gave us good advice about what we could do realistically with 3 kids in tow! He was very helpful in getting us to scale back on some of the more expensive things we thought about doing (like some pricey restaurants) that really would not have been fun when we were jet lagged or for the kids in general.

All our guides were very informative and great with engaging our kids.

We loved all the destinations Van chose for us- we got just the right mix of urban Tokyo fun and rural/seaside experience. All the accommodations were wonderful, we really felt like we traveled to a foreign country, not just staying in generic hotels. We did not rent a car and felt that the train and bus travel was all fairly easy.

The only event (and this was such a minor thing) we did not really enjoy was the Monster Cafe in Tokyo- our 13 and 15 year olds thought it was kind of silly, and our 9 year old was amused for a few mintues but then bored. The food was really average and overpriced. Would not rec this.

It feels like my wife, Roxanne, and I have developed a personal relationship with Ingrid. Her "front end" or "pre-trip" communication with me was excellent and incredibly responsive (timely). We communicated back & forth so she could understand what we liked, which enabled Ingrid to tailor a trip to our desires.
Once the trip began, I was shocked how she was monitoring our trip daily and checking in on us to ensure we were fine and that the trip was going well. She even sent me her cell phone #, in the event, we needed anything and I did have to call her once for clarity on a hotel billing item. She was all over it. We texted each other and again.......she was all over it. I love this girl!
I believe KimKim does work in other countries and, if all of your agents are even 1/2 as effective as Ingrid, I will be using KimKim again. Our next scheduled trip in most likely Italy next year (2019) and I could use local help again.

Ingrid.........you are outstanding "young lady" and you deserve and have earned our felt heart accolades. We hope to return to Norway for a tour of the North someday!

Thank you KimKim but all praise goes to Ingrid!

Dave Amrhein

Miha was wonderful to work with. His description of our trip from start to finish was very well organized, accurate and so helpful. The added plus was the use of a cell phone which guided us to each of our hotels and sight seeing spots in Slovenia through the use of its GPS. Miha answered all of our questions, and eased our fears or doubts about any part of the trip that we weren't sure about. We loved all of our hotels, they were centrally located and all of the hosts of each hotel were very accommodating and friendly. All the hotels were wonderful, but there were some that really stood out; Pension Berc,(one of the best restaurants we have been to) and loved the free use of their
E bikes, the manager of the hotel 44, in Dubrovnik Damir was also outstanding. He gave us a lot of tips as to where to go and what to do and carried our suitcase up the flight of stairs. We loved that Miha gave us a lot of flexibility in the planning and our trip was a perfect balance of activities and relaxation time. There were so many favorite spots that we wouldn't have the time to list them all. However I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to recommend Miha for your Slovenia and Croatia trip. All the guides spoke great English and were very friendly, and very knowledgeable. Kim Kim and their travel planners are the perfect way to go if you don't like to be in big groups and want to have the freedom and flexibility and most of all independence from a strict schedule.

This was a 5 Star trip, very well organised by Clara, it all went so well it even surprised us. All drivers were there on time, every step was very well sorted out.
Just to give a small suggestion for the next time, I would leave a bit more free time as we couldn't relax or have some more time off to just enjoy the places such as Cusco. The tour including Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo was like a rally...we had 7 minutes to explore Pisac- it was either walking around or going to the toilet...one choice...and Urubamba was really a road restaurant only. Whereas for Ollantaytambo which was an amazing place, both the ruins and the town we just had some time with the guide and no time to explore and feel the beautiful town. We had to rush to the station to go to Aguas Calientes. It maybe too much for one day...maybe just Ollantaytambo is such a rich experience that there was no need to see the others and to have a lunch at a road restaurant.
Apart from this suggestion, I must say I had a great time, Clara booked us Cicciolina, wich was a great choice of restaurant in Cusco, and also was there for all we needed. I will certainly reccommend the agency and Kim Kim.
Do you have a Brazilian version of the site?
Many thanks
Lorena

My husband and I are experienced, avid travelers who normally plan our trips on our own with great success. However, upon doing my own research for an upcoming trip to Morocco, I came across the kimkim site and made the decision to utilize their services. I had read positive reviews, and having no real knowledge of Morocco, I decided to give kimkim a shot. We had planned on staying 1 week in Morocco and wanted to cover as much as possible in our brief time there in order to wet our palates before our next return. Morocco is a country with lots to see and do, and I discovered that one can spend lots of time driving from destination to destination. For example, there is Marrakech, then there is the desert with the sand dunes, and then you also have the Atlas Mountains, as well as the coast. From a logistics point of view, I just thought it would be much easier to let someone with experience plan everything. That’s where kimkim stepped in and really delivered. From the beginning, speaking with Katherine was a breeze. She was helpful, very professional, easy to communicate with, and had a clear idea about the experience we were looking for. She also made good recommendations with regards to hotel and restaurant suggestions. When I explained that we wanted to go to Marrakech, the desert, and the Atlas Mountains, she suggested we book a short flight internally to reduce travel time. Highly worth flying between destinations as roads lack good infrastructure and trips can be very long! Katherine and kimkim planned everything for us, from booking beautiful hotels, to fabulous restaurants, to arranging private drivers, to wonderful tours and experiences. From the beginning, we discussed a budget, and Katherine and kimkim made it happen. Shout out to our private driver Abderrahim (Abdo) and our guide Hassan! Both could not have been more professional, hospitable, and courteous. Our driver Abdo was always on time, and when he arrived at the airport in Marrakech to collect us, his vehicle was very clean and spacious, and he had cold water in the car and all kinds of delicious snacks. He also gave us a local mobile phone and charger to use for the duration of our trip. In it, all important numbers were already saved, and the phone, while it was not a smart phone, was quite perfect as the battery lasted the whole week without charging, and it proved to be very useful. Whenever we needed our driver or needed more time at a destination, our driver was always a phone call away. They also let you use the phone to make free international calls! We were even given welcome satchels with our names painted in Arabic with adaptors and a bound program for our whole trip inside! The program was especially helpful as it included a detailed itinerary, information about the destinations we would be visiting, key contact names and numbers, as well as additional information about the country in general. For some reason, the adaptors would not work, but it was still a nice and thoughtful touch! When we encountered a problem at the airport in Marrakech causing us to miss our flight to the desert, I reached out to our driver and within a short period of time, Katherine reached out to us and found the best solution to our problem. They quickly arranged for a driver to take us to our next destination and while the trip was exhausting, kimkim nevertheless delivered and got us to our next destination the best way they could. In a world where travel agencies have become a bit obsolete, kimkim is changing all that and making it cool again. Their travel platform is quite seamless and efficient, really taking the headache out of planning a trip to a foreign locale. The best part of it all is that their services, while being as useful as they are, are quite inexpensive. Their fees are more than reasonable. Morocco is a beautiful country with warm, hospitable people with a great sense of humor. There is so much to explore and experience and never at one time did we feel unsafe. Their culture is so diverse, and there is something in it for everyone to enjoy, whether it be luxury riads, excellent dining options, spa services (hammams, yes please!), cultural activities, outdoor activities such as trekking, and lots of incredible shopping. I personally highly recommend a trip out to the desert with camel rides and sleeping under a sky filled with a trillion stars at a Berber camp! Kimkim helped us fall in love with Morocco, and we will be returning in the near future for certain. Thank you kimkim for this great experience!

Great experience in the Sacred Valley with Nicole and her team...they easily redirected a plan that turned out to be too ambitious, into one that was the highlight of our trip, a hike along an old Inka trail down the mountains through the Pisac ruins. the drivers and guides were wonderful. Scott

This is the first time I have used KimKim, and I am very happy with the booking process and the tour itself. The agent, Raisa, answered all of my questions quickly and in good details. Once we have started the tour, she kept me informed on the tour guide change. The tour itself was wonderful and my group really enjoyed our guides and our time in Jordan. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to travel to Jordan in he future.

The planning and help in curating the itinerary was a highlight and was very well done. Jordan is beautiful and I wish I had more time there. Wadi rum was a short stay but exceptional. I will have to return again to do justice to the sites and stars in the desert.

Thanks Carmen and Kim Kim.

Wish you guys the best in what you are trying to achieve. Experiential travel is the way to go!

Regards
Rish

Sean couldn’t have done anything more to make Our trip to the Ukraine more memorable, from the moment we stepped off the plane in Odessa to the moment we said good-bye to our driver at the airport in Lviv. The organization of the drivers, flights within the Ukraine, first class hotels, the tour guides in each city, the private tour to find my Grandparents birth village, meeting with relatives I had never met, Yuri our driver helping with translation of the language. Our private tour guides in Odessa and in Lviv had such passion for their country and cities, which make us want to come back to see more. Thank You Sean

We had a great time in Iceland. Our tours were thoughtfully planned out. In 5 days we got a really good look at all parts of Iceland. We did have a little problem with Luxury Minibus Tours but our agent, Sveindis, was helpful in solving that issue. Every tour we went on had knowledgeable, pleasant guides who really knew what they were doing. I really appreciated that on our Glacier Hike. Our guide, Renata, was fabulous!!!

We had a wonderful in Jordan thanks to Mohammed (our guide), Tamara (our travel agent), and KimKim. We hit the major sites: Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea and they did not disappoint. We couldn't have wished for a better trip. Our driver/guide, Mohammed was the man! He made the experience fun, informational, and authentic. The trip was the perfect blend of site-seeing, adventure, not too much traveling, amazing food, etc. Highly recommend!

Ingrid was incredible! We had a short time to visit the Bergen-Egersund portion of Norway and Ingrid arranged all our hotels (fantastic breakfasts!), train trips (schedules, tickets, maps from hotel to station), fjord boat trip, bus trip, etc. She was unfailingly patient responding to my numerous detailed questions promptly. She even went out of her way to deliver some tickets to our hotel and met us there at the start of our trip to make sure we had all our questions answered. She paid particular attention to our special needs with regards to limited walking ability and tracking down relatives. We had a busy week but I feel that with Ingrid's guidance, we saw everything we hoped to in the least stressful way. I would never plan another trip without using kimkim's local experienced travel team!

Fantastic, couldn’t have asked for better planning or customer service. Thank you so much for all your great recommendations and we can’t wait to get back to Iceland! We will certainly be a returning customer.

This turned into a fabulous solo trip to Basque Country!!!
Alfonso created a well organized itinerary for me, just the way I wanted it.
I had plenty of time to see Bilbao and San Sebastian. Part guided and part on my own. I had a private tour of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum that was incredibly in depth.
All the hotels, bus tickets, taxis were well taken care of. No stress at all.
He took me on an amazing food tour in San Sebastian to taste pintxos for the first time in the Old Town. A very memorable experience indeed.
He was attentive and knowledgeable. I felt assured that he stayed in communication the whole trip so that I didn't have any glitches.
I would highly recommend Alfonso for any trip to Basque Country. A very nice experience overall.

Outstanding trip - our drivers Diogo and Carlos were helpful and friendly as were all the places we stayed on the trip.

This bike trip down the Green Coast in Porto was memorable for the people, the scenery, the gorgeous buildings and the great routes off main roads, along rivers and the coasts.

Can't recommend the destination or the organisation highly enough.

We visited Colombia in August and traveled through Jardin, Salamina and Cartagena. Our travel specialist Lisa Calabrese, did an outstanding job in arranging everything including transfers between the towns, tours and our choice of hotels. We were looked after every step of the way right from the booking. Initially I wasn't sure which places I wanted to visit but Lisa helped me through and after week or two we finalised an itinerary. Lisa always answered my query promptly.
We even got to meet her in Medellin. I will certainly book more tours through her.

My cousin and I booked our trip through kimkim and I could not have been more pleased! Lisa, was our specialist, created our itinerary, took care of us, and tackled any concerns that we had. We had expert tour guides with us on several excursions that made all the difference. I felt completely safe and was able to have a stress-free experience in Colombia. Our trip was truly memorable!

Tayrona National Park was amazing we were able to see lots of monkeys and other wild life. Our guide, Jaruen, was really stealthy at finding all kinds of creatures. He came equipped with a laser pointer so we were able to easily spot, what would have been camouflaged animals and birds, with ease. I think other people on the hiking trail were jealous. Our guide also held our table at the restaurant once we made it to the beach-which was really helpful because the line for lunch became soooo long! My cousin and I were able to just walk right in. At this point, YES, the other hikers were definitely jealous! Bug spray is a must.

In Santa Marta, I highly recommend Lulo Cafe Bar for a FABULOUS cocktail and great service! Lots of great restaurants on the same street as well. Also some fun street entertainment on the street and at the square-it’s the teenage boys dancing that steals the show! It was also waaaay nicer as far as restaurants go than at the lackluster beach so stick to the square! Bug spray is a must if you are eating outside.

Our day trip to Minca for waterfalls and a coffee bean farm tour had a great guide named, Fidel. He was very knowledgeable about birds and wildlife in this area. My cousin and I swear that we thought we were following Mowgli into the Jungle! He really knew his stuff and LIVED this lifestyle. He took us to several waterfalls and was able to identify all kinds of amazing humming birds. The best part was that he took us to an authentic roadside “barbeque”. They had a huge, open brick oven with slabs of meat roasting in it. My guess is whatever animal was in there was alive not too long before we ate it. I have no idea what I ate exactly, but it was good! Great views of the mountain side too! Bug spray is, again, a must.

Our hotel in Cartagena was very nice and smack in between the old town and Getsimani so it was easy to mix it up within the city walls as far as exploring goes. Carlos, the guy who seemed to run the show at breakfast, was extremely personable! He showed us all the different native fruits as well as how they made coffee- taught me some Spanish as well! Carlos went above and beyond because he really didn't have to do any of those things for us- the breakfast was excellent as it was!

Our Cartagena city tour guide, Sergio, was also very friendly and informative. He had lots of insight into the history, and architecture of the city, as well as some current events and also what I felt was "insider" information! We found the BEST local artist-and both my cousin and I had been looking the whole trip- thanks to Sergio! The artist’s name is Fini. I really am impressed by her artwork and I’m currently in the process of getting it framed! Can’t wait to put it up!

We went to Casa del Farol at the Rosario Islands for a day of snorkeling and relaxation. The snorkeling was really surprisingly good considering that the weather was overcast. There was a lot of colorful coral, and seriously amazing fish! Lunch, as most every meal of our trip, was excellent. My only complaint is that the day was too short!

Overall, this was an amazing, exciting, bucket-list type of trip! Thank you, Lisa and kimkim!