Kimkim Trip Reviews

Kimkim does make things much easier, but it's not the best option if you want to save money.

For flights and hotels, we saved more than $500 booking everything on our own.

Cartagena was great and it's the place I would have spent more time.

The guide in Medellin was awesome and explained everything we saw and asked about!

However, the guide in Bogotá was quite different. His English wasn't very good so it wasn't very easy to communicate. Perhaps this was the reason why he didn't explain much of the things we were looking at during the tour. He'd just say that X thing was the most important. There was a moment where I asked about Monteserrate and he gave the wrong timeframe of the photo I was referring to.

When we went to the Gold Museum, he took us only to see basically 2 things which he said were the most important and didn't explain anything about why they were important.

We stopped by to grab a bite and agua de panela at La Puerta de la Cadetral and we paid for his food as well (which I didn't know we were paying for). He took the receipt after I paid.

The tour included Museo Botero, but we walked pass by it and didn't stop.

The tour was supposed to last 8 hours, but he said we were done a bit after 1 PM.

Our trip to Ecuador was incredible and surpassed all expectations! Iveth put together the perfect trip based upon on interests and budget. She was extremely communicative in the months and weeks leading up to our trip, and was in regular contact with us and our guides throughout our trip. Thanks to Iveth we were able to see and learn about so many different parts of the country. We spent 18 days traveling through mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. We spent half of our trip journeying through the highlands, the Amazon rainforest, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, and Quito; the second half we spend in the Galapagos Islands. She arranged for us to have a private guide/driver while on the mainland - Christian. He was one of the best guides we've ever had, in any country! He was kind, caring and funny. He was so knowledgeable about Ecuador's history, culture, and especially the nature! Thanks to Christian, we feel like experts on Ecuador. His love and passion for his country shined, and it truly made our experience extra special.

Our vacation to Ecuador was unique for a number of reasons, but mostly because Iveth was instrumental in coordinating and executing our marriage proposal. She assisted my fiance with planning every detail of his proposal, including ensuring that eleven 'love notes' were received by eleven different hotels. The proposal took place overlooking the spectacular Lake Quilotoa, and it will be one of our most cherished memories. She also assisted my fiance with planning a very special hotel stay at the beautiful and romantic Hotel Rumiloma. Iveth was always there for us; we had some issues with our airline tickets and she was immediately available to assist. When we both felt sick one day in Quito, she came to our hotel first thing in the morning with Pediasure and medicine. She was extremely attentive to all of our needs, and she went above and beyond to make sure our time in Ecuador was well spent. She is extremely organized and we never had to worry about our itinerary, pick ups, transfers, etc. Her positive energy and love for her country radiates, and we could not have imagined this trip without her playing a part in it. I plan to tell all my friends and family to work with Iveth when planning their Ecuador trips, and we will certainly work with her again on our next visit to the wonderful Ecuador!

We enjoyed all our time in Argentina and Chile. The itinerary was super detailed and we experienced no issues during the trip. The local guides and hotels were all great.

We enjoyed so many experiences: elephant visit, hiking through the jungle, kayaking around the floating village, cycling round Angkor Wat, butterfly farm, night markets, temple visits, Aspara dance show, all smoothly organised by our guides. It was so nice to be chauffeured from airport to hotel to the visits for the day.

I loved the visit to Iguazu falls from both Brazil and Argentina sides and the Tango night show which introduced me to Argentinian culture. The tour guides Gustavo and Maria on the Iguazu trip were phenomenal. Muchas Gracias

Fantastic trip for everyone in our family!

Our family (3 adults) really enjoyed our first trip to Costa Rica. The process of planning the trip with kimkim was very easy and convenient, and our specialist Yenyi was always very responsive and helpful with our questions.

Overall, we had a great time on our trip. We went to Arenal and Monteverde (one of our guides described it as going from the rainforest to the cloud forest), which were unique and beautiful. Our accommodations were wonderful, especially our stay at Tabacon resort in Arenal - which has the best hot springs facilities in town (the town is famous for the natural hot springs due to the nearby volcano). We ended up going to the hot springs every day! Our hotel in Monteverde - Fonda Vela - was also nice, although it was definitely a bit outdated (especially the bathroom) and they were actively doing construction during our stay (a bit dirty and loud at times), but our room had a beautiful view of the forests and Pacific Ocean.

Out of all of our activities, some of the highlights were zip lining in the cloud forest (10 different lines) and the nocturnal nature tour (we were able to spot snakes, birds, and unique insects in the complete dark with our guide). We also really enjoyed our Rio Celeste day trip - unfortunately the trip itself was cut short due to heavy rainfall closing off half of the park (and the river was brown instead of blue), but our guide Michael was so amazing he really made it a fun and educational trip (teaching us about local plants and insects), and the lunch was good too.

The parts we didn't enjoy as much/some issues:
- Our local tour operator was late several times and did not give us notice. For our boat ride, we waited 30 minutes in our lobby; the tour operator did not contact us, we had to ask the hotel to call them to see when they were arriving.
- The description for "Arenal to Monteverde by boat" is extremely misleading. The kimkim page described it as 3.5 hour boat ride, in reality it was a 40 minute boat ride followed by a 2 hour car ride on extremely bump roads.
- The La Fortuna Waterfall tour was also a disappointment. It was billed as a half-day tour, but the tour itself was only one hour (you climb down the steps, see the waterfall, then climb up the steps). We had to leave the hotel at 7:30 AM, the drive was an hour round trip, and the tour was an hour. We had to wake up so early but then were back at the hotel by 9:30 AM. Our tour guide didn't really explain anything to us, and towards the end he was rushing for us to leave even though the tour was much shorter than we anticipated.

Issues aside, we did have a wonderful time in Costa Rica. The majority of our guides were awesome and super knowledgeable. The accommodations were great and everything was nicely organized. We loved the food and the friendly people everywhere.

Had a great time @ Morocco. We had our main tour guide/Chauffeur Yassine driving us all round. He was very professional, friendly and took us to all hidden treasures of Morocco. Recommended places to eat, helped us sample of some the local fruits, cheese, etc. He speaks multiple languages and is very knowledgeable of the local culture. We landed at Casablanca and from there went to Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Boumalne Dades and finally to Marrakesh. Our local tour guides were very informative, and we met a few wonderful local guides during our stay at Sahara-Hmad in particular. We explored the Saharan sands cape by Camel and buggy driving. We met Hassan- the camel guy from a nomadic village who is learning Portuguese and Spanish through Google. I noticed that he was very tender and affectionate with his camels, and told us about his dog 'Subbotho' and taught us a few phrases in Berber. We stayed at the 'Dune house' overlooking the golden peaks of Sahara while we were ate Merzouga. Emily Owen was our host and we absolutely fell in love with the space. She created a unique experience for us and cooked us a delicious meal. I can't wait to go back here again. I loved Fez Medina's raw charm appealing while others could find it in a state of perpetual pandemonium and recoil in horror. I particularly enjoyed Kamal's perspective on the cultural lineage and history when we visited the Fez Medina. Finally, I must thank Megan - our tour specialist for putting together an itinerary that all of us could enjoy and available at all times to address our concerns, I would recommend this trip to anyone planning a visit to Morocco. It's a family friendly travel destination.

Sangita, Bipin, Rabin are all super helpful and professional! Can't describe how happy to get to know them and had such wonderful memories. We have encountered some flight issues due to local weather and Sangita helped with rearranging the itinerary very quickly. The whole trip is wonderful, most memorable places would be the view from Australia Camp and the world heritage architecture in Kathmandu. Rabin and Bipin did a great job of telling lively stories and giving us knowledge of nature, animals, plants, culture...etc. In sum, this is an amazing trip that we both can't wait to visit Nepal another time!

Tatjana and I had a great time, specially in Geilo, where the snow, sun and skiing conditions were absolutely perfect. Heidi was a great guide and, further, she arranged a wonderful evening dinner at the Geilo Mountain Lodge for her partner and us. (The Lodge should be on the Michelin list!!!) Oslo at the front and back end of our trip included Vinterland, Vigeland statuary park, and viking, Fram and Kon-Tiki museums that were very well done. The convenient light rail took us to Holmenkollen ski jump and museum that were also very impressive. And for my 80th birthday and New Years Eve the fireworks seen from the Opera fjord-side apron was great (Be certain to recommend making reservations for New Year's dinners and parties in advance-we lucked out at the Opera Hotel being the last couple accepted. Also recommend coat and tie for males and dresses for females-ski apparel would have been out of place). Because of the rain in Bergen (according to the hotel averaging 266 days per year) it was less enjoyable, but John, our guide took us to see the old town, Hanseatic row and up the funicular. There the clouds and mist parted long enough to see why Bergen is called Bergen. Our son and family joined us for two days and we
and we discovered the Vil Vite childrens's museum where our 3 year old granddaughter enjoyed 2 afternoons. Recommend changing the trip itinerary to one more day in Geilo and one less in Bergen.

The Bristol, Opera and Geilo hotels were excellent, particularly the Bristol-very elegant! The Zander K was marginal in room quality and services. However, it was close to the train station and good restaurants.

The pre-booked travel tickets were essential, especially for the Geilo to Bergen leg, where in Gudvangen in the rain and dark getting bus tickets would have been difficult (by the way the bus driver said that the ticket we had was for another company, but he took us anyway, saying he would make payment adjustments.)

So, thank you for the arrangements. We had a wonderful white Christmas and New Years in Norway.

Don and Tatjana

Had a great time (10 days) at various location along the Andean highlands in Ecuador with our guide, Cristian, organised by Iveth. What a gorgeous, scenic country and friendly people!!
Iveth took to time to tailor the itinerary to hit all the places we selected. And even helped us out with a couple of issues along the way. Cristian was with us the whole trip and his assistance was exemplary and invaluable. He was willing to accommodate changes, make suggestions and was not stuck to a set checklist. His input about local customs, traditions, etc., added to experience.
In retrospect, I would've liked to have had two days in Quito and vicinity and skipped Guayaquil; and definitely would've added a couple of visits to the museums to learn about pre-Inca settlements/history.
Will come back again to visit Yasuni and Galapagos the next time. Thank you, Iveth and Cristian, for making it a memorable trip.

Tuk tuk tour was great. Chiang Mai hike was nice, guide there Danny was the best. Cooking class was really good. Krabi was our favorite. Snorkeling on Bali was excellent

A trip with teens, grandparents and parents is hard to plan and execute to everyone's satisfaction, but our trip to Morocco with KimKim was enjoyed by all. Brahim worked very hard to provide a mix of activities and destinations to ensure there was something for each member of our party. When complications arose (as they always do when traveling) they were handled immediately by the KimKim team. Our driver, Fouad, was an absolute gem. Full of local information and an all-around huge help. Our tour guide in Fes, Issam, was one of the best tour guides we've ever had - able to keep a retired historian AND a tired teen engaged for almost 8 hours. Each person had their own highlights - ballooning, cooking class, walking the medinas, but we all thoroughly enjoyed the richness and diversity of the country we explored with KimKim

This was a great one week family trip packing A LOT in, from snorkeling and fishing off the coast of Belize, to Mayan ruins and culture, to the beautiful old town of Antigua, to the stunning nature of Pacaya Volcano and Lake Atitlan. We were ambitious in trying to cover a lot of ground, and Eduardo did a great job helping us set the itinerary and coordinate the logistics. There were a few bumps with the driver/guide in Belize, as well as some inevitable flight delays and traffic, but I was able to Whatsapp with Eduardo and get to good resolutions. The people of Belize and Guatemala were friendly and welcoming, and I would highly recommend visits to both countries.

We are just getting back home from the most incredible trip that KimKim helped to arrange for us in coordination with Himalayan Trails which is their local group in Nepal. From the beginning we were looking for a custom tour of the country that would allow us to enjoy both some time on the mountain trekking as well as a resort. KimKim helped make it all work seamlessly throughout our time.

We were met at the airport in Kathmandu and together with our guide flew to Pokhara to begin the trekking journey. Everything was as good or better than we could have expected including the custom route that they chose for the hike. By going a little against the grain on our path we were able to both beat the crowds in certain areas as well as find some more remote parts of the trail that proved to be the most memorable. Specifically our time at Dobato and the Mt Lucky teahouse where we were welcomed by the family and spent most of the afternoon/evening warming up and conversing through our guide who was great at making sure we got a really culturally unique experience. The sunrise on Muldai Hill was the best part of the trip as we had the entire top of the range to ourselves that morning for a really special experience.

Couldn't be more pleased with both the help arranging the trip (thanks Erin!) and once we got on the ground with Raj and the team at Himalayan Trails. Thanks all and look forward to visiting the wonderful country of Nepal again in the future.

We had a wonderful time in Thailand thanks to Suwanna, Tha, and all the local guides in the country! Royal Silk made us feel like lux travelers with airport pickups seamless transfers and kind and courteous service from all.

Some of our wonderful guides included:
Jungkey - The Tuk-tuk foodie tour was great and Jungkey kept us moving, eating, and enjoying.

Amy - Our private guide on our Bangkok tour made sure we saw much of the city beautiful sights, while being so pleasant to talk with, and had a great feel for the pace of the tour and where to take us. Excellent!

Roon - We loved Roon's quiet charm and sense of humor. He showed us many spots in Chiang-Mai and took his time to make sure we enjoyed as much as we could possibly.

Pom - Pom was so great! She took us on the hiking tour of Doi Inthanon. You could tell she had a lot of experience on the mountain and she was a wonderful guide with a warm heart and a great sense of pride in the mountain and it's surroundings. She was wonderful!

Tha was really responsive along our entire trip and we felt comfortable knowing she would always be available to help if needed. Su the local representative in Phuket was also amazing as she immediately reached out to us upon our arrival and helped us with our transfer and booking a dinner reservation and spa reservation. The recommendations by all were also wonderful.

We don't think we would have had nearly as good a time in Thailand had we not used KimKim to plug us into all the wonderful people at Royal Silk. Thank you so much for a wonderful experience and thank you to all the great guides throughout!

My overall experience was great, and what an adventure it was in Morocco! Hakim organized my trip efficiently as I booked rather last minute in mid Nov for a Xmas holiday. Unfortunately he could not book many of the riads I initially wanted to stay in as they were full, but it all worked out fine. 13 days allowed me enough time to get a good sense of the country as I went from Casblanca to Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fez, Merzouga desert, Ouarzazate, the Dades and Draa Valleys, Marrakesh, and Essaouira. The one thing I did not count on was how many hours we would be on the road. There were 3 days during which we had to travel in the car for 9 hours each day (with breaks included) which is tiring if you are not used to that. However, it was well worth it seeing the amazing and varied landscape. Redouane my driver was outstanding. He was warm, kind and very genuine and helpful, always making sure I was ok. Since I need to eat a lot of fresh vegetables, he even bought some to make a fresh salad for me during the long drives!

I loved the call to prayer everyday rising above the din of the medina. Absolutely love the culture, the history, the people, the food and the fashion. The highlight for me was staying in a tent in the Sahara desert. Nothing like watching the stars and the sunrise from the desert. Since I was traveling alone as a woman I relied on my guides to make sure I could find my way in the winding medinas. I felt safe generally although I did get harrassed slightly by men a few times. In all cases, I simply say 'la shukran' and moved on.

Morocco is a very special place and I would definitely go back again.

Macarena did a wonderful job of working with us to get our trip to Buenos Aires and Ushuaia just perfect for our family. While we enjoy taking tours, we like to have free time to wander. Macarena was able to give us the perfect amount of both.

Each day we had some free time to wander, or relax from our tours. We thoroughly enjoyed Laura on our BA and Tigre tours. She was informative, helpful, and delightful to spend time with. Highly recommend her.

While we would have never booked the Argentine Cooking experience or the Tango lesson and dinner, we were so happy Macarena put those in for us. It was great dining with travelers from around the globe, learning about the culture, food, mate, tango, etc. So happy they were included in our itinerary.

And while it was fun exploring BA, we thoroughly enjoyed being in Ushuaia. What a fabulous place. The highlight of our trip was the penguin boating adventure. The weather was absolutely perfect and it was wonderful seeing the landscape of Argentina and Chile.

The tour of Tiera del fuego park was great fun. And we were glad to have a personal guide. She was great! So informative, accommodating and professional. Felt like we really clicked with her.

We loved the Arakur Spa and Resort. Sitting and looking out the windows at the bay and town below was wonderful. Each afternoon we would go to the pool area and hang out. It was great fun being outdoors with the wind blowing, but warm in the pool.

There were some issues with Arakur, though. We were in Ushaia while it was very warm, and the AC did not seem to work in any of our rooms. We kept asking about it, but they told us "it is very slow." I would have preferred them to tell us "we really don't have AC, so it is best to open the windows," which we did open the windows.

Also, we ate at the lobby bar each day for lunch and service was extremely slow. I understand relaxing and not being rushed, but the service was terribly slow. Food at the lobby bar, restaurant and New Year's Eve gala was fabulous!!!

The new year's eve party was loads of fun. A great way to start the new year and decade.

Additionally, Macarena was on vacation during our trip, so Ludi stepped in and made sure we had everything we needed once we arrived in Argentina. The change from one agent to the next was seamless.

Highly recommend both!
Great time!

Overall, good experience
Emilce is knowledgeable of Argentina and provided great suggestions. The service provided was affordable and of good quality. The only improvement I would like to see is to be provided with a fully detailed and confirmed itinerary before we departed. We made this slightly more complicated due to some last minute flight changes but in today's digital era, an updated itinerary would be easy to provide via email. We did not know our exact itinerary for each location until we met the local guide at each airport. This included formal confirmation of our flight arrivals and hotels accommodations. This made for a mistake in pickup time at one of our arrivals and required us to make some calls to confirm our exact hotel and to take a taxi to get there (which they did reimburse us for). More than anything, this lack of explicit detail was just unnerving and can be easily fixed with a detailed itinerary.

We had a great Thailand trip this past December. Working with Linh and her team was relatively easy and where able to customize the experience to our needs. Overall a positive experience for my husband and I, we had private tours and our guides were very professional and helpful. There were minor issues we faced (we were asked for tickets for transportation by the drivers, which were not given to us) but where addressed by the local KimKim team. I would strongly recommend to get a local SIM card on your mobile device, so that you can call/connect with other services as needed. Thank you Linh! We had an unforgettable trip :)