Kimkim Trip Reviews

Where to start! This trip was perfection. From the greeting at the airport by an incredibly knowledgeable driver who gave us such insight into the area that we already felt at home by the time we arrived at Tabacon. Every tour guide we had was on time, extremely informative (not only about the specific adventure but about the country) and each one had an amazingly warm personality. We saw every animal that we had hoped to see and some we didn't even know about! We started in Arenal; then to Monteverde and finished in Conchal. It gave us such an amazing appreciation of so many different aspects of Costa Rica.

When I started thinking about this trip, I had a fairly specific idea of what we wanted to do. This was a trip for me and my 24 year old daughter. Alex and Francisco came up with a custom itinerary that far surpassed anything I could have thought up. They listened to everything I said and turned my ideas into a trip that became a trip of a lifetime. During the planning process they were with me the whole time. Always available by email and phone, to go over any question I had. We were there when the Corona virus just started to impact the US. By the time we left we were one of eight guests at our hotel. During the last week of the trip, the Costa Rican government closed their borders to incoming non-residents. Not only did everything go as planned, but as they were trying to get people home and deal with all of the cancellations, we never felt like we weren't being taken care of.

I could write a book about this trip and how amazing it was and I have Alex and Francisco to thank for that. If I could - I would go back tomorrow morning and have them plan everything. I plan to do just that next year as soon as I possibly can.

My husband I are traveled to Argentina for our honeymoon and Emi helped us plan the perfect itinerary. Emi had great suggestions for our getaway, and accommodated all of our requests. Unfortunately the end of your trip was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we had to return home sooner than anticipated, but we were able to enjoy the time that we had. We thoroughly enjoyed our private tour of Buenos Aires with Federico, our private tour of the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls. Mendoza was the highlight of our trip. We loved all of the hotels that Emi booked/suggested for us. We were only able to spend one night in El Calafate, and unable to do any of our planned excursions in Calafate/Chalten, but we will be back! Emi stayed in constant contact with us after COVID-19 travel restrictions started being implemented, and even gave us her personal phone number. We highly recommend Emi if you are planning a trip to Argentina!

Oliver was great managing the whole COVID19 situation, ensured I had the most uptodate information so I could make an informed decision to leave as soon as i possibly could. And for that, I am incredibly grateful to his situational awareness. Even though I couldn't enjoy everything Colombia had to offer, I was well looked after with really great accommodation and itinerary options. Thank you Oliver!

I wrote to Kim Kim re cycling in NZ having some ideas of what we wanted (and what we did not want). Valentin responded immediately and through some correspondence we planned 2 weeks cycling in Sth Island of New Zealand. He understood our needs and catered to our preferences. The choice of trails, accommodation and attention to detail was fantastic (the trip itself was amazing, so varied in scenery and types of trails. We loved the small towns, the unique accommodations and people, having our luggage transported and the organizations of shuttles to and from airport, train and buses and the bicycle company to provide bicycles, support and guidance for the cycling and even suggestions for hikes to do at Mt Cook. Certainly a most memorable experience and a patch of blue while the storm clouds of Covid-19 gathered. We finished the trip on a real high with many lovely memories to carry us through our isolation/quarantine on returning home.

We cannot be more impressed with the exceptional service provided by Margoth @ Aracanto on our Colombia trip. We found her on kimkim.com to help us put together a 10-day itinerary. She promptly responded to our emails, eloquently answered every little query and request and gave excellent recommendations and options for every aspect of the trip. Our itinerary was unfortunately truncated by the COVID pandemic travel restrictions but we have nothing but praise for Margoth’s concern and support for us as we embarked on our tenuous four-flight journey home to Australia. We felt very well looked after from the first moment until arriving back on home soil. We highly recommend Margoth @ Aracanto if you are planning a trip to this beautiful, proud and wonderful country. We will be back! Thanks for everything Margoth!

This is the 14th day of my isolation. I left Santiago. a city then filled with smiling friendly people going about their chores and lives. to return to a place filled with fear and going deeper in civic shutdown, where some are even being encouraged to tell on one another for alleged breaches of the new normal. And I am so thankful for the ten wonderful days we spent in Chile with all of you looking out for us.

I can truly say that our visit owes much of its magic to the care and thoughtfulness of our handlers and hosts. So I want to thank Maria and Lilia and Across Argentina for planning and organizing our Desert and Wine Tour. Your itinerary and accomodation selections were spot on . The local Tour operators Chile Roads and CI Mundo were very professional and always prompt. The tour guides were very friendly and so very helpful. We learned so much from them all, But I want to especially recognize Nelson Silva, a warm and caring person. We came to appreciate his efforts greatly, In general the tour guides (four guides) were enthusiastic about their work and very knowledgeable Their employers should be very pleased with their work Without the guides and drivers such as these, a tour is empty. And ours were full of life and captivating.

Thank You all Please be sure that you share our gratitude with them all

Although Andy's name is listed as our local specialist - in reality all credit goes to Ha! We had never worked with a tour company before, but KimKim came highly recommended by my brother who had used them last year. Ha worked so closely with us in the planning - showing genuine flexibility and modifying the program to our exact specifications. We were in Vietnam and Cambodia with another couple - and had a wonderful trip. Even as the pandemic spread - Ha made sure we were safe and aware of changing dynamics. Fortunately, we stayed one step ahead of the virus and enjoyed all the sites and fabulous hotels booked by KimKim. We visited Hanoi, took the train to Sapa (I preferred the van back!) where we trekked amongst the tribes, enjoyed the stunning Halong Bay on a lovely small ship, spent a few days in Angor Wat (with a picnic and massages in a "secret sacred spot"), Saigon and then relaxing on the beach at our favorite hotel - La Veranda in Phu Quoc. Would highly recommended Kim Kim and Ha to anyone planning this trip of a lifetime (when we can all travel again!)

We did a semi custom trip (11 day) for three with some moderate trekking in Annapurna region, tiger safari in Bardia NP, with some cultural activities in Kathmandu. The trip was well organized and flexible. I only provided some general guidance on my desires and Chhewang made suggestions and tied it all together after some feedback from me. We all enjoyed the trekking and the tiger safari, where we we able to see 4 tigers in the wild over 2 days.
Our trip was interrupted by the covid-19 virus with us being one of the last tour groups. Luckily it was near the end of trip, but there were several scares that the airport would be shutdown to international flights. Chhewang and others were very supportive and helpful in altering the last few days of our trip to try to leave early. We ended up making it out about 36 hrs before the airport closed.
We will consider using the company again for a future trip to Bhutan.

We had a great time in Costa Rica. Carlos did an excellent job organizing our trip. All of the hotels were wonderful and check-in was seamless. I am usually a do-it yourself travel planner, but would highly recommend KimKim for a work free trip if you would like to go multiple places.

We recently returned from an amazing 3-week trip to Vietnam, with a short detour to Cambodia. Ha at KimKim was so incredibly responsive in helping us plan the trip and continuing to customize it for us all the way to the end. She made it absolutely seamless with guides and drivers greeting us exactly as planned, and the hotels she selected more than met our expectations.

Some highlights were riding around Hanoi on a motorbike (driver provided!), biking and cooking classes in Hoi An (and everything about Hoi An), kayaking in Ha Long bay, and a day traveling by boat in the Mekong Delta.

We were also incredibly grateful that we were able to go on our trip and return safely during a time when the Coronavirus was spreading. Vietnam had no active cases when we arrived on 2/27, but infected travelers from Europe began to bring in the virus about a week later. Ha let us know immediately when some potentially infected travelers stayed at a hotel where we were booked, and arranged for us to stay at a different hotel. She also arranged on a moment's notice for us to leave Saigon on an earlier flight to Phu Quoc island so that would could relax and be less concerned about staying in a congested city.

We would not hesitate to recommend Ha and KimKim and to use them again...when everything settles down:)

Our trip was wonderful. We saw heaps of fauna and flora and were well looked after by knowledgeable, friendly guides & drivers.
Randall's activity suggestions were appropriate for our group, we enjoyed all of them.
Thanks Randall.

Thank you kimkim. I had an amazing time in Russia.

The dealings I had with kimkim in planning my trip - 18 days encompassing Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Suzdal and Vladimir - were amazingly efficient. Their responses were quick and detailed. It was great being able to deal all the time with people in Moscow and Saint Petersburg who were on the ground and able to provide quick support in those very rare moments in a trip where something goes off the rails.

Beyond Saint Petersburg, I really had no idea what to expect of Russia, so I really appreciated the exciting options and ideas presented to me, and given I was travelling at the end of winter, choices which took account of the seasons, places being open and tourist numbers.

It was great having local guides. All were good English speakers and all were amenable to adjusting plans on the basis of the things I was really interested in. I particularly enjoyed the company of Victor, Natasha and Alex who were very passionate about their cities and ‘clicked’ with me.

One decision I made early in the planning was to use drivers only when absolutely necessary and, instead, to get around on public transport as much as possible, I think a really good decision to get to experience the surprises which you can get as you’re walking around a city.

As for highlights, there were so many. And it was so wonderful being “low season” to be at places like Catherine Palace and the Hermitage with very few other people. Imagine standing in front of Da Vinci’s Madonna and Child for five minutes - and you’re the only person in the room, or taking photos in one of the State rooms at Catherine Palace and there being no one else in the picture.
Very pleased Sean talked me into visiting Suzdal and Vladimir which were not initially on my list of places to go. It was great seeing some of the smaller medieval towns and experiencing the life outside of the big cities.

I was very impressed with Stephanie. She was wonderful and i would reccommend her and book with her again. We were loving our trip but then the Government of South Africa declared a national disaster and the Canadian Government ordered all Canadians abroad to come home so we needed to leave our trip early and forego our 2 nights at Addo Elephant park, our 3 night safari at Hlosi and our flight on safair back to Cape Town. Given the circumstances, I am extremely shocked and upset that we have not been refunded for the portion foregone. I am also still waiting on paperwork to show what we lost having to leave early so that i can at least try to make a claim through travel insurance. Please advise. Thank you, Brianna Davies

Our first driver Otto with Desafio was great! He practiced Spanish with us the whole time so we could converse better the rest of the time. Loved our white water rafting with Steven as our guide. Then Otto safely got us to the Baldi Hotel with s restaurant recommendation in LaFortuna—LaStreet—which we tried one night—wonderful. Really enjoyed the Hot Springs at the hotel! Had a nice hike on the lava flows of the volcano and then a nice dinner at Tabacon Springs and enjoyed their springs for an hour—not as hot as Baldi and more crowded. Crowded bus to Monteverde and very bumpy !! But got to Fonda Vela Hotel and enjoyed our Noctural Hike—didn’t think we got to see as much as we expected after we compared our evening with other at our hotel that had done a hike with another company, Really enjoyed the zip lining and since we were the last stop for the bus driver he kindly drove us another 1.5 km to the entrance to the Cloud Forest so we could see it and get a hike in. Were sad to have to head home—but in light of COVID-19 we timed our visit perfectly.

so here we are
not yet home
but almost with these strange circumstances..........
a big thank you to Vi for organising this trip already last summer
long before Corona hit while we were in Chile
how shall i start
good things first
txs for the arrngments and the support
pucon was good
the climbing was though and guides ( Eduardo ) very helpfull and comprehensive
HuiloHuilo was super
puerto varas was not so good as hotel .... but the Corona was laready there
chiloe we missed ( and this would heve been very far away of Puerto varas to get back on the plane)
but Vi made it work
we stayed one day longer and the left for Santiago just to make shure
we could change the flight tickets with the help of the hotel and backed up efficiently by your emergency nr personel
txs again
renting the car in Europ car is always somehow a desilusion
the car promised was ( of course...) not available
the altenative was not what we had expected
these companies always flaw you one way of the other !
the highway billing system is somewhat crazy
we had no cash when leaving Temuko
so the billed us 5€ for the first 500 m highway as we had to get on the usual way tp Pucon
and around Puerto varas one had to pay every single time we hit the highway
not so expensive but not fair i felt ! at least unexpected
but then again chili is super scenic and very friendly and helpfull people
just this coronoa infection busted it up
txs for having us here
thank you for your dedication Vi !
rgds
rene and chantal on our way out tomorow we hope

Our guide in Yangon, Linn Linn and our bike guide Nay (apologies for spelling) were both excellent, well informed, helpful and pleasant to be with. The transfers, accommodation, food and cycling were great. The amazing temples in Bagan and the view from Popa Mountain were beautiful as were the sunsets and the river cruise.

Everything Adriana planned was exactly what we were looking for - we somehow managed to zip line, snorkel, go rafting, AND lay around on the beach. Schedules went smoothly, and when there was an update to our excursion (because of the tides), a new voucher was delivered to our hotel and we didn't miss a beat.
This was an incredible vacation. The transportation was great, the hotels were lovely, and the activities were perfect. I can't imagine planning another trip like this to Costa Rica without Adriana's guidance.
I cannot recommend this service highly enough.

Kimkim made my trip to Costa Rica a dream come true. I will be using them for my next trip—for sure!! My transportation, hotels and activities were first class, and they were not possible without Kimkim’s guidance and expertise.

We had a wonderful time until Corona19 came. Pleased with the the way our change was handled. Our driver Samir was wonderful and so kind.. Loved the 3 cities we were able to visit. Did not like the accommodations in Fes but the food was great and the staff were spectacular. Would recommend the company to anyone( very efficient)

We were soooo impressed with the trip. Everything went smoothly. All guides and drivers were early and eagerly awaiting us. ALL Colombians were so friendly to us.
We felt safe and well taken care of the whole trip. We had a pretty aggressive agenda but enjoyed discovering beautiful Columbia visiting many different regions. The trip to Chingaza was a great last minute addition and our guide Juanita was fabulous. We LOVED Medellin region and especially the commune 13 visit- our guide Marcel was full of information, enthusiasm, and energy.
Our coffee tour was awesome - suggest including lunch (as some groups had - we had coffee and a snack). Cocora was great but our guide Juan was very average - didn't really want to take us on the full loop were had arranged for???? turns out the wilder part of the loop that he didn't want to take us on initially was the best part of the hike.
The 4 day lost city trek was hot, humid, steep and challenging but sooooo worth it - we had great guides and were surprised at the comfort (and bed-bug proofing) and food at the facilities along the trek. The fresh fruit along the trek was soooooo awesome.
Tayrona was beautiful - we skipped the lines into the park as our guide knew people which was awesome - apparently the park had just re-opened after being shut down for a month and people were waiting hours and were even being turned away.
We spent 6 hours in San Andreas waiting for our flight home and it would not have suited us - we did a tour by cab and then walked the malecon / beach . Enjoyed Providencia much more - 4 nights was perfect there. We dove only one day as the reefs are not in great shape. We rented a side by side vehicle to tour the island one day which was great -beautiful beaches. I would highly recommend to others as an activity going to the Lighthouse theatre that shows the black crab migration and culture of the island to everyone- also has an awesome view of the sunset with drinks and decent food. The hike to the peak and meditation rock was so awesome. Deep blue accommodations were awesome but the restaurant was just slightly above average. The food and service was much better at Caribbean Place Donde Martin.

Cartagena was interesting but too hot and busy for our liking - that's just us. We know people who loved staying there because it was sunny, hot, busy, with lots of places to shop and eat - we much preferred Bogota and especially Medellin as far as cities go. The market and cooking class were super interesting.

Overall we were very pleased with our visit - the itinerary suited us and really allowed us to experience as much of Colombia as possible in 3 weeks. We were so impressed with how smoothly everything went and how friendly and helpful Colombians are. This was also a reasonably priced holiday as far as eating and drinking once you are in Colombia.
We will definitely be recommending Colombia to our friends.