Kimkim Trip Reviews

This was a very expensive trip and several things could have been done better. I had payed for a full package but even then had substantial expenses towards drinking water 1-7 USD per liter depending on where on the trek, battery charging 4-6 USD per battery, hot shower 8-9 USD, WIFI 7 USD per day. These extra expenses are very particular to the area. I have never before experienced having to pay for all these things and. I am surprised that no-one has thought of informing of these extra costs.

Meals were provided but I was always only allowed to order 1 item per meal. This was really not enough when trekking for long hours every day.

Also tipping of guide and porter was a substantial extra expense - 250 USD shared among them. As a lone traveller this has been an extremely costly affair. The guide and porter I was happy with though.

I was overall very pleased with Ngima but I would have appreciated the information I have mentioned previously.

Small hiccup that was weather related. Could have been more responsive during the planning period. Itinerary was outstanding and the way that it was adjusted when the weather threw a monkey wrench was great. Otherwise, we loved it.

Timing of responses could have been better. When I started directly emailing him and calling while in Iceland, communication was much better

Really loved using kimkim. Made everything really simple and convenient. All aspects of the trip were great. The highlights of the trip were the guides - both Bekele and Tadele were awesome to hang out with. I liked pulling over to talk to random people on the street and going on spontaneous adventures. It felt like a bunch of friends hanging out rather than a guided tour.

Suggest that the trip summary include the start times of tours.

Nathalie was great

Planning and booking went pretty well. I would suggest that the organizers answer all of the questions asked by the clients, even if they seem unrelated to the actual booking, just so that there are no misunderstandings. Questions such as recommendations for restaurants were simply ignored. Answers to questions like that would have been extremely helpful.

Giorga did a nice job. She answered emails in a timely fashion and her responses were mostly clear. She was as responsive as possible when our driver did not show for a pick up from the VCE airport. Considering we were using a water taxi as transportation from VCE and had never been to Italy, this was somewhat challenging.

It would be great if kimkim could provide google maps links that provide a driving route. I manually created google maps routes each night for the next day- although i am fine with doing it, but i dont think other folks would have been ok with tackling that activity. The manual entry was challenging with the spelling of icelandic destinations.

Chris' trip was outatanding, and I greatly appreciated how he went the extra mile to find a riding tour that was appropriate for my wife's riding experience. It was a highlight of the trip!

We had an amazing time, and thought that KimKim did quite a good job, especially given the short notice for our trip. There were several issues that could have been better:
1) There was several recommendations of places to go that were simply impossible to see at the time of the trip - as an example, the Leirhnjukur Lava Fields were completely inaccessible. This happened to us on several occassions, which caused us to spend time that could have been better spent at places that were simply not accessable.
2) In some of the itinerary, there could have been more detail in terms of actually finding the locations. As an example, where exactly is Hvalnes Nature Reserve? It would be useful, when doing a self guided tour to have more specific directions and suggestions about what to look out for, where to turn, and where to park, etc.
3) In the town of Vik, it would have been I good idea to let us know that we needed to call ahead to make reservations for dinner.
4) There was some really sketchy and somewhat dangerous driving, and I think that we could have been better prepared for that. In addition, the driving times in many instances were a severe underestimate of the actual driving time.

These things being said, we did have an exciting and unforgettable trip!

We thought that Chris did a very good job, and was quite helpful when I reached out to him during the trip.

Our 3 generational family trip into the Tsum Valley and Manaslu Circuit was absolutely stunning!! From beginning to end, we were impressed with the input from Amanda in the organisation/communication with loads of questions promptly answered. She was very friendly and helpful and met us both before and after the hike - we would not hesitate to book through kimkim again and use Himalayan Trails. Both hotels were perfectly suited in both location and budget, we particularly enjoyed 'Mums Garden' in Pokhara after the hike - a sanctuary to rest weary legs!

As for the hike itself - we were extremely grateful to our fantastic guide Chhiri. He was both very professional and knowledgeable and good company. He and the two porters, Sam and Siri made our hike all the more special. They did far more than meet the minimum requirements of a guide/porting service, they became good friends and went out of their way to share their culture, country and themselves with us.

17 days hiking with 3 generations couldn't have been done in a more special place. The days walking were well mixed with some longer and others shorter, when altitude became a factor. The weather was perfect which always is a bonus and the Tsum valley was probably the highlight (just ahead of Larke Pass) - The mix of monasteries and walking through ancient villages was very special. Chhiri was also very caring and conscientious with the responsibility of taking my 10yr old daughter on such a long hike. While she had done long hikes before, she'd never been to this altitude at 5100m - she loved the experience and Chhiri again took great care with all of us.

Thank you does not quite cover it!!!

Amanda was incredibly helpful, both online prior to booking in answering a myriad of questions and once in Kathmandu, meeting with us both before and after the hike. She made sure the trip was seamless from start to end and was very friendly and knowledgeable.

In wanting to take my 10yr old daughter on such a long hike and to 5100m, Amanda was very careful in giving advise and ensuring that we had a senior guide who had experience with children. This proved to be possibly the making of the hike with Chhiri being an excellent guide -and the envy of other hikers!

Thank you very much to Amanda for giving us such special memories. We would love to be back in Nepal one day!!

Thank you Nichole and William, the guide Javier and our driver Marco were excellent. They were first and foremost good people, they were attentive, and knowledgeable about the people places and culture that we were exploring. We came expecting a trip from place to place with explanations and guidance, and instead were treated as friends being welcomed into a family home. They stopped every time we seemed interested in a landmark or even a beautiful field of Quinoa that we wanted to photograph for memories. They showed us a wonderful part of Peru, and we are grateful for their time and effort.

You chose your people well, they made this excursion perfect.

I know you can't give a detailed breakdown of the price, but it would have been nice to know a bit more about how the price per person was generated in an overall sense. Like our accommodation total, our food total, the guide and porter's accommodation/food/salary total, and any fees.

Small exception with one of the drivers but overall it was exceptional.

Giorgia was quick to respond with any question or issue.

Chris was very fast to answer, and so informative!

We appreciated the open communication and prompt replies to all our questions. Amanda very quickly gauged our interests and capabilities and planned a trip for us accordingly.

Amanda was a gem. Unfortunately I requiredhospitalisation early on in the trip. Amanda was so supportive and understanding. She guided us through the process and after resting she quickly rescheduled our trip so we could maximise our time. This involved organising an alternative trek more suited to our needs at this time. All our drivers, guides and accomodation were top class.

It was pretty much perfect. One day we drove a long way to some hot springs, probably ended up being and extra 2 hrs to find they didn't open untill 4pm. Should've checked but worth adding to the info sheet. Didn't mind too much though.

The events and activities we did were amazing and highly enjoyable. We were sad that Natalie was not available to help us or answer our questions while we were here. No one picked us up at the airport in Cali and the Calanoa transport was told the wrong time for our flight. Otherwise, Natalie was very helpful and we have had a great trip.

Great experience with the website and working with Georgia. She was great. The package of materials was excellent. I loved all the maps and they saved us a few times - I couldn't have gotten the Sicily road map on my own but not all the local maps she sent us. Also loved the driving directions and suggestions with details for optional tours. She worked with us to create our itinerary and her knowledge was so good. We never would have done what we do without her help. I loved all her suggestions for options on our transition days. Lodging was great as well. I really liked having the resources of her office - she sent us stuff that was important during the trip as well - for example, revised driving directions to a hotel because of road construction. The team she works with backed her up and someone always answered the phone and responded to our messages. Joost was great to work with as well.

Raj and the team Social Tours couldn't have been more helpful. It was an expensive trip but we saved a lot of time that we would have otherwise spent finding out about places and organizing trips. The 4 guides who took care of us were very knowledgeable and specialized in their work.
Raj is very knowledgeable with a lot of contacts and is highly respected within the Nepalese tourist industry.
Anura is intelligent and sparkly, and a tremendous asset to Social Tours.
Social Tours helped make this our trip of a lifetime!!!

There was only one night where the accommodation was noisy, poky and uninviting, but all our other accommodation was exceptional

Amanda was extremely helpful, the trip was very well organised and she was prompt to answer any queries we had

Hi Alex and wai Lin. We are currently in Inle lake winding up our trip. We want to thank you for the most amazing experiences. All guides and drivers have been overwhelmingly fabulous with their knowledge and ability to accommodate our requests when we have deviated from plan. This trip has exceeded our expectations. We would not hesitate in recommending your services. Jo and Deb
jo perillo

Wai Lin changed itinerary to meet our needs

I made a very good experience with kimkim.com. All my contacts were very friendly and helpful. I specially liked the quick and uncomplicated way to book a trip.

Mads answered all my questions and gave me always a good advice. He motivated me to go for the longer trek. I am very happy that I listened to him. I had a great time and made one of my best treks ever!