Kimkim Trip Reviews

We spent a week in Costa Rica in March 2025 and had an amazing time.
Right from the time we landed, we knew we were in great hands with our knowledgeable and kind driver, Alex who was a wealth of information about Costa Rica- people, culture, food etc.
We had our local tour organizer, Wilman checking on us everyday which was great.
We had excellent tour guides notably Byron at Rio Celeste and Andres at Manuel Antonio.
Our favorite was the Tapir night hike as it was the first time we were experiencing a hike in the darkness.
Overall, we loved Costa Rica and we will definitely visit again!!

Hotel Reviews

Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens

Fortuna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rio Celeste Hideaway Resort

Bijagua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tulemar Resort

Manuel Antonio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Río Peñas Blancas Safari Float

Arenal/La Fortuna

We recently used Kimkim for our trip to Rio de Janeiro and Foz do Iguazu. What a great experience! Bruno was our trip coordinator and did an excellent job putting together an itinerary that met all of our needs and interests. Lines of communication were open before, during and after the trip, and he was always responsive. When we arrived in Rio, our guide Luiz was waiting at the airport for us. He then took us on an amazing tour of the city over the next few days. Our first day was spent taking a relaxing afternoon and sunset boat ride around the bay. Fun drinks on board and beautiful sights to see! We of course went the next day up to Sugarloaf Mountain and then up to Christ the Redeemer, both offering beautiful views of the city. We then spent time in the Santa Teresa neighborhood visiting some sites. This neighborhood had a very cool vibe. We had lunch at the Aprazivel restaurant (which we highly recommend), and then continued on to see some local churches and the Metropolitan Cathedral which is designed like a Mayan pyramid! Another day was spent visiting the factory where they assemble the floats for Carnival. There, we also had fun trying on Carnival outfits and were entertained by a Samba dancer! Our trip, as well, to the tiled steps in Santa Teresa was a must see. These steps contain tiles from all over the world, which were very cool to look closely at. Get there early, as it's a tourist attraction! Walking around the city with Luiz was great. He was full of historical and cultural information, which we loved. It provided us great insight into what we were seeing and gave us a better appreciation for the Brazilian culture! He took us to another restaurant in town; I can't remember the name, but the food was excellent! We fell in love with the cuisine, and Luiz had plenty of recommendations on what to try! Our last day in Rio was free time, which we spent on Copacabana Beach (where we were staying right across the street at the Miramar Hotel), and we walked down to see Ipanema Beach, where we had lunch at an Italian restaurant called Il Piccolo. Rio of course has plenty of Brazilian restaurants, but also offers many other cuisines! Hanging on the beach was a lot of fun. There are plenty of vendors selling things, but they are not pushy. It was actually convenient having them there, as there was no need to bring food or drink to the beach. They brought it to you! The beach was full of tourists and locals all sitting together. It was a fun experience. One thing that we took notice of was how health conscious the locals are. Walking up the main path along the beach early in the morning, we were impressed to see the great number of joggers and cyclists going up and down the road, and the beach full of pickleball and volleyball games along with yoga classes, swimming classes and surfing classes. It was great to see!

The second half of our trip was then flying to Foz do Iguazu where we were met by our guide Edson at the airport. Edson was wonderful (just like Luiz) and provided us much information about that section of Brazil which borders Argentina and Paraguay. Seeing the falls was a very different experience than being in the city of Rio. You were out in nature (which we love) and hiked many miles on the trails around the falls. The first day was spent visiting the Argentinian side. Iguazu is the largest waterfall system in the world and should not be missed. The views are spectacular! We also did the boat ride which takes you almost under one of the falls. Bring a change of clothes with you, as you will be soaked to the skin, but it was so much fun!! The next day we toured the Brazilian side of the falls. Again, the views were incredible. We then went to Parque das Aves (the bird park) which is a beautiful sanctuary for so many colorful birds! We really loved walking around and seeing such beautiful birds living in their natural habitat. Well worth the trip! By the way, we stayed at the Bourbon Cataratas do Iguazu Thermas Eco Resort. Great selection by Bruno! After a long day of hiking around the falls, the hotel was a great place to relax poolside and have a cocktail! The food there was awesome. We highly recommend the buffet (which was high end). One night the cuisine had a pan-Asian theme. The next night was Mediterranean. Both delicious!

Overall, I think this trip to Brazil well exceeded our expectations. This is our second time using Kimkim. Last year it was Morocco. We have loved using Kimkim so much that we have booked another trip next month to Peru! We are very grateful to Bruno, Luiz and Edson. They gave us such a memorable trip, and we have been telling all our friends they need to go see Brazil (and of course use Kimkim!).

Moonika did a wonderful job planning this trip for us. Hotels were perfectly located and all the tour operators were friendly and courteous. Tours were fabulous. Overall great experience.

Mr. Ismael was our Drive, and overall Trip Guide. He was very good company - polite, knowledgeable, and very proud of his homeland!! And besides the standard highlights, he shared with us a lot of very interesting facts and tidbits, and experiences, that made the long drives very interesting and enjoyable.

Our drives through the varying terrains of the different regions in Morocco were enjoyable by themselves, besides the destinations we visited and spent time at.

While we don't quite recall the names unfortunately of the local guides who took us around individual destinations, we do remember another Mr. Ismael, who spent a whole day (our first day) with us in Marrakesh. Marrakesh was a very interesting city - with ancient mosques (the Koutoubia), palaces (the), the ancient and very quaint Islamic Learning Center (Ben Youssef Madarasa), the vast, vibrant, hugely interesting outdoor market, besides the beautiful, and VERY CLEAN street markets inside the Medina!!

As enjoyable as Marrakech was, our trip continued to become more as we traveled through Baumalme Dades, stayed at a Desert Camp close to the eastern border, drove through the Ziz valley, with its endless date palm plantations, lost ourselves in the bustle and beauty of Fez's Medina markets, then on to stately Rabat, the very quaint Chefchouen,

Huge thanks to Margarita for organizing a wonderful two week trip to Colombia. From our first interactions with Margarita through emails, to our conference call talking about our proposed itinerary, to the warm welcome at the airport, to to the constant contact with her during our trip, she was marvelous. Margarita seamlessly modified our plans based on changing circumstances and arrange for some unique personal experiences.
Our guides and drivers were top notch. Our guides were friendly, informative, patient and really understood what we were looking to experience during our trip. Our drivers were likewise wonderful people who made us feel very comfortable throughout the trip. And we certainly did not leave Colombia hungry, Margarita's suggestions for restaurants were right on target. We had some amazing dining experiences for our dinners, and enjoyed local favorites during the day.
This was my first trip to Colombia, and my preconceptions of the country were totally wrong. I will become an ambassador to my friends about the safety, beauty of the country, cleanliness, and friendliness of the people, We had the opportunity to spend most of our time in Bogota, Villa De Leyva, Medellin and Cartagena, with side trips to small villages and even a lovely boat ride to a small village island near Cartagena. I loved experiencing each of these very different places, though the temperature in Cartagena was a bit too hot for us too stay out all day. I fell in love with Villa De Leyva which is such a beautiful. peaceful old Colonial town. The outdated stereotype about safety in Colombia needs to be changed. I felt totally safe during my entire trip. I felt very comfortable to walk around the neighborhoods by my hotels.
All in all, my trip to Colombia was wonderful. Again I thank Margarita for her excellent planning and I have no hesitation to recommend KimKim as a travel agent.

Michael did a great job. He paid attention to details. He used the airlines we wanted when available, got our seat assignments the way we wanted them and also entered our frequent flyer numbers into the reservation. He had every detail set up and everything went perfectly. His suggestions on where to go was very good. Any time we had a question he answered immediately. It was a great trip with great support.

Hotel Reviews

Sites

Medellin

Nice spacious hotel located in a nice and safe neighborhood. Convenience store across the street. Two restaurants in the hotel and others very close.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca Hotel del Cafe

Santa Rosa de Cabal

Very nice hotel located at a coffee farm.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Located at a coffee farm, but not close to much else. the restaurant was about a 10-minute walk.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Salento Plaza

Nice hotel very clean and great location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

Nice hotel.

Location

Staff

Staff was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bogota's Essentials (City Tour & Monserrate)

Bogotá

Very nice tour. Guide with exceptional.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was a walking tour. Very interesting.

Santa Rosa Hot Springs

Colombia

A really pretty area and a fun place to relax. There is a cold waterfall and hot Springs. The combination is unique and beautiful. It was a fun stop.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Filandia, Salento and Valle del Cocora

Colombia

It was an amazing tour. Seeing the area was a highlight of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Tour

Santa Rosa de Cabal

It was a very nice stay and a very nice coffee tour. Learned a lot about the coffee process and types.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Peñol & Guatapé

Medellín

Good trip but long. The traffic going back and forth was frustrating.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

No problem with driver vehicle just bad traffic.

This was my first time using kimkim to book a trip, and Jennifer was absolutely amazing to work with! Not only did she provide us great options to choose from for our trip, but was a wealth of knowledge throughout the process and so incredibly patient and kind as we changed our trip itinerary 100 times! We knew going to Iceland in March could be a gamble with the weather since it was close to the end of the winter season, and we didn't want to drive. Jennifer helped us set up some great group tours and assured us the public transportation was easy to use - which it was! My absolute favorite part of our trip was the day we went to see Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach and hiked a Glacier which was absolutely stunning. I would absolutely encourage anyone going to Iceland to make sure that stop is on their itinerary. Unfortunately, my boyfriend got sick at the end of the trip and we had to cancel our booking to Blue Lagoon - Jennifer's team was there to help us make the necessary changes at the very last minute which was so helpful in a stressful time. If we were to do it again (and we hope we can), we would likely drive and would definitely encourage others visiting to do the same. Basically, just listen to whatever advice Jennifer gives, because she will be right!

Overall we had an amazing trip in Iceland and we can't wait to go back and hopefully make it through the whole trip with no ailments.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for all your help! It was truly a pleasure working with you!

Hotel Reviews

Adventure Hotel Geirland

Kirkjubaejarklaustur

As we were on a group excursion and we were unable to select the hotel we were staying at, I was a little nervous about what to expect at our stay at Adventure Geirland but it had everything we needed. There is no TV in the rooms which was a surprise, but was actually really nice to give you an 'off-grid' feel (there was a TV in the lounge area if you were staying in the main building but no one used it, as everyone mainly was hunting Northern Lights at night). When we arrived, we had dinner as a group (with those who wanted to attend) and you were able to pick your meals + drinks a la carte off the menu. The hotel staff was SO friendly and gave us some tips on how we could see the Northern Lights from the hotel. Even though we had a very cloudy week, they didn't take away all our hope - "if you can see one star, there's a chance" :) Overall, we had a great experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved that it was away from everything - beautiful view

Staff

I can't remember names, but the staff on duty for dinner service throughout our stay were absolutely incredible.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel was very clean - our only issue was with the shower - we were unable to get hot water (we didn't mention it to staff as we weren't there long enough for it to be a huge issue) or else I'm sure they would have helped!

Skuggi Hotel Reykjavík by Keahotels

Reykjavík

We had a wonderful stay at Skuggi Hotel. Staff was very welcoming, friendly, and our rooms had everything we needed. The hotel was downtown and we were able to walk almost everywhere we needed to go and were able to pick up the bus for our day-trips right around the corner. The hotel was a perfect location, very cozy and we would definitely go back on our next trip to Iceland!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the rocks on the walls as hooks and the quotes that differ in each room.

Location

In the city, but not on the busy streets so it was a little quieter. Easy to walk everywhere you need to go or grab a bus from around the corner!

Staff

Everyone was very kind and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Taxi to and from the Sky Lagoon

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sky Lagoon - Experience the seven-step Sky Ritual

Iceland

We went to the Sky Lagoon on our first day, so while we were beyond exhausted, it definitely did help wake us up! While the Lagoon itself is beautiful, I was anticipating it to be a more 'private' experience going through the ritual. We enjoyed the beauty of the spa, but just wish it could have been a little more private experience.

Quality of Experience

Smaller groups to make it a more relaxing experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Silfra Snorkeling – Dive Between Continents in Crystal Clear Waters

Iceland

Snorkeling in Silfra was such a beautiful and unique experience. We went out on a very cloudy/rainy day and I wasn't expecting the water to be so blue! The water was crystal clear and our guide GC was so friendly. Getting into the wetsuit was the hardest part but it definitely kept us warm!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, GC, was great!

Transport

Our driver guide was super nice and friendly

Day trip to Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Reykjavík

We had such a great trip with our driver guide, Christopher! We had such a great experience from each of the stops to the Saga stories our guide told us in between. Our favorite part was the Lava Cave tour but truly enjoyed each of the places we stopped at. Overall, this was such a great experience and we wish we could have kept our Guide for all of our excursions on our trip!

Quality of Experience

The knowledge of our guide made this trip exceptional.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We wish we could have had our guide on all our excursions. He was knowledgeable and we loved the Saga stories he told in between stops. Also, he would also come out on our stops with us - even the lava tour - which I thought was really awesome - so if we had any questions while we were out exploring, he was always around with us.

Transport

Our guide made this whole experience incredible!

South Coast tour day 2 - Glaciers & Diamond Beach

Iceland

This was definitely my favorite day of the entire trip. Such breathtaking sights, really can't see anything like it!

Quality of Experience

Sights were beautiful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Same as before - I didn't feel our driver provided a lot of extra value for the sights.

Transport

Same as before.

South Coast tour day 1 - Golden Circle & Northern lights

Iceland

We truly enjoyed all the stops on this trip, with no thanks to our Driver Guide who didn't really add a lot of value to our experience. Stopping at the waterfall and to see the geisers were awesome and we did also stop in a Lava Field before hitting our hotel which was such a cool experience. Unfortunately, we were in Iceland on a cloudy week and the chances of seeing the Northern Lights were really slim, even though we were out in the country, which was a bummer but nothing that could be controlled by anyone!

Quality of Experience

All the stops we visited on the trip were great! Provided additional information regarding driver guide below. I felt that it hindered the overall experience of our trip.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It felt like our Driver Guide was more a 'Driver' than a guide. While he did share some knowledge about the sights we were visiting - he didn't always answer questions clearly, he didn't provide any 'extra' information along the way, and overall just didn't feel like he added a lot of value to the experience. It wasn't until we were at the hotel that we knew where we were officially going to stay (the itinerary provided a hotel but also said 'or similar') and the only information we had on dinner was the time it started. Overall, It didn't feel like he really wanted to be there which kind of hindered some of the experience.

Transport

Reasons stated above regarding driver guide

Glacier Hike & Ice Cave Visit

Iceland

Definitely my favorite excursion with amazing tour guides! This was such a unique experience and so incredibly beautiful. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, patient, and quick to snap photos for us to capture the memory. My only regret was not bringing along our water bottle so we could re-fill on the Glacier! Such a cool experience and I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Iceland!

Quality of Experience

The views made it special but our tour guide was awesome.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide was so friendly, knowledgeable and made the experience great.

Transport

Transport was bumpy which was unavoidable but the guides set clear expectations about it!

South Coast tour day 3 - Black beach & Waterfalls

Iceland

Black beach was really cool to see in person and we even caught a glimpse of a rainbow right when we got to the waterfall. Both stops were beautiful!

Quality of Experience

Same reasons as before, we felt this could be improved with a different driver guide

Guides, Drivers and Staff

same as before

Transport

same as before

The experience with Kimkim tours and Ireland Walk Hike Bike was amazing. It was the best vacation I've ever experienced. Since we were driving around the country, we were provided a diverse and varied itinerary that allowed us to choose where we wanted to go and how much time we wanted to spend at the different sites. My daughter and I were traveling together on this vacation and the routes, accommodations and intermittent contact with Ireland Walk Hike Bike left us feeling safe and secure during our travels. Not only do I plan to use Kimkim for future travel plans abroad, returning to Ireland with Ireland Walk Hike Bike is now back on our bucket list.

Hotel Reviews

The Malone Hotel

Belfast

Lovely hotel and within walking distance of Queen's Quarter.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Galmont Hotel & Spa

Galway

Wonderful hotel within walking distance of High Street.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lough Eske Castle Hotel

Beautiful setting and attentive staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyatt Hotel Westport

Westport

A great location and easy access to a variety of restaurants.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Killarney Lodge

Killarney

A wonderful bed and breakfast and our favorite stay from our vacation. Friendly staff and wonderful eateries and pubs within walking distance.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lyrath Estate

Kilkenny

Lovely setting and very relaxing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Both Kylemore Abbey and Connemara National Park were breathtakingly beautiful. The abbey was an interesting part of history and the hiking in the park was one of our tour highlights. I highly recommend both sites for any visitor.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Black Cab Tour

Belfast

Our driver was very knowledgeable and provided great insight into the culture of Northern Ireland. The tour took us through some areas we would not have normally visited and I very much enjoyed the experience. I would highly recommend the tour for anyone visiting, especially if you want the chance to get know the culture by talking with a local.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Awesome trip across Sri Lank discovering its history, culture, nature and water sports. We worked with Rikaz to tailor the trip to our preferences and thoroughly enjoyed the adventures for our first vacation in Asia.

Our local guide was very knowledgeable, willing to find answers to our questions when he did not have them and always prepared to give us a unique experience and view into his country. He was on-time, attentive and ready to explore with us.

Thank you Rikaz and team for putting this amazing trip together!

I stumbled across KimKim online when I started to look for ideas for a 2- week
Trip across some Indonesian Islands. Since I had limited time for planning and knew nothing about where to go (except that we wanted to end in Bali to see some friends), I thought I’d see what they would come up with. I put down a few things about our preferred type of travel and Jessica came back to us after 24 hours with an amazing itinerary, that felt totally like us and was extremely reasonable. First time I had ever used a travel service in over 40 years of traveling across Europe and North and South America.
It was a wonderful experience. Every detail was beautifully selected and smoothly executed on the ground by our fabulous, punctual drivers ( Dian in Java and Asink in Lombok) and knowledgeable guide, Anam.
Our travel time fell during Ramadan, which caused some closures, but everyone on the team, from the guides to the ground staff in Jakarta, thought on their feet and offered other, equally amazing experiences. And, we often had places to ourselves!
Having every detail taken care of ( including moving hotel rooms to an upgraded one when we encountered a problem), meant we could just enjoy ourselves without care. What a gift!
Thank you.🙏

Hotel Reviews

Rajavilla Lombok Resort

West Lombok

Beautiful location and rooms, plus lovely grounds

Authenticity & Character

Plantings and settings seem naturally fitting into the landscape

Location

Sunsets!

Staff

Friendly and personable, after only a single encounter.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect and pristine. We were there during 2 days of storms and rains- but everything was being cared for

Dusun Jogja Village Inn

Yogyakarta

We felt very comfortable here. Lovely room ( junior suite) and relaxing pool and seating areas away from the busy streets around us.

Authenticity & Character

Feels like old-time Yogya- perhaps a little tired, but charming!

Location

Easy to walk to amazing restaurants

Staff

Really excellent and wonderful staff all around.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean, but a little run down. The restaurant served delicious Soto Ayam for breakfast, but would recommend to eat dinner elsewhere

Amata Borobudur Resort

Jawa Tengah

We only spend one night at this beautiful place. Very comfortable and serene.

Authenticity & Character

Villas were traditionally built and fit into the surroundings

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Secret Gili Snorkeling

Indonesia

We had to abort the trip on day one because of storms, but had a fabulous time on day 2. Great experience on the boat, snorkeling ( saw many fishes and beautiful coral), and relaxing at lunch and on the little island. Fabulous lunch !!

Quality of Experience

Wonderful all around. The fresh fish Oceanside was perfect! Enjoyed it with a beer!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was so patient with us snorkeling- showed us where to go and attracted the fishies so we could touch them. Also he collected some beautiful shells and coral for us to take home

Transport

Private boat and good equipment

Visit Batik Bantul Village and Batik Workshop

Yogyakarta

Beautiful workshop and fun activity. I Lived that it was a coop with the work of Many artists visible

Quality of Experience

Everything was made for us to have a good time!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Patient and kind!

Watch Shadow Puppet Performance

Yogyakarta

Because of Ramadan, there was no performance, but we watched how the shadow puppets were made And that was super interesting and cool! Also the museum oneself was very interesting ( the old part)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Responded to Ramadan closure to still give us an extraordinary experience with the shadow puppets and visit the museum

Visit Taman Sari Water Palace

Yogyakarta

This was not the favorite part of our trip. Felt a bit weird to be in a place where someone was peeping at bathing women to choose whom to bed next…

Visit Keraton Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta's Palace)

Indonesia

Happy we went, as it rounded out our trip to Yogya- telling us a bit about the current affairs. But not our favorite part.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

It was good to go With our guide Anam, who was open to all Our questions!

Watch Ramayana Dance Show

Yogyakarta

Beautifully danced with the backdrop of the Temple. The fire displays were spectacular! Then we all rushed indoors for the end due to a sudden downpour!

Quality of Experience

Surprising, beautiful and moving!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Totally smooth transition when the dancers and audience had to hurry inside because of rain

Visit Prambanan Temple

Indonesia

Remarkable temple complex with a fascinating history that was visible at every turn. Lived that we were free to explore at our pace with our own guide, not a prescribed tour. Seeing the Ramayana story in the stone carvings was really beautiful

Quality of Experience

Exceptional Site with a fascinating history and story

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Anam really shined with his knowledge and stories!

Transport

Visit Jomblang Cave

Yogyakarta

Absolutely stunning and fun!

Quality of Experience

Even though we had never done anything like this, we felt safe and that we could totally enjoy the activities.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent and expert. The operators were patient and helpful and also waited down below until everyone’s a chance to get awesome photos

Transport

Visit Borobudur Temple

Indonesia

Awe inspiring place and well Worth a visit. Didn’t love the being minded and restraints imposed by the rules of the tour guides ( eg, had only 20 minutes to explore on our own).

Quality of Experience

It’s an amazing site! And I loved the lotus flowers

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Watch the Sunrise from Punthuk Setumbu

Yogyakarta

Easy walk up stairs and a wonderful experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Klipoh Village Andong Tour

Magelang

We enjoyed going along the quieter lanes through the villages- initially we were on a large road ( I guess this could not be avoided), which was a bit unnerving

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Friendly and funny! And we loved Henri, the horse!

We had an absolutely fantastic trip to Costa Rica! This is our second time using KimKim to help plan a trip, and they knocked it out of the park. We spent time in Arenal, Monteverde and Tamarindo. Our hotels were beautiful. Our activities were just what we wanted…very active, lots of hiking and wildlife viewing and scuba diving. All of the guides were professional and enthusiastic. The trip was organized with Serendipty Adventires and they were great. I was able to communicate via what’s app for things like dining suggestions and the like. It was a fabulous trip and can’t wait to plan our next adventure with KimKim.

Hotel Reviews

Amor Arenal

La Fortuna, San Carlos

Beautiful hotel! Delicious food and drinks. Wish we could have stayed all week!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Great location. Absolutely amazing food. Dinner is a must do! And the local hiking trails were nice for some early morning exercise before heading out!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Capitán Suizo Beachfront Boutique Hotel

Tamarindo

Our second time at this hotel and it was great. It’s in a quiet part of Tamarindo, right on the beach. It was lovely!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

The zip lining at Selvatura Park was amazing! Having done zip lining in Costa Rica before, I found this location particularly outstanding. It was a thrilling experience, and my daughter and I really enjoyed it.

2 Tank Scuba Diving at the Catalina Islands

Costa Rica

The scuba diving was an unforgettable experience. The underwater world was mesmerizing and it's something my daughter and I both loved. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

I am back home after a most wonderful visit to Colombia. Having never been to Colombia before, I really didn’t know what to expect. It was even more than I hoped for, thanks to your efforts as well as those of the guides, drivers and the gracious people of Colombia. I compliment you on the organization of the trip and all of the planning that went in to it. Our goals of street photography were certainly met. Our guides and drivers were all first rate. I had no issues with communicating with them or in their choices and suggestions on where to go and what to see. I also found a great culinary scene.. Of the places we visited, in my mind Medellin was probably my favorite, with Bogota and Villa de Leyva tied second. Cartagena was interesting, but way too many tourists. The Patio del Mundo hotel in Medellin was quite stunning. The people of Colombia were most gracious and helpful. What also impressed me was the lack of litter anywhere, something the US could take a lesson from. The reputation that Colombia has regarding violence is a sad and underserved one, as it was not evident anywhere we went. I felt completely safe during my whole journey. I would highly recommend Kimkim as a tour operator for any trips to Colombia.

Hotel Reviews

Patio del Mundo

Medellín

What a place! Divided between two houses, one has in essence a private residence. Everything was first class. It was convenient to a number of nice restaurants, breakfasts were exceptional and the staff most helpful and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

In a quiet neighborhood with a exceptionally comfortable room, as well as 'living room', etc.

Location

Close to several upscale restaurants.

Staff

They could not have been more attentive and helpful. The lady during the day at the front desk couldn't have been more helpful. She also spoke wonderful English.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The whole place is meticulously clean

Hotel Bantu By Faranda Boutique

Cartagena de Indias

Hotel Bantu By Faranda Boutique was a very nice hotel with lots of character, seemingly an old house. However, the door to my room had a large crack which allowed noise from the patio to be a bit disturbing at night. Despite this, it was a charming place to stay.

Activity Reviews

Rum & Chocolate Tasting

Cartagena

We were able to sample eight different rums with very nice side dishes over about an hour a half. The presenter was very knowledgeable about all of the rums. Just a great experience.

Quality of Experience

The depth of rums tasted as well as the knowledge of the presenter.

The Salt Cathedral & Zipaquirá

Colombia

If you are in the area this is a must visit.Carved from a salt mine six hundred feet below the surface, it is something to behold.

Quality of Experience

Capture Bogotá: Art and History Highlights

Bogotá

Spent several hours in the area. Having an interest in wall art, I found the quantity and quality to both be well above average. It is an easy walk through an industrial area with blocks of art.

Quality of Experience

The extent and quality of the art.

Discover the iconic Comuna 13

Medellín

An extensive area in Medellin, Commune 13 is a cornucopia of everything from graffiti to exceptional wall art. the area is now safe to walk and admire the art.

Quality of Experience

The extent of the area and the wall art.

Food

A number of restaurants in the area.

The Magical Getsemaní & Its Graffitis

Cartagena

If you have any interest in wall art, plan on spending some time here. It is a very interesting neighborhood of Cartagena, well worth the effort to experience it. There is some scrawled graffiti, but most is exceptional wall art.

Quality of Experience

The extent of interesting houses and wall art. As in most of Colombia the streets are spotless and filled with friendly people.

Angela did an amazing job planning our trip and we had a great time! She listened to our preferences, made changes when necessary, and helpfully answered our many questions. We would definitely use this service again.

There are a couple of things that I think could use an adjustment.

-It would be helpful to communicate if there is a change in the tour. It isn't a huge big deal, but sometimes with children even a small change from what they are expecting can be disappointing. For example, the Cave of Zeus has been closed over 5 months and it is still listed in the itinerary for one of the Crete tours. Luckily our tour guide knew of another cave that we were able to see, but it would have been nice to know ahead of time.

-The timing of the Sea & Land tour in Santorini is not accurate. The Sea part is about 6 hours, but if you add in the Land part it brings it to 9 hours. This can make a big difference when you are planning meals, etc because we didn't pack a lunch or have time to grab something between the Land & Sea part. The meal on the boat was excellent, but we were all pretty hungry by the time it was served.

-The FAQ on our trip states that "ETIAS travel authorization is an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals traveling to any of these 30 European countries (https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/who-should-apply_en#ETIAS-countries) and is a requirement as of 2024." This is actually not a requirement yet. I had researched this before, but I still had some last minute panic when I read it on the KimKim website.

I would like to note that our tour guide in Santorini (Tonya) and our guide and driver in Crete (Alex and Stefanos) were excellent. They were patient with my kids and were flexible when we needed a little extra time to let them burn some energy.

Activity Reviews

Crete Sightseeing: Rethymno - Argiroupolis - Kournas Lake - Chania from West & Her

Greece

Again, Alex and Stefanos make a great team. They were so kind and helpful to my daughter who had a stomach bug and stopped at a pharmacy to find us some medication. This was a fun way to travel from Heraklion to Chania with several great views and stops along the way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cave of Zeus & Knossos Palace with Lassithi Plateau from East

Greece

This was a fun tour. Alex is full of facts and stories and great with kids. The roadside picnic (and Raki) was especially fun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our vehicle was very nice and spacious. My daughter was able to lay down when her car sickness was really bad.

Sea & Land Sunset Tour Winter 2025

Santorini

We loved this tour! Land: Tonya was amazing. She shared so many great facts and was patient with my kids. Sea: So great, so beautiful. The boat is very comfortable and did not feel crowded even with about 15 people on board. The meal was really delicious and there were drinks available all the time. Probably 80% of the ride was very smooth and pleasant. The last portion as you are coming into port was a little rough. Not extreme but if you are prone to motion sickness I recommend some dramamine or Zofran.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Ultimate Delphi Day Trip from Athens

Greece

This was a very long tour/day. I don't know if it was worth it with our 11 & 7 year old. We saw some interesting things and the guide did a great job explaining the history, but the amount of driving was a little overwhelming.

Young Heroes: a Family Mythology Tour

Athens

This tour was fun and informative about Athens and the Acropolis. My oldest daughter is very interested in Greek Mythology so we anticipated it being perfect for her. I guess we didn't really think that through, because a large part of the tour is hearing the Greek stories and she already knew them all. I would have appreciated a more abbreviated version of the myths when the guide realized that one kid knew them all and the younger daughter was a little bored. The guide did a good job involving the kids in the tour, asking them questions and using props, etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I feel like she could have read the room a little and realized some of the stories could be shortened.

Transport

I loved that our hotel was so close to the tour and we could walk the entire thing.

Sebastian was excellent at planning our trip. He was very responsive to our unusual needs and accommodated our priorities flexibly. Everything went smoothly.

We landed at Charles de Gaulle in Paris. A driver was waiting for us and took us to the train station. Our tickets were ready and waiting online. The car rental agency was across the street in Caen. From there we drove to the hotel in Bayeux. It was well maintained and centrally located with pleasant staff.

The day long private guide of the D-Day sites in Normandy was excellent. We then had a couple of free days to explore on our own. Then we drove back to Paris and turned in the car. That was a harrowing experience around the Gare St. Lazar. From there we spent foJonathan was excellent at planning our trip. He was very responsive to our unusual needs and accommodated our priorities flexibly. Everything went smoothly.

We landed at Charles de Gaulle in Paris. A driver was waiting for us and took us to the train station. Our tickets were ready and waiting online. The car rental agency was across the street in Caen. From there we drove to the hotel in Bayeux. It was well maintained and centrally located with pleasant staff.

The day long private guide, Emmanuel, of the D-Day sites in Normandy was excellent. We then had a couple of free days to explore on our own.

Then we drove back to Paris and turned in the car. That was a harrowing experience around the Gare St. Lazar. From there we spent four days on our own visiting our favorite sites, using the Metro for transportation.

Our driver was ready and waiting well in advance to take us back to Charles de Gaulle in time for our flight. Overall Kimkim did a perfect job!

We had an amazing trip to Costa Rica and fabulous experience from start to finish with Elena Mora, our local specialist, as well as with the Serendipity team, Nancy and Wilman. Elena customized the perfect trip for our family of 5 (including 3 tweens/teens). She answered all messages in a super timely fashion and was very receptive to adjusting our trip dates early on. We went to La Fortuna/Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. The Cloud Forest Lodge in Monteverde and La Mariposo hotel in Manuel Antonio exceeded expectations. All of our transfers and guides were on time and fantastic. We were able to communicate easily via the KimKIm portal and via What's App with the Serendipity team in real time. They were very proactive and receptive in making dining recommendations, answering any questions and offering additional suggestions for activities and assisting with bookings and reservations on the fly. It truly was an unforgettable family vacation. I highly recommend KimKim and Serendipity. We hope to use their services again soon.

Hotel Reviews

La Mariposa Hotel

Manuel Antonio

The views are unbeatable. The food is delicious, especially the tres leche dessert. The corner rooms provide a view you won't ever forget. Sunsets in the infinity pool are to die for.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cloud Forest Lodge

Monteverde

Beautiful piece of property and lodge. The view, trails and wildlife are amazing. My favorite part was sitting on the deck eating a delicous, healthy breakfast watching the hummingbirds, other birds and coatis. We hope to return.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff in the restaurant were particularly friendly and upbeaet.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Catamaran Tour with Meal

Costa Rica

The staff was friendly, upbeat and attentive. The catamaran was very nice. There were about 30-40 people and it did not feel crowded. The scenery was gorgeous. We saw lots of dolphins. The food was really quite delicious. The only negative was the snorkeling - pretty murky, one small rock with some more few that you could see, but it was still fun to get in the water and swim around. The slides and jump deck were fun. Spectacular sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

I really enjoyed all of these activities but the rest of my family felt a little bit too rushed. It is 3 separate activities and you drive with your guide from one to the next. Lunch was at the end of it all. The hanging bridges were probably my favorite part and the waterfall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Our guide was fantastic. The park is crowded but definitely worth going to. Plan to wear your bathing suit and swim while there. We saw 5 sloths, white faced monkeys, lizards, lots of birds and much more.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Night Walk in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Monteverde

This experience was very good, but it is not actually in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve but rather the Children's Eternal Forest. Our guide was very knowledgeable. We saw some beautiful birds - Lesson's MotMot, as well as tarantulas, leafcutter ants, frogs and a variety of other flora and fauna.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

All Day Adventure at Selvatura, including Zipline, Hanging Bridges, and Fauna Exhibitions

Costa Rica

We loved our day at Selvatura. We had tickets to all of the activities and did them all, although we were a little pressed for time. It takes about 6-8 hours to do everything (zipline, hanging bridges, sit down lunch, exhibits (must go with a tour guide) - sloth, butterflies, amphibians/reptiles. Don't skip the Sloth Sanctuary. We got to see 13 sloths up close, many were eating and moving around.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Monika was so helpful in planning our NZ honeymoon! She really paid attention to what activities would be more/less important to us while keeping our budget in mind. Everything we did was absolutely wonderful - we couldn't have planned a better trip. We're so grateful for such an amazing trip!

Megan absolutely nailed it!Every experience, every accomodation was spot on perfect for us. Mohammed our driver and both our guides were terrific. We have recommended this trip and KimKim to multiple friends already. We will definitely travel with KimKim again, and are already planning the next trip.

Activity Reviews

Camel Trek into a Luxury Sahara Camp

Morocco

The camel ride is long, but so worth it! Just beautiful and peaceful riding into the Sahara at sunset and then by moonlight. Accommodations, service and food at the camp were great. And the Saharan sunrise was beautiful. A top lifetime travel experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Fes with a Private Guide

Fes

Our guide was amazing! He was friendly, knowledgeable, knew every nook and cranny of Fez. He was very helpful in negotiating large and small purchases.

Quality of Experience

Our guide Khamel and driver Mohammed

Food

They recommended and made reservations for us at terrific local places

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They knew everyone wherever we went. You could tell they were well respected

Transport

Clean and comfortable

Where do I begin?! Our trip to Morocco started off amazing with our driver, Samir, waiting for us outside the airport. He immediately started telling us all about Morocco and the cities we would be visiting - it was so nice to see how excited he was for us to discover his country.

We didn’t have a lot of time in the country, so we drove a lot to try to fit as many places as possible into our itinerary. Abdel and Said were so accommodating to help us plan our trip. I’ve traveled a lot in my life, and this was one of the easiest vacations I’ve ever planned — and one of the most enjoyable. We never had to fret about any details, and the itinerary was customized exactly for us.

We had an amazing guide in Fez, Shamir, who took us to all the good spots in the Medina and taught us about life in the old city. He knew the neighborhood baker, the man who kept the fires burning for the hammam, and all kinds of shopkeepers. We truly would have been lost without him.

Next, we went to the desert and took a camel ride over sunset to get to our camp. This was a very unique experience as we don’t have dunes like this in America. The stargazing was epic, and the Amazigh men working at the camp put on a nighttime drumming show for us. Youssef, Hamid, and Hassan were delightful!

In the mountains, our guide Said took us on a very cool hike where we wound up climbing trees and he showed us all of the plants (thyme, oleander, olives, figs, rosemary) in the region. After the hike, we had the most incredible dinner at the hotel, Dar Rihana Dades.

We then made it to Marrakech where we had a fantastic female guide, Hanan. She was the best, telling us about how she came to be a guide and showing us all parts of the city and palaces. Hanan told us about what its like to be a women in Morocco, which was an interesting perspective that we hadn’t heard yet - and as two female travelers, that was important to us.

My only regret on this whole trip was that we didn’t have enough time. We desperately want to come back, and when we do, we want Samir! I have to praise him one last time because he was such a big part of our trip and we loved having him with us.

Hotel Reviews

Palais Sebban

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Riad was very clean, but both nights there was a lot of yelling in the street outside our window which woke us up.

Riad Salam Fes

Fes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Rihana Dades

Douar Aït Ouffi

We are the best dinner at this hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

We spent one night here and loved the service, food, and the stargazing! The trip to the camp via camel was a very fun experience that I’d like to do again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

The camel ride was amazing! Being in the desert was incredible, and I only wish we had more time there.

Hike with a Local Guide in Dades Valley

Morocco

We really liked the hike that we did in the Dades Valley. It was a great experience walking with a local guide in a beautiful part of Morocco.

Sunrise hot air balloon ride in Marrakech

Marrakesh

The actual balloon experience was fun, but it seemed like the company was not well-equipped with the wind. It was already quite windy when we arrived and the team had not started to inflate the balloon. After an hour of waiting and getting into the balloon basket, the team decided it was too windy to go up. We then moved to another spot and went up fine, but it seemed like they should have made the call to move spots earlier in the process. This made us late to our next activity.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The driver was uncommunicative and didn’t get us back in time for our next activity despite us telling him when we needed to be back.

Transport

The driver spent a lot of time talking to his friends while we stood around waiting for him. He also never gave us any updates with the wind situation.

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Hanan was incredible. I only wish we had more time with her!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great trip to Morocco with KimKim via local company Original Travels. They helped us figure out our itinerary based on what activities we were looking for and took care of all the coordination, but remained flexible if we wanted to do additional activities on the trip. We were able to add on last minute tours and hammam experiences just the day before and all the logistics were seamless. We were running late from one activity on our last day, contacted the company and everything was immediately shifted around to fit everything in on an updated schedule. Their help saved us so much time and stress in terms of trip-planning, and the stops along the drives were more helpful in understanding local culture and life and we would have missed them if not for the agency.

Further, as two single female travelers, our driver Samir was wonderful and made us feel extremely safe and also helped teach us about Moroccan culture as we drove. He was wonderful in terms of both information and tips about where to eat and best practices for shopping and exploring. Our guides were so knowledgeable and friendly at every stop, tailoring information and recommendations to our interest while ensuring we got a full experience despite a condensed time schedule. We loved our tour with Hanan in Marrakech because it was informative but also was so wonderful having a female tour guide for an all-female group! We last minute asked for a guide (just the night before) for Fez and were lucky enough to tour with Sharif, who he was funny, informative, a cat-lover much like ourselves. We also hiked in Boumalne Dades with Said, who taught us about use of plants/herbs growing along the trail. The hike was quite unique, somewhat Arches-meets-the-Narrows and was a nice change of pace after a few long drives.

We loved all of our stops, highlights of the trip included bargaining for a rug in the Fez medina, seeing the local pottery collective in Fez, sunset over the Merzouga dunes and then stargazing, hiking in Boumalne Dades, and our tour with Hanan in Marrakech. I did not fully know what to expect going to Morocco and exploring beyond the major cities, but was truly so impressed by the welcoming people we met and look forward to coming back. Kimkim/original travels made our trip so seamless, stress free, and safe. I definitely look forward to coming back in the future for a deeper exploration of north Morocco and the mountains.

Special thanks to the people who made our trip amazing- Abdullah, Said, Samir, Sharif, Said, and Hanan.

Activity Reviews

Transfer to Marrakech via Roses Valley, Ouarzazate, Aït Benhaddou & Atlas Mountains.

Morocco

I like that the drive was broken up a bit. Loved that the rose co-op was all female run. The movie tour was a little long but overall cool to see. Loved Ait Benhaddou and great place to grab lunch before the drive to Marrakech. I also am so glad we stopped at the argon oil co-op as the products were reliable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Hanan was amazing! Loved having a female guide as our other guides had been men, and she was so informative and fun to hang out with!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise hot air balloon ride in Marrakech

Marrakesh

The actual ride was very beautiful, but the logistics of the company that morning were a bit off, taking two hours to get the balloon up and then delaying in the return to Marrakech. Luckily our guide in Marrakech was flexible and we got a full day of touring and hammam in even with the delay.

Quality of Experience

Experience took 5 hours from pick up to drop off due to delays with the balloon and transport from the balloon company

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We missed Samir who had always been punctual and cognizant of the next activity.

Hike with a Local Guide in Dades Valley

Morocco

This hike was beautiful and so nice after a long day of driving! Our local guide Said taught us about local herbs along the way and talked to us about life in smaller towns.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Fes to Merzouga via Erfoud & Camel Ride

Morocco

Long drive but so glad we went! The dunes were so beautiful, camels were amazing and glad to be able to talk to the guide a bit about nomad culture. Wish we could have stayed longer to get a bit more time in the dunes and a longer visit with the nomads, but our trip was on a tight schedule.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Samir, our driver! He was so helpful and informative, and I like that the drives were always broken up with a few interesting stops.

Monika worked with us to tailor our trip exactly how we wanted! She was very patient and went through several iterations with us. We especially appreciated her help finding lodging - all the places we stayed were really cute and we never would have found them ourselves.