Kimkim Trip Reviews

The Trek
The Nar and Phu trek was incredible and we can’t recommend it enough. The vistas were utterly awesome and the variation between days was great. The towns were interesting and the monastery at Nar phedi was a highlight. It was rare to see other western hikers (perhaps one or two groups per day) which was exactly as we’d hoped. It was physically challenging but aside from a bit of a few altitude headaches and sore legs, we made it through without any problems. The accomodation was simple but more than adequate and the food was what was expected (dhal bhat) with some other delicious surprises. I’m a big guy (6”5 and 220 lbs) and eat a lot so brought plenty of extra snacks as the volume of food in the distant regions could be a little on the smaller side.

The guiding team
Our guide, Sonam, was truly exceptional. She was bright, sweet, friendly and a very knowledgeable as well as being exceptionally well organised and caring for our group (making sure we didn’t ascend too fast etc). Our group cannot speak highly enough of her! Our porters Thilen and Peckma (apologies if I’ve misspelt their names) were very helpful and funny. The drivers through the treacherous route between Besishahar and Koto were also excellent.

Correspondence and KimKim
Erin was extremely helpful, timely and succinct with her correspondence before the trip and when we were on the ground. When a flight change altered our stay in Kathmandu she assisted us with a generous refund for accommodation.

All in all the trip was perfect. We will definitely use Himalaya Trails and KimKim again and try our hardest to work with Sonam (our exceptional guide) and the same porter team on our next trip.

Everything about our trip to Myanmar was fantastic! The guides were personable and knowledgable. We asked TONS of questions and they always had the answer! Ann was amazing. She quickly made our last minute changes when we added another person to our hotel and a tour. We are so pleased with the whole process, flights, drivers, guides, hotels and tours, that we are already planning our next trip!

Our guides Juan and Anna Maria in Medellin were great. So too was Balthazar in Bogota. A pleasure meeting them all.

I worked with Alfonso from Basque Lands Way Company to curate a custom 3 day experience for a group traveling in Basque country. We had a limited amount of time and wanted to visit Bilbao, La Rioja and San Sebastian with activities throughout and Alfonso made it happen. He was great to chat with online and he captured everything I wanted in the itinerary he created for our group. Ivan (a.k.a. the most interesting man in Spain) was our group's tour guide during the three days. He picked us up from the airport in Bilbao and from their the fun began! Over the course of three days Ivan brought us on city tours, pintxos experiences, wineries, mountain bike riding, and hiking. With having a local guide, we avoided any tourist traps and 90% of the time we were the only tourists around. It was an ideal way to experience a new country, truly getting to experience the local culture. Ivan was full of knowledge and had a great chill energy that is ideal for managing groups of people. I cannot express how much of a luxury it was to have someone familiar with the local culture and language handling all the ins-and-outs of your trip experience for you. From ordering food, drinks, dealing with bike rentals, having water bottles and snacks for the hike, whatever it was, Ivan thought of it and was always prepared every step of the way. It allowed myself and the rest of my group to not have to think at all and just relax and enjoy experience. Ivan is a super fun and nice guy who's company was a highlight of the trip. I hope to visit Basque country again and would not hesitate to book with Basque Lands Way.

Let me start by saying this was by far one of the most amazing trips I’ve had. KimKim is an excellent place for customizable tours and for those looking to travel independently with just hotels and transportation pre-booked. I was in Norway for 8 days in April and Ingrid helped me plan and organize my stay, and accommodated several itinerary changes from my side 😊. She gave me multiple suggestions for hiking and sightseeing (including maps and distances) in the cities I visited. The whole booking process was extremely easy, and Ingrid was reachable at all times and very responsive.
Norway is an incredible destination, and I was extremely fortunate the weather was perfect throughout my stay. The fjords, mountains and just the landscapes in general are absolutely breathtaking! There was also far fewer tourists around this time of year! I visited Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Tromso, and every city was unique and picturesque in its own way with a lot to offer. The Pulpit rock hike was definitely the highlight of my trip - relatively easy to do and very rewarding. Ingrid also arranged local tour guides for me in Oslo (Stig) and Bergen (John) who were both extremely knowledgeable and helpful!
Needless to say, I had a great time in Norway and definitely recommend KimKim for travel planning. Many many thank you to Ingrid, Stig, John and Andre who made my stay very memorable!

I must say we had a wonderful trip. Yassine made sure that we were scheduled to do and see everything that we wanted to. All our guides were great. Well-informed with good English. Particularly good was Hakim, our guide in Fez. Knowledgeable, with a great sense of humor. He was helpful in finding quality places to shop, but allowed us to be in charge of what we were interested in looking for. Our driver, Nabil, was always cheerful and helpful. Having a driver really helped us to visit the maximum number of places, with the minimum amount of stress. We also had a good balance of leisure time to educational time. If you are considering a trip to Morocco, don't miss out on camping with the Bedouins, and the camel ride into camp. The scenery is amazing. Your friends will all be jealous. I have only 1 suggestion: it seems that all of the riads that we stayed in put us on the 3rd floor. I'm not sure why. The problem is that I have knee issues. They are not TOO bad, but the steps in Morocco seem to be higher than the steps elsewhere. The first riad in Fez, I had to climb the steps on my hands and knees. (not too dignified) Luckily, they moved us for the second night. So I suggest asking your clients about knee issues, and booking rooms accordingly. BTW, every riad we stayed at was photograph worthy. Good job!!!! Eileen & Wayne & Eileen

Wayne

Overall, the trip was great despite a few major hiccups in communication among the agency and the driver. There was a bit of a discrepancy in terms of what we would consider 5-star hotels and what Jordan considers 5-star, as we got got a few noisy, hot rooms without some of the amenities. We were told there would be no problems going to Israel for the day during our time, but it was actually a very big problem and we spend most of the day stressed and in immigration because of mistakes in paper work that Why Jordan didn’t seem to be familiar with. I would also recommend skipping the dinner inclusion option, as they were all buffets of cold/mediocre food even in the 5-stars. The country, guides and driver, and the overall itinerary was great! I would do it again. Just don’t expect ALL you pay for and expect to contact the agency with concerns on your trip.

We had one of the best trips. Hotels were all great and activities were perfect. Transportation was all planned very well and on time. Overall, we are very happy with our first Kimkim experience and will be using Kimkim for our future travels. Thank you very much.

Like previous trips, everything was great and handled expertly by our KimKim team (Nadia). Everything went according to plan and all recommendations were spot on and excellent. Nadia event went the extra mile for us in helping get a stranded bag to us at the airport during a tight connection. I would recommend KimKim to anyone who wants the help of a travel expert and all details taken care of. Great product!!

Blair

Adriana has been always of great support, before the trip. During the trip, however, she was mostly absent (perhaps due to the holiday season?).

During the trip, and on Adriana's absence, we got reactions via whatsapp from another member of the team (also called Adriana), who was, first, unaware of our location (we always had planned to go to Montezuma, and then take the ferry to Puntarenas; she left me me a voice message saying DO NOT take the ferry... to then say 'oh, I didn't know you were in Montezuma, in which case you must take the ferry'); and, then, on the last day, just before heading back to the airport, told me I should take the car to the car rental agency instead of leaving it in the airport (as per the information in the voucher). I didn't have a problem with leaving the car there but I do have a problem with a travel agency associate telling me I should be the one calling the car rental and wait for them to answer back! So much for the value of hiring a travel agency...

On the catamaran trip, we got charged 1 extra child because the tour operator only had 3 children on the record (and I said multiple times it was always 4 children). I didn't complain, because Adriana went far and beyond to ensure we had a surprise birthday cake on board - and for that I'm very grateful, as my friend was not expecting that and felt very happy. Thank you.

Next time: if you have clients heading to the Santa Tereza / Montezuma area by car with kids, you should make sure they understand the roads pretty much everyone are gravel (not pavement), and there's only 1 gas station in the entire area.

What a brilliant trip. Jess did an amazing job planning it all. I don’t think we would have managed to do so many things without her support. Laura was our contact whilst travelling, it felt like having a local friend, someone watching out for you. Hotels were lovely, all small charming boutique places. Thinking back, my daughter and I really find hard to decide what we liked best because every adventure was unique and special. Definitely, go to Barichara, such a beautiful and tranquil place, on in the way there don’t miss to visit Las Gachas close Guadalupe, we had so much fun swimming in the river pools. Cartagena is my favourite place, if I’d plan the trip again, I’d spend more time there. My daughter liked floating down Palomino river best. Overall a great trip, lots of fond memories. Thank you Jess & Laura.

Our planing with Edwin the trip adviser was very good. communication was flowing and his follow up on our demands were excellent.
Our guide Daniel Maldonado was amazing. from the moment he picked us up at the airport through the walks in the jungles and at the restaurants and hotels on the way. He was very resourceful. spoke fluently English and was a charm.
Also our driver Ceasar was very helpful. with our long distance drives and sometimes into the night because of change in plans. Was there on time, helping with the luggage and watching over us at all times.

The first stop in Brazil was not good as the hotel was below par. It was very disappointing to see the hotel lobby.

I highly recommend booking a trip with kimkim and with Tasos!!

From the first point of contact, Tasos was extremely helpful, prompt and always available which is very important when you are traveling in a foreign country. You want to feel like if you have any difficulties that someone will be there to help you at a drop of a hat.
When we contacted kimkim, Tasos called immediately to get a feel for what kind of trip we were wanting, our budget and any specifics. He then put together a very personalized itinerary that had several different options and suggestions to help meet our needs and desires. He had no problem making changes and adjustments as we felt needed. Our trip to Athens and central Greece was incredible!! Tasos also treated us to a welcome dinner and a goodbye dinner in some incredible restaurants which we thought was so thoughtful and kind and very enjoyable. I cannot say enough good things about Tasos and the trip he prepared for us. Booking through a secure site like kimkim was also very reassuring.
If you want a great trip-Tasos is your man!

Had the most wonderful time. Patricio and our driver did a marvelous job in taking care of us. Everything was catered for and this is not the last time I book with kimkim. Indonesia is next...

Guides Juan and Daniel at selvatura hanging bridges and frog pond in Monteverdi respectively excellent. Night walk not worthwhile too many people and too many groups and unsuitable terrain. Best of all was Manfred Garcia Leon at casa Corcovado - brilliant informative and endlessly patient - couldn’t recommend him more highly!
Overall accommodation all excellent and all drivers punctual except the one for night walk who was sent to the wrong hotel and after 45 minutes we were picked up in a taxi to join the others. Don Juan coffee chocolate tour very interesting and worthwhile.
We loved Costa Rica and especially it’s people
Judy and john

Due to craziness at work, I had zero bandwidth to pull together any of the details for our trip to Peru. Thankfully, Jesus of Peruvian Soul took care of everything. He put together a lovely itinerary for me and my 9 year old that balanced our respective needs, helped us connect with the history and beauty of the Andes, and allowed us to explore the natural wonders of the Amazon. He arranged all of our hotels, site tickets, and in-country flights. Every detail was well-communicated. Transfers were seamless. And the little extras were much appreciated. For example, during our last day in the jungle, I realized that I would need to figure out a way to make productive use of a 6 hour layover in Lima the next day to get fresh clothes and a hot shower. Jesus found a hotel near the airport that provided these services at a very reasonable cost. Thank you, Jesus, for an amazing adventure!

First, I want to say our trip was awesome! Using Kim Kim for our travel earlier this month, is one of the wisest things we’ve ever done with travel. They took care of all the details flawlessly and even some that we hadn’t even contemplated. Kristy, our travel assistant was wonderful in planning details to match our travel interests. Our trip started out as a suggested itinerary and she helped us tweak it to fit our needs and interests. The time of year that we traveled, played well as a less crowded, off-season travel time. Our local guide at Machu Picchu was named Luis. He was exceptional! He knew the answer to all our questions, provided us space to enjoy the experience, and was fun to be with. Another great arrangement by Kim Kim.🙂 We encountered a small change in our travel plans and received a small cash refund, before we even left Peru! We couldn’t have asked for a better planned vacation to Peru. Next year, we’ll see what Kim Kim can do for us again.

We had the most amazing experience with KimKim and our local specialist, Lucianna, was awesome. She took on board all of our requirements and arranged a perfect trip. We adjusted our dates a few times and Lucianna was able to adapt the plans quickly. She arranged every detail and shared these clearly with us. The trip far exceeded our expectations and we spent an amazing few days exploring the Amazon with plenty of activities - we even managed to fit in an overnight camping trip! Thank you so much!

From the beginning of contacting Kimkim till the end, we had an amazing trekking experience in the Annapurna region. Thank you to Chhewang for the preliminary interaction and for responding to all our queries in a timely and informative manner. We were lucky to have Rikzin Lama as our guide. He was helpful, knowledgable, professional and very easy going. Our porter Bharat was a great travel companion and helped us at every occasion he can. We are ever grateful to Rikzin and Bharat who have made this trip such a memorable experience we will cherish for a very long time. I highly recommend them without any hesitation to anyone to wants to have a stress free trekking in Nepal.