Kimkim Trip Reviews

Our private trek (EBC, Chola Pass and Goyko lakes for two) was organised by Kripa last minute and was a fantastic experience. All went as planned and Kripa was accomodating to last minute changes. Our guide Rishi took expert care of us up the mountains and knew exactly how much we could do in one day adjusting the pace or the meal stops to our daily needs. I couldn’t recommend these two people highly enough. In addition to the trek when my partner fell ill in Kathmandu, Kripa was there ready to assist with anything we needed. We really felt looked after and cared for and had a great time despite the illness. The Chola pass was my highlight, just so peaceful and serene. Nepal 2020 - book it!

Peicy helped us organized a fantastic 4 weeks trip to China. This was not an easy task as there were 7 of us in the group, ages 11 to 91. We covered four provinces with one plane ride and many train journeys including an over night train. It was flawless. We loved the hotels that she arranged for us in many great places. They were all unique and allowed for very easy walk to food and sites. I speak fluent Chinese, so do my parents who came in the trip. Her recommendation for places where we should still have a guide was excellent. The whole plan was slow enough for the grandparents and interesting enough for us and the kids. All the guides were very knowledgable and patient with our big family, especially Alvin in Kunming and Baima in Shangrila. All the drivers were very punctual and helpful, especially the one in later part of Yunnan. We couldn't thank Peicy enough for her help! Thank you so much for helping us with such a wonderful once in a life time experience! Kim Kim is very good at finding local experts to make your trip fantastic.

I LOVED Jordan! What a beautiful country. Margherita was a delight to work with and made everything so easy. She did a wonderful job planning my trip and I actually think I could have stayed longer if I could! My driver Hasan was so friendly, helpful and accommodating. Was fun chatting with him throughout my stay.
Really, this was one of the best trips I've been on so thank you!

We had a 23 day stay in Sri Lanka including 17 day tour with Experiential Travel under Kim Kim as a group of 4 with my son and partner.
This was an expensive comprehensive tour including 3 national parks, Sigiriya, Kandy Ella with a train trip between the last 2 destinations booked as a highlight.
We were all very much looking forward to seeing Sri Lanka and it is a wonderful country.
Unfortunately I really cannot recommend the travel company. Organisation and communication was very poor. Right from the beginning the usual guide called off sick and another chauffeur/guide was appointed. Several days later we found out that he had never worked for the company and really took the view that he was only doing a favour for his friend. He spoke very halting English and gave very little commentary for the whole trip. He did not know the itinerary and really did seem to want to provide the bare minimum that the program allowed for. His van was rather old and unreliable and at one stage we wasted time in Kandy waiting for it to be fixed.
Worst of all the travel company had not bothered to buy tickets for the Kandy to Ella train which is a major highlight of any trip to Sri Lanka. This was known by the travel company and the driver and they tried to gloss over the problem and just take is in the van. Only after a lot of stressful negotiation, the driver managed to get 3rd class tickets for a portion of the journey only. The wrong hotel was listed in the itinerary for Kandy and we wasted hours trying to sort this out.
Accommodation and food in the jungle camp In Willpatu was poor, and out of step with the rest of the tour. Better accommodation and food is available but we were never given any options.
We did get a small compensation in the form of a free lunch and accommodation was improved in subsequent camps but only after a lot of pleading and negotiation and very reluctantly.
Right throughout there was a lack of honesty and transparency.
Sri Lanka is a wonderful country and we really enjoyed 6 days on our own at the end in Colombo I would highly recommend visiting but not with Experiential Travel, and I will not be using Kim Kim again.

Nicholas’s trip preparation for us was fantastic. We got to see what we wanted from the lake region to Patagonia to Iguazu Falls within our budget. The local drivers who picked us up at various airports in Chile were on time, so we did not have to worry. The local guides were knowledgeable and attentive. We will ask for him if we will visit Chile/South America again!

We had the most amazing experience in Laos and Cambodia thanks to Steve at KimKim travel. He planned everything exactly like we wanted. Luang Prabang was phenomenal. Such an incredible country and our guide Van made it perfect. His english was excellent and he personally made a point for us to have a great time and get a real feeling for the uniqueness of his country. We loved playing games with the locals and eating at "locals only" establishments!
Cambodia was a perfect balance of temples, history, food and people. We were thrilled with our guide, Mr. Arn. He was very knowledgable about Siem Reep and the history of the country. We asked endless questions and he always had an answer. We really wanted to get to know the people of Cambodia and we were introduced to many locals and tasted local foods and watched the local artisans make their crafts. What a magical country.
Also a shout out to all our drivers. Always on time and having cold water for us to drink and stopping if we saw something we wanted to see or get a photo of! Thank you Steve for an amazing trip!

Thanks to Iveth for organizing a wonderful 13-day trip and to Cristian for making it special. Cristian was very personable and was knowledgeable about local history and customs. He also made great adjustments to our itinerary when appropriate. Iveth stepped up and visited when one of us did not feel well for a couple of days.
Highlights included horseback riding at Cotapaxi; Rose Success rose plantation; Hacienda Las Cuevas (a lovely place to stay carved out of the rock); Casa Gangotena Hotel on an historic square in Quito (great rooms, lovely food, and craft cocktails); the weaving demonstration and people at Peguche Wasi; and our days at Napo Wildlife Center in the Amazon basin. The people were great everywhere we stayed. Cristian’s suggestions for local lunch stops were wonderful and we enjoyed our time with him. We also thought the Cultura Manor Hotel was a nice introduction to the ambience of Quito. We particularly enjoyed our leisurely lunch at La Plaza Restaurant in the Hotel Mama Cuchara (which is by ArtHotels who also have locations in Otavalo and Cuenca). It has a great rooftop bar with views of the historic center and of the Virgin Mary statue on the Mirador de Panecillo. The bar was tended by Juan Pedro who crafted his own cocktails and had virgin versions for the kids.
Being in Ecuador at New Year’s was a treat. In many places, we saw groups of men and even kids clumsily dressed as women who sang and danced amusingly in front of our car. For a couple of coins, we could pass through. Some of them kept us laughing. Cristian explained the tradition and even confessed to having done the same as a young man. The atmosphere for our NYE dinner in the monastery at Hacienda Cusin was wonderful as were the folk dancers would performed in the garden. Although, the rooms there were very tired, the service was great and we loved getting the hot water bottles as part of the turn-down service. And yes, we did find the secret stair in the monastery.
The Amazon was a fabulous part of the trip. The lodge was very well done, the excursions were well planned, and the service was very nice. We saw three species of monkeys, macaws, parrots, a toucan, a young and a full-grown anaconda, caimans, giant river otters, tarantulas, and many other beautiful birds. Our canoe crews were excellent. The visit to the village was a bit touristy but we danced their dance and bought a few hand-made things from their shop.
Our transfers with Alejandro upon our arrival and the day of our departure were excellent. He was flexible and helpful in making our last day in Quito a great day. We had 10 hours between our arrival from the Amazon and the time we needed to return to the airport. So, we went on our own unplanned excursions. We spent two hours at the home and museum of Ecuador’s famous artist, Oswaldo Guayasamín. This is an absolute must and we highly recommend going there. We then went to the historic Quito area where we came across numerous street performers and an entertaining parade. Alejandro held onto our luggage while we toured. So, it really helped make it a great day.
We do have a few suggestions noting that some of the drives were tiresome and it was cramped being in a small SUV. Skip the Thermae at Papallacta. The cabin was fun, the treatments were fine, and the hike was nice, but the hot springs were filled with locals who stand in line to get in. The place lost its charm with so many people there so it was not worth the drive. White water rafting would have been more fun.
The little village at the middle of the earth was very touristy. The egg demonstration, walking the line, and the water draining demonstration, were all pretty hokey. The monument next door was fine and the relief map in the French pavilion was helpful. The nearby Le Crater Restaurant was fogged in so we did not have a view but even so, the service and the food were disappointing. We do recommend a stop at the Quitsato equator. Their explanations and materials were very well done and it was good that Cristian had us stop there.
In Napo we would have preferred to have one of their naturalists (which is usually included) instead of hiring and paying for our own directly which was apparently due to holiday scheduling difficulties. Pedro was not very engaging, even at meals. He could have made it more fun for us and our teens. Our indigenous community guide Jorge was good at spotting animals and we even heard Pedro asking Jorge for information about the animals. We still enjoying Napo and would recommend it.
We had a great trip to the Galapagos prior to having kids and would have worked that it if we had more time.

Driver Rahim was wonderful
Guide in chefchouen was excellent
Very organized. Easy to book & good value
Will use this organization again

The team at KimKim ensured that travelling around South America went as seamlessly as possible. My partner and I went from el Chalten, el Calafate and then into Chile for the W trek. It was all the thought that was put into the little details that really made a difference, for example being picked up after every bus with a transfer to our hotel rather than waiting outside for a taxi.
Each part of the trip was planned perfectly working with the local travel agencies on the ground to provide the best services.

I would highly recommend!

Randall, and the crew at KimKim did a great job in arranging a perfect trip to Costa Rica for our family. Randall was great in being flexible, and was accommodate all our requests in terms of the places and itinerary. He was very prompt in responding to the Emails, and providing the requested information.

I was amazed that they were able to pick the hotels that were just perfect for us for the location, for the most part. The hotels in Manuel Antonio (Karahe), MonteVerde (Ficus), and La Fortuna (Montana del fuego) were excellent. The location of the hotel (Sleep Inn) in San Jose makes it a little less desirable for families (I think). Overall, the hotels were great, and their location made it possible to explore the place, find nice local establishments for food (and shopping) pretty easy.

The private transfers from the airport, and between the hotels were really nice. The drivers (Alex from Coast-to-Coast travels, Nelson and Diego from RideCR) were on-time, pointed out local wild-life along the way, and stopped at great fruit stalls, or coffee places when requested. one of the travel companies, RideCR, had Wi-Fi in their vehicles, so that was specially appreciated! Overall, there was a clock-work like quality for the travel arrangements, which was really nice. The car-boat-car transfer from MonteVerde to La Fortuna was a great experience, save the terrible condition of the roads in MonteVerde.

The guides in our tours were very passionate about their country, and what it stands for in the world (in terms of ecology, climate change etc.), and were very informative. Specially want to mention Aaron in Manuel Antonio night walk, Froy on boat trip to Cano Negro, and Horatio in hanging bridges tour in MonteVerde, as they were fantastic. I have to mention, the best meal we had in our entire trip was a home cooked meal on the Cano Negro trip!

The tours we have taken on the trip were ranging from very good to excellent, with a couple of exceptions. The hanging bridges, and canopy tour in MonteVerde was fantastic. Boat trip to Cano Negro was up there, as well as the trip from San Jose to Poas Volcano etc. Night walk in Manuel Antonio was great too. The Kayak trip to Isla Damas was a bit of a let down, and more adventurous (or risky) than imagined. And the night walk in MonteVerde was Okay as there were a lot of people, and not much luck with spotting wild-life on that night.

The early start times (pre-8:00AM) for some of the tours were a little difficult for the night owls of the family, and could have been managed better, in general. Usually, the tour guides pick-up people from various hotels before the tour started, and depending on the hotel, the pick-up time could be really early. It might be better to organize that differently to have a little bit extra time in the mornings for all, for example, by transporting the guests from their hotels to a central location where the tour started or something like that.

Overall, it was an excellent trip. Kudos to the KimKim team for their help and organization.

S.

Our 2 weeks of honeymoon in Myanmar was magical. Anne was very helpful and she did her best to accommodate our needs. All local guides who accompanied us during our journey were not only knowledgable but also they told us their experience growing up as novice monks, how Myanmar has changed these past few years, development in the country they have seen so far, etc. And that was a great learning experience for us. Also, visiting villages and having lunch in a local house was a delight! We saw how the villagers helped one family building a house (it takes only one day to build a house!) at Inle Lake, getting to know their daily life, the challenges, their local belief... And this kind of insight would have been impossible without our guides. Although it was an intense trip, the balance in the schedule Anne made was perfect. Thank you so much for the unforgettable trip!

Had a great time in Ecuador. Kimkim team - especially Iveth - was very helpful and went out of their way to make sure that we had a good trip. Thank you!

Thank you very much, Erin and Julia, for making this amazing trip a reality. Hard to believe but all the complex arrangements you made worked out flawlessly. Our private guides, Marco (Chile) and Juan (Argentina) were terrific during our trips. We lucked out with the weather, too so no complaints except for the long delays at the borders (but that's not you fault).

Everything was already fully detailed on the planning but getting on the sites itself, it got way more spectacular!

You also get the help you need and everywhere I stayed, the people were very helpful and nice and welcoming!
Even if you have the slightest misfortune (a delayed flight) they came to check on me and to adapt the planning accordingly.

All by all, it is something I will do again and i would recommend.
It helps you travel but does not forget to give you enough free time where necessary!

Luciana was amazing, being always available to help us both before and during the trip! Our hiking guide Guilierme was excellent. Highlight of the trip the Pedra bonita paragliding!!

We did a 10 day trip around Morocco over Christmas and it was an unforgettable experience. Abdellah helped us plan the trip and helped us understand which parts were not worth missing (he was right). We loved our driver Karim who drove us around, pointed out things and helped arrange guides for us when needed. We loved visiting the Hassan II mosque, exploring Fes with a lovely guide named Mohammed who showed us traditional carpet and tile making. and wandering the ancient ruins of Volubilis on our own. But most of all we loved staying in the desert (did 2 nights there). It was so quiet, the stars were so clear and our hosts were really kind people. We went for the more luxury tent experience and our tents had hot showers and flushing toilets inside (what a treat). We also loved getting to meet Berber people along the way and stopping at some unbelievable roadside views. Getting to see the countryside change as we drove through the landscape was so wonderful. All round it was an amazing trip.

Totonal Viajes (KimKim's Mexican partner for this tour) did an outstanding job with the arrangement and execution of a 9 day tour of Mayan sites in the Yucatan peninsula. We provided Totonal with the general parameters of the trip we wanted and they suggested an itinerary. After our approval, they set up the hotels, transportation within Mexico, and site tours. The hotels were good quality, and all of the drivers and tour guides showed up on time. We were very impressed with the quality of the tour guides and learned a lot on the trip. Jorge handled setting up the itinerary, and Melina handled the execution of the trip and was readily available via WhatsApp throughout the trip for any questions or issues. Melina was particularly helpful in changing our transportation arrangements to the airport at the last minute per our request. I would recommend KimKim/Totonal Viajes and would use them again for future trips.

We loved Moracco! The natural beauty, ruins and palaces were magnificent. Riding camels and ATVs in the desert, visiting nomads, exploring the kasbahs, the blue city, cooking tagone and couscous...It’s impossible to choose what was the most run or most memorable. Our guide Amnay was fantastic! He was very knowledgable, articulate, entertaining, flexible and accommodating. The local guides at specific sites were also excellent without exception. We covered alot of ground in 11 days and were never bored. Thank you Kim Kim and Moracco Immersion! A++!

OUTSTANDING TRIP

Our trip was fantastic, and was extremely well planned and well executed. Every excursion was exactly what was promised to us. Alex was truly outstanding. Will definitely use KimKim again, and would use Tachiz travel when we return to Costa Rica.

Our trip to Ecuador was wonderful. I feel we experienced as much as we could in our 7 day adventure. Iveth was lovely and I found it very special that she met us at the airport and joined us on the trip to Huasquila Lodge in the Amazon rainforest. I enjoyed her insight, information into our travels and advice when we were on own.. It was such a pleasure to have Marcelo drive us. I learned alot from him, enjoyed his knowledge, he was patient with our lack of spanish, its was fun to hear of his family, and very thankful for our late night drives and that he gave up so much of Christmas holiday to be with us. Christian who was our driver from the rainforest to Banos taking in so many sites and waterfalls, he was so kind as he helped me to navigate the trails to waterfalls ( I have to admit I was not prepared for terrain) and taking video and pictures of our adventures. I so enjoyed his company and learning of his big family, traditions, and his recommendations for Banos, we did take his advice on eating Guinea pig (Cuy).
It was memorable and so fun to spend time with my son Denver, he tries to keep me young and challenge of my comfort zone. You all helped with that.
Iveth, Marcelo, and Christian will remain in my heart with a SMILE.
Thanks so much,
Ann Collins