Kimkim Trip Reviews

Great organization from start to finish. Meals in the mountains were a little small so we had to purchase more food for each meal we had. Guides we great and helpfull only english communication wasnt the greatest. However it is a normal fact to expect when visiting tgis part of the world.

KimKim connected us to Ngima from NMMT. We communicated via KimKim's messaging platform which was effortless. Ngima was able to answer all my queries and he did so in a timely manner. He also arranged everything for me which was really convenient. All I had to do was to book the flight. In Nepal, I did the Helambu Trek. I was accompanied by Lakhma (guide) and Pasang (porter). I only expected my guide to be able to converse in English, but Pasang could do it too and that was a bonus. Both of them ensured all my needs were taken care of. Overall, it was a great experience for me. I will highly recommend KimKim, NMMT and Nepal to all.

My partner and I spent 14 wonderful days touring Kosovo and Albania.

This was booked through KimKim Travel. The reason we chose KimKim was that they used a local company to organise the itinerary and the travel details.

Where possible we choose locals, as they have a better understanding of their own territory and hopefully some of our money stays in the country.

Our contact at KimKim was Xheni from Evasion Albanie.

She was fabulous.

We hired a car for the two weeks and that was also arranged by Xheni.

Unfortunately we had an accident in Prizren and under most circumstances this would have been a disaster. However Xheni and the team at Evasion Albanie helped us through and then very quickly arranged for us to get a replacement vehicle in Tirana, our next stop.

As part of the travel arrangements we were given a Sat Nav, local mobile, an extensive touring itinerary and full size country maps.

We had a great adventure and I would recommend KimKim and Evasion Albanie if you are going to tour the Balkans.

Thanks Anne for re-scheduling according to our needs - especially in light of the flight problems.

All went according to plan. All guides and drivers were helpful. We will be visiting Myanmar again with Kimkim.

Naresh and Nila

Erin, Chhiring and the team were amazing. nothing was too much trouble and they made our trip a truly unforgettable experience. Thanks!

From planning to the actual trip, we couldn’t be happier with our trip to Myanmar. Anne was a super guide, very prompt and accommodating during the planning process. The trip went smoothly, everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed and just love Myanmar. Our local guides, Sai in Yangon and Zaw in Bagan were great, we quickly became friends in a very short period of time. We will gladly refer our friends to Anne in the future!

I booked this trip for myself and seven other women. Caroline was very helpful in developing an itinerary based on the needs of my clients. The tour guides were punctual, informative and extremely attentive. I would highly recommend kimkim and Caroline to everyone

Rikka was a great guide - very knowledgeable and helpful and so full of energy! She made our two snowshoeing trips very easy and enjoyable!
Elina and Sonja tailored an itinerary exactly according to my interests and gave me very clear instructions so that I had a very smooth trip and was able to do a lot in a short period of time. When she heard that my camera was not functioning, Elina even helped to adjust it to enable me to successfully photograph the Northern Lights.

Absolutely amazing experience. Erin was amazing from beginning to end. All emails answered promptly . Everything arranged seamlessly. We had to worry about nothing.
Due to adverse weather we had to cut trek short nd head to Pochara. She booked hotels , transfers excursions without wanting any payment until we got to Katmandu. Booked us into amazing hotel Temle Tree in Pochara.
Trek was incredible our Guide Cheering and Sherpa Norbu were two of the nicest men you could ever of met. Much better prepared than the other guides. We had Ice Axe with us which was essential at times other guides had nothing.
We had many laughs and spent many happy evenings with Cheering and Norbu. Highly Highly recommend Erin and her team.

We had an amazing trip organized by Nicolás to Cartagena, Minca, and Tayrona National Park. One of our favorite experiences was touring the Bazurto in Cartagena with Chef Mely, since we were able to taste and explore the local cuisine with the help of an experienced guide. We also loved bird watching in Minca, and we even got to see a Toucan! It was so relaxing to have all of our transportation arranged ahead of time, and Nicolás was always available with a quick response whenever we needed to make adjustments to the schedule. The most difficult day of our trip was when we were driving from Tayrona to Cartagena due to heavy traffic caused by protests. The local Colombians were protesting because they did not currently have electricity or clean water. This obviously could not have been prevented, but I do recommend that other travelers plan for a whole day of travel if they are also making this drive. Overall, we were very happy with Nicolás and the entire Kimkim experience!

Bas did a wonderful job of planning a fabulous week for us in Bhutan. What a beautiful country it is and we were lucky to enjoy everything in perfect weather. Our trip included some beautiful hikes away from the Tourist coaches ...they started out short and easy, through planted farm lands and worked up to the ultimate..Tigers Nest which was our reason for the visit. The challenge we had was the altitude (coming from our home in San Francisco at sea level) but our expert guide; Nomgay and land pilot; Sonnam took it nice and easy. Bas chose a perfect team for us! We even fit in a nice bike ride! Our luck held as we had clear skies to admire the mighty Everest on our flight out. We highly recommend KimKim aka Wind Horse.

Overall, our trip to Costa Rica met our expectations, aside from a small number of issues.

First, the good news. Randall and the KimKim team did a great job of planning a nice itinerary, and the hotels and activities were very good. The people of Costa Rica were delightful, and we had a fun trip. We especially enjoyed the zip-lining and the white-water rafting. The toucans and monkeys at Tortuguero were awesome.

Now to the issues.

We had a miscommunication with Randall on the maximum luggage weight for our internal flights. We thought the 40 lb limit was just checked luggage and that we could also carry on up to 10 additional lbs. The reality was that 40 lbs was the total weight limit, including both checked and carry-on luggage. So, we ended up having to pay for extra weight on all internal flights. Also, the airline, SANSA, told us that several tour operators had special arrangements to allow for extra weight, but that our operator was unknown to them, so we felt let down by this situation. This was not a huge issue, but it was a hassle, and could have been avoided, we feel. We did have an e-mail exchange with Randall about weight limits prior to our trip, but as far as my e-mail record shows, my question about total weight was not clearly answered.

Second, on the morning/afternoon of February 14, KimKim had planned for us to have a tour of the Hanging Bridges and La Fortuna Waterfall, plus lunch. The lunch turned out to be at the same restaurant as the dinner they had planned the night before, and it would have been nice to have a different restaurant for variety. But the real issue was that KimKim had planned for us to have a second tour that day, starting at 3:10 PM: a hike to the base of Arenal. We were really looking forward to this second event, but the problem is that by the time we had finished lunch and got back to our hotel from the first planned activity, it was almost 5 PM! Aside from being too tired from the active morning events to do a hike to Arenal, we were way too late for the second event. So, we felt that they had tried to cram in too much on this day, and it was impossible to have both excursions. The bottom line is that this day was not well thought out and we had to miss a planned (and I assume, paid-for) excursion.

Third, I want to mention that several of the planned activities during our trip involved being picked up and dropped back off by busses that made the rounds to several hotels and thus were filled with many people requiring multiple stops that take a lot of time. It would have been nice to have had private cabs or other transport so we didn't have to wait for other people (both pick-up and drop-off) at other hotels. Although we were always ready early for pick-ups, other guests were late, and so the entire bus-load got delayed. Not fun.

Finally, the KimKIm description of the food tour in San Jose was way off: the food courses that we got were far fewer that described, and we were all hungry after the tour. For examples, the description we were provided by KimKim (and which we got before deciding to purchase this tour), said we would "..try a Costa Rican-style hamburger made with delicious homemade tomato and achiote bread." We did not have a hamburger at all during our tour. Additionally, we did not have a guaro tasting nor any sangria as described in the detailed itinerary. We even asked about the sangria and the guide said that would cost extra. There were other differences as well. Our guide did tell us that he was anxious to get home for a big soccer match that evening, so perhaps we got a shortened version of the tour, and we were too tired from our international flight that morning to push back. But since this was supposed to be our dinner, we missed out on most of the food we were expecting! Our guide was nice and informative, but the tour was certainly far less than what was described.

Natalia was just awesome. She did an amazing job tailoring our whole trip and made sure we got to see the main highlights of Bogota, Medellin, Santa Marta and Cartegena . She was available at all times and accommodated all our requests. All our guides were very friendly, knowledgeable and made sure that we had the best experience from Colombia. Special shout out to our local tour guides Sharon, Eduardo and Juan.
Columbia is just incredible and vibrant, so much to see and experience; from sightseeing , hiking and relaxing beaches.

We spent 9 days in Costa Rica. This was our first visit. Randall at Coast to Coast Adventures and kimkim helped me customize the trip so we got to experience a bit of everything- city, volcano, rainforest, and beach.
We considered renting a car and doing the driving ourselves. I am so glad that Randall gently advised us to go with a driver, instead. The roads can be pretty rough.
Randall arranged all the accommodations, and we received a booklet of vouchers upon arrival for all the hotels and activities, as well as a clear printed itinerary. Things were very well organized, and the drivers were all terrific. Every one of them showed up on time and gave us some great info about Costa Rica as well as more practical advice, such as where to eat.

We stayed at 4 different hotels. With the exception of one of them, they were lovely and comfortable. Even the sub-par hotel had a very friendly and helpful staff.

We did some hikes, visited the fabulous Tabacon Hot Springs, and went zip-lining for the first time. It was an amazing experience. The young guys at the Selvatura zip line were absolutely terrific. They calmed my jitters with their great instruction and terrific sense of humor. I felt perfectly safe, and the view was AWESOME!

Manuel Antonio National Park exceeded my expectations. I was concerned that it would be touristy and crowded. It certainly is a huge tourist attraction, and for good reason. The well maintained trails through the park make for a great way to see some fascinating wildlife. It is definitely worth it to go with a guide. And the beach at the park is fabulous. The crowds dissipate after a short while, and it is just a beautiful place to be.

We tagged a 6 day cambodia trip onto a far east excursion. .we asked for a lot and after 4 suggestions got exactly what we wanted. Great cycling and tour guides 10 out of 10.

Guides were excellent. Standouts were Manuel in Villa de Leyva, Sharon in Bogota and Leo in Bogota. Hotels were very good choices.

We have good support from Colombo office.
Our driver/tour guide is good in handling the busy traffic during our trip.
We have encountered one problem with accommodation being not available when we arrived at site. We ended up staying in another facility quite far away.
Local guides are satisfactory.
Unfortunately our tour guide does not have license to show us around - especially in big cities. So we did not have a more complete travel experience in those cases.
Overall we are happy with our itinerary and we are safe on our whole trip.

Really enjoyed the trip that Mery coordinated. Drivers were very professional (some spoke only Spanish and some were fluent in English- all were fabulous and went out of their way to make sure we had the best experience). Note, be very specific with your wishes if you don’t want to take a long (South American style) lunch and would rather finish up earlier in the day. Sometimes a late afternoon vineyard tour and tasting makes for a sleepy evening. We had some last minute schedule changes and the team went above and beyond to accommodate our requests. Would definitely go through kimkim again!

Many thanks to kimkim and Peruvian Soul for making our vacation a trip of a lifetime!

From the minute Carlos picked us up at the airport, he was friendly and welcoming which was a perfect start to our trip. Our lunch at Maido to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday was fun and delicious. Then, we learned so much from Diego about the history and politics of Peru during our drive to Pisco to see the Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines flyover was fascinating and memorable, although a little more adventurous than I anticipated (still super glad I did it though). During the ride back to Lima, Diego heard us talking about how we were interested in seeing the Barranco neighborhood, so he took us on an impromptu and walking tour there.

But the person who made our trip absolutely over the top perfect was Julio Caesar. He is so kind, knowledgeable, and just an absolutely wonderful human being. We loved the women's textile collective, the salt mines in Maras, the circular terraces in Moray, Ollantaytambo Fortress, the Andean Pacamana lunch, and the outdoor market in Cusco. But the absolutely best part of our trip was the day we went to Machu Picchu. It was beautiful, spiritual, and life-changing.

Thank you again kimkim - we are already talking about where to go on our summer vacation and we wouldn't dream of planning it without you!

Jess, our agent/local specialist has been amazing. Our trip was very last minute and had some special circumstances, yet Jess was on top of it. It was our first time in Colombia and we had not time to research much, so it was amazing to have KimKim's recommendations, and then Jess's guidance in booking things. Jess checked in many times to ensure everything was going well, she answered all my questions almost instantly, which given the last minute nature of the trip was very much appreciated, she was very patient and detailed and professional in all her communication. She even informed us about the schedule of some museums that we wanted to visit and could not do on the days we had a guide for.

The activities booked all worked out as planned. The guides and drivers were not only on time, but in most cases early. I traveled most of the time alone with my 7-year-old, therefore having this service was reassuring. While there have been some minor communication errors between the guides, their bosses, the agency, mostly about the timing of the activities (somehow most of them had earlier times than us) , all the guides and drivers were very flexible, accommodating and understanding. All the guides had excellent English. The private rides were in very comfortable and clean cars, with working seat belts (not a given in any Colombian taxis :)), and nice chatty drivers (if you speak Spanish). We also liked that we had the same guide for our entire stay in one location.

Raffael, our walking tour guide in Cartagena was great in giving us the lay-out of the old city center and it's history. The chocolate making activity at the Chocolate Museum was very educational and fun for both my child and me. Our guide there (I believe Nelson) was fantastic. The day trip to Playa Azul was nice, but I have been to nicer and quieter beaches that didn't require a 45-minute speed boat ride to it, so unless you are desperate for beach time, you can skip this activity. With that being said, my 7-year-old loved it, and Cartagena is surrounded by water, so it would be a tease not to go to the beach while there.

Mauricio, our guide in the coffee region, was the most fantastic guide one could ask for. He clearly loves what he does and is very good at it. He is very passionate and knowledgeable about nature and everything in the region. He was fun, flexible, accommodating and an endless source of information. We LOVED our hike in Cocora Valley, a must for anyone going to Colombia. We did the entire hike (almost 14 km long), and our 7-year-old was fine with it. It is a quite difficult and treacherous hike though, so I only recommend it to those in good physical condition. You must ride in a Jeep to it, a Willy, if you don't mind some minor discomfort. We loved it! The valley is simply gorgeous. We really enjoyed the coffee farm tour and visiting some of the villages in the region the next day.

We spent two days in Bogota with our guide Sharon. She was very knowledgeable about the places we visited and accommodating for our needs. We went to the local market which was very colorful, but nothing unusual for a European. The trip up Monserrate is a must while in Bogota. The view is gorgeous. We went on a walking tour of the Candelaria neighborhood, the Gold Museum, and the emerald row. Sharon was great at explaining everything we needed to know and in recommending great places to eat. We also visited the Botero museum (on our own, as it was closed the day we had a guide), and I think it is a must see while in Bogota.

Overall Colombia is great destination. The food is excellent everywhere. We felt safe everywhere. Our trip was unforgettable, and that is thanks to KimKim and Jess. There is no way I would have been able to plan such a trip and get so much out of it in short 7 days, even if it wasn't last minute. My only wish is to make the pricing of the activities more transparent, activity by activity, so we can decide weather some are worth it for us or not. Thanks everyone!