Kimkim Trip Reviews

Linda was great with all the planning and we really enjoyed our Norway trip thanks to all the arrangements made by Linda. We were 5 families and her recommendations were spot-on considering the kids in the group. We did have an issue with mix-up in dates for the local tour on one of the days. However, Linda was quick to take ownership of the issue and was able to arrange the same tour for the same day but at a different time. Our Guide Samuel for the Undredal village tour was awesome.
Other than that issue with the local tour date/time- everything was seamless. We loved the hotel we stayed at with the gorgeous fjord views and the relaxed itinerary that was setup for us. I would highly recommend Linda for anyone planning a trip to Norway.

I booked a trip to Bali for my honeymoon. We found the trip was overall very enjoyable. Ayu was very responsive before and during our trip. We began our stay in Ubud at the Kayon Jungle Resort and it was most memorable. They upgraded us to a Premium Suite as a surprise. It was one of the nicest places we've ever stayed in, and the staff were so considerate to our needs. Highly recommended if you are looking for the real Bali honeymoon experience.
We decided to go more casual for the rest of the trip, and all the hotels were clean and comfortable. The only complaint we had a few times was in regards to privacy. Any couple, especially a honeymooning one, values sound insulation. Unfortunately our stay in Gili Air at the Villa Karang and in Canggu at Frii Echo Hotel did not provide that. In both hotels, you could hear your neighbors as if they are next to you, which was not ideal for us.
However the Puri Lumbung Cottages in Munduk were a dream (we loved our stay in Munduk, we recommend booking a coffee roasting tour with the hotel), and my husband surprised me with a room upgrade at the Jimbaran Bay Beach hotel so the room was very nice and overlooked the water.
Our driver Gung Man was excellent and very considerate. The car was comfortable and had working A/C, perfect for napping between locations.
Our guide in our trek up Kawah Ijen, Mamu, was great. He was very patient, especially at the beginning when we were still very tired (we did the sunrise hike, so we got up at 1am). Unfortunately there was a downpour of rain that blocked our sunrise and it was freezing cold when we got to the summit, but that's just bad luck.
Overall it was a lovely and memorable honeymoon, we had a great time exploring Bali and recommend Ayu, Shanti Travel, and Kimkim to anyone who wants to go.

Thank you Kim Kim and Preeti for planning this amazing trip to Iceland for us! It was spectacular and we can't wait to come back and tour North Iceland. Preethi was very prompt with answering all my questions and customizing the itinerary to our needs, I was 25 weeks pregnant and we had our 3 year old daughter along. In 6 days we were able to cover almost all major sights and then some, it was planned in such a way that we didn't have to drive more than 3-3.5 hours on any given day and even that was broken up into smaller distances. Driving in Iceland is almost a visual treat, you can't possibly get enough of the numerous waterfalls along the ring road or the friendly livestock that come up to greet you by the fence along the roads. It is hard to pick one favorite activity/destination but the experience at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon was surreal. We were also blessed with amazing weather for the entire week and the highlight of it was the numerous rainbows we managed to catch at the Gulfoss waterfalls.
That said, there were a couple of things we wish had been done differently. We had particularly requested a 4x4 automatic transmission car, but when we reached Enterprise they told us we could either take the only 4x4 manual car left or we didn't have a car. It wasn't end of the world but it wasn't the start to the trip I was expecting and my husband ended up being the only driver the entire trip. Also, for families traveling with little kids (car seat/stroller etc.) it would probably make life easier if they could rent a car from one of the onsite car rental agencies. It was a nightmare lugging everything to the car rental shuttle stop, trying to fight the crowds to get a place in the shuttle and finally getting to the car rental after 45 minutes.
The other thing I would have done differently is not staying overnight and spending 24 hours on the Westman Islands. The island was pretty much dead when we stepped out around 7pm for dinner, there wasn't much to see. The aquarium had shut down permanently, the resident puffin had passed away a while ago and these were the activities we were looking forward to. Also, since the ferry ride to the island was eventful with both me and my daughter getting seasick due to super choppy waters, we ended up skipping the circle boat tour that we were supposed to take the next day. It would have been nice to tour the archipelago but didn't seem worth the risk of getting seasick again. Instead we took an earlier ferry back to the main island and did the stable tour at Skeidvellir. That was the highlight of my daughter's trip being able to interact with the gorgeous Icelandic horses and riding them indoors.

Climbing the glacier was good, into the glacier was a bit contrived.

Oyunerdene has been a saint for helping us see the best of Mongolia. I am very happy and satisfied with the service we have received.

Bob and I truly enjoyed our time on the Yacht Anahi. The staff was warm and very helpful. Any request was immediately attended.

Our cabin was spacious and comfortable. We were surprised to find that it was bigger than the hotel room we had in Quito! We had all of the amenities and then some! Couldn’t have been happier.

Our guide, Gallo, was extremely knowledgeable, organized, efficient and funny 😄. He was informative on all aspects of the Galapagos - flora, fauna, birds, reptiles, sea life...we left this trip with a lot more than we bargained. We can’t wait to return and visit the other islands that weren’t part of this trip.

The food was delicious. Karen is a great chef and produced wonderful meals each day. My only suggestion is to offer snacks that are readily available to the guests...like a bowl of fruit. Snacks were available when the crew put them out after an occasional excursion, not all excursions, and were in the form of a bowl of potato chips or pork rinds. Things we don’t normally consume. No real options.

Lastly, the jacuzzi on the second level was not utilized. Twice I requested turning on the unit and was met with a “later” excuse that never materialized.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. Truly a trip of a lifetime. We are very grateful to the crew, our guide Gallo and Gabor at Kimkim.

My family/group of 5 went on our own self guided tour and it was amazing getting to build our own itinerary and work with Sotiria. She made the trip planning a breeze and we were able to fully enjoy all the sights and natural wonders Iceland had to offer

Our vacation was absolutely what we had hoped for, with way less stress than if I had had to plan it myself. There were two issues while we were in Iceland, but I contacted Preeti and Haldor, and the issues were handled extremely fast without my husband or I having to interrupt our vacation to deal with them. I never once was concerned because I felt like I had a team of people behind me if anything didn't go as planned. There aren't enough ways to say "thank you" for creating such a memorable, easy trip with a 6 year old and 2 year old!!

Dear Martin,
Thanks again for this wonderful trip! Back home, we wish w're back there.

We had issues, but you were there, to get everything right.

Day by day we will review the trip.

Day 1: we had to call you for the car. The changed flight schedule was not known by the car rental company.
For one night it's better to stay in a different hotel or hosteria, because we had the feeling that this was a one-person room.

Day 2: beautiful stay

Day 3: we visited La Garganta del Diablo and the Humahauaca (14-colors mountain).

Day 4: beautiful stay. To buy the extra fuel is not necessary. In Antofagasta is a new fuel station.

Day 5: please mention to others that de Puna de Atacama (Dieserto du diable - seita curvas) is really spectucalar.

In Tolar Grande, maybe you have heard, we were in a beautiful hosteria (Casa Andina), the same name as you mentioned in the detailed information. Because we didn't have any addresses and this is mentioned on Internet we thought we were in the correct place to stay. This hosteria is in line with the previous hotels.
Unfortunately we had to go to a basic stay. Maria was very friendly.

In Tolar Grande there are two places for dinner. You have to step in on the time the miners go for dinner and you have to eat the daily menu.

Day 6: please skip this extra day in Tolar Grande and add this to Antofagaste.
Laguna Santa Maria is far away and the road was washed away on several places. To dangerous because of the rental car. We turned.

Day 7: we drive an awesome route (via Antofalla)

Great stay in Antofagasta (wonderful). To get fuel is easy, because there is a new fuel station.

You can add 2 more nights to stay here because there are a lot of attractions.

Day 8: Campo de Piedra Pómez is awesome.
You arrive after sunset in Tafi del Valle. It's a long trip.

Dag 9 - 11: -

Dag 12: After visiting quebrada de las conchas (amphitheater at last), make the return to Cachi. It was better to stay in Cachi for the night because the drive from Salta via Cafayate to Quebrada de las Flechas was far too long (tarde tarde).

Day 13: Yungas trekking was awesome, very friendly guide, great lunch. We prefer to stay in this village, Villa San Lorenzo instead of Salta.

Day 14: This trip was far too long. We had only a quick stop in Cafayate and in Cachi. Visiting Puente del Diablo was not possible because this point is after sunset. We arrived in San Antonio de los Cobres at 9.30pm. Driving after sunset in the mountains is heavy (don't thin at thime that something could happen).

Day 15: short drive to Salta. In the afternoon we've visited the Teléfirico.

Day 16: unfortunately the guide wasn't there. No hike for that day.

Day 17: plan this trip with a stay in Cachi.

Day 18: -

Day 19: Eclipse Day!

Day 20: as complimentary we got an extra stay in San Juan (you offer it for free on January, 24th) . This hotel was oké, but we don't recommend it to others. We had to pay for the night.

Day 21: We would advise, depending on the flight schedule, to book a hotel closer to the airport.
We had to leave at 5.30am. No breakfast at that time.

Flight Mendoza - Buenos Aires - Rio de Janeiro - Amsterdam (day +1)

Day 21: Delev

Where do I begin? Greece was more magical and beautiful than I could imagine and the entire KimKim Team was wonderful to us! The entire trip was planned for us which included some of the most incredible excursions that we never would have thought of choosing. The best part was having the team coordinate drivers to pick us up from the airport, ferries and hotels and take us to the next destination. Every hotel was gorgeous and the entire team was gracious. We were able to communicate seamlessly using whatsapp which was so nice! We began working with Tasos and the rest of the team (Maria, Dimitris and Christos) joined in during our trip. They are the Dream Team! We had some hiccups on our end prior to the trip and Maria went above and beyond to ensure that we didn't skip a beat - Dimitris also stepped in and made magic happen! They truly made me feel as if we had been friends for years and it felt like one big happy family! I was so lucky to have met Sophia and Costadinos as well during the Santorini portion, they were my tour guides for the excursion and work alongside KimKim. Every single hotel we stayed at was breathtaking and every driver we had was incredibly warm - KimKim is definitely loved by everyone that we had the pleasure of working with. I fell head over heels in love with Greece and plan on going back next year - of course I will be booking with KimKim because there is no one else better!

great tour, organization and communication with my agent Lena

We had a wonderful trip to Croatia. Robi did a great job of showing us the real Croatia. It was beautiful from the north to the south. We had seven people ranging in age from 10 to 68, and Robi was flexible and accommodating, which allowed us to better enjoy the experience.

Hi: all in- wonderful trip.

Tour highlights: tour of Naxos. I would have shortened tour of Naxos (drop the water mill portion with snack) but it was all very well done.
George and Anna were great.

Wooden boat: Jazz soloist was a nice surprise. It was good to be out on water to escape heat. A little more info on tour would be great. Like you have to swim to thermal spring (my mom could not do that), and tell people to bring a towel and a change of clothes. Maybe explain difficulty of volcano hike (my mom could not do that either). But in all it was an amazing tour and day.

The farm to table was nice. I thought it was an olive tour but it was more winery. Which was also nice. It was just a bit different than expected.
Lovely family.

Alternativ Athens was not a great start. You all should take the tour yourself if you haven’t in awhile. We had to leave it was so bad. The tour guide got lost in his script and spent way too much time playing truth and dare. We really just wanted someone to share history with us. This tour was a bit awkward as the people on it did not seem into it at all. This is more appropriate for children.

The hotels: foundry was perfect.

The hotel Nafplio was way too small for Kevin and myself. At 6 foot 4 the shower was a problem! The hotel in Naxos was also a problem. The shower was comical- Kevin simply did not fit. It would have been better to stay elsewhere (the hotel behind looked nice) and walk to beach. But all 3 hotels had a lovely breakfast.

Makris was a nice hotel.

Thanks for everything:
Jen

We both enjoyed the trip immensely. Good support was given by both Sean and Ulyana. Problems were quickly resolved.

Our main interactions ere with the various tour guides. Most were either very good or excellent. I wish to make special commendations for the tour guides in Suzdal/Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Minsk, Kaliningrad and St Petersburg. All tuned in to what we wanted and all spoke very good or excellent English.

Sean was also great in Moscow but the first local guide didn't understand us. We first drove to a decrepit church out of town and then stayed in a central location. I was put off making efforts to isit some places. It was a wasted day. In fact although it was our first local tour guide, she did not set the standards for the others thankfully. The other Moscow tour guide was much better and we had a goodtime but her English was not so good.

Then there was Volgograd. The main guide was incredibly friendly and did what we wanted. He was also very eccentric (wonderfully and unintentionally entertaining) but his analysis of Stalingrad missed out an awful lot (that I have since found out by looing at YouTube documentaries). We expected the Soviet line to prevail but there was no analysis of what the Germans did wrong and an explanation of the successful Soviet tactics The commentary was all about evil German "Fascists" and clever and brave Soviet soldiers. He even criticised the German sht pronunciation of Stalingrad by saying they couldn't even be bothered saying it right. I explained that st in German is always pronounced sht for all words. I'm not sure he believed me. For all that, I would use him again as his pluses far outweigh the negatives but just don't trail him as an in-depth and objective analyst! (I am going to send him some Tottenham memorabilia for his son who enjoyed seeing Tottenham striker score twice for England in Volgograd during the World Cup last year).

Amazing trip to Myanmar with Kimkim, Hsu Hlaing and our guides Tonn Tonn (Mandalay) and Min (Bagan). Itinerary was truly flexible and well planned - we managed to see so much! We felt this was also a really good value trip - all expecteds were included, hotels were really nice, tour was truly private and the price was very reasonable.

We felt our local specialist supported us well and was available for queries or for itinerary changes.

Thanks so much to Valentin for planning our amazing trip. Everything was so well organised and our trip flowed seamlessly. Our trip incorporated everything we wanted to see and more. The accommodation Valentin chose for us were all fantastic, the hosts made us feel right at home. Looking forward to booking our next trip with Kim Kim.

Without a doubt, the best trip planning experience I’ve ever had. I will never try to plan another overseas trip without kimkim! Louise was absolutely amazing in her creative itineraries, quick responses and knowledge of the area.

Wonderful trip and so excited to be able to share how much fun I had. Wouldn’t have been possible without Amanda’s help and our great driver Akram. Jordan is a beautiful country - everyone should visit!

Great trip! Antigua was wonderful! The hikes up Picaya and Earth Lodge in El Hato provided amazing views. Both of our guides were knowledgeable and friendly. Carlos was a walking history book and Louis was very patient with our lack of hiking experience. My only suggestion would be maybe get a better feel for the fitness of the travelers. One of the hikes was too much for one family member. Casa Antigua was a lovely hotel. The cooking class was really fun. Thanks for working with us. We felt safe throughout the trip. I highly recommend KimKim as a travel resource for Guatemala.

We were do happy we did not cancel out trip to Sri Lanka. The country felt very safe and we loved every minute of it. The Easter Sunday bombings were a terrible blow to this country but we hope in no time tourism will be thriving again.
Our specialist Shalindra was excellent at working with us in developing an itinerary that fit our desired and also our driver Mr Anoj, was great and we felt well looked after.
Thank you very much KimKim team for providing us with a memorable trip.