Kimkim Trip Reviews

The trip was marvelous. Yenyi was very responsive, attentive and made a real effort to understand what we were looking for and arrange it for us.
Our particular favorites were the all day ride through the countryside around Monteverde with Horse Trek Monteverde. Flavio, who rode with us, was friendly and informative and pleasure to spend the day with. The owner, Marvin, was very generous in showing us the stable and his horses at the beginning of the day. He is a skilled, knowledgeable, passionate, charismatic horseman and was incredibly fun to talk to. And, the country side was magnificent!
Another highlight was a rafting trip in the tenerio area which was super fun with a great guide.
With one small exception which was quickly remedied, all of the plans and pick ups worked perfectly.
Thanks, Yenyi!

Nepal in one word is......AMAZING! My husband and I were heading towards India for a wedding but wanted to make sure we could include at least a short trip to Nepal. Tashi and his team made it possible and we were able to see Kathmandu as well as hike up to see Everest.

Firstly, the whole organisation and process was incredibly easy. Tashi understood quickly what we wanted and organised it within days. His response time, even with the time difference, was within hours even.

Once we arrived, he was there with the driver to pick us up. Explained the entire next steps and made sure everything with our hotel was fine. He even organised a "to-go" breakfast from our hotel for the next morning at 4:30am (since heading to Lukla that morning). That morning he brought us to the airport, explained the process, and kept in contact with our guides during the whole trek to make sure everything was running smoothly. Once we flew back to Kathmandu from Lukla, we had a few more hours until our next flight, and he used the time to show us another beautiful site, and we got to enjoy a nice tea together there. His detailed dedication to the guests is impeccable and highly appreciated. I've never felt so well taken care of by any tour company.

The trek itself was stunning and perfectly planned. We arrived in Lukla around mid-morning (after a few flight delays). Our guide, Mingma Gyaljen, and sherpa, Fu Renji were waiting for us once we arrived. They then took us to a Teahouse for a quick tea and introductions. From there we hiked to Phadking. It was a beautiful hike. There we spent the evening at the Khumbu Traveller's Guest House. The hosts were very friendly and welcoming, and made sure we had everything we needed (tasty food too). The second day we hiked up to Namche Bazaar. What a beautiful hike! It gets a bit uphill the last part, so you need to take your time. Both guides were very attentive and adapted to our speeds when needed. During the hike up, we stopped at the Sagarmatha National Park's 3.140m view point to get our first view of Everest. Once at Namche, we stayed at the Shangrila Lodges right in the middle of the town with a great view of the area. It was pretty cold up there since it was January but we kept warm at the fire, and our guide made sure we had enough blankets. The host made some amazing homemade Momo's for us too! The next morning, our guide woke us up at 6am as the sky was clear so we could hike up further to see the surrounding mountain peaks. We hiked up about 30minutes to 3.555m to get a perfect view of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Tabuche and Amadablam and many more. We are so grateful to our brilliant guide and sherpa for suggesting it and taking us there! They both made sure we really enjoyed ourselves the entire trek.

Following that we hiked back to Lukla. There we stayed at the Sonam Lodge. The hosts made us feel like part of the family, and even came with us to the airport to make sure we had no issues.

The entire trip was more than any of our expectations and we definitely want to go back for a longer trek with the Tashi team. Thank you to Tashi, Mingma Gyaljen, Fu Renji, and the Teahouse hosts for the amazing experience!!

There was an issue with one of our excursions in Monteverde where the sky adventures park never received the reservation from desafio tour company and we had to reschedule the tour, which was a little disappointing

I had a wonderful trip in Guatemala. Everything was very well planned and executed. The communication with all involved was very impressive. David our local guide was very knowledgeable. The accomodation and transport was first class. I would highly recommend this adventure.

This is a response from Bernard and Jean as a couple.

In rating your services, we are making a direct comparison to the last time we were in India on a small tour in 2014 as well as a private tour in Portugal in 2017.

We found the contact with Preeti to be sporadic with twice having to contact kimkim because Preeti was not responding to emails. We suggest that kimkim should have a "follow through" strategy if staff/contractors are sick or on leave. All emails should be responded to within 24 hours.

The only time we had good response from Preeti was when payment was requested.

Accomodation, before and at the end of the tour, was not finalised until very late despite a number of requests for this to happen. As a result of this we booked our own private accommodation at the beginning and end of the tour which was infinitely better in character than was provided by the tour.

On previous tours we have been provided with an itinerary well beforehand by email as well as a paper copy on joining the tour. This was not offered or provided. We had to scroll through many emails to look for itinerary.

We were very pleased with our guide Arun. He was informative, knowledgable and well organised. He ensured that we were safely taken to our destinations re:accommodation, tourist sites etc. We would highly recommend him to any future tour groups.

Our driver Shaqa was also very good - he was polite, patient and got us safely around South India.
The vehicle provided was excellent and reliable. It was cleaned everyday and water bottles were provided on a daily basis.

A separate guide in Goa, Avi (sp), "shouted" at us. The only time he lowered his voice was in a church. He was however well informed and had a rich knowledge of the area.

We were disappointed by the accommodation provided. The hotels selected were all characterless boxes which could have been from anywhere in the world. It appeared that little thought was given to showing Indian authenticity and pride. On a private tour such as this we had an expectation that the accommodation would be chosen that reflected the character of the area.

Carlos was very communicative with us and flexible. He made our itinerary changes whenever we requested them and did his best to accommodate our schedule and interests. He made himself available via text message as soon as we arrived and was very helpful whenever I needed some local advice.

Amit, our guide throughout the trip was an exceptional young professional on so many levels. His personality and patient disposition were indispensable in creating a relaxed and fun experience. He is very knowledgeable in the 4 major religions of India and his command of dates and facts rivals a PhD in Eastern religion. A good teacher communicates by sharing stories and Amit explained wars (political and religious), customs, cultures, gods and goddesses and historical people like he was intimately involved with each one and sharing the history of his country as if reading a novel or watching a movie. Vividly, animatedly, and with humor. We were lucky to have had him all to ourselves!. He was also a fun person and highlighted his stories with personal tales of his life in India.

DalGeet Ji was an incredibly skilled driver. His knowing the roads all over Rajisthan, especially when construction and some political demonstrations lead to road blocks, made the trip so much more reliable and safe. Again, we were very lucky to have had him. He got along with Amit so well.

Highlights for me were: (1) the night in the Thar desert with the best meal of the trip cooked by Soda and Abdul over the open fire, (2) praying in the Sikh temple and then visiting the kitchen , (3) The sound and light water show in Delhi, (3) the colors of the markets, men and women's attire, (4) the graciousness of everyone in letting us photograph them, and (5) the elegant little hotels that each had cultural character, beauty and /or historical significance.

Thank you for crafting a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my son and stepson. We had an amazing time in Vietnam under the care of Sens.
I’ve traveled to many places around the world, and I think Vietnam may very well be my favorite place. The food is wonderful, the scenery is gorgeous, and above all, the people are so kind and optimistic.

Regarding the tour. Mr. Khoa was an outstanding guide. He was pleasant, patient, and knowledgeable. He went out of his way to make sure we stopped at interesting places and beautiful views.

Our accommodations were great. The hotel in Hanoi was very well located, and the staff was attentive. The rooms were very spacious and clean. Our visit to Mai Chau was outstanding. Our lunch was tasty, and the “homestay” was a fun and delicious experience. We very much enjoyed biking through the villages. I hadn’t been on a bike for 20 years, but it’s true that you don’t forget how, and it was so much fun! Again, Khoa made sure to stop at interesting places and explain what was going on. Our driver was excellent. I always felt that we were in safe hands as he navigated the crazy streets of Hanoi, and the winding roads in the country.

Our visit to the school in Mai Chau was wonderful. We’d bought some soccer balls and badminton sets in Hanoi under Khoa’s recommendation, and they went over very well with the staff and students. We were warmly greeted by all of the staff/teachers, and were treated to oranges and conversation before we got a tour of the school. There was one young student in particular who was a wonderful conversationalist in English. He is a particularly fond memory.

I’m glad that you convinced us to go to Bai Tu Long Bay. It was stunning. The host on the Swan Cruise, Marcus (Minh) was very engaging and fun. I liked the size of the group on the cruise—being somewhat small.

I have only two disappointments I would like to convey. The first was the lunch at Mother’s Kitchen in Hanoi. The food was very good, but I would much rather have gone to a true local spot for some Pho or Cha Ca. Similarly, the lunch in Ninh Binh was another tourist spot I would like to have avoided. I recall the food being just “okay.”

While on the Swan Cruise we met a Vietnamese woman from Hanoi who was traveling alone for the first time, and rounded out our table of three to a table of four at mealtimes. In such a short time, we became friends, and continue to communicate!

None of this could have happened without the fantastic work that Linh and Ha did to pull this all together for us. Gam un!

I hope to visit Vietnam again one day, and look forward to you helping plan a trip to visit the South! In the meantime, I wish you all the very best.

This trip was like a dream, everything went just perfect and as planned. Yassine was incredibly patient and accommodating, he listened to us, responded to every question we had and made sure we would be happy with our finalized itinerary. Our trip started in Casablanca, our flight was more than four hours delayed due to bad weather in Montreal, our driver Mohammed was patiently waiting for us and it was a relief to see him there and greeting us with a smile, we immediately felt welcomed and safe. He drove us all the way to Fes with a quick stop at Rabat. We spent two nights in Fes, our guide Hakim was super knowledgeable and funny, we had a great day of learning and exploring the medina. We then drove all the way to Marrakesh via Casablanca. One tip for next time, I would avoid Casablanca all together, we just spent a few hours there but with traffic in the city it was more than needed and not worth it. In Marrakesh we spent three nights but only two full days, we had an amazing time and our guide Ali was super fun to be with, he was also very accommodating with our last minute itinerary changes and just adapted to our pace. On our second day we went to Agafay desert in the afternoon, this was definitely a highlight of our trip, if you have the chance, don't miss it! From Marrakesh we drove to Essaouira, we only spent one night there and I wish we had more time, it was one of my favorite places of all. One tip is, buy all your souvenirs there, its way cheaper than any other place and they have everything. Definitely don't miss Essaouria. On our last day we drove back to Casablanca and had dinner at a fancy restaurant our driver Mohammed suggested, we had an amazing time and the food was delightful! Well, food was amazing every single day, from the most cheap to more pricey places!
All of our accommodations were unbelievable nice and charming, it was definitely a huge part of our whole experience, we mostly stayed at riads, which were the perfect selection for us. We were provided with a small cel phone for anything that we needed at any time. Our driver Mohammed was incredibly helpful and friendly, and most importantly, drove us with professionalism and great skills all around Morocco, which involved a lot of driving!
I will definitely will be using kimkim services again and would recommend to anyone planning their next adventure!

It was a pleasure working with the KimKim team on our Philippine adventure!

The trip started with a trip up to Banaue and Batad for a tour of the rice terraces. They were truly spectacular and a highlight of the trip! It’s an 8 hour journey from Manila, but well worth it. We had a great driver, who was able to tell us about the Philippines, make stops and always recommend great local food for us to try along the way.

We hiked with an excellent guide through Batad. We got off the main trails and we’re able to see the rice terraces and village from so many great perspectives! We hiked well ahead of the main tour groups and were able to enjoy swimming at Tappiya Falls on our own. On the way back from Batad to Banaue, we rode on top of the Jeepney.

We stayed at the Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel. It was clean and in a great location, out of the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

Following Banaue, we went back to Manila for a great night at the I’M Hotel, before we flew to Coron. The I’M Hotel pool and rooftop bar are a fantastic place to relax and enjoy the scenery!

Coron was gorgeous. It’s such a chill town that provides amazing opportunity to get out on the water for island hoping. I loved the small town vibe. When I arrived in Coron I was a little surprised that it wasn’t a beach town, given the photos you see online (there’s no beach and the water is pretty dirty), but you’ll soon forget about that when you go out on boating adventures. I particularly enjoyed the coral garden, shipwrecks and Kayangan Lake! We loved the sunset drinks and dinner at La Sirenetta Seafood Restaurant & Bar. The restaurant is setup on the water and has beautiful views.

We stayed at Corto Del Mar and enjoyed the hotel. The hotel has a nice courtyard, pool and restaurant, but it’s not right on the beach.

Following Coron we had a wonderful time in El Nido and enjoyed some quiet time staying on Miniloc Island, where we could easily tour the Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Snake Island and Cudugnon Cave. El Nido resorts Miniloc Island offers great island hopping tours. The only disappointing part of our stay was the boating transfers to Miniloc Island. We were first put on a boat that wouldn’t start for about a half an hour, then once it got started this same boat stalled in the middle of our journey and we had to be rescued by a speedboat. The hotel didn’t really acknowledge the situation and I expected a bit more from a 5 star resort.

Following El Nido we had a fantastic time in Borocay for my cousins wedding. We stayed at the Coast Borocay Hotel. This is an amazing boutique hotel, on the beach at Station 2. From the moment we arrived at the airport, this hotel provided the best customer service of any place we stayed in the Philippines. We loved this hotel!

I’m happy about our KimKim experience and was happy to have the team just a What’s App message away from helping keep the trip on track and our tours confirmed, even when they’re running late or on island time. Everything was taken care of and we were able to relax on the trip.

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Costa Rica. All the events and lodging were impeccably planned and were first rate. All of our prearranged transportation was on time and friendly. We could not have had a smoother or more enjoyable vacation and we would use kimkim again in a heartbeat!

Nichols was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgeable, great communicator, available at all times via WhatsApp, Kimkim site email, and personal cell. It was our first time traveling to Colombia and relying on a local host to fully arrange a trip to Providencia gave us comfort and reduced our burden of researching and planning. We saved days by going with Kimkim and following Nicholas’s recommendation. Providencia was the most memorable part of our trip and every suggestion Nicholas made was worth it. Kimkim team, especially Yoos, was very helpful. I got sick two days before our trip and contacted Nicholas and Yoos and both very extremely supportive and gave me several options including cancellation with full refund. Luckily I got better and made the trip. If you are looking for trust worthy, easy to work with, knowledgeable, deliver as promise group KimKim is the best.

Our guide (Arun Panicker) deserves full marks. He is a classic CCC person (Cool, Calm and Collected) with a deep knowledge of everything Indian (history, culture, social issues, etc) and an excellent concise and precise information approach.
We all did some background reading about South India, so for me the "unexpected" was the most interesting (e.g. the room of thousands columns in the Meenakshi Amman Temple Complex - a fairy ordinary rectangular structure on the outside and an incredible jewel inside; the Sri Aurobindo Ashram - historically apparently a failure but still very impressive; the wide and very green streets of Chennai, etc).
Pondicherry's French quarters were quaint and charming; Goa was over touristy...
The houseboat on Kerala's tranquil backwaters was delightful and the boat ride through the narrow channels felt timeless - the women were doing the washing by the shores, the men were fishing for dinner, the kingfishers were flying above...
The spice plantation was a wonderful learning experience and in the little town of Trichy I finally found Tourmaline in silver setting!

Our Multisport Adventure Tour dome by Adventure Journeys was just superb! Our guide, Paul Aguilar was top notch - very professional, attentive, informative, mechanical, humorous and so knowledgeable about so many Ecuadorian things. He repaired broken bike chains, assisted in dealing with my Canon camera service issue in Quito, and guided us strongly in each of the sports. He became a friend. He deserves a huge raise in salary! He also convinced us that everything ever invented started in Ecuador!! Our driver, Alejandro, was superb as well - the guy can drive!! He handled our bus so well, at all times, and helped us all if we needed it. He also deserves a huge raise in salary!!

We visited Jordan and Israel. From the very beginning to the end Lena was amazing. Very quick to respond, accommodating, flexible and highly professional. She answered all of our questions effectively and organized specific individual requests we had. In both countries the service was lovely, comfortable and high end. Thank you Lena for your hard work! We had a blast!

I have been all over the world but my recent trip to Myanmar was truly something special. From the very beginning Shu Shwe Yee and Linn Linn were very hands on in helping me plan my perfect personalized trip. They were always available to quickly answer any questions, make any itinerary changes, and offer local advice. Everything about the trip happened without any incidents and I knew i was in good hands the entire time. I was able to enjoy Yangon, Bagan, and the Mandalay area on my trip. My only regret was that i did not have enough time to visit Inle Lake. By far the highlight was my two full days in Bagan. My guide, Mr. Aung Soe Min, was the best guide i ever had. He was able to personalize my experience based on my preferences. I told him that i was really into photography and he was able to show me the best places to capture the beauty of the land and include the locals in there as well. He gave me different options on things to do and the information i needed to make an informed decision. I also really enjoyed how he was able to include unique experiences with the locals that were different from the usual temple itinerary. I highly recommend using this company while in Myanmar and to spend more than a week here. Plenty to see and the people are very friendly. I felt safe and secure the entire trip.

Valentin gave us an itinerary that well suited our needs. We were able to cover a lot of territory in a relatively short stay. All of our reservations and arrangements went according to plan. A highlight in the South Island was the cruise on Milford Sound, but the overall scenery was very beautiful. We appreciated that city accommodations were on the edge of town to avoid city driving. In the North Island we especially enjoyed the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Hobbiton and also a day trip we took took to Waipu. Again the scenery was absolutely beautiful all along the way.

I had a great experience with Drive Albania on my whirlwind three-day car tour. Ed responded promptly to my inquiry about a custom tour for a single traveler in the off-season. The company built an excellent and ambitious itinerary which they fulfilled. My guide Ardi was enthusiastic, patient, and ever attentive. I highly recommend this company!

Great trip. Expensive for what you got. Most tents and sites were available and empty. Had been , prepaid for by guide companies, who monopolize the park. Locals would not let anyone stay in open sites if they did not have a reservation. Everyone we talked to had great difficulty getting reservation on their own. Drove the cost up exponentially. Kimkim was great to work with and tried to help with costs. Tent sites were the best vs. Made beds in dorms and snorers. Dittmar was ok. The sandwich they gave us the day before at orientation was bad by the next day. Totally soggy with tomatoes,cucumbers. Transportation in the park was not always on time as stated. Buses didn't run sometimes and neither did the ferry. A lot of standing around and waiting for it.

My wife and I spent a wonderful 10 days in Cambodia in Feb 2019 on a trip designed by Steve to see as much of the "authentic Cambodia" as we could in the limited time we had in-country. In short, to say that we enjoyed the trip would be an understatement. Steve's local knowledge and expert planning made all the difference - we hadn't been to Cambodia before so his suggestions and recommendations were absolutely invaluable. Our guides (Reya in Phnom Penh and Dy in Battambang / Siem Reap) and drivers were just fantastic, and all trip logistics (transport, hotels, restaurants/cultural events etc) were impeccably handled. Our trip really wouldn't have been the same without Steve's input...
We started the visit in Phnom Penh (to avoid the Chinese New Year tourist crush in Siem Reap) and had a great visit with Reya to the Royal Museum, National Museum, and the S21 Detention Centre and Killing Fields (pretty depressing, but obviously an important part of the country's recent history). Next was Battambang with Dy, in which we experienced the French colonial centre, saw the nearby bat caves at dusk (pretty amazing natural phenomenon), took a ride on the Bamboo train, and did a bike tour through local communities to see how they produce rice paper and other local products. Also saw the Phare circus one evening - definitely recommended.
Then onwards to Siem Reap to see some of the Temples of Angkor, including Angkor Wat. Totally amazing complex and history - with some of the oldest temples in the area dating back some 1,000 years - but the truth is you'd really need months to see everything! We also spent a morning on the Tonle Sap lake, which included a visit to the village of Kompong Khleang (only possible to drive through in the dry season when the lake level is at its lowest). Here we had a really heartwarming experience - whilst checking out the local fish drying process on an extremely hot day, a fortuitous encounter with lots of kids coming out of school and an ice cream vendor lead to about 70 ice creams being handed out to all the kids in town (plus a few adults as well). The cost was nothing but the happiness generated was incredible.
Aside from the sites we visited and the local cuisine, one of the highlights for us was the Cambodian people themselves - incredibly friendly, dignified, hard working. Truly amazing people.
But back to the overall trip - I can't emphasize the value of Steve's local knowledge in making this trip so memorable for us. I would highly recommend - especially for first time travellers to Cambodia - booking through Steve. And as for us, we will certainly be back in Cambodia sometime soon!