Kimkim Trip Reviews

Erin was a delight to work with. She was very prompt in responding to our questions, took our feedback on board and managed to put together our ideal itinerary. We had fairly limited time and quite a few things to fit in, but Erin managed it! Everything worked super well, all transfers on time and comfortable and the local partners she put us in touch with for the hiking equipment, lunches etc were also super lovely and helpful.
As 2 friends with very busy and quite stressful jobs in big cities, we just didn't have the time and mental energy to figure out this itinerary by ourselves. Having Erin take care of things so well for us was amazing and meant we could just relax and enjoy with full peace of mind that we were in expert hands. Thank you Erin & team!

It was a great trip. Everyone was super nice, the weather was great, and all the guides and drivers were very attentive.

Ingrid did a wonderful job planning our trip. She was prompt, professional and thoughtful. We had limited time and wanted to fit in Oslo, Bergen, the Flam railway, a Fjord cruise, dog sledding and the Northern lights. It took some adroit and creative planning to fit all this in 5 days, and we simply could not have figured this out on our own, and I give Ingrid great credit for figuring out a travel itinerary where we could do all this without feeling rushed. Everything went smoothly thanks to Ingrids' careful attention to detail. She was also on call during our trip — a mere text or e-mail away. I also want to thank her for arranging an Oslo walk with Stig, which was wonderful, as we got to see Oslo through a natives eye. We did the same in Bergen, where Ingrid took us on a charming walk through town and up into the hills. Both walks are strongly recommended. In all, I recommend Ingrid with the greatest possible enthusiasm. She will make your trip richer!

Why Jordan? Why not Jordan! What a wonderful trip we have just had to that exciting country.
From start (the booking) to finish ( saying goodbye to our experienced, eloquent, knowledgable guide, Mohammed) everything worked like clock work and nothing was too much trouble.

The people of Jordan are friendly , honest and always willing to help. The food was delicious especially the Kunafeh in downtown Amman!

The highlights are too many to mention them all so here are just a few;
1 Petra- wow! Advice for us older generation- walk in, go up to the Monastery by donkey , walk down the 850 steps from the Monastery and get a horse ride or chariot ride back to the entrance.
GET THERE EARLY!
2 Wadi Rum desert experience is a must. Such beautiful desert landscapes.
3 Jerash and Karak Castle are also a must see.
4 Dead Sea- put on that mud!

My Bali trip has been a dream. Beautiful island, warm and friendly local people, rich culture. Our local specialist Ayu had been so wonderful throughout the consultation and booking process. She advised and helped us book everything we needed/asked for to make sure we have a wonderful vacation. Our driver Krisna Arimbawa had been above and beyond our expectation. He was so friendly, resourceful, helpful and always with a big smile. Nusa Penida is so worth the trip to visit. Highly recommend the Authentic Balinese Day - you will get to meet and experience the humble and wonderful lives of a local Balinese family (they were absolutely wonderful, warm and loving).

The arrangements for flights and hotels all worked perfectly. The guide we had for Bogota was extremely knolegeable about history, archaeology and art. In Villa de Leyva we had a thunderstorm but the guide substituted a talk on history and politics of Colombia. I didn't find the salt cathedral interesting. Guatavita was very beautiful but unfortunately there was no English speaking tour. San Agostin was particularly interesting, and the guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. Tatacoa was very interesting but much too hot for the hike we did. We particularly enjoyed Cartagena's beautiful architecture. The hotel and service were gracious. Our trip to fishing village and boat tour were fun, and we enjoyed the guide's explanation of the biology.

We enjoyed all of the trip. Our personal guides were all really informative, authentically and genuinely interested and passionate about their environments and willing to share their culture and lifestyle with us. To us, that is one of the best things about this sort of trip, and we were happy with your choices. It was a long trip, so there is much to recommend, and if I don't mention something, it doesn't mean we didn't love it! - I'm thinking of you Medellin with our great guide Marcello---

We always enjoyed the special heritage Colombian towns like Villa de Leyva, Jardin, Barichara... We won't ever forget visiting the Kogi in their village and our picnic by the river there.

There were a couple of odd things which I'd like to mention, just to keep you all in the loop. The driver at the airport in Medellin picked up the wrong travellers, so wasn't there when we arrived. A call to the agent who's number you provided soon sorted it out.

Our trip to Jardin was interesting. We noticed that most of your drive times are a bit optimistic... We expected a three hour drive or something, but about half way there we found the road between Medellin and Jardin is closed. We had to travel back quite a ways and then take the awful road down to Jardin, turning this into i think a 5-1/2 hour trip. We were surprised that the driver didn't know anything about it, because we are under the impression that this is a long term road project and the driver says you drive there all the time. Anyway, it was an awfully long trip, because it was at least as long back to the airport the next day and maybe longer.... just for a short one night visit. I would re-think your Jardin approach. Before we asked for an overnight, I think you had us going there on a day trip, which Obviously can not be! The rest of the day's description was out the window too.. We didn't see a museum, or taste any award winning sweets, and I can assure you, that cable car hasn't run in quite some time, although we did walk around the town and enjoy it! The itinerary indicated Dinner was included that day, but I don't know where! We had cervezas with the locals around the square and went out for Pad Thai later. So, we enjoyed Jardin, but we didn't seem to have had an experience as outlined in an itinerary.... When we left Jardin we went directly to the airport and flew from Medellin to Bogota at 6pm, then Bogota to Santa Marta at 8 pm. Of course we got into the Hotel Villa Maria quite late after dinner, and the bar were closed. We were wondering why we weren't on any of the direct flights from Medellin to Santa Marta that evening? Perhaps they were sold out, but they could have been booked two months in advance?

We particularly enjoyed the guides and the visits around Tayrona. The guides were all so enthusiastic and knowledgable, thank you. Christian brought a couple of books and props to discuss in depth the history and lifestlye of the local indigenous group, which we enjoyed at the nice picnic site set up for us. That day was a little "off script" too... we definitely went to a different village. We drove to Rio Ancho, then took a 4x4 up as far as the road went, then walked in the heat and dust about an hour and a half to the Kogi Village. We didn't meet anybody besides the kids there, but it was good, and the picnic spot on the River Ancho was awesome. We were pooped from this dusty day so much that the next day, we mostly sat in the shade and talked philosophy with the guide Juan. He had lots to tell us about Indigenous beliefs.

Barranquilla Carnival was a blast. Those people really know how to party, and we get why you picked the spot for our viewing (bathrooms, thanks!). We drank enough beer to need them. Luckily we were able to pick up our Fiesta tickets right in the hotel lobby upon our arrival. That, and a new hat to boot.

Finishing up in Cartagena was great. We enjoyed the shopping and dining scene there with many memorable food experiences. Unfortunately, on the last morning at 4:30 am, our last driver was no where in sight. We gave up shortly after 5 and hailed a ride with the help of our hotel.

All in all, these small things are just details, and our trip was long and varied, so everything can't be perfect! We had a wonderful time in Colombia and feel like we learned a lot and enjoyed quite a few different experiences. It takes a lot of patience to plan this type of holiday and the pre-booking questions and emails takes a certain about of patience and follow though. Nicolas did a pretty good job with all of that, Thank you Nicolas.

Kate and Mike

We can’t say enough praise for Tasos and Travel 12. From the very beginning he provided constant, consistent communicate throughout the booking process as well as the trip itself. He made it very easy to communicate with him and his team during our trip if we had any questions or needs. Having concluded our trip, it is evident Tasos is proficient in his area and took great care and put such detail in planning our trip. He genuinely cares about his clients and their experience. Tasos listened to our interests and created a trip that catered to our desires in addition to immersing us within the culture of Greece, both ancient and modern day. It was a perfect balance between touring time and free time.
We relished that Tasos booked us in boutique hotels. We were able to obtain a more authentic, enjoyable experience of Greece this way. These lodgings exceeded our expectations. In all cases we were very impressed and surprised. Not only were they clean, the beds comfortable, and possess all the amenities Americans are accustomed to, but the staff were universally helpful, charming, hospitable and accommodating. The breakfast they provided were all wonderful, fresh, and more than filling. However, Kalimera Archanes Village provided the best breakfast of them all, filling our table in our villa. (Additional food notes: Black Sheep in Athens had the best greek salad and Yehanni’s first stop in the 7 villages tour in Crete provided the best greek coffee.)
The guides Tasos scheduled were extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and affable. With each guide, it was evident care had been taken to select ones that were passionate about Greece, its history, and culture. They were all phenomenal. Ioannis (John) was our guide in Thessaloniki. With the comfort that is present among friends, we strolled the streets of Thessaloniki and soaked up what he was teaching us. We had the pleasure of Anastasia touring us through Pella and Vergina. Upon observing our interest in Christian Biblical history she thoughtfully added an unscheduled stop in Veroia were we able to visit a tribute to the Apostle Paul and learn some of its history. Vangelis (Evan) took us on our hike of Meteora (the rocks) in Kalabaka. I would definitely recommend this experience if you are physically capable and in the area. He allowed us to set the pace and was well versed in the history of the area. Not only were the views breathtaking but it truly added to the experience of visiting the rocks and the monasteries. Alexandria, a native Athenian, was our guide for Athens. She was well versed in the history of Athens and local mythology. We toured the Acropolis, including the Parthenon, and ended with the Acropolis museum. She even accommodated our last minute request to stop at Mars Hill, where Apostle Paul preached. Then we headed to Corinth, Nafplio, and Epidaurus where our new tour guide had a college degree in history! He also lived in Nafplio and treated us to a wonderful lunch where we felt like locals. We took the overnight ferry which was a new, yet pleasant experience. The rooms were larger than standard rooms on a cruise ship. In Corinth we experienced another site where we learned more about Apostle Paul and got to walk down the paths he would have! Our guide was Katrina and she took us to the Palace of Knosos and the archaeological museum. Again, another guide (like all the others) that not only knew their stuff but was so very passionate about it! From there a father and son team, Demetrius and Yehanni took over. Each was a wealth of knowledge and a great personality- very vibrant, full of educational information, great company, and very competent. They truly made us feel like family by the time we left. Yehanni took us on a tour of 7 villages where we experienced Crete that shouldn’t be missed. We had greek coffee in one village, visited a bakery in another, and a family cheese factory in another. Everyone was welcoming and patient with us.
Our drivers were all courteous. They even allowed one in our party to sit in the front, passenger and “play tour guide” as she relayed information from them as we drove past areas of interest to them. In a sense, they were tour guides themselves. It was fantastic to be picked up each day by a driver and in a Mercedes passenger van to boot. We didn’t have to worry about anything as they had been given our schedules. All we had to do was show up on time each morning. Lampros was our most exceptional driver, and best dressed as he wore a suit each time we saw him, and made us feel special during our trip. On our last night he made a detour and took us to an amazing overlook high above the city Athens that offered a stunning view of the city and the Acropolis at night.
We walked away from this trip feeling very well taken care of, spoiled really, and having made so many memories that we will keep with us well past the next trip we book with Tasos. He blew our expectations out of the water and all four of us HIGHLY recommend using Tasos and his company Travel 12.

Wonderful job by the team for my first trip to Nepal. Everything went to plan, thanks to Kripa. Also many thanks to my guide Suman for taking good care of me and showing me around the beautiful country. Will be back.

Natalia, and Kimkim, worked together with our group point person to facilitate our visiting many wonderful places in Colombia. We stayed in very comfortable hotels, were the staff made us feel at home.

Our guides added great interest to our visits to so many wonderful sites. In addition, the guides were really fun people to spend time with.

Everything went flawlessly, all of our check ins, check outs, getting picked up, getting dropped off, making connections.

For me this was a wonderful introduction to South America.

My husband and I just returned from a lifetime trip to Peru where we both celebrated our birthdays! Everything went beautifully and according to plans. The service offered by Kim Kim and Peruvian Soul exceeded all our expectations, mostly regarding our three main contacts: Anne (Local Contact), Cesar (Guide) and Roberto (Driver).

Anne who was involved in the full logistics and planning was excellent since her very first contact with us, always very friendly, very helpful, very responsive, and very patient...she ensured that every detail of our trip went spectacular, THANK YOU Anne!! Cesar, our very friendly and knowledgeable guide provided us every possible detail to make each experience memorable, including his help taking beautiful pictures for us. Roberto, our driver, in addition to being responsible for safely driving us to every destination, provided us a peek inside the quechuan traditions and practices through his marvelous stories. He even had the very special detail of sharing with us a quechuan tradition the day of our birthday! THANK YOU Cesar and Roberto, our two new peruvian friends!

Finally, we want to thank Peruvian Soul for the delicious chocolates left for us at our last hotel room, it was a beautiful birthday surprise!

It was our very first experience booking a trip through Kim Kim and we had an EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE! We would DEFINITELY recommend Kim Kim and will DEFINITELY book through Kim Kim again. Thank you Kim Kim for making our birthday trip to Peru such a memorable life experience!

We had a great trip. Brahim did a great job organizing and planning considering it was last minute. He was able to accommodate the things we wanted to do as most standard tours had a different itinerary. Having started in Tangier he really helped plan out an itinerary that worked for us. Tangier-Chefchaouen-Casablanca-Rabat-Meknès-Volubilis-Fes-Ifrane-Merzouga-Todra-Ouarzazate-Ait Benhaddou-Marrakesh. All in nine days. All of the accommodations were very comfortable and nice. The riads were all beautiful and the various staff were all very friendly and helpful.

Amine our driver was good and very safe as an added bonus he new the local areas quite well, thanks to him we enjoyed late night street food in Fes and other foods that we may not have had the opportunity to try. Amine, was very accommodating and he was willingly available for us at night when there were things we wanted to do like going to Rick’s Cafe. It was quite enjoyable having someone that could take us to local spots to watch football (he’s a Barca fan fair warning to Madrid fans). With Amine it was like having another member of the family with us, we were very comfortable, and all three of us would highly recommend his services. He was very pleasant and enjoyable to be with. On a side note Amine really went the extra mile when my mother left her jacket in our hotel in Casablanca, he arranged to have picked up and delivered to her in Marrakesh. We really appreciated everything Amine did for us.

The tour guides we had were all very good and very knowledgeable. In Fes we had Saïd and in Marrakesh we had Mohammad. Overall we had a fantastic and safe time in Morocco.

We had an amazing trip to Morroco. We are really pleased with the services provided by kimkim. They were fast and reliable before the trip and during the trip. The cities proposed and the accommodations were great. There is a special mention to all the people who helped us have an amazing trip.

Hassam Fes tour guide - He gave us a short but effective tour of the Medina. We were able to see the most important places. During the tour, we visited artisans workshops we felt they were interesting but repetitive. Not a lot of information on the history of Fes and the Medina

Samir driver - He was really nice and attentive. He got us safely to each location. Moreover, he was constantly making us aware of the scams to tourists. He was punctual and provided information about the places we were visiting.

Hassan Marrakech tour guide - He gave us a great tour, we saw all the points of interest inside the Medina. He gave clear and interesting explanations. Also, he gave us amazing recommendations on what to do after the tour.

Abdellah trip planner - He was a great trip planner. He was very friendly and extremely effective with our plan, four days before our trip we had to cancel another agency with whom we were planning to make a trip to Morroco. Abdellah rapidly organized us a wonderful trip in 4 days which was fully customized to our preferences and budget. He was also available on the phone at any moment to resolve any issue before and during the trip.

Kesaeb was great - always had my back - very friendly and knew his stuff concerning the trek and tea houses - a very knowledgeable and personable person and always on time - if I come back again I’ll definitly your organization again and ask for Kesaeb as my guide - take care - enjoy

One of the best holidays we have ever been on. Beautiful country, beautiful people, amazing food, breathtaking landscapes. The kimkim team - Amanda, Akram, Mustafa - were incredible. Thank you guys!

From been greeted at the airport, my guide, Tashi and driver set the standard of this trip, very high.
Our itinerary was not too manic, but ran like clockwork, with excellent driving, and time keeping, the manners were impeccable. We saw so much, hard to choose a favourite, for me , it was between an Everest Mountain flight, and rafting on river. trishuli.
The visit to Pashupatinath was an experience I wil never forget, made even more memorable by our excellent local guide ,Prajwol, what an interesting man, his memory for facts and figures is second to none, he explained so much, with so many interesting facts, he even took us to a great place for lunch, on both days out with him. The ancient villages of Bungamati and Khokana, were quite a contrast to Kathmandu, but once again, made so interesting, and stress free thanks to Prajwol and our amazing driver, who at all times remained calm, and very pleasant.
I can not thank Tashi and the team from NMMT, and Prajwol for their attention to detail, humour and seemingly bottomless knowledge.
Highly recommend, and so many thanks for creating this adventure for me.

On many of the locations that we visited the detailed information could show that walking in gravel and dirt pathways should be know so as to not ware your best footwear. Asking us if we had out swimwear when in-route to the Delta was not good. That river is very dirty and to swim for someone from the US is not even a question to ask. Also the car travel time to locations should be included so that trips to areas are not booked without reason. Many of the things advertised to tour in the City were not gone to Post Office were not done. When people come from cold areas to Hot they do not have that much energy to be marched around all day. We paid a lot of money for taxi to and from the airport and some trips to the Market.

I had a great experience in Morocco! Brahim did a great job helping me organize my trip. He gave me the best suggestions and was super quick to reply. I really liked the accommodation he booked for me, the riad in Marrakesh was beautiful but the glamping experience in Agafay was definitely the highlight! The tent was very comfortable, the food was the best I had in Morocco and the place itself is magical, you can tell there is attention to every detail.
People in Morocco were welcoming, very friendly and always proud to introduce me to their culture.
The diversity in Morocco really surprised me, from the beautiful Sahara desert to the lively city of Marrakesh, impressive waterfalls, beach cities to remote villages in the Atlas mountains. You can find it all!
I definitely recommend everyone to visit this country with such an amazing culture.

Overall we had a great holiday. Chile is a diverse, amazing and civilised place. Everywhere we went people were friendly and we didn't feel threatened at all. Highlights were the Atacama Desert and the trips run by Rutas Andinas (especially Andreas); they were very laid back and informative. We also loved Torres Del Paine and had the bonus of being on all inclusive, which we didn't realise until we were on the transfer from Punta Arenas. We did a number of trips from the hotel - Grey Glacier, Base of the Tower, Patagon and Laguna Azul, and all of the guides were excellent. If we were to go again I would probably give the Lake District a miss - Puerto Varas is really nice but the Chiloe Island trip, although there is nothing wrong with it, is a long way (400 km round trip) for not that much return. Osorno Volcano trip was good.
We spent 5 nights (in 3 blocks in Santiago) and the Ismael Hotel is in a great position. Lots of positives about the hotel - staff, atmosphere, breakfast, comfortable bed and pillow but be aware there is not much sound proofing in the glazing, so if you are in a room that is low down and either on the noisy side (back of hotel is on a busy street) or in room 413 (next to apartment that has all night parties on a Saturday - till 0700), try to get moved higher. Walking tour of Santiago was good and the Valpariso/Wine Tour was great. Felipe is a good guy. We also went on a Colchagua Wine Tour, which was the only one where we felt we were pushed along by the guide (Vivi). The vineyards were excellent and we had plenty of wine and a good lunch but we kept being told 'we need to move on in 8 minutes; 5 minutes etc', which isn't great considering how expensive it is.
Oxana (supported by Marina) was excellent and planned the whole thing around our wishes. Also, when we had a couple of scheduling issues with transfers they were resolved immediately. One other thing to mention, throughout the tour, regardless of operator, all of the drivers were good and we both felt safe on all trips (bus drivers in Cambodia please note!!).
An excellent trip and I would use KimKim and EcoChile again.

The experience:
Our visit to Amazonas felt like a real adventure!
We were met in bustling Leticia by Darwin, our English-speaking guide, and spent the next 90 minutes awe-struck by the immensity of the river and the expertise of the boatman, who skilfully navigated past tree trunks and other floating debris as we sped our way upstream to Callanoa.
Our ‘home’ at the ecolodge was a beautifully designed 2-storey casita (more than just a cabin). Surrounded by a garden of heliconias and other floral delights, we were immersed in the sounds of birds in the secondary forest – the crested oropendolas with their liquid ‘glopping’ call, yellow-rumped caciques, and a multitude of diverse tanagers - with a rhythmic backing of frogs and cicadas.
We spent three comfortable nights here on the banks of the river Amazon as the river was rising at the start of its annual flood.
Each day started with a tasty breakfast –often in the company of a visiting troupe of squirrel monkeys or black-mantled tamarins. Then we would be hailed by the enthusiastic Darwin and taken off for a visit to the neighbouring village or, further afield, by boat, to flooded forests and islands, where we cruised amongst the trees spotting birds, sloths, pink dolphins and other wildlife. We will never forget the huge horizons and looming cloudscapes (nor the tremendous downpour that caught us midriver).
Going back to the lodge each day for lunch and supper –usually fish (always locally caught) and always delicious - provided opportunities to relax and rehydrate with a beer or exotic fruit juice.
We would love to return to the Amazonas wilderness in the future and, after a blessing from the local shaman at Callanoa, who knows, maybe in spirit at least...
The people who helped to make the trip so good:
-Darwin, a cheerful and knowledgeable guide. He appeared to know the area and the people and interacted well with the local guides to enable us to get the most out of our visit.
-The owner of the ecolodge, Diego. He was often present at meals when he was willing to answer our questions and to explain the ideas behind the Callanoa project. He aims to develop sustainable tourism as a way of restoring the natural forest and to provide the local people with employment and a cash income.