Planning a trip to Colombia? Here's a quick introduction to kimkim, how our trips work, and what makes us unique. We'll go over how our itineraries are customized to your interests, and what to expect during your trip.

Connect Directly to a Local Specialist

When planning your trip on kimkim, we'll connect you directly with one of our local specialists who are skilled at customizing trips built around specific interests. Our specialists are experienced, creative, and highly-vetted travel experts who know Colombia well and will help you create the ideal itinerary.

Meaningful Experiences

Travel is about immersing yourself in the local landscape, culture, and experience and this is one of our core values. Sometimes this means taking lesser-known (but just as beautiful) routes to avoid the crowds, and sometimes it means seeing the main highlights in a unique way or at a special time of day that avoids the majority of the crowds. We're just as excited about travel as you are, meaning we seek out these experiences ourselves and then go the extra mile to ensure you have a memorable and meaningful experience.

Customizing Your Perfect Trip

Your customized trip plan will also incorporate personalized approaches to lodging, guides, routes, and even transportation. Our Colombia specialists like to ensure you have a more meaningful experience whenever possible, whether that means seeing the main cultural highlights of Cartagena through a back entrance or at a unique time of day, or taking an alternative day trip to a lesser known village or nature reserve. 

Private Tours

Kimkim is different than most conventional travel companies. Most of our trips are private and tailor-made, built around your specific interests.  Your trip will start and end on the dates that work best for you, and accommodation, number of activities, and travel route are all customizable. 

Flexible Itineraries

Your itinerary can be adjusted each day based on what's realistically possible. During your trip, guides and drivers are there to ensure everything goes smoothly and will work with the conditions of each day. If needed, your specialist can adapt your itinerary during your trip based on how you’re feeling, weather, or other unforeseen circumstances that sometimes arise while traveling.

Plan your trip to Colombia
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.

Local Specialists, Insider Knowledge

Your trip will be planned by people who have spent years living in and traveling around Colombia, searching out the best routes and unique places. When planning your trip, your specialist will consider the season and weather, your preferred method of transportation, and your travel priorities. Their ideas and insights not only add immense value to the process but are also what sets kimkim's style of trip planning apart.

Unique Ways to Experience Colombia's Highlights

Not everyone wants to get completely off the grid. Even if you want to visit Colombia's most popular sites and regions, kimkim ensures a customized experience.

If you're keen to visit the infamous city of Medellín and witness its dramatic transformation into a progressive cultural hub of South America, our specialists will help you see the history and modernity of the city from a truly comprehensive perspective. Likewise, if your main goal is to experience the vibrant, Afro-Caribbean culture of Cartagena, their insider tips will help you avoid the tourist traps of this well-loved city so you can fully experience its wealth of history and authentic culture. 

Experienced & Professional Guides

Your guides are an essential part of your overall experience, and someone you'll be spending a significant amount of time with throughout your trip. As such, we only work with experienced certified local guides who have years of experience and are passionate about helping people experience their country.

Working With Local Providers

Whenever possible, we work with local communities and services supplied by people who belong to the local community. This means hiring drivers and guides as much as possible from the regions you're traveling in and staying in smaller, boutique hotels or eco-habs that are owned locally. 

Best Accommodation Options

Where you stay each night plays a large part in the overall experience of your trip. Our specialists keep track of the best places to stay in Colombia, including hidden gems and new places that are popping up. They know the which spots have great meals and atmosphere, which are conveniently located away from the crowds, and which have great vantage points. Based on your budget and preferred style, you'll be provided with options of where you can lay your head each night. Just as important, your specialist will ensure that your accommodation is conveniently located for the activities of the day.

It's good to keep in mind that hot water and air-conditioning are not considered as "essentials" in many regions of Colombia. Your local specialist will help you determine where you should splurge for these amenities, and where temperate climates make them truly unnecessary.

Itinerary Roadmap

All trips to Colombia will have a trip roadmap that will be sent to you prior to your departure. This will include all pertinent information about pick-up times, activity durations, and hotels for each night. In addition, it will often include restaurant recommendations and insider tips for how to spend your free time in each location.

How Our Pricing Works

From the start of your trip planning, you'll be provided with the best price for your trip based on what's required to put together a quality experience that's both fairly priced yet doesn't cut corners. The prices will allow the specialist and their team to make a fair living, pay their staff, guides, and drivers fair wages in order to retain the best people, and provide insurance and medical coverage for their team. 

In-Trip Support & Guidance

While you're on your trip, both your local Colombia specialist and kimkim staff will be on hand to support should you have any questions, concerns, or if anything goes wrong. We'll also work with you to make changes or customize your trip on the fly should you want to change things around (assuming the customizations are possible and realistic). 

Kimkim’s travel specialists are also there for you after you’ve decided on the details of your trip. Not only will your specialist provide you with additional tips so you can make the most out of your vacation, but we are available to help once you land in Colombia. That means anything from suggesting the perfect night out for your last night in Bogotá or assisting if you hit a snag in your travel plans.

Climate Neutral

Kimkim trips are 100% climate neutral. Plan your trip with us and support sustainable initiatives around the world, reducing your impact and strengthening communities along the way. Learn more

Everything Is Included

Most trips we organize include all the arrangements from the moment you land in Colombia to the moment you leave. You don't have to worry about constantly paying for services or organizing transport or hotels during your trip. Everything is included in the tour you book with us, and we'll clearly point out anything that's not covered.

Services that are typically included:

  • Airport transfers to and from your hotel
  • All your domestic transport (flights & ground transport)
  • Accommodations (breakfast typically included)
  • Guided tours and activities

Services that are typically not included:

  • Your international flights
  • Medical and emergency travel insurance
  • Lunches and dinners (when not specified)
  • Tips for guides and drivers
  • Entry fee (for Canadian citizens)

Expectations and excitement are high from the moment you hit the ground in Colombia and we'll ensure your arrival experience and airport transfer runs smoothly. You'll be provided with details of what to expect upon arrival, contact details of your in-trip support and driver, and someone who will be waiting for you at the airport to transfer you to your hotel.

Emily
Written by Emily Strauss, updated Feb 18, 2021