Kimkim Trip Reviews for Costa Rica

Randall was fantastic from start to finish, his local knowledge and suggestions for tours and activities resulted in a fun filled 6 day itinerary as part of our family holiday to Costa Rica. The hotels, transfers and tours all went smoothly and communication throughout the booking process was clear and very easy.
Thank you Randall! We had a fantastic time and would recommend your services and KimKim to anyone looking to book a holiday to beautiful Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

Carlos was always very responsive and a pleasure to work with. He had many good ideas for the trip, and most importantly, he chose a perfect guide and driver for our family trip. Our guide, Margarita, was a biologist who had a vast knowledge of bird, plant and wildlife, but she was also great with kids, making up various games and contests to keep them engaged. Enrique was also very knowledgable and accommodating to kids and my mom, who is 85 and couldn't participate in many of the activities, so he often stayed with her. We had a wonderful time and learned a lot about the beautiful country.

We just returned from an 11-day family vacation in Costa Rica and it was truly fantastic. We had a great balance of planned adventures and downtime that we used to explore on our own. The tours and hotels organized by Randall were all great, and I am so glad we decided to have an expert organize our itinerary instead of trying to figure it out ourselves. Below are the brief reviews of the major highlights of our trip:

Balsa River rafting with WAVE: 5/5. Fun river, great guide, great lunch. Wished it were longer!
Arenal Springs Resort: 5/5. Beautiful resort, nice rooms, nice hot springs, amazing breakfast.
Horseback/Waterfall: 5/5. Nice guide, great scenery, just the right length.
Arenal Hike + Tabacon Hot Springs: 5/5. Terrific guide, interesting history, saw red-eye leaf frog. Evening at hot springs was really relaxing, the buffet at Tabacon was just OK.
Sloth Tour: 3/5. Booked this on our own... seeing the first sloth was cool but after 2 hours they're kind of boring. Very nice restaurant stop at the end.
Car/Boat/Car trip to Monteverde: 5/5. Enjoyed practicing my Espanol with driver Hugo. Rough road, wouldn't want to drive this ourselves!
Hotel Ficus: 4/5. Nice room, lacked fan, restaurant was just OK, too pricey for dinner.
Twilight hike: 3/5. It was OK, but we got really wet and only saw bugs.
100% Aventura Ziplining: 5+/5. Whole family loved this! Tarzan swing at the end is a true test of courage.... just do it!
El Trapiche plantation tour: 5/5. Booked this on our own... very nice coffee/sugar farm tour with chocolate demo too, and tasty samples of everything.
Car trip to Manuel Antonio: 5/5. Private van, our driver Rafael was very friendly and took us to a great soda for lunch. And he stopped so we could see Croc Bridge - very cool!
Hotel Costa Verde: 5/5. Great location, spacious rooms, and plenty of monkeys!
Catamaran Cruise: 3/5. Nice day on the water, but the snorkeling is not really any good. Lots of hot, boring waiting before boarding the boat. We paid for the ship paparazzi photos and felt it was a ripoff for what we actually got. Lunch was decent, crew was friendly.
Espadilla Beach: 5/5. Great beach for relaxing and swimming. Rented cheap surfboards for the kids. Lots of monkeys here too!
Manuel Antonio National Park: 5/5. Beautiful, but prepare to get HOT and SWEATY. Lots of monkeys here.

Overall we had a great time and we could have never figured this all out without Randall. Thanks for the great adventures!

The coordination of drivers, guides and various excursions worked well: the drivers and guides were personable, knowledgeable, courteous and punctual. The experiences were interesting too as these naturalists were able to spot hidden creatures in the murky waters or shadowy trees and shrubbery such as sloths, caymans, monkeys, parrots, snakes, frogs, millipedes and a variety of birds.

Adriana was absolutely great to work with! Our trip had a rocky start when a delay in our first flight caused us to miss our connecting flight to Costa Rica. That delay in turn made us miss our our first booked trip. Adriana and kimkim rearranged our whole schedule, rebooking hotels and tours. The following day when there was a nation wide truckers' strike, and we couldn't get to the east coast of the country, she rebooked everything all over again! I can't even imagine what we would have done with out her. just thinking about trying to deal with that mess on our own was daunting. The rest of our 18 day trip went flawlessly and we are so thankful that we had someone help us through it. Gracias y Pura Vida Adriana!

My son and I spent 9 days in Costa Rica during the last week of June. Randall did an exceptional job arranging all our excursions and hotel accommodations. Randall was also extremely responsive in answering any of my questions. The 2 day white water rafting trip down the Paquare River was great! We also really enjoyed the zip lining and hot springs in La Fortuna. The Costa Verde hotel was beautiful in Manuel Antonio and we enjoyed kayaking, snorkeling, and surfing. Every adventure was wonderful and I would plan my next vacation through Kimkim. Thank you for a very memorable vacation!

Olman did a fantastic job arranging our trip to Costa Rica. We were very happy with the hotel recommendations as well as activities that were pre-arranged. Transportation was flawless. Various drop-offs and pickups were all right on time. I changed my plan mid trip , and Olman sent new itinerary within a few hours. Great job.

Carlos arranged an amazing trip for my family that captured all the best things about travel: opening hearts and minds, meeting new people and some great fun! I'd say that the trip included something for everyone, but it actually included everything for everyone. We all - myself, my wife and my 10 and 8 year old kids - loved rafting on the Balsa with Carlos T., a chocolate tour near Arenal with Katherine and surfing (or trying to, anyway) on Playa Blanca with Walter and Niels. Along the way we managed some relaxation in the Arenal springs and some poolside chillin' in Papagayo.

Unexpectedly, the highlight of the trip may have been the afternoon before we left when Carlos himself came out to spend an afternoon with us in San Jose. We walked, ate and went to markets where we met some of the warmest and friendliest people you can imagine. Thanks Carlos, for sharing some of your amazing home town with us.

Carlos arranged a seamless trip. Every tour and transfer he arranged was with warm, friendly, and reliable guides. To a T, each was on time and ready to go. Carlos was immediately available by phone, text or WhatsApp throughout the trip.

The highest compliment was from my 8 year old who had tears in his eyes as we left, wanting to know when we could go back to Costa Rica and willing to give up his Nintendo Switch just to stay another day.

Thanks Carlos. Pura Vida!

Every person that we interacted with was amazing and were extremely helpful. The Arenal Lava flow hike, Monteverde river raft, coffee plantation, zip line, and Damas Island mangrove kayaking were all super fun and the tour guides were all very knowledgable about all the questions we were asking them. It was nice that all we had to do was hand over the voucher and were driven around to wherever we were going. There was also a perfect blend of activities to do and relaxing time at a pool or beach.

We loved our experience and would highly recommend anyone else to use KImKim in the future.

Olman was amazing responding to all my queries in a timely manner and changing things in the itinerary based on my daughter’s animal and wildlife requirements!

Our trip, while only 7 days, incorporated so many trips and places. We had an absolutely amazing time and pretty much saw most of the country’s animals in their natural habitats.

Absolutely stunning country and Olman’s help definitely helped us to make the most of our limited time there.

Thanks again!

We enjoyed the whole trip and I just wish we could have extended our stay! From the transportation to the hotels and activities, Adriana made thiis trip really enjoyable for us. Thankyou Adriana and the rest of the kimkim staff :)

I was impressed with the transport arrangements between and at destinations. People were there on time and were excellent drivers and this was arranged beautifully. The road to the Caribbean coast was not good and it was disappointing to see the lack of ongoing construction for what is an essential highway servicing the plantations and the North South link. This does no credit to the country and the government.

The Tortoguero experience was also excellent. Great hotel and a very good guide. The poor little village has a lot to learn if it wants to attract tourists and to get them to spend money rather than just walk through. There is so much competition in the world now for destinations that governments, local authorities and towns need to at the very least get on board or not bother and retain their own lifestyle.

The Caribbean coast would have been good for two days- five was too long especially at that time of year when the rainy season is starting. I am fit and active but not into dope, reggae, cheap food and surfing which seemed to be what was on offer. The hotel staff were a little surly ( one waitress was nice) . Despite being one of the few guests staying I was put into a dark downstairs room with no view of the sea ( there were balcony rooms which would have made the stay so much better) and the TV did not work. Very two star and was a low point in Costa Rica which coloured my overall impression of the country.

Avenal was a great area and I enjoyed the short time there. San Jose is clearly a city making a go of it in a period of transition. The Holiday In staff also need to go on a hospitality course. Just a few smiles would be good. The person selling tours in the lobby doesn't know how to smile. Facilities good and great location.

All in all Costa Rica was interesting. I stayed there about 5 days too long and while others have raved about the wild life, some huge conservation efforts are required to make it as good as Nepal, India, Borneo, Africa and the South Pacific, all places I have travelled. I got the feeling the country ( not Randall and the Kim Kim team) over promises and under delivers and I am not making making enthusiastic recommendations to others to travel there.

Good luck.

My boyfriend and I are just back from the most amazing 11 days in Costa Rica. Randall was a great specialist - giving fantastic recommendations on where to go and what activities to do, based on the information we gave him. He also provided a number of different itineraries for us to choose from, and was v. flexible with our requests.

Everything was a highlight really, but the top highlights were:

Our guide Pierre from Canoa Adventures in La Fortuna, who took us on the Mistico Hanging Bridges and waterfall tour. He was a fountain of knowledge and spotted so many things that would have gone unnoticed if we had done the walk by ourselves. He also shared some great photos via whatsapp after the tour as he had a good camera.

Our 3D2N stay at Laguna Lodge, Tortuguero. Our guide Alex was really knowledgeable too, and on two boat safaris we saw a huge number of animals and birds. The food at the lodge was delicious too.

All transfers between places were comfortable and on time, and the restaurants where we were being picked up from for each leg of the journey were fantastic. Selvica even had a butterfly sanctuary out the back!

We also loved Le Cameleon, the hotel we stayed at just south of Puerto Viejo. While we were there we took ourselves to the Jaguar Rescue centre and saw some amazing creatures, and on another day rented bicycles and cycled down the coast to Manzanillo, where we had miles of beaches to ourselves. We also loved Punta Uva beach - totally breathtaking! Whilst staying there we saw sloths and toucans daily, as well as a yellow eyelash viper on a hike in Cahuita.

We cannot wait to come back to Costa Rica and will definitely book through kimkim again.

Thank you!

Our Costa Rica trip was amazing! We had such a great time. The activities were well spaced out giving us time to explore in our downtime. The rides were perfectly structured so traveling was a breeze. The activities were so much fun.

The kayak was really fun. We really enjoy sport activities and it was so nice to get out on the water and view the volcano from another view. It was a bit windy that day but we were up to the challenge. Our guide Pedro was awesome. He showed us different birds and stories of the Volcano. Seeing all the birds in their environment was exciting. We even saw a beautiful macaw. After the kayak we had some fresh delicious fruit. Some of the best fruit we have ever eaten. Along the drive back they stopped on the side of the road to show us some animals. It was very exciting keeping our eyes up and looking for nature.

Horseback riding was really fun! It was a rainy day but we didn't mind. It was fun trotting along through nature. Along the ride to the waterfall we encountered some howler monkeys. That was quite the experience. The waterfall was huge and beautiful. So cool to feel the power of the water at the bottom.

The cooking class was so great! We learned a lot about the different plants that they grew on the farm. Drank some guaro and had a great time. The family that hosted it was so friendly and informative. The food we made was delicious along with the different meats they provided. When we left they even let us have some guaro for the rest of our trip. We enjoyed that every day until we left.

Our trip to Monte Verde Cloud Forrest was amazing! I have never had so much fun in my life. Despite me being scared of heights, the zip lining was exhilarating! Would 100% do it again! We felt safe the entire time and enjoyed meeting the people around us. We even ran into people that were from the same part of New York that I grew up in. Small world.

One thing we hadn't anticipated was all the animals that walked around. We must have fell in love with 5 different cats and dogs. They just roam around and are mostly ignored by the locals, but we couldn't help but give the little animals some love.

Would def book through kim kim again. We had so much fun and it was nice that everything was scheduled for us and all the hard work of the trip was taken care of.

This was my first experience with booking a trip through Kimkim and I happy to say that it was an absolute pleasure. The website was very informative and extremely transparent. Their curated tours is an excellent starting place to plan and then customise a trip.

My expertise with Carlos was also fantastic. Carlos is extremely knowledgable and very cooperative. He really helped my customise my holiday down to the smallest details. He was very patient and helped my make several changes to the plan over time. He was quick to reply back to all my queries, give proper feedback & suggestions and make the required changes quickly.

My entire experience with Kimkim and Carlos was great. I will highly recommend them both to any traveller.

Costa Rica Trip

Kim Kim Review
My wife and I are from California, and we decided to take a trip to Costa Rica. We were looking for an adventure trip that would involve enjoying the Costa Rican rainforest. KimKim made this trip happen! It was such a comfortable, stress-free, and convenient way to book all our travel arrangement in one convenient site!

As I never used KimKim before, I was doubtful that it was this easy to book an adventure. However, it was this simple. It was merely chatting and emailing back and forth to brainstorm ideas of what we wanted to do with a Kimkim representative. Kimkim will assign a country expert to provide you with a real perspective of what activities, sights, and ideas are great or not or unrealistic.

The private tour was money well spent! After, agreeing with all the activities for a 5-day trip; lodging, lunch, and tickets were all included in the price. Danny greeted us, our driver for the majority of the trip, right outside the airport, with a clean and private van. He was excellent and very professional, knowledgeable, and safe.

Our first stop was downtown San Jose. We visited some sights and tried some Costa Rican cuisine. The next day traveled and hiked almost six waterfalls! The highlight was The Bajo del Toro waterfalls. Expertly guided by our tour guide Kenneth, we were able to get to the waterfalls safe and sound. For the next few nights, we stayed at El Silencio spa and hotel. A charming hotel situated in the heart of jungles of Costa Rica. It was an eco-friendly and environmentally conscious hotel. We loved our stay here! It was quiet, clean, beautiful, impressively well-maintained, but most of all while eco-friendly, it creatively integrates activities with the surrounding community.

For the 5-days, we were able to see six waterfalls, zip line, and aerial tram in the Braulio Carillo National Park.

I highly recommend using Kimkim. I know my wife and I would be using them again for our next adventure. Pura Vida!

Randal did a great job communicating and organizing the itinerary.

I thought the experience was very good however the accommodations were somewhat underwhelming . Most of the resorts appeared to be about 20 % occupied which is indicative of the low season. I would not recommend the first hotel at all. They made no attempt to hide the fact that guests were eating breakfast in a cattle coral.

On the second day we were met by a tour guide named Chris. He was excellent. I could not have imagined any better. He had a great depth of knowledge and humility. I hope you call him out and let him know that he made the trip well worth the time. He had knowledge by the broader economy that no other guide could match. We was wonderful.

Olman did a perfect job booking an amazing week of holiday in Costa Rica for my husband and son and I. After providing Olman with the cities, the activities, and our budget, he came back with a schedule that fit everything. I was a little worried that I hadn’t yet received any confirmation from Olman one week prior to our departure but Olman reassured me there will be a schedule before our departure. Everything in Costa Rica was right on schedule, the car transport pickups were always 5 minutes early to pick us up. The level of hotel and quality of tours exceeded our expectations. I would recommend Olman to anyone wanting a trip organizer for Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

Randall was just awesome!! He created a wounder full trip for me. I been never to Cosa Rica before but I know what I like and how I like to travel. I just gave him the Information About what I was Looking for, and he planned a perfect trip for me. I had his number and I could contact him while traveling when I had any Questions. I will book again with KimKim and if I go back to Cosa Rica I will book again with Rendall. My trip was About 10 Days Long and I saw so many sides of Costa Rica (Volcano, Rainforest, Cloud Forrest, Beaches, Nightwalks, Mountains, Rivers and lots of animals).

If you never been there just give Randall Information what you are looking for and your Budget, and he will create you an individual Trip whit everything in what you love. I got exactly what I was Looking for and I can recommend Kimkim and specially Rendall to everybody. Thank you again for the awesome Trip!!!

Caro

We had one of the best trips. Hotels were all great and activities were perfect. Transportation was all planned very well and on time. Overall, we are very happy with our first Kimkim experience and will be using Kimkim for our future travels. Thank you very much.