Kimkim Trip Reviews for Ecuador

All drivers and guides were very professional and friendly, they listened and steered us to aspects we told them we were interested in (in my case it was local foods and sighting as many wild birds as possible). The entire LaSelva experience was extremely well organized and fulfilling. Transportation was clean and comfortable. We appreciated having water available for us for every leg of the journey. The hotels in Quito and the Hacienda Cusin were all enjoyable. We loved the local fruits and Ecuadorian dishes for breakfast. All in all just a wonderful trip!

Everything was well taken care of. No significant glitches. Good guides provided, who were knowledgeable, helpful and attentive. Superb experience. Communication and responses from Linda were prompt and clear.

Our Ecuador adventure was amazing due to the excellent support from Linda and Kimkim. Linda helped us pull together a diverse itinerary for the relatively short amount of time we had in a country we knew nothing about. She was very responsive to emails and patient with our questions and worked within our parameters that kept changing. We loved all the accommodations recommended by Linda, in particular the Inti Sisa Art Guesthouse in Guamote and Hosteria Mandala at the coast in Puerto Lopez - both so amazing and gorgeous, and each supporting important social and environmental projects in their communities which was important to us. And in our price range! We appreciated Linda’s recommendation to have a driver/guide traveling from Quito to Banos, and enjoyed a full day with Annibal V learning about Ecuador, and seeing the sites. A more expensive transportation option, but but well worth it and balanced off with the super inexpensive (and more adventurous!) buses we took at other points in our travel. Another highlight was our day trip to Isla de la Plata with Machalilla Tours - again recommended by Linda and we felt confident in the quality and safety of their equipment, services and guides. Thanks Linda for helping to create such a memorable trip for three Canadian gals, we would not hesitate to highly recommend your services to others.

Our planing with Edwin the trip adviser was very good. communication was flowing and his follow up on our demands were excellent.
Our guide Daniel Maldonado was amazing. from the moment he picked us up at the airport through the walks in the jungles and at the restaurants and hotels on the way. He was very resourceful. spoke fluently English and was a charm.
Also our driver Ceasar was very helpful. with our long distance drives and sometimes into the night because of change in plans. Was there on time, helping with the luggage and watching over us at all times.

Had the most wonderful time. Patricio and our driver did a marvelous job in taking care of us. Everything was catered for and this is not the last time I book with kimkim. Indonesia is next...

Overall this trip was fun. The planning processes was relatively straight-forward with Linda though there was a bunch of back and forth that I think may have been solved by being more forth coming with "this is the company we normally go with" or "these will be stops on XYZ."
For the actual trip, I don't think the airport transfer went smoothly. The person who was supposed to pick us up, sent someone else into the airport, spelled our name wrong, and were holding a sign not associated with KimKim or any service I'd heard from. It was only because I speak some Spanish I decided that sign was the only one remotely close to our name we ended up with the right person.
Our guide, Marco, while very nice and resourceful I would have put in the category of "driver," not a true "guide." I frequently found myself at the edge of other tour groups in order to learn more history/background/context of what we were seeing. Marco effectively got us from place to place, but he might spend 3-5 minutes telling us about a centuries old church and then leaving us to our own devices. This is fine, but had I known, I would have hired a private tour guide for Quito at least.
We LOVED our experience mountain biking with Biking Dutchman down Cotopaxi. Despite the fact is was raining and cold, it was so cool and our guide/transport were great. Heads up that transport isn't super comfy/questionable seatbelt safety, but probably fine.
Banos was fun, there were some small issues with the group who did our rock climbing/ Via Ferrata tour, but they were easy to work with and responsive in handling mistakes.
I honestly normally do all of our trip planning myself, but do to cost of renting an automatic vehicle and my middling at best Spanish, thought this might be a good opportunity to test out a tour guide company. As I said above, this was a fun trip and parts were really very cool, but the parts we most enjoyed was stuff I specifically researched and suggested, so I'm on the fence about whether I would do this again.
It's probably a great service if you don't have time/desire to do the research, but I think TripAdvisor and Google will continue to be my go-tos.

Thanks for helping have a fun time in Ecuador!

I would like to thank you all for the help in organizing this amazing trip.
Everything was perfect. The local agency you have used EcoAndes has been wonderful and took great care of us. The driver and guide they have assigned were great and we indeed had the best time. Definitively we will recommend your service to friends and family.

Again many thanks and to next year for a new adventure.
Mariagrazia

My guide was Mr. Marco Herrera. Good English and excellent guide. Very helpful and adaptive to changes.

Overall the trip was perfect. It was my first time in Ecuador, but Mr. Marco and the people from kimkim.com helped in giving many options to explore. From lagoons to national reserve parks and forest, all was arranged perfectly.
People at the hotels were very nice and polite.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone and I, most definitely, would arrange future trips with them again.
5/5

This trip was amazing! Linda was so helpful from the very beginning. During the whole trip, I didn't have to worry about anything. There was always someone with a sign of my name waiting for me at the airport. There were different local guides to take care of our schedule. (Although I hope the local guide in Galapagos is more professional and helpful. She didn't give us any useful information about the tours, Galapagos in general, other than taking us from the hotel to the meeting points of our tours every day) The hotels were absolutely amazing. The hotel in Quito is in the best location, and the service was so great. Both the hotel in Quito and Galapagos upgraded the room for us for free. The tours were fun overall. We had limited time so we didn't get to go deep into the Amazon, so we didn't get to see lots of animals. Nonetheless, the guide was still amazing and the experience was still great.

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!!

Marco our bilingual guide was a very safe & entertaining driver with whom we were able to practice our conversational Spanish .The 5 day Avenue of volcanoes tour was an amazing series of national parks and hacienda stays which enabled us to reach Guayaquil for our Galapagos trip visiting markets,walking in beautiful places and experiencing the unique hospitality of haciendas.

We highly recommend Linda if you're considering going to Ecuador. Linda was extremely responsive throughout, and on top of that, she was in constant communication with local guides to make sure we were taken care of when we got sick during the trip.

We had considered going there on our own, and we're so glad we didn't. The itinerary that Linda put together for us was perfect, as we were able to truly see how distinct and diverse different parts of the country are. The local guide that she paired us with, Christian, was great as well. He was very knowledgeable about history of the country, and he also recommended some hole-in-the-wall restaurants, which made our experiences very unique and memorable!

Don't think twice about contacting Linda if you're considering going to Ecuador!

David and Gabor where great in helping us plan our honeymoon in Ecuador, modifying our activities and adjusting everything to perfection! They also spent about half a day with us in Quito, showing us around the Old Town. Highlightsip included the great Yacuma lodge in the Amazon with our amazing guide Yacu, our ascension to the 1st refuge on mount Chimborazo and a great day trip to Isla de la Plata. We wanted adventure, and we got it!

Our overall trip experience was great. Our guide (Fernando Fabre) was the best we have had in our many prior privately guided trips throughout the world. Our accommodations were good to excellent and met our expectations for the price we paid. Our local specialist Gabor provided us with excellent trip planning and coordination services; and we will definitely be using Kim Kim for our future world travels.

Our trip was fantastic!!! Everyone in my family enjoyed it! The tour company, Darcar tours, that we had our driver and our tour guide through were outstanding. Super knowledgeable, patient with my kids, and very flexible. They had excellent suggestions throughout the tour to accommodate our needs, even on our arrival day when our flight was delayed. They communicated very easily with us and offered insider knowledge about every facet of Ecuador. Selfides, our chofer was excellent. He had a wealth of knowledge about plants, animals, foods and unique culture in Ecuador. David, our tour guide, was professional, knowledgeable, and extremely flexible and patient with our young children. He made sure to give us all of the highlights while considering their ages and our time constraints. The tour itinerary Matthias gave us was excellent and creative. We saw some really off the beaten path things including the artisans of Peguche and the cooking class. The Hacienda Pensaqui, although historical, charming, and set in a beautiful landscape, was unfortunately dirty. There was dust everywhere. The food was mediocre, and the office staff were very unorganized. Apparently, the owner passed away a year ago and is now being cared for by his family. It appears very run down which is a shame because it has such potential! We still loved our stay there due to its historical charm and familial feel, however, I think it is necessary that you be aware that it may not be what it once was. The cooking class was phenomenal!!! Chef Edwin was funny, patient, and extremely talented! My kids participated in everything and loved it!!! Termas de Papallactas was exactly as we had hoped. Relaxing, breathtaking views, and good service.

We loved our stay in the Andes Mountains of Quito and would love to return!!! I will use KImKim again for sure! It was so much less stressful and may be our new way of travel. Thanks again!!!

After eight days in the Galapagos we enjoyed our short trip to Cotopaxi National Park. The park was beautiful with grand vistas and beautiful canyons. Frank, our guide, was knowledgeable and attentive. He provided strong support throughout the trip. Tambopaxi lodge was lovely and the food was exceptional. The southern refuge was unique with gracious staff and epic views. We have a number of really enjoyable treks.

The rating was based on two reasons. 1.) Of the five planned treks we completed only two. This was due to the weather that made one of the treks impossible and two others miserable. Feedback from local guides was that this weather was expected for time of year. Understand weather can be unpredictable at altitude, but there should have been better planning to ensure we had alternative itineraries. 2.) Logistics were not ideal. Transportation was provided in a 1980s era Toyota Land Rover. Perfect for the rough roads of the national park. However, no seat belts in the back for lengthy highway trip. Both coming and going we were packed very tightly into back seat with camp staff. And on our return trip took a lengthy diversion to drop off family members. Not a huge issue, but not ideal logistics.

All in all, good experience. Enjoyed Cotopaxi National Park and would endorse Frank as a guide. Would have like to see stronger planning to maximize our stay.

Our first trip to Ecuador was breath-taking to say the least. Galapagos has been on my bucket list for a long time and it was an exhilarating experience. Every island we visited was different and unique. It was impossible to get bored on the islands. Places like Los Tunales, the beach on Isabela island, and the ride on "Windrose" yacht are permanently etched in my memory.

Our trip was for 12 days, including 2 days for traveling. We spent 4 days in mainland Ecuador and 6 on Galapagos. In retrospect, we would have spent at least 1 day less in mainland and more time on Galapagos. Historical Quito, Mitad Del Mundo, Otavalo and Cotopaxi were good places to visit on mainland. Ideally, I would have loved more time in Otavalo instead of visiting some local waterfalls. Even Cuicocha lagoon was hyped up as a lake with active volcanic bubbles, but it was a major let down. All the places we visited on Galapagos were wonderful and given more time, we would have loved to visit more islands. The speed boat ride from Puerto Ayora to Isabela island was the bumpiest ride ever and there was not a single person on the boat who didn't come out without a queasy stomach. FYI, a one-way ferry ride costs $30 and lasts 2.5 hours. A plane trip costs $135 and lasts 30 mins. In the large scheme of things, we might have just selected the plane trip instead of enduring the bumpiest boat ride of our lives.

Linda was extremely informative and knowledgeable about Ecuador. She was great at setting our expectations and answering our questions promptly. Our local guides were a collective mix. Jorge (George), our guide on land, was great, but provided info that was less engaging for the kids. On Galapagos, our guide to Los Tunales, Sebastian, stole the show. He was patient, funny and knew a lot about the local area and habitats. While snorkeling, he ensured we all saw the key pieces without rushing . He walked with my mom, who is 72 years old, at her pace guiding her on the rocks etc. Overall, a great experience with him. All the other guides were decent.

As a group of 9, finding hotel rooms together was a big challenge. In most places, we didn't have rooms near each other. They were almost always on different floors, which was a logistical headache. In Quito, our hotel, Cruz Loma, didn't have elevators and it was painful to trudge up 4 flights of stairs with suitcases. Unfortunately, they didn't offer help with our luggage nor did they heed our request for rooms on lower floors. The hotels on Galapagos islands were normal 3-star places. Nothing too fancy to write about. Again, no elevators, but the staff helped our with our stuff. Breakfast was included for all our days, but 10 days of eating nothing but eggs, bread, yogurt and juice got too tiring. I wish they would provide a bit more variety, even if we had to pay for it.

Overall, this was a once in a lifetime trip and one that we will recall for many years to come. Thanks to Linda and Kimkim for helping us with this vacation !

Tour at Nicky Amazon Lodge exceeded my expectation. My favorite part was exploring the night life of the Amazon rainforest. It is something I would never think because it was not mentioned in the textbook. Birding watching and hiking options at Bellavista was very good. This would not be possible without kimkim. Kimkim's online platform was helpful because I had a busy schedule and their advice and support made a difference in my decision-making process. To the point, the trip was well-tailored thanks to kimkim's service.

The whole trip was amazing. Gabor and his team, especially the tour guide Danny were excellent

Mathias helped us plan a very last minute Christmas trip to Ecuador, and it turned out to be an amazing trip! He went through the trip plan multiple times even with limited time left before to the trip and responded to our questions pretty promptly. We spent 5 days in the Galapagos and 3 days in Quito. For the Galapagos -- We especially love the uninhabited island Seymour where we saw so many animals and the yacht was really nice! We were really amazed by the rich culture and nature around Quito. We especially enjoyed our time with David who took us to Cotopaxi National Park. All the tour guides pick us up on time. In addition, we realized the price Kimkim offered is really reasonable after we cross-checked the hotel and tour prices.