Kimkim Trip Reviews for Galapagos Islands

Alvaro and "Responsible Travel" Review - Unfortunately, I was disappointed with his services. In the lead-up to our trip, we needed to reschedule (military leave being cancelled), but unfortunately, Alvaro did not seem willing to assist with us rescheduling or getting a refund. There was also a lack of communication after the terrorists' attacks in Ecuador led to the cancellation of other major cruises, and I believe he should have been more proactive in updating us on the status of our trip as news unfolded.

The overall planning of the trip left much to be desired. For example, on our first night, I had to stay up until 11 pm to find out the details of our next-day pick-up, which should have been provided several days before our departure. Plus, despite being promised a private transfer from the airport when we initially arrived, we did not receive one and had to wait approximately 30 minutes while the hotel shuttle accommodated other passenger's arrivals.

Furthermore, the sequencing of activities was poorly planned, with a visit to Cotopaxi scheduled right after the Galapagos. This timing proved challenging as we were still recovering from seasickness (a common issue for Galapagos small-boat cruises). The abrupt transition to an altitude of 14,000 feet was not conducive to our well-being/enjoyment and should have been scheduled for the following day. Additionally, the activities were cookie cutter tours that I could have arranged on my own.

In conclusion, based on my experience, I would not recommend Alvaro or "Responsible Travel" for future travel arrangements.

"Adia Maria" Review - While the Galapagos offers incredible beauty and abundant wildlife, I strongly advise against choosing Adia Maria (Galapagos cruise boat) for your cruise. Despite the stunning surroundings, our experience with the boat was highly disappointing. The vessel was excessively rocky and uncomfortable, lacking proper lounging areas. Due to their lack of planning, we spent approximately 20 hours on the boat per day, and without lounge chairs or a place to exercise or walk, we were forced to be sedentary in our room or the two uncomfortable (and wet) benches provided. The bench cushions were consistently wet, either from rain or the crew washing them every morning. Spending a considerable amount of time cruising without lounge chairs The lack of mobility or proper resting areas made the journey terrible.

Our guide, William (Billy), proved to be subpar, with difficult-to-understand English and a tendency to focus on his own theories rather than scientific or historic facts. He dictated the activities and their duration, only making adjustments when prompted and with attitude. The lack of seating, freezing inside cabin, and constant staff presence created an uncomfortable atmosphere, exacerbated by unprofessional behaviors like staff's underwear hanging and staff's clipping their toenail in public guest lounge spaces.

Adia Maria also displayed a lack of concern for safety, with a reluctance to provide life vests while swimming. Our snorkeling experiences felt unsafe as William swam rapidly, often leaving part of the group behind. On the first day, he assured an easy swim around a bend with shallow water, but it turned out to be a challenging and perilous swim with low visibility and strong currents. One day, he left four passengers swimming without life jackets or a boat nearby in deep water with sharks and sea lions for over 20 minutes.

Overall, the crew's apparent disdain for their jobs and passengers, combined with safety concerns and uncomfortable conditions, made Adia Maria an unsuitable choice for a Galapagos cruise. I strongly advise against selecting this boat for your trip. On a positive note, the food was great!

KimKim Review - I've used KimKim twice and previously recommended it, but I won't be using or endorsing the service anymore. I love the visually appealing nature and use of their website which provides well-crafted itineraries. However, the perception of a USA-based company is misleading as once handed over to a foreign travel "specialist", there's no genuine US-based support from KimKim. For instance, they claim on their site that most trips can be rescheduled with no loss, but this isn't upheld by travel agents, based on our experience this claim is false.

We faced the need to reschedule due to the cancellation of my partner's leave as she is Active Duty Military. Alvaro told us that despite that and the country being deemed unsafe to travel, attempting to reschedule would result in a 70% loss of our money (luckily a family member was able to sub at the last minute). A similar issue occurred in April 2020 during our honeymoon booking when a foreign travel "specialist" refused to refund any of our money despite the world-wide shut down due to COVID-19. Surprisingly to us, KimKim supported the foreign agent and not us.

Another significant drawback is the lack of a cost breakdown, causing major disappointment, as it's hard to assess the value of the experience relative to the amount paid. It raises doubts about missed opportunities for better choices in different areas and constant feeling of overpaying. Consequently, I won't be using the service again. We paid KimKim/Alvaro nearly 11K, and the overall experience does not justify the cost. I estimate I could have organized this independently for around 7K, making the 4K in fees for their "services" seem unwarranted.

Travel in Ecuador/Quito/Galapagos - Ecuador is a great country; this is my second time going. Beautiful landscapes, great food, and friendly people make it a fantastic destination. I believe it is entirely possible to plan a trip independently. While you may need a guide for specific experiences, securing one through your hotel or online bookings is feasible. Looking back, I wish I had organized my own trip rather than using KimKim. Additionally, I recommend choosing group tours over individual ones. The private tours did not provide adequate value, and in some ways, made the trip worse. We had three tour guides, and only one spoke English well enough to adequately answer questions or provide relevant information. Plus, the tour guides were reluctant to customize the agenda and spending 5-8 hours with a stranger non-stop was exhausting plus they were not even customized. Finally, Uber provided an easy, affordable, and convenient transportation option.

Hotel Reviews

M/Y Aida Maria

Galapagos Islands

"Adia Maria" Review - While the Galapagos offers incredible beauty and abundant wildlife, I strongly advise against choosing Adia Maria (Galapagos cruise boat) for your cruise. Despite the stunning surroundings, our experience with the boat was highly disappointing. The vessel was excessively rocky and uncomfortable, lacking proper lounging areas. Due to their lack of planning, we spent approximately 20 hours on the boat per day, and without lounge chairs or a place to exercise or walk, we were forced to be sedentary in our room or the two uncomfortable (and wet) benches provided. The bench cushions were consistently wet, either from rain or the crew washing them every morning. Spending a considerable amount of time cruising without lounge chairs The lack of mobility or proper resting areas made the journey terrible. Our guide, William (Billy), proved to be subpar, with difficult-to-understand English and a tendency to focus on his own theories rather than scientific or historic facts. He dictated the activities and their duration, only making adjustments when prompted and with attitude. Although the boat is tiny, we were told it typically carried 16 guests. Fortunately, our cruise had only six people, and they were all pleasant. With no room to avoid difficult personalities, I shudder to think of the chaos with more passengers. The lack of seating, freezing inside cabin, and constant staff presence created an uncomfortable atmosphere, exacerbated by unprofessional behaviors like staff's underwear hanging and staff's clipping their toenail in public guest lounge spaces. Adia Maria also displayed a lack of concern for safety, with a reluctance to provide life vests while swimming. Our snorkeling experiences felt unsafe as William swam rapidly, often leaving part of the group behind. On the first day, he assured an easy swim around a bend with shallow water, but it turned out to be a challenging and perilous swim with low visibility and strong currents. One day, he left four passengers swimming without life jackets or a boat nearby in deep water with sharks and sea lions for over 20 minutes. Overall, the crew's apparent disdain for their jobs and passengers, combined with safety concerns and uncomfortable conditions, made Adia Maria an unsuitable choice for a Galapagos cruise. I strongly advise against selecting this boat for your trip. On a positive note, the food was great!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Galapagos offers incredible beauty and abundant wildlife

Staff

Find people who want to be there and don't overtly hate the guest

Cleanliness & Comfort

Seating areas

EB Hotel by Eurobuilding Quito

Quito

This is a great hotel. Highly recommend staying if you need to be close to the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Mindo Experience: Hummingbirds

Mindo

This was the best part of our trip!!!! Spend the majority of time here. This was amazing!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Good planning by Mathias. Everything went smoothly. Our guide in Quito was knowledgeable, and accommodating to our requests
The five day cruise booked in Galapagos was excellent

We had a very memorable trip to Galapagos! I had originally planned this trip with KimKim back in 2021 but we had to cancel it because my older daughter got Covid a few days before we were to leave! We were devastated to cancel at the time and because one daughter had graduated college and the other was half way through, I didn't know if we'd be able to plan it again. (KimKim was helpful when we had to unravel that trip).

Turns out I was correct, when I attempted to almost 2 years later it didn't happen. FINALLY, with Tamer's help, we made this happen! Ironically, the first time we only planned a 4 day cruise and staying on some islands with day trips. I had since read more and spoken to others and realized we probably wanted a longer cruise to see more things. Tamer helped us find an 8 day cruise on the Coral II. We had the best naturalist. We saw every kind of land and sea creature we hoped to see. The snorkeling was magical, hiking on lava filled islands, seeing volcanic craters, and great rides to see the birds were amazing. I also wanted time in Quito and also time on an island - so that we didn't JUST see Galapagos on a cruise. I threw all these requirements at Tamer and he figured it out and when i came back with lots of questions and ideas on slightly altering plans, he was patient and made changes and sometimes explained why some ideas might not be ideal.

I travel often and always plan myself. This was too much to figure out. Tamer walked us through it and he was very patient and encouraging when my schedule got busy to keep us on track and joked that we would FINALLY make this happen. And he was right and got us to the finish line! When I wanted to make our own plans in Quito and San Cristobal he did not give me a hard time.

I loved that Tamer would check on us throughout the trip - even when we were first flying out of the US and even when we were doing our own thing in Quito. Tamer arranged great drivers and transfers for us. My husband really liked feeling like there was someone guiding us at each local point. Even when we were leaving our cruise ship and finding the ferry to San Cristobal. All the little details made things easier during the trip. And even when we had some minor issues on the boat, Tamer insisted on getting in touch on our behalf. When we needed to change a pick up spot or wanted to change one of the plans on San Cristobal, Tamer was accommodating and able to change things while we were there. The communications was invaluable. I felt like I had a friend in country i could message at any time.

We already recommended a friend since we have gotten home!

Great job. The one thing I would prefer about KimKim's service is to have a breakdown of what the costs of the whole trip were. We had many parts of this trip and just having one number without a breakdown is not what I am used to. We went with it on this trip but not sure I would feel the same way on a trip that was not so complicated and I could do myself. I liked the local guide and communication in country but would have to think about it.

If you are planning a Galapagos trip, Tamer is your person! I will miss our texting!
Thank you!

Hotel Review

M/Y Coral I & II

We really liked that these two boats travel together. We liked being on a smaller boat for this trip. We didn't have long waits to get in the dingys to get out to our activities! The other guests were nice and it was a friendly feel. The upper deck had great shade and was comfortable to hang out on. We had the cabins on the top deck and we had adjoining rooms with our adult daughters. The naturalist was great! Pedro made this trip! And the crew that ran the boats to the activities were also awesome! Since we would get pretty hot with activities and the weather, the shared room on the boat had great AC which was needed! The cruise director was not great, her attention to detail and service was lacking. I think her English shoujld have been better for her position on the boat and with the passengers. Some other staff members were great and had better understanding of these skills. Our daughter had a food allergy and the chef and cruise director seemed pretty clueless which was surprising. I don't know how these experiences compare to other boats.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Some were outstanding and others not so much - see general review

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had some issues with our bathroom and it took 3x to get it fixed.

Activity Reviews

Rabida Island - Bartolomé Island

Cruise Ship

Amazing snorkeling. Gorgeous island and rock formation. We had a wonderful hike to the top for great views. We got to snorkel to see the penguins. We had a great boat ride too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Cruz: Black Turtle Cove – Highlands Tortoise Reserve

Cruise Ship

This was a highlight seeing these tortoises and also the cows with their cattle birds too. We saw so many tortoises! And we had a wonderful walk in the lava tube!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Urbina Bay - Tagus Cove (Isabela Island)

Cruise Ship

This was the best snorkeling of the whole cruise! We had seen some of these animals in other spots but we saw rays mating. We saw a fleet of sting rays swim below us - it was maybe 25-30 in formation like an air force in flight. I lost count of the amount of sea turtles. We saw the best colored fish and coral and the sea lions swam with us. It was the best. There is a beautiful sea cave here too. And the birds are great to spot too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz Island) - Baltra Airport

Cruise Ship

We saw gorgeous flamingos here. We saw one in the water, and could observe her from our walk. But THEN we saw two in flight overhead - it was gorgeous! I had just been wondering how these big birds get into the air!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Speedboat to San Cristobal Island

Galapagos Islands

We had a wonderful super local guide meet us and we could store our luggage until it was Ferry time. You take a water taxi to the ferry. Tamer arranged for us to have the $1 each for the fare. It was a fun and funny experience - seeing the sea lions on the little docks and seeing these boat drivers pile up the luggage. My family couldn't watch as we floated out to the ferry. It was a fun experience. The ferry itself was smaller than i expected - it was a little hot - no open windows. There were outlets and usb ports over the seats but they did not work. I was fine with it - my kids were not as much. It had the local charm and adventure and i would not trade it. But it was a little hot, and the bathroom was not easy to maneuver with the fast speed but i am glad there was a bathroom! I am glad we got to do it - but it is warm and a little loud but again, local and i liked that part. I would not have wanted a more sanitized private transfer. It was just a little over 2 hours and we got to see jumping dolphins in the open water!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free morning on San Cristobal until Departure

Isla San Cristóbal

We loved this town so much! We had two nights in a hotel right at the waterfront. We all loved seeing all the sea lions at the port and on the sidewalks. We went to visit them in the morning and evening. It smelled a little but that was ok. We LOVED several of the restaurants in town. This was our favorite of the towns we saw. The vibe was great.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This company was great in planning around our preferences and making sure that everything ran smoothly. I appreciate Lucia's help in coordinating the trip and making our dreams come true! Fantastic experience!

Tamer was an excellent local specialist. The itinerary he put together was action packed. It's included hiking, volcanoes, waterfalls, culture, local cooking class, and ultimately a 10 days Galápagos Islands cruise. We enjoyed everything.
The cruise experience was unforgettable. So much wildlife and beautiful landscapes.
Tamer followed up with us on a daily basis to ensure that we were having a great time, and if we needed anything, he assisted on a timely manner.
Sebastian Alejandro, our local guide was kind, knowledgeable, attentive to our needs. Without him, I would not make it to the Cotopaxi National Park Refugio. It was a tough and challenging hike, but Sebastian guided me every step of the way.
He was patient and funny at the same time.
I highly recommend the local specialist Tamer and the local guide Sebastian, for Ecuador's travel experience.

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

Clean, friendly staff, especially the hotel manager Eulalia, who gave us tips on local sightseeing in Quito. Safe and good location, walking distance from El Mariscal Artesanias Mercado (marketplace).

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The overall hotel lobby, surroundings and rooms

Hacienda Pinsaqui

Otavalo

Old historical hacienda, beautiful gardens and surroundings

Authenticity & Character

Old history behind.

Location

Remote and quiet

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cuello de Luna Mountain Lodge

El Chasqui - Pastocalle

Rustic and remote location, quiet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Too much dog's poops on the area, easy to step on by accident

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Spa Miramelindo

Baños

Location needs ceiling fans or AC, the room was pretty warm. Surroundings gardens and general atmosphere nice and beautiful. Good food at the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ceiling fans or AC installation for better room temperature

M/Y Monserrat

Quito

We recommend replacement of blue and yellow life jackets. Some of them look pretty worn out and some yellow ones, not working properly at all. Also for the amount of people, having extra kayaks available would be a good asset as well, less waiting time for usage. We recommend hand sanitizers station near all stairways, to avoid transmitting germs between passengers.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Fernando the bartender and waiter, portrays excellent customer service. Always smiling and attentive. Javier, the guide was very knowledgeable about wildlife in general and landscaping. Very encouraging when I was scared to do snorkeling, since I don't know how to swim.

Cleanliness & Comfort

We enjoyed the cabin maid towel special decorations.

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

We were happy that hotel staff allowed us to come back to our room after checkout because our flight got delayed. We were able to take a nap, breakfast and later shuttle to the airport. We truly appreciated it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Colonial City Tour, Cooking Class & the Middle of the World Monument

Quito

We really enjoyed the cooking class, although it took longer than we expected, so we got a bit late for the Mitad del Mundo monument tour. We saw the new one, but the original monument site was closed, so we saw it from the distance.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cuicocha Lagoon - Cotacachi - Otavalo Hacienda

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trek to Laguna de la Mica: Exploring Antisana Ecological Reserve

Galapagos Islands

I was affected by the altitude so I was not able to complete the whole hike, but I was able to enjoy the beautiful landscape. We saw numerous birds, white-tip deer and condors.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quito - Cotopaxi National Park

Galapagos Islands

Tough hike to the Refugio with heavy winds, rain and hail. Sebastian encouraged me to complete it all to the way to the top. Without his assistance, I don't think I would been able to do it. The Cotopaxi Volcano view was spectacular. Here we saw the Andean wolf, deer and more birds.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cotopaxi National Park - Quilotoa Lagoon - Baños

Galapagos Islands

Tough hike to the bottom to the Lagoon, but totally worthy. The experience of riding a horse up to the beginning of the trail was unforgettable. Beautiful Lagoon.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reconnecting with Nature: Embrace Serenity and Adventure in Baños de Agua Santa

Baños

Another moderately strenuous hike, but totally worthy to experience the beautiful waterfall.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival to Baltra Airport - Transfer to Cruise Ship & Santa Cruz Highlands

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The airport transfer to the cruise ship was disorganized.

Transport

Rabida Island - Bartolomé Island

Cruise Ship

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

South Plaza - Santa Fe Island

Cruise Ship

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Punta Pitt - Witch Hill (San Cristobal Island)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Española: Gardner Bay - Suarez Point

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Charles Darwin Station - Eden Islet/Ballena Bay

Cruise Ship

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dragon Hill (Santa Cruz Island) - Chinese Hat

Cruise Ship

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lobos Island - Tijeretas Hill & Interpretation Center (San Cristobal Island)

Galapagos Islands

Watching wildlife was amazing. Hiking would been a better choice, but we understand the changes in the itinerary due to the Avian flu situation.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cormorant Point - Post Office Bay (Floreana Island)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Black Turtle Cove (Santa Cruz Island) – Baltra Island Airport

Cruise Ship

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer to the airport for your flight back home (Departure)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Linda and team were amazing in planning our custom trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos! My husband and I had a fantastic time and (almost) everything was taken care of for our 5 day trip that included Santa Cruz and Isabela islands. It was really nice to not have to worry about any transfers, have our itinerary planned out for us, and to stay at great hotels. Finch Bay on Santa Cruz island, Galapagos was AMAZING, as were all the tour guides, drivers, and escorts that interacted with us through the company.

We loved the activities we did, and Linda did a great job taking our preferences into account. She is super communicative, friendly, helpful, and responsive, including when we had some last minute requests / change of plans. Highly recommend!

We had a wonderful trip to Quito and the Galapagos. Planning and communication from Tamer and Alejandra was exceptional — both were extremely responsive and Alejandra checked in with me throughout my trip to ensure things went smoothly. The itinerary planned was amazing, action packed, and full of great scenery.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Fiesta

Puerto Ayora

Great location on Santa Cruz Island Gorgeous pool area Rooms themselves are not the greatest quality. Very small rooms, uncomfortable beds, and poorly appointed (no shampoo or bath products other than hand soap, no room amenities beyond drinking water which was well supplied). It was difficult to find coffee outside of breakfast, little things like this. But honestly the pool area was gorgeous and it was a fine place to call home base.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Size of rooms, amenities

SeaSide Hotel

Galapagos

Wonderful and hospitable small hotel in San Cristobal. The service was outstanding, huge rooms with views, clean and comfortable. We felt completely at home.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Lucia was incredible throughout our stay. She did laundry for us,

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

Authenticity & Character

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Expedition to Mindo Cloud Forest

Quito

The cloud forest was amazing. And our guide Sebastian was extremely fun to hang out with, knowledgeable, and overall made the trip a joy. The forest was beautiful, we took a great hike, and also got to see the town of Mindo, including a tour of a chocolate producer. A wonderful day!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sebastian is amazing! He’s a great conversationalist, which serves you well in a day that involves long car rides! But he’s so knowledgeable about lots of things, curious, and fun. He set expectations really well about how things would go. I’d send anyone to Sebastian for a tour!

Transport

Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería (Speedboat from Santa Cruz)

Galapagos Islands

Tijeretas = great, beautiful. Lovely hike and scenery Interpretation center = super informative Speedboat = not great!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip was absolutely perfect! The staff, food, excursions, boat etc were the best. We loved every moment. Thank you

Our trip was amazing from the hotel and day spent in Quito to the 5 nights onboard the Eco Galaxy. Our guides were knowledgeable and fun our excursions were amazing. This was a trip of a life time to Equador and the Galápagos Islands. Mathias had every detail perfectly planned out. I look forward to using Kim Kim many times in the future o explore the world

This is a review of an 6-day trip to Peru for an adult couple from the United States.

Summary ratings:
Travel specialist (Pilar): 5/5
KimKim platform: 4.5/5
Adherence to Itinerary: 5/5
Quality of local guides: 5/5
Lodging: 5/5
Overall Value: 5/5

As you can see from the ratings, we had a very positive experience with our trip arranged by KimKim. We used to plan our own trips and made our own itineraries to places like England, Greece and Japan in the past. We really enjoyed that ability to do what we wanted to do but it was a lot of work. We decided to try out a service like KimKim to see if we can still get a "personalized" itinerary but let someone else do the hard legwork.

Overall, the KimKim platform was very good. We filled out a detailed survey which helps them gauge what the traveler's preferences are and that helps them plan an itinerary to suit the individual traveler. They then come up with a proposed itinerary. We also did a little research and came up with a couple of places not on the original itinerary, and they were very flexible and easily incorporated our requests into the itinerary. The only drawback on the KimKim platform was when there were a couple of changes made and the platform did not keep up in a timely manner, which led to a little confusion. Our travel specialist was very helpful in clearing up any confusion arising from the website platform.

Our travel specialist Pilar did an excellent job working with us to personalize our travel experience. Our original plan was to visit the Galapagos Islands, but schedules did not work out with what we wanted to do, so Plan B was to explore Quito, the highlands of Ecuador, Cotopaxi and then fly to Cusco and make our way to Machu Picchu. However, a national emergency in Ecuador made us change our plans again, and we then made the trip exclusively for Peru as Plan C. On short notice, Pilar worked tirelessly with us to come up with a new itinerary that suited our needs. She was very responsive to questions, and readily available by phone or email.

We spent 3 nights in Cusco and visited the city, the local ruins in Sacsayhuana, the surrounding salt terraces of Maras and the agriculture terraces of Moray. Absolutely loved the city and all of the tours. Our guide Carlos was very informative and engaged, and sprinkled his discussions with lots of history and little bits of politics. At our request, Carlos took us to a local's market where we saw what the local population ate, wore, and shopped for. We saw stalls with over 20 different potato varieties, different exotic fruits and salted alpaca meat. The shopping was cheaper and better than in Lima. I bought an alpaca sweater and my wife purchased a couple of beautiful jewelry pieces at probably half the price we would have paid in the US.

We also visited Machu Picchu (MP) on a full day tour (i.e. - 4 hours). Since the pandemic, the Peruvian government has limited the amount of time visitors can spend at the site. We took Circuit 2, which is the longest circuit and the one that is probably the most comprehensive of all of the 4 or 5 circuits available to tour. Our guide Antonieta was fabulous. So very informative and with a dry sense of humor. She was also an excellent photographer, and we got pictures that we would never have gotten if we did not have her knowledge and help. MP certainly lived up to its billing as one of the new Wonders of the World. Just an impressive archeological site and with an equally fascinating story. Would recommend to anyone with interests in history, engineering, and the outdoors.

We ended our trip with a night in Lima and a city tour the following day. Lima is a bustling city of 11 million people. We stayed in Miraflores, which is the touristy (and safer) part of Lima. We strolled around the Larcomere shopping center, which reminded me of a high-end shopping mall in the US. We enjoyed the city tour comprising tours of the Lima Cathedral, the Aliaga house and the Larco Museum (lots of Inca and pre-Inca artifacts).

The hotels arranged by KimKim were all excellent. Our local tours and guides were provided by Lima Tours.
Transportation pickups were punctual, and the vans were clean and air-conditioned, which was a necessity in hot and humid Lima in February. It was such a pleasure to be picked up and dropped off at various sites and not have to worry about arranging transportation.

The food in Peru was excellent and above my expectations. We had breakfast buffets at the hotels and then usually had lunch or dinner on our own. The breakfast buffets are all full buffets, and on par with what you expect at 4-star hotels in the US. On our own, we tried the local fare like Andean trout, lomo saltado, alpaca tenderloin and yes, even cuy (sorry, squeaker). My wife still raves about the quinoa salad and Andean soup from Chull's in Cusco, and I had the alpaca tenderloin there (would rate 9/10). People talk about how Peruvian food is ascendant on the world stage, and I would wholeheartedly agree.

Overall, we had a fabulous time in Peru, and owe much of that to the itinerary and arrangements made through Pilar, Lima Tours and KimKim.

This was the first time we used KimKim, and we were impressed by the experience and will definitely use them again on our next adventure.

It was an amazing trip. It was a very action packed trip, lots of walking, snorkeling and sight seeing. We saw such incredible nature and I felt like I got to see a great deal of what the islands had to offer. The guide Astrid was so knowledgeable, we enjoyed the Darwin museum . The entire crew of the Bonita were so amazing, hardworking, kind, people. Renny our island guide and Deanna (lovely hostess) were particularly wonderful.

Activity Reviews

Guided Hike to Tortuga Bay

Galapagos Islands

We weren't able to spend much time at Toruga Bay.

Visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Astrid was very knowledgeable

Transport

North Seymour Island

Cruise Ship

Santa Cruz Island: Black Turtle Cove

Cruise Ship

Santa Cruz Island: Highlands

Cruise Ship

Chinese Hat Islet

Galapagos Islands

Mathias was very prompt and helpful. The timing and service of the local contractors was excellent. Especially wonderful was the crew of the Bonita. They went beyond to be helpful and enjoyable. The land tours were great, especially the guide on the first day to Darwin Center. We especially enjoyed the chance to be "in" Puerto Ayora before the cruise, staying at a local hotel and enjoying the restaurants and local flavor. We will certainly recommend you to everyone who asks. Thank You.

Hotel Reviews

Leon Marino (Lobo de Mar)

Puerto Ayora

Authenticity & Character

local, personal.

Location

Excellent price and location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

M/Y Bonita

Quito

Great price; great staff...everyone was very pleased. So much better than the big cruise ships.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Guided Hike to Tortuga Bay

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From beginning to end. We had wonderful service, great guides and accommodations. Starting in the Galapagos was a sheer delight and ending up in the Amazonian rainforest just added it to the thrilling adventure that we had in Ecuador. Thanks so much to Kim, Kim and Luis and Kevin the guides who were so professional knowledgeable And personable.

Mathias was super honest about the Galapagos and told us in all honesty that we would see more by boat than any land trip and he was right.
He set up a trip for us in the Amazon Rain Forest area. The place was absolutely lovely and we had an excellent time. We loved the walks to the waterfalls and also the night walk, the day trip to the Amazon to meet the animals and the indigenous people all were amazing. The guide from the hotel Leonardo was truly excellent and was extremely kind and helpful. The pet monkey at the resort "Ramona" was the star of the show. We had a great time with her and she came on the walk to the rain forest hanging on one of us the whole time. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The chocolate making class was fascinating and the chocolate was excellent that we made. The resort also had a lot of locals from Quito and we had an amazing time interacting with them. So all in all, a great choice of resort and just the right amount of activity for us. On the way back we stopped at a bird sanctuary and also the famous hot springs. We had an excellent time swimming between the very cold pool and the very hot pools. All in all the choices that Mathias made were totally on the money and the whole thing was effortless and was enjoyed by all of us.

Our trip was in January 2024 and was an amazing trip. We stayed in Quito for a couple of days and had an excellent guide and driver, Marco. His English was good and he helped me with my Spanish :). We especially loved the trip to Cotopaxi and the horseback ride in the National Park. From there we went to the Galapagos and boarded the ship, Infinity. The ship and crew were fabulous. There were two very knowledgeable, engaged naturalists on board (Fernando and Mari) that made our trip memorable. The ship advertises that they have gourmet meals, which we would rate as just ok, but we were there for the wildlife and the experience so it wasn't that big of deal. There was no lack of food - seems like they were always feeding us. The wildlife was unlike any we have seen elsewhere. We were able to get up close and personal with all species - even the birds didn't fly away from us when we got close. I would recommend this trip to anyone! Alvaro was great in helping us personalize the itinerary. and answering all our questions. KimKim is a bit expensive but this is our third trip with them so I guess we think that it's worth it.

Activity Reviews

Explore Cotopaxi National Park on Horseback, Transfer to Quito

Cotopaxi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isabela Island: Moreno Point - Elizabeth Bay

Cruise Ship

Isabela Island: Urbina Bay - Tagus Cove

Cruise Ship

Santiago Island: Egas Port - Bartholomew Island

Cruise Ship

North Seymour Island - Baltra Airport (Infinity Luxury Yacht)

Cruise Ship

Our experience with KimKim was phenomenal. Out trip planner Alvaro made sure every detail was to our liking prior to our departure. He was always very responsive during the planning phase and even set up some surprises for us since we were celebrating a milestone birthday. One at our destination our contact Belén was also very responsive, checking on us, providing us details for upcoming days, and answering all of our questions. Every excursion was top quality and all of our guides - Edwin, Candi, Rita, Zambo, Darwin, Javier, and Julio - were excellent and so friendly. Highly recommend!

Hotel Reviews

The Royal Palm Hotel Galapagos - Curio Collection by Hilton

Santa Cruz

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hiking the Sierra Negra Volcano

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Isabela Island's Treasures: Exploring the Breeding Center & Wetlands

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking on Tortuga Bay

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Bay Tour in Santa Cruz

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first time working with a travel agency to pre-book all our adventures prior to arriving at our destination. Working with Alvaro at Kimkim was amazing and so easy. He was very helpful in answering all of my questions regarding weather, what to bring and things to do, as well as tips on safety and exchanging currencies. We had an amazing time at the Galapagos and loved that there was no planning during our trip and we could fully enjoy without worry. Additionally Alvaro made sure that we had someone's contact info in case we had any questions throughout our trip: we were connected to the local guide at each island we visited. Thank you Alvaro for taking care of us and making our experience to the Galapagos Islands an unforgettable one!

Activity Reviews

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

Darwin, our tour guide, was absolutely amazing. You can tell he was very passionate about the wildlife and his excitement was contagious. He was very knowledgeable about the different species of birds and sea life we encountered and was able to answer all our questions. Moreover he was also a great photographer and got a photo of us both in mid air on the first shot. Truly an unforgettable adventure. I can't believe we also got to see a sea horse!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Underwater World: Diving Day in Santa Cruz

Galapagos Islands

This was the absolute most amazing dive we've ever done. In speaking with a dive master on the boat who has dove when areas around the world, he mentioned the Galapagos was his number one. Just in our first dive, we saw everything from eagle rays, to white tipped sharks, to a school of hammerheads, and even a bait ball! It was truly an incredible adventure. The crew was also fun and passionate about their work. You can tell they love what they do and they love showing people what they do. Would definitely dive with Galadiscovery again!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We used KimKim's services to book a 7 night cruise on the Natural Paradise, cruising yacht in the eastern galapagos islands. Our rep, Mathias, had been helpful at first, suggesting a wide variety of ships that we narrowed our selection down from. Once we booked however, all proactive communication stopped.

As the trip drew nearer, we had to follow up with Mathias repeatedly to obtain any information about the cruise. We were not notified that there had been an itinerary change, and we had to ask repeatedly about inclusions on board. In spite of our proactive outreach on all these topics, it was clear from our time on the ship that we had been misinformed about a number of inclusions. On the one item that Mathias had been somewhat proactive about - wetsuit sizing - he reached out the night before we set sail to advise us that the sizes and suits we had requested weren't available and offer a preposterous solution that involved us being taken to a dive shop to rent our own suits in the hours before we sailed. This information would have been helpful weeks in advance when we could have packed differently or made other arrangements, but this constant lack of information - and misinformation - put a damper on an otherwise great trip.

Once we were on the ship, the crew and guide on the Natural Paradise were phenomenal and did their best to accomodate any need or request. If we were doing it over, we would book directly with them and take KimKim out of the mix.

Hotel Review

Natural Paradise

n/a

This ship and the journey on it made for a fabulous week. The ship was a nicer category of vessel than we'd anticipated, and the crew on board were friendly and willing to please. The food was delicious, with great variety. For any special dietary requirements, they were quick to accomodate. Our Naturalist guide, Maria, was AMAZING. She totally made the trip and because of her knowledge and planning, we saw so many amazing and rare wildlife sites and experiences. She was also so willing to chat about the region, astronomy... and just about anything else we might have asked her about. She helped out with anything that came up, and connected a number of people on the ship (my party included) to other guides and experiences for the upcoming parts of our travels. The one caution I'd offer other travelers, is to potentially avoid the split itineraries on this ship. We were on the boat for 7 nights, which was a combination of the 4 night and 3 night eastern cruise. We did find that this many nights in a small geography began to feel a little repetitive, and the feeling was exacerbated by the change in passengers. With new people on board partway through our trip, the staff and guide had to repeat things the existing guests already knew, and spend more time spotting and watching animals that the guests who had been on since the beginning of the week had seen plenty of. It we had to do this over, we'd have done the 4 night cruise and then spent 2-3 nights on Isabella; or, considered a one week itinerary that carried the same passengers and guide throughout. Overall though, we were so happy with our time on the Natural Paradise and a huge thanks to the crew and guide.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Charles Darwin Station & Tortoise Breeding center

Galapagos Islands

The Charles Darwin research station was a fun and interesting stop. Our guide walked us through the various stages of breeding and species of tortoises on site. It was very cool! We also enjoyed watching the saddle-domed turtles and learning about Solitario Jorge. Definitely an interesting stop for travelers wanting to know more about evolution and the foundation of what makes the Galapagos so fascinating.

This was a big trip for our family of four -- myself, my husband and our two daughters, age 9 and 12. Galapagos isn't an easy place to get to from the U.S. with the multiple flights and the overnight in the mainland. I had no idea how to go about planning all of this and found it all a bit intimidating. Thank goodness I found kimkim and Alvaro our trip planner. I had never used a service like this. But now I don't think I will ever plan a trip alone again. Customizing a trip with Alvaro ahead of time (with multiple back-and-forth versions of the itinerary) and then having all the guides meeting us along the way and all the decisions made beforehand made the trip so much less stressful. In fact, it wasn't stressful at all! I could just enjoy each experience, each day, each hotel, and not have to worry about anything. Alvaro was immediately responsive on whatsapp text throughout the trip. Note: I have traveled widely. I don't think I've ever been anywhere with people as kind as the Ecuadorians. Not once in two weeks did someone try to upsell me anything. Everyone just generally wanted to be helpful and to make sure we had a good time and enjoyed this incredible opportunity to be with the animals. Our local guides, in particular, Edison in San Cristobal and Julio (unparalleled in my view) in Isabella, were incredible. We miss them!

Hotel Reviews

Wyndham Guayaquil, Puerto Santa Ana

Guayaquil

Great hotel to overnight at on way to and way back from the Galapagos.

Location

10 minutes from the airport and right on the promenade with restaurants and access to the cool 444 steps to the light tower.

Staff

So friendly. We forgot a pair of pants and they held them for us for our return.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean.

Golden Bay Galapagos – Specialty Boutique Hotel

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristóbal

Our favorite hotel of the trip.

Location

Easy to walk everywhere.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blu Galapagos Sustainable Waterfront Lodge

Puerto Ayora

This hotel is interesting because it is built into the mangroves. You can easily walk to the main strip or to the Darwin Center. And it is quieter because it isn't in the center of the action, which I liked. But I didn't really love that there wasn't really a great place for us to hang out. There's the tiny area where they serve breakfast with one couch and two chairs where you can see all the marine animals right there. And there's a little area on the upper level with a hammock. But not much more. The breakfast isn't terrific here but it is adequate. No amenities. Was our least favorite of the hotels. Much preferred Golden Bay in San Cristobal and The Albermarle in Isabella (which was beachfront and had a pool and a nice area to hang out for the kids.) Unsure if there are better options on the waterfront for families.

Activity Reviews

Welcome to San Cristóbal Island! Visit the Interpretation Center, Tijeretas Hill, or La Lobería

Galapagos Islands

Snorkeling at La Loberia kicked off our trip and it was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We loved Edison our guide!

Discover the Wonders of Tintoreras Islet: A Journey into Breathtaking Biodiversity

Puerto Villamil

Great activity. The snorkel is the best part.

Puerto Villamil Stand-Up Paddle Boarding

Puerto Villamil

This was our least favorite activity of the trip. I think we booked it instead of the volcano because I didn't think my kids would be up for a long, hot hike around the crater. But note this is not a chill SUP like the photo shows. You should have some SUP experience for this two-hour SUP into a strong current. Ended up kayaking with the girls.

Kayaking on Tortuga Bay

Puerto Ayora

We had seen so much good marine wildlife in San Cristobal and Isabella that this kayak was a bit of a letdown. But we really, really enjoyed snorkeling with the marine iguanas in an adjacent area. My husband was ecstatic at this part. (Rare to get to be in the water with the swimming iguanas.) And the big beach is gorgeous.

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

This is a complicated one to review. It is three hours on a boat there and three hours on a boat back and you have to leave at 5:45 a.m. This is really to get to see the scenery and a chance to see the penguins. (But if you go to Isabela Island you see more penguins.) I was anxious about the boat because we did an activity called San Cristobal 360 with the roughest boat ride of our lives. This boat ride, like Alvaro assured me, was nothing like that. It was relaxing and we were able to pass the time resting, sleeping and enjoying the boat. The crew was great and the chef even prepared omelettes for us when we didn't want the fish they were serving. My husband had an amazing experience swimming with a penguin that he said was the highlight of the trip for him -- even with three scuba dives and endless other snorkels.

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

This was a trip highlight. We loved walking around the ranch and seeing the giant tortoises. Lunch was amazing too.

This was a trip of a lifetime! It was so lovely to have everything planned for when we arrived. The only drawback was paddle boarding was booked for one of our days but you actually need experience to complete this activity so we had to change to a kayak on the day with the provider. It was still a good day.

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Casa de Marita

Puerto Villamil

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Puerto Villamil Stand-Up Paddle Boarding

Puerto Villamil

You need to have paddle boarding experience to complete this activity. We had to switch to a kayak on the day.