Kimkim Trip Reviews for Guatemala

My trip to Guatemala was amazing. I honestly didn’t expect it be so fantastic. I’m not a big traveler so I just went with knowing what I was told. Eduardo setup a great itinerary for me with what I had in mind in Antigua and lake Atitlan. Our driver Antonio and guide Esmerelda were so personable, friendly, caring and communicative. I didn’t realize how private our group would be it was Que fancy!! They All really felt like family when touring with them. So much fun and one of the best trips I’ve taken. I recommend this tour group when visiting Guatemala! You won’t regret it, for us, our trip went smoothly and we will be back again!

I really can't say enough amazing things about Cathy and the whole team at Columbus Tours! They were so knowledgable about the culture and history of Guatemala. They were professional and made all of our excursions so fun. It was such a gift that we were able to learn from them and travel with them to Lake Atitlan, Antigua, and Pacaya Volcano. This team made our trip! Absolutely would recommend them to anyone!

Activity Review

Pacaya Volcano Hike & Picnic

Guatemala

This hike was so much fun! We roasted marshmallows in a crater and enjoyed the entire hike.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guide, Esteban, was incredible. From the moment he picked us up at the airport until he dropped us off 2 weeks later, we felt incredibly safe and well cared for. Esteban was very engaging with our children and had each of us excited for the adventures ahead with his delightfully enthusiastic daily greetings. His passion for his country shone through with everything we did and his knowledge of Guatemalan and Mayan history is exceptional! The entire team at Columbus made us feel more like family than clients. I would highly recommend this company.

Hotel Review

Hotel Villa Caribe

Livingston

Excellent food and entertainment! Great pool. Friendly and helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Villages Around Lake Atitlán by Boat

Guatemala

Unique opportunity to see authentic Mayan tradition and lifestyle. Opportunities to support local families and to purchase beautiful, unique textiles.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Esteban’s respect for and understanding of Mayan culture

Transport

Iguana was our boat driver. Super happy and pleasant guy!

Very well planned trip. Exactly what I was looking for. Activities I requested with local insight in to where to go, where to stay and what to do.

If I could give a 10 star I would. The Columbus Guatemala tour team deserves that and much more. They went above and beyond to ensure our trip and experience was memorable, and they succeeded. Starting with Catharine managing the logistics of our trip and selecting beautiful hotels for us. She showed such care for our needs and was flexible to our requests.
Our trip involved a visit to Tikal, Antigua Guatemala, Atitlan and Chichicastenango, and our goal was to learn our Mayan history and culture. Our tour in Peten was awesome due to the knowledge of our guide Carlos. He shared so much information about Tikal history and surrounding ruins. Our visit to Antigua and Iximche with our guide JJ was terrific and fun. He was the best! He really made us feel at home. JJ was very attentive, offering tips and asking for our food preferences and took us to great restaurants. We enjoy great food and love the coffee. Thanks JJ!
Our trip to Atitlan and Chichicastenango was very interesting and full of history. We have traveled to different countries in Europe and Asia and although we have enjoyed each trip and learned a lot, our trip to Guatemala was very special due to all the care and attention Columbus team provided us. From the drivers to the guides and logistics team, we felt safe and were able to focus on enjoying our trip. I HIGHLY recommend Columbus Tour team.

Activity Review

Tikal Maya Ruin

Guatemala

Tikal was beautiful and the month of February offered the perfect weather. To my surprise, no mosquitoes and low humidity. The time spent with our guide in the park was sufficient and the food at the restaurant in the part was outstanding. The restaurant was situated in an open area where we were able to enjoy the nature while enjoying the food.

Quality of Experience

We loved everthing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was awesome

Transport

Just got back from an amazing trip to Guatemala. Eduardo helped us greatly with the itinerary and how to get the most out of our trip. We were able to get everything on our wishlist thanks to him.
Our guide Willy was great and has so much knowledge. Our driver Antonio took us safely between the different cities/ villages we visited , always on time. Guatemala is a beautiful country and there is so much fun to do and see, highly recommend.

Our driver/guide Esteban did a great job bringing us safely from destination to destination while explaining what we would do and see at the various places we visited. Highlights of our trip were:
Semuc Champey
Tikal
Rio Dulce
Antigua
Pacaya Volcano
Lake Atitlan
All in all it was a great vacation, We did a lot of walking hiking and sightseeing. Getting to understand the Mayan culture is something we really appreciated. We were happy to see how weaving is still very much part of the Guatemalan culture. As my wife is an amateur ceramist, she was very happy to visit a Ceramic production studio in the Lake Atitlan area.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Q'eqchi'

Cobán

We had a fabulous experience at this hotel. We were greeted by the owner who was very kind and made sure we had a great experience. The room was very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was great - we felt like we were at a friends house on vacation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Santo Tomás

Chichicastenango

our room facing the courtyard was a bit humid and dark. Not a great experience for us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pensión Bonifaz

Quetzaltenango

Hotel is in a great location, comfortable and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hyatt Centric Guatemala City

Ciudad de Guatemala

Modern hotel in a good, safe location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Candelaria Lodge

Coban

Beautiful property with excellent location near caves. One of the hotel gardeners served as our guide to the caves we were able to walk to from the hotel. The caves were quite impressive and definitely worth visiting. As many other places we visited in Guatemala we were the only tourists doing the tour and had the place to ourselves. Staff were all very friendly and food was good. Room was adequate.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jungle Lodge Tikal

Peten

Food was very good as well as the service and staff. We were quite comfortable considering you are in the jungle.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nanajuana

Rio Dulce

Very nice property but a bit dated. Staff was very friendly and food was good.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Encantada

Antiigua

We had a very nice room and staff was excellent but we ended up asking to move to a sister hotel because the room we were given was facing the street and too noisy for our liking. We moved to the Pensativo Hotel as an upgrade which was around the corner from the Casa Encantada. We were very happy there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa Palopo

Panajachel

Very nice hotel with great staff and very good food. The only problem we found was that the price was excessive for Guatemala.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa del Mundo

Lake Atitlán

This was a great hotel with an impressive location, great staff and good food. You need to be in decent shape to handle all the stairs at this hotel built on a cliff. Lots of character and great atmosphere.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tikal Maya Ruin

Guatemala

Site was very well maintained and impressive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Semuc Champey

Guatemala

This is a beautiful location and well worth the visit. We brought our bathing suits and enjoyed the water.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aguateca Mayan Site

Guatemala

This is a nice site but maintenance could be better. It was a hard trek to get there. We did the longer harder round trip from the river, but saw that other people used a more simple route.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guatemala City Tour

Guatemala

We visited several parts of the city and got a good feel of its character.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ram Tzul

Guatemala

We enjoyed having a chance to get out and hike to a very nice waterfall. I would recommend this hike.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Uaxactún

Guatemala

After seeing Tikal we were surprised to see the lack of tourists here. Certainly not as impressive in size or maintenance but nonetheless worthwhile seeing. Near the Uaxactun site we visited a small village which was interesting to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Rio Dulce Boat Tour

Guatemala

We enjoyed this boat tour. Spectacular nature and lots of birds.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quiriguá Archaeological Site

Guatemala

Very interesting site to visit.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Leisure Time in Antigua Guatemala

Antigua

We liked the feel and character of Antigua. Safe walking around. We visited local markets and had a nice lunch at a cafe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As this was our own leisure time, there was no guide, drivers or staff.

Transport

Actually we walked on our own.

Walk Antigua Like a Local

Antigua

Antigua is a charming, clean and safe city with lots of character. Our guide gave us a great tour by foot.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pacaya Volcano Hike & Picnic

Guatemala

Hiking to the volcano was a lot of fun and impressive as the site and views keep changing as you get closer. Amazing to see all the lava rivers and stone formations.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Natural Hot Springs Santa Teresita

Guatemala

We enjoyed the spa, massage and sauna and pools. Great experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tecpán Trekking Downhill

Guatemala

Our guide Alex was great. We visited his family and enjoyed his grandmothers baked buns. We also got a chance to watch local women weaving. This hike is a spectacular way to see the magnificent Lake Atitlan.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villages Around Lake Atitlán by Boat

Guatemala

We enjoyed seeing San Juan La Laguna with its colourful arts scene. We walked up to the viewing platform with impressive views. Lots of tourists and locals visiting here. We then went to San Pedro La Laguna where we had a nice lunch.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking in Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

It was fun kayaking on Lake Atitlan. It was a relatively calm day and we enjoyed the experience paddling around the lake for an hour.

Quality of Experience

Cooking Class with Local Family

Guatemala

We had a great experience learning how to cook a traditional Mayan meal, called Pepian. This was done on a wood stove which brings added flavour to the food.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maya Sauna

Guatemala

It was quite a different type of experience compared to a what you know of modern saunas. First a wood fire is started to heat the side wall and then once inside you add water to the hot surfaces to get the heat and steam going. Afterwards we got to use a shower which was next to the sauna. We were supplied with clean towels as well as soap.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Chichicastenango Mayan Market

Guatemala

This is quite a colourful and very large market. Few tourists compared to all the locals shopping.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Francisco el Alto

Guatemala

This was a worthwhile market to visit. Interesting to see all the animals being sold. Also had many previously owned items as well as new items you would see in a local market.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villages Around Quetzaltenango

Guatemala

Visited an interesting colourful cemetery where you can also see Mayan traditional ceremonies. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the sites.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Georginas Hot Springs

Guatemala

Site was very interesting to see and use the hot spring facilities. Main restaurant was under renovations but we were able to have a nice meal at the smaller cafeteria.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

San Andrés Xecúl

Guatemala

We walked from the town to the Church which is extremely interesting as it is unique being decorated on the exterior with naive art.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

They were simply amazing. What a great trip

I can't say enough positive things about our trip to Guatemala and Belize. Eduardo did a fantastic job organizing everything. We loved the itinerary he prepared which was a perfect mix of activity and relaxation. He came to meet us in person when we first arrived and was constantly in touch throughout our trip to ensure everything was running smoothly. Our local guides and drivers were wonderful. Esmeralda and Jonathan took amazing care of us in Guatemala. Two beautiful countries with so much to see and do and highly recommend Eduardo to anyone looking at planning a trip there. Lake Atitlan, Antigua, and Tikal were highlights of Guatemala. We also went to Semuc Champey which took some expert planning by Eduardo to make happen but we're so glad did. Travelling to the highlands of Guatemala we got to see a different side of the country and it is a spectacular place. The ATM caves in Belize was an experience I'll never forget and Caye Caulker was the perfect place for us to wind down after such an adventure!

I especially appreciated that Eduardo was able to make last minute changes for us. Due to the major storm in Dec 2022, our flight from the US to Belize City was delayed one day. Thus, we had to begin our trip on Day 2 of our itinerary, instead of Day 1. Eduardo arranged for us to be picked up a day late, and got us quickly caught up to our Day 2 itinerary, which required him to adjust the pick up time for 3 drivers. Had we booked this trip on our own... we would have had a problem rearranging our pick up times. We had Pablo as our guide for the half day bike ride in Antigua and Pablo has a wonderful personality and was patient with our 12 year old. We appreciated having Pablo. Our trip didn't have any hiccups. All the drivers/guides were either on time or early and we had maybe 10 different times/days to meet up. Don't be shy about getting Eduardo's WhatsApp chat info BEFORE you depart for your trip. He'll be super responsive on WhatsApp.

Hotel Reviews

Jungle Lodge Tikal

Peten

For some reason, our hotel room did not have hot water. And for the bed, we each got one sheet as the cover. And the windows actually didn't close all the way. It was December and we all had to sleep in our street clothes and I had to use my jacket as my cover. Just make sure you have warm PJs and a warm coat to cover yourself, and probably skip the shower until your next hotel.

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Having hot water in the shower. Having a bedcover on the bed, and not just one thin sheet as the cover.

Hotel San Jorge

Antigua

This one looked okay from the outside, but inside the room, it was really old. Bed was uncomfortable, sheets were clean, but the blanket and bed cover were old and worn. They need to replace all their beds and beddings. The towels were nice though. The location was very convenient. The breakfast was kinda sad. The staff were lovely, but the breakfast was just so so.

Location

Close to downtown.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

They should consider replacing all their beds and bed covers. When you go to a hotel, you just want to sleep comfortably.

Jan's Hotel

Caye Caulker

Surprisingly, this hotel was simple, yet just right. The beds were comfortable, the shower was strong and the staff was helpful. We got picked up by a staff from the Ferry and he was helpful.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ramon's Village Resort

San Pedro

This was a nice resort. There was a restaurant onsite, and there's also a pier onsite where you can book any water activities (fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving) when you are there so you don't have to worry about booking months in advance for the activities. We booked a half day fishing trip and a fisherman (Tino) picked us up in a boat and took us to maybe 4 spots to fish. We caught about 15 or 20 fish, and took 4 with us when we left. He gutted the 4 fish and we brought it to the resort restaurant where for $10 per person (there were 3 of us) they cooked the fish, and gave us rice/salad as sides. It was a wonderful experience to eat your own catch. The hotel will pick you up at the ferry and drop you off when you depart. We also rented a golf cart for 3 hours from the hotel to drive around the island. Beware, there were lots of mosquitos in our hotel room though! We had to kill about 3-4 mosquitos each night before we went to bed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Tikal National Park

San Ignacio

This was the jewel of the trip. Our guide was super knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antigua Walking Tour

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide, Pablo was very patient and answered my many many questions.

Transport

Transport was via our foot!

Traditional Guatemalan Cooking Class

Antigua

This was a shared experience with another couple. We thoroughly enjoyed our cooking and eating experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Valley Ride - Bicycle Tour of Antigua's Villages, Farms, and Ruins

Antigua

We had a good time on this trip, though it got scary whenever we had to ride on the main roads with many trucks and cars.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Snorkeling Tour in the Belize Barrier Reef

Caye Caulker

This snorkel trip to the Hol Chan departed from Caye Caulker, which was pretty far. I think if the visitors are also saying in San Pedro, then it would be a shorter distance to travel from San Pedro to the Hol Chan reserve for snorkeling.

Quality of Experience

Catherina and her team were very welcoming, helpful, knowledgeable and accommodating. We had a fantastic time and felt completely at ease with their guidance. Every aspect of our trip exceeded our expectations! I would highly recommend Catherina and Columbus Guatemala Travel. They made our vacation run smoothly from transportation to guides, to tours, everything was perfect!

the trip was very easy to book and very flexible to custom requests. Driving distances were tough especially going to Honduras and back.
the guides provided in every location, but especially Honduras, Tikal and Alex in Antigua were exceptional.
Mayan civilization, which my trip was designed to highlight was a revelation and deeply moving.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Las Americas

Guatemala City

Very basic hotel, a 3 star at best by western standards. Good bar and food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Yat B'alam

Copan Ruinas

Superb small hotel, very authentic. The staff were very good . Don't expect Hilton., expect boutique small hotel perfectly located around town.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jungle Lodge Tikal

Peten

An interesting hotel, with pretensions of being 5 star. It's not. Things to keep in mind: Food was good but way overpriced. Strong recommendation, is to eat outside of the resort at local places for half the price if not cheaper. Electricity is only available around breakfast/lunch/dinner time. Wifi was only available at the lobby, zero internet in the rooms. staff at the restaurant were exceptional, staff as reception could have been better. Location inside the archeological site is the only reason to stay there. Keep in mind, that entrance to the site at all times requires different tickets, early morning(great to see the sunrise and starting at 10.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore the Copan Ruins

Copán

Copan a must for all travelers interested in Mayan culture. Better than Mexico and guatemala.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Quiriguá Ruins Guided Tour

Guatemala

The biggest Stellas in the Mayan world. An absolute must for any lover of Mayan culture. Mexican or Guatemalan sites are not even comparable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Village tour for Iximche Mayan Ruins

Antigua

Absolutely superb. One of the best Mayan sites around and not crowded at all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Great place to visit. Amazing views. the tour should have avoided the largest town on the lake, a complete tourist trap. All stops were designed to bring you to various local shops. largest city, 3rd stop on the tour is to be avoided. I wish more time was spent at the first 2 stops.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My sons and I had a fabulous time in Guatemala! Chris was very responsive, flexible, and patient during the planning phases of the trip. In addition, he was able to tweak our plans slightly while we were traveling so that everything was perfectly tailored to our needs. I greatly appreciated his knowledge and expertise. Our local guide, Esmerelda, was also a tremendous asset to our trip.
Thank you for a very memorable and smooth trip!

WOW is all I can say about this trip. I went to Guatemala for 12 days and booked my trip with Eduardo. We wanted a combination of thrill and sight seeing, and they did not disappoint. We rode mountain bikes, saw the volcano on horse back, and did a 30 foot jump into Lake Attilan. The ATV ride and ziplining we also great. Staying in Tikal jungle and after a day of looking at the rings, we went night hiking looking for jaguars. Our Guide Willy was fantastic. Everyone was so kind and helpful. The accommodations were beyond my expectations with gorgeous boutique type hotels. We worked closely with Eduardo to plan the perfect holiday. Thank you Kim Kim for the best trip ever.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Encantada

ANTIGUA

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Atitlán

Panajachel

O.m.g. the views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Convento Boutique Hotel

Antigua Guatemala

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Jungle Lodge Tikal

Peten

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Barcelo

Guatemala City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Antigua Walking Tour

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Zipline Tour at Santo Domingo del Cerro

Antigua

Quality of Experience

Lol

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Earth Lodge & Nature Hike

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mountain Biking at Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

PLO

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Iximché Maya Ruins

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

San Ignacio

Quality of Experience

Oki

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I came to Guatemala for my birthday trip and couldn't believe how amazing the experience was. From the moment I arrived in Guatemala City, the entire staff made me feel so welcomed and taken care of. The drivers were top notch too - making every minute detail perfect. Pedro – my tour guide – made sure I had time to explore everything there was to see - even going out of his way to take outstanding photos of me when I wanted some souvenirs. He excelled at every possible opportunity so I could have a fantastic birthday trip and deserves 5 stars without hesitation. From trekking up volcanoes, to sailing around Lake Atitlán, I explored everything from Antigua to Guatemala City - meeting so many amazing people along the way. I can't wait until I'm able to come back again soon.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Antigua

Antigua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa del Mundo

Lake Atitlán

This place was magical!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sip n' Cycle - Bike/Coffee Combo Tour

Antigua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

TucTuc tour experience around the Lake

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Traditional Guatemalan Cooking Class

Antigua

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

From the beginning, Eduardo was so responsive and helpful. He really listened to our ideas for travel and crafted an amazing trip. We packed in so much to our two weeks and all his recommendations were so good. Chocolate making, volcano horse back riding, mountain bike trip, village visiting, textile lesson, ruins, snorkeling…. We did it all! We felt very cared for and safe in their hands. Sebastian was a great bike guide. And Pablo, our main tour guide was above and beyond great. His knowledge and love of local history and culture added so much to our experience. It really helped us to understand and appreciate what we were seeing. We feel lucky to have worked with him on this trip

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antigua Chocolate Museum Tour

Guatemala

So fun to learn about the chocolate making process and get to make our own flavors!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Such a cool trip. Kids went on horseback and we walked. Wild to be on top of a lava field (though kids were hoping to see lava) roasted marshmallows from volcanic steam on top, delicious lunch and knowledgable guides. There are kids there to rent walking sticks- bring some money for them, they we’re useful on the walk.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Double Down Mountain Bike Tour

Antigua

My husband loves this trip- he said it was such a unique way to see the country. You are right up next to the farms of the locals and using the same trails they work on, so you need to be respectful of being a traveler in their place of living and working.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling Tour in the Belize Barrier Reef

Caye Caulker

Guides were great and knowledgable. So more than we could have hoped for- manatee, sharks, rays, turtles and fish. Great food. And respectful program- they didn’t feed the sharks to bring them in but we still saw a bunch. And they were conscientious of sunscreen on the reef and reminded people of how to protect it.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hello...Let me start off by saying that we had the best time. I was very apprehensive about going to Guatemala and had a bad experience with the transfer I had booked. And so i decided to look for a service that will give me end to end experience and I found Catherina. She was amazing in understanding my requirements as we were a family with 2 young kids. she understood the requirements and also our dietary needs and planned an itinerary that will work perfectly. We went back n forth on the requirements and once the itinerary was nailed down I booked it. When we landed in hotel, the next day our Guide JJ arrived and picked us at the hotel for the wonderful flower festival. I must say that our trip would not be half as successful if we didnt have JJ as our guide. He was very prompt, always on time, helped interact with kids, made sure we enjoyed the activity we were doing, always gave recommendations that were perfect. Also all our transport were private...be the chicken bus, the boat or the car...all to our ourself :) which made the whole expereince very private and personal. Thank you to Columbus Travel, Catherina and JJ for your awesome service ! Bravo !!!!!

Activity Reviews

Pacaya Volcano Hike & Picnic

Guatemala

The hike to Pacaya is a must. The hike is steep , but we all could do the hike. The lunch provided was so yum and added to the whole experience.

Walk Antigua Like a Local

Antigua

We had the lovely flower festival on this day and so it added to the whole experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tremendous trip, great planning from Chris. Also, included some last minute itinerary changes that Chris kept us well appraised of and was extremely helpful in planning.

Antigua for 48+ hours (Casa Encantada) and Lake Atitlan (La Casa del Mundo) for 3.5 days were beautiful places to stay, staff was always helpful.

Our local guide, Josias, was incredible.

Would highly recommend travel plans with kimkim

Hotel Reviews

Casa Encantada

Antiigua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa del Mundo

Lake Atitlán

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Hiking Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This review is long overdue but this was, by far, the best experience I've had of any tour I've had or been on in my life.

Communication:
From the get-go, Eduardo was extremely responsive to any/all of our questions. His responses were immediate and thorough.

Patience:
We were a difficult group to coordinate since there were 6 of us - all with varied levels of comfort and ideas of fun. Eduardo, took all of this in stride - regardless of last-minute changes or peppering him with questions - he was so incredibly patient with us! He should win an award for this - truly.

Helpfulness / Consideration:
Outside of just being extremely responsive and patient, he always took our questions and feedback into consideration to come up with a few varied options.

Tours/Guides:
I loved all of the guides Eduardo paired us up with - our absolute favorite guide was Pablo - who showed us around Lake Atitlan. Not only was he knowledgeable but he was also adaptive and he has quiet confidence throughout the tour. Everyone seems to know him also! We felt like we were walking around with a celebrity! He allowed us the time to review different spaces and took us to places we likely never would have seen or encountered without him. We only got to meet with Alex briefly (<1 hour) but he has great energy which is infectious! He's great as well

Driver: Antonio is THE BEST. He is so kind, so patient, and so helpful. Even though he didn't know how to speak a lot of English we were able to communicate with him a bit and he was so warm and thoughtful. In once instance, we were trying to get into the house but had issues getting into the gated community - Antonio spent a good 20 minutes working with us to get in touch with our friend who owned the home. Even if he was frustrated (I would be!) he never showed it and was so patient.

I know there must be SO many things Eduardo must have done behind the scenes that our group didn't even see to make our stay great. He even came by the house to sync with us on plans - he got us COVID testers to come to the home.

Again, I couldn't recommend this service or the team we met in Guatemala more. It was THE BEST tour experience I've ever had!

I am very grateful to Eduardo and his team for helping me plan my solo birthday trip to Guatemala and for sharing the food, customs and culture of this magical and historical place and also for encouraging me in my Spanish Language acquisition journey! It was wonderful, safe and I felt very supported. Thank you very much ☺️ I enjoyed my trip mostly because i fell in love with the people from Guatemala - friendly, gregarious, happy, creative, humorous, thoughtful souls with the most amazing history. If I am ever to return to Guatemala, el corazón del mundo Maya, I’ll pack an extra stomach for the food, an extra suitcase for the art and an extra heart chamber for the love…