Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

I had a favorable experience booking my Iceland trip with KimKim and my local specialist, Èric. I contacted them just 2 weeks before the trip and was so appreciative of their fast work to schedule and plan a trip that was truly customized to me and my sons. We struck the right balance of low-activity touring along with some exciting adventure activities including hiking and ziplining on a glacier, exploring an ice cave, and snorkeling in the glacial meltwater where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. The documentation contained helpful info, our hotel selections were the right quality level, and when one or two issues came up, Eric and the team were superfast to help resolve them.

We had the trip of a lifetime in Iceland with Rinolda’s amazing planning. Our hotels were conveniently located along our ring road tour. The various tour companies we got to do excursions with (Hesta Sport for horse back riding and North Sailing for Whale Watching ) were phenomenal, we felt very prepared and relaxed on both tours. When a blizzard hit the north/east region of the country, KimKim was able to alter our trip to keep us safe but still enjoy the best of our time in Iceland. We will absolutely be traveling with KimKim again, as well as recommending them to our family and friends for their travel needs.

Hotel Reviews

Berjaya Hotel Mývatn

Mývatn

Amazing customer service, great amenities, wonderful restaurant on site.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to many interesting sites and towns

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshotel Baron

Reykjavík

The first room we were put in was very small, had a very low/slanted ceiling and a shower so tiny we wouldn’t have fit. After nicely asking to be moved, the next room was better; felt more like a hotel room rather than a guest room in an attic. The onsite parking was outrageously expensive (would have been about $55/per day. Thankfully we were able to park in a garage down the block for a more affordable rate. Still not our favorite stay of our trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Was hesitant to go to the blue lagoon after reading mixed reviews from other travelers. But I think doing it so early in the morning after our flight was why made it so wonderful. Or was far from crowded and very rejuvenating after a sleepless night on the plane.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Horse riding experience

Varmahlid

This was my favorite part of the trip! Iv always loved horses; and after learning more about Iceland and their special breed I knew we had to add it to our itinerary. Soooo glad we did. Getting to experience the Tolt was very special. Our guide was amazing, I felt very safe and she took lovely photos of us.

Quality of Experience

Lo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husavik Whale Watching

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip to Iceland was amazing! Guðmundur Oli, our local specialist was outstanding. He made the entire trip planning process very smooth and was extremely responsive at all times. The tailor-made trip itinerary couldn’t have been better. The trip plan included all the details that one needs for an enjoyable stress free trip. The choice of hotels, rental car etc was perfect. Guðmundur’s alacrity and vast knowledge of Iceland’s attractions was remarkable. Would definitely consider using Kim and Kim for our future vacations.

Great trip, everything was scheduled so well. Will use service again.

This was such a great way to plan a trip to a place I was never been before and for a person without a lot of free time! Our trip guide, Eva, was fantastic in catering the itinerary to our three generations Iceland trip and she was incredibly flexible to adjust our calender both before the trip to suite our needs and during hte trip as our interests pivoted. It was wonderful to take away some of the typical vacation stressors and let Kim Kim make our vacation so much more relaxing!

Our trip to Iceland through KimKim was nothing short of extraordinary, and the credit goes to our exceptional local specialist, Gummi. From the moment we started planning our adventure, Gummi's expertise and enthusiasm shone through.

Gummi's knowledge of Iceland is unparalleled. He crafted an itinerary that perfectly balanced our desire for adventure and experience the entire Island. Every detail, from the breathtaking natural wonders we visited to the accommodations, felt like it was designed just for us.

What truly sets Gummi apart is his dedication to making our journey memorable. He went above and beyond to ensure we had an unforgettable experience, even accommodating our last-minute requests with a smile. Gummi's friendly demeanor and willingness to share insights into Icelandic culture added a layer of authenticity to our trip.

Iceland's beauty left us speechless, but Gummi's guidance and care made the trip more magical than we could have ever imagined. If you're planning a trip to Iceland, I wholeheartedly recommend Gummi and KimKim. Five stars simply don't do justice to the remarkable adventure they provide. We can't thank Gummi enough for providing a seemless and unique experience for our 25th wedding anniversary.

The trip to Iceland was everything we hoped it would be. We worked with our local specialist, Rinolda, to create an unique and action-packed adventure and we never even left the southern portion of the country! We combined classic must-sees with locations that were a bit harder to access (Thorsmork) and the remote apartments at Kirkjubaerklaustur as a great base (where we happily had a view of the northern lights). Absolutely everyone was welcoming to us and so helpful. We found amazing local vegetarian/vegan food - sometimes in the most unlikely spots. We've been back home in the US a few weeks, but the beautiful scenery keeps floating through our minds (as well as images of so many round sheep!). We can't thank Rinolda enough for answering a million questions and working to assure that our itinerary was seamless. Thank you, Rinolda!

Hotel Review

Midgard Base Camp

Hvolsvöllur

Just perfect for us. Adequate and comfortable bedroom and bathroom. And the restaurant was incredible with outstanding vegan/vegetarian options. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made us feel so welcome.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Husafell Canyon Baths

Iceland

We had a wonderful guide to take us to this very private and rugged location sandwiched between lava walls. It was rainy and misty so popping into the warm pools was an incredible experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon Zodiac boat tour

Iceland

Having a chance to be so close to the glacier and the icebergs was truly incredible - it gives a new perspective. The colors and magnificence were breathtaking. Our guide was great and offered wonderful information and happily answered our many questions.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Iceland has been my longtime dream thanks to SigurRos. And kimkim made it happen❤️ !
Rinolda helped us plan each day catering to our needs of wanting to experience natural beauty, relaxation & keeping our 3yr old entertained🤘🏼.
She picked great locations with not too strenuous hikes, beautiful guest houses (we got lucky to experienced Aurora 🌌 at Dimmuburgir) all locations had great vegetation friendly good options-score🤩
Even during the trip , when there was unexpected extreme weather warning she let us know . gave us a heads up on guesthouses that didn’t have breakfast for us to plan ahead for our 3yr old.
Will definitely plan to revisit beautiful Iceland but before that will come back to KimKim for our next family trip.
Takk fyrir ❤️!! #corememoriescreated🥰

Iceland is a magical place, and Halldór helped us experience it in a wonderful way.

The trip was spectacular and would only have been better if the weather had cooperated. We did almost all the activities including the optional ones that Jenny included in our trip plan and had a lot of fun. The accommodations were very good and typically nicer than expected with clean rooms and friendly staff. We especially enjoyed the Glacier Hike and the Glacier Lagoon zodiac ride. Plan to take advantage of the many hot spring spas throughout Iceland. We really liked the GeoSea spa but also some of the smaller ones like the Secret Lagoon were also nice. Be prepared for driving in the Westfjords, the roads can sometimes be harrowing. If we changed anything about the trip it would be to trim some of the optional items as doing almost all of them we ended up driving over 2000 miles. In addition to the Iceland weather and road conditions sites I would highly recommend downloading the Parka.Is app to make paying parking fees easier. We hardly used any cash as virtually everywhere took our Visa with tap-n-go convenience. You MUST also have a debit or other card that has a PIN code for buying gasoline as most stations are automated and won’t take credit cards. The KimKim team was awesome and very responsive to changes we needed to make on the fly. Our trip advisor Jenny was incredible and put together an amazing Iceland experience for us that included all the things we were interested in.

Some tips we learned: be prepared for changeable weather and wind and have lots of layers that you can mix and match. We were there in late September and my typical apparel was long underwear, long sleeve T-shirt, medium to heavy weight hiking pants. long sleeve shirt, fiberfill shell jacket and a knit cap. If there was rain or high winds I’d add a rain shell and zip-on pants rain proof pants. Good waterproof hiking shoes, gloves and a scarf or neck warmer are important also.

Lastly, our rental car came with a plug in WiFi access point with an internal battery. It had unlimited data so we used it in the car, in our room at night ( often better than the hotel WiFi) and even walking around with it in a pocket. As long as it could connect to the cell service It allowed us full internet access, WiFi calling, texts, etc. without using our own cellular data. I highly recommend this add on. Cell service is pretty good even in relatively remote areas but wifi can be very spotty.

Activity Reviews

GeoSea Geothermal Sea Baths Experience

Iceland

You haven’t had a real hot springs experience until you try salt water. It’s an incredible feeling on your skin. The walk up bar at the far pool was very convenient 😁

Quality of Experience

Glacier Hike

Iceland

Grab your crampons, harness, helmet and ice axe and go glacier stomping.!! Very fun and educational and a bit strenuous. A must do in Iceland!

Quality of Experience

Such a unique experience to actually walk on the glacier ice

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Knowledge and helpfulness on the ice

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon Zodiac boat tour

Iceland

The glaciers floating in the lagoon were spectacular! Especially some that had recently flipped to expose the deep blue ice that hadn’t been exposed to the air. Large stable zodiac with a great skipper took us right among the ice.

Quality of Experience

Seeing the ice bergs up close was great

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly, helpful and safety conscious

Transport

We had been thinking about a trip to Iceland for a very long time but didn't really know how to start planning. Eric made that part easy and fun. He was very thorough and communicated well throughout the process. We had a mixture of planned excursions and independent exploring, which suited us perfectly. All of the booked adventures were a lot of fun and we lucked out in that we actually got to see whales, seals, and the Aurora Borealis! The suggestion to rent a car and go out on our own was an excellent one. Driving is easy and there is much to be seen along the main roads of Iceland. We were mesmerized by the otherworldliness of the land and the sky -- the colors, waterfalls, glaciers, and lava beds. We took many pictures from the car and stopped in tiny towns to explore and hike. The people were friendly and fun; they seemed to want to make our adventure even better. This trip was everything we had hoped for and more; I highly recommend Eric as a "tour guide in chief" for Iceland.

We were very happy with the Kim Kim service.
Elisa was our travel consultant for Iceland and she put together an excellent itinerary. She handled the bookings for our lodging and was quite flexible when we requested some changes. She also booked a number of excursions and we had very few glitches during our travels. She responded very promptly regarding the few small items that came up.
I loved that her trip itinerary included not only the specific places we'd booked but a long list of suggested places we could visit on our way plus a nice selection of restaurants some of which she had been to and offered her personal opinions.
With her suggestions there were more choices than time to do them all. (Maybe we need to come back again!)
We loved the Trollaskagi tour with Reynir. It was just the two of us and the driver. And he was full of stories about life in Iceland such as when we visited the Herring Era museum and he talked about when he worked on a Herring ship when he was younger. He also had suggestions for when to see some of the other sights on our list (and how to avoid the cruise ship tour bus crowds).
The super jeep tour with Helga was great too. And she too gave us wonderful insight to living life in Iceland. We had one other couple with us. This was so much better than those huge bus tours!
And of course you can't skip the glacier hike and ice caves which also add to what makes Iceland unique!

Guðmundur Óli nailed it!! Our family car trip to Iceland couldn't have been better! 100% fewer arguments and headaches because we followed his wonderful itineray. He did a fantastic job curating our trip to our interests and tastes!

Some friends recommended KimKim to us after their amazing trip to Iceland. We contacted Eric and discussed our dream trip and he made it happen. From ice climbing to a perfectly planned agenda, Eric did an amazing job. He spent a lot of time ensuring every detail was perfect from hotels to restaurant recommendations and driving details. We absolutely would use KimKim and recommend Eric to anyone who has Iceland on their bucket list.

Gummis knowledge and responsiveness are top notch! Provided us with a custom experience that captured the experience and wonder of iceland!

Eric gave us the perfect adventure! He understood our needs and budget and was able to accommodate everything. He selected memorable excursions - we were able to see whales, dolphins, and seals in the wild; hike among gorgeous waterfalls and dramatic scenery; and we saw the Northern Lights. Our accommodations (at Hotel Odinsve in Reykjavik and Fosshotel Nupar in Kirkjubaejarklauster) were cute and comfortable. We particularly enjoyed the breakfast offering at Hotel Odinsve and the view from our giant window at Fosshotel. We cannot thank Eric and KimKim enough for the fantastic trip. We will certainly look to KimKim in the future for help with more trips and will recommend both Eric and KimKim to all our family and friends.

Thanks a million!

Activity Reviews

Whale Watching from Reykjavík

Reykjavík

We saw a pod of dolphins, a loan porpoise, three Minke whales, and a number of beautiful sea birds. Our guide was entertaining and knowledgeable, and instructions and directions were clear and understandable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very good at directing us to look where animals were popping up

Transport

The walk to the harbor was not difficult, and the boat itself was pretty great! It had a little indoor saloon with various sorts of beverages and snacks.

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

This was our first experience in a natural spring, and it was so neat!

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon Zodiac boat tour

Iceland

This was possibly the biggest highlight of the trip. The lagoon was gorgeous and we were *this close* to the most adorable seals in the wild!

Quality of Experience

Adorable wild seals! Magnificent glaciers! Amazing, blue icebergs!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our boat captain was hilarious and incredibly knowledgeable. We learned so much about wildlife, global warming, and ice formation.

Transport

We drove straight to the lagoon and it was super easy to find.

Northern Lights Hunt Super Jeep Tour

Iceland

Oh my gosh, we saw the lights!!!!!

Quality of Experience

You can't ask for anything more than getting to see the sky light up.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our driver/guide was hilarious...and provided us with Brennevin shots to keep us warm. A uniquely Icelandic experience!

Transport

The bus was easy to find and our guide was super helpful.

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

Truly unbeatable after a week of hiking and exploring to lie in a warm, peaceful natural spring with a face mask and a drink.

Quality of Experience

I could just feel the stress and tension melting away.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was a trip of a lifetime. Gummy made it so easy. Everything was planned out, but we still had a choice if we wanted to go see something or not. Anytime something occurred with our arrangements we reached out to Gummy and he was right on it. All of our hotel arrangements were great places.

Hotel Reviews

Buubble Hotel Ölvisholt

Selfoss

This is a wonderful experience to feel like you are sleeping outdoors plus the Northern Lights are right above you. The whole experience was our favorite.

Authenticity & Character

Who gets to sleep in a bubble.

Location

It’s out in the middle of nature

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed was super comfy plus a nice feature having a electric heating pad.

Hotel Höfn

Hofn

Not my favorite. Room was small.

Hótel Kría

Vík

Beautiful new looking hotel. The view to the mountains was amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful modern hotel

Location

Great location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Fosshótel Mývatn

Myvatn

This place was amazing with a view out of the window to the lake.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern and new looking

Location

Perfect location for spending 2 days to be able to use as a home base.

Staff

People were helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room with clean and bedding super comfy

Gistihúsið - Lake Hotel Egilsstadir

Egilsstöðum

Perfect location to grab a bite to eat. Food was amazing at this restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Charming hotel with blankets and nice place to just hang out. Room was roomy with extra chairs and couch.

Location

Easy access to main road

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hvammstangi Hill Homes

Hvammstangi

Very clean and a great view. Plenty of parking.

Authenticity & Character

Felt new and very roomy

Location

In a very small town with very little amenities.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean. The place didn’t supply coffee, so we had to leave what we bought.

Berjaya Hotel Akureyri

Akureyri

We had an end room with a view, but unfortunately it rained really hard.

Authenticity & Character

Nice restaurant

Location

Easy access to downtown and shops.

Staff

Great staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Isafjordur Torg

Ísafjörður

Very old feeling hotel. The elevator wasn’t functioning one day.

Authenticity & Character

Needs to be updated

Location

Good location to downtown shops

Staff

People were amazing to work with. Had our laundry done, which came back the same day.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sand Hotel by Keahotels

Reykjavík

Cool place, located in the middle of the downtown area. The only downside is the parking if you have a car. Have to find your own parking.

Authenticity & Character

Love this lovely boutique hotel. Our room was very unique.

Location

Nice to be close to shopping and restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was spotless

Hótel Húsafell

Húsafell, Borgarbyggð

Very lovely location and the rooms were awesome. Very spacious room and bathroom.

Authenticity & Character

Very modern and new

Location

Love it was out of town.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hótel Fransiskus Stykkishólmi

Stykkishólmur

Very interesting hotel that it used to be a nunnery.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to restaurants and was able to walk to.

Staff

The front desk guy was amazing and very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room was clean and bedding very comfy

Activity Reviews

FlyOver Iceland

Reykjavík

This is a very cool experience to be able to see these places after we just experienced several of them.

Quality of Experience

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

The ride out to the glacier is very unique in an old van on a very bumpy road. The trip was very cool to be able to climb on a glacier and feel very safe. Super cool experience.

Quality of Experience

Super cool to be able to go into this glacier. Wasn’t actually a cave for us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Extremely safety conscious

Transport

Very old van

Krauma Spa

Iceland

Very nice and clean spa with all the different aspects of a spa. Different temperature pools, wet, dry saunas. This place was a bit of a drive from our hotel.

Quality of Experience

Spa is outdoor in nature with clean pools

The Secret Lagoon

Iceland

I understand this is a natural pool, but I’m not a fan of pools with lots of moss.

Quality of Experience

Lava Cave Explorer Tour

Iceland

Very interesting experience. The guide was very informative.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

He was funny and informative

The organization was run by another member of our group, but we were cc’d on everything and the response was quick
Out tour guide for the Laugevegar, Emma, was fantastic. The only concern was the guide to client ration, 16:1. On the first day one of our group suffered from a near sun opal episode and could not continue- only Emma’s quick thinking and the luck of her knowing another guide avoided the need for our entire group to abort our trip- this is not ver safe and also does not represent the cost of the trip-which was not budget ( nor consistent-different people paid different prices-up to an $800 difference. It worked out, but not because of any system for safety built into the system. Also, trh amount of work born by a single guide cooking and cleaning for 16 people made Emma’s job more difficult and longer than was reasonable. A lot of participation in meal prep and cleaning was not consistent with the marketing for the guide service. I cannot express enough how commentary is not a reflection of the actual guide, Emma. She was outstanding: knowledgeable, positive, attentive, and a boundless source of energy. The ratio was not safe and made for a more rustic experience of cooking and cleaning for ourselves ( with alarmingly variable participation by other hikers, which is not a great situation) than was expected.
I just want to let KimKim know what went on with the tour, as they seem to outsource things and Kimkim seems very focused on outstanding service. The trip was great because there were some great folks and the country is beautiful. But that 16:1 experience makes me rethink any group trips in the future. This is my first guides group tour and I thought it would be easier/cheaper than a private guide or sled planning (both of which I have done fairly extensively). It ended up not being easier and honestly not much cheaper either
I gave the stars for KimKim. I wrote
The review for the trek. I do not need to see the written review in public-it was written strictly for informational reasons, not to publicly air grievances. Everything is a learning experience in life. I learned this type of tour is not in my sweet spot. Thank you

Overall our trip to Iceland was superb! So many wonderful things to see. Weather is always an unknown and even though a couple of our scheduled events were affected , we were able to reschedule with minimal hassle. Hanna ( our kimkim planner) made this very easy and promptly communicated any updated itinerary.
I didn’t realize that we would be issued a mobile router device to take with us throughout the trip. That wifi access proved essential to guide us throughout the trip, especially while driving.

Activity Reviews

Jokulsarlon Glacier Kayaking Adventure

Iceland

Definitely a must-do adventure.

Quality of Experience

Unique ecological environment.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

One of the most unique ecological environments I’ve ever seen. Constantly changing, and mysterious 😀.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Èric has done a fantastic job helping me plan this trip to Iceland! I am very impressed with the details of the itinerary and the thoughts that have been put into this. I will definitely recommend kimkim to my friends for their next trip planning.