Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

Francesca was incredible! She took our likes, dislikes, dietary restrictions, etc. into account and had incredible recommendations; she worked with us to make sure we had the best possible hotels for our budget, too. We had a minor hiccup when our plane couldn't land (weather at Keflavik) and were delayed a day, and she helped us to get refunds and to adjust our trip so that we didn't miss anything. Every time we talk about Iceland, I recommend KimKim and Francesca. She is the best!

Activity Review

Jokulsarlon Glacier Kayaking Adventure

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband and I just returned from an amazing 10 days in southern Iceland. The stunningly beautiful landscapes together with the detailed itinerary that Terry put together for us made for a trip that exceeded all of our expectations. We wanted a trip that was hiking based and Terry had wonderful suggestions that kept us happy and wanting more! We started in the Reykadalur Valley which was beautiful and an introduction to Iceland's many hot springs. Our Super Jeep trip to Thorsmork was definitely a highlight with an amazing hike that provided spectacular views from above of the valley, glaciers and mountains. The Mulagliufur Canyon was a trip into another world with 2 waterfalls and moss covered cliffs. We loved the Svartifloss waterfall and the stunning lava columns that surround it. We hiked up the Hjorleifshofdi Cape and also walked a trail from Vik's center where the views of Reynisdramgar beach's black sands and sea stacks from above were amazing. Terry nailed it and made it possible to put all of our energy into satisfying all of our senses and our love of exploration with none of the usual travel concerns about logistics. Thank you Terry!

Just returned from a brilliant trip to Iceland and have to thank Eva for putting together such a wonderful itinerary! As a "type A" trip planner kind of person, I am usually in charge of all of the details surrounding any trip we take as a family and/or with friends. That said, releasing everything to a stranger wasn't easy at first but the communication and suggestions from Eva quickly helped put me at ease. Hotels, tours, driving itineraries, etc - it was done with excellence and all there! She managed to fit in everything we requested and more in the 8 full days we had in Iceland and our tour around the ring road. Our only regret was that we didn't have more time to spend in her beautiful country!

One amazing detail Eva made happen was contacting her friend in Akuyeri to arrange a private opening of the Icelandic Aviation museum for my aviation obsessed father the day after his 75th birthday. Wow. That was above and beyond!

My wife also broke her foot a week before our trip and Eva was able to secure refunds for parts of the trip she couldn't participate in and provided great suggestions on how/where to navigate many of the places along the way so she could see as much as possible. Again, insights only an experienced local like Eva could provide.

All in all, dealing with Eva and KimKim was such a positive experience that I can see myself becoming a little less type A and using more of their services in the future! On behalf of myself, my wife, and my parents, thank you again for all you did to arrange and coordinate such a logistically seamless and wonderful trip for us!!!

A family friend recommended kimkim to us for our trip to Iceland. We had an itinerary of locations to explore.
We shared this info with Lisbet, who added a stop in the highlands, and suggested additional stops along our route with pertinent information for each site.
She was able to secure lodging for us that was convenient to all our “must see “ attractions.
Each hotel had a restaurant on site with breakfast buffet.
After a busy day of sightseeing, we often chose to settle in with wine and dinner there and enjoyed our meals immensely.
We were very pleased with the accommodations she chose for us!
Thank you, Lisbet!
Evelyn and Tom

I don't know what else to say other then everything was INCREDIBLE. Silvia was so helpful with everything we needed. She planned the perfect trip for us, down to every detail. Our biggest concerns before going to Iceland were; where are we driving every day, and the food. But Silvia made the driving effortless with daily google map itineraries, and in addition to daily local food recommendations, was able to get us hard to get reservations at amazing restaurants. My wife and I have already started talking about our plans to visit Sweden or Switzerland and would love to have Silvia as our agent again!

Activity Review

The Retreat Spa - Blue Lagoon

Iceland

So glad we ended our 8 day trip at the Retreat Spa. The best possible way to wind down a very busy and exciting week.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent planning by Jenny and the KimKim Team. Just one small clitch at the start re whether we'd prepaid for the hotel in Reykjavik but quickly sorted out and thereafter no problems. Useful to note also that when using the bus transfer from Keflavik airport you are taken to a terminal and then change onto minibuses to take you to the drop off point for your hotel. Otherwise everything worked as per the Travel Plan with maps, suggestions for places to visit and possible detours.
Our trip involved an internal flight to Egilsstadir where we picked up the hire car and then working our way back to Reykjavik via Lake Myvatn, Husavik, Laugarbakki, Heydalur, Isafjordur and the Snaesfellsnes Peninsula. Highlights were the Whale Trip at Husavik, seeing the Northern Lights and whales in the fjord at Hvammstangi and the stunning West Fjords but throughout the trip the scenery was fascinating and surprisingly varied.
We found Icelanders very helpful and friendly and most of the people we met spoke English. Not sure what it's like on the more touristy routes but it's work noting that there are very few public toilets when out in the country areas.

We had an absolutely magical 10 days in Iceland. The itinerary developed for us was perfect, taking into consideration our preferences. We particularly enjoyed the inclusion of Hornstrandir, the western fjords and Husafell. The accommodations selected for us were perfect and it is unlikely we could have found them on our own. Loved our stay at the Lysuholl Farm and Skalholt. Rinolda was excellent. So responsive, quick to understand our needs and to develop a brilliant itinerary. The detailed itinerary was very informative and really helped us plan our days. We appreciated the dining and shopping suggestions too. Rinolda checked in throughout the trip, was quick to address minor issues that arose (for example, for some reason I couldn't download the ferry ticket, Rinolda got me a copy within minutes). Have recommended Kim Kim and Rinolda to several friends and look forward to being able to use Kim Kim again for future trips.

Thank you Duncan for arranging our 11 day self drive adventure in Iceland. Also, thank you to a local agent, Sigurdur, who provided much needed information when our wifi didn't work.

We definitely recommend KimKim to all our friends. Your complete plan was easy to follow and allowed for just the right amount of time to drive from one destination to the next. The hotels were all clean with great beds. All the little things really do add up. We would never have been able to see as much of Iceland as we did had we planned this self drive trip by ourselves.

KimKim seems to have everything covered and was timely in negotiating our trip plan. Duncan was quick to redo our plan when we added a day and also delayed our departure.

We look forward to arranging another adventure in the future with KimKim.

We had an absolutely fantastic vacation and really enjoyed experiencing Iceland. There are a few questions that I should have asked in retrospect, but nothing that detracted from our experience.

The Silfra snorkeling tour was incredible! Our tour guide, Johnna was excellent. She took us through every step giving us confidence that we would have a wonderful experience. Even her underwater photography skills were amazing!.
Our trek on the glacier was exhilarating! Wei, our tour guide, was quite competent and offered both technical knowledge as well as a great deal of information about how the glaciers are reacting to the environmental impact of global warming.

Our experiences are too many to list, however, the weather was perfect and our hikes along the coast as well as to various waterfalls were exceptional. A bonus was our opportunity to see the northern lights! We had that opportunity on two occasions! Our only disappointment was it was too late in the season to see the puffins. I guess that will be a good excuse to return earlier in the summer.

We enjoyed clean, modern accommodations and the breakfasts were typical of European hotels with a plethora of options to meet anyone’s dietary desires. I cannot recommend enough this wonderful opportunity to see this beautiful country. The Kim Kim staff was exceptional in providing us with great accommodations, wonderful tour guides, and they even found beautiful weather for us to experience this amazing country!

Hotel Review

Árnanes Country Hotel

Höfn

This was a quaint accommodation with a warm feeling provided by wood paneling and a modern bathroom facility. This group of small cabins were placed just off of the main road and easy to find. The continental breakfast was exceptional with a full array of breakfast foods.

Authenticity & Character

This was a quaint accommodation with a warm feeling provided by wood paneling and a modern bathroom facility. This group of small cabins were placed just off of the main road and easy to find. The continental breakfast was exceptional with a full array of breakfast foods.

Location

Very convenient as it was roadside

Staff

Very convenient as it was roadside

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling Adventure

Reykjavík

The dry suits for first class and kept us nice and warm. Our guide was excellent and prepared as well for the experience. The sunny day allowed lots of light in to chasm and made our experience that much more memorable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

With plenty of time to get to this venue as the GPS was not as accurate as we would’ve liked it to have been.

Jokulsarlon Glacier Kayaking Adventure

Iceland

Although somewhat overcast skies, the weather provided great opportunity for photographs amongst the icebergs and seals. Our tandem kayaks were stable and easy to operate. Our tour around the lagoon was relaxed and we enjoyed our tour guide thoroughly!

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Our tour guide was informative and provide us with a safe and pleasurable experience. He was great at answering our questions and was very knowledgeable about the geology of the area. He did not rushes through and we had plenty of time to take photographs.

Duncan was an amazingly responsive and intuitive specialist, understanding the types of adventures & experiences, places of both common and unusual interest, and level of difficulty (hiking) that we sought for our first trip to Iceland. Given that we were traveling in fall, we had to make a few "audibles" given the weather, and he was able to redirect our itinerary without missing a beat. He checked in on us during our trip (which was a positively wonderful touch), and made some additional recommendations during our trip to compensate for poor weather. The accommodations and restaurant recommendations were spot on, and honestly, we could not have had a better trip! Most memorable places were the Blue Lagoon, the challenge (given conditions) of the Glymer waterfall hike, the Reykajadalur Valley (and corresponding hike), the fantastic Skaftafell Glacier Hike (spectacular!), and the Jokusarlon Glacier. Every day was full of new adventures, beautiful landscapes and amazing experiences. The digital platform worked out beautifully and made navigating the country as easy as could be!

Hotel Review

Hotel Geysir

Bláskógabyggd

This is a beautiful hotel in the middle of a geothermal wonder. The staff and amenities are amazing, and the food is wonderful. It is a perfect choice!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the "sustainability" emphasis, and natural beauty respected by the hotel

Location

convenience for traveling to/from other locations

Staff

Genuinely wonderful, polite and helpful staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

everything was perfectly clean and comfortable.

Activity Review

Skaftafell Glacier Hike

Iceland

Beyond the pure beauty, adventure and unique experience that this hike offers, we were impressed with the level of expertise and knowledge of the guides, as well as the attention to "safety". This was one of the best experiences we had..purely awe inspiring and breathtaking!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Othamn tried to work with in our parameters and did a great job with the sudden change to the schedule in the end. He and the local people were able to fix the issue with the dive group in a quick manner. The over all trip was great and was thoroughly enjoyed. If I were to do it over, I would have suggested an extra day or two in Reykjavík instead of the day on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula as the time of the year we were there was not the high time for the wildlife in that area.

Our Iceland trip was amazing. Terry did a great job of putting together a great itinerary with a good mix of planned and optional activities. Some of my favorite things were: Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour, Husafell Canyon Baths and Jokulsarlon & Diamond Beach. The Geldingadalir volcano hike was really interesting.

The best meal we had on the trip was Narfeyrarstofa in Stykkishólmur. Amazing scallops. The food was presented interestingly and it was all very tasty. We also enjoyed Englendingavik in Borgarnes.

On our day back to Reykjavik we discovered Rósakaffi, a restaurant in an old greenhouse. We had a very nice snack here.

When there was a question about whether breakfast was included at one of our stays, the local KimKim staff was quick to help us resolve it.

There were easily enough activities to do and things to see that we could have stayed for several more days.

Activity Reviews

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

I found it really interesting to compare a lava cave to a limestone cave. Our guide, Andre, did a very nice job of explaining what we were seeing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Husafell Canyon Baths

Iceland

I really enjoyed being down in the canyon and the baths were lovely.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Terry did a great job of managing things we wanted to see, downtime and our route. We enjoyed having a couple things planned the first few days then relaxed into our own schedule and our own pace for a few days. It was perfect!

What a wonderful trip to Iceland!

It’s hard to believe how effortless it was - my group of friends regularly commented on how well thought out our days were and we can’t thank Lisbet enough for her expertise and patience.

Overall, I found the KimKim site & service modern, simple and extremely convenient. It was just so easy to plan and communicate with our agent, Lisbet.

Lisbet is an Iceland guru. Beyond the detailed itinerary, pre-planned Google Map and reservation documents, she had some seriously amazing recommendations on where to eat in Iceland. Our favorite was the Tapas restaurant in Reykjavik - moody, vibrant and some of the best tapas I’ve had in the world. Our favorite activity was the glacier hike near Vik -the expert guides helped us feel confident so we could take the full experience in!

Because the service was so magnificent, our group we were able to focus on connecting and build ing our friendships - thank you Lisbet & KimKim

This has been an amazing trip, Duncan has been extremely efficient in always providing responses very quickly and in great detail. I would not hesitate to work with Kimkim again!!! Special thanks to Duncan for all the support he has provided to us.

Nhung made many mistakes with the dates and desired activities. We told her many times we were not picking up/dropping off our 3d friend, Talya, at the airport. But Nhung messed that up so our first and fourth day activities were decreased to do the airport. We emailed her repeatedly to change it but she didn't. I feel we lost 25% of our trip potential itinerary. She also messed up the payments which I am still waiting for a refund

Our previous rep Sotiria was much more on top of things.

My husband and I went to the Golden Circle, Snaefelsness Peninsula and the Westfjords on a self-driving trip arranged by Terry Stanley. Terry was amazing from start to finish and our trip was wonderful and went very smoothly. I strongly recommend a self-driving trip with access to Wifi in your car as you can balance between having an itinerary with some flexibility. We went from 9/6-9/13 and were lucky to have had excellent weather. We loved the scenery, especially in the Westfjords and highlights included stopping at various 'hot pots', snorkeling in Silfra and the Inside the Volcano Tour. I would recommend purchasing a gas card as we had trouble using a credit card, even with a PIN.

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

NA

Transport

We did not use but it is forcing me to rate it

Inside the Volcano (Meet On Location)

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Lamb stew was excellent!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Joanna, guide with our Silfra Snorkeling, Dive.IS was fun, informative and lead us through an underwater adventure. Our glacier trek with Mei was well done, he assessed the group and geared his walk accordingly. Lots of great information about our changing environment. Our kayak guide on the lagoon was really comfortable with his skills and knowledge of this area; horseback leadership, was skillful and knowledgeable of horses, the guide in the lava cave was also an expert with people and geology!

The trip was very well planned out. The itinerary was easy to follow and the WiFi device in the car was excellent. It not only helped us follow the planned routes but gave us the ability to fine other attractions and restaurants. All the excursions we booked went smoothly and were exactly what we expected. The tour guides were excellent. All the hotels were nice. Most were remote and suggestions of restaurants within 20 miles would have been helpful.

I would highly recommend kimkim to other travelers.

Joe Ditta