Kimkim Trip Reviews for Iceland

We can't speak more highly about Emanuela and the services she provided for us. We had originally planned our trip with her for May 2020, and when covid hit we needed to cancel . Emanuela checked in with us over the summer and the following year and was always respectful of our concerns about Covid and never pressured us to rebook sooner than we were comfortable. Our trip this past May/June 2022 was spectacular. Emanuela kept in touch with us by text to be sure our trip was going well. We loved our accommodations in small guest houses and she even booked us at a horse farm. She made many personal recommendations for restaurants that we loved. We enjoyed the tours that we pre-booked, the Lava Show in Vik was excellent, the Lava Tunnel tour was fun and educational, and the Ice Cave tour was challenging and exciting. We lucked out during our whale watching trip and we saw 3 whales coming to the surface, flipping their tails multiple times. We even saw a puffin skimming over the ocean while feeding.
Emanuela's knowledge and experience of Iceland was evident in the recommendations she gave us that highlighted the beauty of the country, the magnificent waterfalls and the volcanic lava flows. Unfortunately we caught Covid and two of the three of us had to stay an extra 3 days. Emanuela helped us extend our hotel stay and access medical care. We highly recommend using Emanuela to plan your trip to Iceland.

Terry was great to work with and very patient as we tweaked our plans. Her advice was helpful and she made great suggestions we might not have discovered on our own. We had a relatively short time before jumping on a cruise in Reykjavík and Terry helped us make the most of it. We even squeaked two days on the Westman Islands, which was fantastic. We appreciated having all the arrangements made for us and there were no glitches or lost reservations.

It was awesome to have Othman help me piece together this trip for our family! He patiently guided me through every question I had and we pieced together a trip that was manageable and well priced for our budget. Each day was an astounding adventure. The guided day with Midgard Base Camp was flawless, Magnus and Steph gave us a perfect day. We returned to the base for dinner which was our favorite meal in 6 days! One of the best parts of working with Othman and kimkim was the clear itinerary we ended up with. kimkim made all of our reservations and purchased tickets for our 3 biggest day trips. We rented a car and drove 600+ miles with the added bonus of easy short side trips listed for us to consider, we hit most of them and every one was breathtaking. They also kept in touch to make sure that our trip was going well and to contact them if need be. I HIGHLY recommend kimkim for any trip anywhere in the world. It would've been a daunting and stressful task for me to put together this trip of a lifetime!

Our trip to Iceland was nothing short of amazing! Our Kimkim specialist, Duncan, suggested that we follow the Ring Road, and we are so glad that we did.

Every hotel that we stayed at was lovely, with a delicious breakfast included each morning. We loved the flexibility of our itinerary; we felt like there was a perfect mix of guided tours and self-guided exploring. Everyone in Iceland was incredibly hospitable and we were so impressed at how little language barrier we experienced.

The Dettifoss waterfall was definitely our favorite sight of the trip. The view is absolutely breathtaking--but definitely bring a rain poncho as you will get soaked :). Our horseback riding tour at Skorrahestar Icelandic Horse Rental was perfect: the guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and gave us a great restaurant recommendation for Hofn called Hafnarbudin. The Solheimajokull Glacier Hike was a great way to push us out of our comfort zone and is perfect for anyone looking for an adventure.

Overall, the Ring Road should not be missed because of the views and relaxing lagoons, made even better by amazing tours and guides. Thanks again to Duncan for an incredible itinerary!

Hotel Review

Blue Hotel Fagrilundur

Bláskógabyggd

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Blue Hotel! The staff were incredibly welcoming and were great sources for information about the area. There is a lovely hot tub for guests to enjoy. Overall, the rooms were very comfortable and we would absolutely stay here again.

Authenticity & Character

The property felt very homey with amazing Icelandic hospitality.

Location

Easy access to restaurant, gas stations, groceries, and lagoons.

Staff

The staff were great for recommendations and answered all of our questions!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very clean and comfortable (and even had Netflix, which is always a plus)!

Activity Review

Horse Riding Tour

Iceland

Our horseback riding tour was amazing! The guides were very knowledgeable not only about the horses but also about the area. The views were absolutely incredible and it was easy to see that the guides truly considered the horses their family. We cannot recommend this tour enough!

Quality of Experience

Once in a lifetime views and experience!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Super friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable.

Great itinerary! Suggest the counter-clockwise direction for circumnavigating the island.

Francesca was great - good communication etc.
Our car booked was too small- my son’s head was hitting the top of the car. Thankfully the car company was able to get us a little bit larger car- with the immense amount of driving that would have been a problem.
The teip was great- for the amount of time we were there I think the driving was way too much. That was everyone’s take away. The suggested stops foe sight seeing and hiking were fabulous- that really made our trip!
I think some things could be better communicated - such as “it is advisable to pack a lunch” when gone for 12 hours.

Hotel Reviews

Borealis Hotel

Selfoss

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Adventure Hotel Hof

Hof

Authenticity & Character

Location

I

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room With A View Apartment Hotel

Reykjavík

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Northern Light Inn

Grindavik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

This was great- I think more info in the upgraded package would have been nice- it was soooo crowded we would have gone foe the nicer package had we had known.

Guided small group superjeep tour to Landmannalaugar

Iceland

The hiking was great- again- had NO idea it was almost a 3 hour ride to one destination and then back. There was a mention to pack some snacks- it would have been very helpful (especially traveling with kids) had we been told to pack a lunch- or lunch should have been provided luke we saw other groups doung.

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon amphibian boat tour

Iceland

Ended up not going - it wad pouring rain and our tour was so late as well as our hotel another 1.5 hours away after the tour- we decided to cancel this and that nights hotel to get to a town and hotel closer to our next days destination- this 2 day portion of our trip was not great and we would have skipped this all together with the short time in Iceland- we were told the week prior to leaving that the tour was so late- I think this could have been avoided had this tour been booked by Kimkim earlier in our process of booking.

ATV to the Black Beach and Plane Wreck

Iceland

Best thing we did on iur trip! Kids loved it and so did we! Great and diverse terrain! We lived this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Iceland Thermal Bath Experience

Iceland

Fantastic experience! We loved ending our trip here- this was another highlight for our famiky!

Quality of Experience

The trip was the perfect mix of planned / ticketed excursions and self guided sightseeing. We ended up adding a few extras at our own leisure such as the lava show in ViK and a Puffin Tour in Reykjavik. One of my most favorite experiences was the Glacial hike near ViK. Our guide’s name was Gia and she was so fun and kept everyone safe and also motivated! My 11 year old son loved her too.
Of the two lagoons we visited the Sky Lagoon was by far our favorite. That was something we added last min as well. We wish we had had time for the Blue Lagoon but we decided we would just need to come back and visit again to see and experience that! We also loved our horse riding experience at Laxnes Horse Farm. The owner was very welcoming! The guides however did not talk much. I am assuming it would have been difficult to do that and they did do a good job of keeping us all safe.
Iceland is a magestic country with such an amazing landscape and adventure around every corner. I am so thankful to Francesca for putting together our very well planned vacation last minute. She did a fantastic job! Also thank you to Michael who was on call for us while we were there. It was so nice to have someone who was immediately on call when we had questions / needed help.
My only complaint was that our car rental experience was not good. I did not realize that our coverage did not included full protection of the vehicle and when a scratch was discovered that we have no idea how it got there we had to pay $2k USD. I have yet to hear back from them as they are suppose to refund the difference of the amount it took to repair from what I paid. If there is anyway for Kim Kim to help me get my refund it would be much appreciated.
Thank you!
Lily

We just returned from our second amazing trip to Iceland using KimKim as our trip planner. Janel, our local specialist was very attentive to our wishes to make this a fantastic trip for our family with two teen boys and she delivered. We spent most of our trip in North and West Iceland and enjoyed so many splendors of the country including a spectacular whale watching trip and coastal horse tour out of Husavik, to visiting several of Iceland’s finest hot springs, waterfalls and epic scenic drives. We ate great food along the way and many of the recommended restaurants and while we mostly stayed in hotels, we enjoyed our one night stay in a adorable seaside house rental in Borgir. We couldn’t have asked for a better return trip and can’t wait to return again to explore the Westfjords someday!

Hi, we had a great trip. Cant say enough about the landscapes astonishing beauty .
The super jeep and iceberg tour was perfect, we also had great weather for both. Our 2 guides were so friendly and knowledgeable. Not very good at remembering names lol. Jeep tour we had a woman guide, blonde , used initials I think for a nick name, Ice berg tour was a dark haired younger tatooed guy, both excellent.
We did all what you had on our to do list , also the options and as well as a few other things, we hiked one day over 16 K. Oh we did skip the sculpture walk in Reykjavic.
All the places we visited were memorable. One place not on our list was the Lava museum, we stopped there as it was raining that day. We really enjoyed it and have recommended it to others.
Sorry for being so long to reply, we have been so busy. Thank you Jenny for everything, and also to your team for caring for us as well when we had a few issues . We have recommended KIMKIM to others as well!!

Activity Reviews

Fjallsarlon glacier lagoon zodiac boat tour

Iceland

Great to sail close to the icebergs. The zodiac was able to get closer to the glacier face and we were able to see a section of ice break off. It was awesome to hear the sounds of breaking ice , like thunder. The guide was very informative and was able to get us all to ask questions

Quality of Experience

Catching an iceberg calf off the glacier

Guides, Drivers and Staff

friendly, informative, went closer to the glacier as he expected to see ice break away form the face, and we did see and capture this on video

Transport

safety first, but also a little on the adventurous side

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

we were there in the evening, I think best for us to relax before turning in. However we would have enjoyed staying in the water longer , but the lagoon was closing, however this was our choice to go later to relax. Highly recommend the experience , just seemed as we and others had the same question. where are the towels. lol

Quality of Experience

all of it

Guides, Drivers and Staff

courteous, helpful

Transport

We stayed at the Northern Light inn. Transport to the lagoon was included, but not to return at the closing time of the lagoon. we walked, but it was quite cool and it was light rain

Trip was absolutely amazing!!! Emanuela helped me every step of the way. It was perfectly planned and exactly what we asked for. Everything went so smoothly. Best trip we've ever had. I will use the services for all my future trips!

Fantastic trip to the south coast of Iceland. Andres made great suggestions for self guided portions-we explored the Rekjanes lighthouse are and hiked to see the Geldindalur volcano.
Our waterfall tour in thorsmork with Peter as our private guide in a superjeep was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We also hiked in landmannalaugar with Einar traveling via superjeep. Both guides made the tour fun and we experienced lovely views/sites, both were knowledgeable about the area. Both tours were private and both guides were excellent.
Peter was particularly good about setting us up for fun family photos.
We traveled to westman Islands and went on a great rib boat tour-which I highly recommend. Again, Andrés gave great suggestions on what to see and where to eat.
Andres was flexible and responded immediately to my concerns when we were in iceland.
Kimkim was a great way to have the advantage of a local’s advice, fully customizable and small group tours. My family (including two teenagers) had a fantastic trip.
We will be using kimkim for our next great adventure!

Activity Review

Volcanoes & Waterfalls- Private guided day tour in the highlands.

Iceland

Who knew there were so many stunning waterfalls to see? If you aren’t afraid to do light to moderate hiking this fantastic tour is a must do. We hiked to the top of a mountain for stunning views, went into caves to see waterfalls, climbed rocks, crossed streams in a super jeep. I can’t praise the experience enough. Peter was adaptable, waited when needed hiking, paid attention to our safety, was knowledgeable about the area and took many family photos-and made the trip fun.

Quality of Experience

I experienced the landscape rather than just looked at it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Peter made it fun and adjusted to our skill/adventureness level.

Transport

The superjeep was fun, and the river crossings an adventure.

Halldor and Preeti really got to know my husband and I, to understand our goals and preferences. It was an amazing experience in Iceland and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Our family had an amazing trip! Andres planned the perfect mix of sightseeing for the age of our kids. And we LOVED the accommodations. Thank you, thank you!

Hotel Review

Hotel Odinsve

Reykjavik

Great set-up for families!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in the middle of everything! Perfect location!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

This was a once in a lifetime experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Djupalonsandur Black Sand Beach

Iceland

This was a can’t-miss stop!

Cliffside walk at Arnarstapi

Iceland

Iceland was beautiful. Duncan put together an amazing trip for us on very short notice. Our itinerary included everything we had on our list and we had a very long list. We went to several lagoons and baths (the Blue Lagoon, the Forest Lagoon, the Sky Lagoon, the Bjorbodin Beer Baths and the Myvatn Nature Baths). All of them were special in their own way and very welcome after full days of hiking, seeing Iceland’s amazing waterfalls, rafting, touring the Vidgelmir lava cave and whale and puffin watching. We had one issue with our lodging that turned out to be the fault of the hotel. We called the Kimkim emergency number and Preeti and the hotel host had a new place worked out for us in about a half hour. I should also mention that Duncan answered all of our pre-trip questions and he checked in with me several times during the trip to see how things were going. Great job Kimkim. I would definitely book another trip with them.

Activity Review

Iceland Thermal Bath Experience

Iceland

The Sky Lagoon was one of the most relaxing places I have ever been. The scenery was beautiful - you looked over the edge of the infinity pool into the bay beyond and the sky beyond that. The facilities were very calming and relaxing. We purchased the Pure pass which included a seven step ritual meant to relax and rejuvenate. It worked.

Quality of Experience

I honestly liked everything we did. Driving gave us a lot of flexibility. Visiting Iceland in the summer gave us 22 hours of daylight to do it. We never felt like we were rushed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I liked the individualize itinerary.

Transport

I liked that we had a hybrid car that was great on gas mileage.

We are a busy family, and did not have much time to do our own research on what to do in Iceland. Rinolda was just what we needed for a travel specialist! She took our requests and built a great itinerary for us. The program included not only the must sees, but also a number of suggestions in case we have extra time. She went over the itinerary with us before the trip in great detail and made any necessary changes based on our requests. She also booked all the hotels and hard to get tickets in advance, so all we had to do was to show up. Rinolda also checked in with us throughout the trip to make sure that we were having a good time. She was quick to respond whenever we had a question. I couldn't have asked for a better agent!

The itinerary and accommodations perfectly matched our requests.

Activity Reviews

Iceland Thermal Bath Experience

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Silfra Snorkeling

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ribsafari Boat Tour

Westman Islands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Katla Ice Cave

Iceland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Skaftafell Ice Climbing & Glacier Hike

Iceland

We and another family of four ended up on a tour with 16 others from a single group. We were split into two groups of 12 with 8 members from the large group paired with each of the separate families of 4. Together or apart, the large group commandeered the tempo of the tour being allowed to move slowly, secure gear improperly, over/under dress and stop to change, ask the guide to carry one of their water bottles, talk when they should have been listening, and take pictures when instructed not to (not just a group picture but each person individually). The trip could have gone twice as fast or twice as far without them. Patience was tested.

Quality of Experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrés is amazing at his job! His knowledge and relationships with local businesses and people allowed us to have a unique experiences tailored to our group! He was able to plan for a large, varied group of 18 people (9 adults and 9 children) ranging in age from 3 to 74 years old.
We had the best tour guide ever for our group, as well, who was able to teach us about the country and help us navigate travel in Iceland. Our tour guide, Atli, was helpful, kind and accommodating to our needs.
I would highly recommend him and his company!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hotel Reviews

Berjaya Reykjavik Marina Hotel

Reykjavík

Wonderful staff and excellent accommodations with a delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Professional and comfortable with sincerity.

Location

Near the water and within walking distance of many great things in the city of Reykjavík.

Staff

Helpful and polite

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very pleased. Facilities were great.

Hótel Lækur

Hella

This is a cute Hotel in a beautiful location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Quiet, authentic and beautiful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kvosin Downtown Hotel

Reykjavik

Excellent hotel in Reykjavík. The staff was kind and helpful in finding things in the city that we needed. The rooms were beautiful and the beds were comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Into the Valley of Thor- Thorsmork

Iceland

This is a wonderful trip with exciting and beautiful things to see. I think all of us could’ve spent the whole trip here.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was so fun to cross all the rivers

ICELANDIC HORSE WORLD

Iceland

This was a favorite among the travelers on our trip! The staff was wonderful and kind. The horses are amazing! We would recommend this to anyone and everyone. Among our nine grandchildren, ages 3 to 12 this was their favorite.

Quality of Experience

Every one would like to go back. One of our six year olds said we should go back every 6 years.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Alti, Andres, Eva, and Anthon- we could not have asked for better friends and helpers.

Transport

Comfortable , professional, willing to go above and beyond

Overall the trip was amazing!!! It was very well planned. Fran did an extraordinary job!

Three recommendations:

Put the options places to visit at the beginning of the detailed daily itinerary. Sometimes we would finish a little early with the planned places and realize the optional places were back at our starting point.

We were very unprepared for the mountain hike. Due to weather it is absolutely a must for the right gear. We were not clear on that. We also didn’t get to the meeting point on time as we weren’t sure when to start each day.

Room With A View hotel in Reykjavik was good but their breakfast was horrible. Consider changing venues.

Overall everything was fantastic and very well planned. We enjoyed this trip very much and would recommend KimKim and Fran again.

Our trip to Iceland in July 2022 was absolutely amazing. Terry did a spectacular job putting the trip together. Each day had plenty to do and we never felt that we had to rush to accomplish what she had planned for the day. The daily driving plans worked great with the GPS unit provided by the rental car company. All of the hotels were nice with friendly staff. We saw so many amazing things but the Puffins on the Westman Islands were my favorite! Truly an amazing trip. Highly recommend

Working with KimKim was a fantastic way to plan a trip to Iceland when I didn't have much time to do the research myself. Terry incorporated all of the activities my daughter and I wanted to engage in, and everything went smoothly (well, except for the weather). I especially liked that KimKim provided us with an in-country, emergency number because that simplified the process of getting help when our mobile wifi suddenly stopped working. I loved the way that Terry and that Preeti kept checking in on us, and I liked knowing that the KimKim staff would let us know if weather cancelled any of our events. If I have any complaint, it would be that it might have been nice for us to have been offered a few choices (along with information on how those choices might affect cost).

Activity Reviews

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

We had the great fortune to have the tour all to ourselves. The lava cave was interesting & our guide was terrific. The cave wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be, though. I suspect there are more fascinating lava caves in Iceland.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Myvatn Nature Baths

Lake Mývatn

This was a fun experience, although I suspect that there are even nicer nature baths in Iceland -- possibly ones that don't have as strong a smell of sulphur. Personally, I would have preferred the water to be a little hotter, but my companion thought it was plenty hot. I wish they'd had more cocktail options at the swim-up bar and better food there.

Quality of Experience

Horse Riding Tour

Iceland

This horseback ride was great -- better than I expected. I learned a lot about Icelandic horses and was thrilled with the opportunity to tolt -- to experience a horse gait that only Icelandic horses do. I'm not an experienced rider and I find trotting uncomfortable, so it was great fun to go faster than a walk (and learn something new). We also got to curry and feed our own horses, which was a nice experience. While the scenery on the ride wasn't spectacular, it was pretty and we particularly enjoyed getting to watch the farm's dog bound around the landscape and chase ducks into the river.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jokulsarlon Glacier Kayaking Adventure

Iceland

This is unquestionably a must-do experience. Kayaking is fun in lots of different locales, but kayaking around icebergs was particularly special. I much preferred seeing them -- and the seals -- up close from a kayak than I would have jammed into a large boat with lots of people. The Diamond Beach across the road from the glacial lagoon is also spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Solheimajokull glacier hike

Iceland

This was a fun experience, although, it was definitely more of a walk than a hike. A couple of not very fit participants really held us back & made the walk much slower than it needed to be. If you're an experienced hiker, like my companion and I are, I would recommend that you look at other activities the same tour agency provides, like the longer 4-hour hike. The guides are impressively knowledgeable, though, about the geology of the area and the impact of global warming on the glaciers.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff