Kimkim Trip Reviews for Panama

The services for our trip were all outstanding. Beginning with Zulmy who put together a trip that was well suited to our interests.

One of the best tour guides was Yesenia Yepez. Her knowledge of local animals and the environment was very impressive.

The other tour guide we'd like to mention is Erick Gonzalez. He was an exceptional young man and a great guide. Making dinner with his family was the highlight of the trip.

My trip to Panama was preceded by a few weeks in Costa Rica. The first difference was the heat in Panama but that was why I was here. But let's start with the planning.

Reyna was awesome from the start. I explained what I wanted to try and accomplish, and she really did a great job setting things up for me in a variety of locations and activities. I'm not sure she was expecting an old guy (60) lol, to want to do as many active or even risky activities but thats me. She was always on the spot, and I could contact her anywhere I had a signal, and she would promptly respond. A few things we scheduled I decided to modify on the fly and she made sure this went seamlessly. This was nothing she did, but more from me seeing something a little crazier and wanting to modify my activities. I can't say enough good things about her.

I started in Panama City at the Tryp hotel which was centrally located with nearby restaurants and amenities. I then began my activities the next morning. Bianca, my guide contacted me and suggested we leave earlier to catch more wildlife. I suggested an even earlier start to catch the sunrise and the animals and it was simply amazing. Bianca would be my gude for two days and she was so full of information and fun. She spoke perfect English and we hit all kinds of local stuff, local eateries at my request, (sorry I chickened out on the pigs feet, a local favorite jajaja! We Kayaked into the jungle and visited the Enberra people. Awesome.
The next day we would canoe out to a beautiful waterfall and then indigenous village. It was awesome. The food and the cultural display were very cool I took a hike around the area on my own to try and get a better idea of the people and was met and followed by the children and befriended by them It was very moving! Do this if you go!
I visited some monkey islands in the canal the next day and Casco Viejo and it was also very intereting. One more night then off Valle de Anton.

Valle De Anton was a beautiful Place and I stayed at the Mandarino Hotel. It was very beautiful in a beautiful location. If I had a complaint about any part of my trip it would be here at reception at the Mandarino. It was the only time I would encounter people that seemed to have a poor attitude towards me. They were just unpleasant, and this would be on check in and checkout. The rest of the staff I encountered were wonderful. The breakfast was great, and the beauty was spectacular. I went on a hike the next day and was contacted by Nico, an independent guide, and Cecilio the driver for the day and also my guide and driver the next day. We did a tour of different areas and a short hike, and it was awesome. Both of these guys were so good, and I would highly recommend requesting them when setting up your tours in Anton Valley.

Next up was Boca Chica. After a slight delay at the regional airport, I was off to Boca Del Mar. It was even more Beautiful than the Mandarino. Because we were arriving late the driver contacted the hotel and they stayed open so I could have a hot dinner when I arrived. The dinner was awesome, and the view was off the charts. I would take a day off and get a massage in the evening. I strongly recommend this if you are staying here. The massage was one of the best Ive ever received and I was married to a trained masseuse!! I then did the 4 hour Island tour here and it was awesome. I set this up while at the hotel Reyna had scheduled a few days of just relaxing and this was definitely the place to do that, but I was ready for action, so I did the tour. It too was absolutely breathtaking, and I highly recommend this. My final stop would be Boquete in the mountains.
I was picked up by Fernando and highly recommended requesting him for your transportation while in Boquete. He knows the entire area and most of the people with a long history here in the mountains. [email protected] He gave me many local tips and also was on the spot when I needed driver outside of the activities planned by Reyna. Reyna learned that I was on the go constantly even after the tours etc. I would stay at Finca Lerida, a working coffee plantation. The staff was extremely pleasant and helpful and made great suggestions for me when I arrived early. The hike to the local waterfall was beautiful as were the entire area around me. I did the mini canyon tour, and it was a little crowded for me, but it was a holiday, and it was hot, so a lot of people were there. It did not stop me from doing a few backflips into the river though! I had a great dinner at an Argentine restaurant in town and then called Fernando when I was ready, and he drove me back to my room. My last hike was up the gasline road and to a waterfall. We saw all kinds of wildlife and had a family of Howler Monkeys come through and put on quite a show in the canopy above us. It was a great end to the adventures for tomorrow was back to Panama City and then home.
I would be back at Tryo hotel who let me check out late and were awesome as they were at the beginning of the trip. I stayed in the pool until the last minute and was transported once again to the Airport and Home.

Summary
Reyna was absolutely awesome as my trip coordinator.
My Guides and transport through Miguel tours were great. Ask for Bianca in Panama City. Nico and Cecilio in Valle De Anton, and Fernando at FGLtaxi in Boquete.

Great job KimKim. Second trip with you guys and it was perfect!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Finca Lerida

Boquete

First off, awesome reception staff!! The facility was beautiful, the staff very pleasant, the location unbelievable and the breakfast was amazing. The views from the deck at the restaurant were spectacular. I did all the hikes around the plantation, and it was fun and beautiful If your adventurous check out the waterfall hike. The trail has a few scrambling parts, but it is so worth it. I would stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

Old world charm

Location

The overall beauty, the temperature and the views.

Staff

Super happy and cheerful Very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bocas Del Mar Hotel

Boca Chica

Absolutely gorgeous location and hotel Awesome helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Look at any picture online and then magnify it by 10 in person. Absolutely stunning!

Staff

Helpful and cheerful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Los Mandarinos Boutique Spa and Hotel

El Valle de Anton

A beautiful location and hotel kind of spoiled by reception staff and lack of information.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Reception staff needs some hospitality training. Everyone else was great!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tryp Panama Centro by Wyndham

Panama City

Everyone here was super helpful. Decent location, but im not a big city person. Great room with a good view on New Years of the mayhem outside from the safety of my room lol.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sea Kayak - Panama Canal (half day)

Panama City

Bianca making the suggestionof an earlier start made it an unforgettable experience. The sunrise, the serene lake, the crazy amount of wildlife, especially for birdwatchers, and excellant guide. Do this tour!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bianca was the best! Could not ask for a better guide.

Transport

Bianca made it awesome. Learned so much just coming and going.

Embera cultural tour OR Gastronomic tour in Colon

Panama City

Emberra Cultural tour! Bianca again, so lucky. Absolutely beautiful, fun and informative.

Quality of Experience

Food

The Enberra lunch was delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bianca=Awesome. Intelligent, cheerful and fun.

Transport

Bianca

Canal Rainforest Boat experience

Panama City

It was a different tour checking out all the islands. I went to late to really catch the wildlife my mistake.. Should have requestedearlier start as Reyna and Miguel Tours I know would have made it happen.

Valle de Anton - Local Highlights

Valle de Antón

Really cool tour that you select activities. Nico and Cecilio and hiking around made it awesome. Nico is a wealth of knowledge, and I would request him for your tours in the Valle

Quality of Experience

The entire day was great and I learned so much. I wanted an authentic hat but we were almost back and they turned around and we went and found one. Very cool!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cecilio was great driver and we guide me the next day

Slot canyon waterfall

Valle de Antón

So, I had Cecilio today and we had a great morning hike in the rainforest and then a crazy -in the best way- drive to the waterfall the hike was really what I had been waiting for and he made it really fun the waterfall was absolutely breath =taking and the water colors so vibrant. I jumped off the higher points after watching the locals and it was a blast.

Quality of Experience

I loved the whole day from start to finish. Fun Challenging and beautiful

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ask for Cecilio

Transport

Cecilio knowledge of the backcountry trails.

Cloud Forest "Pipeline Trail"

Boquete

Really fun easy hike with lots of wildlife and beauty. Cool waterfall at the end. It hadnt rained in a while so not as much water but after rain it is probably insane.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guuide actually grew up near the hike and his family still lived near the starting point. Lots of local info and very knowledgeable of the entire thing.

Transport

Working With KimKim stared off rough. We had an agent who could not seem to connect with us nor was able to build an itinerary around our interests. Then we were given a new agent, cue Zulmy! Zulmy! was amazing! She saved our trip! She built a great itinerary with all of the activities we asked for! She was communicative and gave us a comprehensive outline of our trip. She was able to totally match our vibe to the locations. When arriving, transportation was seamless. All of the accommodations were beautiful, the Food was spectacular, and the activities (including tours) we fun and informative!

Overall it was a great trip!

Zulmy, our local specialist, did a brilliant job - she was friendly, responsive and helped us have an unforgettable three week trip to Panama! We started in Darien (and would highly recommend Ecotours Darien) and spent some time with the local Embera community, before visiting Santa Catalina, Boquete, Bocas del Toro and finally Panama City.

It was a great tour and a wonderful experience. Reyna was great in accommodating our requests to go to San Blas and spend a night there. The trip to the tropical forest and Canal was great as well

Hotel Review

Tryp Panama Centro by Wyndham

Panama City

good but somehow run down hotel. Good value for money, excellent breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

two lifts in the entire hotel - easier to use the stairs...

Activity Reviews

Rainforest boat tour OR Soberania national park

Panama City

wonderful - very informative guide. The tour was a success

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

One day to San Blas

Panama City

We changed this into two days - one night. This was by far the best part of the holiday. A wonderful, highly recommendable experience.

Quality of Experience

the islands were amazing; the accommodations basic but lovely. A real experience.

Food

wonderful lobsters, red pargo and other fish. Authentic food, delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

sorry - I have to be critical here. First time ever i did not leave a tip. If it is a private tour, you cannot say "I will be there between 5 am and 5.30 am". We were ready at 4.59 am and the driver arrived at 5.35. We could have taken it more easily.

Transport

The driver spent way too much time on the phone while driving (he was excellent driving with one hand on the terrible road, but still....I would prefer someone looking at the road rather than at the messages on the phone.

Casco Antiguo walking tour

Panama City

We did it by our own, as we changed the program to have an extra day at San Blas. Casco Antiguo was really beautiful

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Working with Zulmy was a great experience as together we were able to setup a fantastic, first time trip to beautiful Panama. The balance of tours, and sight-seeing expeditions was a perfect balance. We had some organized excursions where our Guides and Drivers handled all details, tickets, admittances, getting to the front of the lines, and even a meal here and there. However, we also had our own free-time to pursue what we wanted, and didn't want, to do.

Definitely recommend Panama as a MUST see and do to every traveler. Can't say enough about how well that KimKim coordinated our trip. It was smooth and flawless so that we could just enjoy being there and taking it all in.

Thanks again, Zulmy!

We had a marvelous 8 days in Panama. Thanks kimkim! Our local specialist Zulmy was with us every step of the way. We had a much delayed flight in and she instantly rearranged a tour for us, she set up Covid tests before our flight back and even sent condolences about a sudden death in the family we had just found out about. Our driver Juan was such a pleasure - super punctual, pleasant and informative. (He claimed his English was terrible, but we were impressed.) We felt very well taken care of by both Zulmy and Juan.
Highlights of our trip in Panama City were the Panama Canal tour and exploring Casco Viejo. The rooftop pool at our hotel that overlooked the Panama City skyline was a hit as well. We also enjoyed the laid back vibe of Bocas del Toro - the snorkeling/dolphin tour was super and also hanging out at Starfish Playa on our own. The food was excellent in Panama, we especially loved the ceviche. The warmth was felt weather-wise and from the people of Panama. We were impressed with the collective Covid precautions taken by everyone. We definitely recommend kimkim and this trip.

Thank you Zulmy, the guides at Tucaya, and Nadia for planning and executing my vacation in Panama. They all did a wonderful job putting together an itinerary. They were all available for me if I had any questions or needed assistance. I was a little hesitant traveling internationally due to COVID but they helped me navigate any obstacles. Also arranged for me to get a PCR COVID test prior to returning to the US. The process was very efficient. I had a wonder time exploring Panama in the short week I was there. They have me a glimpse at all the wonders and beauty of Panama. Thank you again for helping me create wonderful memories!

Our trip to Panamà went very smoothly, due to the organization of the trip by Kim Kim. We especially appreciated that Kim Kim works with local groups. YeYe was an excellent tour guide and understood our needs and interests. Our driver, Julio (sp?) was excellent. Ankhill (sp?) was an excellent guide on our boat tour. The guide and driver for our adventure to Gulan Yala were both really good. Monique was excellent and was always available whenever we needed help and/or had questions. Delicious food, great adventures, lots of knowledge exchanged and great weather all made for a fabulous trip! Thank you for everything. I would recommend Kim Kim to everyone. Regards, Penny

Monique not only put together a wonderful itinerary for our visit to Panama, she met us at the airport, reviewed our plans and checked in with us daily. We saw locks in action at both the Caribbean and Pacific, took in the beauty of the rainforest and its inhabitants, and learned of the country’s diverse history.
Our guide, Jose, was friendly, knowledgeable, energetic and flexible. He made sure each day was special and tailored to our interests.
Both Monique and Jose provided good suggestions for local restaurants.
Carlos, our driver, was courteous and patient. His vans were clean and comfortable.

My trip last week included retracing family history on the maternal side of both my mother’s and father’s side of the family, celebrating 500 years of the founding of the oldest city in the Pacific, being singularly called out to belly dance in a Lebanese restaurant (and convincingly holding my own) in the middle of Panamá City, thence to receiving the warmest, kindest, globalist, most beautifulest birthday greetings from around the world on my seminal 25th-again-for-the-62nd-time-birthday for which I’m so grateful to be celebrating... what a week, I honestly don’t know where to begin...

So I’ll begin at the beginning. Panamá.

Everything about Panamá is fascinating. It’s so easy to overlook how fascinating it is, but the fates would have it that I would be in Panamá both for my birthday and for the 500th años celebration of the founding of Old Panamá City – there is nothing to overlook about these fascinations! Exploring Latin America is like going into your neighbour’s house for the first time. Your neighbour has always been there but for some reason or another you’ve never entered into their home… and then, for some reason or another you get an opportunity to enter, and for the first time you find yourself crossing over the threshold into an alternate universe and it hits you how remarkable it is to live next door to someone, greeting or commiserating on their news regularly but having no clue about what the inside of their home looks like! I think we have all been there. Latin America is that unseen habitat that you see every day … but until you’ve crossed the threshold, you’ve never seen quite in this way!

My Panamá trip took the form of a well-planned experience with kimkim, crafted to understand the stories of the 80,000+ AfroAntillians (West Indians) who travelled to Panamá before WW1 to seek better since sugar plantations gave them no hope of overcoming impoverishment and the Americans promised work to West Indians with the building the Panamá Canal - the largest engineering undertaking at that time. I visited the museums where their stories are carefully curated, walked along the coasts where their bones are buried, prayed at the churches that gathered their sorrows, celebrated their offspring who stand on their proud shoulders and tell their stories, retraced their steps from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Coast, connected with descendants who have not silenced their songs, learnt to cook their food on their stoves and in their kitchens and soaked up as much as I could about a brave and resilient people who sacrificed life and limb to move mountains and join oceans under the most trying of circumstances at the isthmus of a newly created country called Panamá.

The population of Panamá is only 4 million, much smaller than neighbouring Colombia or Costa Rica. Two million of these inhabitants live in the busy metropolis, Panamá City. A 360 turn brings you views of the Pacific Ocean, the National metropolitan park, colonial buildings in the Casco Viejo district or any one of the 78 international banks jostling for space on the skyline. There is a high standard of living here, despite a very rainy climate, Panamanians enjoy a relaxed lifestyle with a 80% Catholic religion but a freedom to practice various faiths evidenced by the presence of churches, mosques, temples and synagogues. The mixed population smiles easily maybe due to the benefits of their location … at the crossing of the world. With well established ports, plane and sea routes, Panamá is easy to get to and well worth a visit.

On the maternal side, my mothers’ mother’s father, (my great grandfather), shopkeeper, Ren Arthur Brathwaite never returned to Barbados after leaving to seek work in Panamá. Fearing the worst, Adele, on not hearing any news of her husband’s promised return, migrated south with her five children to seek work as a Panamá widow in Trinidad. My grandmother, Angene, at eight years old, was the youngest child of this union. On my father’s side, my grandmothers’ father, George Merritt went to Panamá on a five year work contract, from 1916 to 1920, but was never heard from again. This was my father’s maternal grandfather. It is suspected that George remained in Panamá and started a new branch of the family tree there. The memoirs of both of my great-grandparents are buried with them in Panamá. No one would know if they perished under the harsh, unsafe and unfair labour practices of the time, or if they survived and started new lives and families in Panamá. I do know however that in every geography lesson in secondary school whenever we spoke of the Panamá Canal, I felt that the stories that were being told, were stories that directly linked to me.

Our week in Panamá started with a half day city tour of Panamá La Vieja and Casco Antiguo by Yesenia of Tucaya, one of the warmest and most engaging tour guides that I have ever met on my travels. So knowledgeable, she could not hide her ancestry, love or passion for her Panamá. She brought life to the history of these original spaces.

Even before the Canal, Panamá was a meeting point in the world. The first stop on our second day provided historical context to Panamá’s connections. Portobelo, on the Pacific Coast, was the centre of export from South America to Europe in the 1700s. The mostly leaf canopied two-hour drive with sweetheart Julio (dubbed el Presidente on this trip) brought us to this historic town that is centered around a trifector of ironies. The customs house, for the counting of the precious metals that were stolen from the El Dorados of Peru and Colombia to be shipped to Spain, the two forts that manned the Pacific coast and the ubiquitous Catholic church with a life-sized replica of a Black Jesus which is ornately paraded through the streets of Portobelo every October 21 to the deeply spiritual beats of African drums. At Casa Congo, the miscegenated children of African descendants from the Fundacion Bahia de Portobelo, showed us remnants of a rich culture in song and dance. We did not stay long on the Pacific side and returned to Casco Antiguo the following day to celebrate its 500-year founding, visiting churches and viewing new Panamanians in their ornate Montuno and Pollera attire, clear Spanish derivatives. Before the week ended, we were off to Parque Santa Ana to review food traditions with a cooking demonstration in El Chorrillo, a slum in Panamá, still reeling from an American invasion of 1989. Here, we also visited a popular milliner Mario, who carries on the tradition of the making Panamá hats, erroneously named, since the hats are actually Ecuadorian! We ended the day with a visit to the AfroAntillean Museum of Panamá.

Finally, on the weekend, we made it to the Panamá Canal. We had a tour and partial transit through the Panamá Canal with the boat guide making no mention of the workers who made the marvel possible, but that oversight was corrected at a gala dinner later that day recognizing the contributions of persons who came from all over the world to construct the Panamá Canal. Full circle. Special recognition was made to several persons who contributed to the building of Panamanian culture including Irving Saladino, the only Olympic gold medalist of Panamá. Thanks to mom for accompanying me on this weeklong expedition.

I must make mention of the eeriest part of the week for me and it was not crossing through the Panamá Canal where I envisioned the many West Indian workers at the Culebra Cut as they plowed through mountains by hand to join oceans, but it was walking around the intimate AfroAntillian museum and seeing artefacts of my youth. Symbols that make me West Indian, like the posey, the pressing comb and the coal pot and realizing that the symbols of my grandmother’s house bind me as much to my history as the stories of those who went before me, who took these implements with them on their journey and how they have become our artefacts, compassionately curated in a museum. If I’m being honest, this was my first experience of seeing myself in a museum. I saw people who looked like me with a history that I recognized with experiences that I could relate to. I needed to see this. I didn’t know it before, but I needed these groundings. It was my first realization that as a member of a diaspora, there are things that hold true to who I am, recognizable truths that when you leave home, you never leave your things behind. In some small way, you travel with them and they travel with you.

Panamá turn out to be the morale boost that I did not know that I needed but one that my spirit was greedily craving. I felt this because I cried when I left Panamá, tears of relief and joy. Somewhere along the way, along my way, I had lost my way and this, my first trip to Panamá, was a reminder of what resilience looks like… that no matter what the dream is or where it takes us, or how far away we are, we have things to fall back upon to remind us of who we are, why we do what we do and why we must never ever miss an opportunity to celebrate who we are. We never know what mountains we have to move today to make the world a better place for our future selves tomorrow.

The overall experience with Zulmy and Kim Kim went beyond my expectations. Zulmy was nice to work with via the internet, and the resulting trip was excellent and enjoyable. Your planning took all the worry and stress of traveling away so we could enjoy Panama to the fullest. Our driver, Roberto, and our 2 guides were excellent and fun to travel with. I will highly recommend KimKim to anyone wanting to organize a custom vacation experience like we had. Thank you !

Zulmy did a wonderful job for us. She understood our requests and provided good options. I think she did a great job.

We felt the length of the trip, the schedule, the accommodations, the personnel, etc. were all top notch. We knew essentially nothing about Panama before we went, so we weren't sure whether we were signing up for and engaging in things that would be meaningful or not. But, with Zulmy's help we together came up with a great itinerary that kept us happy and entertained and informed the entire time.

The only disappointment was that there were a couple of times where we were working together on-line and suddenly she would disappear for a few days. In the end the package she helped put together for us was excellent.