Kimkim Trip Reviews for Peru

Planning and booking the trip was easy. KimKim connected us with a great tour provider, and always responded quickly to questions and requests.

It's rare to find a tour organizer really dedicated to creating a perfect experience, but that's the impression we had with Nicole and Haku. It's not the cheapest option, but hearing about others who had trekked with larger groups we are happy with our decision.

Our guide Josias was experienced, patient and a great companion for the 6 days. We stayed in comfortable lodges in epic locations, and really enjoyed the meal on the final night.

There were no hidden costs or surprises, and every detail was covered. This truly allowed us to enjoy one of the best hiking trails in the world.

I only received the one company as an option. Not sure if KimKim restricts the replies to the first company or if only the one company was interested in responding but it would have been good to get multiple companies to reply.

James was great to work with and was VERY fast to respond to questions and concerns.

We had a couple of minor hiccups with miscommunication causing delays but Diego always tried to make things right and waited in our hotel lobby to personally apologize. Other than that great service.

We just came back from a hiking trip to Macchu Picchu in Peru via the Salkantay route with HakuExpeditions wich we had booked via kimkim earlier this year. Our trekking along Salkantay as well as the visit to Macchu Picchu were just awesome. Nicole from Haku Expeditions was very flexible in setting up our itinerary and upon arrival in Cusco she organized a briefing with our trekking guides.

The guides were absolutely fantastic. Both were very friendly and helpful, and had tremendous knowledge about the trek, the culture and environment. We did not trek by tent but from cabin to cabin. The accommodations were basic and clean, typically for what I've expected on a trek like this (no unnecessary luxury - but a good bed and a good hot shower every day). The food was above expectations. The Peruvian cuisine at high altitude, on the beaten track, tasted so delicious that we hiked almost every day without even having to rely on our snacks during the hike in between the main meals, there was plenty of good food and great hospitality. Definitely a trip we would like to do over sometime.

I wish we could have kept the same guide throughout the entire experience. Our first guide, Reuben, saw us through the Choquequirao trek (which was fantastic) but we had a different guide for Machu Picchu and unfortunately he wasn't nearly as good. After several days on the trail with Reuben, we were very comfortable with him and his team, and it was jarring to switch to someone new on the last days of the trip.

Overall, booking with Bill and Nicole was great. Nicole was always in contact making sure we had what we needed (she even gave me advice on which restaurants were good, what to pack to deal with the constantly changing weather in Peru, etc). It put my mind at ease being able to have such an open dialogue with her up right up until the day we left for the trip. That is definitely not something you get when booking through a regular travel agent.

I have nothing but great things to say about Bill and Nicole. They were easy-going, helpful and always willing to answer our questions. As I mentioned previously, the open communication with them throughout the planning stages of this trip really helped us prepare properly for the trek. I felt like we experienced Peru from a 'locals' perspective rather than a 'tourists' perspective thanks to their tips and suggestions. I would have loved it if they could have accompanied our hiking guide, Reuben, when he met with us to conduct the 'briefing'... actually I would have loved it if they could have come with us on the hike itself! They are such good people and did a great job helping us plan this trip.

An amazing job by the entire Quechua Treks team. From all of James's work picking the trek. Then preparing for it, to Mayra's work leading us on the trip it was simply amazing. I plan to use Quechua for any future trips to South America. I consider them a tremendous resource to have access to and will suggest that any of my friends looking do something in South America contact them.

As mentioned earlier James's responsiveness was tremendous. He seemed to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No question went unanswered for long.

Nicole provided my friends and I with a vacation for the history books. First of all, the planning stage was a breeze. After mentioning a rough idea of what we wanted to hit in Peru, Nicole came back instantly with a draft itinerary. After some minor tweaks, it was set. In the weeks leading up to the trip, Nicole was only a quick Whatsapp away to answer all questions, and she would immediately respond. The trip was just as smooth. In Cusco to Ollantaytambo, our beautiful colonial Airbnb was comfortable and in a perfect location. Our English-speaking drivers and guides were on time and extremely nice. From exploring ruins, biking through the Andes, whipping ATVs, zip lining in the Sacred Valley, hiking to the top of Machu Picchu, among countless other adventures, the trip was effortless as Nicole thought of everything. She was just as responsive in Peru, ready to lend food and other suggestions at every turn. She even hooked us up with an amazing contact for our stay in Lima. I would recommend anyone looking for a genuine adventure to use her services.

Excellent planning! Amazing guides!

Very organized! Well planned

I have had the opportunity of planning travel with several established companies previously, ie Backroads, Vermont BicycleTours, Costa Rica Expeditions. The experience we had with Quechua Treks / Mayra was EXCEPTIONAL. She truly designed an itinerary specific for my family which was unique and certainly not the traditional Inca Trail/Machu Pichu visit. The opportunity to do the Lares Trek allowed us to see amazing countryside and visit with actual native folks. This was only possible because of Mayra's long history in this area and mastery of the Quechuan dialect. We did not see other tourists for 3 days! We found her crew (horsemen , cooks) to be professional, friendly and very punctual. The specialty guides arranged for us were very knowledgeable, truly bilingual and obviously proud to show us their country, not just going through the motions. This trip involved multiple lodging and transportation connections which all took place seamlessly. Accommodations were described accurately and there were no unexpected "surprises" either in quality of lodging, food or additional expenses. Most importantly Mayra was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and flexible with our desires. She is genuine and professional and an outstanding representative for KIMKIM.

The Peru trip was amazing! It beat expectations and was a marvel on so many levels. Our guide, Aldo, was a huge bonus as he was an amazing person to spend two weeks with escorting us through his magical country.

The service provided was the best I have ever encountered. I highly recommend using the kimkim service in Peru and particularly Mayra and James MacKender.

Mayra was terrific to work with. She was very responsive during a very difficult time in Peru. A strike in the Sacred Valley was announced for the same time I had booked a tour with kimkim. Mayra showed empathy and concern and worked with me to plan alternate contingencies and to keep me updated on the latest news. I heard from her from late at night to early in the morning. She stayed with me as things changed and I felt like she really cared about me and my trip. She made it happen, and our tour was completed and we arrived at Machu Picchu on time. She followed up afterward to make sure everything was okay.

Nicole was excellent at organizing our trip. It was great to talk to a real person on the ground in Peru when I was booking from Australia. At first, our trip seemed expensive but now in hind sight considering everything it included and in comparison to other travelers we met along the way our trip was excellent value for money. Every aspect of our trip was organized we didn't have to worry about a thing. Our guide Josias was absolutely fantastic and really made the trip special. He spoke fluent English and helped us translate along the way and told us fantastic history and facts about the region. The food and accommodation were excellent. After a hard day walking it was great to come home to a real warm bed. I am a coeliac and catering along the way was fantastic! We couldn't have had a better trip. We are so happy we chose to book with KimKim.

Nicole looked after all of our needs. She was very patient and always helpful. She helped us booked our salkantay trek and gave me information about other trips and options available.

Thank you Nichole and William, the guide Javier and our driver Marco were excellent. They were first and foremost good people, they were attentive, and knowledgeable about the people places and culture that we were exploring. We came expecting a trip from place to place with explanations and guidance, and instead were treated as friends being welcomed into a family home. They stopped every time we seemed interested in a landmark or even a beautiful field of Quinoa that we wanted to photograph for memories. They showed us a wonderful part of Peru, and we are grateful for their time and effort.

You chose your people well, they made this excursion perfect.

Everything was well organized and explained in the itinerary

They checked in in the trip when I was there and ensured everything went as planned

Steve was good at arranging the trip, dropping off the Tourist Tickets at our hotel the day before our tour, and finding us a good guide. Our guide, Aldo was just great. He was flexible and agreed to take us to Pisac earlier than planned, so we could see it while fresh. When a portion of the Pisac Inca site was inaccessible, he found a way for us to see the site by entering at a different place. No, he didn't break any laws doing so. It was a beautiful day, so he arranged for us to walk down a path, through the Inca site to meet our driver in the town of Pisac. When we expressed an interest in Andean condors, he took us to a wildlife rehab center where we could see these impressive birds close up and also watch them take off and fly.