David Roa Martín

This trip, thanks to the planning and recommendations from our KimKim coordinator David, exceeded all expectations. I traveled with close friends to several cities in Colombia. Though we have all traveled together before, we weren't as familiar with the highlights in the country and were grateful for a (few) draft itinerary from David, who helped us plan the trip of our dreams. Every activity and guide were incredible, with unexpected additions. For example, we signed up for a rum tour in Cartagena, and received a personalized experience with a wonderful guide Cami, who was an expert in rum, and the extra perk that it included chocolate pairings, with chocolate made in house. Other wonderful guides included Sarah, who showed us around the central market in Bogota and shared the bountiful fruits of Colombia with us; Jorge, who spent much of Cartagena with us, going above and beyond to help us understand the vibrant city on foot and by bike; and Gloria, who demonstrated our cooking class and gave us the best meal of the whole trip. We left with a rich knowledge of the country and a thirst to learn more about the history and the language. We will absolutely be recommending KimKim to friends and family!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Don Pedro De Heredia

Cartagena de Indias

This beautiful hotel was perfect for our multi-night stay in Cartagena. We visited the pool everyday, to escape the heat, and the rooftop everynight, to unwind before bed and recount our packed days of exploring. The complimentary breakfast always provided hot coffee and the fuel we needed for our travel.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful floorplan overlooking the pool

Location

Nearby the night life of Cartagena with a great view of the streets and cathedrals from the roof

Staff

Lovely staff who helped give us dinner recommendations

Cleanliness & Comfort

The AC broke in both rooms we had but the staff was quick to fix it. A broken window also caused us some discomfort, as a mosquito gave us a visit in our room one night.

Hotel Islabela

Such a great experience and way to see the Rosario Islands. Staff was very kind and attentive. On site animals entertained us, including island dogs, cats, and chickens. All of the outings were worth the added expenses.

Authenticity & Character

Wish I could give more than 5 stars for character!

Location

Staff

Thank you to David and Chris for all of your help and for welcoming us!

Cleanliness & Comfort

It was hard getting used to the lack of AC in the bungalows but the fans helped alot. The outdoor showers were so beautiful and the staff worked hard to keep the common areas (beachside and dining area) clean.

Activity Reviews

Cartagena Bike Tour

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fruits of Colombia Food Tour + Gourmet Coffee Tasting

Bogotá

Our guide Sarah made this one of the most special tours we went on! The fruits were all so fresh and we carried her wise words home with us. We also loved the coffee tasting, we learned so much from the lovely staff at the cafe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cartagena Street Food Tour

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Chocolate & Rum Tasting

Cartagena

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Market Visit & Cooking Class

Cartagena

This was such an incredible experience! It was great to pick out our ingredients and learn how to make some classic Colombia staples (patacones, ceviche, coconut rice, juice). Gloria was an amazing chef and teacher

Quality of Experience

Food

Best of the trip!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Colombia, which included Medellin, Popayan, San Austin, and Bogota, was great! We had never used a tour company before and were very happy with our experience! David, the contact with Chaska tours, the local company, helped up plan a trip that we wanted that included urban experiences, countryside experiences, and exposure to the culture and people of Colombia. We also had an opportunity to practice our Spanish, as we requested, with guides who were also competent in English for those times when we needed to make the switch. David and other staff were accessible to us via WhatsApp throughout the trip and were responsive, helpful, understanding, and quick to address any concerns that we had. We had, on the whole, excellent tour guides, and the availability and skill of the drivers made the whole experience feel secure and predictable. We are already thinking about what our next KimKim trip will be and we 100% recommend KimKim.

David and the team made our "Adventure Honeymoon" so special! David was so helpful and responsive, from breakfast suggestions to helping us manage a last minute change in our schedules. We felt like we had a friend helping us along the way, ready to step in if we needed help. We had a magical time with our guide in Bogota, who even arranged for vegetarian-friendly options on our bike/walking tour. We had never worked with kimkim before but will certainly come back for more. Thanks for everything David!

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Kartaxa Cartagena

Cartagena

Super beautiful hotel in the heart of Cartagena. We loved the courtyard, breakfast, and rooftop view!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Senda Koguiwa

Santa Marta

Beautiful location, friendly staff, very relaxing place to hang for a few days :)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Isla Mucura

Isla Mucura

Beautiful location and friendly staff! We loved that the rooms had AC and had a great time snorkeling and on the jellyfish tour. Took off one star for two reasons: 1) it was difficult to schedule snorkeling and other tours (but we really enjoyed them once we were scheduled!) and 2) we got food poisoning (probably from the buffet). Overall though I'd still recommend this spot -- especially if you're traveling with kids!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Biking in Bogotá

Bogotá

We love bikes and bike tours so this was a perfect way to kick off our time in Colombia. Our local guide (she was amazing!) and her colleague (who had biked all over Colombia!) took us all around town, sharing Bogota with us. Really an unforgettable experience learning about the local art, history, and food. Thank you for making this day so special!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

David was responsive and helped us craft a tour that was personalized for our interests. The trip offered excellent variation.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Casa Deco

Bogotá

The hotel is in a nice location. The rooms are attractive. The hotel is small so you feel more welcome and cared for as compared to large hotels. The problem was that the room faced a busy street. So, I was kept awake by roaring motorcycles, cars honking, people talking on the street... This particularly affects me because I am a light sleeper.

Waira Suites

Leticia

The Leticia hotel was nice. The food was good. We were only in the hotel one night and we left early in the morning so it is hard to say much about it. The Puerto Narino hotel was excellent. The breakfast was good. The location was good. The staff were friendly.

Hotel Akuamarina

Santa Marta

The room was fine. The breakfast was good. The location was a little ways away from the tourist area but it we could comfortably walk to the area. The location seemed like it was not entirely safe but that may just have been our imagination. The hotel does not look like much from the street. Nonetheless, there were no issues whatsoever.

Quetzal Dorado Ecolodge

Zaino

An absolutely beautiful hotel. The main area had a fabulous view. The rooms were gorgeous - totally unique from anything we have ever been to. The food was excellent.

Waira Selva Hotel

Puerto Narino

See the comments with the Waira Suites in Leticia.

Hotel Don Pedro De Heredia

Cartagena de Indias

The hotel has character. Our room was quiet but our friends were in a room that faced the street. The noise kept them awake. The staff were friendly and helpful. We did not eat breakfast at the hotel because our boat tour started too early. The breakfast they packed for us was good.

Activity Reviews

Fruits of Colombia Food Tour

Bogotá

Fabulous guide. She was informative, friendly, and helpful. We were surprised that there was so much to learn about the fruits (e.g., their benefits).

Bogota's Essentials (City Tour & Monserrate)

Bogotá

The guide was superb. She was informative, friendly, and helpful.

Leticia & Puerto Nariño (4 Days/3 Nights)

Leticia and Puerto Nariño

Being in the Amazon was an experience of a lifetime. Our guide was incredible.

Cartagena Bike Tour

Cartagena

Our friends went on this and said that it was excellent.

Walking tour in Cartagena's Historic Center

Cartagena

Our guide was very knowledgeable.

Rosario Islands Day Trip

Cartagena

Our friends went on this and had an excellent experience and said that the island was beautiful. My wife had food poisoning (likely from food eaten on the walking tour). So, we did not go on the tour.

Cartagena Street Food Tour

Cartagena

The food was tasty. The guide was knowledgeable. We were a little nervous about whether all of the street food was safe to eat or not. Nonetheless, there were no issues.

We had such a wonderful trip to Colombia thanks to David and his team. We stayed 2 nights each in Bogota, Salento, Tayrona, and Medellin. We loved the diversity in experiences from cities and cultural tours to beaches, forests, and mountains. Overall, the service was great at all hotels. We always felt safe and really appreciated that there was always a driver waiting for us during airport transfers. The only thing we would change, if possible, would be to decrease the number of flights - have direct flights instead of connections. We've written about a few highlights of the trip below:

Bogota: 1) Fabiola greeted us warmly at the airport and showed us around the highlights in the city. In addition to the various tours she guided us on, she helped me get set up with a Colombian sim card. We enjoyed learning about the city from her and also practicing our Spanish with her. 2) Highly recommend the fruit tour. The guide, Maria, is exceptionally knowledgeable about everything in the market. We loved her passion for biodiversity and our immersive experience learning about the different species of fruits. 3) We enjoyed the hike in Chingaza for beautiful plants, flowers, and landscapes, It was very muddy and rainy, which was actually a fun challenge for us!

Salento: We loved our hotel. The views were beautiful and the food was delicious. Our tour guide, Carlos, gave us a wonderful tour of the Cocora Valley, pointing out many birds and giving explanations of the plants. He showed us his family's work-in-progress DIY infusion cafe and created a delicious tea for us with herbs grown in the garden.

Tayrona: Hotel had amazing food and we enjoyed hanging out by the pool after hiking in Tayrona Park. We were happy to pick mangos from the hotel garden and eat them for dessert.

Medellin: Sebastian led us on a wonderful "transformation" tour of Medellin. We learned so much from him on the history and culture of Medellin. Highly recommend him as a guide for anyone visiting Medellin.

Activity Reviews

Fruits of Colombia Food Tour

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Big Bogotá City Tour

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike in Chingaza National Park

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Salento & the Cocora Valley

Salento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Farm Tour in Finca El Ocaso

Salento

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour Peñol & Guatapé

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Medellín Transformation Tour

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

David was very responsive and helpful. There were some minor glitches, but David did his best to do service recovery and make things right.

Francisco in Villa de Leyva was incredibly knowledgeable in multiple fields.
Daniel in Medellin was very engaging and went out of his way to help us. The driver in Medellin (we never got her name) was also lovely and lively.
Guillermo in park Tryona was also terrific.

Hotel Reviews

GHL Capital

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

Location

Airport hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

BH La Quinta

Bogotá

Authenticity & Character

Location

I’m

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Quinta Ladera

Medellin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel y Spa Getsemani

Villa de Leyva

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Canabal Hotel Boutique

Cartagena de Indias

Problems with hot water but staff was accommodating as best they could

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fruits of Colombia Food Tour

Bogotá

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira

Colombia

Quality of Experience

I’m

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour of Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Daytrip: Silletera Culture in Santa Elena & La Piedra de Guatapé

Medellín

Great experience with the flower grower

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Ráquira pottery town & La Candelaria Monastery

Villa de Leyva

Never made trip due to time

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Medellín Transformation Tour

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to Minca: Coffee, mountains and waterfalls in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Santa Fé de Antioquia – Hidden Colonial Treasure

Medellín

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boquilla Mangrove Tour

Cartagena

Could have skipped entire day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I gave this Five Stars. It could have been 10 Stars. First, I had a great experience with lining up a trip that suited MY needs. The service was patient with me, always adapting to what I wanted to do and never pushing me.

Second, once I arrived in Colombia, David (tour coordinator) kept in constant contact with me. this was most appreciated.

And finally, I had a real Passport problem that necessitated a major change in my itinerary. this could have been a real issue. But David got right on it and things were worked out and I went right on with my tour.

I would highly recommend KimKim to anyone. Very professional.

The trip plan David developed for us involved travelling through three diferent parts of the country, Tayrona National Park, the Guajira and the Orinoco, and gave us an idea of Colombia's amazing cultural diversity and natural beauty, just as we had hoped. We have both fallen in love with the country and are very much wanting to go back. It's difficult to say what were the highlights of the trip, as the thing we appreciated most was the possibility to travel, stay and eat with local people, and getting an insight, even if only for a few days, into their way of life. Tayrona was the most familiar in feel as we have travelled in rainforests and stayed in eco-lodges before so it was a good place to begin. You feel as if you are in the clouds slightly above the treeline, and we counted a dozen different bird species just from our bedroom window. We could have gone into the nature reserve nearby but instead walked by ourselves along the road to the coast to orient ouselves. The reward was a blissful view of the Caribbean at Los Cocos in unspoiled natural glory - the forst reaching into the sand, a couple of local families playing football, a dog running freely in the sunset. At Los Naranjos nearby there is a botanical garden with the most beautiful trees.

The food and cocktails at Tayrona kept up the holiday feel but nothing could have prepared us for what happened next, which was when the real adventure began. We were driven to Riohacha which has an amazing frontier city feel - which is indeed the case, as after this comes the desert. Before dawn the next day we were picked up from the hotel by Paola, the leader of the local company who took care of us for the next few days, by Leiner, our guide, and by Oder, the driver, who himself is Wayuu. We could not have felt more welcome and also in safer hands. This is important as it has to be stressed that this is not country in which you can casually venture on your own. It is a place where it is necessary to respect the local people who live here. It is also difficult country, beautiful but inhospitable, and it needs intimate knowledge to get around. Oder the driver was also vital as it is very rough territory for even a 4-wheel drive. He was brilliant, keeping us steady whatever the ground, and taking time so we never felt remotely in danger. Leiner was a terrific guide: knowlegeable, friendly, fluent in English and possessing fantastic people skills. We enjoyed stunning views of windswept landscapes with sparse vegetation but amazing birdlife including Red Cardinals, eagles, vultures and hawks. The sea is everywhere. Attending a local sea turtle conservation project and learning about the way solar technology is used to produce drinking water in this parched land was an inspiring example of grassroot -level community renewal: small scale, local and democratic.
After a quick stopover in Bogota we prepared for a flight to Puerto Carreno, and transferred to 4x4 to reach the Orinoco river. The first sight of the river (the second biggest in the world) was truly unforgettable. Under the guidance of Rosevelt our extremely practical and competent guide, and two lovely travel companions, we spend the next few days travelling down the Orinoco by boat, staying at Tuparro biosphere reserve, Sarrapia, and El Remanso in the Mavecure. There is something unusually lovely about the Orinoco river: the abundance of flora and fauna, the geology with its striking rock formations, and the rapids described by Alexander von Humboldt as the eighth wonder of the world. But the most important thing for us was understanding the river as the lifeblood of so many different communities; connecting different places, providing water and food, as well as identity and belonging. While we felt our lack of Spanish imposed limitations on the way we interacted with people we nevertheless learned so much about the ways in which indigenous communities in the region are connecting traditional ecological knowledge to solutions to the contemporary environmental crisis while protecting their cultural heritage. And, as we discovered while watching the World Cup finals in El Remanso, the language of football really is universal. While tourism can be a highly ambiguous phenomenon (something of which people locally are very much aware), you feel that communities here are managing to get the balance right, and have created infrastructure that allows people to see the astonishing natural abundance of the region, and learn about its cultural diversity, without doing damages or changing its character. Let's hope it stays this way.

Hotel Review

Quetzal Dorado Ecolodge

Zaino

What a lovely spot! The view from the central terrace opens out over the valley, the river and the mountains in the distance and is almost impossibly beautiful. We particularly appreciated the emphasis on sustainability. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the atmosphere relaxed. Special compliments to the kitchen staff for the very tasty food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Streams and mountains in Tuparro National Park

Puerto Carreño

In terms of sheer natural beauty, this is one of the most astonishing places we have ever visited, with every changing vistas and a final view of the Orinoco rapids. Edgar, the guide who took us op the mountain was incredibly friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the area and its flora and fauna.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trip to Cabo de La Vela & Punta Gallinas 3 days - 2 nights

Colombia

This was an astonishing and beautiful experience, made possible by Leiner our amazing guide and Oder who drove us so safely. At the heart of it is an encounter with the Waiyuu people. The natural landscapes are incredible, topped only by seeing the turtle project explained at the Punta Gallinas community centre. We watched pelicans at sunset but we most enjoyed learning from our guides.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I would put ten stars here if possible.

Transport

Hiking to Cerros de Mavecure

Inírida

The Mavecure may be the most beautiful place we have ever seen. The hike is incredible we are told but forgive us as we chose instead to watch the world cup final with the local community. This was unforgettable.

Quality of Experience

Food

River fish.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rosevelt is just so capable. He looks after you without saying a thing.

Transport

The boats. Never travel by car ever again.