Jesus Martel

Jesus of Peruvian Soul helped us plan an unforgettable adventure. Visiting the Larco Museum with our guide Blanca was an excellent introduction to Inca and pre Inca civilizations that helped provide context to many of the archeological sites we saw in the sacred valley and Cusco.

Boris, ourRainforest expeditions guide, at the Tambopata reserve was excellent. He had so much knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area. We loved seeing the macaws at the clay lick . It was well worth the 4:30am wake up! While on a day hike we had the privilege of seeing howler, spider, cappuccino and squirrel monkeys, trumpeter birds, many different ants, giant and unique trees.

Our time in Machu Picchu was spectacular and enhanced many fold by our wonderful guide Danny. He had so much information on Inca civilization and was able to provide much needed context for us. He was patient and helpful as we hiked the short Inca trail for over 6 hours. Our day at the citadel was full of facts and anecdotes about the city. Our day biking and seeing the countryside as well as the salt mines was terrific.
Our guide jimmy made certain we were happy and safe.

Our last day we visited a llama & Alpaca farm with Danny, which I loved. We learned about alpaca wool and purchased some lovely things. Danny also took us to a place to have typical chiccerones for lunch.

It was a spectacular trip .

We had planned a trip to Peru but with just a few days until arrival, a state of emergency was declared in the country. At a moment's notice, Jesus and the KimKim team were able to get refunds and organize a whole new trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in just 3 days.

Despite the short notice, the trip they put together was incredible. Our guides, Kathy in particular, were knowledgeable, friendly, and punctual, and did an incredible job showing us the whole country. In Galapagos, every step was well organized and handled for us. The trip couldn't have been easier and less stressful for us - even though behind the scenes we had no time to plan.

I couldn't imagine trying to book this on my own and then needing to undo it and plan a new trip - it would've been impossible. Having Jesus and KimKim gave us the safety blanket we needed in planning and their plan made the trip so amazingly smooth - we couldn't be more grateful and hope to do it again!

Activity Review

Join a day hike to the The Rainbow Mountain

Cusco

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jesus was a good coordinator: responsive and easy to communicate with. In Lima, Johanna gave us a great gastronomic tour that was really an overall cultural tour. We enjoyed the food, the sights, and the company. Our Sacred Valley guide, Daniel (Danny), was excellent. He really knows a lot about the area. He was always on time, took us on some unplanned side trips that were so fun, and made everything easy and interesting. He was good with explaining our schedule and never left us wondering what was next. When we were just too tired, he changed gears and gave us some downtime. He was able to make the trip fun and still be professional and get us where we needed to be on time.

Hotel Review

Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción

Puerto Maldonado

Wow!!! Excellent food, friendly staff, comfortable accommodations with amazing jungle views and sounds.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Urban food tour at Lima Historical Center

Lima

Johanna did an excellent job and went beyond our expectations.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at the Skylodge, Via Ferrata & Zip Lining

Sacred Valley

Julio and Daniel were perfect guides. We had a blast!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Julio and Daniel best guides on the trail!

Transport

Wilbur - amazing driver!

First afternoon at Hacienda Concepcion

Peru

Beautiful everywhere, everything

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Moray Terraces

Peru

Don't miss this!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Daniel and Wilbur - perfect team

Transport

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Sacred Valley

Come hungry!!! Very good food!!!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wilbur - best driver

Machu Picchu Exploration

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Hard to describe how wonderful this was!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Train was fun

Ollantaytambo Village and Inca Site Exploration. Pinkulluna Hike

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Daniel and Wilbur made everything interesting, fun and safe

Transport

Sacsayhuaman & Cusco Guided Hike

Cusco

Daniel knows just everything about Cusco. He is happy to tell you about it, or he is happy to let you look on your own. Perfect guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jesus was good. We didn't actually have any interaction with him other than meeting him at the very end of the trip. Daniel was our rockstar. He hosted the brunt of the trip and was incredible. Knowledgable and kind.

Where to begin. I'll start with Jesus, since we spent almost two years planning the trip and Jesus worked with us throughout this entire process. It started before covid, then had to be postponed, and then planning had to start anew. Jesus worked with me the entire time. I can't tell you how many times, I changed the itinerary we wanted, the number of people who would be going, and the age of the people who were going. Each time Jesus modified and adjusted the itinerary to fit our wants and needs. When I wasn't sure about the cost, he helped us adjust our plans accordingly. When we changed dates, he helped us with the new planning. When the number of travelers kept changing, he adjusted the accommodations. When the age of the travelers changed, he adjusted the activities. When we wanted to add new ideas or change ideas, Jesus went along with the flow. He never, not once, said he couldn't get us what we wanted. It was amazing and unlike any other travel plans I'd ever made. And I travel a lot. When we finally got to Peru, we were met by Abraham right out of the airport, all our transportation and needs were met. When we went to Puerto Maldonado, we were met by Bastian who was our guide during the four days in the Amazon. Bastian was the friendliest, most knowledgeable, most helpful guide ever. He was an expert on all things 'Amazon'. He went out of his way to make sure we got the most out of our visit in the jungle making sure we could see as much of the local wildlife as possible. He told us all kinds of things about life in the jungle and the community of the people who live there. He had a great sense of humor and was a lot of fun to hang out with. He even trekked through the pouring rain to retrieve my sister's jacket she'd accidentally left behind at one of the sites we'd visited. Then we got to Cusco and we met our new guide, Julio. He was just as amazing as the previous ones. We traveled to Ollantaytambo and Urubamba. We did a beautiful hike and had a traditional Peruvian meal that was amazing. Unfortunately, the following day was when the majority of party got sick. This also coincided with the day we were traveling to Machu Picchu. If it hadn't been for the diligent efforts of Julio, half of us would have missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were seen by doctors, given an IV cocktail for each of us that was severely sick, and provided a modified tour of Machu Picchu. It was rough, but Julio did a lot of juggling so we could make this happen. Back in Cusco, many of us were feeling well enough to do a little sightseeing around the city, which was incredibly beautiful. Again, our guide, Julio was extremely knowledgeable of the area, and again, he and Jesus met all our requests. Even the occasional odd ones. My daughter and friend wanted Tarot Cards representative of the local region, Jesus went around the shops till he found some and directed them to where these could be purchased. He even offered to buy them and be reimbursed. There were so many little ways that the guides went out of their way to be accommodating, regardless of how obscure the request was. One request from two of our travelers was a spiritual-based excursion, and Jesus got this immediately scheduled. He set up a laundry service mid-way through our trip. I don't typically use travel agents. I prefer to book for myself; however, I can't begin to imagine trying to navigate this trip on our own. We'd never been to South America before and were not familiar at all with the region. Having these expert, friendly, helpful guides made all the difference in the world. It made everything so easy. As I said, I don't typically use travel agents; but given this experience, I will use this company in future travels. Thank you so much to Jesus, Bastian, Abraham, and Julio. You are all incredible!

Our guides were Jesus, Abraham, Bastian and Julio. They were all highly accomodating, incredibly friendly, very knowedgeable, so hardworking and immensely kind. I cannot praise them enough! I very much enjoyed meeting all them, their service made such a difference in our trip. It made being there considerbly less anxiety provoking, it's like have a friend nearby who can and did help us every step of the way. I will recommend KimKim to everyone!

Abraham who met us when we arrived in Lima was very helpful. He showed around Lima and answered all our questions and provided whatever we needed.

Bastien who took us to Inotawa Lodge was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the Amazon. Whenever you asked a question about a plant, animal he had the answer. He took really good care of our group.

Julio met us at Cusco was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable about the area and the Incas. His funny antidotes when telling a story which relates to the history of the region made it so much more interesting to following along.

I have never used a travel agent before so I was unsure about how to get everything started, plus with all the scams it made it a little nerve racking because of the amount of money your spending you don’t want to get ripped off. Jesus took charge and planed an outstanding trip!!! I had 6 places I wanted to see and it was planned so well that I was never not informed about the things we were doing or what was going to happen the next day. There was never a time that I was waiting on anyone or anything!!! Jesus did everything he said he would do and he always made sure the guest had everything they needed!!! If it’s your first time planning a trip or you would like to have a hassle free trip…. Call and ask for Jesus!!!

My wife and I took our two children (aged 11) for a month-long trip to Peru. Fortunately, I stopped trying to do things on my own and called kimkim who connected me to Jesus Martel. I told Jesus this was meant to be a trip of a lifetime for our kids and spent a lot of time planning with Jesus. In the end, this trip really exceeded our expectations! We wanted a good balance of archeological sites and fun activities. Jesus made great suggestions. Quite simply, we couldn't have planned such a great trip on our own. We always felt safe and had great guides who were very knowledgeable and always willing to accommodate our needs and preferences. We liked all of the hotels and I felt we got excellent value for money. Jesus was very professional and always checking in with us. Everything was taken care of; Jesus helped us with restaurant recommendations and reservations, internal air travel, he even arranged for me to see a tailor and I had a couple beautiful suits made. Working with local guides helped us feel connected to Peru and local people. We learned so much on this trip, but we also enjoyed our time together as a family; everything happened so seamlessly. We will definitely use kimkim again. My thanks to Jesus and all of our guides. I've traveled quite a bit in my life, but this was the best trip ever.

So much effort and attention to detail went into the creation of a perfect trip for us and our boys! Each guide was unique and all were knowledgeable, engaging, and talented. Thanks to Angel, Guido, and Johan for sharing their knowledge and passion with us!

My son and I had an amazing outdoor experience; we hope to return to Peru in the future to do more hiking!