Maria Shephard

I usually plan all my travel by myself but was feeling a bit overwhelmed with figuring out where to go and what to do in Norway. Maria did a wonderful job tailoring the trip to our interests. We loved our kayak and hiking tour with Mads in Alesund. Kayaking in Geiranger was also a highlight. The accommodations were great and the distance between towns was perfect and allowed us to see breathtaking vistas but not have to drive all day. The entire trip went smoothly and we wouldn’t hesitate to use Kimkim again.

Maria, Fenne , David, Rufo from team kimkim put together an amazing oslo to Stavanger to ODDA to Bergen n then back to oslo,a trip of about 10days.
The whole trip was a mix of slow paced delightful fjord cruise, medium paced city tours and adrenaline oozing challenging treks. We enjoyed to our hearts content n departed hoping to come back again with the same company .Norway is like utopia,every inch is so beautiful n the local people even more beautiful n helpful.
Thank you again
Jessy and Vidya
With love from India

Activity Review

Guided Hike to Kjerag

Stavanger

Though it was amazing,I feel it is suicidal to jump on that boulder. Please please do some safety precautions before we lose some precious lives. The trek up n down is challenging enough. Such a heavenly place should not be traumatic.hope there has been no casauties so far but should we wait for one??God forbid.

Quality of Experience

All plans suited us

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very friendly n helpful

Transport

To plan our Norway trip we worked mostly with Maria (and some with Fenne), both of whom were very helpful in figuring out the best itinerary for us. We had a few things we wanted to do and they helped plan the rest of the trip around them. We had an amazing time in Norway. Most of our outdoor activities had fantastic weather. We also greatly appreciated our private airport transfers. The highlights of the trip were Bergen, Trolltunga hike, kayaking, fjord sauna, e-bikes, and seeing endless waterfalls.

Bergen:

We started in Bergen at the Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret. The hotel was nice, and in a great location to the city center. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Our room (and bathroom) was quite small, however, which made it tricky with larger suitcases. At the end of our trip we stayed here for one night and had a larger, upgraded room which would have been nicer to begin the trip with. The breakfast each morning was great, with a vast abundance of choices and options.

Since we needed to kill time before checking in, the cable car in Bergen was suggested. We enjoyed that since it was a clear sunny day. However, we did not know that there was a bus from the city center, so we ended up paying for an expensive taxi. We found the bus ride to the center back though.

Our city walking tour the next day was very informative about the history of the city. Our guide Kristina was excellent, whose suggestions on local eateries were great. The funicular up the mountainside to see other city views was fun, and there we were able to do a short trail walk around a pond, and say hello to the local wildlife.

We had a very unique dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant. The food was great, and adventurous for us, which was fun. Our we loved our waitress, and the stories the owner told us all during our time there. The restaurant was very cool and we are glad it was suggested.

The trip to Rosendal on the Hardangerfjord Express was nice. We did a small hike to Hattebergfossen which we enjoyed very much. Then we had some lunch and it was time to return on the ferry. It was a nice day trip.

Odda:

Our drive to Odda (via rental) was fantastic. Once we figured out the light rail in Bergen and found where to pick it up, we were able to use it to get to the airport and get our rental car. And it was much cheaper than doing a taxi. It was a hassle, but in the end worth it for the scenery while driving, and the ability to stop at any point. The weather and the views on the day of our drive were AMAZING. We had to take a car ferry with was so easy. We didn’t need to worry about tickets or paying, it was just billed as a toll to the rental car company and it was only 60-70 NOK. On the car ferry we met a local who suggested we “go left” after the ferry instead of right (which is what the GPS wanted us to do). Going right was all tunnels, he said, while going left was all fjords (but longer). Since we had a lot of time it was worth it!

The Trolltunga hotel was much nicer than we both expected. We expected it to be pretty rustic, but the room was VERY nice (I honestly liked it more than our previous hotel). We got a great view, and the breakfast also had lots of options (but not quite as many as at Clarion in Bergen). It was great. Since we were doing the hike to Trolltunga the next day, we both bought meal vouchers, which allowed us to make some sandwiches while at breakfast, and get a bottle of water, apple, and chocolate. I don’t find that the cost of the lunch voucher was worth it. We didn’t need a bottle of water, and we already had plenty of snacks. The ability to make a sandwich was nice, but there were not many options other than ham and cheese. We probably could have just made a couple sandwiches at breakfast even if we didn’t have the lunch voucher.

Our hike to trolltunga was GREAT. It was a challenging hike mostly in the sense of time and distance. The up-hill portions were not impossible. We saw lots of people under 15, and even lots of dogs. We had a small private group with a guide, Hanna. She was new but she was great. She kept a quick pace but allowed for many stops for rest, snacks, and water. We loved her. We had a great time doing this hike as it was on our bucket list for this trip. It did not disappoint. The views were out of this world.

Flåm:

From Odda we drove to Flåm, which also provided us with spectacular views and wild tunnels (including the world’s longest land tunnel!). Our hotel in Aurland (Hotel Aurlandfjord) was very nice, and the room was very nice too. Breakfast was great, with lots of options. It was nice staying outside of Flåm, but it was a bit of a hassle getting to and from the city. There are only a handful of busses going back and forth, so you don’t have a lot of options if you have things scheduled for specific times in Flam. Figuring out the busses was tricky. You definitely have to get to the bus stop early, and they can also be late. Sometimes the busses are big, sometimes they were small and we barely were able to get on with the other people waiting or already on there. We didn’t have any issues, but we saw people that did.

Kayaking in Flåm was a lot of fun, and the weather was great. After kayaking we did the private fjord sauna, which was AWESOME. This was GREAT. We are so glad we did it and so glad we booked a private one. This was a great way to unwind after a recent long hike.

E-bikes in Flåm was also a GREAT idea. It was our first time on them and we had so much fun conquering hills. We were able to see things we definitely would not have without the e-bikes. We explored a waterfall, (Brekkefossen), and rode along Flåmsdalsvegan taking pictures of waterfalls and mountains.

From Flåm we took the 5+ hour ferry back to Bergen, which was nice, but it was cloudy a bit dark most of the way so we didn’t get the weather we were hoping for.

Hotel Reviews

Aurland Fjordhotel

Aurland

Hotel Aurlandfjord was very nice, and the room was very nice too with a great view. Breakfast was great, with lots of hot and cold options. Dinners were set menus and generally very delicious, with very polite wait staff. It was nice staying outside of Flåm, but it was a bit of a hassle getting to and from the city. There are only a handful of busses going back and forth, so you don’t have a lot of options if you have things scheduled for specific times in Flåm. However, it was nice staying in a less tourist-congested area. There only a service elevator for luggage (not people). Our room had a small balcony, and no TV, which we enjoyed.

Authenticity & Character

Nestled in a smaller, quieter town than its neighboring Flåm, this hotel felt more immersed in the local culture, while still sitting just above the fjord with great views over the houses below.

Location

The town felt more authentic than the more touristy Flåm, but it mean needing transportation back and forth for activities.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The whole hotel (lobby, restaurant, room/bathroom) was spotless.

Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret

Bergen

The hotel was nice, and in a great location to the city center. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Our room (and bathroom) was quite small, however, which made it tricky with larger suitcases. At the end of our trip we stayed here for one night and had a larger, upgraded room which would have been nicer to begin the trip with. The breakfast each morning was great, with a vast abundance of choices and options.

Authenticity & Character

Location

right next to the Bryggen houses in the city center; easy to walk everywhere

Staff

Very polite and courteous, willing to assist with any needs or questions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Trolltunga Hotel

Odda

The Trolltunga hotel was much nicer than we both expected. We expected it to be pretty rustic, but the room was VERY nice (I honestly liked it more than our previous hotel). We got a great view, and the breakfast also has lots of hot and cold options. It was great. Since we were doing the hike to Trolltunga the next day, we both bought lunch vouchers, which allowed us to make some sandwiches while at breakfast, and get a bottle of water, apple, and chocolate.

Authenticity & Character

The furniture and decor was definitely appropriate for its location. It felt like just an extension of the surrounding nature while still having the comforts of a luxury hotel.

Location

quiet, great views, and just a short drive or bus ride to the Trolltunga starting point

Staff

Very friendly and accommodating to guests and patrons.

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean, well kept hotel and rooms. Everything was spotless.

Activity Reviews

Private Fjord Sauna experience

Norway

we did the private fjord sauna, which was AWESOME. This was GREAT. We are so glad we did it and so glad we booked a private one. This was a great way to unwind after a recent long hike.

Quality of Experience

The sauna was very luxurious inside and out.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rental Bikes in Flåm

Flåm

E-bikes in Flåm was also a GREAT idea. It was our first time on them and we had so much fun conquering hills. We were able to see things we definitely would not have without the e-bikes. We explored a waterfall, (Brekkefossen), and rode along Flåmsdalsvegan taking pictures of waterfalls and mountains.

Quality of Experience

the e-bikes are definitely a must for the hills!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Only takes 5 minutes to get a bike and head out. Super easy.

Summer Kayaking Tour

Flåm

This was a lot of fun. There are tandem kayaks with foot pedals for steering, which are way easier to maneuver the kayak. We saw waterfalls, goats, and heard stories and history of the area. Our guide Victor was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trolltunga Summer Hike

Norway

Absolutely incredible. It was a challenging hike mostly in the sense of time and distance. The up-hill portions were not impossible. We saw lots of people under 15, and even lots of dogs. We had a small private group with a guide, Hanna. She was new but she was great. She kept a quick pace but allowed for many stops for rest, snacks, and water. We loved her. We had a great time doing this hike as it was on our bucket list for this trip. It did not disappoint. The views were out of this world. There is paid parking at the Trolltunga starting point but it fills up FAST.

Quality of Experience

The challenge of a longer hike and having a small group and guide was fun. The views along the way and at the tongue were amazing. And the weather was absolutely perfect.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

our guide Hanna was so great, we loved her!

Transport

Ride the Ulriken Cable Car

Bergen

Great views when the weather is great, and plenty to explore at the top, including a zip line. If you have time to kill (before checking in to your hotel, for example) there is also a restaurant at the top which provides great views to the city below.

Quality of Experience

The weather!

My husband and I had an amazing holiday with Kim-Kim. Maria planned the trip very well, accommodating all our needs. All the last minute changes were well sorted out by Fenne and her team.
The best part of the trip was Balestrand, it's a very peaceful and beautiful town.
everything was well planned, just a few mornings we had to start early, missed breakfasts. All worth it.
Our guide at pulpit rock was really good, we had a super hike with lots of picturesque stops.
Our trip covered all the lovely places and good time to hike 3 beautiful places.
Thanks KimKim

We had a fabulous trip to Norway and it was in no small part due to using KimKim. The entire trip was very well planned out and every single activity, excursion and hotel was exceptional. BUT the biggest bonus was having a KimKim rep available to make any changes or answer questions during the trip. I can not understate how valuable this was for our entire trip. Through text with KimKim rep I was able to make changes to a few excursions due to weather. Response was quick and my requests were taken care very quickly. Excursion highlights were kayaking in Bergen and all of our fjord tours. The train to flam in unreal and dinner cruise and Cornelius restaurant were home runs. Whole trip was awesome!

Hotel Review

Hotel Christiania Teater

Oslo

Great hotel great location loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in city center

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslo private tour

Oslo

Bjorn is incredible guide

Quality of Experience

Y

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bergen: A Walk Through Past and Present

Bergen

Very informative

Quality of Experience

Y

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fjordcruise to Hardanger

Bergen

Unbelievable and do the hike to waterfall at hardanger

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Kayaktour Bergen

Bergen

One of the best activities of our trip - Lena is the best guide ever.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

The best dining experience ever

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fløibanen

Bergen

Fun and great views

Electric Dinner cruise on the Oslo Fjord

Oslo

Don’t miss great evening

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mostraumen Cruise

Bergen

Awesome cruise great views

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a phenomenal time on our trip! We had been talking about going to Norway for years, so we had incredibly high expectations, and thanks to Maria, our trip exceeded all of them. We saw so many places we never would have thought of on our own, so I highly recommend getting Kimkim to help plan your trip!

We were very pleased with the planning KimKim did for our trip through Norway. During the initial planning, Maria was extremely helpful and responsive. She put together an itinerary that covered many of the things that we sought to accomplish. Once the trip was established, Fenne became our more frequent client service contact. She was professional and helpful throughout.

Communications with Maria and Fenne were generally quickly answered, although there were one or two instances where we needed to follow-up to get a question answered. The documentation in the trip details was generally quite complete and helpful - although I think that an app would be a much better way for clients to organize and implement their travels and store all of the documents/tickets required.

A couple of suggestions for KimKim:
1) Build an app instead of relying on website itinerary - would be much more user friendly.
2) While all of the adventure companies we used during the trip were terrific, they often did not have our email addresses and therefore only could communicate with KimKim. This almost caused us to miss a briefing before the Trolltunga hike - as the company didn't inform/remind us about it and the details.
3) While KimKim didn't arrange a rental car for us, there were aspects of our trip that a local agent's perspective would have been beneficial (the itinerary told us to rent a car for the entire trip). As an example, we rented the car for the almost entire 12 days of our trip. However, we really didn't need the car for the first two days in Bergen (and it was a hassle) and, more importantly, we probably should have returned our car once we reached Stavanger where we stayed for three days and not only didn't need the car there because of all of the planned activities - but parking was expensive while the car sat there and the drive to Oslo from there was long and we would have done much better with the train.

Hope that these are helpful - we would definitely consider using KimKim again for a trip in the future.

Activity Reviews

Guided Kayaktour Bergen

Bergen

Really appreciated the kayak trip. The scenery was great and the trip leaders were terrific!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trolltunga Winter

Odda

Loved this hike and the guides/company were terrific! It was challenging and long, but so rewarding!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Preikestolen Hidden Trail and Canoeing

Stavanger

Preikestolen is a gorgeous outlook -- awesome. But, I can't imagine hiking there on the main trail because of the crowds of people (witness the large number of tour buses parked in the lot). This 'Hidden Trail' is spectacular and we didn't see anyone until just before arriving at Preikestolen - nor on the way down. It is a challenging hike (much harder than the main trail) and significantly longer (~9 miles vs 5). But truly worth it and our guides (Allen with Terry as an apprentice) were terrific.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip and Dinner at Cornelius Seafood Restaurant

Bergen

Surprisingly wonderful. We thought that this would be very touristy (and it is) but the boat ride to the restaurant is lovely and the food was delicious. It's quite expensive though.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Oslo private tour

Oslo

A great introduction to Oslo! Christine was terrific and extremely knowledgable about history, art, geography and politics. She was also quite flexible when we asked to make a quick visit to the Munch Museum part of the tour. Loved this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Christine was awesome!

All of our guides were very friendly, accommodating and went above and beyond in helping Paula Olsen, who had leg issues from breaking her leg 9 weeks ago. They went above and beyond for me also. Enjoyed all the excursions and enjoyed the lunches also. Amazing experiences that couldn’t have been Better!

Kimkim is a great resource.

Maria and team did an excellent job of organizing a variety of fun and unique activities across Norway, including experiences on land, sea and air. The highlight of our trip was the time we spent in the Lofoten Islands, one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen.

All the logistics were expertly organized and went without a hitch. When we asked to switch hotels in Bergen, it was swiftly adjusted.

A few of activities were too touristy/not good enough quality or too tightly scheduled for our taste, but that is bound to happen when you're traveling with a pre-set itinerary.

Overall, we were very pleased with all aspects of our trip and would definitely use kimkim again. We want to especially thank Fenne for her support day to day.