Nicholas Cino

We could not be happier with the service we received. From the start, Nicholas was attentive and communicative, providing valuable feedback as we built our itinerary. We had lots of ideas of what we wanted to do, and he helped us organize them in such a way that maximized both our experiences and our time, while offering suggestions that complimented our goals. Where we had pre-booked travel and experiences, Nicholas seamlessly integrated them into our itinerary. And for the bookings we made with him, where possible, upgrades were offered that significantly enhanced our trip. Our itinerary was clearly presented, with the names and phone numbers of our guides to facilitate our communication. Moreover, the support we received from Nicholas while in Peru was immediate and effective.

Our guides, Nancy, Cesar, and Antonio, were always timely, always engaging, and they were all empowered to help us refine our itinerary further, based upon their own knowledge and experience, and our requests. That level of care and commitment was a true showing of their interest in us, and of their personal pride, both in their roles as guides, and as representatives of their respective cities. Our drivers were personable and safe, as well.

In sum, KimKim was a phenomenal resource to help us put together a memorable Peru experience!

Hotel Reviews

Palacio Manco Capac by Ananay

Cusco

A historic hotel situated twenty minutes (by foot) from the historic center of Cusco. Our room was very nice and comfortable, however, wifi was extremely poor in the room. It was stronger elsewhere in the hotel. We did not have enough time to make use of the restaurant for any meals, yet, the hotel did put together breakfast boxes for our early morning departure, and they were amply sufficient.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is in a historic building, and care has been given to maintain that authenticity.

Location

Situated at the top of the hill, views from the hotel are amazing! The walk (downhill) to the historic center of Cusco is easy. The walk back (uphill) to the hotel is a bit tougher!

Staff

All the staff we interacted with were friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room was clean and cozy. The only complaint was the wifi - which hardly worked in our room. The signal was better elsewhere in the hotel.

Colca Lodge

Cercado, Yanque

This is a popular hotel in the Colca Canyon. We booked it particularly for the hot springs and the spa, both of which were nice, the hot springs more so than the spa. The restaurant is very good, serving a full breakfast and offering local dishes for dinner. The staff were welcoming and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

The location of the hotel is its chief selling point. While comfortable, the rooms are not particularly memorable.

Location

Situated right next to the river, the hotel is scenic. The hot springs are also situated close to the river, which makes a dramatic backdrop for your time there. You are far away from any other property or facility, though.

Staff

Everyone we interacted with was friendly and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and cozy!

Activity Reviews

Welcome to Peru and Lima

Peru

We were able to find our guide easily, and he helped us with our transfer to our hotel. Along the way, he shared some thoughts about Lima, and its surrounding neighborhoods, all of which were useful. He pointed out various places of interest, and restaurant types that we could consider. He also gave us tips on how our process would go when we returned to Lima airport, to transfer from our domestic flight to our international flight, as we would be doing that on our own.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide and driver were both great. They were on time, easy to find, and helpful.

Transport

Lima traffic can be pretty intense, Our driver handled it with ease!

Must sees in Lima

Lima

Our guide, Nancy, was awesome! She was punctual, friendly and engaging. More to the point, she figured out very quickly what we wanted to see and experience, and how we wanted to go about doing it. As such, she made on-the-fly adjustments that had us walking through the neighborhoods instead of driving through them, while also showing us to more off-the-path sites and sights, that were better aligned with our interests.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Nancy did a great job of guiding us, and of hosting us. She was adaptive to our requests and to our general method of exploration, ditching our transport for more of a walking tour, with the points of interest and experiences more in line with our personal preferences, as opposed to a set menu of sights.

Transport

We didn't spend much time in the car, but our ride and our driver were both nice!

Sacsayhuaman & Cusco Guided Hike

Cusco

Our guide, Cesar, was also amazing! He was enthusiastic and eager to share his knowledge and affinity for Cusco with us. Cusco and its surroundings are historic, beautiful, and widespread. Cesar helped us maximize our time and our experiences by adjusting our itinerary ever so slightly, enabling us to see and do more than what we had planed. His recommendations for restaurants were on point.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, Cesar was awesome. We appreciated the time he dedicated to us, and his suggestions that had us see and do more than what we had planned. He was super willing to take photos of and for us, which was great.

Transport

Wilmer did a super job of driving us around. He was polite and friendly, and a competent and safe driver.

Viacha Community Experience & Pisaq Archaeological Site

Peru

We wanted to get our hands dirty with the local community, and this experience got us to do just that. From working with textiles to digging up crops, to dancing and sharing a lunch, this was an immersive, personal experience that was really impactful. Pisac is a large archeological site, and it would take more than a day to explore it all. However, our specific hike was tailed to our wants, and we spent a few hours on a 4km trail that got us to incredible vistas and historic sites that were well explained by our guide.

Quality of Experience

This was an impactful experience. Our guide was an able translator for us, but there wasn't much that needed to be spoken, rather, the engagement was in action. We worked with textiles. We worked with farming equipment. We shared a lunch. We danced together. If that's your thing, this is a great experience. Pisac is more of a hike, which is what we wanted, and our guide did a great job of explaining the historic significance of the site.

Food

Our lunch was very good! Sourced locally it was a tasty showcase of the community.

Ollantaytambo Village and Inca Site Exploration. Pinkulluna Hike

Peru

Olly (for short) is a small town that offers up a lot of sights and experiences. Situated about halfway between Cusco and Machu Picchu, and a stop on the railway between the two, it is easily accessible. There are serval Inca sights to see, and I appreciated getting to ones that were on and off the main tourist circuit. The town itself is very scenic, with a lively marketplace and historic center.

Quality of Experience

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Sacred Valley

The cooking method, and explanation, are good experiences. And the lunch that follows is very good! This is a more commercial enterprise and less personal than I would have preferred. There was a missed opportunity for this to be more inclusive with a tour of the farm (not just the distillery and beanery that were targeted for sales) and to have more interactions with the staff.

Quality of Experience

More commercial than interpersonal. Some missed opportunities for this to be a more engaging and fulfilling experience.

Food

Lunch is really good!

Maras Salt Ponds

Sacred Valley

The salt ponds are a wondrous sight. The scale of the development is impressive, and the photography opportunities here are vast, with different colors and elevations to point your camera at. However, that's all this is - a view of some salt ponds.

Quality of Experience

The scale of this place is impressive, and you have an opportunity to point your camera at a stunning backdrop of colors and elevations and textures.

Moray Terraces

Peru

Like the salt ponds, this is a limited experience. The history of the place is fascinating, and the photography opportunities are good (albeit less so here than at the salt ponds). If you are already in the Sacred Valley, this is a worthwhile stop. But if you are only in Cusco, I wouldn't make the trek to visit these exclusively.

Quality of Experience

A historic Inca ruin with some interesting history, and a cool photo stop. But not much more.

From {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} via Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Peru

The National Reserve is vast, and unspeakably beautiful. I would say the same of the Sacred Valley as well, but the landscapes here are totally distinct, with different wildlife and vegetation. You can take photos and videos endlessly here, and still fail to capture the magnitude of the area. If you're driving from Arequipa to the Colca Canyon this is a super worthwhile route to take.

Quality of Experience

Truly a wondrous landscape to drive through and make photo stops in. You can't venture far off the road as it is a protected area, but being able to make frequent stops and just "take it all in" is very cool.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Antonio, clearly loves this place, and he was eager to point out various wildlife and vegetation unique to the park. Also, he knew the best photo stops, yet was more than willing to accommodate our own requests to make stops to take in the sights.

Transport

Our driver, Gonzalo, was awesome. The road through the park is a two-lane highway, chock full of cars and buses and trucks. He navigated both the road and the traffic supremely well, and didn't get frustrated when we made stops, or asked for them.

Hike to Chimpa Fortress

Colca Canyon

Getting to the starting point for the hike is an adventure in and of itself. It is in the middle of nowhere, in what's already the middle of nowhere! The hike itself is relatively short, but it is steep. If going in the midday sun, bring a lot of water - and trekking poles, though not strictly necessary, are helpful. The fortress itself isn't much, but the viewpoints from it, are spectacular and worth the effort to get to, both in the drive there, and the hike.

Quality of Experience

A great hike to a great viewpoint. The fortress itself is a bit "meh" but that is a small component of a much larger experience.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As usual, Antonio and Gonzalo did an amazing job of navigating the roads, and sharing the history and significance of the fortress, while also enduring the hike with us!

Classic Gastronomy Tour - Arequipa

Arequipa

We had spent several days with our guide, Antonio, already, so he was familiar with our travel style, and our preferences for food and drink. As such, he was able to curate a food tour that was particularly aligned with our tastes (quite literally). We had a great time eating our way around Arequipa, combined with a nice walking tour of the city, and Antonio's lecture points.

Quality of Experience

Our guide made great choices on which places to visit and when. All of our eats were tasty local favorites, representative of the city and region.

Food

We are really well; local dishes in neighborhood cafes and restaurants that were not part of the main tourist circuit.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Antonio was great, setting up a walking and food tour that was on point.

My group had an outstanding trip to Peru. From our pick up in Lima to our drop off on our final day, everything was taken care. All of our drivers and guides were incredible and made our trip feel fun and special. We did a food tour in Lima and then flew to the sacred valley, where we hiked and visited a number of Incan sites, including Macchu Picchu, and we ended our trip in Paracas, where we relaxed, took a boat trip to the ballestas, visited the nazca lines, and did sand boarding. The customized experience allowed us to get a perfect mix of experiences for our group in the most fun and comfortable way. I would definitely recommend Kim Kim to anyone looking to book an incredible vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Innside Lima Miraflores by Melia Hotels International

Miraflores

Awesome boutique hotel in Lima

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Taypikala Deluxe Valle Sagrado

Urubamba

The room was lovely and clean, but the experience at this hotel was strange. They wouldn’t give my husband and I each a key card for the room because they ran out of keys, but we both wanted to come in and out of the room at different times. We had terrible service at the restaurant (for example they brought out the wrong order for me and didn’t bother to correct it after I mentioned that the order was wrong, and service was slow), and the food wasn’t very good. They also put the wrong charges on our room and it took a while to correct. I also found the vibe strange - it felt like a hunting lodge meets wellness retreat.

La Hacienda Bahía Paracas

Paracas

Great hotel - amazing room, staff/service, and location.. The pool is beautiful, the hotel offers free kayaks/paddleboards, and there’s a free museum on site. Great food at the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Soft hike from Pachar to Ollantaytambo

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking food tour at Barranco

Lima

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at Unu

Sacred Valley

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On route stops at Maras & Moray

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Machu Picchu (Short Trail)

Peru

Sandboarding at Paracas Desert

Paracas

Arrival to Lima and journey to Paracas

Peru

Paracas National Reserve Cliff-top Viewpoints Afternoon

Paracas

Andean Ceremony at Viacha Community & Hike Downhill to Pisac

Peru

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Sacred Valley

Machu Picchu Exploration

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Ballestas Islands from a private hotel pier

Paracas

We used kimkim because we didn't have a ton of time to plan the logistics of hoping so over Peru ourselves. So glad we did! Nicholas included little gems like visiting the Amaru Community that we never would've found ourselves. And when we had an issue with missing a connecting flight, the team was with us every step in figuring out Plan B. Best of all, every guide we had--especially Guido for Machu Picchu--was top notch. The guides were local, very knowledgeable, and willing to share cultural explanations and advice. I would definitely use kimkim to book another trip.

Activity Reviews

On route stops at Maras & Moray

Peru

So different than anything I've experienced.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking food tour at Barranco

Lima

Loved the stops and the food. Found myself seeking out the fruits from the first stop and lucuma from the ice cream through the whole rest of our trip. Wish we had learned more about the neighborhood history on the tour. We learned some, but I wouldn't mind more. The pace was also a little rushed. Felt like we were scrambling to keep eating

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pachamanca: Traditional Andean Underground Cooking

Sacred Valley

Really enjoyed learning about this style of cooking and helping to do it. The coffee and distillery were neat add-ons while we waited for the food to cook.

Quality of Experience

Food

The lamb and pork were really dry. Not sure if it was supposed to be that way or if they should've used larger cuts of meat. More carrots and fava beans wouldn't hurt. Loved everything else though, especially the chicken, salad, sauces, and beverages. Overall, it was about the experience, so I didn't mind the dry meat, but the dry pork/lamb was the only thing that wasn't perfect.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Andean Ceremony at Viacha Community & Hike Downhill to Pisac

Peru

We did Amaru Community. Neat experience and exposure.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lunch at Unu

Sacred Valley

A great introduction to the Andes and a good time for a rest.

Hike to Machu Picchu (Short Trail)

Peru

Just incredible. Kind of wish I'd allotted time for more hiking.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guido is just the best. Really enjoyed our prepacked lunch, too

Transport

Soft hike from Pachar to Ollantaytambo

Sacred Valley

Good way to ease into hiking

Machu Picchu Exploration

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guido is the best!

Transport

The entire experience was wonderful. Nicholas could not have been more attentive and detailed in the pre-planning phase of our trip. He listened to our needs and wishes and created a perfect itinerary. All our guides, Dani, Ximena, Miguel, Willy were amazing. All showed great passion, were enthusiastic in explaining (some even brought books and brochures to explain i.e. Inka sites even in more detail), knowledgable and very proud of their country and history. Each of them created truly personalized experiences for us. Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, The Andean Picnic, Lake Titicaca - we will never forget. All our drivers made us feel safe and were very pleasant; needless to say, the team was always on time!
Jesus checked in on our during our trip, to make sure we had a good time.
Thank you Kimkim team for making our vacation an unforgettable wonderful experience!

Hotel Review

GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca Puno

Lago Titicaca, Puno

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Afternoon Exploration of Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu

Dani was our guide at Machu Picchu. He was super knowledgeable, friendly and fun. We had an amazing day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Maras & Moray

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Vinicunca, The Rainbow Mountain

Cusco

Miguel was our tour guide and could not have been more kind and understanding. It was a tough hike and he made us feel comfortable and was very patient. The Andean Picnic he set up for us was absolutely amazing in a stunning site with mountain and valley views and lamas and alpacas watching us.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Journey to from {{start_location}} to {{end_location}}

Peru

Willy was our tour guide and we enjoyed the drive from Cusco to Puno. The stops in-between were perfect and Willy was just wonderful.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sailing to the Uros Floating Islands & Taquile

Puno

Wow, what an experience. Willy was our tour guide and while they were large tourist groups around those activities, Willy always found ways to escape and made us feel like individual travelers. We appreciated that

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sillustani tombs

Puno

Our last day with Willy. He explain the site I detail and made sure we got to the airport safe.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ollantaytambo Village and Inca Site Exploration. Pinkulluna Hike

Peru

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our travel specialist, Nicholas Cino, was a joy to work with. We spent approximately 6 months planning our trip and had multiple calls and e-mail exchanges during the process. All the planning paid off and our 13 day trip was memorable and everything and more that we had wished for. Nico was very patient about answering our many questions and flexible when we wanted to change things. Nico has a unique personal touch that showed in all of our interactions.
Our guide in Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu was Jesus Galimberti and he was amazing. He was incredibly knowledgeable about Peru and it’s history and had a warm personality who was easy to spend lots of time with. We quickly felt like he was our friend as well as our guide (he also made good restaurant recommendations in Cusco).
We fell in love with Cusco, it’s rich history and both it’s Inca and colonial architecture. The Plaza de Armas, the cobblestone streets and alleys, sitting at a cafe watching people go by, it’s incredibly charming. The highlight of the trip without a doubt was Machu Picchu. Seeing pictures does not do it justice, the first sight takes your breath away and it is simply awe inspiring. You can’t believe the advanced building techniques and degree of precision that the Incas possessed.
Our last 3 days were spent in the Amazon Rainforest and getting there is an adventure in itself. We saw several species of monkeys and birds including colorful macaws, went on a sunset cruise and a experienced an intense jungle rainstorm.
Our trip was a resounding success and we highly recommend Nicholas and KimKim.

Our trip to Peru was simply amazing!! We've never been to South America and we decided that the first country we should visit would be Peru after doing some research. We are so happy that we went with Peruvian Soul because it made logistics in the country really easy and we visited places that we would have probably never thought to go to. Not to mention that we met amazing people in Peruvian Soul that treated us like friends. We never used a travel agency for trips since we typically do all the planning, but this time it was nice to have some help with planning the entire trip from accommodations, covid testing, flights, and setting an itinerary that was both adventurous, cultural, fun, and relaxing.

The trip was to celebrate a birthday and everything was great! Our accommodations were nice and Nicholas was so helpful and communicative from start to finish. He picked us up from the airport and gave us a nice welcome package which consisted of hand sanitizer, a face mask, snacks, and a cool tote bag. We only got to see Nicholas once, but we were in constant contact with him during our trip via What's App.

We started in Lima and stayed in a cute boutique hotel (Casa Republica) in Barranco for 2 nights. The service there was great and it was cool to be in a historic mansion right near the water (seriously it was steps away). We were able to catch the sunset which was beautiful. There is also a cool rooftop bar at the hotel and we received complimentary Pisco Sours which were so good! When we left, the staff gave us Coco tea because they knew we were flying to Cusco which was very thoughtful. They also gave us breakfast to go in addition to the tea.

When we arrived in Cusco, we saw Julio who is such a genuine and nice person. He is incredibly knowledgeable of Cusco and could tell us anything about Cusco. We did many tours with Julio which included seeing Moray Terraces, Maras Salt Mines, and Ollantaytambo. In Ollantaytambo, we were able to experience a traditional meal cooked in the ground using stones which was awesome! The restaurant has food that comes straight from their garden and it was so good and cool to have that experience. We also tried different types of Piscos and coffee and the owner was quite the character!

After Cusco, we were finally in Aguas Calientes to prepare for Machu Picchu the following day. We met Eddy from Peruvian Soul who gave us the rundown for Machu Picchu. Eddy is funny and super nice. The hotel we stayed in was near the water and it was really nice. Again, the staff was so helpful and accommodating during our stay. Their breakfast was also really delicious! Eddy was our guide for Machu Picchu and it was cool to learn about the mystical place that is Machu Picchu. We went during rainy season, but luckily it was a clear day for us! It was also very peaceful because we went really early in the morning and not too many people were there.

After Machu Picchu, we were going back to Cusco for a night and we were met by our awesome driver. We thought we were going back to the hotel, but we made a surprise stop in Chinchero in the Sacred Valley. We saw Julio there, and went with the flow of the trip. We met some women there that explained how they make and dye their items for sell which was cool and informative. After that, Julio came out with a birthday cake and candles and everyone was singing Happy Birthday which was so thoughtful and unexpected! The women also blessed us with yellow flowers and it was such a special moment. The women also sang a song in their native language which we greatly appreciated. What a great way to spend a birthday! It was a great experience and probably one of the more memorable moments of the entire trip. Before we left Cusco, Julio gave us two bulls which represent good luck which was soo nice of him!

Our final location was Tumbes so we could relax at the beach. We were met by our driver Gaston who gave us water and was really nice (everyone in Peruvian Soul is soooo nice!!). We had a long drive so we talked and got to know more about him as a person. We stayed in Punta Sal resort and had a bungalow right on the beach! The bungalow, food, staff, and view were amazing! We are so grateful that Nicholas added Tumbes to our trip! We truly enjoyed the beach and the food!

All in all, Peru is such an amazing country and there is something for everyone! Peruvian Soul made the trip very memorable and we feel like we can always reach out to them whenever we are back. We had so much fun and the team was so thoughtful and helpful. We recommend Peru to everyone we know now, and we definitely suggest Peruvian Soul as agency if need be. We had such a great time and we definitely want to come back!!!

Peruvian Soul is amazing!! They crafted a truly unique dream vacation to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos. Nicholas and the entire team navigated the challenges of Covid in the most exceptional ways and took all the stress away to experience a dream vacation of a lifetime. Julio is a world class guide who lead our trip through Peru. We got to see the sunrise over the Temple of Sun near the solstice and we got to see the full effect and connect with the ancient Incas through this shared experience. The Galapagos was also amazing, and the team took care of the intricacies of traveling there so we could enjoy swimming with Penguins worry free! Truly remarkable, I highly recommend Peruvian Soul.

Julio was an excellent tour guide who grew up in the Cusco region and was like traveling with a family friend. He was knowledgeable about the various ruins we visited and provided great advice on dietary choices and knew when to push and when to back off on physical challenges with the high altitude. Our five days of hiking allowed for a good understanding of the region along with the natural resources, the local food and the people. This trip was customized to our desires by KimKim and I could not imagine a better experience in this region. Machu Picchu was awesome but our 15 mile hike from Chinchero to Coya was truly the highlight. Judeas, our driver, was always prompt and professional. A great vacation!

KimKim is a brilliant idea expertly executed. How to find the perfect in-country help for just the kind of travel you prefer? Ask KimKim. They put us in touch with Nicho and Diego at Peruvian Soul for our self-drive, self-guided trip in Peru. And while driving yourself in Peru is not recommended, we set out anyway to discover that it's true that the worst drivers in the world are Peruvian. But Nicho checked on us almost every day, and we did fine. At Machu Picchu, Peruvian Soul had arranged our tickets and Wilson, our guide. The experience could not have been better. Wilson was friendly, knowledgeable and flexible. Peg suffered from altitude sickness and had to miss some of the recomended highlights but got to know the towns a little better. Peruvian Soul gets 10 out of 10.

Dear all,
It’s not today that I going to review my experience. But just to let you know that it was by far the most incredible trip that we made. It was not just about the place itself since there are incredible places all around the world, but it was the way you all took care of us. You know when you go to a place and there is a family relative that knows you and he provides not only what you need but also surprises you all the time? That’s how we felt all the time!
Question:
Are all the agency’s that you work with like Peruvian Soul?
If so you have made a difference in the traveling world!!!!