Borneo Transverse

Nick was great and so patient with my many questions (there was a lot) and made everything really easy planning the trip.

Kinabatangan River was great and the place and staff lovely. The only thing I would emphasise a bit more is to bring cash. There are only two main ATMS (aside from the airport) that I know of and one of them wasn’t working. Definitely bring a raincoat and plenty of bug spray! Food is basic but nice and staff were great.

Sepilok was amazing - our guide Rosman was super friendly and knowledgeable - we got really lucky and saw lots of orangutans and sunbears.

Libarian island - we went here in place of Selingan island as it was booked up. The trip out to the island was great and the island itself was very peaceful! We didn’t see any turtles but did release some babies which was super special! The accommodation was basic but perfect. The only thing I would note here is that the guide we had, while lovely, didn’t really seem too interested in engaging with us or the group outside of when he had too.

Hotel Reviews

Nature Lodge Sepilok

Sepilok

Perfect location next to the sanctuaries. Food is basic but ideal for what it is. Rooms are basic but very clean with aircon. Staff were super lovely!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Walai Penyu Resort Libaran

Sandakan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff were lovely however our guide didn’t seem to interested in engaging with us outside of the planned activities.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Sandakan

Authenticity & Character

Basic but clean and in the jungle :)

Location

Right in the river

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We stayed in a lodge room which was great. Not sure what the dorms are like.

Activity Reviews

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Our guide Rosman was fabulous and we got super lucky with seeing all the animals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was lovely but his English wasn’t the best so it made it a bit difficult to ask him questions about the animals.

Transport

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

It was a great day and the safaris were great. I would prob only offer the walk once or twice as it is the exact same route, or bring the group somewhere else.

Quality of Experience

Food

Basic but nice

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All staff were lovely. Guide was super nice, but didn’t speak English too well which made it hard to ask questions.

Transport

During our evening safari our boat did breakdown and we had to be rescued! Nothing to do with the guide as these things happen but a bit scary as it was pitch black. As the guide didn’t have too much English we didn’t know whether or not it was a problem- it was all fine and we moved to another boat - an experience!

Arrival Day Libaran Island

Libaran Island

Lovely island - authentic experience seeing the village island. Our guide didn’t mention we would have the opportunity to buy things and we didn’t bring any cash, so this would be good to communicate in advance :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As mentioned previously, our guide was lovely but didn’t seem to interested in chatting or engaging with us outside the activities.

Transport

Smooth 30-40 min boat ride from Sandakan

Overall other arrangements were good. But, I would like to point out delights & things that need improvement.
Delights:
Malaysia team of guide (Lawrence) & driver (Jason) was outstanding. They did a great job and were very patient. They were nice to all 10 family members. Everyone liked them. I will recommend them very very highly.
Airport pick up & Airport Drop Off drivers were very good - Friendly, helpful & safe drivers.
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Traveller – The company who was responsible for Singapore transportation & sightseeing arrangement. We had mixed experience:
Their first day’s driver, Raymond was good – flexible, friendly. He handed me tickets for all sightseeing. They did a good job on tickets.
Now the disappointments (These are not meant to get anyone fired & are not meant for complaining):
The other 2 drivers were not flexible, not friendly (Could be because of their limited vocabulary). Finally, they showed some flexibility. We follow time, rules very seriously. But, we had kids, elderly people with some limitations. That’s why we wanted private tour. Anyway, we managed. One example – the 3:00 pm return time (to be changed to 4:00 pm) from Sentosa was never conveyed to the driver. He wanted me to talk to the office, if I wanted it changed. When you are on sightseeing, we did not have the luxury to waste time for that. We kept it at 3:00 pm. The next day’s driver insisted that we return from the bird park at 12:55, even 5 minutes before the agreed time of 1:00 pm. We managed, but had to run. He later on was flexible to change the pick up point for afternoon sightseeing.
SGMY Taxi – They transported to & from Malaysia
The drivers were good hearted, skilled. But, they drive at real high speeds and their distance from the front car is way less than required for safety. (They were keeping 10 to 20 feet between cars while driving at 70+ mph) I am mainly concerned for their & future traveler’s safety.
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Nick was very available and worked hard to ensure a smooth trip. He was knowledgeable and friendly to work with.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Great roof top bar and pool. Rooms were clean and generous in size.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kinabalu Pine Resort

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely view, but a bit far from activities, not much to walk to or do.

Staff

Food was limited, no alcoholic beverages with dinner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lovely from porch, no air conditioning, however, the resort was at elevation, so cooler and they had great fans. Very clean.

Sepilok Jungle Resort

Sandakan

Beautiful location in midst of jungle, boardwalks everywhere. Pool was a bit dirty and limited. Rooms fine, clean. Great location next to orangutan and sun Bear sanctuaries.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not able to do laundry with no place to dry clothing and high humidity

Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort

Cool location right on the river.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were small, they needed more hooks and places to hang clothes. However, all was very clean.

Mabul Beach Resort

Mabul Island

Such a cool place! Wonderful staff, ecologically oriented, gives back to the community, minimizes waste.

Authenticity & Character

Dedicated to diving, snorkeling experience, wonderful reefs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the beach

Location

Right on the beach

Staff

All so friendly and helpful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and good size rooms, nice bathroom.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coral Island & Snorkeling Excursion

Kota Kinabalu

Limited coral reefs, had to wear life preserver when snorkeling, murky waster with floating trash. Lunch was limited.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabalu National Park & Poring Hot Springs

Kundasang

Didn’t do the hot spring, too commercial, crowded, not natural seeming

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Awesome experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Unfortunately, we never saw the Pygmy elephants but saw other animals. Guide was great, but it rained heavily on our first afternoon trip which limited our experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

same as above

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mabul to Tawau Airport Departure

Mabul Island

Mabul island snorkeling was amazing and resort fabulous, I would definitely recommend this.

Quality of Experience

Great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Awesome.

Transport

Prompt and friendly only one miss communication, but it was worked out.

Our trip to Malaysia was coordinated by Nick, of Kimkim Tours. This was our first trip to Malaysia, so we elected to hire a local company to arrange our transport and activities. Nick presented us with a well-organized tour, and he was quick to reply via WhatsApp to any our inquiries or concerns. The itinerary provided was appropriate for the amount of time that we had, and accommodated the sites and activities we wanted to do on our overview trip of Malaysia. The hotels booked for us were generally well-situated and good quality. Our local guides Zana (Langkawi) and Jason (Cameron Heights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaka) were also great.

Our only hiccups of the trip of the trip included a missed pickup by our driver after we disembarked our ferry at Kualeh Kedah, which was a mis-booking of the company. We ended up hiring a local taxi to get us from Kualeh Kedah to Penang. The company promptly reimbursed us for the 200 ringgit fare that we paid.

Also, we ended up cancelling a planned cycling tour of Penang, not realizing when we booked the tour the hot weather and lack of safe bike lanes would not be conducive to safely biking, nor making the best use of our time. We hired a local driver instead who showed us the city highlights, including Penang Hill, temple, and other sites.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Malaysia, and hope to return in the near future. We would recommend using Kimkim tours to help plan your tour.
Henry and Caroline

Jason was our driver and tour guide from Cameron Hills to Kuala Lumpur, and then on to Melaka. It was a great pleasure having Jason as our guide, as we found him to be not only attentive and courteous, but also a wealth of knowledge with respect to the history of Malaysia. As we have travelled extensively, we fully appreciate having knowledgable guides leading a tour. There are many things we did not know about the history of Malaysia with respect to its involvement in previous wars, the dynamics of its diverse ethnicities, and political leaders.

Jason arrived well before our scheduled pick up times, and having stops with local vendors was a nice touch. The cendol dessert with Durian was a treat!
Jason is one of the best tour guides we’ve had, and his ability to connect with his guests is his greatest asset. We both highly recommend Jason as a guide.

Henry and Caroline

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Zana:
We had a lovely time with Zana who was our driver and tour guide during our stay in Langkawi. She was very caring and attentive to our needs. Zana taught us about Muslim traditions and Ramadan, and took us to a variety of temples, including some that were not on the schedule. As we are both into photography, she made sure we visited scenic sites such as the eagle monument and Tanjung Rhu beach. She also brought us to a popular street market where we enjoyed the food and drink. Zana made certain that we made it to the ferry to Kuala Kedah on time, and followed up with us after the ferry ride to make sure that we were OK. We were both very happy with Zana‘s professionalism and kindness, and would recommend her as a guide without hesitation.

Henry and Caroline
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Jason Ong
Driver from Melaka to Singapore was very efficient and talked to us about the Malaysian history in Hokkien/ English.
We enjoyed his company.

The Borneo 15 day plan was amazing.
We had some great guides and saw some wonderful places that we wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for our planner Nick.

Kuching cycle tour is definitely worth a go, not too strenuous but a great overview and our guide Kelvin was brilliant.

We were very happy to have done 2 nights at Bako national park as there was so much to see that would be missed in a one day visit. Beautiful fauna, lots of monkeys and other animals to see.

A highlight was the Saloma homestay. The place is beautiful, people were a joy and the experience as a whole is truly unique.

Our first guide Duke was fantastic, so knowledgeable and kind. He was wonderful. Always on time, showed us amazing animals, could not have been better. Then we went to Saloma's homestay. What a lovely person and house! Again she knew so much about jungle cuisine and took us to amazing places. We had a great tour of a longhouse by Jordon? And then William took us around a village and for a night tour. He was so interesting to listen to. The highlight of our trip was Saloma and her parents taking us to their jungle farm for a wonderful lunch. The waterfalls were beautiful. After the homestay we went to Damai Resort. While it looked a little tired it was very comfortable, great staff and an outstanding pool. The nearby cultural village was wonderful. John and Hum took us for a great river tour where we saw dolphins, crocodiles, and monkeys, which was amazing. I forgot to mention that Duke took us to Bako National Park, excellent, the orangutan sanctuary (fantastic) and the amazing fairy cave. All throughout the people were lovely and the food was amazing

Hotel Reviews

Limetree Hotel

Comfortable bed, wonderful food and helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to chinatown

Staff

Made us a take away breakfast

Cleanliness & Comfort

Saloma Homestay

This was an outstanding experience. Saloma and her family were so kind and welcoming. We had a magnificent jungle meal, swims in waterfalls, met the children in a local school, the house was so beautiful everywhere you looked, I just loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Alot of the house of made of bamboo and rattan which made it beautiful

Location

Near a waterfall, the jungle and a village

Staff

Saloma herself, I felt like I had known her for ever, she is lovely, funny and kind! Such a great example of a person! It's great how she involves the local people in her business

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed and pillows were perfect!

Damai Beach Resort

Great pool and lovely staff

Authenticity & Character

Maybe it's due for a refurb

Location

Near wetlands and a cultural village

Staff

They answered every question and were helpful with luggage and a late check out

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice big clean room and the pool was really clean

Activity Reviews

Arrival Transfer from Kuching Airport to Hotel

Kuching

Duke was right on time and lovely to us

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So patient kind and knowledgeable

Transport

Comfortable van

Bako National Park Daytrip

Kuching

Saw so many things, beautiful jungle, probiscus monkeys, and two other kinds of monkey. Saw snakes, a perfect length walk

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Duke knew an incredible amount about everything!

Transport

Comfortable

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre Visit

Kuching

This was a real highlight. We were six metres away from a massive orangutan who stuck around for about an hour! Incredible to see him break open a coconut

Quality of Experience

Amazing to see such a large wild animal up close

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Duke knew so much

Transport

Mangrove & Dolphins Cruise

Santubong

Seeing dolphins, crocodiles and monkeys, so great! And beautiful mangroves with John and Him being able to see where animals were so well

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I asked Nick to book us a 10 night trip to Malaysia and he did not disappoint. Requested 4 star accommodation and for Nick to arrange a tour in each location ! WOW ! We had an unforgettable journey through Malaysia's vibrant tapestry of culture, cuisine, and natural beauty. We began in the bustling metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, where the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and diverse street food scene await. Great tour of Batu Caves and the city ! Tour guide was very knowledgeable and we had a great time. Then, ventured to the historical streets of Penang, where rich heritage blends seamlessly with mouthwatering local delicacies. Day Trip around Penang, where we visited a nutmeg farm. Ended our adventure in the idyllic paradise of Langkawi, at an amazing beach resort for some downtime ! Great Tour of the Mangroves and the Kilim Geoforest Park. Definitely recommend booking a trip with Nick and the Kim Kim team ! Our trip was seamless from the first pick up at KL Airport, to our last transfer to Langkawi Island. 4 nights KL, 3 Penang and 3 Langkawi - definitely the right time in each location ! Thanks Nick ! Do you have any ideas for our next Trip !

Hotel Reviews

Verdant Hill Hotel

Great location for street food markets and walking around the city. Could use a little update on the interior of the building ! Some paint, also the pool deck area was broken.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the Street Market - Amazing food!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Royale Chulan Georgetown

George Town

Great hotel in a great location of Georgetown ! Breakfast was amazing every morning ! Staff were very friendly and helpful, especially the doorman.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pelangi Beach Resort

WOW ! WOW ! Great Resort, great location, great staff! We were uppgraded to a Seaview Room - AMAZING !! Great size room, very comfortable and clean and connecting room to our kids !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kuala Lumpur City Tour & Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur

Lawrence was a great tour guide! He went out of his way to ensure that we were able to go to Batu Caves. Picked us up an hour earlier than scheduled so we could get to the Cave. It was the day before their big Festival Thaipusum. Was amazing being able to see some of the devotees chanting, and carrying their offerings all dressed in yellow! Then having Marsala Tea for the first time! After Batu Caves Lawrence took us on a city tour and visit to a temple. Loved it ! Would definitely recommend this tour for when you first arrive in KL, it helped get our bearings and see what we wanted to explore further.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penang (Island Exploration)

Penang

Ricky was a lovely tour guide who drove us around Penang Island. Was great to see the whole island and we especially enjoyed the nutmeg farm and learning about how they use all the nutmeg! Especially liked the nutmeg drink ! Stopped at numerous temples and decided we would spend more time in Georgetown.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bus was a little bit outdated and was a bumpy ride

Mangrove Boat Cruise

Langkawi Island

We really enjoyed this tour ! Wasn't sure what to expect but was lots of fun ! We loved the Boat and the driver was amazing ! We saw Otters in the water, Eagles and the Monkeys! Lovely swim at one of the beaches and a nice lunch on the floating deck.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were picked up at 8.45 and didnt get to the tour until 10.15pm - Was a bit of a drive and collected other people from other hotels and they were not ready on time