NORD DMC

The private city OSLO walk with Bjorn our tour guide, was amazing. His in-depth knowledge of not only of the Oslo architecture, but of all Norway kept us intrigued for the entire walk. He is so easy to talk to and learn all aspects of Norwegian customs and traditions. It was a little disappointing that the Oslo Street food tour was cancelled. We were delighted with almost every aspect of the itinerary provided by Kimkim, including all of the hotel accommodations, the cruises, and transfers. In hindsight, we wished Kinkim could have provided more information on the public transportation bus and subway routes around Oslo as we had to rely on the more-expensive Uber services to get to the various scheduled activities. Also, in hindsight, we wish Kinkim offered a walking tour of Bergen as well. The weather was perfect: 40 - 50 degrees with sunny sky's. Otherwise, we were most pleased with our trip and look forward to working with your expert specialists the next time we travel.

kimkim organized a memorable Norway experience for my teen and me. So many great moments to highlight, from snowshoeing above Aurlandsfjord with our wonderful guide Irvin, to exploring the same fjord in a small boat, to discovering Oslo by bike with our very knowledgeable guide Patrick, to snowmobiling above the 69th parallel north near Tromsø in a small group. Our only regret is not spending more than a week in such a mindblowingly beautiful country.

Contrary to previous experiences with KimKim, this trip was full of missed details and frustrating, last minute, expensive scrambles for transfers. It was very different from my previous trip to Turkey, where everything was impeccably planned and the communication was flawless. On the bright side, Norway was beautiful and the people were lovely and so kind. It’s just a shame that the overall quality of the trip was diminished by the poor planning and communication.

This was our third trip using Kim Kim, and generally speaking we have always received outstanding service, which was why working with Maria was so shockingly disappointing. From the start, Maria was not responsive to our requests and there were an alarming amount of details there were not addressed. For example, in previous trips, all of our transfers were scheduled and included as part of our package, where as with this trip, no transfers had been set up and no transfers were included as part of the package - something we did not realize until late in the planning process. One of the reasons we use Kim Kim is because of the seamlessness and peace of mind knowing that all of the details have been taken care of. When we inquired about one of the major transfers in our trip, Maria suggested we rent a car, at a huge additional expense, which would have been a 9 hour drive, through mountainous, winter conditions. I find this to be ludicrous for a travel expert to suggest. Due to the last minute planning of these details, we ended up having to take 3 flights to reach our destination. At one point during our trip, we had inquired about canceling an excursion. Our local guides never checked in to ask why we wanted to cancel or if there was something going on that we needed help with. It turns out the excursion ended up being canceled by the tour company (who ended up contacting us directly) and it took Kim Kim more than 3 hours to inform us of this cancellation. Before, during, and after our trip, Maria never reached out once to check in and see how things were going. Again, this has not been our previous experience with Kim Kim. The draw of using Kim Kim, who uses local experts, would imply useful information and tips for the areas and destination, and that was completely absent in this trip. For example, that it was recommended we walk from the train station to our hotel in downtown Oslo rather than being over charged by a local Taxi driver. I can go on and on. Additionally, we had an issue with checking into one of the hotels where the clerk had questions about charging the credit card on file. We tried to reach out to Kim Kim and the emergency line and could not get through. On the bright side, we loved Norway as a destination. The excursions were fantastic and fun. We had requested to stay at Sorrisniva, the Holman Husky Lodge, as well as take the Havila Capilla and they certainly did not disappoint, We would highly recommend each of these stays/experiences. The dog sledding with Trasti & Trine, was a particular highlight and an amazing experience. All in all, despite the unexpected challenges working with Maria presented, we loved our time in Norway, and found the local people to be friendly and kind. Sadly, if this had been my first and only experience with Kim Kim, I probably would never use this company again, as in this case, there was no added value.

Hotel Reviews

Sorrisniva Arctic Wilderness Lodge

Alta

Simply amazing hotel! Everything about our experience exceeding our expectations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Holmen Husky Lodge

Alta

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Scandic Kirkenes

Kirkenes

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

King Crab Safari from Kirkenes during Winter

Kirkenes

This was the most disappointing excursion we experienced on our trip. Not necessarily the fault of the tour company. The weather was too warm, and the ice was not frozen enough for us to actually get to experience the king crab fishing ourselves. We had to stand at a far off distance, while the staff went and picked up the king crabs. Of course, we still enjoyed a lovely dinner of the fresh crabs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dogsledding Day Trip

Alta

This was the most amazing experience of our entire trip. The dogsledding was such an authentic experience. The owners of the company took us out themselves and we had such an enjoyable conversation with them about their own 'professional' competitive experiences dogsledding. Truly amazing. We would do this again in a heart beat. Highly recommend. To top it off, the owners are a Michelin Star chef and provide lunch of the trip. They have their own restaurant and bar on site. Amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip was to Norway from the US. I was completely overwhelmed with work when I decided to try out Kim Kim as a worry free option to book my travel. When I received my itinerary and paid, I was still overwhelmed and basically just accepted all the pieces. It was not exactly what I had in mind when I mentioned I was pretty active and enjoyed outdoor activities and animals, but it was an intriguing itinerary so I went with it. As I got closer I realized some of the activities were impossible to get to due to flight timing. I was able to cancel one activity. I also looked up the rooms they booked me. Given how much I paid, I assumed I would be in great rooms. They were closets. I paid more to get some of them upgraded. As the days got closer I realized all the bookings were pretty standard activities that everyone does. So I started collecting the prices and the hotel room prices. I paid about twice what the cost of the activities and hotels would have been. And there was no "local flair" in anything.
I did enjoy the activities and the company was responsive as weather cancelled several activities and I was able to get some refunds. I realized 4 days in advance that no train was early enough to get me to the airport from my booked hotel and asked about canceling the room. I was told by the local company this should be fine and re-booked in a hotel closer to the airport, but when I asked about a refund I was advised that it was too short notice. So, there was some disconnect either within the local company or between them and Kimkim.
I would overall not recommend Kimkim unless you are okay with paying way above standard travel agent fees (typically 10-15%). The activities booked were all enjoyable, but I really could have booked it all myself and would not have had any trouble getting any of them even after I arrived.

Mar and the entire Kim Kim team made our trip fantastic. We really appreciated the real time help when we had travel hiccups to help us find solutions (or reservations). The plan she set out for us made logical sense and we also got to maximize our time and see the best of Norway in the winter. LOVED the Flam train ride and all the activities in Flam. Mar and her team were very approachable with any and all questions and also very responsive. The only complaint would be that sometimes our taxi's did not accommodate our travel party and luggage, but we were able to work around this. I want to go back!

There were a few hiccups (not KimKim's fault), and it was great that KimKim was so responsive and able to help us with rebooking/refunds where required

Activity Review

Northern Lights Hunt by Minibus with Photographer & Campfire Dinner

Tromsø

We got a perfectly clear night, and a bright aurora! Mickey was great!

Quality of Experience

Food

It was a very good backpacking meal, but still a backpacking meal. Personally I thought it was great but I can see some people not enjoying it

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Enthusiasm!

Transport

Comfortable

Mar was able to tailor make a vacation experience for us. While weather did impact some of the planned activities and transportation, Rufo and the team were so helpful in contacting missed tours and hotels. They were all an absolute pleasure to work with. Highly recommend the dog sledding tour in Tromso, as it was the highlight of our trip. Mar had made the recommendation to take the cable car up to view fireworks for New Year’s Eve and it was magical with the added bonus of the northern lights.

Hotel Reviews

Karl Johan Hotel

Oslo

We loved our stay here. It was clean with comfortable beds. The location was great for exploring the city and the Christmas markets. The breakfast was delicious- one of favorites out of our trip. Will definitely stay again!!

Authenticity & Character

Loved the little touches and charm

Location

Staff

Super friendly and had great recommendations. They are happy to assist with explaining public transport.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The beds are super comfortable

Thon hotel Nidaros

Trondheim

It was good for a night. Location was nice. The breakfast was good

Authenticity & Character

Bohemian chic

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clarion Collection Hotel Aurora

Tromsø

The room was nice and big. It could use some updates. The bathroom was a little grungy with stains on the tile and smelled like a gas station bathroom.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was easy to get around the city

Staff

The front desk staff was friendly. The dining staff was great.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardemoen

Gardemoen

Great location especially for a morning flight out of Oslo. Don’t miss the breakfast. Lots of options and was super yummy.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful.

Location

Easy to get to. Easy to access the airport

Staff

Super friendly staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean rooms with comfortable beds

Activity Reviews

Oslofjord Dinner Cruise

Oslo

The food was excellent. The cruise was fun and beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Food

The holiday menu was beautifully done

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Gallery Experience

Tromsø

It was smaller than expected but it was amazing to see the different ice sculptures. The drinks were delicious. Great way to spend a short time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Reindeer Feeding & Northern Lights Experience

Tromsø

Loved the guides and the camp was beautiful. They were able to answer questions and were very knowledgeable, we learned a lot! Loved feeding and being up close to the reindeer.

Quality of Experience

Food

It was a simple but delicious meal.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Sledding Excursion

Tromsø

This was so much fun and the staff gave so much information about the dogs. They take such care and the dogs are so well taken care of. The area is stunning with great views along the way.

Quality of Experience

Scarlet and Tom were friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. It was fun!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The whole crew is wonderful! Juan was the guide for our sled and explained how it worked. He knew all the dogs and answered every question. My husband and older daughter completed the self drive and had excellent instructions.

Transport

Fjellheisen Cable Car Experience

Tromsø

Great views! The northern lights were beautiful and we could see fireworks all over the city for New Year’s Eve. It was crowded.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport