NORD DMC

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

We loved our trip to Norway! The highlight for us was seeing the Northern Lights on our minibus chase with Chasing Lights out of Tromso, with our guide Mickey and driver Ahmed. Despite the weather cancelling some of our activities, we still had a fantastic trip. Since our trip was over the Christmas holidays, we utilized the KimKim emergency whatsapp line several times for communication, which was very helpful! It was also great to have help processing refunds for tours and that were cancelled.

Activity Review

Northern Lights Hunt by Minibus with Photographer & Campfire Dinner

Tromsø

Seeing the Northern Lights on this tour was the main highlight of our trip. Our guide and driver were fantastic, and the provided suits kept us warm! However, keep in mind that since the point of this activity is to view the lights, if it's a good night anticipate not having a campfire or dinner until late (for us, ~10pm) because you will be enjoying the northern lights!

Quality of Experience

Food

The provided dinner for this activity was a choice between two "expedition meals" aka dehydrated backpacking meals -- I chose the vegan red curry and it was delicious! However I would make sure future guests know to expect this and that the meal may be very late depending on the lights that night. But the warm currant juice and cookies around the fire it was a cozy end to the night.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Memorable family Vacation to Norway

Krista, Fenne and the Emergency Support team services were great! The trip was planned to what we wanted i.e. to see Norway, experience the culture. The transportation arrangement was excellent. This definitely saved me a lot of time I would have spent in researching and booking myself.

Thank you team!

Many Thanks!
Kristin and Family

The dog sledding in Alta was a highlight!!! I would love to go back and actually stay there. The outings for the northern lights were a bust until Tromso mini van trip. Kinga was excellent and the lights put on not only one show but two! Also very much enjoyed the reindeer. The snow mobiling was OK but I much prefer to be with animals more than motors. That is a personal preference. There were problems with the trip. Sometimes it took over 24 hours to get a response from anyone at KimKim. Also, several different people so there was no continuity. In Tromso we were given the wrong meeting place on the printed schedule which made us miss a half a day of our vacation and got up extra early. That was really sloppy. I would like to be reimbursed for this expense since we lost a half day and had to be rescheduled to another company. (Not as good as the Alta experience.)

This was our second trip planned with Kimkim, and it went equally as well! Anders took our requests and opinions and created the perfect 8-day trip to Oslo and Tromso. It was the perfect time of year to visit the Christmas villages in Oslo and to see the amazing winter landscape in Tromso. We were fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights too! The highlight of our trip and our top recommendation was the husky sledding experience. This visit highlighted the unique and nature-driven adoration that Norwegians live by. The dogs were incredible to meet and play with. We would certainly recommend visiting this country during the winter time to anyone looking for a winter adventure!

Activity Reviews

Husky Sledding Excursion

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Hunt by Minibus with Photographer & Campfire Dinner

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Shared Sauna Experience - Arctic Plunge (1 hour)

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Dinner Cruise

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Oslofjord Dinner Cruise

Oslo

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Feeding & Sámi Culture Experience

Tromsø

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport