Kimkim Trip Reviews

I thought the hotels and guides were great. The first two nights in Aix Provence were the best as far as service and hotels go. This small hotel provided great service and an excellent room. The cooking school was enjoyable with a trip to the market and then a quick wine tasting before the class. The food proved amazing and the event filled the day. Don't suggest having any more meals that day. The hotel in Arles was quite beautiful. It was a treat to stay there. The wine trip the next day was the highlight of our stay in Provence. Eric the wine tour guide was excellent. The private tours were wonderful and the places were beautiful. I would highly recommend him to anyone. Our hotel in Avignon was nice but not exceptional. It was located in a great place and they gave us a nice room with a deck overlooking the city. We enjoyed our touring around the area by rental car and managed to fill the day with the high-points of the region. All and all the package proved very good. I would highly recommend Simon. He was able to readjust our schedule due to a flight cancellation that eliminated our first day. Simon's rescheduling enable us to almost recapture the elements of the lost first day. The only item that was a bit negative was the cost of the private transport in Provence. Our driver, while very nice charged much more than estimated in our itinerary. But that didn't diminish the excellent services and information provided and the great assistance Simon provided for us. Many thanks to Simon.

This trip was really perfectly arranged by Ngima and his company, from flight arrangements to the incredibly good communication. We constantly felt well taken care of at all times. Ngima was in constant communication with our guide to make sure we were doing fine since my husband got the flu before the trip and I was afraid I would have to change our itinerary during the trek. I need to specially thank our guide Chhongba and our porter Dawa, they instantly became friends and without their caring attitudes we would not have such an amazing trek. Our guide exceeded all our expectations, he was on time, organized and always made sure we were well fed and with everything we needed ready to begin our day without any complications. He always happily answered all doubts and concerns and would stop along the way to show and explain interest points which made the trek a beautiful cultural experience. At Tengboche he was kind enough to guide us inside the monastery show in us how to proceed with blessings. We cannot thank him enough! We would love to trek again in Nepal some day and definitely would do it with Ngima’s company, this trip was just perfect. Thank you so much for everything done to make sure we had a great trek! Hope I’ll see you guys again soon!

Overall we had a fantastic time and the help Priya provided was great. We changed our minds a few times and Priya was more than happy to accommodate which we appreciate. A few of the hotels were slightly out of date but that was our only gripe. Driver Gopal was amazing, and all guides provided were good fun and very interesting. Thanks again.

Everyone in the group had a great time and appreciated the efforts made by Simeon, Ivan, Branch and the other driver.
We enjoyed the hotels which were all very reasonable.
The hikes to the mountains were memorable a d Ivan had a lot of knowledge and was very helpful to anyone who was struggling.

I can't say enough good things about our experiences in Bolivia with kimkim. Our guides were all very knowledgeable. Guida was especially good in explaining the history of indigenous people of the AltoPlano. Each one was personable and experienced. Xemina showed us the wonders of the cable cars system and let us experience LaPaz in the air and on foot. Teresa did a fabulous job interacting with the ladies of C.O.M.C.A. collective. That experience was especially meaningful, as my son Warren is a weaver, too. We enjoyed the ladies of the collective and the work they are preserving. Elias in Uyuni was very experienced in maneuvering in the Salar. Although he didn't speak English, we managed to get a lot our of our tour with him. He provided us with a delicious meal in the most remote place in the world. How he navigated the salar is still a mystery to me. The Palacio de Sal was a beautiful hotel. Juan the driver was a professional. I can't imagine navigating the streets of LaPaz on my own. The help you provided on the last day was most appreciated. You were so prompt and flexible in meeting our sudden changes. Thank you for the unforgettable days we spent in Bolivia. Mary and Warren Aldrich

This trip was overall great. We made the best of all the mishaps but those were not many. Only issues we had were finding a driver for our first transport. The others were small such as time changes for a tour which we ultimately missed (we ended up on the wrong tour), but the tour we did go on ended up being wonderful so it wasn't really a big deal. The tour guides and drivers were all friendly; communications with our Greek specialist, Tasos, were prompt and efficient whenever we had questions or issues. Tasos kept in touch with us to make sure that things were going smoothly or altering plans to ensure we had a hassle free trip. Greece was beautiful and it would be hard to have a bad time there.

Thoughtfully prepared itinerary.
The driver allocated (Nedal) was helpful & advised on circuit and what to expect. Cover the northern side of Amman and the south but Petra just blew me off. What a site but it was beneficial because we engaged a guide at site.
Also incorporated some experience at Wadi Musa & Wadi Rum in the desert wilderness.
Finished the circuit with Aqaba & Dead Sea. Wish we had spent more time here
Be prepared for an active period if you want to enjoy.
Thank you Kim Kim.

Brahim did an excellent job of creating a seamless itinerary that blended my unique time constraints with my location preferences. (I only had 5 days in Morocco and wanted to fly into Tangier and out of Fes.) In hindsight, I probably would have added another day in Chefchaouen and removed a day in Fes, but this change reflects my own personal preferences in hindsight and does not reflect on Brahim's planning or judgment in any way. Brahim was simply fantastic, and I would highly recommend working with him.

This was my first time using Kimkim, and I would certainly use them again, especially for trips that I do not want to logistically plan myself. There is a real sense of security in knowing that Brahim and his team were available to me 24/7 in case anything came up, and I really appreciate that level of support and customer service.

!! شكرا جزيلا! استمتعت بالسفر إلى المغرب كثيراً

Kimkim performed great on providing a safe and reliable platform to connect with great team, perform payments safely and communicate effectively right from planning the trip, during the trip and even after the trip had concluded.
Ngima was great at communicating promptly from trip planning till the time, I left Nepal. After the commencement of trip, his first priority was safety of all the team members (including staff), followed by making sure, trip starts and ends on time. Really appreciate, his efforts to organize helicopter rides to and from Lukla, when the weather was not good for flights. He made sure, tour members were well during the trip. Last, but not the least, Ngima is great human trying to return his community in the form of medical camps, planning hospital construction etc.
Mingma and Chhering were great in making sure, we stayed in good tea houses, ensure we get great food, ensure everyone was feeling good during trip. Dinner time briefings provided us with overview of whats to come the next day. Being not very fit, I was slow. Both of them made sure, either of them was with me to make sure, I was ok and provide motivation to keep going.
All the three porters were great, in promptly moving our bags and always smiling and being happy.
It definitely felt like a family for the three weeks of trip.
I would like to make special mention of "Show you care" attitude, where Ngima's team promptly communicated with my wife and confirmed my wellbeing, while she was stressed for not hearing from me for few days.

The trip was amazing, Greece is a country that has lots of colors, flavors and adventours. Tasos was very helpful and on the Two occasions we had an issues with the hotels he made sure he got an upgrade or a change of hotel.
I would advise to take a close look at the hotels before booking them.
Aside from that everything was great

I can't say enough about how effective and awesome Erin was -- and everyone I interacted with at the local guiding company Dittmar Adventures. Erin was very fastidious with her correspondence, always answering quickly and thoroughly, from our very first exchanges, when I was outlining what we wanted to do, and what our budget was. She tweaked the itinerary to suit our, quite unique, needs. Because our situation was pretty unusual -- in that I was traveling with a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old alone while my husband hiked the "W" trek in Torres del Paine -- Erin really had to think hard about what would work for me and two small children to do that would be manageable. Her itinerary worked so well. It was a combo of two days of group tours (one to an estancia, Estancia La Peninsula, which was INCREDIBLE, and the other a boat tour aboard the Agunsa to the Bernardo O'Higgins national park to see glaciers) and one day of a privately guided tour to Torres del Paine national park, with a guide (Victor, also amazing, who Dittmar uses with some regularity). Everything Erin chose was awesome, including the days off for the kids and I to recuperate from long days of activity! We thoroughly enjoyed the inn she chose for us, the Amerindia, and the staff there were so helpful and friendly, particularly with my boisterous children. The owner of Dittmar, Laura, even lent me two carseats to use for the children on the day-trip to Torres del Paine. All I can say is that Erin, and all others from Dittmar I associated with, were so personal, so interested in us having a good time, and so available to help when needed. We ended up needed some help because a member of our party had her hiking backpack lost by LATAM, and Erin coordinated with Laura and another Dittmar employee (the amazing Emily) to be sure our traveling companion could rent everything she needed the night before their trek began. All I can say is that my whole experience with KimKim, and then with Erin and Dittmar, was excellent. Erin is so generous with her time and all the information she shares. I highly, highly recommend working with her!

Our trip to Costa Rica was amazing thanks to kimkim. We had no idea what to expect and from the moment we were picked up in the airport, we new we made the right choice. A representative greeted us and introduced us to our driver & from that moment on it was a carefree and memorable vacation. Our trip guide helped us plan it from beginning to end! Customizing it to our liking every step of the way. (If you will be visiting, make sure to check out La Fortuna waterfall...it is absolutely breathtaking!) This was our first time using kimkim, but after the service they provided...it won't be our last! I already started spreading the word to my family and friends about kimkim!!

The entire experience of working with Kim Kim was terrific. I was able to customize a plan that included all of the activities my family wanted to do in Costa Rica. In country, every single driver, guide, etc was very punctual. We never had to wait for anything and all of the activities we planned were excellent. We loved stand up paddle boarding in Lake Arenal, zip lining in the cloud forest, and playing at the beach in Manual Antonio. The company Desafio was especially fun for our excursions in Arenal. Two out of the three hotels were great- clean, convenient, and comfortable. The third hotel was not exactly up to the standards we were hoping for so we were disappointed there. But overall, the trip was so memorable and I would recommend the use of Kim Kim to anyone wanting to plan a trip to Costa Rica.

It was a wonderful experience from the start of the planning with the Kimkim team through the actual hike with Ako-san. Andy and the team were very responsive to our needs and went out of their way to celebrate my wife's birthday with a cake at our initial dinner. Our guide was fantastic in her service and knowledge of the trails and the history. She explained fully what was happening and gave us many options to take. If we do another hike or tour in Japan (which we will) we will request specifically for Ako-san. I would highly recommend to anyone to use this company and their guides. Thank you for a wonderful time.

The hotel accommodation arranged were overall good and the travel map was well marked with the route and locations of hotels and places of interest clearly indicated.

However the following negative experiences limited the extent and the peace of mind for us to fully enjoy the trip despite a well planned itinerary.

i) Upon arrival, to our surprised we were informed that Hong Kong currency (eventhough it is a major currency which is accepted internationally) was not accepted at the money changer at the airport; which led to some initial concerns and delays resulting in our arriving late to Reykjavik.. This was a disappointment as we had chosen the itinerary to spend an extra day in Klauster instead of Reykjavik and had planned to explore Reykjavik on day of arrival.

ii) The pickup by Enterprise Car Rental was late and we have to call a few times to chase them. We were also surprised that the pickup to their office was only for 2 instead of the group which meant that the rest had to wait at the hotel. This delay resulted in a rush to cover the place of visits and we only arrived at the hotel in Henna very late.

iii) The rental car developed some noise after we went off-road to visit some of the places of interest on the very first day which was a Saturday. Eventhough we managed to contact their helpline, we were unable to have it checked at a service centre since it was a weekend. This created a overhanging worry over us for the next 2 days as we were worried that the car may fail any time and in a remote location.

iv) We managed to send the car to a service centre in Klauster on Monday. The time spend waiting and checking again cause further unnecessary delays. We also had to pay for the maintenance in advance.

v) As we only reach back to Reykjavik after 5pm, we could only drop-off the car at the bus terminal parking area and email the claims for reimbursement as we had opted for a Zero access insurance coverage. To-date we have not received even a acknowledgement of my email nor reimbursement.

vi) There was an initial error in the number of pax (2pax instead of 4pax) stated on the voucher for the Flybus transport to airport. After we reported this, a replacement voucher was subsequently received via email. We only realized that the new voucher was issued with a wrong travel date when pointed out by the staff at the bus-station. Prior to that we had to endure suspense and worries of missing our flight as there was no pickup from Bus Stop at the designated time and repeated calls to enquire and chasing for a pickup. Eventhough it was our error to only check that the number of pax was correct and not double checking the travel date on replacement voucher, we had not expected an error since the first voucher had the correct date. Luckily the management at the bus terminal was kind enough to arrange for a taxi to send us to the airport at no extra cost so that we could be on time to catch our return flight.

Regrettably the above bad experiences soured what could otherwise had been a great holiday and tour for our family with what Iceland has to offer.

Regards

The guides were amazing, charming, warm and knowledgeable. Jamaal was a lot of fun to spend two days with in Fes. His English is impeccable, and he is sweet, funny, and so likable that everywhere we went in the city he ran into people who enthusiastically greeted him with hearty handshakes and hugs. The time he spent living in the US has informed him well about our culture, making him an even more effective cultural ambassador for his home country and city. The tasting tour was fascinating, and we pushed out of our comfort zones with the gentle guidance and good humor of Jamaal. I would recommend him to anyone!

In Marrakech, we had the pleasure of spending a full day with Hassan, who was lovely. He was very amenable when we wanted to add the Jardin Marjorelle to our tour, and at all times made it clear that whatever we wanted was exactly what he wanted. He was extremely knowledgeable and imparted his information in a very clear and interesting way. He took great care of us!

The rep greeting us at the airport was courteous.

Our guide Richard was very knowledgeable. He even bought us some delicious food treats. We had the best experience with him.

The Siam Niramit Show was great. But we wished the audience could be warned ahead of time about the "Hell" scene. Little children could have been scared.

The Food Tour on the last day was not very special, unfortunately.

Our 13 day journey through Morocco was very memorable. Our driver, (Youseff) was very punctual and shared with us his personal knowledge and experiences along the many roads we travelled.

In the city of Fez, we were greeted by our local guide, Fatima. She had vast knowledge of the local markets and attractions within the city. Certainly one of the highlights of our trip.

Overall our trip was well organized and tailored to what we were looking for. We plan on returning to Morocco again in the future, and look to build upon the experience we had.

Cody & Leyla

The whole trip throughout South India was very well organised and executed by the Kim Kim team.
Unfortunately, one incident near the end of the trip ruined my final memories and has caused me to cancel future plans to visit North India.
On the last day in Kerala, the driver (Tency) who had been with me constantly since Chennai stopped the vehicle in a deserted industrial area and demanded, in a most threatening way, that I give him the tip (gratuity) immediately.
This behaviour was so 'out of character', that I was most disturbed and, in fact, frightened for my life.
This incident has caused me to review (cancel) my intended trip to North India with Kim Kim.
Ralph Watkins

The experience in Jordon itself was fantastic. It is a beautiful country and we enjoyed Petra and Wadi Rum immensely. The experience with kimkim was good at first, but a lot of important details were missed that soured our experience. Imke never sent us the name or contact info for our driver, despite her assuring us that she would and I reached out to her days before we left to get that info. We felt rather lost when we landed, not sure where to find him since there were groups of drivers/guides at many different places in the airport. Then we got to one of our hotels and it hadn't been paid for and the host at the desk rather aggressively insisted it was my responsibility to pay. I had to call the emergency line to get it resolved, and the whole process took over an hour from our time in Petra as we weren't allowed to leave the hotel without paying. Then, less important but most disappointing: despite confirming with Imke twice that we wanted to do the hot air balloon in Wadi Rum, she did not make the booking and it was already full when we got there so we missed out on one of the parts of our honeymoon that we were most looking forward to experiencing. And our driver was nice but we felt pressured at times to buy things from the gift shops and restaurants that he took us to (I know this is standard on tours but it shouldn't be). And then on our last day we had planned in our itinerary to explore Amman for a few hours but our driver insisted that we should stay at our hotel until 5pm (well past checkout) instead. We pushed back a bit but he was very insistent and so we felt uncomfortable and just agreed to that. Overall, we liked Jordan but I'm not sure I would go through kimkim again.