Kimkim Trip Reviews

From beginning to end, Miha and Slotrips provided excellent service. He was patient with us in planning as we had numerous requests and were so overwhelmed at work that our response times were sometimes slow. Upon arrival, Miha made the whole trip so simple with the use of his amazing app!!! He equipped us with a phone with all the data that we needed and more. It was easy, and worked flawlessly! We cannot sing its praises enough! Miha and his team were always available to us along the way. Checking the weather for road closures, making sure we had alternatives for rainy days, answering our calls on public holidays. While we thoroughly enjoyed the adventure of taking an independent trip, we were always supported, felt safe and never felt alone. Miha really knows Slovenia and takes the time to get to know his guests so that he puts together a great itinerary. His recommendations were wonderful from the daily adventures (which included some frequently visited tourist spots but also many off the beat more quiet but super spectacular spots) to restaurants and accommodations.

Over all we had a great time. It started out bad. We were NEVER told we needed visas before we landed which is what is done in most countries. In fact 2 weeks before we were asked for a copy of our passports which would have been a good time to say by the way make sure you have your visas. It cost me a little over $700 and a lot of aggravation but we made it through. I had to get a hotel room in Singapore airport for another night and a new flight to Myanmar. The places were great and the 3 first guilds were great. The last lady was a little less so. All the drivers were good. but the guy in Bagan who we had for 2 days was above and beyond. Always cold water and cold towels. He should get an extra star. The hotels were top notch and it was a nice touch in Mandalay to give us the room with the extra service. Thanks. The next to last night at the lake we were going to be put into a room with no AC Bad move it was 90 in the shade. We were able to talk them into taking us to the next hotel which worked out better anyway The boat the next morning left from the hotel. The only other thing I would leave out is the horse buggy ride. It has no seats and is impossible sit in. Was really terrible. On the way home we had a hassle with air because we missed the flight in they cancelled the flight out and it took an hour on the phone and $90 to get our flight back less the ungraded seats I had paid for

Anne is an exceptionally good tour organiser and we are so very happy to have chosen her (via KimKim) for our 10-day Myanmar tour. Anne was away in Turkey when we were in Myanmar but she kept monitoring our tour progress (through the guides), stayed in touch with us and NEVER took more than a few minutes to respond to our needs whenever we raised any issues. The tour itinerary she put together for us was also great and it covered everything we wanted to see and more.

Of course no trip would be enjoyable unless the tour guides are good. All our guides (Yangon: Maung Maung, Bagan: Thinzar, Mandalay: Nay and Inle Lake: Naing) were very knowledgeable, passionate about their country and went out of their way to make sure we all had a great time. It was a pleasure to have such fantastic tour guides.

We highly recommend Anne/KimKim to anyone wishing to have an amazing Myanmar experience and exposure to a very pious Buddhist society.

My wife Anthea and I had never been to Sri Lanka previously so we had no real understanding of the country or people and really no expectations for the trip other than what we had heard from others.

However we have come away from our trip absolutely stunned, amazed and thoroughly satisfied, it is the most beautiful country and warm and friendly people and we have bought away memories that will stay with us for our life time.

We can not fault the engagement and support we have had from our liaison Sandun, he was prompt, listened carefully to what we were after, was always helpful with the questions we had and overall built for us a truly amazing itinerary!

Arriving in a new country for the first time is always daunting and full of concern however we were incredibly lucky to be met by Mr Dammika Bandara who we learnt was to be our guide for the trip. He quickly became a long life friend (!!!!!).....and look after us through the chaos of the Easter Sunday bombings, through driving us always safely across many miles or country side and busy roads, through always taking time to point out things of interest and having us visit places we didnt know existed, through sharing meals of friendship and finally a warm goodbye and promise we would be back and the opportunity to meet his lovely son!

We thank Dammika's family for sharing him with us for our two week journey and we hope one day we will get to meet them in person :)

There were many highlight places for us but none more so than Wild Grass Resort, Sigriya Rock, Yala National Park and Galle and Thropoban Pavilion Resort. Dammika and I conquered the Little Adams Peak trek!!! and Anthea and I adored our special dinner night at Mahoora Luxury Safari Park. We were incredibly lucky to view both elephants and leopards in the park and we loved our afternoon at the Galle Fort a Sugar Bar and Bistro.

We are absolutely going back again and exploring the north of the island!

Our trip to Peru was exactly how we wanted it. Kristy was amazing, easy to reach. She was always checking on us to make sure we were fine. The trip was well planned and well organized. We visited the places we wanted and the excursions were perfect and beautiful to experience. The locals are so friendly, warm. and loving. Peru is a place we would definitely recommend, book your trip with Kimkim.

My husband and I were excited when we made the decision to travel to Nepal for a trek and to explore the country, however, were having difficulty in figuring out the logistics on our own. We were so fortunate to connect with Kripa through KimKim.

We highly recommend working with Kripa. During the planning process, she answered all of our questions in a timely manner and was friendly/professional/helpful. She gave us all of the information we could possibly need to prepare for our travels. She helped us to plan the exact trip that we wanted, including time in Kathmandu and Pokhara, a four day/three night Trek and three nights in Chitwan National Park. When we got to Nepal, she met us upon arrival to introduce us to our guides. All of our guides and drivers were punctual, kind and professional. We had Tendu as our guide for our Trek, and he went above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and had everything we needed. His experience trekking was also very impressive. Kripa met us at the end of our stay in Nepal to check in on how everything went.

This was our first time using any type of travel company, and we found it to be extremely helpful. With all of the logistics taken care for us, we were able to focus on the experience of being in Nepal. We had a vacation that we will never forget and will hopefully be returning in the future for more trekking.

The whole trip was a mixed bag for me - and I will try and balance my feedback.
Planning - Amanda was very good and responsive giving me with multiple options. At most times she was able to understand me and tweak the plans to suit me. She would check on me from a time to time basis, ensuring things were on track which really made me feel looked after. The only part of miscommunication was that I assumed the individual guides were included which I realized after I reach there it wasn't.
Hotels (Amman, Petra and Dead Sea) - Petra and Dead sea the hotels were brilliant - the biggest advantage being right next to the sites. They were comfortable and provided more than what could need from a hotel, especially the Dead Sea Spa Resort (DSSR). DSSR had a sprawling site, multiple pools, easy access to the sea, great restaurant (and buffet) and a couple of good bars.
Camp (Wadi Rum)- surely one of the highlights of the trip. Khaled was a great host and ensured we were engaged. It was one of the best evenings of the trip - great views of the sunset, amazing slow cooked food!!
Driver/Car - probably the weakest spot - especially because he missed coming to pick me up from the hotel to airport on the way back. (to be fair- it was the first day of Ramadan and he may have had a poor sleep). My driver was chatty otherwise and would ensure that he was taking me to show things around as a local which a tourist may otherwise miss.
Price- Good value for money but if its more than traveler its much more price-efficient.
Arun

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip and are glad we used kimkim to create a bespoke travel plan! Almost every piece lined up perfectly and we were able to do and see so much more of gorgeous Colombia than we would have been able to do on our own. We would certainly consider using kimkim to organise future travels to up-and-coming holiday destinations.

We've copied the travel itinerary overview below to drop in some feedback for Nicolas and Tucaya to consider when making arrangements for future travelers.

Day 1: Transfer to Santa Marta - Transrubio in Bogota was fine, though the driver arrived at 6am, not 9am which caused some confusion. Al Caribe transport was perfect.
Day 2: Explore Tayrona National Park - Our guide in Tayrona was excellent!
Day 3: Relax on the Beach - We booked Tayrona Tented Lodges ourselves
Day 4: Exploring Minca - Though natural beauty surrounding Minca is breathtaking, but Minca itself is touristy and unappealing to us. Though Hotel Sweet Harmony is a nice place with helpful staff, we would have preferred to stay up in the mountains rather than in the town.
Fidel provided our transfer from Tayrona to Minca - honestly, he might be a little too eccentric for most travelers. He seemed rather loony and made us a tad uncomfortable.
Fidel also offered to take us on a quick ride up to the waterfall once we arrived in Minca. He then charged us $70,000COP which we know was way to much for a 10 minute drive anywhere in Colombia. It was really annoying to be ripped off by an agency that Tucaya partnered with and that we were already paying for transport and tours.
Day 5: Travel to Cartagena - The morning bird watching activity was excellent! However, it overran by 90 minutes so we were pretty hungry and thirsty by the end since it went much later into the morning than anticipated.
There was also some confusion with our transfer time to Cartagena. Given that there wasn’t much to do in Minca itself, we wanted to head to Cartagena right after the bird tour, but the driver’s time had been pushed back.
Once the driver arrived, the transfer was really comfortable and swift.
Hotel Santa Catalina was luxurious. In retrospect, we would have been happy to pay less and stay in a less nice hotel because this hotel was SO fabulous.
Day 6: Escape to Islas del Rosario - We did not like the service provided by Gente de Mar. They were late to leave the harbor and the day was so regimented it was hard to enjoy the beach because they kept interrupting with bells to do this or that. They were very pushy about getting paid early for the drinks we bought and made us get back on the boat at 3pm, so we really didn’t have much time there at all.
Furthermore, on our voucher from Tucaya it said there would be a lobster lunch and an opportunity to kayak. Neither of these things were true. No lobster, no kayaks.
Day 7: Free Day at Cartagena - We were glad to have this day to explore this amazing city.
Day 8: Explore Colombia's Coffee Region - Our transport all the way from Cartagena to Armenia went smoothly. The driver in Armenia was exceptional kind and helpful, we really liked him.
Bosques del Saman Alcala was fine, not great. There was music nearby playing really, really loud all night and we couldn’t sleep. The jacuzzi was dirty and not hot. The food provided was decent and the views spectacular.
Day 9: Explore Cocora Valley - This tour was excellent for the most part. However, Salamanca was very crowded and it was hard to appreciate the town or explore the stores with our guide hovering around the whole time. We would have preferred to just have a free hour there on our own before reuniting with the guide. Actually, we would have preferred to skip Salamanca altogether and spend 1.5 hours on our own in Filandia. That town was cuter, quieter and the people were so friendly!
Day 10: Visit a Local Coffee Farm - Prior to the coffee farm tour, we had a long morning just at the hotel which was boring. As we said, we didn’t think much of the hotel and we wished there had been something else planned for this time.
Finca Casa Vieja was fantastic, as was the lunch provided! This experience felt authentic and we learned a lot. We also enjoyed going into Quimbaya to the cafe to see the coffee culture in a local setting.
Transport to Bogota all went well. Our stay at Movich was very comfortable. Again, we could have stayed in a less extravagant place and saved money overall.
Day 11-14: The luxuriant Amazon Jungle - The flight to Leticia was fine and a representative from Calanoa greeted us. The community boat to the resort was quite uncomfortable.
The staff at Calanoa were really dedicated and attentive and the accommodations were reasonably comfortable given we were in the Amazon!

We did the following activities:
-Short daytime hike
-Long daytime hike
-Kayaking on the Amazon
-Tour of the reservation
-Monkey foundation island
-Nightime hike
-Sailing to look at dolphins
-Sailing around the island to look at wildlife and fish
All activities were quite engaging. In retrospect, I wish we had also gone to Puerto Narino. The food was pretty good, but it would have been nice to have some service there to buy snacks from the kitchen between meal times (hiking makes us hungry!). Between activities there isn't much to do, especially at the really buggy times of day when you can't be outside, but understandably this is part of the Amazonian experience.

Though we had a great trip, there were a few areas we were unhappy with. We had requested Spanish speaking guides and all of the guides were English speakers. One of the purposes of this trip was to challenge our Spanish language skills and we were disappointed to have English guides throughout. Given the prices we saw for things in Colombia, we feel the trip was quite expensive and we would have preferred to stay at some less luxurious hotels in order to save a couple hundred dollars. We had mentioned this to Nicolas prior to the trip, and perhaps he did adjust us down a level, but we could have gone done a bit further even.

Amazing trip to Nepal: the Muldai + Poon Hill trek was an excellent choice for our group (3 adults + 4 children, ages 10-14): it offers breathtaking views of the Annapurna range; a good balance between trekking difficulty to relax/chill-at-the-teahouse time; a variety of trail sceneries: sunny mountain crests with long vistas; lush river valleys; occasional patches of snow; small villages; tiny teahouses and spectacular views from Poon Hill (Muldai was cloudy, but worth the early wakeup and hike nevertheless).
Amanda's insight and attention to detail as we were discussing itinerary were invaluable; she met us at our Katmandu hotel and introduced us to Rajesh Darhel, our guide: Rajesh’s combination of patience, knowledge, responsibility and flexibility worked perfectly for all of us; his assistant Rabin B.K. Ghandruk made a great connection with the children, and together they found the right pace for everybody.
…..and then, at the last day of our trek, as we were starting to make our way back to Pokhara to catch a flight; when a traffic jam for the ages blocked the roads; when all flights were being cancelled due to heavy fog, and it seemed like we were going to miss our flight home from Kathmandu - that’s when Rajesh, with the support of Amanda and the Himalayan-Trails office in Kathmandu really made the difference: they took care of everything: Yes - we got back to Kathmandu very late (or – very early the next day…) - but we knew all along everything is taken care of, so we could just lean back and enjoy the scenery.
Thanks Amanda, Rajesh, Robin; special thanks to Probin, Sachin, Santosh and Nirajan.

Our Moroccan adventure began the moment we found kimkim to do our custom built tour that should have been 15 days in 8 days:))
Abdel was informative and available and able to answer all our questions queries settle our concerns.
Our guide was kareem who was able to speak and understand English and was ever willing to be at our side and fit in our eating and shopping schedules as well as the long drives and sight seeing . Kareem accompanied us from Marrakech to merzouga desert fez chefchaouen and then Casablanca.. everything was timeous and with the long drives on some those scary roads we felt safe . Even when driving in the sandstorm we were safe.
Thank you Kareem and Abdel for an awesome amazing experience.

Randal did a great job communicating and organizing the itinerary.

I thought the experience was very good however the accommodations were somewhat underwhelming . Most of the resorts appeared to be about 20 % occupied which is indicative of the low season. I would not recommend the first hotel at all. They made no attempt to hide the fact that guests were eating breakfast in a cattle coral.

On the second day we were met by a tour guide named Chris. He was excellent. I could not have imagined any better. He had a great depth of knowledge and humility. I hope you call him out and let him know that he made the trip well worth the time. He had knowledge by the broader economy that no other guide could match. We was wonderful.

Our experience with kimkim was very professional. All the logistics were prefect in regards to response time, flexibility in customizing the itinerary and even helping us with a separate personal trip by changing local flights!
The trek we did was in Pikey Peak.. so not many people going there. Was very quite trek and beautiful. Although we could not see the mountain ranges for most of the trek due to weather. Our guide Mingmar was very accommodating and the porter Pasang Sherpa blew my mind away carrying 30kg over the 6 days.
Kimkim might be a bit more expensive than other operators.. but worth it if you want peace of mind and professionalism.

My husband and I had a phenomenal trip in Morocco organised by Yassine and the Team from MOBT, and I would be delighted to recommend them to anyone looking to travel to Morocco for the first time.

Booking Experience:
One of the great benefits of working with a locally based travel specialist is that you receive reliable guidance and recommendations for a country you may not be familiar with. In planning the trip Yassine thoughtfully made me aware of several logistical considerations, for example regarding realistic travel times, and also recommended some less well-known regions and destinations to visit. He helped us tailor an itinerary that catered for our interests and maximised our short 7 days in the country.

Yassine was highly professional, always responsive, and knowledgeable. The information provided before the trip was detailed and gave us some great preparation tips.

For anyone traveling from Australia, I can also confirm that coordinating information with Yassine was significantly easier and faster than with a local agent. In addition, he was happy provide us with all the required info for Smart Traveller.

In Country Experience:
We couldn’t be happier and more grateful for the warm welcome and support we received from the MOBT team.

The highlight of any trip is the people you meet along the way, and we truly cherished the opportunity to get to know our driver Ismail. Apart from being a very thoughtful, kind, and warm person – he’s also one heck of a competent driver. It was so sad to say goodbye and we wished we got to have more conversations with Ismail. He was so patient with our questions and taught us both a lot about Morocco.

All the guides we encountered were professional and knowledgeable. Of particular value was their savvy planning of our days in Marrakesh and Fes, since they were able to predict which places would be crowded, so we were always at the right place at the right time, avoiding all the cues.

We were also grateful that Hassan joined us on one of the days, it was a pleasure to meet him, and we really appreciated that MOBT team members checked in with us regularly during the trip.

Finally, the accommodation selected by MOBT could not have been better. Every hotel/riad was comfortable, beautiful, had incredible service, and was easy to find in the medina.

Travelling to Morocco:
If you’ve not been to Morocco before, do not hesitate to plan your visit. I would recommend researching and preparing well, understanding a little about the culture beforehand, and you will have a brilliant trip.

Whatever your interest, you will find something that you will enjoy and find beauty in. For me, as an avid reader and history buff, Morocco was a treasure trove of incredible sights and meaningful discoveries. It was really a transformative experience, and we now understand a little more about the world than we did before – something that you should take away from every new place. It’s hard to name a highlight - the whole experience was fantastic from start to finish - but I think getting up early in the morning to listen to the call to prayer and watch the sunrise for the first time in Marrakesh was one of the most moving memories I have.

Thank you to Yassine, Hassan, of course Ismail, and everyone at MOBT for helping us have an amazing adventure. We will be returning to Morocco, there is so much more to explore!

Our trip to Ecuador booked through kimkim was incredible! Isabel made sure that everything was dealt with in terms of accomodations, activities, and logistics which took a lot of the planning off of our hands! The itinerary put together and the welcome packet at the first hotel made sure we never were confused about any meeting points or activities.

In terms of the trip itself, Ecuador is amazing in its diversity of climates and the two that my girlfriend and I wanted to experience (Volcano and rainforest) were both unforgettable experiences! From biking down Cotopaxi and the surrounding park to spotting monkeys, birds, caimans, and pink dolphins in the rainforest we couldn’t have asked for a better trip. Thank you to Isabel and our guides for the two portions, Ricardo (biking) and Diego (rainforest). I would highly recommend kimkim for any travel plans and will 100% be using them again in the future!

We had wonderful time on our 5 day trip in Jordan. Arranged through KimKim and wonderfully organised by Lena from In2Jordan travel in Amman. Our driver Izhaq(Issac) was more than just a driver, he was helpful with travelling suggestions and information and an enjoyable companion. Jeshra, Roman city was surprising in size and number of buildings and structures standing. Including two theatres and a hippodrome! The Mosaic hotel in Madaba was excellent, had great fun at the Dead Sea and Spa Hotel. Petra was almost booked out, so our hotel (Candles) was a much lower quality, but convenient. Petra is a once in a lifetime place to see. Wadi Rum and our night at Khaled’s camp was magnificent. The camp accommodation was so good and the next morning we were awed by the desert scenery during our 3 hour 4 wheel drive into “Lawrence of Arabia” country. Finishing in the heart of Amman at the Art Hotel we were very happy with our tour of Jordan.

The entire trip was professionally run and well coordinated. Pasang was always available and extremely helpful. Lapka was great on the ground, our guide Pemba was brilliant and our young porter Pasang was really nice too. Really enjoyed the trek, Pemba was extremely knowledgeable and patient with us, particularly as we are in our late fifties and not as fit as we once were! The hotel manaslu was fine too, as were the tea houses - especially the food.

All came together well. Guides were very knowledgeable and had a sense of humour which is always a bonus. Mery had everything planned and organized. Thank you 😊

Blown away with frances hospitality coming to visit us in killarney in person and calls to make sure all ok.
Margo our bike hike guide was unbelievable. She was encouraging, so informed about so much, great conversation, felt totally blessed to have her for a full day. All accommodations were above expectations. Great locations, bfasts and hosts.
The Hertz GPS was slow and didn't provide accuracy we e expected. That is not your responsibility. Hertz did a wonderful thing in not charging us since we were 1hour late.

Pat Liddy tour was fantastic !!!!

Only suggestions would be to strongly urge drivers download offline maps if they have capability on their phones. That ended up better than Hertz gps.
Also, information on the charges to the suggested route stops. We probably would have changed some of our stops to be able to spend more time. (Ex. Bunratty castle). or not go . It got a bit frustrating to pay at every stop for more info. If I had known I would have planned better.
However, every place was amazing and the trip went without a gliche. It was amazing!!
Oh, also maybe add info about bus pass and needing exact change on buses in Dublin,
along with brief comment on norms of tipping and that last admission to quite a few sites is4-5p. We missed going in to some locations.

I'm rambling along so I hope makes sense.

Thank you for an amazing trip
Ireland should definitely be a must do for everyone.
God bless

The first two nights of the trip were terrible. Our original campsites were indiscriminately closed without warning. As a result all the campers were forced to use the facilities of much smaller refugios, which were inadequate for the number of people. We were herded in and out of the eating areas like cattle, with strict time limits for consuming our meals.

Furthermore, I was dramatically overcharged compared to other people in my group who booked directly with the tour operator, Chile Nativo. I was charged approximately $2500 US, including KimKim's fee, while others in my group paid approximately $1700 US!! I have requested a refund and will not use or recommend KimKim's services to my social network unless I am properly reimbursed. This is very unprofessional.

All drivers and guides were very professional and friendly, they listened and steered us to aspects we told them we were interested in (in my case it was local foods and sighting as many wild birds as possible). The entire LaSelva experience was extremely well organized and fulfilling. Transportation was clean and comfortable. We appreciated having water available for us for every leg of the journey. The hotels in Quito and the Hacienda Cusin were all enjoyable. We loved the local fruits and Ecuadorian dishes for breakfast. All in all just a wonderful trip!