Kimkim Trip Reviews

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!

What a memorable trip to Colombia, all thanks to the kimkim team!! We usually do not utilize travel agencies and pre-planned itineraries but I am very happy that we did. Couple of friends, my husband and I went on a 9 day trip to Colombia this April, and with our itinerary that kimkim help develop, we enjoyed a wide variety of Colombia - the city life, art history, coffee plantations, farm to table dining, Cocora Valley hiking, city revitalization, every day market shopping to cooking class... it all truly surmounted to an unforgettable experience. What made it powerful though, was the guides we were privileged to meet throughout our trip. Not only were they English speaking (shamefully, my husband and I cannot speak Spanish...), but most were born and raised in the cities we met them at. They were knowledgeable with their tours, but also willing to share their personal stories, giving the tours meaning, passion, hope, beauty. Jairo in Bogota was hands down exceptional and our undeniable favorite - such wealth of knowledge regarding Bogota and Colombia, but seemed so heartfelt and invested in giving us the most out of our day... also it may arguably have been the most delicious snack-filled day of our trip ;) (he apparently also does gastronomy tours!). I also appreciated Santiago's devotion to his and Colombian coffee, Sam's commitment to telling the horrid history, and now progress in communa 13, Diego's willingness to share his stories, opinions, thoughts, which in the end gave hope in human perseverance.

Overall our trip to Morocco was an exciting trip. I believe that the one area that needs to be improved is the following. 1) agency staff should have one staff member who has visited the primary cities and understands how the city functions - e.g. the square in Marrakech does not have any food stall experience before night fall ... when i would speak to Brahim about places - the response ‘i’ve never been there” required me to research even more... 2) guides should have both prior knowledge of proposed guiding highlights and agency reliance on guides needs to be more than booking a registered guide - there should be some knowledge of the guide skill sets , If the agency cannot provide that service the client should be advised.. I have booked private guide services in many cities and countries and the main guides provided by the agency were not professional.. they were not interested in their work or interested in showing us their city/country, this was not the case with the guides that i booked .... interesting to note that guide services that i booked directly for myself in Casablanca, Essaouria and Marrakech and the one i picked up last minute in Ait Ben Haddou and the one provided by our driver in Meknes were exceptional - the only guide service provided through the agency that provided exceptional guiding were Hafid in Fes and the camel guide and the sunset guide provided by Yasmina Palace in Merzouga
provided good guiding services. all things being relevant
a trip is made exceptional by two components - the driver and the guide services and both were lacking.
better accommodation for the same fee is available in Marakkech,
the Marakkech guide was the worst. he had knowledge but was neither interested in his city or in providing the guide services

most memorable place was FES and the desert experience and Chefchaouen - driver for Chefchaoun was very good

Patricia Stalteri

0

This was my first time in South America and Chile, and also my first time as a solo traveler. Mery put together a fantastic and thorough 15 day itinerary for me in Chile covering all the highlights and more that I had not thought off. I am grateful and privileged to have covered so much of Chile in such a short amount of time. All credit for this goes to Mery and her team.

The tours that were arranged were on-time, professional and very informative. The guides, whilst mainly catering to Spanish speaking passengers, also took the time and patience to explain the same to me in English.

I was also impressed with the accommodation that was booked, it felt like someone had really thought about the location and quality of the places. The accommodation in the various towns/cities was centrally located, close to shops and restaurants and very comfortable.

The highlights of the trip were the San Pedro de Atacama desert (would recommend the Altiplanics Lake tours, Laguna Cejar, Moon Valley tour & the Night Sky tour) which has so many varying and unique landscapes. Patagonia including the Torres del Paine national park and Balmaceda/Serrano glaciers are a must see, these are truly spectacular.

Overall a very well organised and thought out trip, that exceeded my expectations. Thank you for putting this together and ensuring I had a great experience. Would not hesitate to recommend kimkim/Say Hueque again.

We can't thank Robi enough for helping us plan our trip to Croatia. All the bookings he made on our behalf were great - we were very happy with all our accommodation and our rental car booking. Robi arranged for Goran to drive us one day and that was a highlight for us. Robi kept in contact with us throughout the trip and managed any changes that needed to be made. When we had to leave Korcula unexpectedly early, Robi found us alternative accommodation which we so appreciated - arriving in Split late on a rainy night, it was wonderful that he'd made arrangements for us at short notice.
Our holiday in Croatia was even more wonderful than we could have imagined, and we thank you, Robi, for all your hard work on our behalf. We will recommend Robi and kimkim to any friends who are travelling in the future.
Bronwyn & John

I couldn't recommend kimkim enough to people planning for an adventurous trip away. The way in which Erin tailored the trip to my desires and ability made the planning process so easy, simple and quick given I started organising my trip at very short notice.

Our guide Sonam was absolutely exceptional and made our trip. She was always extremely professional, helpful and would always know how to make us smile in times of hardship. When I undoubtedly return to Nepal I hope I am paired with Sonam again as she was not only our guide for our time trekking but a friend, which we laughed with and shared stories about our different lives. Pekma and Thilen, our porters were also incredibly kind hearted and helpful, bonding with our group and helping us achieve our goals. The route suggested by kimkim was breath taking and so unique, trekking through isolated valleys and untouched ancient towns tucked away on the Annapurna Conservation Area. With the combination of Sonam, Pekma and Thilen and the incredible route we took, it made this experience one of most unforgettable and enjoyable trips of my life.
Many Thanks!!

In my opinion Priscilla was different from the other guides because unlike others where they try to set an itinerary up the mountain, she keeps her options open by deciding based on my capabilities and is very attentive to my wellbeing and gives the impression that I can trust her. She also shared with me the local culture, way of life, and a wealth of knowledge on native plants. This effectively made my trip up in the mountains an enjoyable experience, not just a trek through the pass. She also has a positive attitude which makes her company highly enjoyable. I would highly recommend her as a guide.

I did encounter some issues with my porter; at times he has conflicting opinions to Priscilla and sometimes I'm not sure who I should listen to, as he says that he's usually a guide and only being a porter because he has time. I also had to say a few words to him about going through the content on my phone without my authorisation and using my phone to take photos of himself. However this stopped after I expressed my unease with him doing that.

It was overall an enjoyable experience, I will book with you again in the future if I come back to Nepal for another visit. Thanks heaps.

Peru is much more than anyone could expect for their first visit there. Is the first country in years for which I can definitely say that I will return. There are so many things to see, so much diversity and wonders to discover.
For the guides, I will mention only the one that from my opinion was the best prepared, and that is Julio Cesar, yes :) like the roman emperor. He has provided a lot of useful informations and was connected in a natural and sincere way. All the guides were polite and willing to help with anything, but Julio seemed less commercial than all :).
Thanks to Anne, Julio and to everybody that contribute to a memorable experience in Peru.

We loved Cartagena and Medellin and the surrounding areas. The tour guide we had in Medellin, was particularly outstanding - Juan Manuel, I think.

Laura was very responsive when any issues arose, and they were promptly fixed.

This was our 2nd experience with KimKim and we'll do it again!

We had a wonderful trip to Egypt. We had constant communication with Ibrahim our local specialist and he was always there for us. We had a guide for every stage of our tour and the transfers from one location to another were seamless. Everyone was very kind and the excursions were super fun. We especially enjoyed the Nile Cruise and our trip to the Red Sea in Hurgada. It was a great time and we felt very safe!

Chile 2019 - thank you to Daiana and all the drivers and tour guides who made this a trip of a lifetime. Hotel Ismael is Santiago is perfect. Matetic Winery is a must see. Atacama desert experience was beyond expectations. Judy

Positive experiences:
Good price, very good destinations, good internal flight arrangements, except one bad experience good airport pickups and transfers. Excellent arrangements and quality of lunches and dinners. Responses from Carla were very prompt, and Martin’s were generally good.

Negative:
Failure of my transport at Rio was very disturbing and that was a bad start.
While the hotels were all four star rated, Dione of them were below our expectations and well below what we had experienced with other tour operators.
Some of the tour guides were not knowledgeable and did not provide any real information. Our first guide to Petropolice was a disaster and wasted our time at the unscheduled half day stop at a beer factory.
Some of the visits were not good, such as the Conchita winery I n Santiago. We just saw the cellar and the house and no wine making process. There is a scope to improve.

Olman did a perfect job booking an amazing week of holiday in Costa Rica for my husband and son and I. After providing Olman with the cities, the activities, and our budget, he came back with a schedule that fit everything. I was a little worried that I hadn’t yet received any confirmation from Olman one week prior to our departure but Olman reassured me there will be a schedule before our departure. Everything in Costa Rica was right on schedule, the car transport pickups were always 5 minutes early to pick us up. The level of hotel and quality of tours exceeded our expectations. I would recommend Olman to anyone wanting a trip organizer for Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

All the bus drivers, each and everyone were wonderful. They were conscience of our time schedule and making sure we connected with the appropriate guides. Demistris the first person at Athens was kind and cordial and provided me with the phone and crucial information. He also greeted me again and my group just before we left to Meteora, which as breathtaking. All the guides were also fabulous, They all shared stories both personal and factual which made the information more enjoyable. All the hotels were excellent and loved taking advantage of the spa services at Santorini, absolutely loved the Catamaran tour and mineral springs, they even played music from Mamma Mia and my group were Dan I g and singing to the music as we entered the docks as we embarked and those who were on shore were clapping at us.
By the way he tour guide at the Oracle was great, she told stories like nobody else could😊
The workshop and the guide who escorted us to the soap making, ancient Olive tree and wine tasting event was outstanding! The woman who provided the workshop were great and my group bought a lot of soap from them and a lot of olive oil etc from the wine tasting tour. My artist gave our tour guide a special drawing of the ancient tree to him and he provided myself with a sketch and my assistant, so personal.😊 My group fell in love with Crete, and the family that took us on Easter Day were so very special, they were outstanding and provided us with Easter bread and Raku(sp). And written information about the tradition of your Easter, super special.
Botanical Garden and special meal was excellent!
All the hotels excellent, food and boat rides. The first boat ride (ferry) to Santorini though was a bit tough, as it took an extra hour and half due to weather, but the other two was great. The only issue with Jeremy on the last overnight ride, but u all are taking care of that. Of course the Olympia was extraordinary, My students had the opportunity to stand on the ancient blocks in the field and I even raced against my husband on the field, didn’t realize others were watching we received a clapping from those who were watching when we finished as I won😊
Communication with myself an some of those I encounter my have been a bit difficult at times, but with this communication and the phonetic provided along with the detail agenda for me, it all helped. Everyone you provided for us were kind, patient and courteous.
Confusion on what tickets were included and not was mostly the issues, but we resolved it. On past trips, that was always included. The only issue that I had was the lunch at Olympia, I thought it was part of the amount, but I was good once I spoke with Tasos. The place the bus driver recommended was excellent and the husband and wife (owners) went out of there way to provide special plates they my group enjoyed.
I would definitely use Tasos again, for he did an excellent job working with me to make this an extraordinary adventure, learning experience for my students

Everything was well taken care of. No significant glitches. Good guides provided, who were knowledgeable, helpful and attentive. Superb experience. Communication and responses from Linda were prompt and clear.

Amazing trip to Jordan people we lovely and Petra did not disappoint

We had a great experience from planning our trek with Kripa through to leaving Nepal after 10 unforgettable days. Our guide Tendu and porter Gulu were exceptional and passionate about trekking especially through their home region of Nepal. Great trek which was quiet and spectacular.

Thanks for a well organised holiday Raluca!

I really enjoyed travelling in Transylvania. The infrastructure is good even if not top rate. The people were friendly and helpful. Communication was quite good as most young people spoke some English and non-speakers were keen to try to understand and help. Speaking a bit of German and Hungarian was useful.

Accommodation was reasonable in price. At times I felt that I would rather look at history than live in it. However every place was spotlessly clean and inviting.

I enjoyed walking through old villages where the old pace of life was still visible. Seeing storks nests on top of electricity poles was amusing.

The food was mostly good quality if not very varied.

I would like to return and explore other parts of Romania.

Brahim did an excellent job in guiding us while we planned the trip. He coordinated well that we did not need to connect with him during the trip. We had Rachid as our driver and he was excellent.

Our daughter has food alllergjes and the entire trip was arranged so she was safe

WE had a fantastic experience using Kimkim again this trip. We were linked with Anne and here tour guides really did their best to make our trip perfect. We really did not need to worry about anything and every day we had something interesting to do. The selection of accommodation was really comfortable even in the remote town's and we really felt like we were having thw 'boutique' and personalised trip we wanted. I am really happy we did it this way and let Anne organise everything because we would have never been able to have so many local experiences and have been so well looked after if we'd tried to organise everything ourselves. The highlights were Bagan and Inle Lake, it was boiling hot during the time of year we visited but when we got to more altitude the weather was more pleasant. I definitely will be using Kimkim again, twice now I have had great holidays and such memorable experiences through using these guys.