Kimkim Trip Reviews

Great support from your Team, from start of the planning process until the end of the trip.

We were in great hands with our guides Aldo (Sacred Valley) and Yuri (Jungle)! We enjoyed their knowledge of the history, animals as well as what was likely to change given current environmental threats. Since our teenage boys moved quite a bit faster than their parents, they spent a lot of time ahead with the guides on some hikes. The notorious hard-to-please teens were also thrilled with this trip. They really enjoyed the mountain biking and the bits of knowledge they gained along the way in both parts of the trip. We'll be back to Peru!

Our guide, Birgir Jóhannsson was very good. He was intersting, polite, accommodating to our needs. The hotels/guest houses which were booked were very modest. Of the five nights there, four were very bare. Two had no TV, no soap in some of them, no bath mats, no face cloths, about two clothes hangers. They all had private bathrooms with wonderful hot and cold water.
My biggest complain was the bus. There were 17 people plus driver crammed into a very tight space. There was absolutely no leg room, particularly for tall people. The overhead bins were very shallow , so would not accommodate a full backpack, only some jackets. We sat for hours driving with out packs on our knees. We did make frequent stops to stretch our legs but that also meant a lot of off and on the bus. Our group of passengers was very good at rotating seats, but when you got over the wheel well, there was even less space. Either get a bigger bus or less passengers. We specifically choose this tour because there were less passangers than the big tour buses.

David was great! Very knowledgeable and delivered exactly as promised. The weather did not cooperate but David made it great. We hiked several miles crossing hundreds of small streams and rocks to see a lake but the clouds never lifted. David was funny as well with his 'picture a rock cliff over there...'
Phil K.

Our guides, Aldo and Yuri, were absolutely awesome. They were both very focused on giving us a good experience and sharing the best of their country with us. All of the food we had on the trip was either very good or excellent. Peruvians definitely care about the quality of their food. Yum!

The one area for improvement would have been a little better information on appropriate clothing and expected whether. Our packing list suggested 3 pair of shorts and 2 pair of long pants. We never wore shorts in the Sacred Valley and even though it was warm enough in the jungle for shorts, we chose long pants much of the time because of the bugs. So, we definitely would have been better prepared with more long pants and less shorts.

We had a terrific trip. Visiting Landmannalaugar was probably my favorite - the landscape is incredible and hard to even describe. We hiked through an obsidian lava field to a bunch of fumaroles, and then up to the closest peak for an amazing view. The whole family really enjoyed our trip to Heimaey as well (although as the family member with motion sickness isssues, I had a few complaints!). We climbed up Eldfell and found an active hot air vent, which was very exciting, saw the puffins and other seabirds, and even had an unexpected whale sighting. Early in the trip, we did some of the more standard visits - Seljalandsfoss, Skokafoss, the glacier at Skaftafell, the glacial lagoon, and other nice stops on the ring road. The first couple were crowded but still lovely to see, and that's saying something given that we come from a town famous for its waterfalls. We also really enjoyed our visit to Snaefellsnes Peninsula - there were extreme winds on our first day there (a steady 50-60 mph with higher gusts), which was wild. We couldn't even make it to the top of Saxholar Crater because I was literally blown off my feet! The next day the winds were milder and we hiked from one village to another through a lava field, along sea cliffs. We also took an F road up to the edge of the glacier. In Reykjavik, we enjoyed seeing Hallgrimskirkja, we had a LOVELY visit to one of the local geothermal pools, and we walked around in the rain. Oh, and we stopped at Thingvellir to see the continental rift, and we couldn't miss seeing the geysir!

We stayed in guesthouses - shared bathroom facilities, and breakfast provided. All but one of them had kitchens, which worked out great because we only ate 2 restaurant meals during our whole trip to save money.

Halldor did a great job coming up with hike suggestions that worked for the whole family (3 generations, ages 4-64). We took a substantial hike every day of our trip, sometimes two, and found his suggestions really solid. It was chilly (48F and raining) pretty much the entire time but we were well prepared and the weather wasn't an issue.

If I had to do it again, I would spend less time in Reykjavik and more time in Snaefellsnes. Reykjavik was just so very expensive - we couldn't afford to visit all the museums (just the animal park, for the 4yo), and although the shops are lovely and I wish I could have bought a sweater, there was no way I could pay $200 for a sweater or even $30 for a single meal. We spent at least half of our last day watching Norwegian cooking shows on the guesthouse's television and eating Icelandic cheese sandwiches. It wasn't unpleasant, but we could have been poking around Snaefellsnes instead. The thermal pool visit, however, was SO WORTH IT.

Took forever to get answers on the tour then once in Italy tour was not what I paid for and they were unable to purchase the tickets for the underground Colosseum as purchased. Very disappointing experience in all.

The trip was amazing from start to finish! I had an amazing time. Carla and my tour guide, Julian were superb! Thank you.

Overall itinerary was great. Monther Salah, our guide in Israel was fabulous and we had two guides in Jordan, Ahmed and Seyeal, who were equally good.

Highlights included: Jerusalem Old City; Masada; Sea of Galilee; Tel Aviv; Amman; Kerak; Petra and Wadi Rum.

Ingrid's help planning this trip was incredible! We told her what our interests were, she made suggestions, then adapted them to specifically meet our needs! She was patient with any changes we had! It was nice to know she was there if we had a specific question! We spent the first week of our Norway adventure renting a car and traveling the Kimkim trip that Ingrid planned and the second week on a Holland America Fjord cruise. The land trip Ingrid planned was by far our favorite part! We were immersed in the beauty, experienced the culture, food, and landscapes of Norway, and traveled at our own pace! We especially loved the Hotel Utsiken in Geiranger - sitting on the balcony drinking a delicious local beer, we counted 11 waterfalls around us (we could hear them rushing!), and had the most breathtaking view of the Fjord! In addition, we loved the Trollstigen road and staying in Kalvag, a small fishing village, for 2 nights was so relaxing! The fish dinners there were just phenomenal! You should have see the view from our hotel window in Fjaerland - right ON the fjord - I was just in awe at the gorgeous setting - WOW!! We stayed in Stryn one night and drove out to one of the glaciers - what a spectacular scenic drive!!! As a photographer, I was overwhelmed with this trip!! We have even talked about coming back for 2 weeks of travel to see more of Norway! Thank you Ingrid and Kimkim! You are highly recommended - we could not have done such good planning all on our own!

The planning was very helpful and my guide, Ngawang Sherpa, was great. However I feel slightly deceived. My trip cost over $100USD per day, and I was assured that it would be just as expensive to do it on my own. However, I looked at prices while trekking and it would have cost me around $25 a day including my permits and transportation.
The trek was beautiful though and the experience was so memorable. I would definitely suggest to someone trekking in Annapurna to do it without a guide however, because you could save so much money.

We had a great 1st trip to Iceland. It was very memorable. Our favorite outings were the glacier lagoon and the glacier hike. The Wifi in the car was great. We were not very happy with our accomodations at Hotel Katla. The entire room size was for the beds. The bathroom was clean but old and so small that the toilet and shower had to overlap in space. We would not stay there ever again. Hotel Stracta was the best place we stayed.

Overall, the trip was amazing. We really enjoyed the sights, food and experience. The different hostels each had a charm of their own, and only one or so was even remotely a negative., and that was because of the access to the house and kitchen.
My only concern was the hike in Hornstrandir was extremely strenuous. I had appropriate gear, and was in decent enough shape to find it enjoyable, however the description kind of made it sound like an easy stroll. Other people might not be as prepared with gear, and/or ability. Although if I had understood, maybe I would have had more fear. So it’s hard to say if more description would have been good or bad! We got through it and felt that we really accomplished something at the end. . I absolutely loved our guide and the experience. It was incredible, but I was somewhat unprepared for the reality of wading shoeless in icy creeks and rivers and hiking straight uphill for several kilometers.

Also the road to Látrabjarg, HOLY CRAP, that road was so super scary, for little payoff at the end, it was really foggy and we couldn’t see much. A little warning about that road and maybe I could have been a little more prepared, and not so scared that we would slide off into the ocean.

Otherwise, everything was fabulous. We enjoyed the horseback riding, the hostel in Broddannes was our favorite, hands down. What a stunning place.
We also really enjoyed the town that was the Herring Capital, and the museum there.
The whale watching was a little different than we do here in the states, but it was pleasant nonetheless, and I hope that Iceland abandons it’s Whaling program for whale watching instead, as I’m sure it’s more lucrative and more humane. But I’m an environmentalist, and have been against whaling my whole life. I hate to think of these creatures being killed. Seeing them on the menus in Reykjavík , I had to grit my teeth with that one.
Again, I had a wonderful, memorable time!! I will never forget it!!

All of our guides were very good. The part of the trip we enjoyed the most was the hike in Hornstrandir. The hike was very challenging for us. The elevation gain and distance were just what we expected. We didn't expect the rocks to move around so much as we walked on them. The food at the farm house was great.

The Isafjordur Cultural walk was very informative and enjoyable.

The kayaking was similar to what we experienced in other places. The clothing provided was much better than we had at other places. I was confident that we wouldn't end up in the water, but it was good to know that if we did we were well protected from extreme cold.

Our guide on the 2 day van ride was knowledgeable and really looked out for us. The weather impeded our enjoyment of the Latrabjarg Cliffs, but our guide to took us back again on the second day and the weather was better. I(but not Peggy) got tired of being in the van so long each day and not being out and walking more. The weather again was a part of the problem. We of course don't fault anyone for that. We were well aware that the weather we saw was about average and could have been much worse.
Overall, Iceland was a new and very different experience. We would have had difficulty planning and navigating such an experience without of expertise of Kim Kim.

If given the opportunity to use this this site again - I wouldn't hesitate! The experience from first conversation with Andy to the last adventure on the Vespa tour of Saigon and each incredible adventure in between was perfection! Our guides and driver in each city (Hanoi, Hoi Ann, Mae Chau, Saigon) were professionals, full of knowledge and fun. We fell in love with Hoi Ann and wish we could have spent more time there!

I have nothing but kind things to say regarding my recent trip to Pikey Peak in Nepal. Both Rachel and I had never been to Nepal before, and were overwhelmed with the kindness and hospitality we experienced both with the company and people we stayed with throughout the trek.

Needless to say, you need a guide if you have never hiked or journeyed through Nepal before. It is not only essential for your safety, but also because local guides have immense amount of knowledge and insight about Nepal culture, people, language, and places. It really adds to the trip to have guide who can help show you these parts of Nepal as well.

Our six day trek was wonderful. Picky Peak gave us beautiful view of various mountain ranges, including Mount Everest. Naress, our guide, was absolutely wonderful in providing us with any assistance we needed (whether it be encouragement on long hiking days or making sure all of our lodging was warm and accommodating). We also enjoyed our porter, Mingma Sherpa, who taught us different words in the Sherpa language and took us around a monastery in Junbesi.

My only critique of the trip was feeling under prepared in terms of packing as my friend Rachel also expressed in her review. If you go during the rainy season, it is very cold at night, especially at high altitudes. Perhaps an area of improvement for KimKim could be more transparency in telling us to pack warmer clothes, a sleeping bag, and other necessities.

Overall though, excellent company, guide, porter, and experience. Would certainly recommend to anyone who has limited time but wants to explore Nepal!

Our feedback from our 12 day trip in May/June 2018 to Sicily organised for 4 adults by KimKim was outstanding to say the least. We asked KimKim to put together a leisurely itinerary that covered the history of Sicily, farmhouse lunches and a Sicilian cooking class.

From our pick-up on arriving by ferry from Malta at 6.30am by Stefano our driver and Maria our guide. Maria and Stefano (supplied by Valdinoto Tours) were both outstanding. So helpful throughout our 3-4 days with them. Maria was so knowledgeable and gave us an in depth history lesson on the areas we covered with her.

All the other transfers and guides were of high standards. They were all on time and helpful throughout their time with us. Only one slight hiccup being one driver could not speak English but was still helpful as 2 of our party could manage with Italian language.

All of the accommodation were to the standards we expected and in very good locations.
They all were very helpful with any requests and the breakfasts supplied throughout each B&B or hotel were excellent.

Our guide in Agrigento was also outstanding. So passionate about the history of the te archaelogical site we visited. One slight problem with our stay in Agrigento the street where this B&B is located is closed to traffic at certain times of the day and unfortunately we arrived during this time. Our driver overcame this by speaking to the police about how to get there and at the end we had to reverse up a one way street! The owner of the B&B met us to carry the bags up a stairway.

The cooking class we had in Taormina at the Porta Messina was excellent they could not do enough for us and it was such fun along with plenty of food and drink.

All the other farmhouse lunches the lunch at Acitrezza were excellent, so much food! We certainly enjoyed the experiences.

From the time we arrived in Sicily to the time we left we did not have to handle our luggage.

We highly recommend KimKim for their excellent organisation and their very reasonable pricing.

Planning Notes

1. Final itinerary should come out to the group sooner. There was little to no time to consider changes for the group (example, we would have liked starting an hour later each day)

Transportation Notes

1. Our Bogota to Santa Marta flight was a complete mess! We didn't have confirmed seats and couldn't pre book them due to bad wifi connection speeds in Bogota. Because of this we almost didn't get to go on our flight and needed to wait while the airline asked 7 volunteers to take a later flight. Even when we finally got seats they were all dispersed and it took additional changes to ensure the children could be with someone from our group.

2. Transportation to the fishing village and final transportation to the Cartagena airport for the last transfer were super tight! This was strange considering that for our other trips the vehicle was sufficiently large enough.

Bogota Notes

1. Walking tour was cut short due to rain. Is there anyway to have a more concrete back up plan if weather intervenes?

2. Adding a souvenir destination in some of the market areas of Bogota to the walking tour would be great to explore some of the handmade/cultural items available.

3. Ingrid, our Bogota guide, was kind, helpful, and friendly. Would definitely recommend her to other groups.

4. Hotel (Casa Deco) was in a good location and the staff were all helpful and friendly. Though the construction on that road made it difficult for our transportation to get in and out of the area.

5. Monserrate portion of trip was awesome. Great views, easy to access, & shopping available. Plenty of time to spend at our own pace.

Santa Marta Notes

1. Hotel was in a central location and staff was friendly & helpful.

2. However, hotel (Casa Ferol) nickeled & dimed everything we needed - extra charge for drinks during breakfast, charging for a bucket of ice without previously telling us it would cost us extra, etc.

3. Tayrona Park guides (Angel & Jorge) were great. Friendly, knowledgable, and attentive to the group. They did everything - helping kids and older adults with the hike and helping with ordering of lunch.

4. Tayrona hike is NOT for all fitness levels. Older adults and young children struggled with the heat, length of the hike, and large uneven steps in the hiking areas. Some of the adults with back and knee problems struggled with the hike as well.

5. Large waterfall of Marinka was awesome. High hammock and swimming was very nice.

6. Hummingbird stop was something we really enjoyed

7. Pozo Azul was a long, somewhat treacherous hike (wet rocks that we had to scale) for a small payoff compared to what we saw in the morning. Probably our least favorite stop on our trip.

8. Coffee plantation stop was boring. Nothing was actually happening (none of the equipment was running or being used) so following the guides words was difficult without seeing it in action. Also explanations given to the group were too detailed and made it super hard to follow.

9. A warning about how bumpy and windy the roads in Minca would have been appreciated. Several people in our party felt ill from all the bouncing (especially the children).

10. The driver in and around Santa Marta (and who also drove us to Cartagena) was EXCELLENT.

11. We loved the authenticity of the Minca restaurant on the slide of the cliff.

Cartagena Notes

1. Sergio (our tour gudie) was excellent. Presented things well about the history of Colombia.

2. The Emerald museum stop of our city tour by bus felt forced and more like a ploy to get a purchase of emeralds than an informational stop about Colombia's culture.

3. Rosario Island was a great stop. Snorkeling was fun and this stop was our most relaxing of our entire trip.

4. While walking tour was excellent, again, we would have appreciated a more planned opportunity for souvenir shopping.

5. Canoe trip thru mangroves was a bit too long. Crouched over for a whole hour was a bit rough on our backs and knees (especially for the older adults).

6. Our guide (believe it was Enrique) was awesome. He was open, friendly, and made it a point to learn our names. He also tried to relate to our children to make them more comfortable. He communicated things well and felt like a member of our group versus someone who was hired to guide us. Would definitely recommend him to others.

Joaquin Andino- very good guide with a en general culture. Someone who can be steongly recommended.
Pablo, a responsible and dedicated person. Simply adorable.

Our trip to Morocco was fabulous with the help of Larbi. We toured the country without any hassles, our ride was comfortable and the people who were there as part of Larbi's team were amazing. We don't have any complaints at all. The hotels all suited our needs. I am so glad we planned this trip through kimkim, I'm pretty sure there's no better way to do it. We recommend kimkim to everyone who wants to visit Morocco!