Kimkim Trip Reviews

We had just completed a 15 days trip to northern Norway (Bodø, Reine, Svolvær and Tromsø) with kimkim. It was the first time we engaged kimkim's services. We wanted a seamless experience in planning a 2 weeks long vacation trip without too much effort. In the past, we did all the research, planning, and booking and it took a lot of effort and time. Our primary objective for this northern Norway trip was to catch the northern lights, as we did not manage to catch it the last time we went to Iceland! The other secondary objectives was to tour the beautiful scenic country along with other winter activities. This trip certainly did not disappoint!

We read about the reviews of other customers who engaged kimkim's services in planning and booking for their trip and decided to try it out too. Merée, our assigned specialist did not disappointed! She tailored the itinerary to our requirements, going back and forth countless times with the places, timeline, activities and accommodations. It is due to Merée's recommendation and patience with us that we decided to commit to booking the trip via kimkim.

A trip this long is bound to run into some hiccups. The crucial difference is that kimkim also provided emergency contact during the trip to help address any issues. And indeed we did needed that service! Merée went above and beyond in supporting us with last minute on the fly suggestions and recommendations (places to go, restaurants, sauna!), management of planned activities (postponement / cancellation due to weather) and other minor stuff (hotels check in/out, parking).

We not only met our primary objective where we caught the spectacular northern lights a couple of times, but also met and interacted with wonderful people, from friendly locals to fellow travelers from around the world with the same objective (northern lights!). A worthy mention is Odd, the northern light chase activity guide in Svolvær who was supposed to bring us out but due to the unfortunate timing of the weather (snow storm!), first recommended we postpone if possible to the next night, and then further came down to explain and recommend that we cancel (and refunded us) the next night as the odds of catching the northern lights will be very low. He further advised us that the weather will be cleared up the next day and we should be able to catch the northern lights from where we will be going!

We are really glad that we went with kimkim and thoroughly enjoyed the full northern Norway winter experience! It was a very memorable trip from the northern light chases, the scenic and breath taking drive from Tromsø to the Lofoten islands, to the other activities: Icelandic horse riding in Lofoten, traveling via Hurtigruten cruise along the coast, reindeer sledding & overnight in a Lavvu tent, dog sledding with huskies and whale watching!

It's the people that make the biggest difference in everything we do and we are glad we worked with Merée, and met all the wonderful people along the trip!

Our trip to Bhutan would have been quite nice in itself owing to the scenic vistas, the serene people, the pristine architecture, and the rich culture. But the gap between "quite nice" and extraordinary was bridged by the team at Kimkim: Mr Thinley, our tour and trekking guide who was adept at history, art, and wordly insights alike; Mr Tashi, our very friendly chauffeur, who was as merry and bright as he was peaceful behind the wheel.
Mr Vishal was our trip planner and he had made the process so easy right from the time we got in touch with him after deciding to spend our honeymoon at Bhutan. He took us out for a wonderful dinner at Thimphu and it was great interacting with him in person.
The farmstay at Punakha, hotel at Thimphu and the luxury camping at Paro gave us really memorable and unique experiences in the valley. We did easy to moderate hikes for 4 separate days- very scenic and well planned to make us comfortable throughout. Mr Thinley made sure the activity and locations were all catered to our personal palates the evening prior to the activity planned. He gave us a very nice spiritual insight to Buddhist culture which we were seeking actively when we were planning the trip. Both Mr Thinley and Mr Tashi made sure we had the most relaxing yet adventurous trip. Mr Vishal made sure we are taken care of well and we hope to be back soon- Central Bhutan is on our list next. 🙏

Activity Review

Hike to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal monastery

Punakha

Sangita was fantastic in helping us organise our 2 week stay in Nepal and all the travel in between places. She was very responsive and ensured everything went smoothly, checking in on us daily once we arrived. Likewise Bipin who welcomed us in Katmandu was very knowledgable and made sure we settled in comfortably.
Highlights include our 5 day poon hill trek, the hilltop town of Bandipur as well as safari in Bardiya National park.

We had such a beautiful trip to Morocco! The riads were amazing and the activities planned were perfect for what we wanted out of our trip. Yassine and Louis truly understood how we prefer to travel and created such a nice itinerary. They built in just the right amount of structured activities and free time to explore the cities we visited. Our driver Mohammad was very friendly and made himself available to any request. He went above and beyond to make sure we saw and experienced as much of the Moroccan culture as we could during our short visit, up to and including adding an additional hour on our drive from Fes to Marrakech in order to show us some sites that were not on the itinerary. Additionally, and most importantly, he always ensured our safety. We would recommend him to everyone as a driver. He was fantastic.

The tour guides selected were very knowledgeable and taught us the history and culture of the cities we visited. Hassan, in particular, was a fantastic guide during our visit to Fes. He immersed us in the Medina of Fes by taking us to various shops, buying us some typical Moroccan foods to try and showing us the way of life in city. He was an excellent guide and we recommend him to anyone. Riad Annata was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed drinking wine on the terrace at night. The bathroom in the riad also felt like we were in a spa, also providing us with the traditional Moroccan black soap. Because of Hassan and our riad, Fes was pur favorite city that we visited.

Overall, we couldn’t have been happier with our trip to Morocco. We didn’t know want to expect but it exceeded any expectation we had. We will recommend KimKim to our friends and family for future travel planning and will also use it for ourselves when traveling again.

We had an enjoyable and memorable trip to Chile thanks to the Lorena who had been very patient listening to our needs and expectations and she was able to come up with an itinerary to suit our requests. She was very professional and answered many of our doubts that came up along the way.
Everything went smoothly. The transfers were always early or punctual and they were very helpful especially Gabriel who is so cheerful and ever ready to help. The guides were knowledgeable and answered our questions to the best of their ability especially Sebastian who shared a lot of information and speaks fluent clear English at Piedras Rojas. We were amazed at the different landscapes of Atacama Desert. The hotels were well selected as they are situated in central and safe locations. We also thoroughly enjoyed our dinner hosted by Gloria and Leo who took great pains to prepare such a sumptuous meal and sharing their recipes.
Valentina and Anne Sophie were quick to respond to any issues that cropped up along the way. We were very impressed by their professionalism and they had made our trip a very pleasant one. Thank you.

Hotel Reviews

Dreams del Estrecho Hotel

Punta Arenas

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is well located.

Staff

They are helpful and friendly.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás

San Pedro de Atacama

At the reception, you can help yourself to a free flow of hot and cold beverages 24 hours. You can refill your water bottle at the water dispenser just outside the reception too. We were pleasantly surprised that there was a free laundry service if we stayed 5 days and more.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is a good location, away from the crowd and not too noisy but within walking distance to the main street.

Staff

The staff is friendly and ever ready to help.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Renaissance Santiago Hotel

Santiago

There was an improvement in the way things were carried out as compared to the first stay. The restaurant was opened to let us have an early breakfast as we had an early pick up for our day tour. We were able to have a late check out and use their other facilities to freshen ourselves before departing for the airport.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location is safe and it is near to shopping malls and lots of eating places.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Bellavista

Puerto Varas

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very good location facing the lake and it is near to eateries and supermarket.

Staff

Staff is helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

Konkashken Lodge

Torres del Paine

The cabin is compact and cosy. It comes with a small kitchen and a fireplace.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The environment is very clean and beautiful, good place to relax.

Staff

The staff is very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Big Sur

Puerto Natales

There is no lift and you need someone to help you carry your luggage.

Authenticity & Character

Location

It is centrally located and it is within walking distance to the lake

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Dinner Experience

Santiago

We thoroughly enjoyed the dinner prepared by Gloria and Leo. Both Gloria and Leo are very cheerful. Gloria is an excellent chef. We love all the food - from the yummy appetisers, delicious tender beef and fresh salmon with potatoes. Her homemade ice cream was superb. Leo is very knowledgeable about the pairing of wine and we certainly learned a lot from him. We had a great time and am thankful for the warm hospitality of the couple.

Quality of Experience

Wonderful and memorable experience

Food

All the food that is being served.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Both the guide and the driver are very good. Gabriel is an excellent driver.

Transport

The car is big and spacious.

Explore Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas

It was really a good rest for us, having flown more than 38 hours to reach Santiago and to continue on to Punta Arenas. We could spend our time leisurely exploring the place and to recuperate from the long distance travel.

This trip was everything I hoped it would be. Lisbet was very responsive to our numerous questions and clarifications. Patient and very clear. She accommodated all our requests with ease. We hoped to meet her, but alas she was on vacation when we were on vacation. Good for her! But, I did have a small tremor about her not being available while we were in Iceland. No worries! I left a glove behind on a tour and contacted KimKim. Immediate response! I highly recommend KimKim!

Hotel Review

Hotel Ísland – Spa & Wellness Hotel

Reykjavík

We loved Hotel Island! Note - the pronunciation is “Iceland” or “eslanf”. Not I-land!

Authenticity & Character

Location

We loved NOT being in the “tourist” section of Reykjavík!

Staff

Our staff recognized us and engaged us in authentic conversation.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apparently we needed a ton of pillows. No problem! The beds were very comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Faxaflói Bay Whale Watching Excursion

Reykjavík

We spotted 2 humpbacks about 10 minutes from leaving the dock! Holy cow!

Golden Circle & Farm Visit

Golden Circle

The waterfalls you get to see are beyond stunning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I think we learned the most about Iceland and Icelanders from oor guide.

Transport

Katla Ice Cave from Reykjavik

Reykjavík

I am so glad I did this. Mind you , it was hard and sometimes scary. But, ever so stunning!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The staff and fellow travelers were extremely helpful!

Transport

Blue Lagoon

Iceland

No matter the hype - go to the Blue Lagoon - it lives up to the hype!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We did this upon arrival. We were feeling overwhelmed and tired. The staff were very patient and helpful.

Transport

The resorts were gorgeous and had great service. The restaurants in the resorts were excellent. Our guides were superb. Very knowledgeable and accommodating. We loved the whitewater rafting, sea kayaking and hikes. We even enjoyed a night hike. We will definitely use Kim Kim again. We loved the trip in Costa Rica so much we are planning on returning next year.

Hotel Reviews

Parador Nature Resort & Spa

Manuel Antonio

Magnificent views, great service and good restaurants with a very talented guitarist. Loved the monkey trail. Very clean. Beds and pillows very comfortable. Great air conditioning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arenal Manoa & Hot Springs

Fortuna

The grounds are gorgeous and the restaurant is great. We loved the hot springs. Spa was great too.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The views were awesome.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds and pillows aren't the most comfortable and hated the shower/jacuzzi. Very unbalanced for taking showers.

Activity Reviews

Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Nature Hike

Manuel Antonio

Great guide. Very knowledgeable and accommodating. Beautiful views.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Whitewater Rafting on the Balsa River

Arenal/La Fortuna

Very organized. Great guides. Beautiful scenery.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanging Bridges, La Fortuna Waterfall, and Arenal Volcano

Arenal/La Fortuna

Kenneth was a wonderful guide. Very knowledgeable and accommodating.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ocean Kayaking Adventure

Manuel Antonio

Gorgeous views and Werner was a great guide. Very knowledgeable and accommodating.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a fantastic trip, Lorena and her team set us up with great tours and helpful assistance all throughout our trip. Thank you for helping us navigate Chile and creating an amazing vacation.

Tiago was an outstanding local specialist. He was very active in his communications throughout the booking process and during the trip itself. The roadbook he created was very helpful in navigating all the sights to see in Portugal. His recommendations for local spots to eat, drink and explore were spot on. His coordination of local guides, transportation and events was perfect. I would highly recommend you book Tiago for your next trip.

Activity Reviews

Cascais & Sintra Guided Visit

Portugal

Pedro our tour guide was truly amazing! Extremely knowledgeable, personable and dedicated to his craft as a guide and historian. If you get the chance to book him for your small or large tour event please jump on the opportunity.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Canyoning in the Azores

Portugal

This dynamic duo was fantastic. Extremely knowledgable and skilled in their trade as guides. Felt more than safe the whole time. I would love to do this again. This is the adventure to book!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It's hard to put 2 weeks into a small text box, but overall this trip exceeded our expectations by far! Everything was smooth and well-coordinated. It was completely stress-free on our end, but i can only imagine the amount of work on the other side!

We particularly loved the private tours with Daniel in Mendoza, Jaime in Valparaiso, and our favorite was Vitor in Santiago; so much information!! We had never done the "private" tour style before this trip, and we will definitely choose that from now on!

One of our highlights was being in Argentina for the world cup semifinals. We loved Buenos Aires in general and can't wait to go back there. Chili was also amazing, with so much more to explore.

We hope to book another trip with KimKim next year!

Hotel Reviews

Fauna Hotel

Valparaíso

Super cute hotel, it was like staying in an art gallery! And on a quiet pedestrian-only street right next to the ascensor.

Authenticity & Character

Bursting with character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No TV or Aircon, which wasn't a problem for us, but some might miss it

Pullman Santiago El Bosque

Las Condes, Santiago

This hotel was extremely modern and fancy and comfortable. Everything was shiny and new and the breakfast was fantastic. Steps from the Subway

Authenticity & Character

Everything was sparkling new and refreshing, but not really local character i think. However after the Mendoza hotel which was lots of character but not as fancy, this was a nice way to have the other experience!

Location

We made it work by getting the Bip subway cards, but travelers not used to public transportation might find the location too far from the tourist places. (The subway was amazing wow! So it worked out great!) Also, due to the timing of the Xmas holiday the mall was so crowded, it felt like black Friday:)

Staff

They all spoke 100% perfect English wow

Cleanliness & Comfort

Insanely clean, comfortable, beautiful

Amérian Executive Mendoza Hotel

Mendoza

We might be negatively biased because there was a big storm and a power outage while we were there. There was kind of a weird smell, and the air con struggled a bit. Everything just felt a bit dated. But the staff was friendly and the rooftop pool was nice!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Steps from Arístides

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Just some updating... several minor things slightly off

Huinid Obelisco Hotel

Buenos Aires

Great location, very comfortable!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit to 2 Wineries in Casablanca Valley

Valparaíso

We absolutely loved the Bodega RE. The wines were great, the winery guide was great, the place was beautiful. The Bosque winery was pretty but again felt pretty corporate, but the lunch and tour were well done. Our guide/driver Jaime was very informative and friendly and we learned a lot from him!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

PRIVATE: Full Day Valparaiso and Viña del Mar

Argentina

This had so much great information!! Vitor was the best! We felt like we got to know the whole countryside. We even stopped to feed carrots to llamas! Viña del Mar was beautiful and the lunch worked out great; we loved being able to order what we wanted. The walking tour of Valparaiso provided by Vitor really helped orient us to the city!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great team with Enrique and Vitor!

Transport

Maipo Valley - Concha y Toro & Santa Rita Wineries

Santiago

We really loved Santa Rita! We learned a lot on the tour, enjoyed the beautiful garden, and really enjoyed the tasting! Concho y Toro, while super popular and known as a must-see, wasn't our favorite...it felt too corporate. Our guide Vitor was amazing and gave us a ton of additional information!

Quality of Experience

Really enjoyed everything except the lunch at Concho y Toro/the whole experience there wasn't for us. But Santa Rita and Vitor's guidance made this a really great time!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Panoramic City Tour

Santiago

The tour was full of about 14 people, all of who spoke Spanish except us. So the guide gave 80% of the info in Spanish and only 20% in English. I told him I could understand Spanish if he spoke slowly, so he did slow down a bit for me, but my husband got not much out of it. Also...the tour ends by them dumping you in a tourist trap gift shop for blue stones. (None of our other tours were like this!!) We walked out and found our own way back.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Between Vineyards and Olive 🍷🍇 (Luján de Cuyo & Maipú)

Mendoza

The Olive experience was interesting and delicious. We really liked the first vineyard because it was small and packed with information. Then the lunch afterwards at the larger venue was delicious with spectacular views!!

Quality of Experience

Food

This was by far our favorite winery lunch!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

High Mountain Experience (Aconcagua Mountain) 🏔️

Mendoza

Our guide Daniel was great! We got lucky and had a great view of the mountain that day! The Inca bridge was really cool, and Daniel pointed out lots of other geographic features.

Quality of Experience

Food

The packed lunch worked out great!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Really appreciated Daniel's knowledge and experience

Transport

Tango Show and Dinner at Café De Los Angelitos

Buenos Aires

We weren't really sure about this whole thing (tourist trap?) but turns out we loved it! The dancing was incredible and we wouldn't have found that experience elsewhere.

Quality of Experience

Food

I usually don't like mass group food but this was very reasonable!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Since our hotel was less than a km from the venue, it felt a bit silly to have a private driver to/from; maybe suggest to walk there instead as an option?

Neighborhoods Tour

Buenos Aires

Our guide was great! Very knowledgeable and friendly and easy to understand. This was just the right length of tour and size of group.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was our first post pandemic holiday and we decided to use an international travel agent to personalize the itinerary. We planned a two week trip to Colombia in November 2022. After some research we chose Kim Kim based on their capabilities and references. Kim Kim put us in touch with a local specialist, Wendy, in Colombia and working with them we established a detailed itinerary for internal travel and visits. The whole project was wonderfully organized with private tours using local guides managed in Colombia via "The Colombian Trip", including, Bogota, Medellin,The Coffee Triangle, Cartagena and the Amazon. Thank you to our guides, Patricia, Mauricio, Jorge, Sergio and Andrea. Thanks to Wendy and all of you - we had a really great experience! Thank you Kim Kim for a great holiday!

From the start Hakim was very nice and helpful and quickly responded to our requests, questions, changes, and ideas. Our Driver Ismael really made our trip safe, efficient, and fun! Great to have someone know the areas and speak the local language- this was priceless. I would definitely use KimKim again for future travels.

Reyna was a great agent through both the planning of this vacation and during the trip itself. She was very prompt and knowledgeable answering all our questions, and checked in regularly. We never saw her, but felt that she was with us every day, making sure that things ran smoothly. All of the guides and drivers we met on the trip were also top-notch and helped us get the most out of each excursion. The while trip was fantastic.

Hotel Reviews

Malibu Popoyo

Lives up to its website. Ultimate in laid-back beach vibes, with a great kitchen (food was simple but delicious). Very nice people running the place

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pacaya Lodge y Spa

Masaya

Authenticity & Character

Location

The most amazing view of the crater lake and close to some great volcano excursions

Staff

Super-nice people

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel El Convento

León

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Plaza Colon

Granada

A classy hotel with the friendliest of staff. They rolled out a TV to watch the World Cup with us, and were great hosts of their city

Authenticity & Character

Location

The room and the inner courtyards, one with a secluded pool

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Las Isletas Kayak adventure

Granada

Do it if you want the exercise - but there was nothing special about this kayak route

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mombacho Volcano - Crater Trail

Granada

Both a beautiful hike and a break from the heat combined. Well worth it

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Masaya Volcano - Lava Rock Night Tour from Apoyo Lagoon

Apoyo

Wasn’t sure if we would really see lava or just lots of steam - but there was a great view of the swirling lava and a nice hike overall

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cerro Negro sandboarding tour

León

A great hike - nice views. The boarding was fun and lived up to its promise of adrenaline-inducing. But it can easily go from fun to injury in a second. I would not recommend it for children, and they should really take more steps to improve health and safety. ( ie options for shorter or gentler rides similar to green, blue and black paths as on a ski hill). As it is now- it is a black diamond ride as your first experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The entire trip was just wonderful! It amazed us that each excursion was planned so far in advance and yet went off without a hitch. We were particularly impressed with the blue mountain guide, we learned so much. The other guide that was wonderful was our guide to the Daintree Rainforest. Greg was available to us all afternoon and there was no question that he could not answer. We loved the Sky rail to Kuranda and also the train back. The walking tour of Melbourne was terrific! We had one excursion where the driver didn't show, but the kimkim team had us back on schedule within 2hours and that trip to Kuranda turned out to be one of the best. The fishing trip with an aboriginal native was a hoot and challenging. I wasn't able to catch anything with my spear. Having a light meal at his home was an honor.

Hotel Reviews

Clarion Suites Gateway

Melbourne

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The entire staff was very helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

PARKROYAL Darling Harbour

Sydney

More than we expected!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa San Michele

Port Douglas

We loved this place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

the tile floors, little kitchen and the balcony. Right one the main street of Port Douglas

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kuku Yalanji Cultural Day Trip

Australia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full-Day Kuranda Rail Gold Class, Rainforestation & Skyrail

Australia

Loved both the Skyrail and the train. Gold class was worth it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Outer Reef Mackay Coral Cay

Port Douglas

This was an amazing trip. I only wish we could have snorkeled longer

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Port Douglas

Port Douglas

Our villa was amazing and Port Douglas is a delightful resort town.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Phillip Island Tour & Penguin Plus Upgrade

Melbourne

Frankly, this was too far a trip for the short time we had in Melbourne. We should have planned something closer

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

the driver needed more training, he made 3 wrong turns and was not very knowledgeable about the places we were going.

Transport

See above

Laneways & Arcades Discovery Walk

Melbourne

This was a terrific tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we walked to this excursion

Full Day Blue Mountains Deluxe Day

Sydney

Loved our guide, we learned so much

Quality of Experience

the guide made this so special

Food

the food was lovely and elegant

Guides, Drivers and Staff

same

Transport

same

Sydney Opera House Tour

Sydney

What an amazingly place

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was professional and knowledgeable.

Transport

Working with KimKim (and Duncan in particular) was great! This trip was our first time using kimkim and our first time visiting Iceland. Duncan was very responsive to our requests and planned a great introductory trip to Iceland, including some must-see stops plus some stops off the beaten path. We especially enjoyed Mosfellsbakarí, Sky Lagoon, and Seljalandsfoss. We would've loved to stay longer at 360 Hotel & Thermal Baths. Overall, it was an amazing and memorable trip. I'm looking forward to revisiting Iceland and using kimkim again for all my future travel planning.

We booked a 12 day (it was supposed to be a 14 day trip but American Airlines screwed us out of two days and Francisco with Tachiz Travel did an amazing job adjusting the itinerary in real time) trip across Costa Rica from coast to coast and places in between that went off beautifully! We highly recommend Tachiz Travel for anyone interested in traveling Costa Rica in good hands!

From the start to the finish, Margoth, Felipe, and Juanita were nothing short of outstanding. As Margoth planned our trip, she took in our interests, timelines, budgets, and various requests, planning a perfect trip for what we wanted. Wherever we went, we had drivers to chauffer us safely from one activity to the next, along with talented and knowledgeable guides. The true benefit of having Margoth on our side was her team's flexibility and attentiveness while we were in Colombia. I was sick for most of the trip and needed to change our plans to allow me to rest and recover, and she swiftly rearranged our plans to allow me to do so, sending a care package with pedialytes, and checking in to make sure that things were going according to plan. We felt extremely well taken care of and had a terrific time, even with my illness. I would recommend Kimkim to absolutely anyone and will definitely be using them again in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Patio del Mundo

Medellín

A very unique and beautiful hotel! Great location, very thoughtfully designed.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Casa San Agustín

Cartagena de Indias

So stunning, welcoming, and luxurious. Would absolutely stay here again. Delicious breakfast, great location, incredible bed. Such a unique hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Lost City Trek - Day 1 (Arrival)

Colombia

Loved this trip! Teyuna was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Depart Colombia

Colombia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Airport Transfer: {{start_location}} to {{end_location}} & Guatape and El Peñol Tour

Colombia

A very fun and interesting experience! Probably could have skipped the climb up La Piedra - very touristy and crowded, and if we hadn't done this, we would've had less time in rush hour (a 3 hour drive)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Tour of Medellín (with Local Market and Comuna 13)

Medellín

A very fun and enlightening experience! Probably could have been only 5 hours or so with a faster tour and plans not to drive during the rush hour.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner Reservation at Mistura

Cartagena

Incredible food!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking Tour of Cartagena Old City

Colombia

Enrique was spectacular. I liked that this was early in the morning and we had the rest of the day to ourselves.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dinner Reservation at Candé (live music)

Cartagena

So delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Colombia!

Colombia

Nice to meet our guide that we will see in the morning.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Suggested Sunset Drinks at Café del Mar

Cartagena

Very crowded and loud music, but gorgeous views.

Hello Team Kimkim,

Thank you for providing us a spectacular experience at Morocco. Thanks heaps to Hakim for putting this trip together and being so responsive to all our requests to change. A million thanks to Abdul Rahim ( we called him Ibrahim ) for going out of his way to help us all throughout the trip. The guides we met at every place we went were brilliant. A special mention to Rafi . His sense of humour and willingness to help me with something he was not involved in was just superb. All in all a super trip. Everything flowed together seamlessly. Well planned and executed- will always recommend Kimkim

Hotel Reviews

Riad Signature

Marrakech

Lovely place, friendly and helpful folks. Lovely stay

Kenzi Basma Hotel

Casablanca

Hotel and room was great but the bathroom had no exhaust. The bathroom was always way too wet

Dar Sultan

Tangier

The people were lovely but felt something was lacking.

Puerta Azul

Chefchaouen

Activity Reviews

Day-Trip to Essaouira, Return to Marrakech

Marrakesh

Guided Tour in Marrakech

Morocco

Morning Guided Tour in Casablanca

Morocco

Afternoon Guided Tour in Chefchaouen

Morocco

Morning Guided Tour in Tangier

Morocco

Private Transfer from Tangier Airport to your Accommodation in Tangier

Morocco

The itinerary was well prepared, keeping the group's requests for preferred activities, hikes and hotel style selection.
Emi communicated well in preparation for the trip, and provided a local contact to work with locally at each stop. When programs were to be reorganized when cancelled planned activities ( 3 times, for local unpredictable reasons), I wish there had been better communication from Kimkim and contacts to avoid the stress of having to select a new alternative for the specific day.
Drivers for private transportation were always punctual, friendly and reliable.
The hotels were all clean, comfortable and friendly reception. I can recommend each of them.
Guides were helpful and pleasant.
Highlights for me were French Valley, kayak at Perito Moreno glacier, also the Tango show in Buenos Aires. El Chalten is definitely a highlight as well!
thank you Emi and Kimkim. i have recommended you to a couple friends .

Our experience was amazing. Our guide, Alfredo was fantastic in La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area. Jose gave a wonderful tour in Corcovado National Park. I felt communications were not well communicated , as some timings were not correct. Giving us more complete details would have been helpful. We had to call to verify info that was incorrect and our call was not returned when they said they would call.

Hotel Reviews

Auténtico Hotel

San José

Very nice and modern hotel with good air conditioning and wifi. It was comfortable with a nice pool in downtown San Jose

Authenticity & Character

Comfortable for shuttles to next location

Location

Easy walk to a few restaurants, but far from the airport

Staff

The restaurant staff was very nice and they all worked very hard.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice clean rooms and showers

Karahé Beach Hotel

Manuel Antonio

Our rooms were on the second floor, centrally located. They were clean and very convenient to the beach. I would’ve liked one more day there.

Authenticity & Character

Situated amongst the trees with lots of wildlife.

Location

Good beach location, but needed taxis to go everywhere.

Staff

Friendly reception and waitstaff very attentive at beach and restaurant. Our waiter Juan Carlo(I think) was great at dinner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were comfortable, air conditioned and good wifi.

Montaña de Fuego Mountain Resort & Spa

La Fortuna

We loved the private cabanas, the pool, pool bar and hot tub. We did not have wifi in the rooms, only common areas. This meant we could not reach our other friends unless we knocked on their door. There were several huge roaches in our room. The front desk didn’t seem too concerned. Overall I liked the resort, but they could address the above issues.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the view of Arenal Volcano and local flowers

Location

Good location

Staff

They were helpful, if needed

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bugs in room, pillows were huge and hard. They were not comfortable to sleep on. The bed was comfortable.

Las Caletas Lodge

Puntarenas

The accommodation was rustic, but very clean. There was no air conditioning, only ceiling fans. The staff was wonderful as was the food. The rooms would have been more comfortable with more fans and better lighting. The view from the hotel was wonderful with lots of local monkeys and wildlife. Daniel was great and very helpful!

Authenticity & Character

The wildlife

Location

A dock for landing.

Staff

Daniel was the best. Everyone else was very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, but needed more fans and better lighting in clothing storage areas.

Activity Reviews

Arenal Volcano Hiking Tour & Paradise Hot Springs

Arenal/La Fortuna

It began to rain as we started, so we chose the shortest of 3 hikes. Fortunately, the rain stopped shortly after we started. We saw cows and lots of birds and monkeys. There is a nice little bar at the top where you can stop, rest and rehydrate if needed before finishing the hike.

Quality of Experience

The hot springs were much needed after hiking. There was a bar there if you wanted to buy a drink. The locker rooms were small, not much room to change in and out of bathing suit. I found the handicapped bathroom stall to be more spacious and private and had hooks to hold your clothes.

Food

The food at Paradise Hot Springs was fair

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great guide and driver

Transport

You drive a while up and down winding roads to get there

Arenal Hanging Bridges Walk

Arenal/La Fortuna

Just do it. I’m afraid of heights, but psyched myself to focus and keep moving. The bridges did sway while walking on them, but I felt safe. It is a lot of up and downhill , if that is a problem for you. I really felt like I had met my goal by completing the walk.

Quality of Experience

Our guide would stop and show us hidden wildlife through his scope and helped you get good photos.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Everything

Transport

Good drivers

Traditional Cooking Class with Dinner

Arenal/La Fortuna

Priscilla was fantastic. She guided us through preparation of an authentic Costa Rican meal. Her partner assisted with making tortillas and coffee. The meal was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Learning about new foods and eating an authentic meal.

Food

All of the food was good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All of our drivers were very good. I felt completely safe. The guides were excellent.

Transport

Some of our transports were very long, but it was the only way to get to different locations. I did not like the water landings.