Kimkim Trip Reviews

The trip was great! Nathalie was very responsive and tried to accommodate our requests for the trip. Everything from the hotel to the events for la Feria went extremely well and I would recommend travelers use this service. Especially first time travelers.

When Dimple and I first made our booking we had so many reservations about taking our two boys (9yrs and 5yrs) on a trekking adventure in Nepal. Both have grown up in Singapore and never been on any long walks nor seen that much of the developing world. With so many questions going through our head, being able to reach out to Ngima and the staff at Kim Kim in preparation for our trip, was just ideal. We were able to ask questions and get answers pretty much around the clock - everyone was so responsive.
The trek itself was everything we wanted it to be. Some of it was incredibly challenging for the children - especially the night climb to see the sunrise at Poonhill - in hindsight, I think we might have done better to have opted out of the night hike to let the boys recover from the previous day's exertions. In any case, Ngima and his team, took everything in their stride - including being so patient with our boys and then ensuring that they were safe throughout. In fact, I don't think I remember a time when the boys didn't have a chaperone during any part of the trek - and when they were ever too tired or not quite up to it, the porters would haul them on to their backs and help them along. The boys struck up a really nice friendship with the team and really enjoyed themselves.
So, all in all, it was a fantastic trip and a fantastic experience. Thank you Kim Kim - all of us can't wait to return for another circuit!
Dipak, Dimple and our two boys: Ishaan and Zayan
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All the arrangements were great and professional. Medellin was the highlight. All tour guides were knowledgeable and professional.

This was an amazing trip. Everything in detailed arranged. So many different experiences. Guides were excellent.
The highlight of our holiday was Bagan, on the ebike. So beautiful.

12/20 our driver is very nice and did a good job driving us to our destination.
12/22 our driver came with a very old pick up truck, for the price we contract and discription from our agent we should have professional driver with Duster car brand, the driver not only driving super fast on winding road also passing car frequently, we were so worry all the way, the car does not come with air condition, we were suffer from the bad air, dust plus very hot, it was a very uncomfortable trip. We will not recommend this car company for future customer.
12/24 our pick and hotel pick are ok.
12/26 our tour with driver and guide are good.
12/27 airport pick up is good
12/31 we were waiting for airport pick up , when the time passed hotel front desk call Nathalie and found out there was no pick up , we paid and schedule for the pick up, Nathalie didn’t confirm for us and kept us waiting , luckily front desk checked for us and hurry arrange a taxi for us, so far I have not receiving any explanation from Nathalie, iwouldliketo request refund and apology for almost missed our flight.
Fran lee

We had a great experience with kimkim. We were three generations wanting to do different things. Sotiria helped us figure out options and set it up so the grandparents settled in Reykjavik while parents and kids did a two day excursion into other parts of Iceland. The snorkeling in Silfra was the best adventure of the trip. We checked out all the highlights created for our tour, and following the suggestion booked some time at the Secret Lagoon which warmed us up after snorkeling. Another highlight was being at the the black beach at Vik for sunrise. All in all a spectacular trip!

We really enjoyed our trip to Myanmar. Our guide in Yangon, Jin, met us at the airport and was so courteous, informational, and helpful. We especially appreciated his help when we went to get on our night bus, he stayed until we were at the right bus and all checked in ready to go. In Bagan, our guide Wint picked us up right at the bus stop. She had arranged for us to be able to check into our hotel early for a shower and breakfast, SO NICE. She was very friendly and took us to the main temples, but also to some of her favorites, which was so personal and wonderful. In Mandalay, Tim told us not only about the temples, but also about life in Myanmar and how things are changing or not changing. We really were interested to hear about the life and culture of Myanmar beyond the general Buddhism of the temples history. In Inle, our guide Koko was still waiting for us after our night bus got stuck in traffic - he waited from 3:30am when we arrived at 9:30 am! He took us to the Pindaya caves and to Inle Lake. When tummy sickness changed the end of our trip, our local planner, Wai Lin, was very helpful and able to arrange for Jin to pick us up again at the airport, instead of the night bus as planned. Jin even took us out for another visit in Yangon before going back to our departure at the international airport. Overall the trip was very well planned, the accommodations were excellent, and the local guides in each place were superb!

Thank you Marine for all of the calls to check up on us. When our guide handed the phone to me, I knew it was Marine and could talk to her about how things were going.

Guides and transfers:
Every guide and transfer showed up on time or early. We soon learned that this country runs on time. Our first transfer was not an exception but was a bit of a shock when they arrived 30 min early and we were not quite ready. This happened to be the only bus trip we had.

The guides who stood out as exemplary were: Elvis at Calanoa, Fernando at Villa de Leyva, and David and driver who picked us up at Hacienda Combia. David and the driver (sorry, can't remember his name) were so much fun and went out of their way to make our stay excellent.

The one exception to all of the good guides was the one at Tayrona. He told us at the beginning we had to keep up with him as we had a long trip and that's exactly how it was. When my foot got stuck in the mud he was far ahead and not there to help, he never slowed down or stopped to interact with us, when we passed buildings he didn't stop to explain what they were. We had to keep our heads down to keep up the pace while still looking ahead to keep him in our sight. Not a fun trip!

Hotels:
Loved Casa Pizarro in Cartegena and the area it was in. Really liked staying in a residential area with lots of restaurants nearby.
Maloka Barlovento was so beautiful. Would have loved to stay there another day so we could see the beach. We only had time to see the building we stayed in. Bit of a shock to find only cold water shower. This may be normal here, but this is not normal for us. Maybe a heads up would have helped.
Posada Suenos De Antonio in Barichara was lovely and peaceful. Really liked the patio and view.
Casa Deco in Bogota was in a good location but our room overlooked a hostel and could be noisy.
Calanoa Lodge was excellent! The food was superb, our cabana was superb, and all of our interactions with staff (even if we didn't speak Spanish) was superb!

Hacienda Combia had a lovely setting, but was the big disappointment of the trip. When we arrived I asked for water and was told that it was only supplied with dinner. All other hotels had water accessible either in the form of the first bottle free or a fill up station. Seeing as we could not use the water from the tap to even brush our teeth, this was a major drawback to this isolated hotel.
We asked for a glass of wine with our dinner and were told that they did not have this and we could buy an overpriced bottle.
The food was the most disappointing. We spoke with them about the selection and they added a couple of things to the menu, but this didn't really help. Really, really disappointed in 4 dinners here and no option to go elsewhere. The meals we were offered were a stripped down version of the regular menu.
We didn't feel welcomed here.

We loved Colombia and would like to thank kimkim.com and Marine for making it such a memorable trip. We will definitely recommend the country and booking company to anyone who will listen.

Fantastic trip- we loved the reindeer sledding and Sami experience which we wouldn’t have thought of. Northern lights chasing was great, although small hitch when the bus would not start. Dog sledding camp and the lavoo were great, but there was confusion about whether or not we were driving or riding. We would also have liked to have more time dog sledding, as we were only out for about an hour. All of the providers were professional with small groups and great guides. We really liked the hotel, which had great free breakfast and was in a convenient location.

This trip to Italy was amazing. Giorgia did a fabulous job arranging everything, responded to emails quickly and efficiently! We had some issues with our flights getting changed multiple times, and Giorgia was amazing, kept in contact with us and our driver and our driver was there to meet us when we finally got there. My daughter especially liked the guide (whose name I can't remember) for the city tour of Florence, she took us to several churches, told us about art (my daughter is a artist so was especially happy) and history and we just had the best day! Seeing David was really the best part of the day! The next day we went to Pisa and Lucca, Simone, our driver was fabulous. He was funny and interactive, and made the trip driving seem really short. The hotel was perfect, Hotel Basteri was perfectly located within easy walking distance of everything. All in all this was a perfect trip for my daughter - it was a surprise for her 26 birthday!

Ian has provided me with a really good service and information.

Also thank to Larbi, his partner in Morocco for arranging the trip. I got to visit lots of places in my short amount of time.

Since I am a solo traveler, the amount they’ve given me to explore each city is adequate.

Within 5 days 4 night, I’m able to discover Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fez, and Chefchaouen. Also a short city tour in Ouezzane.

If I added 1 more day, I’m sure I’ll be able to discover Marakkech as well. But for now, northern Morocco is more than enough.

Thank you so much for everything, Ian and Larbi

We wanted an Amazon Jungle experience and Nathalie recommended Calanoa Reserve.
We booked a 2 night 3 day trip. We were very unsure as to what to expect.
Before the trip Nathalie was very helpful and answered all our questions very promptly.
The trip itself was absolutely amazing! And exceeded all our expectations- it was as Nathalie had described- but we didn’t expect it to be so good!!
The accommodation was beautiful - we had a double bed in the ground floor and twin beds on first floor and a private bathroom.
The staff were amazing - the cooks, the organisers and the guides - all so helpful and couldn’t do enough for us.
It was easy to swap activities around and add extras. The whole 3 days worked like clockwork - such a slick operation- very impressive.
We saw pink river dolphins (and grey), went pirhana fishing, went to a monkey orphanage, indigenous village, forest walk in day and night, early morning bird watching and watched the sun set over the Amazon...... incredible!!
Food was good (lots of fish!).
We would highly recommend Calanoa Reserve and the services of Nathalie at KimKim. Nothing went wrong so we didn’t need to contact her during the trip - but it was reassuring to have her number just in case.
Thank you Nathalie for your recommendation and help with the booking.

The trek was amazing! What was even more amazing was my guide. I was quite ill on the first day - but Parbati was so understanding and patient with me from the outset and made sure I was at ease. On the second and third days, she pushed me to do better than I thought I could and I really appreciated this. The greatest part was that towards the end she was less of my guide and more of my friend whilst still maintaining a professional and courteous relationship. Hats off to her and the Social tours team for providing such an incredible experience for me!!

The trip to Myanmar was exceptional.Not knowing what to expect,we were met at the airport by Sai our guide who immediately made us feel relaxed and comfortable.He spoke perfect English and was extremely knowledgeable about all facets of his country both past and present.He took us to areas where we never would of been able to find without him and presented views of all different kinds of people from all walks of life which made the trip very fascinating.The Shwedagon Pagoda is immense and has a distinct life of its own.The fortune teller was charming and added another dimension to that day.I myself liked the trip across the river and the trishaw ride the best ,seeing the life over there and how it differs from mainstream Yangon.Sai took care of us at every step of the way and the taxi driver was at his beckoned call and stayed with us whenever needed,even the next day to take us to the airport.Anne ,the local travel agent checked in a few times making sure everything was going well.All in all it was a wonderful experience and I would go back in a heartbeat and deal with the same expert travel people. Sincerely,
Dave and Constantine

My 6 days in Bhutan were amazing . My guide Sonam was so wonderful , full of knowledge and patience. I loved talking to him and I learned so much about the country , the people and the culture . My hike up to Tiger’s Nest was the biggest highlight of the trip. I didn’t think I could hike all that way , but Sonam had confidence in me and I did it! I am so proud . Thank you for a trip of a lifetime!

We were a family group of three people with 15 days in Nepal. Based on our own research and in-put from Mads we selected the Nar/Phu trek.
We had a wonderful trip that completely lived up to our best expectations.
The process of selecting a trek and booking our holiday was highly efficient and very flexible. Responses to any questions were received rapidly.
Our guide (Cheeri) and two porters were outstanding and are highly recommended. Cheeri was true to his name and clearly a very experienced guide. He made good arrangements for our transport and accommodation. He quickly recognized the abilities and requirements of our group and adapted to us.
My only minor criticisms were:
Travelling from Kathmandu to the tart of the trek in one day (6 hours minibus and 6-7 hours jeep) was really too much on our second day in Nepal. The first two days of trekking following this were long days with significant altitude gain so I would recommend taking more time to reach the start of the trek if time permits.
We expected to meet someone from the trekking company along with the guide in Kathmandu. The guide travelled 15km for this meeting clearly expecting a rep to join us. When contacted by phone she informed him she would not be attending.
The villages of Nar and Phu were fascinating so I would try to have a rest day in each again time permitting.

In summary I would recommend KiMKim for organizing your trek, particularly if you have limited time for your holiday.

Visited Addis Abbaba, LALIBELA, Gondar, Simien Mountains. The places were in an itinerary suggested by Marco after evaluating my personal interests. I saw amazing churches with amazing architecture, sat with wild baboons, tried cultural foods and unexpected dancing! This trip was amazing. I would recommend Ethiopia for a unique travel experience and definitely recommend this company!

Linda was always quick to respond and listened to everything I wanted to do. The end result of the trip exceeded all of my expectations. Would definitely recommend!

This was overall a really well planned trip! It was a really amazing adventure that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

Day 1: arrived and went straight to Blue Lagoon. This was a great and relaxing way to start the trip. I wouldn't have wanted to start the trip any other way. After we drove into Rrykavic. Foss hotel was great and easy to navigate from... The front desk worker was slightly rude but they had our room ready early which was very helpful. The rest of the day spent adventuring in the city.

Day 2: we left early morning to catch the waterfalls. We made it to Vik before realizing that the Volcanoes exhibit mentioned in our itinerary was actually closer to waterfalls than to Vik. So we had to back track quite a bit to make it to that. We felt the itinerary was slightly misleading for that part. As a heads up the Eyjafjalljokull exhibition will be closing on January 1, 2018. Then we drove out to Foss Nupar. Great hotel and service.

Day 3: from Nupar we drove to Skaftafell for our glacier climb. We had Maximo as a guide and he was GREAT. So much fun. Then we drove back to Vik. Another great hotel at Katla.

Day 4: left early for the golden circle. No complaints on the day. But as a general comment for your itineraries, listing the address for everything would be greatly appreciated. We had some issues finding the actual address to drive to for some of these stops.

Day 5: it was great to stay in the same hotel when we returned to Rekjavik. It made navigating so much easier!

Great trip and we will use KimKim again.

What an amazing experience! My local specialist Anne was incredibly considerate, intuitive and very detail oriented. She helped me plan the trip to Mandalay and Bagan down to the last detail including guided and unguided portions per my request (for the latter she offered several suggestions on things I could do based on my interest level). She tailored my days to balance my interest in seeing a lot with my desire to do it all within a certain budget. She was very patient in back and forth emails, and even intuited from an email that I would not be as comfortable doing an all day motorcycle trip, and suggested a little more expense may be worth the mix of using a motorcycle and car - and she was absolutely right! She stayed on top of everything throughout the trip - I could always reach her, she always confirmed guides/itinerary beforehand, answered all my questions and even took the time to invite me out for drinks!

The guides she picked for both cities were also great! In Mandalay, Wine Wine was very attentive to my safety and comfort, while making sure I didn't miss any key attractions at each stop. We got an earlier than normal start and had some extra time, and he was great at improvising the agenda and coming up with new sights he thought I would enjoy. After I arrived in Bagan, I had the first day to explore on my own and that was lovely - I basically followed a suggested self-guided itinerary Anne had provided - including restaurant suggestions based on my dietary preferences and sunset cruise locations etc. The second day I had the pleasure of touring around with Arkar - he was AMAZING! Very knowledgeable and tailored the tour to my interests - he took me to is local breakfast place after I opted out of the hotel breakfast in lieu of spending more time e-biking around! We also skipped a couple markets as I had seen a few in Mandalay and was more interested and excited by the sight of pagodas! I took several side roads on a whim and he gladly followed me and provided history and insights - of course, he took me to some amazing hidden gems I could have never found on my own or with a big tour group.

Overall, I fell in love with Bagan. You think after two days I'd be tired of pagodas, but I was not. I was giddy at every side road that led into them - just to see myself in a sea of pagodas with different architecture and designs. The local people are incredibly nice and thoughtful - and the food is great! On the day I was self-touring in Bagan, e.g., there were several times I had stopped next to a pagoda and was looking at google maps on my phone, and each time a local stopped to ask me if I needed help!

Thank you for such a memorable trip!