Kimkim Trip Reviews

The trip was well organised and according to our specific requests. Our guide was a good and careful driver and responded well however we experienced some communication problems due to his limited English. Sandun (who took over from Ida) was great - very responsive and also flexible when we asked for an addition to our itinerary to see Geoffrey Bawa's Heritage Kandala hotel near Sigirya.

We had the best time on our honeymoon to Nepal, completely planned by Raj at his team at Socialtours. From our first interaction on KimKim, we knew we had found something special in Raj--he listened to us regarding our budget, activity level and timing. We loved that once we arrived in Nepal, everything was taken care of for us. They booked all our ground transportation, in-country flights and tour guides. All we had to do was show up with our passports. Raj and Socialtours were excellent with communication via KimKim and I could not thank them more for taking away all the stress of planning a vacation to an unfamiliar country and making it so fun! Highlights included a 4-day trek in the Himalaya with our wonderful guides Kancha and Badal, "Cook Like a Local" class at Socialtours, mountain flight to see the Himalaya, Jeep safari ride in Chitwan, tours of Bhaktupur and Kathmandu. Thank you Raj and Socialtours for a trip of a lifetime!

Accomodation at Montechiari was very nice and the people were friendly with one exception. Management handled the exception very well.
The hike into the Hule Lagoon was great, Andre was an excellent guide.
He did at times seem to be in a bit of a rush. It was scheduled to be a four hour hike and we completed in just over three hours.
The pace was manageable but not leisurely. It was just the two of us, great.
The host family at the farm were wonderful and the food was awesome.
The mountain biking was fun but we didn't get to see much and was not at the Volcano as expected. We rode out 16Km and stopped at the lake and were offered to ride back over the same route. We declined. Home by 10:20. It was a private tour with just the two of us, nice.
The guides were very nice , especially Brian who was in training.
The Tabacon Hotsprings was nice. The meal was buffet style but the food was excellent.
The guided tour at Manuel Antonio was a great experience overall and the guide was very knowledgeable. He also managed to get us out for lunch (I am diabetic) and back infor a swim on the same ticket .This was a large group of around 16 people so a bit unwieldy.
We had a private tour of Quepos and the Kids Saving the Rainforest with our guide William.
William was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable. Overall Iguana tours was excellent.
The accomodation at Tabulia Tree Hotel was quite nice and we were treated well.
The kayaking and snorkling was fun with an excellent guide and nice lunch afterward.
Monteverde was beautiful and the Fonda Vella Hotel was excellent. I believe we received a room upgrade as it was a very nice separate cabin.
The hanging bridges tour was very pretty views with a knowledgeable naturalist guide and some interesting sightings.
The coffee, cacao and sugar tour was enjoyable and informative.
Bosque del Mar at Playa Hermosa was very relaxing and the staff were very friendly and helpful.
A relaxing and enjoyable wind down.
The evening cruise was fun with a nice group of people. The snorkelling was a disappointment as we saw very little.
The trip was on a sailboat (OK but a catamaran was advertised.

Just back from a 5 day visit to Marrakech and Essaouira which was largely organised by the Kimkim team. We had a tremendous time; everyone was very helpful and the guides, drivers, riad staff, etc that we encountered were so friendly and professional, really knowledgeable. In many years of travelling, I had never previously used a company to arrange trips and transport in advance but i'm very glad I did. Kimkim removed the stress factor so that we could really relax and just enjoy the activities.

Other than the weather interrupting our plans, which is not in anyone's control ... All of the activities were great and we really enjoyed them all from Ice Cave to Lava Tunnels to Icelandic Horse back riding and all of the scenic locations. We will return to see some of these sites in the summer at some point for additional breathe taking views. Thanks for all the support from Preeti, even while on vacation, it was a nice touch of excellent service.

We had a wonderful time on our 1 1/2 Medellin tour last week. Our guide couldn't have been more friendly and informative. It was abundantly clear he loved his city and his job! Despite the mix up with the itinerary at the start, everything was smooth and fun, especially the fabulous hike to Angel Waterfalls. Definitely recommend Kimkim Tour for any sort of tour and adventure! They are so responsive and professional from all the emails to their vehicles, thank you!!
Octavia Jones

Chris picked perfect activities for our trip. He understood our needs and customized our tour to our liking on the first try! Our guides were young and fun and made sure we got to our destinations. They were early/ontime and provided insightful stories into the Mayan culture in Guatemala. We loved each tour and the local connections each guide had which made our trip more special.

Ingrid was quick at responding, understood what we wanted out of our trip and made the whole booking process very easy. I would definitely use Kim Kim again and would recommend it to others.

Chris, our local specialist did a phenomenal job at creating a customized itinerary on a very short turnaround when our travel plans changed right before our trip started. Chris was also really helpful in changing around our plans when there was an unexpected sickness on the trip. All of our guides were amazing. Manuel took us on a walking tour of Antigua which was a great way to start off our trip. In Monterrico, we had a really fun and relaxing afternoon kayaking with Alex. Alex was also able to help us when our transportation fell through last minute which was invaluable. My favorite day was our tour around Lake Atitlan. Edgar is really knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions. He showed us the beautiful town of San Juan where we explored the women's textile co-op and did some shopping. Our last day, we took a cooking class at Guatemala Food where we made a yummy and traditional dish of Pepian with Fernando, Joaquin, Carolina, and her family. The class was a really great way to end our trip and the group was really funny.

I'm so happy we chose to use KimKim and were partnered with Old Town Outfitters to assist with our trip! Our trip to Guatemala wouldn't have been the same without them.

Review for Nepal trip from13th February - 19th February
This was my first short trip to Nepal.
On the first day that I touched Nepal, my tour planner Kripa, Jeevan, driver Narayan, welcome me at the airport, Jeevan such a meticulous person, he quickly open a bottle of mineral water and pass it to me. Arrangement to meet Amanda, my tour guide Pratikshya, make me feel warm welcome to visit Nepal.

1st & 2nd day, stayed at The Inn Patan, an old traditional brick and timber Newari house transformed into a beautiful heritage hotel and interesting olden way to lock the door of the room. If it was not in winter time, it should be a very comfortable lying on the floor mat. Besides the building attracted me wanted to come back to stay in this hotel again was the service provided by the waiter here, his name Sam and also the great food provided by the chef.

One thing must try in Patan here was the mountain flight and I was quite lucky to be able to take the flight and view the long waited, charming Mt Everest and panoramic view of the Himalayas.
I like greenery and mountains, though can't stay near to Mt Everest but thank you for the arrangement to Astam, Annapurna Eco Village, it was a very beautiful place eventhough has to go thru a very bumpy road but worth for it. Along the way, you can see the magnificent views of Annapurna Range and Fishtail (Machhapuchhere). I like the warm, authentic and hospitality, I like the feeling of whole family involvement in preparing the food, sharing the joy, singing & dancing which left me a memorable experience. Hope can stay longer and try the yoga and meditation in future visit.

I think it is not an good idea to leave Astam at noon, because have to miss the delicious lunch and upon reaching Pokhara after the normal lunch time.... Self exploration of the Lakeside town also not suitable for person like me whom don't like the heat and dust under the sunny afternoon.
Back from Pokhara to Kathmandu, meet another driver, Arjun. He was quiet but with wonderful smile. You will feel safe with his skillful driving along up to hilltop. Another place that I love - Namobuddha, Pratikshya arranged to have short walk and climb some staircases was a great way to explore Namobuddha, if the sky is clear, I can imagine the great view from the top however Nepal wanted me to go back therefore still left some mystery (foggy weather).

Besides scenery and rich culture, Kathmandu also has nice local food and snack waiting to explore, thanks Pratiksya recommendation. That I have chance to meet the member of Vespa Valley. Caring and friendly, Niraj, he brought me to taste the nice local Lasi, "laughing", meat momo, Newari food, samosa......the one that I love most -> Lasi, Bara?. Hope can try more and explore some other places by scooter ride.

Last, I would like to thank Kripa who planned the trip for me though I gave her a short notice for solo lady traveler like me, warm and caring call during flight delay at Pokhara and arrangement for hotel extension on my last day in Nepal because of late flight. Besides Kripa, someone whom I will not forget Jeevan, thank you for coming to say good bye.
Hope to see you guys in future visit.

Thank you, thank you and thank you again Andy for putting together such an exhilaratingly wonderful itinerary for me in Vietnam !! I loved the way you listened to what I was interested in when we chatted and texted several times beforehand because you really knocked it out of the park for me with everywhere I went !! Each place and all accommodations from the tropical feel of my hotel in the colorful and ancient city of Hoi An, to the gorgeous hotel in the significantly historical city of Hue, then up to Hanoi and my adorable boutique hotel, with an outstanding 2 day side trip out onto HaLong Bay staying overnight on a lovely classy boat, then all the way down to Phu Quoc island only to stay in the magnificent eco friendly resort of Mango Bay and then wrapping it all up in Saigon ... well it was simply just superb !! I loved all of my guides and especially have such fond memories of Mr. Troung and his driver who schooled me with emotional sights and many unknown historical facts of the war.
One of my most fun days was deciding to ditch a couple museums and hop on the back of the scooter of my guide in Hanoi and ride with the masses of those who miraculously and artfully flow through the city streets of organized chaos. It was tremendously exhilarating !!
I do not typically return to places I've already traveled to for the sole reason that our world is so big and I want to see it all, but I most definitely would return to Vietnam, travel throughout more of the country and hope for more beautiful encounters with it's warm and loving people ... but only if Andy was in charge of making it happen for me !!!

We had an incredible Myanmar trip that Anne Cruickshanks from Myanmar Pure helped put together. Anne was amazing in creating an itinerary filled with activities that were tailored to our interests, intentions and yet gently pushed us beyond what we normally do on our own trips.

She truly listened and talked to us prior to the trip to better understand us as travellers and proposed itineraries that suited our needs. Anne is responsive, intuitive and knows Myanmar beyond the beautiful pictures and images.

For our 16 days trip, she included the 'essentials' of Myanmar along with the 'personal/intimate' side of the country, that helped us not only see but experience and feel the country. From the religious/spiritual side of Myanmar to the friendly and charming people of the country to the many local food scenes that she and her guides set up for us were just simply amazing, loved the BBQ.

Being independent travellers, we had a fair sense of what we wanted from our trip but Anne and her team over delivered on each of the experiences and made our journey unforgettable. Some of the more memorable and unique experiences include the Buddhist Nunnery (very touching), the cooking lesson and market outing with Ma May (immersive, personal and delicious), the bike tours (a little exhausting but exhilarating), the sunset cruise (great way to end the day), the hikes (incredible views and great way to work up an appetite for the delicious foods of Myanmar). The guides and drivers were all very personable and Ah Korn was a stand out, he made the Bagan temples come to life with his story telling. Impressive.

The whole trip went smoothly without a hitch and Anne was there every step of our journey. I cannot wait for her next curated journey. J & R.

We were impressed by our guides along the way. In Santiago, Maria showed us the sights. She was very knowledgeable. Vivian picked us up at the airport and dropped us off for the flight home. She was lovely, stayed in contact on Whatsapp and was very helpful.
In St Pedro, the tours were interesting, guides Elaine and Sina were very good. Really enjoyed the Moon and Mars valley with Sina very much. She was a fountain of information. The wine and cheese at sunset was a nice surprise.
All went well in Puerto Varas and Chiloé. The car rental experience was excellent and it was nice to drive around and make our own plans. Parque Quilquico Hotel was outstanding. Lovely scenery, peaceful surroundings, great staff and fabulous food.
In Patagonia, we were met by the Los Torres driver, Hernan, who had lots of sights to point out and was very interesting. The Cerro Negro stop was nice. The Las Torres hotel was great. Glad we did the all inclusive. Room was comfortable, staff very helpful and the food was excellent. Even the box lunch was well done. The excursions were very interesting. Our guide, Steve, on the Full Paine was excellent, very knowledgeable and helpful. The horseback ride toLake Norgenskjol was fun, lovely horses and guides there too. All in all an unforgettable vacation!

All in all a wonderful experience very well managed, thank you.
Day 1: the first climb was almost a deal breaker. The path was not clear and we should have been warned that is was incredibly demanding.
Takahara ryokan was good. Private facilities and food were probably the best of all on the walk. Excellent packed lunch. To be able to fit around the tire at night after a private onsen was great.
Day 2: good walk with no surprises although the cold was extreme
Chikatsuyu food was good and private onsen enjoyable. Lack of private facilities was inconvenient although with only two other guests not a big problem
Day 3: this was an incredible trek, we did the entire 24kms, with ice and snow a real challenge, last 3 hours in rain made the achievement even more admirable. Knowing we had shorter options was comforting. Suggest it should end at Hongu as we had no time to sightsee given the bus timetable. Yunomineso was ok but again Hongu probably a better overnight stay. Hotel pick up and taxi drop off, enabled a later start after the exhausting walk, for next day were very convenient,
Day 4: good walk and enabled a little recovery. Momofuku was quaint but lack of private facilities was a little problematic. Nice hosts but we were over the food, especially the breakfasts by this stage.
Day 5: great walk and wonderful views on the way and just superb as we approached Nachi san. We should have stayed in Nachi san again to see more of the sites.
Kii-Katsuura, my choice, was disappointing. By this stage should have chosen a western hotel. Should have stayed in Nachi san. Lovely town to stroll around behind the train to Osaka.
Overall far more challenging than I thought but an incredible experience and achievement.
Directions, train abc bus connections all first class.

Karuizawa extension: fair to say we, especially Paula, were over ryokans at this stage again I should have requested a western hotel closer to the ski fields. Nevertheless the two days were saved by lovely snow falls and the outlet shopping, Paula was in heaven. Do highlight this in the future, some real bargains.
Food at tsuyaya was good and the buffet breakfast good fir westerners. Service was excellent here. If only the library had an open fire!
Travel by train back to Tokyo was again excellent, Japanese railways are impressive.
So all in all a great trip
Thanks for your planning, availability on the phone the only time needed, and efficient responses in preparation.
Our next walk will hopefully be coast to coast hopefully a little less demanding and not as rushed as I retire in a few months

As experienced travellers this was the first time we had 'outsourced' our travel planning and we couldn't have been happier with the outcome. Anne took the time to fully understand our ambitious wishlist and returned with a suggested itinerary that whilst action-packed never felt overwhelming or rushed.

Each of our local guides managed to strike the right balance between being extremely attentive whilst also letting us explore at our own leisure. As well as visiting flagship attractions such as Inle Lake and Bagan, the tour also provided an opportunity to scratch below the surface and visit places off the beaten track such as the fish markets of Yangon and artisan quarter of Mandalay. These combined experiences provided us with some fantastic memories and a genuine desire to return to Myanmar and explore this fantastic country further.

Huge thanks to Anne and our fantastic guides and trek leaders in Myanmar!

My husband and I just came back from our trip to Peru and it was amazing. Stephanie was great to work with and always went the extra mile in helping us out when we had last minute plans or changes. Although it was hard to get ahold of her in country, we were glad to meet her the first day and to be able to still communicate while on vacation some way or another.

Our transportation included terrific drivers, nice vehicles, and great views. The staff was on time and always helped us with our luggage. Likewise, the drivers ensured we were safe during the festivities of Carnival.

Our guides were amazing and we were pleased to have one on one private tours the entire time. We especially loved Juan in Machu Picchu because he gave us the freedom to explore while still receiving information about the magical sites. Although we cannot remember the guides name we had for Cusco and the Sacred Valley, we adored her! She was enthusiastic and always was concerned about our health especially with the altitude change. For example, the first day she let us cut part of our tour short because I was not feeling well! She was very knowledgable as well with the area! She even suggested great places to eat and things to do for the rest of our trip.

As for hotels go, not all of them were excellent and we did run into a couple of problems with room arrangements. Nevertheless, the hotels upgraded us twice and made us feel very welcomed and we were grateful for that! Meals were never too much of an issue, except towards the end of the trip. We wish we would have had the chance to know of places to eat that "won't get you sick" because we ate on the streets towards the end and we ended our last two days of our itinerary in bed instead of out and doing what we had originally planned.

Overall this was a great trip and I would definitely book again with this company! The only suggestions are to include more about packing tips or essentials, money exchange, and popular foods or restaurants to try! We were very satisfied though despite our hiccups here and there.

One of the best trips of my life! Tour was nicely set up, and Anne make changes where necessary when my flight screwed up my arrival. The Bagan tour guide was very good, and the accommodations at the hotel were superb. And the cooking class was very informative and tasty. Flights and airport transfers went without a hitch. I highly recommend the tour, and KimKim tour company.

My wife and I had arranged a holiday to Peru and took advantage of the international flights connecting via Bogota to spend a week in Colombia on the return journey.

I then researched via the internet for itineraries and transport options around Colombia, which is when I came across the Kimkim site for the first time. From then on the trip fell into place very nicely with Elisabeth from Aventur making contact with a suggested itinerary based on my stated preferences. A few changes were made at my request, and were accommodated by Elisabeth readily until we had the perfect itinerary for us. The proposal we received was detailed and clear, and included all transfers, guided tours and internal flights as well as a breakdown of hotels booked and inclusive meals . Everything was covered. The payment system was simple and secure via credit card.

The holiday itself was super, having come off the back of a great time spent in Peru I was concerned that our Colombia stay might have been overshadowed, but not at all! The variety of Colombia was reflected in our itinerary and made for a great experience.

Following our arrival at Bogota airport our polite private transfer driver was waiting at 'Arrivals' and drove us to our standard accomodation in the Candeleria area of Bogota which we found to be a bustling and lively part of the city. I admit that the press and government advice regarding security and safety in Bogota did have us slightly on edge but spending the best part of 2 days there we did not feel threatened at all, but we were sensible about where we walked and careful that we didn't make ourselves look like tempting targets. That said , we did see a bag snatched from a young woman on the walk to the Monserrate funicular/ cable car station, but police were very quickly on the scene.

Our guided bike tour around Bogota, ably guided by ex pat Californian Mike 'the bike', was a great experience where he introduced us to the key sites over quite an area of the city centre, to places that we would not have ventured on our own or on foot. We really covered quite a distance in the 5 hours. In addition to seeing key sites Mike explained historical connections and context to the places that we saw as well as generally giving us an understanding of Bogota and Colombian society, culture. politics, and yes the past influences from the darker side of the Colombian economy.

Time spent in a neighbourhood cafe where they roast their own beans in the back was a worthwhile experience (we were given a peak at the process in action at the back of the shop), and the time that we spent wandering through the central fruit/veg market between stalls tasting different fruits was great. Mike seemed to know everyone!

Ending with a drink and a game of the national sport 'Tejo' which involves throwing rocks at paper wraps filled with gunpowder on a clay base the whole tour was definitely a success. I would recommend the Bogota bike tour to anyone who can ride a bike.

Food options in Candeleria were endless, we ended up having an evening meal in an Israeli restaurant just down the road from the hotel and it was nice food at a good price.

We were transfered on time to the airport for our internal flight to Armenia from where we were transfered to our hotel(Salento Real) in Salento, which was a very nice place just at the edge of the town centre. It was a good location because we were staying over the weekend and the town gets very busy, we were 2 minutes from the wonderful centre but not efftected by the noise at bedtime.

We had a leisurely guided tour to see the Wax palms in the nearby Cocora valley which involved a bit of light hiking, amazing views and lots of flower and bird spotting. Our guide, Blane, was passionate about the environment and had us catapulting wax palm seeds into the jungle to help spread the area where they are growing(as he explained, they are under some threat from agricultural development) Blane had us climb a wax palm(not easy!) followed by him playing the flute pipes while we had a rest at a view point. Then to a restaurant with a view for lunch, where we ate trout on a crispy plantain flat bread, delicious.

In the afernoon we were led, again by Blane, to a small scale coffee plantation, about 45 minutes walk, which was a very informative experience.
The next day we were taken on a full day driven tour of the Quindio villages/ small towns, guided by David who again was a very capable guide with environmental matters being part of the discussion. The villages were varied and beautiful, we took the time to experience churches, crafts , local flora and architecture as well as a coffee producers with a difference, a fermented raw milk cafe and a Bar of memories, all quirky and interesting. We had a 'locals lunch' by the Rio Verde and all in all a great day.

Salento town itself is a fantastic destination, beautiful buildings and open spaces, with a buzzing plaza and central streets with old fashioned entertainment and fair rides, lots of craft shops and bars/ restaurant of good quality.

We transfered early the next morning to Cartagena(internal flights) on the Caribean coast. On arrival at Cartagena airport there was a slight confusion with the transfer driver who was there on time(as it later turned out) but had the incorrect name for pickup, which led to a short delay while we called Aventur on the office number to fix it. Within minutes the mixup was resolved and we were matched up with our driver.

It was just gone lunchtime when we arrived at the hotel(Casa Deco), which is an attractive old boutique place with friendly, helpful staff. The hotel made a room ready early for us while we had some lunch around the corner and then we were met on time at the hotel by our guide for a walking tour of Cartagena. The city is a beautiful, fascinating place, with a rich colonial history but we did find the guided tour which was suposed to be 4 hours but was barely over 2 hours quite light on historical, architectural and cultural details and we came away feeling underwhelmed by the experience... maybe the guide was having an off day!

Anyway, we had a great meal out later and enjoyed the hospitality of the hotel, including the pool.

The next day was speedboat ride to one of the Rosario islands, Isla Bella, which was tiny but beautiful. after an hours boat ride we spent a few hours lounging on the beach-front paradise, enjoyed an inclusive meal and caught the speedboat back, which was a scarily exciting journey, as the wind(and waves) had picked up. We got quite wet but not a problem in the tropical heat and it was quite a laugh.

Another great night out and the next day gave us the morning to explore the city ramparts, and have lunch before getting our transfers back to Cartegena airport to start our journey home.

I have gone on at some length with this review because I wanted anyone reading to get an idea that the trip was a great experience and well organised by Elisabeth (Eventur) with a good selection of interesting activities along the way. The balance of planned activities and free time worked well for us, others way want more time to relax, or want to be more full on. I am confident from our experience that all holiday styles would be ably catered for by Elisabeth.
The Trip was well organised and the itinerary was spot on, with the only exception being the name mix up on arrival at Cartegena, which lets be honest is nothing, and was sorted without delay.

So well done to Aventur, thanks to Kimkim for getting us connected, and our gratitude to Elisabeth for taking care of us so well.

Our journey in the mountains of Bhutan was richly rewarding. A gift not wrapped in paper but bound instead in the thread of discovery and the characters we were blessed to encounter along the way. A journey of reflection and life in focus - so generously mentored by the welcoming will and inspiring talents of the Bhutanese people, Like our fabulous guides Yonten and Pema, who helped us climb higher..beyond....as each new step took our breath further away. Thank you!

And also thank you to all our amazing crew and the nine ponies ... especially camera pony!
Everyone we encountered helped make our expedition an experience that will long be remembered as an outstanding example of living in the moment..

Thanks to Bas at Kimkim for making the arrangements so easy and to Wind Horse for organising everything on the ground. Thoroughly enjoyed this Bhut-Camp!

Hello and thank you Zeynep for your guidance, support and assistance on our tour preparations. The tours were nothing but spectacular, with excellent and well informed guides, on time schedules and well organized en route sites. I sincerely thank you for your awesome planning and your patience with me, answering all my questions in a detailed and prompt manner. Thank you again. I will not hesitate to recommend you and your good offices Kimkim to any of my colleagues, who ask about a reference. Regards Julian