Michael Gold

We had an incredible experience during our recent trip to Colombia. From start to finish, every aspect of the journey exceeded our expectations.

Hotel Reviews

GHL Hotel Armería Real

Cartagena

Comfortable and local charm

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable stay reflecting local culture and very friendly and helpful staff

Location

Staff

Eager to help with finding local places to eat and very cooperative.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The property maintained its local decor with much hygiene and cleanliness.

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

Great experience in staying in the log cabins in this resort.

Authenticity & Character

Although the resort is in the deep forest, we never felt short of any supplies. The kitchen offered various choices of meals and breakfast was sooo amazing.

Location

Very comfortable and luxurious amidst the wilderness of the dense forest. Easily accessible and close to hiking places.

Staff

Very very friendly staff. It felt like returning home every time after the day out.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds and blankets were clean and comfortable.

Bh El Poblado

Medellín

Excellent location, close to malls and shops .

Authenticity & Character

We flew from Santa Marta early in the morning, and reached the hotel a few hours early before the check in time. We would appreciate if we could get our rooms a bit early and not wait until 4 pm.

Location

Excellent location, close to shopping and accessibility to bus, metro and train stations is very convenient.

Staff

Fairly friendly staff. The staff at the restaurant were amazing though.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and comfortable

BH Bicentenario

Bogotá

The location of this hotel was superb. Within walking distance from the main attractions, shopping and promenades. Security was very tight and overall service was excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable stay and well attended to every details.

Location

Great location.

Staff

Super friendly and helpful. The staff at the reception helped us book Uber and their suggestions about places to eat was super helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable. The housekeeping was very efficient and attentive.

Activity Reviews

Visit the Silletera Culture & The Flowers of Santa Elena

Medellín

Amazing experience. Carlos the owner of the farm was a very humorous person. He showed us how the flowers were arranged and millions of flowers carried on the backs of silletas ,for the show . He also took pictures with us that we will cherish later in our memories.

Quality of Experience

The vibrant flower displays, showcasing the beauty and creativity of Colombian culture.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia was our tour guide and she was simply amazing. Carlos the guide of the Silletas was very humorous and fascinating.

Transport

Comfortable vehicle was provided to us .

Medellín Transformation Tour (Public Transportation)

Medellín

Amazing and very motivating. Our journey to Comuna 13 in Medellín, a neighborhood known for its transformation from violence to vibrancy. The guided tour showcased the community's resilience and creativity through street art and local stories. The colorful murals depicted themes of hope and renewal, and we were inspired by the community's spirit. The visit also included a ride on the famous escalators, which have made the area more accessible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Claudia was our tour guide in Medellín. She was exceptional and her knowledge of the history and local customs truly enriched our experience.

Transport

Awesome and comfortable

Michael, our advisor and chief planner was excellent throughout the process. Thank you.

Each of our guides and drivers chosen by Chaska tours was excellent. They were efficient and did more than was needed without hesitation.

Sandra in Cartahena, and Claudia, in Medellin were both excellent. Claudia warm, shared many stories and the history of Medellin, and we enjoyed her company.

One of us felt tired on our hike in Tayrona. Our guide helped us back via a short cut when we needed to come back.

Hotel Review

Villa Maria Tayrona, a Kali Hotels

Los Naranjos

Authenticity & Character

Constructed from locally sourced material, the cottages blend in.

Location

In the jungle.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Medellín Transformation Tour (Public Transportation)

Medellín

We used public transportation for this tour. It was a transformative experience. Medellin and Communa 13 was a highlight of our trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Booking our trip through Kimkim was incredibly easy. For many years now, I've wanted to go birdwatching in Colombia but knew so little about the country and where to go. Michael put together an amazing itinerary starting in Bogota, ending in Santa Marta, and including Manizales in the "coffee triangle". We saw over 200 species of birds, most of which were lifers, and stayed in some of the most beautiful places I think I've ever seen. Hacienda Venezia was a spectacular historic home on a coffee plantation; El Dorado had "glamorous" huts on the top of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, with panoramic views of the entire planet, it felt; and Senda Koguiwa felt like a luxurious tropical resort. Even the HAB hotel, where we stayed in Bogota, was chic, comfortable, and upscale. The guides were incredibly knowledgable and everyone was kind and attentive. There were some live changes to the itinerary, but that's par for the course.

There were just a few issues, all of which could be ironed out with a few adjustments:

1. The breakfast box supplied by Senda Koguiwa was awful: a dry bread roll with tasteless cheese and ham, and nothing else. It was clear to me that they don't usually put these together for guests.

2. The accommodations at El Dorado were beautiful but they were dangerous. The pathways that lead from the huts up to the main restaurant were loose, slippery, and muddy and didn't have any hand railing to help people stabilize themselves. The wooden boards that were used to create steps in the mud were rotting and collapsed when stepped on. Someone literally could break their leg hiking this path. They also haven't strung up any lights along these pathways and so when you walk back from the restaurant at night (it's a good 8-minute walk to the furthest cabins!) you essentially do that in the pitch blackness. We weren't prepared for this: no one told us to bring torches for the journey.

3. Our final guide for the trip (and I won't mention his name here) was extremely knowledgeable but he lacked experience actually GUIDING people, particularly larger groups. He didn't really look after us at all but rather walked ahead, birded, and told whoever was closest to him what they were seeing. He didn't explain anything, didn't make sure the whole group had seen the birds, and didn't wait for the stragglers to catch up. We had some older folks in our group and he never waited to help them up/down slippery slopes or difficult obstacles. He just forged ahead and if someone had dropped off the edge of the mountain, he probably wouldn't have noticed. I learned how to work with him—by sticking closely to his side and asking him relentless questions—but the rest of the group struggled. He also never explained what we were doing or what to expect so we were often ill-prepared for the activities we were doing. I'm able to say these things about him because the other guides we had were so wonderful with the group.

4. Finally, birding is a long and physical activity. It would be nice if all the guides kept a cooler in the back of the van with bottles of cold water, soft drinks, and perhaps some snacks (health bars / fruit or whatever) on trips that are longer than 3 hours. There were many early mornings we left to bird and weren't given any coffee or tea at all, and had to wait until mid-morning breakfast or lunch to eat or drink again. It would take so little to address this and it would have a major impact on the happiness of your future birders.

5. Recommendation for Senda Koguiwa: put up bird feeders! They have such a gorgeous property with so many birds already but with feeders, you'd attract birdwatchers by the thousands!

None of these are criticisms but rather intended as feedback to help Kimkim fine-tune its services for birders. Overall, we had the adventure of a lifetime and it was wonderful to sit back and enjoy the ride!

I absolutely loved my trip to Colombia this past June/July. I had the good fortune to have Michael as my trip planner. He did such a fantastic job listening to what I wanted to see and focus on while still staying within my budget. We went through several iterations of plans and ideas, and he was just patient and thoughtful and full of suggestions and recommendations. In the end I had just the perfect trip planned, and I got to see so many wonderful places. Another highlight of my trip was my guide, Camila, who has to be one of the most special, smart, caring, generous guides and people I've had the pleasure to meet. She went out of her way to explain things to me and show me things and encourage me to try things. She was always putting me first. Her English was excellent and she even let me practice my Spanish a bit. I had such an amazing trip that I am already committed to going back next summer, and hopefully Michael can work his magic and come up with another wonderful journey and Camila will be available to guide me. I loved all the hotels and special places Michael found for me. I did have some questions during my trip, and both Camila and Michael were immediately responsive and tried to fix and improve things to make sure I had the best trip ever...which I did. I could not be more grateful to both of them...and to my amazing driver, Wilson, as well! He was such a conscientious driver and friendly and outgoing and I hope he is free next summer as well as I can't way to go back and explore more of this beautiful country.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dann Monasterio

Popayan

Great hotel! After more than a week of staying in some random and small places, it felt like luxury to find a clean hotel with wifi (everywhere!) and hot water in the shower! It was very clean and the customer service was impeccable. I think I was nearly the only tourist there, but everyone attended to me and helped me. I am especially grateful to Nathalie who was working in the kitchen. I walked down and gave her my dinner order, and she went above and beyond to make it special and deliver it to me. She was so kind and sweet...totally made my stay. Would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Finca El Maco

San Agustin

This was my very favorite place to stay during my 9 day visit to Colombia. Granted, I think I stayed in the best room they had! But it was really remarkable and unique. The staff was very helpful, the breakfast was delicious, and the room I had was unbelievable. Probably the best place I have ever stayed. I agree with other comments about the barking dogs...they really need to do something about that! (Not chain them up at night??) But I still loved it and would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

POSADA TURISTICA DANTAYACO

What a lovely place! I was enchanted. So unique and special. Everyone there was so helpful and kind. Quiet and so cute! Lots os monkeys and you can hear the river nearby. I was the only tourist there but the staff was super friendly and helpful. Delicious food. It was really unique and I'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel De La Opera

Bogotá

Really lovely hotel. I had a great stay here. The staff was super helpful, the breakfast was very tasty, and everything was more than I could have asked for. There was hot water in the showers and free wifi! Comfortable bed and quiet. I did get there early so could not check into my room but they watched my bag until the room was ready. I saw some other comments about the staff not speaking English and I just disagree. We are guests in their country and if you can't take the time to learn some basic Spanish then at least know you can use Google translate to communicate with them. I do not think the onus should be on the staff; it is on us as guests to be good visitors. I know rudimentary Spanish and I think they appreciated my attempt to be understood. The hotel is really well located and would totally stay there again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Chalet Guamuez

This place is very cute and spacious. Each room has great views and some rooms have fireplaces. The breakfast was delicious and the staff was super friendly. I personally had problems as I found the rooms very cold (there is no central heat...just space heaters) but my guide swooped in to help me resolve this. Also, the wifi in the rooms is again not totally reliable, but the staff there did their best to help me solve this. There are not too many places to stay in this particular area, and it was very pretty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Majestic Coffee Hotel And Restaurant

This was a very cute place to stay, and I have to stay that I had the best meal EVER at this particular place...for $6! :) The lady who runs it should be running a Michelin restaurant. The rooms are very simple but clean. Note there is no Wifi in any of the rooms, despite what their website says. Still..there are not a lot of options if you want to see Tierradentro, so I think this was totally the best option. It was very pretty and charming, and the lady and her family there were super friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit of the "Fin del Mundo"

Mocoa

Loved my hike to fin del mundo! It was much longer and more difficult than I first thought, but I am glad I did it. So beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Indigenous Market in Silvia

Colombia

Really interesting visit to this market!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bogotá Walking Tour

Bogotá

I loved my walking tour! I had a fantastic guide. Wish it were longer, but it was my first day after a long flight, and I was exhausted. Still, my guide was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bus-Tour to Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral

Colombia

Loved seeing this cathedral! Totally unique. Worth a visit. My guide was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit to the Sanctuary of Las Lajas

Colombia

Visiting Las Lajas was one of the highlights of my trip. Brought me to tears...it was so pretty.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the La Cocha Lagoon

La Cocha

Loved my boat trip on the lagoon. It was cold and windy, but so pretty!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Coffee Tour on a Local Farm

San Agustín

Loved my trip to the coffee farm! I learned a lot and the coffee was very good.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Town of San Agustín

San Agustín

Camila gave me a personal tour of the city, and it was really fun and interesting.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excursion in Tierradentro Archaeolgical Park

Tierradentro

Loved my trip to the park. Learned a lot and the site was amazing.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

KimKim is one of the best companies in which you can book your tours for any country. They offer a great variety of tours for each country. We used Kimkim for different countries like Australia and Cambodia, but we decided to try for Colombia and it was great. Our tour organizer was Micheal, who arranged the tour perfectly well and made us really happy of his excellent service. All the guides in the cities in Colombia were very informative, kind and friendly. The hotels chosen by Micheal were all really good. The food options are great if you are a non-vegetarian, but it is very hard to find vegetarian food in Colombia.

So, KimKim, you guys did a best job. Please do keep it up. Thank you!