Ed Reeves

Ed was a great local guide! Our trip was a little unique because we had a bike accident on the first day resulting in a broken wrist and surgery. Ed and Nick were massively helpful, providing translation services and basically babysitting me in a coffee shop while my partner was in surgery and recovering. Ed rescheduled or swapped activities on the fly as necessary. He could not have been more accommodating or helpful.
Once we got on the road we found the itinerary to be exactly what we had asked for- lots of beautiful hiking, rafting, strolling through ancient cities, no tourist traps, accommodations all mom and pop operations run by the sweetest people you'll ever meet. Highlights were a cooking class in Gjirokaster, dinner at Lili's in Berat, the view from the glamping tents at Nivica. A day spent hiking up to Borsh castle, poking around the ruins and taking in the incredible views, then doing then same at upper Qeparo village are experiences we'll never forget. Ed clearly has great working relationships with his vendors and it shows when you show up somewhere and people are expecting to see you and already know who you are.
This was our second time using a local guide (kim kim both times) after 35 years of planning trips all over the world by ourselves. I'm not sure there is any going back because we had experiences that we never would have found on our own! Thanks Thanks Ed, Nick, and Elio! You are the best. We are looking forward to the next trip!

My friends and I travel together every other year and we try to choose places none of us have ever been. We chose Albania as our destination as it was a new to all of us and the hotspot for 2024.
I am so glad we did. As we were researching we decided to get some expert advice and found Kim Kim and Drive Albania.
Ed helped us with our custom itinerary and had great suggestions. He quickly responded to all of our many questions.
Upon arrival in Tirana, Ed and our guide Margil picked us up at the airport and made us feel comfortable. All of our hotels were comfortable, safe, and in great locations. They had great suggestions for lunches/dinners.
Margil was an excellent guide. He knew the history of the country very well. He was a safe driver on the mountain roads. Most of all he was personable and had a great sense of humor.
We enjoyed our trip very much. I would highly recommend Drive Albania and Margil as a guide.

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Our southern Albania and northern Greece trip was perfect in every way. Ed, our travel consultant, was terrific. We had some last minute scheduling hassles that were out of his control and he got us wonderful last minute accommodations. Everything he suggested regarding the itinerary, hotels and restaurants were spot on. He was easy to work with and lots of fun. We are using Kim Kim for our next trip and have recommended you to many friends. Albania was so refreshing with kind people, gorgeous scenery, interesting culture and good food. We enjoyed the guesthouse near Permet and the mountains. Also the guesthouse in Ano Pedina, Greece nestled in the Zarori area near theVikos gorge. We wouldn’t change a thing about the trip. Thanks Ed.

Put Albania on your travel bucket list and use Drive Albania to make it happen before more people discover this spot. Albania has warm, welcoming and kind citizens, eye-popping scenery, beautiful and interesting ancient sites and natural, fresh and mouth-watering food and of course homemade wine and raki at every stop.

We worked with Ed from Drive Albania to create the tour that worked for us – 4 young middle-aged females. He worked with our itinerary sketch to create a trip that delivered the sites and experiences we wanted while minimizing the amount of hotel hopping we did.

Our guide/drive Margil made this a once-in-a-lifetime experience with his passion for delivering high customer service, his knowledge of Albanian history, his safe driving and his pure joy and zest for life. After consultation with us, on our off days, Margil arranged our activities and made reservations at the best, out-of-the-way eating spots. From the moment he met us at the airport with his wide grin to our final send off, he was professional and attentive, adjusting to our needs, all while sharing his love

Margil was our guide for 9 days during our trip to Albania. He was an absolutely amazing!. He was patient, kind, funny, responsible, and trustworthy. He explained each day with detailed plans and carried through with these plans. We were impressed with Margil's knowledge; not just with the understanding of specifics of the tour but with world wide comprehension. The four of us felt very safe with Margil, especially when driving the coast in Albania. Margil was open to ideas from us and didn't' get offended when we wanted a change in the itinerary. We would recommend Margil to anyone wanting a great vacation to Albania.

Ed, was very valuable when planning our whole trip. He was patient to work with us and plan a beautiful, memorable trip to Albania. From the restaurants to the lovely hotels to the continuous communication , we would recommend Ed (KimKim) to our friends and family. It was also a nice touch, that Ed showed up throughout travels in Albania.

Ed planned a fantastic trip for me based on both the places I wanted to visit and his own extensive local knowledge.
During the trip Ed and his team provided friendly and efficient service and assistance as needed.
I would recommend anyone to book a trip through the team!

We had an amazing trip to south of Albania! As we got so used to from the Kimkim team (and we are getting spoiled after the years), from the first contact with Ed to the final goodbye at the Tirana airport from "Nik" (Kreshnik), our guide and driver, all went great. The trip was as we envisioned in our request: explore as much as possible the "real" Albania, stay away from tourist traps and crowds and get to see how "real" people live. Nik was a treasure trove of history, culture, politics and everything else. He knows his country like back of his hand and he seems to know everyone (and everyone seems to know him....) so he/we were treated like locals. The only downside: we ran out of time (but that was out problem).

Margil was an amazing guide. He was prompt, energetic, extremely knowledgeable and highly personable. He genuinely likes people and loves to show off his country. Notwithstanding this, he doesn’t shy away from its less savoury past snd present. We left with an abiding love for the country and a great appreciation for its people. They are remarkably resilient, hardworking and engaging. We would go back tomorrow, with Kimkim, if we could.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Boka

Tiranë

We stayed, NOT at the Hotel Boka, but the Hotel Art. This was a lovely hotel, perfectly located and spotlessly clean. The staff were excellent and the breakfast was exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

It was an old building that had been beautifully repurposed as a hotel. It was true to the name Hotel Art, with wonderful local and European art at every turn.

Location

Close to the Skandereg Square and east walking distance to all that we wanted to see.

Staff

Nothing was too much trouble. Their English was excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Onufri

The ceilings in the rooms of this hotel were unbelievable. Such craftsmanship!

Authenticity & Character

The woodwork was so very special.

Location

Very central and within east walking distance to most things. (We drove to the fortress)

Staff

When present, the staff were very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Guesthouse Chri Chri

Përmet

This was the only time on our trip that we got to speak with other travellers. It made a delightful change. Gilberto had access to the key to a local, rarely available to the public, orthodox cathedral and he gave us a private tour.

Authenticity & Character

The walls of the guesthouse were made of 3ft thick stone. The outbuildings were original. The road was … an adventure.

Location

While we did not see Përmet, we did enjoy the rural location of the guest house.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Praga

This was a quirky, but charming hotel. It was well situated within walking distance to the market and the castle.

Authenticity & Character

The bedroom was filled with historical pieces and the communal areas were similarly decorated

Location

Staff

The staff spoke excellent English snd were eager to be if assistance.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Riviera

Himare

One got the impression that the owners of this hotel are working very hard to improve the facilities and ambiance of their hotel. It was entirely comfortable, but still in yhrr we process of becoming more.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location was pretty, but there was not much “activity”. As we were there for two days, without a car, it gave us time to rest up from our busy schedule.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel room was basic but clean and comfortable.

Hotel Panorama Kruje

Krujë

This surpassed our expectations in every way.

Authenticity & Character

It could have been s hôtel anywhere in Europe, but it was an excellent example to of one.

Location

Brilliant!! Even the 6am call to prayer from the adjacent mosque was mellifluous.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kruja Bazaar - Albania's Best Shopping Opportunity

Kruje

Great fun - colour and movement and a feast for the eyes.

Quality of Experience

The unsurpassed views; the extraordinary history museum I’m the castle precinct and the hotel’s location, combined to make this a fitting hurrah to an extraordinary holiday

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Margil was like so many of the prolly we met - gracious, keen to show their country, interested in learning from us.

Transport

Home-cooked Evening Meal

Përmet

It was a lovely meal, on the terrace, with good company.

Quality of Experience

My grandparents were Albanian. I found myself in Albania.

Food

Loved it. Margil was a great help with this, too, those we wished that he would have joined us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Margil was exceptional. Words fail to do him justice.

Transport

I’m not going to lie, the Jaz was the one thing we would have changed. It was poorly air conditioned, poorly sprung and underpowered. It’s a good thing the countryside kept us diverted.

Berat - Exploring The "City Of A Thousand Windows"

Berat

We love the city of Berat. It’s like no other place. The sunset tour of the castle was breathtaking

Quality of Experience

Dinner at Lili’s was so much fun! Everything was designed to relax us, make us laugh and feel very special.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brilliant

Transport

We walked everywhere (except up to the castle).

Tirana - Welcome to Albania's Chaotic Capital!

Tirana

We initially thought we would self drive, but a friend who lives in Albania convinced us otherwise. Thank goodness. Hectic, doesn’t begin to describe the traffic. Tirana is so much prettier than I had anticipated and so rich in history. We loved it.

Quality of Experience

It suited our interests. It was tailor made for us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driving through morning peak hour was probably the one time we really appreciated the mighty Kaz

Gjirokastra - Exploring Albania's "Stone City"

Gjirokastra

Gorgeous city! Loved everything about this place. Don’t miss the markets.

Quality of Experience

It was very easy to get by with just English, wherever we went.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time on our trip to Northern Albania and Kotor. Ed was very responsive and helped us with reservations before hand. Kreshnik was a very fun guide and made sure we had a fun and safe trip. While all of the trip was enjoyable the highlight for us had to be Valbone and Theth. While the weather was not fully cooperative it was still a great hike and the area was beautiful.