Kimkim Trip Reviews for Finland

It was a pleasure working with Emerson. He gave us a framework from which we planned our trip, made suggestions of things we wouldn’t have done, especially our day trip to Tallinn,
Estonia. The guides he found for us were all very good. Logistics were easy. The whole trip went smoothly and was great fun.

Activity Review

Sauna Tour

Tampere

You can’t go to Finland without going to sauna. Our guide, Matti, is a sauna expert. He took us to a beautiful place, taught us how to “do” sauna, and made the afternoon very special.

Moonika is a wonderful organizer and very responsive. I changed my mind about a few things and she did her absolute best to make it work for me.

My favorite part was being met and escorted to my next location by very reliable drivers in very comfortable cars. It took all of the worry away to know I would be met on time.

Moonika was always available when I needed her and she was totally involved in every bit of my trip.

In addition, she is kind, sweet and competent! She will care for you like family.

Finland and Estonia expertly managed by Emerson and the team. Everything went like clockwork, on-time, every time. I asked Emerson to plan for some history, nature, good walks and that was delivered. I had read up some history about Estonia and Finland but I still had many gaps, so with the tours and the sites I visited these gaps were filled
All the guides were informative, on-time and courteous but most of all they were all full of small anecdotes of the places we visited and sites we saw. Alvaro our guide for the Helsinki city tour was excellent giving us a brief history of Finland and how Helsinki came to be, also great advice on local delicacies. Filipe our guide for Porvoo was great with the history and show us great place to take pictures. Elena in Saumeleena was excellent with the historical perspective and strategic importance of this fort/base. While Jeff who took on the Taiga magical nature walk was a delight with his expertise on all things natural in the forest. As I come from Asia, these forests are quite different and hide magical berries, mushrooms and birds.
The hotels booked were OK, the good part was their location; all close to interesting sites and plenty of restaurants.
Transports, pick ups were excellent.
All in all well worth it. Thanks to Emerson, saved me a lot of time by coming up with the itinerary and very fast response times.

Emerson did such a great job adjusting out trip to our preferences before we even put a deposit down. He was super accommodating leading up to our trip and made sure to adjust the plans as needed (due to weather). He checked in with us once arrived and was super receptive throughout the trip. He even gave us great recommendations for our free time. I would highly recommend booking a trip through kimkim to ease the stress of trip planning and make sure you get all the best opportunities for tourism!

Emerson was an amazing guide from the beginning stages of planning to the end of our journey! He helped a group of friends and I create an unforgettable experience, and provided excellent service throughout the entire process. I couldn't recommend Emerson and the KimKim website more!

Hotel Reviews

Northern Lights Village

Sirkka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Levi Fell Snowmobile Adventure

Levi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Ice Floating

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Northern Lights Photography Tour

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Luxury Log Sauna and Finnish Dinner Experience

Rovaniemi

This experience was unlike anything I've ever done. The space was clean and the owners really made us feel special! They're a wonderful small business to support!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

You all did a great job of putting together a wonderful vacation. The hotels are top rate with great food. Pyha didn't have any food service and there was some confusion on where to meet for the fatbike tour. My wife, Bea was the only one to make it on the bike, Donna Lee gave up in the parking lot, I face planted on the first turn and took the tram to the mine. The consisted of tailing from their mining. It was what we expected but the ride up and seeing the smile on her face from succeeding on the fat bike was worth it.
Being mostly Fin myself, I didn't listen to the guides recommended boots. We really needed crampons for the waterfalls, the trail was pure ice. I fell about 12 time an the guide got us crampons and took us on a different route. He was wonderful for putting up with us.
Any difficulty we had was due to age and not in as good shape as we thought. All the guides are top notch and very forgiving of our short comings.
Moonika was on top of any issues or questions we had, she was great. Her help in putting this together an d suggestions made a memorable trip for all of us. After falling down I could hear my grandfather laughing with me about why he came to the US. Thank you and your staff for making this happen.

Hotel Reviews

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wilderness Hotel Muotka & Igloos

Sodankylä

We did not stay in a igloo but are room had a great, private sauna

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pyhä Igloos

Pyhä

The lack of a on site food could be made up if tourists are remind by driver to stop and shop. Thewalk up to the ski lodge is tough. The hotel room was one of the best we have stayed in. The outside of the hotel isn't fancy but the room was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Not near food

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Overnight Train

Best train trip

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Fabian

Helsinki

Great food and a 5 star all a round. Good location to walk around Helsinki.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Tour

Rovaniemi

Cloudy day wasn't guides fault no northern light's that nightBe in better shape

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure

Finland

I gave this a 3 star not due to anything the guides did but because I'm 75 and the ladies are in their 60s. There is no easy way to the falls. The poor guide may have gotten tired helping up a240 pound man with knee replacement. May God bless him

Quality of Experience

Food

Got tired of sausage

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Arctic Adventure

Rovaniemi

Snow shoes belong on young folk

Quality of Experience

Food

More hotdogs

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Their knowledge and friendliness

SnowHotel & Ice Dinner Experience

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

Food

Reindeer

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sami Culture Day

Finland

My grandfather told me about the Sami .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Safari

Saariselkä

Wow, we all loved it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They love their dogs. We did too

Transport

Aurora Adventure at Lake Pyhäjärvi

Pyhä

We had wonderful Guide an a great walk in the woods. Weather was our enemy

Quality of Experience

The guide made it a great night

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fatbike Tour to Amethyst Mine

Finland

I give this a 5 star only because wife made it up and back on a bike. The top of the mountain was beautiful but the mining experience was a let down

Quality of Experience

Not much you can do to up grade a tailings pile, all loose rock with frost line about 2 inches down. Hard stand our get up on loose rocks. I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They made it fun

Transport

Helsinki City Walking Tour

Helsinki

We didn't get the library because we where so busy learning from the tour guide about the finish history.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Porvoo Private Day Tour

Helsinki

Oh boy. We went to a small Cafe on our Wallander it was like we're in her living room. This was the finland we had in mind. Cities have there place but small places have the charm.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Gas station donuts are the best

Tallinn Day Trip

Helsinki

Wish we had more time and we were not so worn-out from the two weeks before.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The ferrie was what we need to rest. Thank you Moonika,.

Moonika perfectly understood our preferences and did her best to provide the best experience. She was very responsive and 7x24 pending on every detail to make our experience unforgettable.

Moonika was always quick to respond to my questions. She also was able to make adjustments to the itinerary when I was delayed arriving in Helsinki so I didn’t miss any activities.

This is my second time booking through Kimkim and it was a great experience. Moonika was very responsive and well organized in terms of bookings, ensuring enough time in between activities and her overall knowledge of the area was outstanding. I must say she is a very patient person and accommodated our requests. The itinerary provided was detailed and we did not face any issues during the trip. Finland is a place that I will never forget and I left the country speechless!

Activity Reviews

Finnish Sauna Experience

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

The hosts were amazing

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ice Fishing Experience

Levi

It was an okay experience to see how icefishing is done

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Ice Floating

Finland

A MUST!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Tour on Wooden Snowshoes

Finland

The experience was amazing it was like floating on top of the snow!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Superb guide

Transport

Finland is incredible, kimkim made it easy.
I had an amazing time. During my time in Rovaniemi I went hiking to the Korouoma Canyon (Wild About Lapland was my guide) to see frozen waterfalls, floated in a survival suit in a frozen lake--YOU HAVE TO DO IT, YOU CANNOT FEEL THE COLD WATER AT ALL ( Pedro with Nordic Adventures was knowledgeable and hilarious), went dogsledding with Nordic Odyssey, snowmobiling with Safartica, and got my picture taken with Santa at Santa's Village.
In Sinettä, I stayed at the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos where my room was made of ice and snow, it was cold, but it was worth it to stay one night bundled up just to say I did it.
In Ivalo, Janne with Northern Lights Rider knew exactly where to go to find great views of the Northern lights and took great pictures.

Why book with kimkim? First, my local specialist Moonika was patient and easy to work with. I made a number of changes in planning my itinerary--different adventures, different dates, and Moonika always came up with a great plan to make everything work.
With kimkim, I didn't have to worry about booking rooms and adventures and drivers and a hundred other things. My accommodations were booked, tickets for the adventures were booked, when a driver was supposed to pick me up to move to a different city, he was there on time and ready to roll.
And I appreciated that Moonkia checked in every day to make sure things were going well. For someone traveling alone in a foreign nation, that was a comfort.
I will definitely book through kimkim again in the future.

Hotel Reviews

Apukka Rovaniemi City Apartments

Rovaniemi

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the lift was out on the day I left and I had to carry all my bags down the stairs. Other than that, great location, lots of hot water, comfortable bed.

Location

it was right in the city center. You could walk to anything in less than 10 minutes

Cleanliness & Comfort

very clean, very comfortable, very warm.

Hotel Ivalo

Ivalo

Pretty good hotel, comfortable, clean. The only problem, just for me, is that were no English language channels. So take an iPad or a laptop if you want some evening entertainment.

Staff

I don't remember names, but the dining room staff was very kind.

Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos

Rovaniemi

I had one of the ice rooms, it was cold, but they do give you the necessary equipment for bundling up and staying warm in your icebed.

Location

wonderful frozen lake behind the hotel, an amazing view.

Staff

really friendly, very committed to your comfort.

Activity Reviews

Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure

Finland

Quality of Experience

Food

grilling sausages and marshamallows

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Ice Floating

Finland

This was so much fun. You cannot feel the cold water at all. You can either float on your back or tread water.

Quality of Experience

it was just so much fun. I would have gone back again if there wasn't so much more to do

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro was knowledgeable and hilarious. I wish he had been my guide for all my adventures.

Husky Sledding Safari

Rovaniemi

DOGGIES! Steering the dogs as the driver or sitting in the sledge, both are fun. And afterwards, you get to hang out with the dogs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

the staff so knowledgeable, so willing to answer questions and let you hang out with the dogs afterwards.

Northern Lights Safari by Electric Snowmobiles

Finland

Overall this was enjoyable, but we didn't see the northern lights.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very good at getting us set up, keeping us safe, grilling some snacks during the stop.

Dinner at Ice Restaurant

Sinettä

What made it special, it was a complete meal eaten in a restaurant built from ice.

Quality of Experience

The food and the decoration.

Aurora Hunt by Car

Saariselkä

Janne was my guide. Very knowledgeable about where to go to find good views of the lights.

Quality of Experience

The guide, Janne and his assistant clearly knew the best spots to go.

Easily one of the best trips we have ever taken. New experiences. Everything well planned. It was easy to discuss things with Moonika. The snowmobile tour with sauna and dinner in Akaslompolo was certainly one of the best experiences we had in this trip. Highly recommended.

The trip was great Would like to mention the guide who took us hunting in rovaniemi Very focused and gave us a thrilling view of the northern lights Second I would like to mention the person incharge of our fat tyre bicycle ride at the ski resort,Wonderful human being As I could not go for the ride not only did he let me wait in the office he offered me tea and made conversation till the group returning I had read that the finnish are reserved people but I beg to differ,They are as Wonderful as their country is,Loved the country and loved its people,,

It was a memorable trip to Lapland along with Kimkim. We visited Santaclaus village atRovaniemi. We had a great Aurora sighting at night. Thanks to Beyond Arctict agent for giving us 200km ride from Rovaniemi. We could see Corona & dancing lights. It was amazing. At Pyha we enjoyed glass Igloo stay. Reindeer safari, Husky ride, fatbike tour, snowmobile safari were amazing. Thanks to Moonika for the guidance and arranging the the adventurous tour.

Activity Reviews

Northern Lights Tour

Rovaniemi

Reindeer Safari in the Nature of Lapland

Rovaniemi

Northern Lights Hunting on Snowshoes

Finland

Classic Fatbike Tour

Pyhä

Korouoma Canyon & Frozen Waterfalls Adventure

Finland

Snowmobile Safari

Pyhä

Husky Safari (5km)

Finland

We enjoyed working with Moonika / kimkim to plan our trip to Finland, and all worked out fantastic. Highlights include backcountry skiing with our guide, Olli, in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park ... and staying at the Artic Skylight Lodge. They really listened to us, and set an itinerary that matched the adventure and experiences we sought. Moonika made it so easy for us, thoughtfully including the details of transportation and extras like dogsled outing.

Hotel Reviews

Arctic Skylight Lodge

Äkäslompolo

This place is very cool! New and very well designed, the individual cabins with glass bedroom provide comfort, privacy and an exceptional feeling of indoor / outdoor integration. The restaurant satisfies gourmet tastes and the sauna revives one after skiing in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. Don't miss the polar plunge as part of the sauna experience.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Carefully set within a northerly sloping forest that near (skiable to) Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park adn Karilan Navettagalleria

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lapland Hotels Saaga

Ylläsjärvi

Our two-night stay at Lapland Hotels Saaga was pleasant. The hotel had a cozy ski lodge vibe and was located right by the Alpine Ski Area, making it convenient for our activities. The food was delicious, and we enjoyed the après-ski atmosphere. While it wasn't exactly the secluded experience we were looking for, it served its purpose well, especially for acclimating to the timezone and getting a feel for Finland

Location

Right next to the ski area

Activity Reviews

Sauna Experience at Arctic Skylight Lodge

Finland

Modern, private, well designed electric sauna with large window views, wonderful showers, a jacuzzi out on the deck, and short walk to the river.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ski Trek (Day 1)

Pallas-Ounastunturi National Park

We really enjoyed our 4 days skiing with Olli / Fell Trek. We had the backcountry experience we were seeking within Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. So much fun, and a good workout for 5 or 6 hours each day. Olli was knowledgeable and oriented our way through forests, up and down hills and fells (tunturi). We slept adjacent to the park: one night in a house, one in a rustic cabin and another in a lodge. The food was delicious, and very much satisfied our veggie preferences.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Husky Safari

Finland

The husky safari was a memorable experience. The Safartica team organized everything excellently, and the dog sledding was so much fun. The owners were friendly and passionate about what they do, which made the experience even more special. The conditions of the dogs were top-notch, and it was clear that they were well cared for. Overall, a great adventure that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Quality of Experience

Overall, the planning and assistance was very good. The hotels and excursions were great. Migle was very accommodating and incredibly responsive before and during the trip to questions or concerns.
There were a few mix ups with transportation but worked out in the end. It would have been nice to know the names of the companies that our excursions were booked with because you did not know who was coming to meet you and pick you up. Also, there were a couple times when looking at the schedule things could have been moved around to allow you more time do activities or for example to not have early morning activities after a late night aurora hunt but then have another day when you start late after no events the night before. The advertisement for the shuttle at Apukka was not very accurate as it only went a few times a day and if you did not take their shuttle a cab to the city was almost 50 euro and to Christmas Village was 35 euro so that was not ideal.

Hotel Review

Apukka Resort

Rovaniemi

Great hotel and beautiful location. It is farther away from Christmas Village and city so be aware of that. Might be more ideal if you have your own car. Their shuttle bus does not run as often as they advertise it does and if you don't take it - the cost of taxi to city and the Village is quite expensive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Helsinki Walking Tour

Helsinki

First of all - I see above that it says it was 4 hours that was not true. It was 2 hours and 15 minutes long. The guide was nice and had good information. We did not go to all the sites that the kimkim agenda listed we were going to see. There was not time to go into some of the sites for example the main cathedral we just looked at from the outside. The guide seemed upset when people wanted to stay at a place for a few minutes and take pictures, he was very on the move and did not allow for much time to look around or take pictures.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Löyly Sauna visit

Helsinki

Quality of Experience

Husky ride (Apukka Resort)

Rovaniemi

A lot of fun, enjoyable experience. Driving the husky sled as great. They advertise getting to play with the puppies but they only bring out 1 puppy and pass it around.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Snapshots: Rovaniemi's Photographic Chase

Rovaniemi

No northern lights seen but otherwise good excursion. The guide tried very hard to find the lights for us. We drove for almost 6 hours without success.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Chase — Private Northern Lights Quest in Saariselkä with Expert Guidance

Ivalo

Again - no northern lights seen but overall guide was friendly and tried various locations. He did not really talk at all about the northern lights so if you wanted background on the aurora, what causes them, when to see them, history etc. you will not get that.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snowmobile Safari: A Wintry Wilderness Ride (from Kultahippu hotel)

Ivalo

So much fun. Guide was great and very fun experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snowshoeing Adventure

Ivalo

A lot of fun. The guide was very friendly. I will say I expected more of them talking about Finland - the history, nature, the region etc. but really we just talked about life etc. If you asked questions they answered but no set education or information about the forest/region etc.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As someone who typically makes my own travel arrangements, I can’t say enough about what a perfectly enjoyable experience it was to have Moonika do the planning for me. She very patiently worked with me to develop and make multiple revisions to our itinerary and regularly kept in touch to let me know her progress in making all the bookings. The finalized itinerary she sent me was incredibly detailed and informative. From the moment we arrived in Finland until the moment we left, everything was taken care of — drivers, hotels, guides, train tickets, and excursions. All we had to do was enjoy our vacation, and we definitely did. The drivers and guides were punctual, informative, and a delight to spend time with; the excursions all were professionally managed and great fun; and the hotels were very comfortable. Moonika checked in with us regularly while we were in Finland to make sure all was well, and she went above and beyond in her efforts to help me see the elusive aurora. I am incredibly grateful to Moonika for making our trip so wonderfully memorable.

Next time I’m planning a trip to Europe I will absolutely use KimKim again. The activities and accommodations recommended by KimKim were all terrific and it definitely simplified connections between airports and accommodations.

Moonika organized an absolutely exceptional visit to Finland. All the activities including ice floating, chasing northern lights, snowmobiling, husky sledding were amazing and we stayed in unique places. The Snow Hotel was a one of a kind as was the Arctic Sky Lodge along with the sauna and ice plunge. We have all talked about the beauty of Kittila and the wonderful access to all the winter activities and our wish to come back. The itinerary schedule and shuttles between places was seamless. Can't say enough complements about our experience working with Moonika.

Wow! Our trip to Lapland just blew our minds. Moonika took in all our wants and put together the most perfect trip we could have asked for. Every excursion, each accommodation, timing, transfers, all added up to an experience we will always remember.

Everything was amazing. I just want to highlight that on the first day of arrival we arrived 4 hours before check in time at which the hotel were not informed that we need an early check in and we had to wait few hours until the room is ready.

The snowmobile activity at night had a huge group of 20 people which was not comfortable and the trail was pretty icy, no scenery at night and no aurora therefore i would suggest having this activity during the day. Also we did not know that only 1 snowmobile reserved for us as it was not clear in the itinerary until we got to know there itself.

Aurora as per the locals in finland doesn’t usually happen before 9pm, and mostly happens after 12midnight, most of our night activities which were relevent to the aurora started relatively early (7pm). I would suggest to not start any aurora activity before 9 pm. Also whenever there is an aurora activity we would arrive back to the hotel by 12-1am. Having activities early in the morning 9-10am we a bit hard as we didnt have enough good sleep during the night. So i would suggest if there was an activity that ends by 12-1am, then the next day should start maybe by around 1 pm to allow time for sleep, shower, food..etc.

However overall the experience waw amazing! And thank you Moonika for your always being present throughout the trip time!.

Hotel Reviews

Arctic Light Hotel

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close from most activity providers and shops

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Northern Lights Village

Sirkka

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sewage water smell was on and off and room doesnt get warm enough by the heater unless the heater is open 24/7. Shower water was not that hot even for tbe first 10 mins

Nova Skyland Hotel

Rovaniemi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ice Fishing Experience

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Auroras With Snowmobiles

Finland

Number of participants was too big 20 people. Trail was too icy and hard.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Reindeer Adventure

Levi

Perfect but was a too short ride. I wish it was a 30-6mins ride

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Aurora Tour on Wooden Snowshoes

Finland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Finnish Sauna Experience

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Family Husky Safari

Rovaniemi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Northern Lights Photography Tour

Finland

7pm was too early for nothern light tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport