The Eco-Travel Boutique

This was my third (or was it fourth) excellent trip that was planned by Esther Ruempol with The Eco-Travel Boutique. She is really good at listening as to what you want to see or experience and can come up with things you never knew existed or that you wanted to do.

Mauritius and the Seychelles were excellent and I am already looking into a trip to Zimbabwe planned by The Eco-Travel Boutique.

So if you looking into a trip to almost any part of Southern Africa, and countries off the coast of Africa, like Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles, you should consider reaching out to Esther.

I cannot recommend Nokathula and Kimkim highly enough. I tried to plan a 6 week trip to South Africa to pick my son up after the conclusion of a two year mission for our church, and tour the country. It was impossible. It was a complicated itinerary to start with, and it only got worse as my son weighed in with what he wanted to see and do. After much fine tuning, and confirmation I realized that I had misread the trip plan and I had an extra week that was unscheduled. This was 100% on me. Reservations had to be moved, tours and flights rebooked, the whole trip reworked, very close to my departure date. Somehow the itinerary I was very happy with, was significantly improved. The feedback and communication during the planning was exceptional. I gained a much better understanding of precisely how good it was when I was in country navigating the time difference at home.
Once my trip began, Nokuthula was in constant contact. The wonderful itinerary she planned , needed some adjustments because we fell in love with the Hyde Hotel in Johannesburg and wanted to finish our trip there. Seamlessly managed. When we missed a connecting flight to Durban, because I cannot navigate a 24 hour clock, vs a 12 hour clock, she had us rebooked on a later flight, our rental car switched and our guest house notified of our late arrival. Being able to have a wonderful hot meal after a terrible day was much appreciated.
Every place we were booked was special and interesting. Our two safaris were more than we had hoped for. Unembeza Lodge in Hoedspruit was such a surprise. Beautiful rooms in a community that has all sorts of animals roaming around. I prefer smaller, unique properties, and everywhere we stayed was charming, with exceptional service. Wilderness Manor Guest House was my sons favorite. Our room was beautiful, in a wonderful interesting house. Our hosts were so knowledgeable, and helpful. We would have missed out on an unforgettable hike without their encouragement. Breakfast was next level with extra homemade croissants for my son.
While in Hermanus, my son had a minor accident with the rental car. He misjudged the parking garage entrance and banged up the bumper. Nokuthula managed the whole thing, quickly and stress free. Something that could have been a considerable hassle, affecting the rest of our trip, was handled so we could continue on worry free.
Thanks to Nokuthula’s thoughtful planning, exceptional service while we were in country, my son and I had the trip of a lifetime. It was perfectly paced, with options and flexibility built in so we had the ability to move at our own pace within a structured itinerary. My goal when planning this trip was to show my son as much of South Africa’s wonderful and unique places as I could in the time we had. That goal was accomplished and a great deal more. We have been home a week, and with time to reflect on all we saw and experienced, this once in a lifetime trip continues to get better. Family and friends are amazed by all we saw and did. There is no way I could have planned a trip close to the one Nokuthula planned. Costs are an individual thing, but all I can say is, this trip was far and beyond what I expected. It was worth every penny. I would not hesitate to book another trip through Kimkim.

Excellent and very responsive service from Esther, especially when our trip had to be rescheduled following a coup in October 2025.

The trip itself was very well planned with excellent transfers, accommodation and communication throughout.

Madagascar is a beautiful country, with amazing and friendly people, and I would thoroughly recommend a visit.

We will hopefully return!

Amazing Safari to the Oktavango Delta, Kalahari and Victoria Falls

From the start, we felt like we were in the most capable hands to plan our Southern Africa adventure. Through countless messages and a video call, Esther was able to design the perfect trip. She was very understanding of our wishes and desires, not only about the actual itinerary, but also to keep everything within a certain budget. It definitely gave us peace of mind to have everything booked and organized beforehand. During the trip, it was also so easy to get in contact with her. She responds quickly, checks in regularly, and follows up thoroughly. Overall, it was an unforgettable and enjoyable experience, from designing the trip to actually being there. A dream-come-true trip for sure!

Our travel agent Esther (via Kimkim) arranged a wonderful trip for my friend and myself in Zimbabwe and Namibia, despite having limited time and being bit late in booking (our fault). Everything went smoothly - from pickups and drivers through to the recommended lodges - and everything was wonderful. There were many once-in-a-lifetime moments on the game drive in Zimbabwe and river safaris on the Zambezi and Chobe rivers. Esther was very responsive to our preferences and our budget, and kept us up to date with visa requirements and other formalities. Highly recommended.

Nokuthula was responsive and attentive from the very start of the process. From the start to the actual travel, she pours her energy into the planning and works so hard to make sure it's a great experience.

Activity Reviews

Game drive in Chobe

Chobe

Amazing experience with Six as our guide! We saw so much more than expected. Lions, giraffes, kudu and much more. Would love to do again.

Quality of Experience

Our driver guide Six was fantastic!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Activities on the Zambezi Queen

Chobe

Highly recommend this unique experience with so much opportunity to view wildlife, animals, birds. Amazingly hospitable and knowledgea ble staff. Great food too!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of the Falls

Victoria Falls

We had a phenomenal guide who taught us so much and in addition to brining the history of the falls to life identified birds we saw and heard and trees and plants we came upon. Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We recently took a 9-day trip to South Africa, which was arranged by Kimkim Travel Agency and tailored to our specific needs. We visited multiple places (cities and safaris) by car and plane. The agent named Nokuthula meticulously planned each day, with every detail in mind, and ensured the accommodation met our standards and that each connection was seamless and timely, such as airport pick-up and drop-off. During the trip, Nokuthula would text us with updates each day, making us feel more secure and safe in a completely unfamiliar environment. Whenever we had a question, her response was always within a few minutes. We are very impressed with her work ethic and dedication.

We would highly recommend Kimkim and Nokuthula to our friends who are interested in visiting South Africa. No one will be disappointed if they choose Kimkim to be their travel agent.

This was my second trip planned by Esther with the Eco-Travel Boutique and another great trip. Esther will work with you to tailor what you are looking for in your trip. And just as important, she is very knowledgeable, which permits her to suggest things you did not know existed or that you never knew you could do.

We all have a choice when it comes to hiring someone to help us spend our precious time away from work. I am very pleased how this trip to Lesotho and Swaziland turned out and I believe Eco-Travel Boutique will assist you to experience similar results.

Liz and Esther planned an amazing, once in a lifetime trip for me. I worked with them for many months to perfect the itinerary and they were very accommodating to my requests. Throughout the entire trip, the ladies were in contact with me via Whatsapp groupchat, whether it was a check in or to resolve any minor issues. I appreciated the constant communciation as I am female solo traveler. Angelique was also very helpful in making sure my South Africa portion of the trip ran smoothly with reservations and coordinating driver pick up/drop off. All in all, I had an unforgettable trip that exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend booking with these ladies for any future African destinations in East/Southern Africa.