We booked a safari with Classic Journeys over 2 years ago and had paid the majority of our trip prior to COVID affecting worldwide travel. Charles was our first point of contact and stayed in touch with us until we were able to safely travel 2 years later. When we first booked the safari it was to be a family vacation for 4 people and later we switched to 2. Charles was able to upgrade our accommodations and extend the length of our trip. My wife and I embarked on a private 2 week safari encompassing Kenya and Tanzania at 6 different camps and lodges in July 2022. The communication was excellent and prompt and the customer service was fantastic! We researched the web prior to booking with Classic Journeys and were not disappointed! The cost was not the cheapest nor the most expensive and we were looking to get the most out of our experience without breaking the bank. Our guides, Dixon and Praygod, were knowledgeable and indispensable in making our safari a dream vacation for us both. We were able to see several different landscapes, environments and animals and our guides shared a wealth of information everywhere we went! We are looking forward to returning and using Classic Journeys to set up another safari in the future!
FernandoN2524
17 Feb 2020
Being an Argentinean family, we contacted our fellow countryman Justo Casal, from Merging Mundos in Kenya, who developed a customized 13-night safari and beach mixed itinerary in Kenya and Tanzania, based on our interests and expectations. That proved to be the best choice we could have made, as we had the vacations of our lifetime! And Classic Journeys played the fundamental role in that experience, being our hosts and companions from start to finish, with Elvis always reachable at any time to help with anything we might need. We started our trip in Nairobi, for visiting an Elephant Orphanage and a Giraffe Center, and then continued to Massai Mara to initiate our true safari experience. Based on our experience and the fact that it had been raining a lot the few previous days in Kenya, which was totally untypical in january/february, it was critical we were given very capable drivers/guides along with 4x4 Land Cruisers. Several roads inside the parks and even in-transit between parks, were absolutely challenging and quite impassable, with very deep mud, water and flooded bridges, and only thanks to Amir in Kenya and Mirage in Tanzania and their excelled driving capabilities, we were able to make it. For sure other 4x4 minivans that usually crowd the parks, would have been left stranded, as we actually witnessed some! After Massai Mara, we turned into Tanzania and visited the immense Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area: a magnificent creation of nature! Then we headed back to Kenya, for visiting Amboseli, with its unique and stunning views of Mt Kilimanjaro, and Tsavo National Parks. During our safari tenure, we experienced a combination of jungle lodges and luxury tented camps, which provided my wife and three kids with a real taste of wildlife. And of course we needed to spend several hours each day as passengers either in the park on a game drive, or transiting between parks, for which you must get used to. Our program ended up with a largely deserved 3-day stay in Diani Beach, near Mombasa, for total relaxation in those white sandy beaches, while taking warm sea baths in the Indian Ocean, and enjoying nice African food in one of the many international resorts. Visiting Wasani Island for dolphins watching and snorkeling was the proper closing to our journey. Definitely East Africa has a lot to offer for a one-of-a-lifetime vacation, you should give it a try!
Wir hatten eine grobe Reiseroute für unsere erste Reise nach Afrika und wollten Uganda, Kenia und Tansania besuchen. Wir hatten noch nie etwas in dieser Dauer und in diesem Umfang unternommen und waren bei ihren Empfehlungen und Beiträgen auf Elvis Ayieko und sein großartiges Personal angewiesen. Wir haben unsere Pläne mehrmals geändert und Elvis war äußerst geduldig mit unseren Fragen und Änderungen. Für uns war dies wirklich eine Reise Ihres Lebens. Wir begannen unsere Reise in Uganda mit einem kurzen Besuch, um den Nil zu sehen und zu raften. Die Unterkünfte in Jinja waren wundervoll und Joseph, unser Fahrer, war großartig. Wir nahmen einen kurzen Flug von Entebbe nach Nairobi, wo wir von Chris abgeholt wurden, und begannen am nächsten Tag früh mit unserer Savannah-Safari. George war unser Führer und Fahrer in Kenia und er war hervorragend. Er ist sehr sachkundig und hat uns viel über die Tierwelt und das Ökosystem der Serengeti beigebracht. Er war stets bemüht, interessante Orte auf dem Weg hervorzuheben und uns über die faszinierende Kultur Kenias zu informieren und aufzuklären. Wir besuchten den Samburu National Park, das Ol Pejeta Conservancy, den Lake Nakuru National Park und das Masai Mara National Game Reserve. Unser Timing versetzte uns in die Mitte der großen Wanderung und wir konnten viele wild lebende Tiere beobachten. Wir wechselten die Führer an der Grenze und unser Führer Hassan war immer höflich, hilfsbereit und kompetent. In Tansania besuchten wir den riesigen Serengeti-Nationalpark und das Ngorongoro National Conservation Area. Wirklich ein Juwel unseres Planeten! Besonders faszinierend waren die Wildnislager in der Serengeti. Wir überquerten dann die Grenze zurück nach Kenia und hatten das Glück, George wieder als unseren Fahrer zu haben. Anschließend besuchten wir den Amboseli National Park, bevor wir nach Nairobi zurückkehrten (mit Chris als Führer), um das Karen Blixen House und das Kenya National Museum zu besichtigen. Ich kann diese Firma nicht genug empfehlen. Die Unterkunft war erstklassig und das Essen war immer hervorragend. Und schließlich war einer der wichtigsten Höhepunkte der Reise die freundliche, rücksichtsvolle Menschen, die wir getroffen haben. Reisen in Afrika können schwierig sein, aber die Reiseleiter und das Hotelpersonal waren immer freundlich, höflich und hilfsbereit und machten die Reise zu einer echten Freude.