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!
We had a rough itinerary for our first trip to Africa, and we wanted to visit Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. We had never done anything of this duration and scope before, and we were reliant on Elvis Ayieko and his great staff for their recommendations and input. We changed our plans several times, and Elvis was extremely patient with our questions and modifications. This was truly a trip of a lifetime for us. We started our trip in Uganda with a short visit to see and raft the Nile River. The accommodations in Jinja were wonderful, and Joseph, our driver was great. We took a short flight from Entebbe to Nairobi, where we were picked up by Chris, and we began our savannah safari experience early the next day. George was our guide and driver in Kenya and he was outstanding. He is very knowledgeable and taught us a great deal about the wildlife and the ecosystem of the Serengeti. He always went out of his way to highlight interesting spots along the way and inform and educate us about the fascinating culture of Kenya. We visited Samburu National Park, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Masai Mara National Game Reserve. Our timing placed us in the middle of the Great Migration, and we got to see lots of wildlife. We switched guides at the border, and once again, our guide Hassan was always polite, helpful and knowledgeable. In Tanzania we visited the huge Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro National Conservation Area. Truly a gem of our planet! The wilderness camps in the Serengeti were especially fascinating. We then crossed the border back into Kenya, and we were fortunate to have George as our driver once again. We then visited Amboseli National Park before heading back to Nairobi (with Chris as our guide again) to see the Karen Blixen House and the Kenya National Museum. I can't recommend this company enough. The lodging was all topnotch and the food was always outstanding. And finally, one of the main highlights of the trip was the friendly, considerate people we met. Travel in Africa can be difficult, but the tour guides, and the hotel staff were always kind, courteous, and helpful and made the trip a real joy.