Hallmark Travel Planners
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- ASTA & KATO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Dian B | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Levis, our contact was receptive, courteous and informative regarding our request. We felt confident
We booked a one day Birding Specific professionally guided tour, through Nairobi National Park prior to our 10 day safari. Levis interpreted our needs and wants and came up with a great plan including a land rover for optimum photography. We needed to alter our plan slightly and that was not a problem. We felt very confident. Patrick our guide was very knowledgeable about bird identification, migration, behaviour etc. He was so willing to move the land rover for the best photos etc. and it was evident that he wanted us to have the best birding experience possible. Patrick had all kinds of birding data he was willing to share with us but unfortunately his voice did not carry beyond the front seats, so those further back missed out on a lot of information. Our day was extremely full and Patrick kept trying to find us more birds. We ended up with an unofficial number of 63 birds but possibly 73 once photo ID's are made. That is a pretty fantastic day of birding. Also, we were able to sight and watch African mammals at leisure. Aslo, thank you to Patrick who knew that we wanted to see the elephant tusk sights and made that possible with photo ops available. All in all it was a great day provided by Hallmark Planning.
The box lunch was really tasty and very fulfilling cudos to the catering company. Thank you one and all for making our day so special!
Email Corinna Burth | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent and individual service! Great experience!
Levis coordinated my trip with care and individual excellent service. I had a wonderful trip and an exceptional good guide. Very reliable, friendly and best organisation. Thanks for the awesome trips and also your helpfulness!!!
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Email Georg Widhammer | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
very very good!
All things are good! It was a wonderfull trip, and yout Office did a very good work!
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Email Ninett | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip
Everything was well organized. I did the 3-days Safari Camp Tour and I had an amazing time. They keep the group small which I prefer. We were 7 of us and we all got along including the driver. The sleeping accommodation at the camp were simple but lovely. Everything was clean and the food was delicious. The service was top.
I would definitely recommend this tour to everyone who likes it authentic and adventurous. Thanks so much for this amazing experience!
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Email Charlene Moule | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
18 Day Safari Experience Beyond Expections!
We more than received our money's worth with Hallmark Travel Planners! Levis, our planner, listened to our wants and he did an excellent job communicating all info we needed, coordinating travel, lodging and guides in five countries, not to mention how patient he was with our questions. Our last day he even took us to the airport, instead of the guide. Levis took no chance that a lodge or camp would disappoint, and changed one poorly reported resort for a well-known resort. We are in our sixties and wanted to experience a genuine safari in comfort, AND WE DID! We were met at airports by our guides and never had to be concerned the rest of the trip. They met our every need including bottled water. Our guides were amazing, informative, helpful, protective, and a lot of fun. Our guides each had an uncanny ability to put us on some unusual wildlife sights even surprising our guides.We saw a rare cerval cat, but also experienced 5 cheetah brothers attack 2 wildebeasts, 5 lion brothers with 4 dead cape buffalo. We saw numerous lioness stalkings and chasing warthogs, antelope and wildebeast. Our planner and guides were great! I knew I had chosen the right comany. Thank you so much, Levis and Hallmark Travel Co.
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Email Michelle | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy and responsible booking company
Communications were efficient and excellent. We always received very speedy replies and confirmation of any further information we sent. Regarding our service, I think we got a little spoiled by our last international tour company who handled all of our Visa requirements before our arrival. With Hallmark, however, we had to handle them all on our own. My ideal set up would have been for our itinerary to include the Visa requirements, types of Visa needed (single journey vs. multiple journey in Kenya), and prices that would let us know the amount of USD we would require. We had brought cash for tips and more than 60% of that cash was quickly used in Visas. We appreciated that our guides took us to ATMs in each country to help us bridge our spending, but it was a general point of concern and stress. Additionally, we had counted on being able to use credit cards at the hotels. We wish we had been informed ahead of time that credit cards were not accepted in Tanzania- requiring more cash. After spending so much on our trip, we just felt like there were too many pricey unexpected expenditures and we could have been better prepared by Hallmark. Our guides were good- some are just drivers but we had two guys who acted more like guides and were knowledgeable about the animals. Many of the roads (even main highways and thoroughfares) are not paved, especially in Tanzania. We were much more comfortable in the Land Cruisers than in the Toyota vans, but apparently the land cruisers are more expensive. Most of our lodging was as expected, except for the AA Lodge that was not as nice as we had hoped. However, it was near the Amboseli park and the animals were worth it.
As for our safaris, we feel so blessed to see everything we wanted, including the Top 5 and the Wildebeests migration. We could not have asked for a better safari!
My only other small complaint was being treated to a local restaurant that did not cater to tourists- although we appreciated the attempt to seek a local experience, within 24hours, both my husband and I were ill and required using our emergency antibiotics to recover. That was a bit of a damper on our vacation and honeymoon!
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Email Patrick Andres | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime!
The trip was amazing! This was our first Safari and it lived up to all our expectations and more! From seeing the Big 5 to the Wildebeest migration and so much more. A cheetah even visited us in the Serengeti and jumped up on the hood of our drivers Landcruiser. Getting to add on the Gorilla trekking was a big plus and worth the extra travel. The only downside was being caught unprepared for the Visas to enter each of the three countries we visited. The visas took up much of cash that we had brought with us and we were not clear upon what type of visa to purchase on arrival. It was also a shock that the lodges in Tanzania do not accept credit cards at the Lodges. I wish that this information had been passed onto us in a more direct manner but other than these small matters this trip was unforgettable!
A side note, most drivers were there to get tourists pictures but Freddy our driver in Tanzania was so knowledgeable about the wildlife and helped educate us on all the wildlife.
Also, be aware that game drives in Kenya take place in two types of vehicles on rough roads. A Toyota van and a Toyota Landcruiser. The Landcruiser is much more comfortable for passengers on the roads but it also costs more. Since the roads are so bad, I believe that all tourists should get the Landcruiser.
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Email Ingrid Koester | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Informative and pleasant day-trip around Nairobi
After a conference, I had 1 free day to spend in Nairobi. Hallmark Travel Planners made several suggestions of which I chose the National Park, Giraffe Center and the house of Karen Blixen. The driver/guide Josphat was punctual and friendly and very knowledgable about the animals to see in the Park, their habits and behaviour. We had ample time in the Park and still enough for the other attractions, so the tour was well planned. It was an excellent experience.
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Email Alicia Masnikoff | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had some amazing guides and drivers who exceeded our expectations.
Levis was exceptional in his communications with us. We had an amazing safari experience thanks to the team he put together for our safari. We had to make some changes to our itinerary and they accommodated those changes. Would highly recommend Levis and Hallmark Travel Partners.
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Email Maria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First safari experience was great!
This was my first safari experience and I enjoyed every bit of it. Everything that was promised was delivered, driver was always on time and knew How to navigate the park and take us to the best sightings. Accomodations were excellent too. Everything that was promised was delivered. Would recommend 100%