Classic Journeys Africa
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $280 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Ana Maria Bianchi | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a great experience, we saw lots of animals, hotels were excellent, guides and personnel frien
The only negative aspect was the trip back to Brazil. Our plane in Zanzibar was two ours late and we almost missed our connection to Johannesburg. Besides that, everything was awesome.
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Email Anne and Marlene | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and highly recommended!
My mother and I went for a girls trip to Masai Mara National Park. We stayed at Loyk Mara Luxury Camp for 5 days and 4 nights. Overall it was the most amazing experience we’ve ever had! Our Tour guide, Charles Lepatoiye, was exceptional! He worked so hard for us to have the best experience possible! First of all he was a great navigator and driver, he made even the bumpy roads feel pleasant. Secondarily he was great at spotting and animal tracking. We saw the big five and so many more animals! Furthermore he had so much knowledge about different species, Masai culture and much much more! He spoke fluent English, Swahili as well as Maa (Masai language). He had a great sense of humor and told us many interesting stories and made such an effort in order for us to have a comfortable travel! We are overwhelmed by his efforts and feel like we’ve gotten a new friend! We will be coming back and when we do there’s only one guide we would want, Charles!
Email Graham | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well planned and executed safari with great accomodation and a guide who worked tirelessly.
Family of four with older children. Our first safari experience lived up to expectations. Kenya was amazing as was viewing so many animals from the safety and comfort of a well specified land-cruiser. Highlight was the numerous animal encounters in their fantastic habitat. Our driver and guide, Dixon, worked tirelessly - sometimes driving for 8 hours a day. We always felt safe, even when being 'encouarged' to back-up by agressive elephants!
Our only negatives were self-inflicted; we sometimes travelled for 6 hours a day, before spending two hours on safari and then heading off to a new location the next morning. Bear in mind the distances between various locations and that the travel times will be long and road and traffic quality poor in many places - we had one 70km treck down an unmade road which was a real bone-shaker and very tiresome. Also of note was traffic in Nairobi is a *nightmare* and the location of our first hotel meant our first day had an extra 2 hour's drive time as we stayed on the wrong side of the city and needed to negoiate the rush-hour traffic just to get back to the airport we landed at... One of our stays did not have the promised swimmingpool which was missed and had on-going building work which ditracted a bit from the ambience. We'd definately happily use Classic Journeys again as the trip was organised and executed well.
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Email Robert Hoffman | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgeable and friendly.perfect
Perfect experience and time i have ever had just.Very thing just went well.
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Email Todd McPherson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great customised trip with a guide/driver and land cruiser with just ourselves for the duration.
The communication with the company was excellent. They worked hard to understand the kind of trip we wanted and made good recommendations on where to go and where to stay.
We were met my our guide in Nairobi and we had this guide and the truck to ourselves the entire seven days. The land cruiser was beautifully outfitted with a fridge to keep drinks cool, a power supply so we could charge phones and cameras, and even WiFi.
We visited Amboseli Park and loved it, but Ol Tukai Lodge felt a bit like a tourist mill. It was larger and busier than we expected. But the location was great and we had no complaints about it. We had driven from Nairobi to Amboseli, then drove to Lake Naivasha, going through Nairobi again. So, we had a few long days of driving along the busy highways of Kenya with less than careful drivers in other vehicles. In hindsight, we would have preferred to organise the trip so there was less driving, maybe even flying between parks.
The Lake Elementaita Serena Camp was outstanding and highly recommended. The food and accommodation were above and beyond expectations. On the way there we stopped at Lake Naivasha. That was a bit of a disappointment since we spent some time walking around a small private piece of land with a number of animals on it. It was not the experience we expected, but it was nice to boat along the lake seeing the wildlife.
Lake Nakuru Park was excellent. The drive to Maasai Mara was again long (very long) but it was interesting to see the country. Mara Bush Camp was outstanding. The personal attention and level of service was exceptional. The luxurious tent was amazing, especially as it sat just above the river overlooking dozens of hippos.
We recommend Classic Journeys. They did a great job. Be sure to state the kind of accommodation you're seeking, and they'll point you in the right direction if you're clear enough. Check about driving time between parks and try to minimise that.
Thanks for a great trip.
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Email Artem Efimov | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience! Friendly and intelligent guide Sami, smart-managed tour.
Me and 3 friends of mine (male) were on Safari with classic journeys in Kenya in February 2019. We took a van for only 4 of us and it was very comfortable - a lot of space. In the whole this tour was perfect in price/quality - 8 nights, 9 days, apper-medium and premium accommodation, Masai-Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Amboselli - enough to see everything and not to much to get tired. As a bonus - original hats and dinner in Carnivore restaurant in the end of the journey. Everything to feel Kenya.
We expected akuna-matata in service but fortunately the Safari-company was very responsible and well-managed - everything was in time, accommodation - comfortable, all our wishes came true throughout the trip.
Special words for our guide Sami - professional biologist, intelligent and friendly man, great driver. And also optimistic Patriot of Kenya - we respected him for that. He did everything he could to make us satisfied.
Recommended!
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Email Susan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Classic Journeys Africa made this trip of a lifetime even more enjoyable than expected.
From our first contact with Classic Journeys Africa, we received quality service. They were responsive to all of our questions, even after our tour was over. They suggested the right tour for our desires and budget. We feel we received very good value for our money. The guides were great and went out of their way for us. The accommodations were wonderful and the lodges and camps provided great service and good food. Of course, the animals we saw were amazing. We will never forget this wonderful experience. I highly recommend Classic Journeys Africa.
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Email Tine Hamre | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect
We had a tree day safari with Classic Journeys. It was the perfect safari experiance! The guide and driver Amir was allways on time, friendly, and he constantly shared all his knowledge with us. We learned so much about the animals and Kenya in general. The most impressive was his way of spotting the animals, from far far away or using the behavior of birds and other animals to see where the big cats were.
The car was also a landcruiser, so we allways felt safe, even in rain and mud. He was such a good driver!
Overall, the perfect safari with the perfect guide and driver. Thank you!
Email J E Horton | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very enjoyable, saw every thing I wanted to see, especially the elephant sanctuary and giraffes.
The service was good, vehicle comfortable. Visits very enjoyable especially the elephants and giraffes. Would have been nice to see bead factory working, not open on a Sunday.
Overall an enjoyable day.
Email Christopher Higley | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent 8 Day Kenyan Safari Adventure
Once we had escaped the chaotic immigration and customs hall, we were greeted by Charles and Chris from Classic Journeys upon exiting the arrivals terminal at Nairobi airport with a warm and friendly manner. We were immediately put at ease after a long trip with complimentary water, a reiteration of the plan about what was going to happen from the upcoming safari and we were also given a couple of safari hats.
We had booked onto an 8 day safari starting at Amboselli, famous for elephants and Kilimanjaro, moving onto Lake Naivasha renown for its rich water birds and hippo inhabitants and then finishing at Masai Mara.
Due to the landing time of the plane, we were taken to a local hotel where we could rest for the night and start the journey the next morning. The hotel was empty and was only open to accommodate us due to the time of the year which was quite surreal but also quite endearing. The food was ok and there was a pool and gym.
The next day after breakfast, Charles picked us up and our safari began. Be prepared for a lot of traffic and dusty / bumpy conditions at times as well as lots of hassling to buy souvenirs at the toilet / rest stops and outside the park entrances. It took about 4 hours to get to Amboselli but went by quite quickly as you are captivated by the surroundings and watching daily life unfold throughout the towns you pass. Also, you get to witness wildlife on the way to the reserve such as zebras, giraffes and other animals.
When we arrived at Amboselli, there were elephants majestically walking around and plenty of other wildlife all under the backdrop of Kilimanjaro. We were lucky to see the snow capped peak on the second day but the mountain top is generally obscured by thick cloud cover given its altitude. The lodge we stayed at was quite simply amazing. A very good quality accommodation with excellent views of the surrounding fields full of animals from your room or dining areas. Choosing from al a carte or buffet depending on the number of guests staying, the food was of good standard. Generally at all accommodation, food is provided but you have to pay for your own drinks.
After lunch, we began our first game drive where we spent a couple of hours viewing lions, hippos, flamingos, elephants, wildebeest, ostriches and other animals until sun set where we returned to the camp and had dinner. The next day, we went for an early morning game drive watching two male elephants fighting and locking tusks and nocturnal animals returning to their dens such as hyenas and then we given the opportunity to visit a Masia camp.
It was $25 USD cash, each to enter where we given a welcome dance and 'blessing' and then shown around their mud hut village and told how they live, manage their animals, make fires, etc. You have to be prepared here where you then proceed to a lot of hassling where they're trying to sell bracelets and figures and really are quite relentless in their approach. Once you get past this part of the tour you are then taken to a school where they show you a classroom full of kids and are then asked again to donate money to support their school. All done in front of all the kids and puts you really on the spot. This part of the trip was a bit disappointing given that we weren't given any notice that we would be hounded for cash given we'd already paid the entrance fee but the experience to see the camp was interesting and definitely worth doing but just be prepared to be hounded for money.
After a couple of days at Amboselli, we drove back through Nairobi and headed to Lake Naivasha which took about 6 hours. We were taken for a boat ride around the lake and saw many birds and lots of hippos bouncing up and down in the water. We got extremely close to them and it was great to get so close, a little too close at times it seemed. After about an hour on the boat, we were then taken for a walk through a property bustling with wild but harmless animals such as zebras, giraffes, gazelle, water bucks and a few others and it was very nice to walk with these animals in such close proximity. The lodge we stayed at again surprised us as it was so elegantly decorated and nestled in an enchanting waterside area with a big field full of wild animals. At night time, you had to be escorted to/from dinner given that hippos could be walking close to the rooms.
The last area of the safari, was Masai Mara and this was the highlight of the trip. We saw everything on the hitlist, including cheetahs, lions, leopards, rhino, elephants and warthogs. We were lucky enough to see two lions mating as well as a pride of lions feasting on a wildebeest and we managed to see two leopards together which is a rarity given they are solitary beings. The park itself was so vast and the views were amazing. We could've spent days driving around here and not touch the surface. There were plenty of interesting and different parts of the Masai Mara to see and we even went to the old border of Tanzania which is where the Masai turns into the Serengeti. The lodge we stayed at rested on the banks of a river where there are a family of hippos that dwell there. The staff were very friendly and the room we slept in was actually a permanent tent structure with all the trappings of a posh hotel. For the cold nights, a hot water bottle was waiting for you after dinner to keep you warm. A very nice touch.
After the safari we headed back to the same hotel we stayed on the first night and we then went to The Carnivore for all you can eat grilled meats. Not too good for vegetarians but I really enjoyed it. The next day, our flight was at 11pm and we were entertained the whole day with going to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, a giraffe sanctuary, a bead factory employing local vulnerable women and we went to Nairobi National Park and got shown around that orphanage by a very friendly ranger. All in all, it was very good of Chris and Charles to allow us to go to these places and pass some time as the wait at the airport would've been quite hard.
In terms of the guide, Charles is a very knowledgeable and experienced person who could answer every single question we asked and gave us a lot of information on all things about animals, local culture, politics, social situations, geography of Kenya and many other aspects of life and it was good to talk and learn from a true local and someone proud of their country and the wildlife it has to offer.
I was impressed with how smoothly the whole trip went, every hotel had a fresh towel and juice to welcome us at the checkin as soon as we arrived and we were always treated with courtesy and respect at every place we stayed. There is always someone to help with bags or room matters but then of course if you have the help then you know a tip is expected.
Going in May, we took a risk with it being raining season as well as being low season but it thoroughly paid off as there wasn't as many tourists and the weather was pretty good for the whole trip. We had excellent vantage points of watching the animals and Charles really tried to ensure we would see everything we wanted.
I would say that the whole experience surpassed our expectations and was very pleased with how it went with Classic Journeys and would definitely recommend them to anyone thinking of going on a safari. And I would also say that everyone should do a safari like this at least once in their life as it truly is a special experience.