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
PH
Email Michael / Ruby Ann Schaffer | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was perfect.
Well organized.Booking was nice and easy with Mr Charles.Our Guide Mr Dickson pick us up in nairobi on time.He is a very good and save driver and a very experienced guide.He even stopped to show us a bug on the road :-) . It was an amazing experience and we saw even more animals the expected.All of our three lodges have been clean , save ..just amazing.The food was good except the lunch boxes they give you when you make a day trip. All in all PERFECT
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Email Michael | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy and well planned.
We were picked up at the airport by a representative from the company before transferred to our guide.
The drive to Masai Mara took approx. 6 hours. We had a flat tire, and with a short game drive we didn't reach the camp before after 7,5 hours.
This drive could have been skipped as we had already traveled for 20+ hours.
It was dark when we reached the camp so we didn't see much. Received a welcome drink and escorted to our tent for some freshing up before dinner.
All the food was fantastic and the service was second to none. We felt very welcome and taken care of.
Our guide picked us up at 8 am, way later than the other guests, but seeing it was our honeymoon we didn't want to rush.
We saw A LOT of animals! Our guide obviously knew where to drive. It was really impressive to see how they remembered all the roads crossing each other. We had a whole car for our selves, which was great. Except for one time where we forgot the clock and lost track of the direction in the dark, this trip was everything we had imagined and more! The transfer back to Nairobi was well organized and everything went smoothly.
We would recommend using Classic Journeys when booking a safari in Africa.
CA
Email Grace | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing safari to Kenya and Tanzania to remember.
Classic Journeys Africa provided us excellent service. Everything was arranged for us from the beginning to the end without any worries. We had the best driver/guides (Geoffrey in Kenya and Camelus/Water in Tanzania) you could ask for. They were always considerate of us especially travelling with two seniors. Their driving skills and knowledge were excellent too. They always tried their best to give us the best advantage for viewing and photos during the safaris. Their vehicles were always spotless. We absolutely loved this trip and it definitely met our expectations and more. Classic Journeys did a wonderful job In making our trip so memorable.
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Email Lars | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari - excellent service
We had a 6 day tour with Classic Journeys in June 2016. We visited Naivasha and Masai Mara. Classic Journeys were great in organizing the trip, our expectations were met 100%, everything worked fine, time schedule was kept without delays and we didn't have any problems. We had a Toyota 4WD Minivan. It didn't look very impressive, and was quite old, but it was very effective and reliable, and tuned out to be a very good car for us. Our guide at the safari, Geoffrey, was a fantastic guide! We couldn't have got any better. He is knowledgeable, skilled and trustworthy. His English is excellent, and he is very service minded. He is also a very nice and kind person that is easy to get along with. In Nairobi Mathew was our guide, the same things can be said about him. He is a great manager, organizer and guide. Hotels/places on safari: Sopa Lodge in Naivasha was good. Great location, nice huts, good food and service. Base camp in Talek was excellent. Very nice tents, very good location and very good food and service. The best place we stayed during our whole stay in Kenya. We also saw lots of game there. Wilderness camp in Naboisho was also excellent when it comes to tents, location and food, but we were a bit disappointed about our guide there. We had a local guide, not from Classic Journeys. We didn't see as much game there as we had expected, and felt that our guide didn't work as hard as Geoffrey to make the most out of our stay. Still good though.
In Nairobi we stayed at The Nairobi Safari Club Hotel. It was also good, comfortable with great service and excellent breakfast. Traffic in Nairobi was much worse than we had expected, and obviously limits the possibilities. Fortunately we had a good guide (Mathew) who handled this very well. You should not try to do sightseeing in Nairobi on your own.
Classical Journeys in general: Very well organized and trustworthy. I will highly recommend them to others!
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Email Diane | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most amazing journey
We had a trip of a lifetime. Everything was outstanding- we were treated like VIP's the entire time. all details were handled and all we had to do was sit back and enjoy the journey. Highly recommend this excellent organization!
Email Pam | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A Wholly Professional Service from Start to End
Everything from the initial email contact to dropping us back to the airport after our safari was dealt with in a 100% professional and friendly manner. They helped at every stage to ensure we had the very best safari experience from greeting us at the airport, booking us in at all the camps and lodges, to the excellent driver guide for whom nothing was too much bother!
This was our fourth safari with Classic Journeys Africa and it is impossible to recommend them too highly for their fast and efficient service at all times, and I can’t wait for our next safari!
BE
Email Wendy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent, professional service & ethical company
Excellent service from Classic Journeys! Despite being end of the high season, we still saw plenty. Ruth listened to our needs and make great recommendations to fit in with our wishes and time constraints. Only wish we had a day longer to see more but we had a great time in the Masaai Mara. Everything on our itinerary was as promised. It can be 'risky' paying everything in advance but CJ is a trustworthy organisation. Ruth was in contact via whatsapp and quickly responded to any questions while planning our itinerary. We were met at the airport on arrival and transferred to Wilson airport for our connecting flight. The guide, Lawrence was waiting for our plane and within minutes of leaving the airport we had already spotted some of the Big 5. Lawrence was a courteous and excellent guide and a skilled driver. He was professional at all times and we felt comfortable especially on the drive back to Nairobi when the roads were busy.
Sadly we saw some very bad behaviour from other drivers in The Masaai Mara which was having a negative impact on the animals especially a leopard and a cheetah family trying to hunt. We witnessed vehicles going off road between lionesses and their cubs putting the cubs at risk of being hit by a vehicle. We saw a car damaging bushes in a thicket so the gawking tourist could get a closeup photo of a lion resting. The impact on the wildlife by irresponsible drivers and their guests is very concerning. We were very relieved to see that Lawrence was equally as appalled at the undisciplined behaviour! We felt comfortable that we had chosen a responsible and ethical tour operator who respected the wildlife and their environment.
Email Harry and Hannah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unacceptable.
We have recently returned from your classic wonders of Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar safari, our honeymoon. We in fact left for home before the end of the booking due to the poor quality of the holiday. Up to this point we have reframed from leaving any reviews about Classic Journeys on your website or on any other platform as I feel it only fair to give you an opportunity to explain why the service was so poor first.
We originally had to delay our safari due to covid (no fault of yours). However, once we had changed the dates to ensure we would be able to go, your communication was terrible, waiting days for confirmation of payment and to get questions answered.
We were informed in an email that as we arrived in Nairobi our transfer to our hotel would be waiting for us at the airport with a sign with our name on it. This was the not the case and our driver was not there. I was unable to reach the driver on the number given to me for him via email. Thankfully a local taxi driver offered to use his phone to call and when we did get though our driver was in bed. We spoke to the office of the company as well and they said that they would get a driver to us in an hour, meaning we would have been left stranded at the airport for over two hours. This is extremely poor service! Our first impression of your company and the start of our holiday ruined, and our first time in Kenya an already stressful situation made extensively worse by Classic Journeys’ awful organisation.
Eventually we arrived at Longview Suites hotel. The hotel was not up to standard in the slightest and did not look like the photo on your website. Our room was metres from a building site (which was the view from our window) and the shower did not work. We were also only provided breakfast in our package on the day of arrival bearing in mind we stayed there for 24 hours and needed four meals during this time. We therefore had to pay more for this. We paid nearly 7000 euro for this holiday and it had become outrageously disappointing at this stage. I appreciate that building work and so on needs to happen but you as a company need to be aware of where you are sending people to stay and change locations accordingly as this was not acceptable. I can send photos as proof of this.
Day one in the bush, again let down. After a long drive we arranged with out guide to go on a nature walk once we had settled in. We arrived at the meeting point but our guide did not, Classic Journeys making a habit of not showing up to where they should be. Nearly half an hour after the time agreed, our guide arrived, and then told us there was no point going for a walk because of the weather even though other walks were going out. This information could have been sent to us and saved us the trouble of getting ready to go out. At this point plans for the next day were sorted as we had become increasingly stressed about meeting drivers at agreed times (note that we had to ask the timings of the next day instead of being told in advance). This as well was very difficult to sort despite being face to face. Again, not good enough and let down.
After one game drive in Kenya with a very mediocre guide who often gave us the wrong information (this information was confirmed incorrect by our second driver), we moved onto Tanzania. Once we arrived at the border, we needed to obtain visas. The link you sent us to obtain visas before arrival did not work and no guidance on this was given. When we were applying for our visas, we were told we had to pay a fee in cash which we didn’t have (again causing more unwanted stress). We were not informed at any point that we needed to take a lot of cash to cover the time away. Cash was needed for almost everything as well as tipping every member of staff we encountered (we were not prepared for this). We were told credit cards were excessively used and they were not and that included some of the camps we were staying on.
After crossing the border and changing cars we settled in for the long drive. We were aware it was a long drive and we needed to get to our lodge for the night, however on a holiday that as previously stated cost nearly 7000 euro, the last place I thought I would be eating lunch was in a petrol station. Completely unacceptable.
When we completed the safari part of our trip. We were given tickets for our flight to Zanzibar only to find that Hannah’s ticket still had her maiden name and did not match her passport. We made it clear that this was our honeymoon a name change cannot have come as a surprise. Furthermore, you confirmed receipt of Hannah’s updated passport information on the 16th of March 2023 which gave plenty of time to change the tickets, however this never occurred. This again caused undue stress on a holiday that should have been simple and stress free.
As we arrived in Zanzibar, Classic Journeys doing their usual and not being at the airport to pick us up. Two transfers and two transfers not there. When we eventually did meet our driver, the Classic Journeys office felt the need to message me and explain how it wasn’t their fault and that the plane had arrived early which it did by a few minutes. However, this is irrelevant and it is up to you and your drivers to be tracking the flight to ensure this does not happen. If the flight was cancelled would the driver be aware of it or would he wait outside the airport for hours on end? This is yet again unacceptable and poor service. Ensuring you are at the airport on time for a transfer is one of the most basic tasks and yet Classic Journeys repeatedly failed at it.
Uroa Bay hotel. We were sold a relaxing few days on ivory sands and clear waters in a lovely hotel. What we received was an extremely bad day (only one day as we were far to annoyed at this point and we flew home early) on a filthy beach in a hotel where everything was at an extra charge including water a basic human necessity. You as a company need to go to the hotels where you send people to stay and ensure that what you are advertising matches what you are delivering as this did not. The photo of the Zanzibar beach on your web site is clearly not at Uroa Bay. Nowhere in your emails or website did it say we would have to pay extra tax on arrival to the hotel, this was not listed in the ‘not included’ section. Photos again can be sent as proof. I cannot believe how this hotel was selected for this holiday an unacceptable choice. Also, on the so-called ‘private’ beach which had a security guard, locals approached to try to sell us drugs. That is not the kind of thing I expect on a holiday resort that has cost me so much. We felt that after the safari part of the holiday, Classic Journeys no longer were responsible and we were left at a bad hotel to fend for ourselves – this is different to the expectation of a relaxing few days in a luxury hotel.
This information on your website and that which was sent to us was not good enough and in some cases just plain incorrect. A standard day on safari as described by your company was, ‘up before dawn for coffee and a drive before returning for breakfast and then to take part in other activities. All this before another game drive in the afternoon evening time.’ This was not the case, early mornings but not in time for sunrise, leave the lodge do not return till around 1600 with no time to take part in other activities. What you are advertising is not what we received.
The itinerary that was sent to us was the only information we received before the trip and this was before we even booked it (which was two years ago due to postponing). There were no updates to the itinerary to fit to the actual timetable of the week and we were not even sent any information to prepare for our trip, for example, a kit list would have been useful. This, bearing in mind, being our first time to Africa and not knowing what to expect. When we asked via email what was needed for the trip, Classic Journeys replied with ‘just luggage’. I’m sure we are not the only customers you have that haven’t been to Africa before either.
This was our honeymoon, it cost us nearly 7000 euros for your package, excluding flights.
Communication was poor.
We were left at the airport twice.
Stayed in a hotel with a not working shower and was practically on a building site.
Were left waiting for our guide only to be told our walk would not go ahead.
Were treated to a lunch in a petrol station.
Were provided tickets for a flight with an incorrect name.
Stayed in an awful hotel that was not anything like the description or photos you sent.
Paid taxes we were not informed of and that were not listed in the excluded cost list.
Were offered drugs in our resort by locals.This is awful on your part and something needs to be done. The price you charge for the standard to deliver is unacceptable.
Thankfully the one time your driver showed up on time was to get us to the air port so we could leave the horrendous holiday earlier than planned.
Also apon return to the UK I have repeatedly tried to contact you about these issues through email, WhatsApp and phone call only to have all of them ignored.
CA
Email Marie-Pier Brunet | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AMAZING !
Above our expectations! Our guide, Amir, was able to direct us well regardless of our questions. It is a real Wildlife GPS! He has several contacts in different cities who facilitate reservations for additional activities (night safari, hot air balloon, etc.). Amir is interested in wildlife so he learns about animals which makes learning easier during our safaris. He speaks French very well and loves to tease his customers. I strongly suggest you ask to be with him if you speak French! A big plus to our dream trip!
The rooms were A+ and even the tents! We didn't see any cockroaches, spiders, etc. VERY CLEAN !
(automatic translation from French)
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Email Mariah | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Classic Journeys provided once in a lifetime moments and memories
We started planning a year out and Elvis went above and beyond to answer questions and accommodate all of our requests- from children, to extra beds (odd number in group), to vegetarian food, we felt comfortable that our needs would be met. After a delayed flight, we were met by the most amazing guide Dennis for our journey. We visited so many places, had a few bumps in the road and enjoyed every minute! One of our travelers bumped their leg that ended up needing medical attention that had us stopping for ice, hospitals, and pharamacies. Dennis was so patient and helped navigate the facilities. We always felt safe and comfortable with his help. The safari stops were beyond imagination, we went from Ol Pejeta to Lake Nikita, the Mara, Lake Naivasha, and Amboseli. We saw the big 5 in two days, witnessed three river crossings in the Mara, a giraffe memorial and a rare cheetah kill in Amboseli- again, Dennis was patient, kind, and always at the right place at the right time. We enjoyed every camp and stop. The only piece of advice would be to prepare for long drives between stops. Coming from the US, we noted the mileage but not the drive time. If and when we ever go back, we would definitely extend the one night stays each stop by a night or two to help mitigate the long drives from place to place. Again, this was a once in a lifetime trip topped off by excellent service from Classic Journey’s. Shout out to Dennis for being the best guide! Asante sana!
