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 Jacquelyn | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Classic Journeys was professional, reliable and knowledgeable, with wonderful guides.
In a pandemic, so many things could go wrong—but nothing did! If Classic Journeys said we’d get a PCR test result in four hours, Classic Journeys did just that. Our guides consistently showed up on time, even when rendezvousing at the Kenyan border. Lots of work was obviously going on in the background to make the trip feel this seamless. Our two guides (Good Luck in Tanzania and Moses in Kenya) made our safari feel (in a good way) like a college-credit course. Every question was answered with a depth of knowledge that can only come from vast experience and dedication to the environments these guides work in and serve. They patiently answered our questions about the parks, animals, politics and even about their own lives. They are expert in the art of spotting a leopard or a rhino (among the rarer examples of wildlife) in the landscape. The choice of lodging was perfect. Kati Kati in the Serengeti was the most down-to-earth setting but the service was fantastic and it was a privilege to be housed in the park itself, where one night we heard a lion exploring outside our fortified tent. The manager, Job, worked so hard to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. At night, travelers gathered around his “African TV” (a bonfire) to talk about the highlights of their day. We met folks from Portugal, the US, and Spain. The group of young men who live at the camp during the tourist season worked non-stop to walk us to our tent, get our showers ready with solar-heated water, turn down our beds, and simply to entertain us with stories and information (I’m talking to you, Honest!). In the Zebra Plains lodge at Amboseli Park in Kenya, a staff member named Moses offered to walk us around the brush surrounding the lodge, which abuts his village. He showed up in his traditional Maasai clothing and for the next hour identified animal footprints, skat, and plants, while watching carefully for wildlife. We were well fed by all lodges and camps, including with robust packed lunches when we were out for the entire day. The Lake Manyara Safari Lodge quickly adjusted its dinner option when I made a special request. The staff at all lodges and camps is exceedingly professional (many of whom we learned are earning college degrees in hospitality).
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Email Adam N | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A perfect trip!
Classic Journeys put together an absolutely amazing experience for us. Elvis was just terrific to work with. He promptly responded to all questions and helped us navigate through all the confusing travel requirements (visas, Covid tests, etc). He customized our tour to give us exactly what we wanted.
Every detail was perfectly executed. Our driver Chris was waiting for us as soon as we landed in a clean vehicle. He took us straight to a great hotel and picked us up again the next morning promptly. All our accommodations were terrific, the food was great, the sites were amazing.
Our safari guide Sameer was perfect! Super knowledgeable about every plant and animal, history, geography, geology, etc. Every game drive was fun, informative and unforgettable.
I can’t recommend this company highly enough. They will nail every detail in creating the perfect trip for you. Thank you Classic Journeys!
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Email Robin Chester | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and trained personell
Ok, but 7 hours drive in a car with no AC and uncomfortable seats should be mentioned when booking. The safari was great, but when the car limits our trip around the park (crossing of river not possible), it's a pity, and we didn't get to go all over the park. The stay at Loyk was awesome, and the food great!
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Email Kathryn | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had the most amazing safari experience with one the most knowledgable guides!
My husband and I went on a Classic Journeys Africa safari in August for our honeymoon. We worked with Elvis during the booking process and he was very responsive and helped answer all of my questions from day 1 to when we arrived in Nairobi from the US. Before booking our safari my husband and I had decided we wanted to go to Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara. Classic Journeys had that exact safari and after reading through the amazing 5 star reviews I knew we wanted to book with them. Dixon was our guide and he was so knowledgeable and personable, it was a joy getting to know him during our 6 day safari and we couldn't have asked for a better guide, Dixon is the absolute BEST! Dixon has years of experience and we learned so much about the animals from him. He also was great in spotting out animals and making sure we got to see everything. We were lucky enough to spot all Big 5! Classic Journeys did a great job in all of our accomendations, we loved all the lodges we stayed in and thought the staff was so friendly and hospitable. We had a wonderful trip and recommend booking with Classic Journeys.
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Email Ida and Guro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip
We had an absolutely amazing trip with our guide Moses. We went to Lake Naivasha, Mt. Longonot and then to Masai Mara. Moses was very pleasant, kind and a good driver. We got to see so many beautiful sceneries and also so many more animals than expected. We feel very lucky to have had this experience!
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Email Debra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an amazing company!
I cannot give enough credit to Classic Journeys Africa. I found them on safaribookings.com and reached out to them, even with a 7 hour time zone difference they responded the same day. Charles was my booking agent and I was very adamant that I had to stay within my budget but needed the safari to be a private safari and decent lodging in my locations that I had always wanted to visit. It took several months for me to decide on the exact time of year but we knew we wanted to be there during the Great Wildebeest Migration from Kenya to Tanzania. Charles suggested late September to early October which fit in right inline with our 25th anniversary and the Equinox. He made the entire booking process so easy. He suggested lodging that worked perfectly with our budget but were very comfortable and some were luxurious. We stayed at the Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club, Amboseli Sopa Lodge, Mara Sopa Lodge, Kati Kati Camp and the Ngorongoro Farmhouse- I highly recommend all of these options. Now, for the actual safari. I had requested to have Sammie in Kenya and we got him. Boy, was he good at spotting the animals and knowing there next moves. We were able to see a lion wedding (mating), ostriches mating, a cheetah chase, and a lion kill a zebra. In all while in Amboseli and Masai Mara we saw buffalo, elephants, lions and leopards then once we were in Tanzania with Mirage we saw rhinos to complete our big 5. Both guides spoke English very well, knew all about the animals, took amazing care of us and made sure that we had the proper angles to take photographic treasures. I said this was a once in a lifetime trip but we believe we will be contacting Classic Journeys Africa again in the near future! (I've already recommended them to my friends.)
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Email Amy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great time on Safari with Classic Journeys in Kenya and Tanzania! then great trip to Victoria Falls
We worked closely with Charles for months in advance and he was so quick to reply and prepare us for this trip to Africa! once there, Chris was also our helpful person while in Nairobi. All their trip plans worked out very well, We had excellent guides, George, and Mirage, exciting Safaris, Great food and lodging and camping, A very educational trip, Enjoyed everything on Safari and all their destinations while there. The Safari guides really got us close to the wildlife, but always kept us safe.
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Email Ken | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
ClassicJourneys made our visit to Kenya safari so easy
Classic Journeys was absolutely fantastic! Our experience to the Safari couldn’t have been better as they are just so professional and the services we received were way beyond our expectations.
They made the whole trip so easy and worry-free for us. I’ll start with the communications with Classic Journeys. The sales director, Elvis, was extremely responsive and accommodating on our requests and frequent change of travel dates. We booked the tour 2 weeks prior to our departure date and yet, he managed to get us a very good package with amazing “camps” and “lodges”. The communication on both email and WhatsApp were very easy and quick. Our expectations were properly managed and directions were clearly given (including what to expect when in Kenya, shots to take and etc).
Properly packed with the instructions (we packed a lot of items we didn’t end up using, because Kenya’s infrastructure and etc were way better than we expected), we were ready to go. Upon landing in Kenya, we were picked up by the customer representative, Chris, and also our tour guide, Sammy. Shortly after, we were on our way to our first camp on the 4x4 pop up van (quick note, van works ok on paved, concrete roads, but the SUV does make a difference on game drives). Sammy was extremely knowledgeable about not only the animals themselves, but also about anything related to Kenyan economy, education, politics and etc. He had answers to all of our questions.
After around 4 hours of car ride, we were at the Sweetwater Serena Camp. Oh boy, we were completely blown off with how beautiful this camp was, and the room (tent) was tastefully decorated. Everything you would normally need is there, except hair dryer (since most camps use power generator, they typically aren’t able to support high power consumption electronics). After a nice lunch, we were set off to go for a game drive at 4 pm. On the very first day, we were so lucky as we already saw 4 of the big 5s (elephants, rhino, buffalo and leopards). Sammy kept communicating with his peers and making sure that we get to see the animals we wanted to. Sammy explained thoroughly about the animal’s behaviors, habitat, and local weather etc. After 2 hours of game drive, we went back to the camp feeling extremely satisfied with the animals we saw. A word about Kenya weather in mid August, it was around 80 degrees and sunny during the day, but temperature drops to mid 50s in the evening. It was perfect for sleeping and chilling by the camp fire.
The next 8 days in Kenya was more of the same, but we were so amazed with how scenic Kenya actually is, and all the animals we saw and learned. We saw most animals that we wanted to see (Big 5, giraffes, etc), and also part of the wildebeest/zebra migration. In addition to that, we were extremely impressed with how simple, honest, friendly and pure the Kenyan and Masai people are. For this reason alone, Kenya is worth a revisit in the future again.
All in all, our experience in the Kenya safari couldn’t have been better, and we attributed all that positive experience to ClassicJourneys and its well-trained staff. Thank you, ClassicJourneys.
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Email Mr. Ralph | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Trip
Excellent communication with the company.
They really take great care of their clients.
Our guides were fantastic. Completely lived up to our expectations. The safari tour was wonderful. We saw so many animals!
The accommodations were wonderful as well. Can’t wait to go back!! Thank you!
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Email Jon Peter | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The ultimate safari experience.
We are very pleased with all our stay in Kenya and our game drive om Masai Mara.
Highly recommended for anyone looking out for an excellent safari experience.
