Kensington Tours

There are several low score reviews for Kensington. We don't agree. We had a top notch travel experience with this company. We worked with Mayu Adachi to organize our trip to Japan. Mayu asked all the right questions about our interests, age, likes and dislikes From the instant we landed at Haneda Airport, Tokyo to our departure 11 days later, we had incredible service. Our Guides were wonderful, flexible to our interests, spoke impeccable English and were professional, knowledgeable. We would've been lost without them. We never felt we were thrown in with massive Tour groups. Each day, we had a Private Guide and a driver. One guide helped us get tickets to a sold out baseball game. Another Guide assisted on our search for a Japanese Volleyball Jersey. A third Guide went to MiPig (a mini pig experience --quite unique) at our request. The Japanese people are generally very kind, respectful and always want willing to help. We were very happy with Kensington and Mayu Adachi. The only thing I would recommend is perhaps one less day of Temples and Shrines.

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Paris and Normandy by Kensington. We worked with Megan Harvey who was great. All our hotels, drivers, guides and airport transfers were perfect. Any questions before and during our trip were answered promptly. Kensington worked with a fabulous local team in France who met all our needs and were very friendly. Highly recommend.

We've traveled all over the world, with a number of different guides, vendors, etc. in the tourism industry. I thought we'd seen it all (good and bad), but Kensington found a way to lower the bar. We received a partial refund (about 15% of the trip cost) after dealing with the following: a. It became clear immediately in the Faroes and throughout the entirety of our trip that we had a completely different itinerary than nearly everyone else (e.g. drivers, guides, and likely the Kensington staff member responsible for coordinating our trip). We know this because we asked guides and drivers and all had a different set of instructions from the company than we had in our itinerary. We also suspect that efforts mid-trip to try and salvage some of the bungled logistical issues could not be resolved because no one at the company or in their contractor network was sure what the correct itinerary was—I don’t know how else to explain the mid-trip efforts to confirm bookings and schedules that still did not result in us following the trip plan we agreed to in December. There’s simply no excuse for the failure to plan and execute this trip in general, but especially so considering the very high cost of this trip (this is the most expensive trip we’ve ever taken). b. Very few, if any, of the transfer days were even logistically possible as advertised to us. Our transfers between towns often called for scenic drives or stops at key landmarks, but there was simply never enough time in the travel plan to do them—so we wound up spending considerable time in cars without any of the scenic benefits advertised to us and often wound up getting to our next destination without sufficient time to do the planned activities there (which might have been for the best, since many of those plans were never actually booked by Kensington). c. Most of our in-country bookings were completed very late (we have receipts showing purchases made between 27 May and 14 June—6+ months after we thought we’d reserved this entire trip). I suspect this is part of the explanation for why we were seated on the wrong side of the Oslo-Myrdal train and the lack of a kayak operator in Balestrand—that the company simply waited too long to book things for us and thus did not secure seats or reservations we could have reserved ourselves back in December. d. While we enjoyed each place we stayed as much as we could, there was a very large discrepancy in what we consistently communicated we wanted (e.g. to be in remote and rugged locations away from hordes of tourists and able to see/experience more local cultures) and what I felt was pushed quite heavily by Kensington on us (e.g. the various cities and towns in Southern Norway which, again, were beautiful but absolutely overrun by cruise ships and very large tour groups—we were essentially surrounded by other Americans the entire time). e. This may be standard practice, but we felt a bit blindsided on the trip to discover that most of our itinerary had been outsourced to a separate travel company, Easy Travel, based in Estonia. If this had been disclosed before purchasing, I’m not sure we would have booked this trip. It’s not a surprise that there was absolutely no coordination or communication between the sprawling network of contractors and companies responsible for planning and administering our trip given the use of so many third-party contractors—something that obviously makes sense in terms of in-country kayak rentals, but not for booking and managing the trip itself. f. We were never provided with any local contact information for any of our guides or transfers. The only numbers listed in our Kensington app and materials went to a central call center. It was not until the final few days of the trip that any of them reached out to us so that we knew how to contact someone in the event of a delay, weather issue, etc. g. We rarely had time to eat three meals in a day—either because the logistical plan by the company did not allow it, or because they falsely claimed that meal service would be available en route.

I am so beyond disappointed in my 15 day trip to Thailand planned by Kensington. I’ve traveled all over the world and used other local focused tour companies and gotten a way better product. I thought I was getting a luxury product and was disappointed at every step of the process. I highlighted ALL these issues to them while on the trip and continued to escalate a resolution after. All they offered me was 20% back on the trip. They outsourced the entire itinerary to a local company and frankly put at least a 50+% market up on what was received. Neither the hotels nor the experience with the driver has equated to ~1k per day cost: -My travel specialist, Nichole, consistently neglected to include essential information in her communication, expectation setting, and neglected requests. -Requested small, curated, higher-quality boutique properties which was not done -Consistent lack of information on what to bring ahead of time for each tour. -requested that no morning activities, all were morning. Requested the change and did not receive an update of any changes nor had expectations be set as to why certain activities needed to be at 0800. -when a second person was added, Nichole advised me that my rate was calculated for tours for two people. There was an additional charge made to the hotels where my friend was added on. I’ve never been in a situation of occupancy as a single person and been charged double for my tours or hotel. Then, an additional charge was added if someone was added after it was acknowledged that I had already been charged double. -Lack of communication till after booking and till right before leaving that early checkin and late checkout would be at an additional cost and not automatically provided. -For flights, she did not follow nor communicate that the Seat selection -Charging for meal on flight/lounge access when not requested (Especially for 1 hour flights) - PDF of itinerary did not include times and were not aware of the morning start time till the app was downloaded before the trip -For the internal Thailand flights, I had communicated that I would have 2 large checked bags. She did not communicate there was a max limit per person vs per bag. when we arrived at the Chiang Mai airport (we did not have the same issue on AirAsia to Chiang Mai) we paid an additional $159 in luggage for just the one flight. Then proceed to pay online an additonal $210 for the rest of the flights. -Being told it was a requirement to book the ferry ahead of time when it was perfectly fine to book on-site -There was no heads up provided that the local travel tour company could/would change the start times on/or day before tour. -Size of airport/activity transport vechile huge/rented as private. Should not be a per person charge as the size of vechile. -Pickup in Samui was not ontime. Not were they in the right meet point. This team did not appologize for being late and refused to help with the baggage. One of their team was sick (actively coughing/sneezing) and was without a mask. They handled our luggage and got me sick and I had to cancel actives due to it. -I escalated this ticket for compensation and did not get any communication on it back. -We were directed to refer to the app for everything but the app did not reflect the need for specialty clothes -The app reflecting a 0800 pickup on 2 tours when it was updated without communication to 1000. This change meant we cut short 2 hours of activities. -No late check out complimentary -We were informer by tour operator that there would 1.2k steps with a steep incline for an activity. My limitations based on an ankle injury were communicated while planning and would make it impossible. I was told “I can rest” as I walk up. - hotel property had a pool of stagnant water surrounds the rooms and No consistent WiFi throughout the property. The “gated” WiFi in the room has a one device limit. They didn’t offer non dairy milk at breakfast; the tables were cramped. Not enough towels in room for double occupancy. One bellboy got entire property. Don’t waste your money

The only reason I gave them 2 stars was because of the flight reservation and the quality of the hotels that were booked. The person we worked with, Ronda, did not listen to what we were looking for. I ended up cancelling all activities and booking them ourselves thankfully. She booked a rental car for us. Knowing our itinerary which included a long drive of about 100 miles the one day, she booked us an electric car which was only able to go 40-50 miles per charge. We were forced to upgrade our car when we arrived and the only vehicle they had that met our other needs cost us a surprise extra $3,000 and was double the size we wanted knowing the roads were narrow in the areas we traveled. Then we get to our hotel and there was limited parking. They advised us that on the confirmation (which was sent to Ronda) that they needed to be notified if we were bringing a vehicle so they could reserve us a spot as they did not have enough parking spaces for all of their guests. This happened at 3 hotels we stayed at during our trip but fortunately the other 2 were able to accommodate us. I wish I had saved myself a lot of stress during the trip itself and just taken on the stress of booking everything myself.

We used this travel company for a trip to south africa. While the trip was we’ll organized according to our demands, we were shocked to find out about the hotel rates upon checking out and the actual cost of the tours. The markup of kensington is over 100% on these trips which means you will pay 3 times more if you had gone direct for the so called “peace of mind”. They know that very well which is why they would not provide itemized invoices. The pricing structure is insanely brutal, left quite a bad taste after a good trip.

In September we traveled to Ireland as a family of 8, 4 couples. We had a wonderful trip experience after a botch on the first day. Hotels were great and our trip was planned with our input. We had a most wonderful driver and guide, Sam Gavin (from Scales, whom we believe Kensington contracts with). After the first day, we loved every aspect of our trip and we were able to make daily changes as fit our needs. 5 stars on this part. However, we gave Kensington overall four stars for the following reasons: 1) A driver/guide never showed up at the airport as planned. After many calls to Kensington's emergency numbers (which we found out is a company called Kelly/Maloney in Ireland), we finally took a cab to our hotel and missed the driver/guide experience in Dublin. Kelly and Maloney said they had no idea who we were and our trip number and our names were not something they recognized. It was a rude and unhelpful man that we spoke with. We were later told by Kensington that the driver had two pickups and couldn't be in both places at the same time. A simple phone call to us??? 2) We purchased Kensington's recommended t insurance with Travelex, who was also Zurich insurance. 6 of us purchased this insurance at an overly costly price. 2 purchased insurance from another company at half the price. We had a claim unfortunately, and the cheaper insurace company paid double what Travelex paid us. Travedlex still made a haul on us, whereas the other insurance paid out more than the cost, so lost money. I wrote a review on Travelex's site only to find that 20% of their reviews were a 1 star. My bad for not checking this out in advance. We trusted Kensington to provide great insurance and to be helpful. That was not the case. There is definitely a conflict of interest between Kensington and Travelex that works against the traveler. Also we felt the travel book prepared for us by Kensington was misleading. Both issues led to the insurance company's lowballing our claim. Beware of insurance offered by a tour company!!! In summary a four, which could have been a 5.

I am a professional planner, so I know how important it is to have every detail PERFECT. I wanted to find a company to help me plan the trip of a lifetime and Kensington Tours went WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND!! Jules, our assigned agent, is amazing. She is on top of every single detail and has made our itinerary look like something out of a movie. The Travel Department doesn’t miss a beat either. They are constantly tracking your flights. We know we are in great hands. We cannot wait to go to Hawaii!! Thank you, Kensington Tours!

Kensington Tours was amazing! Just two weeks before my sister's trip to Rwanda and Tanzania, I found out I had some time off. Kensington Tours stepped in and managed to find flights and hotels for me with less than 12 days notice. They answered all my questions about the visa I would need, which airport I should fly into, and every little thing in between. They coordinated everything seamlessly - from the airport pickup to my hotel, and then from the hotel to the domestic airport the next morning. They even planned the flight so that when I landed, my sister and our amazing guide were waiting for me right on the tarmac. And can we talk about the hotels? Kensington Tours really knows how to pick them. I felt so pampered and well taken care of at every stop. If you're looking for a luxury tour that lets you experience incredible wildlife and stunning landscapes while having every detail handled, this is the company to book with. They truly take care of everything! Plus, as a solo female traveler in a foreign country, I felt completely safe the entire time. The guides were great, the food was great, the hotels were great (5 star hotels), and Tanzania was great!

I did a tour with them last year in Egypt. Horrific experience. Will not book with them again. What I experienced: 1. Guides took you into shopping traps (which are not on our itinerary) where the asking price is 100 times of the fair price (they did warn you that you should bargain). Entirely fraudulent shops and guides are in cahoots with the shops. We did get our money back after complaining to Kensington, but the scams ruined our trip and more guides still insisted on taking us to shops (no matter how much you tip). 2. Excessive tipping guidance from Kensington with very subpar service from the local guides. You have to manage a payroll to pay dozens of people on a daily basis after you've paid an expensive tour package to Kensington. One guide still solicited tips from us after being busted for the fraudulent shopping tours he took us on. 3. Guides would skip items on the itinerary. You need to monitor where you've been and where you are headed to constantly. Guides are entirely untrustworthy. They skipped items in the itinerary to take you to shopping traps or to tourist attractions that are not on your itinerary and that need extra payments. 4. Advertise local guides as Egyptologist. The biggest joke of all. Guides speak great English but otherwise are ignorant local folks who are not shy about fabricating. 5. Kensington blamed all the above on " local culture" and "local partners/subcontractors". Easy peasy.

We did have a great trip to Alaska, but would have been much better off planning it on our own than using Kensington. They added very little and did nothing to correct their mistakes. We hired them to plan a pre-cruise tour of Alaska. Our travel agent explained our expectation, that it was a pre-cruise trip and we wanted King accommodations. The guides and activities were very good, but there was little attention to detail. We did not receive king accommodations at any hotel. In Anchorage they booked us at the Hilton. It is a tired hotel. We got a room with two double beds and a view of a parking lot. The guide/driver to the next destination, Talkeetna, was excellent. Although we liked the accommodations in Talkeetna, a cabin on theSusitna River with amazing water and mountain views, the lodge did not provide any food and it was a 1.25 mile walk along the highway to the town. Although that dosen't sound like much, it rains a lot in Talkeetna, and you have to rely on your feet. There are no taxis or Ubers in town. The guides were good, but we were not provided with their identity until they showed up. Things got markedly worse in Denali. The accommodations were poor. The room wasn't big enough to comfortably accommodate us and our bags because once again there was no king bed, but instead two queen beds essentially occupying all the floor space. The bathroom was so small that the sink was in the room and there was no closet. The room was filthy. When we went to sleep we discovered stains on the sheets that appeared to be blood stains. I slept on the bed covers fully clothed. We learned that there were newer, better rooms that would have been available if Kensington booked them when we paid our deposit. They didn't give us any option, just went with the cheapest option despite us paying $2K a day. We contacted Kensington and just got lip service. I called 4 times and each time got a different person who had no solution. Our travel agent contacted the Kensington representative assigned to us and she just gave lip service. She was insulting and suggested there was something wrong with us if we didn't want to walk 2 1/2 miles along a highway for every meal, or that we weren't accepting of accomodactions worse than a bad Motel 6. They are terrible. It was a waste of money to use them. We could have easily done the same cursory research that they did on Google or ChatGPt. Using Kensington is flushing your money down the toilet. The only thing that saves the review from 1 star were excellent guides in Talkeetna. We learned they were the only hiking guides in the area so Kensington couldn't have screwed that up.

In February, my wife and I chose Kensington to plan our trip because we wanted the details taken care of. We applied for a Vietnam visa, as they instructed, but when we asked whether we needed to get a physical copy, they said no, that we would be given one when we arrived in Hanoi. We went to Chicago to catch our non-stop flight. At the gate, we were told that without a copy of our visa, we couldn't even board the plane! They said that they could rush the visa, but that it would cost $550 per passenger to do so! Long story short: We did make it to Vietnam. To do tours in Vietnamese cities, we had to cross streets that had swarms of motorcycles, sometimes with four passengers! Our first guide gave us this safety advice: Just walk forward slowly, and the motorcycles will flow around you, like a river flows around a rock. The guide should have been much more explicit, like warning you that because the drivers often text as they drive, they won't even be aware of your presence until they hit you. Subsequently, I did get hit. I was lucky not to have died. After that, we had to abandon our tour so I could get treated. (Another long story short: One ambulance ride and three trips to emergency rooms in the next five days.) When Kensington subsequently asked me to fill out a post-trip survey, I told them what had happened. Their response: "We're so sorry to hear that your experiences did not live up to your expectations." They weren't interested in what happened to me; they were just interested in selling me another tour! We had purchased the travel insurance that Kensington recommended, but they were reluctant to make good on the trip-interruption portion of their insurance. I asked Kensington for help on this matter, but after saying that they would look into it, they stopped responding to my emails. Bottom line: Kensington is both uncaring and dangerously incompetent. If you value your comfort, safety, and well-being, stay away!

Kensington helped find us a yacht for a Greek trip. Unfortunately, they forgot to tell us that the itinerary they suggested is highly unlikely during that time of year due winds. We were very disappointed to have to change our itinerary at the last minute. They knew about the potential of these winds and just never told us. Kensington advertises that they tell you the all in price, including all the out-of-pocket expenses. They underestimated our all in thousands of dollars. I signed up with Kensington because they have a good reputation I feel like you're a sleaze ball brokers who got their commission and then screwed you. I would never use Kensington again.

We have a covid-era deposit with Kensington we have tried to apply for multiple years. Each time they provide us with a proposal, we do our due diligence, and see what the trip would cost if we booked it ourselves. No airfare, simply hotel nights, airport transfers and a tour or two. Each time (multiple times) they price the trip at 350%+ over the actual cost. This feels unreasonable. We have finally given in - exchanging $3500 in vouchers for a three night stay in Porto we could book easily for ourselves for less than $1000. Very disappointed.

Completely BOGUS pricing they provided for a trip to Greece. When I asked for a price breakdown, I no longer received any follow-up. Very concerning that they will take advantage of people like this.

I would give this company a 0 if I could. My wife passed from cancer and I booked a trip with them thinking I could use a nice vacation. When all was said and done I purchased the insurance through Zurich in case I was not able to go since I booked so far out. Circumstances came up and could not make the trip so I had to cancel. Not only did it cost me 2000.00 for the insurance but Kensington took 5700.00 because I canceled early. Not even giving me a reason! So now I am out 7700.00 which I could take a nice trip with. I would NOT use this company and if you do, DO NOT purchase the insurance through Zurich cause it's a waste of money. Belen Tovar will not help with anything if you need it all she wants is your money!!!!!!!!!

We had a great experience our first trip with Kensington and booked a trip. Our second trip was not a good value and we would not recommend them . Interestingly, when we tried to give them helpful feedback ( sharing what was good and bad) we got an automated response from Kensington. Really ?

They offered me a $10k tour of Wales for 3.5 days. This is nothing like I asked for. When I reiterated my goals they couldn't even be bothered with helping me since clearly I wasn't stupid enough to accept their extremely overpriced price gouging tour. So sad they don't want to help travels unless they make bank off of us.

We worked with the agent Pankaj and he was extremely helpful! We booked a year in advance our trip to Africa and he helped us with every detail. I could call him with all my concerns about packing Visa money exchange and he was always available. While we were traveling in Africa for an extended stay, he checked in on us and made sure that everything we had booked was working well. We were so cared for and we will always use Kensington Tours when we travel out of the United States.

Nella and Kensington tours provided us with excellent suggestions, flawless itinerary and accommodations in our recent trip to Portugal and Spain. I would not hesitate to recommend them. They continuously checked in with us and contacted the hotels when we had concerns about the beds. All guides and drivers spoke excellent English. Since I played golf in the Algarve region, I was alerted by Nella that one of the most expensive course was undergoing maintenance issues 48 hours before my tee time and she saved me $300 by cancelling the tee time and giving me better options. We used them for a recent trip to Morocco and had a similar excellent experience. We also used their travel agency for flights and they ended up saving us a ton of time, booking thru different cities than we investigated originally. Thanks for the memories!

Horrible horrible company. If you need to cancel for any reason trying to get your money back is damn near impossible. One, they might not give your money back if you're reason for canceling doesn't line up with their guidelines. And if you eligible to get your money back, you need to submit a jokingly amount of paper work just for the hopes of getting your money back. Horrible horrible company.

We've done 3 extensive trips with Kensington Tours. Each one was expertly planned incorporating our input on the destinations and detailed itineraries. We have opted to travel "hosted," with KT, meaning they set up and book all itineraries and travel arrangements. Their hosts meet us at the airport when we arrive, and transport us to our hotel. Each time we change locations (new city, new hotel) they provide transport to the train station and make sure we're on the right train and car. When we arrive they transport us to the new hotel. We were driven from Tokyo to Hakone, as part of an 8-hour guided tour, just us with a driver and a guide. They make all travel reservations, book hotels, set up local guides, and purchase all tickets. With KT handling all travel logistics, for us, this relieves the most stressful elements of travel. I'm recounting our recent 18-day excursion to Japan. We traveled to 6 cities, 2 or 3 nights each. Tokyo, Hakone, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka. According to our plan, KT provided guided tours on about half of the days overall. Either a 4- or 8-hour excursion. The tours were guided by local experts and each guide was enjoyable and knowledgeable. The remainder of the time in each destination we were on our own. Our KT travel expert provided valuable suggestions for things to do on our own time. He also provided super advice on restaurants. Over 18 days, KT's execution of our complex travel itinerary was FLAWLESS. Perfect. Never a missed connection. Always prompt. They were equally perfect in our previous trips. The itinerary planned for us was beyond expectations. We even had a terrific cooking class in the apartment kitchen of our instructor In Kyoto. We give Kensington Tours the highest marks!!! We'll be traveling with them in the future.

I had a customized one week Germany bucket list trip that Kensington organized and managed for me. After flying from the US, the trip was based out of Munich and I spokewheeled out to numerous World War II sites from there. I had the same private driver all week long and one on one private tour guide guides each day. The company was phenomenal from the minute I stepped on the plane for my first class adventure until the moment I got off the plane at the end of the week. I highly recommend them!

The rating is based on several issues that remain unresolved for more than a week after my travel and with no response from Kensington. The private transport never happened and there was no reimbursement; scheduled prepaid dining event was cancelled for understandable reasons but rescheduling caused a disruption in other planned events with no compensation; agent was unavailable for the entire duration of the trip and "emergency" number was not helpful. However, tour guides, drivers and and hotels were great. This is the first time using the service, but will not use it again.

Kensington Tours may rip you off. Kensington Tours is a vendor with nasty, pushy old school sales tactics and sketchy opaque pricing to get you fleeced in my opinion, read on ! Kensington Tours pre-charged my Amex Centurian card a staggering $85,985.00. for 6 nights without international airfares in one cost-opaque invoice. This consisted of a simple assembly of 9 hotel room nights in 3 locations, 6 in-country economy flights, 3 airport pickup/drop offs, a 2 day 'tour' and a 1-day expedition on a small boat. It was so bad we declined the 2nd tour day and boat trip. The full retail cost of the trip, which would include profits to Kensington Tours, is estimated at $30,140.47 versus their invoice of $ 85,985.00. That is a staggering overcharge of $54,859.43. see details below. The experience should have been amazing for this amount of money, but the cost was so egregious for the average to low quality of the tours, flights, boat, and cheap or kerb-side restaurants and food establishments I decided to assemble the full retail price for these activities by speaking directly with all the major vendors. These are mostly time-specific cost comparisons on the days we were there. Both hotel general managers informed me the costs were about the same as on the previous days for the day extensions they quoted. i.e. peak season pricing. The full retail costs I've assembled would include any tour outfits profits on the hotel, airfare and lunch as they buy wholesale. It should be a close season-specific estimate. This was verified by a call from Kensington Tours Director of Asia sales who confirmed she couldn't reveal room prices because they have contracts with the hotels for discounts over retail. Kensington Tours provided near zero value, I also didn't get the typical additional hotel $ benefits, comped amenities and prestige of direct Centurion bookings, instead the reservations showed as a lowly Kensington Tours operator booking. Kensington Tours unilaterally declares their sales brochure is a de facto contract agreement without either attaching the contract doc to my knowledge or getting a counter signature, i.e. it's not a contract and would never hold up. They attempt to hide behind 'private discount contracts' with hotels and insinuated to me costs were 3x reality The comped me back $30,000.00 because I have some leverage, it should have been $55,000.00. I'm still considering whether to file a quick suit, they'll eat at least the balance defending against me in attorney fees. I'll see if I can be bothered to do that. I probably will, to let others know to be careful and not use an outfit like this. Hopefully save folks their hard earned money. My bottom line, Kensington Tours is a disgrace run the other way. Paolo T Here are the cost details: #1 HOTEL : CHANG MAI : FOUR SEASONS 3 BEDROOM VILLA RATE: THB 179,250 + 18.7% TAX & SERVICE CHARGE PER NIGHT X 2 (2 NIGHT STAY) COST USD: $10,262.06 COMMENTS: PRICE FROM HOTEL #2 HOTEL : KRABI : PHULAY BAY ROOM 1 VILLA RATE: THB 63,000 + 18.7% TAX & SERVICE CHARGE PER NIGHT x3 COST USD: $5,409.18 COMMENTS: PRICE FROM HOTEL ROOM 2 VILLA RATE: THB 78,500 + 18.7% TAX & SERVICE CHARGE PER NIGHT x3 COST USD: $6,741.18 COMMENTS: PRICE FROM HOTEL #3 BOAT : PRIVATE SPEEDBOAT FULL DAY RATE: THB 36,251 FOR 3 PERSONS INCLUSIVE 17% COST USD: $1,034.93 COMMENTS: TRIP DECLINED. PRICE FROM BOAT VENDOR #4 THAILAND IN COUNTRY FLIGHTS BANGKOK AIRPORT TO CHIANG MAI RATE: $211.40 USD PER TICKET ECONOMY x3 $634.20 + TAX COST USD: $634.20 PRICE FROM CARRIER CHANG MAI TO KRABI RATE: $256.00 USD PER TICKET ECONOMY x3 $768.00 + TAX COST USD: $756.00 PRICE FROM CARRIER KRABI TO BANGKOK AIRPORT RATE: $195.80 USD PER TICKET ECONOMY x3 $587.40 + TAX COST USD: $587.40 PRICE FROM CARRIER #5 KENSINGTON TOURS : ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL SERVICES ROUND TRIP TRANSPORT FROM AIRPORT TO HOTELS ESTIMATED COST PER TRIP: $150 x6 ($900) INEXPENSIVE TRIPS + LUNCH ESTIMATED COST PER TRIP $500 x2 ($1,000) NO PRIVATE TOURS #6 MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL BANGKOK DELUXE 2 BEDROOM SUITE RATE: THB 98,600 + 18.7% TAX & SERVICE CHARGE PER NIGHT x1 COST USD: $2,815.52 (ONLINE ESTIMATE) TOTAL ESTIMATED COST: $30,140.47 KENSINGTON ESTIMATED COST 80% $24,112.37 KENSINGTON COST PROFIT 20% $6,028.09 KENSINGTON TOURS AMOUNT CHARGED TO CUSTOMER: $85,000.00 COST DIFFERENCE: $54,859.43

We have used Kensington tours for three trips over the past 10 years: the Amalfi coast, southern Spain, and in October the Scotland Ireland Explorer tour. All three trips were excellent, and everything went as planned--airport pickups, tour guides, transportation between cities. We had two exceptional drivers in Scotland and Ireland. All accommodations were good to excellent. The only reason I gave 4 stars is that they're very expensive. I was able to duplicate their Portugal tour by booking it all myself for half the price, but this is not always easy or feasible. We've always been very satisfied with our Kensington tours.

When they are good, they are good, but when things go poorly they do not offer assistance. First if they tell you your drivers all speak English saying hello must qualify because many of our drivers had little English skills. We had taken Italian so we were able to navigate the issues, but without it we would have been lost. Second, if they tell you that things can be changed while your on your tour be skeptical. We ask for a couple of changes and neither were actually worked on. Our drivers were normally late or canceled at the last minute making us responsible for our own transportation. The drivers had little clue where we were to meet the tour guides. We were just dropped off and had to rely on our abilities to talk to locals for directions. Lastly, if they tell you they will reimburse you for getting your own transportation when they fail just don't expect that to happen. The owe me 100€ that I doubt I'll ever see. I'd be hard pressed to use this service again. On the good side most of our guides were fantastic.

Do not use - way overpriced. I have used Kensington for trips to Greece, Portugal, and Zimbabwe in the past. I started to use them for a 15 day trip to Japan and they quoted me a price that was over ten thousand dollars then what I managed to get for myself. Incidentally, I booked higher class hotels than Kensington offered and still came in a lot cheaper. I realize that tour companies need to make a profit but I am not interested in being gouged. With internet services available (I.E. Hotels.com/tours by locals) - with a little work, individuals can put together an itinerary themselves and come out WAY cheaper.

My husband, two friends of ours, and I starting planning our trip to Egypt in early 2019 with plans on taking the trip in March of 2020. Needless to say, our plans had to be shelved due to the pandemic. We initially thought that we would be able to travel in March of 2021, but no. Finally, we were able to take this amazing trip last month (March 2022). Kensington allowed us to push the trip off for 2 years, and there was only an additional charge of $1200 for the 4 of us due to some changes in bookings (we found this additional cost to be extremely reasonable). We started working with Kensington Tours in 2019, and our contact person was Heather (who has since left the company), who was excellent. She was responsive and helped with even the most minor detail to ensure that we were going to have an excellent trip (e.g., additional transfers, restaurant reservations, etc.). Upon Heather's departure, we started working with Robert, who was also very good. We were finally ready to take our trip to Egypt! Our trip was amazing and I think that we owe A LOT of the credit to Kensington Tours. The trip was logistically FLAWLESS--there was not one single hiccup of any kind. Everything was amazingly organized. I think that the biggest reason why the trip was so great was the people that we met. Soliman was our main point of contact. We loved him. He was smart, funny, and knowledgeable. He was genuinely concerned about our welfare and even when we weren't with him, he took the time to check in on us (via WhatsApp). He was also a great source of information, and we really enjoyed spending time with him. The next person whom we met was Abeer (we called her "Abby") who was our tour guide in Cairo (both at the beginning of our trip and at the end). Again, pleasant, knowledgeable, and fun. Abby really took a lot of time with us. She was able to find a great balance between being very professional, but also playful with us. We simply adored her. In Cairo, we had a driver, Ahmed, who was courteous, conscientious, and a great driver! In Luxor through Aswan, our point of contact was Abo, who was also amazing--just an extremely helpful and kind man. For these stops, we had a tour guide named Hassan. Like Abby, Hassan was outstanding. We loved his passion for Egyptian history and culture. He taught us so much, and we really liked spending time with him. We had a driver named Tarek throughout these stops who was also excellent...he had the added task of driving us from Luxor to Hurghada--a 3 hour drive! We cannot say enough about all of the people above, as well as the many others we met in Egypt and who we dealt with at Kensington. It is also worth mentioning that the selection of hotels, restaurants, the Nile cruise ship, the sites were perfect. In Cairo, we were at the Mena House in Giza, adjacent to the Pyramids. For our Nile cruise, we were on the Historia (a last minute change in our itinerary) which was so great. The Hilton in Luxor, the Oberoi Sal Hasheesh in Hurghada, and for our last night in Cairo, the Kempinski. All were fantastic! We thank Kensington Tours for creating a trip of a lifetime!

I used Kensington Tours about 10 years ago to take my girlfriend to Morocco for her birthday. They did a really nice job organizing everything. What I liked about it was that, even though it was pricey, everything was taken care of. A driver and a guide for the entirety of the trip. Gorgeous hotels. Great meals. But expensive. I didn't mind it since I did not feel comfortable doing Morocco on my own. I decided to use them again this summer to take my two teenage daughters to Japan. Initially everything seemed fine. I had several conversations with one of their representatives who seemed to know what she was talking about. Unfortunately, about three weeks into our communication, just as I thought we were going to finalize things, I got an email form that person stating that she was just informed by her management that since it's now less than 8 weeks from the time of our trip, they "cannot guarantee the first half of our trip." WHAT??? That should not be my concern. It's their problem. You don't say that to someone BEFORE THE FACT. Anyway, needless to say, I went with another travel agency (HIS) which turned out to be fantastic. Very, very poor form Kensington.

My wife and I took a two week Egypt package starting 18 Sep - just before the current troubles. Moe Sami was the sales guy and he was excellent. I did not find the pricing out of line with other estimates. Sorry for the long review. - MEDI Travel appears to be the in-country agent for Egypt. The Kensington/MEDI crew were awesome. We were met EVERYWHERE and at every stop by multiple reps - At every airport arrival/departure we were escorted through as much of the immigration/security apparatus as was possible by a MEDI "fixer". - MEDI uses local, free lance tour guides. Ours were awesome with EXCELLENT English. Not surprisingly all were licensed in Egypt and 20+ years experience. We had Sally in Cairo, Ayman in Alexandria, Ali from Luxor to Aswan, and Hamad (I think) at Abu Simbel. All drivers were SUPERB. - Hotels were great. During the trip planning phase I felt like there might be better hotels available but I deferred to Moe. When you are in Giza, I just can't think of a better location than the Marriott Mena. Our room and every hotel meal faced the pyramids. The pyramids are not off in the distance, They are right in front of you. Great pool. Luxor Hilton was nice but we arrived late in the evening and departed early so did not get to enjoy it. Ritz in Cairo was also very, very nice - a four day river cruise on Sonesta St George was part of the package. SUPERB ship staff. We've never been on a river cruise. Wait until you see the Nile River cruise activity. I think it is unique. There are a huge number of cruise boats on the river and the whole scene is controlled chaos. Now that we've completed the trip, I think the river cruise was the best way for us to see the sights from Luxor to Aswan - Avoiding travel sickness. We decided that our priority was to see the sights of Egypt so we were super strict on avoiding raw foods of any type. No issues. I did buy a GRAYL water filter and it worked awesome for times when we needed water. BTW - because most of the bathrooms at tourist sites are attended, they are very clean!! - Tipping. I see comments from travelers that feel the "tipping culture" is a scam. I do not see it that way. Tipping is a big part of the Egyptian travel industry and I'm comfortable with it. The Tipping Guide in the Kensington Country Guide was OUTSTANDING. We applied a lesson learned from a previous trip. Although you can buy local currency, it is always hard to find the small bills you need for porters, bathroom attendants. USD and Euros are accepted as tips everywhere. We took a couple thousand USD (with one hundred $1 bills) for all our tipping (guides, drivers, porters, etc). Maybe we were over tippers but I don't care. Kensington/MEDI people were always with us and I gave everyone of them a tip. The service was great and we felt welcome - This tour is medium to high exertion - the summer heat had still not dissipated. Hot as anything at Abu Simbel. Climbing in the pyramids is not for the faint of heart. The recurring thing I observed at all stops was the uneven footing because the floors you'll walk on are a combination of "new' stone, and the "original" stuff from 3000 years ago and its all mixed up!! - Don't wait to go if Egypt interests you. The longer you wait, the less you'll be able to do and explore.

I am a professional planner, so I know how important it is to have every detail PERFECT. I wanted to find a company to help me plan the trip of a lifetime and Kensington Tours went WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND!! Jules, our assigned agent, is amazing. She is on top of every single detail and has made our itinerary look like something out of a movie. The Travel Department doesn't miss a beat either. They are constantly tracking your flights. We know we are in great hands. We cannot wait to go to Hawaii!! Thank you, Kensington Tours!

Ok...we are long term Kensington clients but not any more. We did their Paris and UK tour. We are seasoned travelers so that is the only thing that saved our vacation. If you are planning on using this company then it is on you. We also do not mind paying for service thus why we have historically went with Kensington but there really was no service just a $50k bill..... France: 1. No consistent guides and none of them had ever heard of Kensington. Nice enough people but basically a pieced together visit with random people that were fitting us in between their Viator tours at half of what we paid. 2. Hotel- Nice boutique hotel but they failed to inform us that they are under renovations in addition we did not even have rooms booked in our names we had to piece that together.. 3. Plans- we did not get our confirmations until I threw a fit and we received 3 days before we left the US. 4. Tickets we were told we would have slowly trickled in so we really did not know if we were going or not to certain things. 5. Train cancelled to the UK which is not their fault but we hopped an earlier train only to find out the UK office was "off" for a long weekend. The paris people were able to finally track someone down to get us picked up LONDON: 1. Wow...drivers simply ghosted us twice then got into an argument with me about how it was our fault the first time.....we sat in the lobby for 30 minutes waiting by ourselves but he was adamant he was there? 2. Ghosted us on our 630 pickup to airport.... 3. Emergency line once again was not answered...we were told to use the WhatsApp but the London people are not on that so it was pointless...they were still on their "long bank holiday" so we were just left to figure things out ourselves. Think about it the people I helped pay to be on holiday left us high and dry....sums these guys up now. 4. Names wrong on reservations but the problem is they book the hotels for their clients...we had to convince the hotel it was us.... 5. Hotel was above average but right next to a military area to protect the palace...thus we had to walk 3 blocks in due to the Jubilee because no one was allowed to drive down the street...not their fault but that is the stuff you pay high end tour companies to know. 6. Tour guides were awesome but they are also independent so why pay kensington.

My wife and I spent a substantial amount of money with Kensington on a Japan trip. We experienced a multitude of issues on the trip. Tour guides with no structured itinerary, no vehicles when we had scheduled cars, wrong/too small cars for pick ups that couldn't fit our luggage. Extremely disappointed given that we paid a small fortune for this service. Look elsewhere.

While Kensington was great about holding our COVID dollars for two years, I was very disappointed when the chose to take even more aggressive profits on our revised plans. We paid too much for everything we did with them in Scotland. I'm ok with a premium for managing things but Kensington was completely inflexible when we tried to get a fair value out of our tour. They basically found decent tour guides and hotels then marked them up so aggressively, we challenged them and they refused to accommodate us. We have been to 97 countries and seven continents and this is the only tour company that I would never use again.

Just returned from 21 day baltic state and Scandinavia.No one has contacted us to ask of our experience.Tour way to expensive for services provided.Absolutely zero personal service.Tried contacting emergency numbers given out for certain countries, phone and or text not returned.Two countries private guides could hardly speak English.Seemed we never got great hotel rooms that qualified as deluxe or superior.Our family of six spent way to much money with this untrustworthy company,Wish I had read peoples previous reviews before booking with them.We travel extensively but will never consider using Kensington tours

I have read the reviews but have still chosen to go with Kensington Tours primarily due to our assigned agent, Alistair Kiwana. We did get bids from other companies, and Kensington was very competitive. And Alistair, by far was the best we spoke to in terms of being personable and understanding travel and Africa extremely well----and so we decided to go with him and as a result Kensington. Alistair has been prompt, has thorough knowledge of Africa and has taken the time to listen to what our goals are for this trip and worked very hard to accommodate them from a planning perspective. I can't say enough about his attention to detail and his willingness to listen and his ability to plan from there. When we return, we will make sure and leave another review on the actual trip, which I am confident will be extraordinary.

Beware! Kensington tours takes your money and even if the country is closed for tourism refuses to give you a refund. Who do they think they are to not refund deposits timely?! Buyer beware!!! do not book with Kensington Tours.

If you need help designing a five star custom trip with LESS than 30 days DO NOT USE. They refuse you as a client. Business must be good to turn away paying customres.

UNRELIABLE. Poorly planned. We were promised a seamless, first class 2 week trip to Japan. The hotel rooms offered were all standard rooms - in big box hotels, so we booked our hotels separately. We were promised private transportation but our itinerary listed public transportation. We had no choice if a half day tour was scheduled in the morning or afternoon - and they didn't want to release the details of our itinerary until 3 days before leaving. I insisted and got the itinerary about 10days before and contacted my agent when I found numerous problems, but the worst was when we were in country and discovered problems with our luggage. We were not advised the train's accommodate carryon luggage but not our full size suitcases. Later they acknowledged, 'this is a common problem.' Multiple options abound but were not suggested nor offered. At the last minute we made our own arrangement to have our luggage shipped ahead - a common solution but a panic when discovering the problem hours before leaving. What a mess.

Truly an amazing experience from start to finish!! We had such attention to detail by all staff involved in planning and executing our big family trip to Norway. Every single part of the trip went smoothly - and for a family with 4 children, that is hard to accomplish. The communication was great the entire time, and the actual experience was just so perfect. We can't thank everyone enough, especially our specific agent Mirka. THANK YOU!

Our family recently used Kensington Tours for a vacation to London and Paris. Unfortunately this was a mistake and we will not book with them again. The front end planning was already a disaster before we left. They charged us for items such as Disney Land Paris only to discover after I inquired about reserving the day (mandatory with Disney) that they would have to refund our money for this day and I would have to take care of the booking. The refund took over 4 weeks to receive. Kensington failed to secure our Eiffel Tower tickets. Our travel agent stepped in to find them instead and Kensington had to refund her. I'm so glad we had her watching this. We had problems getting our room booked even thought we booked 10 months in advance. Our travel documents indicated that breakfast was included however it was not included in the London portion of the trip (no refund). We had problems with our tour guides not understanding what our day looked like and missed some key areas. Our private driver never arrived in London to drive us to our Harry Potter tour. The driver never even called us. We spent the morning contacting Kensington and we told them that we were taking a cab and they said to send them the bill. We have sent them the bill for the two cars we required and weeks later still no refund ($300+). One excursion in Paris illustrated one River boat in the brochure and voucher only to find out after arrival it was a different boat that we would have to wait over 1 hr and 45 minutes for not to mention being crammed on to a boat that you can't even move on (not the illustrated picture). We did not even go on this excursion once we saw the boat and wait time. The final breaking point was our room in Paris. We stressed the importance of convenience for a family when we booked this. Master bath did not even have a toilet in the bathroom (only shower and sink). Anytime you had to use the toilet we had to wake up our daughter sleeping in the living room where there was another bathroom. The hotel also tried to charge us again for the room at checkout not understanding Kensington paid for the room. What did go well? Not much other than private transportation when it did show up was great. We had one tour guide in London that we really liked. In the end thank goodness our personal travel agent stepped in to resolve many of these issues. I saw what we paid for rooms at checkout. Kensington charged a premium for this trip and it certainly was not a premium experience. I do not recommend using them at all. Do the work yourself and save some money since you will end up doing the work anyway.

My family and I were looking to book a trip over Feb vacation to Iceland. While the agent from Kensington was responsive in building an itinerary, the cost of the trip was outrageously high (didn't include airfare, taxi or transfers). When I compared Kensington's recommended activities and hotel with other tour companies for the EXACT same trip, they were 35% more expensive. When I informed Kensington of this they replied with a snarky email that they were 'happy I found a trip that met my budget requirements' deftly avoiding the fact that they overcharge clients. I highly recommend avoiding Kensington Tours.

My husband, 9 year old daughter and I decided to go to India and Sunita organized our family trip. From the minute I spoke to her I knew I was speaking to the right person. Sunita helped in many ways from advising how to get our Indian VISAs to organizing our entire 10 day Golden triangle itinerary. She accommodated all our needs and wants with ease and care. Our trip would not have been the magical experience it was without Sunita's help and organization. Delhi representative Poorva was one of the sweetest most accommodating people I could've ever wished for. She connected us with a wonderful driver, Jugjeet and a daily tour guide named GK. GK was a very well informed educated tour guide, who took us to some of the most famous monuments in new and old Delhi. Our tour guide in Agra Sohrab was absolutely outstanding. His knowledge on the Mughal empire, and how it affected the Indian history was so animated and so enthusiastic that my husband and I would catch ourselves enthralled and throughly entertained throughout the three days we spent together. Sohrab was not only very educated, warm and kind, but was a phenomenal photographer. We felt like we had a professional accompanying us and capturing the shock and awe that we experienced visiting each and every monument, especially the Taj Mahal. Sohrab was thoroughly professional, remarkably thoughtful, and an absolute joy to be around. He also had a magical affect on people around him. Everyone in Agra somehow knew him and revered him so anywhere we went we were seen to be respected. Then we set off for Jaipur, where our tour guide Hitesh was equally informed and wonderful as the rest. There was a place that I wanted to visit that was outside of our already organized itinerary, and I was very apprehensive if it was going to work in our schedule. Fortunately, for me Poorva and Hitesh, both made it happen with ease and comfort. The place I wanted to visit was hours away from where we were but neither Hitesh nor Jagjit made it seem like an imposition. Both gentleman took me with such ease, and such joy that I thought I was doing them the favor, even though it was evident that they were doing me the favor. Hitesh is a proud Hindu man, and where I had wanted to go was a Muslim shrine. I didn't know how comfortable I would be navigating this new territory without a guide, because I presumed Hitesh would not be comfortable accompanying me into a Muslim Shrine but boy was I wrong. This darling gentleman not only accompanied me, and was my absolute shadow the entire day for my comfort and my safety, but also organized the most well equipped person to give me a first hand tour of the shrine, and gave me access to parts of the shrine, that I never thought would be possible. Hitesh made me so proud that day with his open mindedness and acceptance of our religious difference and background, and made me feel inspired. The love and respect that he showed that day will forever stay in my heart. A true gem!!!! Highly recommend Kensington tours for any future adventures.

We used Kensington Tours for our trip to Egypt in September 2022. It was AMAZING. They thought of everything and were easy to coordinate our private tour and schedules with. All people they booked were top notch (special shout out to Ramadan, our private, English speaking Egyptologist). We felt safe, had a great time, and I will recommend them to anyone wanting to travel to Egypt.

We are very unhappy with this tour company in light of the COVID 19 pandemic. For them it is business as usual with no consideration of the fact that borders are closed and travelers can not get to their destination. They are sticking people with fees left and right. They communicate only by email. You cannot even get a live person on the phone when tens of thousands of dollars are at risk. Stay away from Kensington tours.

We had book a trip to Victoria Falls, South Africa for April. COVID hit airlines shut down, international travel, was stopped. We used 2 different travel agencies. We couldn't get in and out of S.A. Airline returned money as did first travel travel agency.Kensington REFUSED to return money. Careful with upfront fees.

We used Kensignton for our trip to Egypt and they did amazing. Airport assistance was KEY after long flights, and we had private shuttles and our driver did a great job. Traffic was crazy in Cairo, so we appreciated him getting us safely everywhere. We had printed itineraries, all our guides spoke English, they got us everywhere we needed to go. We would use them again for sure. Every aspect of the trip was take care of and we were so glad to have that kind of pressure off of us and we were just able to enjoy!!

Briana Kryger from Kensington Tours did a superb job in providing us with a private luxury 7 day family tour (7 people including 1 toddler) of the Golden Triangle of Andalusia, Spain (Seville, Cordoba, and Granada) in spring 2018. All of our accommodations, transportation/drivers, private tours were excellent and we couldn't be more pleased! Thank you for providing us with a family vacation that was the trip of a lifetime!

I booked a custom Italy holiday with this company, specifically through Kimberly D'Aoust and it was amazing! From start to finish there were zero problems and everything went smoothly! We traveled to Rome, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast and Capri. The trip was amazing!!!!! Thanks to Kensington! I highly recommend this company for custom travel!

Had Europe trip booked, borders are closed, airlines cancelled our flights, the venues are closed and yet Kensington is sticking us with their cancellation contract to charge 25% at a later date or lose 100% of our trip.

My experience with Kensington Tours travel expert, Katie L, was disappointing. After spending a day at the airport for our transfer from Thailand to Siem Reap, which was arranged by Kensington tours, and which caused us to miss the excursion planned by Kensington Tours, she advised us of the following: I just wanted to follow up with an explanation of what transpired in regards to your flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap. I have spoken with the team in our Thailand office, who acknowledged that a mistake was made on their end, as I had requested that you be put on the earliest possible flight. We do have record of this in our correspondence, and it was an oversight on their part. She added, Again, I am terribly sorry for the trouble this caused you and understand how frustrated you must have been. I will be refunding you the cost of the transfers and the tour in Siem Reap as a customer service gesture. I sincerely hope that you can forgive us this internal miscommunication and give us another chance to prove that this mistake is not characteristic of Kensington Tours! We never received the refund and she stopped responding to our inquiries. I hope this is not characteristic of Kensingtours but rather this employee. Beware....

Danielle and Victoria from Kensington did an amazing job of planning my birthday trip to Greece (Athens, Paros & Santorini) for seven adults. Our drivers were always there to meet us despite flight delays and ferry strikes. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable, friendly, professional and reliable. Your company made us feel as if we had relatives in Greece. My only hiccup is that our hotel rooms were not equitable, there was always one room out of three that was either tiny in comparison to the others in our group or in a lesser grade area. Be sure to check your rooms upon arrival.

Due to the Covid pandemic our trip to Italy had to be cancelled. Unlike other companies, Kensington is still keeping a fee and after 11 weeks have not refunded any money. Funny how they took my money immediately but are saying now it will be another 10 weeks (that makes 21 weeks total wait time) before I get any money back. I'm not feeling hopeful. Because of their handling cancellations I would not book with them again and I would not recommend them. The way they are treating customers at this time shows what they value and it's not the customer. There are other great companies that are being thoughtful in the unusual circumstances the world is in right now.

My wife and I used Kensington Tours to arrange a two week tour of northern France. We were completely satisfied with the arrangements. The representative who we worked with us to plan the trip, Chantal Gouveia, was extremely helpful in coordinating all the locations we wanted to visit within the timeframe of the trip. All of the guides and drivers were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. In Paris and vicinity, Yaelle Marceau was wonderful in guiding and sharing her first-hand knowledge of each of the sites we visited, answering our questions and accommodating all of our requests. In the Loire Valley, Marine Picard led us through the beautiful chateaux and drove us around the countryside, all the while helping us understand the history of the area. In Normandy and at Mont Saint-Michel, Antoine Guitteny's enthusiasm was contagious and we had a great time spending several days with him. We had previously used Kensington to plan a tour of New Zealand and Australia, and that was an equally great experience.

Terrible service very poor responses to concerns and problems We spent 10,000 dollars with this company and they and their representative in Spain were again really unresponsive to our problems, needs and the issues created by their bookings and representatives. I would never recommend using their service.

Just got back from a 2 week trip through Peru. Found Kensington Tours through online reviews. Noraly helped set up an amazing, intimate, interesting, somewhat exclusive trip for our small group of 4. The tours and tour guides were excellent. We had the same guide and driver for the entire time we were in each area. There was someone waiting for us after every plane flight and train trip- and on our return trips the same person was there to pick us up (no signs needed- just a familiar face waving at us). The accommodations were first class, the food was great, and each experience was better than the last. We will use them for all of our future trips.