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Africa
JoyceHorgan ,
November 08, 2012
"I am a world traveller and this was one of my Top 3 vacations ever! Kensington Tours did a great job with EVERY little detail, from the planning to being met and catered to every step of the way. Our favorite lodges were Tau Pan in the Kalahari, Botswana & Moon Mountain in Sossusvlei, Namibia. We especially loved the Batswana people and all the animals we saw at Camp Moremi on the Okavanga River. The highlight of our trip was actually our stay in Swakopmund when we stayed on the South Atlantic & went for an exciting boat ride to see all the sealife up close and personal (like a seal coming onboard the boat!), a rollar coaster dune ride in a 4 X 4!! the balloon ride over the red sand dunes over Namibia and several champagne brunches in the middle of the desert. Also, will never forget all the sundowmer game drives which ended with our favorite cocktail, watching the sunset with wildlife close at hand!
Unforgettable. Thanks Ivona for planning it all!"
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Africa
MarkMasterson ,
October 26, 2012
"35 Goose Pond Road
Lincoln, MA 01773
October, 2012
Re: Steven Weru Kinyua, Kenya tour guide
We recently returned from a wonderful 8 day tour of Kenya with Steven, he is an exceptional individual. But one example: As we returned to the Samburu lodge from our first game drive, Steven pointed out a young, sick-looking lion in the shade of a tree. We observed it momentarily and soon returned to the lodge for dinner.
The next day Steven mentioned he had reported the weak young lion to the local Samburu ranger. Steven explained that due to the arrival of a new alpha male in his pride the young lion had likely been chased out before he was able to hunt for himself. He further explained that the young lion would be welcome back in a week or two, if he were alive. I pursued the full story w/Steven. The ranger Steven had reported the weak lion to had been unresponsive, indicating he would do nothing. Steven, unsatisfied w/that response told the ranger to report it to the Head Park Ranger, or he would. The Head Ranger agreed with Steven's analysis of the situation; bought 10 kilos of meat for the young lion; and directed his staff to feed it appropriately.
Steven understood the workings of that lion pride, and has an exceptional knowledge of all the wild animals of Kenya. Furthermore he has a passion for their well-being. He would not accept a lazy, disinterested response from the local ranger. During our trip in Kenya I had occasion to speak to groups of secondary school students. I related Steven's actions as an excellent example of a Kenyan's knowledge, passion and commitment.
One day Steven pointed out a cheetah. We saw the cheetah w/a young impala in its mouth. After the cheetah had choked the young impala, Steven explained the mother cheetah was calling her cubs --it was thrilling to see the 3 cubs come tearing across the plain creating a mini-dust storm in their wake. The mother gave the kill to her cubs. Steven explained they had to learn to open it up. Shortly she sent them off the kill, twenty paces or so, then froze, looking westerly. A lion, smelling the kill Steven explained, was moving off to the north about a 1000 yards away. Intent on the lion the mother cheetah remained frozen in place (as we're the cubs, mimicking their mother). After the lion passed the mother called the cubs back to the kill. Not 15 minutes later the lion came back, followed by yapping jackels, this time moving off to the east of the cheetahs. As soon as the lion appeared, the mother cheetah repeated her previous actions, sending off the cubs and freezing over the kill, intently watching the lion. Steven explained that the jackels were distracting the lion from the kill, knowing if the lion found the kill, nothing would be left for them. Again the lion passed off to the southeast, never able to find the cheetah kill.
This summary highlights events that played out over a 90 minute period. In that time several tourist rovers and vans came, took pictures of the cheetahs, and left. None of those tourists had a complete explanation of the scene that was playing out before us. Game-viewing w/Steven is a rich experience, a clear cut above the average.
In our time w/Steven we had lengthy conversations about the pluses and minuses of grass-burning, the challenges of maintaining wildlife corridors, park encroachment by locals, roadway underpasses for big game, etc. in addition we discussed ukabila and other political challenges facing Kenya. Steven Kinyua is an exceptional Kenyan guide. He has a wonderful sense of humor, and made our Kenya safari a wonderful learning experience we will cherish for years.
Mark Masterson, Ed.D."
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Asia
Debbie Selden ,
June 14, 2013
"We had a great time and our guide in Bejing was fantastic! Thanks much for all your help."
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Asia
Laura Williams ,
June 10, 2013
"I just wanted to tell anyone who will listen that Allen Thompson did a fabulous job putting together a trip for Laura Williams and her family (5 adults) to China. These are valued repeat clients of mine, however, I have NEVER been able to talk them into a tour before. We usually do all their sightseeing with the concierge’s at the 5 star hotels they visit.
I received a call from Laura last evening and she talked for 1 hour about how fabulous EVERYTHING was. The guide that they had in Beijing was a cute little person named Rainbow…they thought she should have been named “Sunshine”, but in all their travels they have never had a guide as wonderful as Rainbow. She knows the sites like you know you neighborhood, and she obviously had done reconnaissance before they arrived, and she knew instinctively when to step in and offer assistance, and when to stand back and let them do their own thing.
As an example of the reconnaissance statement above. The ladies on the trip thought that all the reports from their friends about the ladies bathrooms in China, must be outdated, because every ladies bathroom they visited while with Rainbow were clean, had western toilets, etc. When they walked out on their own, or when they got to Shanghai and were directed to bathrooms with a “hole in the floor” they realized that Rainbow had obviously been aware of how American women feel about bathroom facilities, and made sure they went to the nice, clean, Western style bathrooms. There were many other examples, but I thought this was the best.
When they arrived in Shanghai and met Rebecca (their guide) they felt a bit sorry for her that she had to follow Rainbow, but she turned out to be very informed, and informative. Very cheerful, and efficient, and had it not been that she was the next guide after Rainbow, they would have rated her as a fabulous guide.
Everything went just as planned, except it rained every day, all day, until the last day in Shanghai. We do not know why you did not order better weather for them!!! Ha!
So in conclusion, and aren’t you glad? They L O V E D the trip. It was all of their favorite trip in their entire live! And believe me, they have lots to compare it with. Everything went like clockwork, and they loved China and especially her people.
This is a great big THANK YOU! To Allen and all of you at Kensington Tours.
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Europe
Kim Bereswill ,
May 21, 2013
"We just returned from a two week trip to Russia and had the best experience imagined with our Kensington tour. We visited Moscow and St. Petersburg and learned so much about Russian and world history on our trip. We felt very safe throughout the trip. Our two guides Nadia and Anastasia were very friendly, organized, knowledgeable and fun throughout our stay. Everything went exactly as pre-planned and we appreciated Morgan McKenna's follow through. Russia is a great place to visit. It is very modern these days with great shopping, outdoor cafes, amazing bakeries and candy shops. The train stations in Moscow look like art museums and are very clean and safe. We did get to see a little of the May Day parade on May 1st in Moscow. We enjoyed the side trips to the ancient monasteries, convents and palaces also. Every day was amazing and our photographs are beautiful. The trip was every thing I hoped it would be! Thank You!"
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Egypt to India
Carolann MacGregor ,
June 14, 2013
"I’m back and I had an AMAZING trip from beginning to end – trip of a lifetime to be sure. Aseem, I wanted to thank you for all your help, advice and fantastic planning for this trip. The itinerary, accommodations and guides were phenomenal! As a single woman travelling alone, I have to be willing to get on that plane and have the faith there will be dependable, competent people at the other end for me when I arrive. And with both of my Kensington trips, my hopes were surpassed. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about this trip."
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Europe
Janet Deutsch ,
June 11, 2013
"We had an awesome, awesome trip with zero flaws. The tour guides were friendly, informative, and professional. It was great. Our favorite guide was probably the one who gave us our walking tour of Lisbon. But our favorite place was Porto and the wine area. Why am I not drinking port wine all of the time?
The bike tour day was awesome. Totally the best day. And the tour operators were so great and planned such a nice day for us including a beautiful boat trip at the end of the day on the Douro River. Awesome.
Thank you so much for planning such a great trip for us. It was wonderful. It was worth the cost for me not to have to make all of the arrangements myself, and you chose excellent hotels etc. Thank you!
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Asia
Linda Martin ,
May 29, 2013
"All of our guides have been excellent! The drivers have all been excellent as well. They have all been very helpful and punctual. The guides have not only done an outstanding job with their assigned schedules and tours, but have also been very helpful with suggestions and advice about options for us to do on our own for dinners, shopping, etc. Our guide David in Beijing was fantastic!
We travel extensively and have agreed that he is the best private guide we have experienced over many years!
All of the accommodations have been outstanding as well. Exceptional service has been received at every location we have been. We are currently on our last day of the Yangtze River trip and the ship and staff are second to none.
To sum up the trip to this point is to say it has been outstanding! The level of service, organization and professionalism shown by the staff you have selected has been exceptional. Thank you and the Kensington team for doing such a great job! Kensington has done such an outstanding job, that we will always look to you first for our annual travel arrangements."
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Europe
JoAnn Piervinanzi ,
June 05, 2013
"Everything was wonderful. You did a terrific job in creating one of our dream vacations. I will fill out the survey, however, I wanted to personally thank you for all your hard work and efforts that you put into a lifetime memory for Bill and I."
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South America
Dennis Ishiki ,
June 10, 2013
"We want to thank you for an amazing and memorable trip. I'm sure each family will have their own thoughts and comments, and, for Karen and I, the itinerary you prepared for us was well thought out, organized and met our expectations. Machu Picchu.... the books, travel shows and documentaries does not compare to the actual first sight experience, it was breathtaking - it was more that we expected !! The hotels, the guides, the excursions, the meals that were provided were all first class.
Cesar who guided Karen and I on our day visit in Lima, was informative, knowledgeable, patient and very accommodating.
Although we didn't get to see any black cayman or boa constrictors, the Amazon experience was great. The "huts" in the Inkaterra Reserve were perfect for the setting, the meals were great and the wait staff, especially Karen (our server) really took care of us, and Moises our tour guide was very informative.
Vanessa, who led us on our trip to see the Nazca lines was Karen's favorite guide and I also liked her.
Rosie, who guided us in Cusco and then on to Machu Picchu and all points in between did the most remarkable job. She continuously kept our interest even though some of us were distracted with altitude discomfort/fatigue.
Richard, who guided in Puno and Lake Titicaca was very good. The altitude was very demanding, but he was able to keep our pace within our "physical" limits.
And Lilly, who at first had the easiest job, the friendly face to greet us...transferring us to the hotel and back to our departures actually had the most trying and stressful job. On our way to Puerto Maldonado, the main expressway into the airport came to a standstill due to an accident....when we arrived at the airport, it was chaos and we eventually missed our flight. She however, handled the situation in a very business like manner, making sure we were attended to and eventually getting us onto the next direct flight to Puerto Maldonado on schedule.
So, again, thank you, we had a great time
Dennis and Karen
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