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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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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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Asia
Madelyn Markoe ,
May 16, 2013
"We just returned last night from our extraordinary vacation in Bali, and I wanted to thank you and Kensington Tours for all of your help in planning and organization. It was truly a seamless vacation with the most incredible people and beautiful, hospitable resorts. I will certainly recommend this company to many of my fellow travelers and I'm looking forward to using it again myself for my future travels abroad. Thank you again, and I hope you have a great weekend!"
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Asia
Janet Leggat ,
May 24, 2013
"Allen did a wonderful job organizing our trip. Our tour guide Moko was outstanding. Very knowledgeable and professional. Mr Lu our driver was excellent. Fabulous trip. Excellent. Everything was perfect. Trip of a lifetime. "
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Asia
JoellenScannell ,
May 23, 2013
"Our trip was perfect ! Tour guides , hotels, itinerary , were all top notch ! This was a trip of a life time. I highly recommend Kensington. "
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Australia & Pacific
Sharon Weckenbrock ,
May 15, 2013
"We are safely back home but still on Cloud 9 from the fabulous trip that you helped to put together for us! Everything worked just as I had hoped it would and in many cases, exceeded all expectations.
We have definitely been recommending you and your company to anyone asking our advice and again, we can't thank you enough for a trip of a lifetime!"
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Egypt to India
Elisabeth Greene ,
April 19, 2013
"Everything was extremely smooth and really appreciated how everything was taken care.The hotels were wonderful and the Taj Mahal exceeded her expectations and was very nice."
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Central America
MikeCoke ,
April 09, 2013
"Our Costa Rica trip was amazing. The whole family thinks its the best we've ever taken! Kensington did an excellent job of organizing everything. The two hotels they picked were amazing.
Arenal -- The Springs Resort & Spa was almost too good since as soon as the family saw it they wanted to cancel activities so they could take full advantage of all it offered. We ultimately did cancel the safari to give us a free day to spend a day at the spa, pools and Club Rio (riding the river in innertubes!). The activities Kensington setup were excellent and very adventurous. Our favorite was canyoneering (repelling), We were all terrified at the first drop-off! It's more thrilling the zip lining (also lots of fun) and river rafting (a blast as well).
Manuel Antonio -- The Preserve at Los Altos was very nice. It was like staying in a 3 bedroom apartment at a boutique hotel (same feel as Athenum in London but nicer). The drive to get there was a bit long but worth it when our driver made a surprise stop at the the "crodillio bridge". The tour through Manuel Antonio National Park is a must do for nature lovers (3 types of monkeys, sloths, etc). Our guide was excellent. If you go MA NP, try Kapi Kapi for dinner.
I'd highly recommend using Kensington (Brandi was our rep) for a Costa Rica trip. Thanks for hooking us up with them.
Have fun.
Mike"
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Asia
Ed Anderson ,
April 09, 2013
"The trip was wonderful and all had a great time. "