The Luxury Safari Company
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- Air Travel Organisers' Licensing
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $18,410 to $69,036 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Claudia | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Solo Traveler Advised to Book Elsewhere: What's Wrong with my $58k?
So, after getting a quote, they apologize that their young operators think I should join a group and they can't fulfil. This after factoring in many single supplements, etc. Do they need a full vehicle for more tipping customers? What is up with this? I travelled all over the world for Conde Nast's Traveler, Departures,
Brides Magazine, Family Circle, Elle Decor, & about 40 in all. Never had my money asked to go elsewhere. Hmmmmm.
Reply from The Luxury Safari Company
Posted on Sep 7, 2016Dear Claudia,
We appreciate the time you have taken to write this review.
1 Within 24 hours of exchanging emails (during which almost all of that time was dedicated to your enquiry only) and phone calls with yourself we soon realised we were not a good fit for you - instead of continuing to waste your time we suggested another operator or group may be more beneficial for your safari plans.
2 None of the properties or Pro Guides we use rely on tips. The best staff are employed by our camps and lodges and therefore they are paid accordingly, without having to worry about tips making up their pay.
3 We secured waived single supplements at two out of four properties we were looking at (something which was done for us as a favour due to our reputation within the industry), something which we did due to your persistence - these supplements are there to cover the losses made by the lodges when a traveller is alone, they are not meant to offend or cause upset, and are not imposed by us. When paying a single supplement you still don't pay the full room price.
4 We will not take anyone's money, no matter how much, if we do not feel we can provide the type of experience the client is after. We prefer to work with that level of integrity, rather than taking bookings we know we cannot fulfil.
Reasons we feel we cannot provide a safari include:
Unrealistic expectations from the client, despite advice/us trying to manage these.
Demands by the client which are not possible in Africa/the World through no fault of our own.
Rude and unprovoked negative language/phone calls/emails put to any of our staff, who work 7 days a week all day and night for our clients and are very precious to us as safari experts and individuals.
Rose & The Team
Email nikki | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!
I had no idea what to expect when I set out for the safari. All I knew was that it was the most money I had spent on myself ever.
The end result was that I had the best time of my life! First class experience all round. Best money ever spent.
Thank you Luxury Safari Company....can't wait to come back.
Email Pandora Webb | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Deeply knowledgeable and hugely efficient
We have just returned from our first trip with Luxury Safari and I have to say from start to finish they were just incredible.
This was a big trip for us as a family, something that was years in the making in our minds and Rose and her team just made the whole experience magical and effortless. It was our first time doing a trip like this with our young children which initially felt a little daunting but Luxury Safari took all of those worries away.
I am so pleased we didn’t try and do a trip like this on our own - without doubt we will use Luxury Safari again.
CA
Email Nick M | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Pure luxury and fun!
What an amazing trip to Kenya. From the first day planning to the moment we left Nairobi, the attention to detail was second to none.
The camps were all exactly as we had hoped for, intimate, private, in amazing environments. Laikipia, Mara and Diani beach were all perfect!
The logistics and travel as slick as you could wish, and even when we had a last minute question on the plains, at some ungodly hour, the team at Luxury Safari responded immediately!
You know you’ve had a magical safari when you’re already discussing booking the next. More lions, leopards, rhino!!
I’d discourage anyone from booking a trip like this by themselves..it’s not worth it!! you need peace of mind and a safety net when in Africa.. We met two couples who had pulled together their own safari and had a few travel and logistics issues and the stress it caused, trying to fix the issues themselves.. was palpable. We were stress free every day!!!
Email Vanessa Yeoman | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Stress free travel with exceptional planning.....
We have just returned from our 5th trip organised by The Luxury Safari Company. This time we were in South Africa.......both locations were superb, the planning and execution of our trip was faultless, meaning we arrived, relaxed and happy.
Thank you Rose..... looking forward to Trip Number 6 to Rwanda in October.
Vanessa x
Email Belinda | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Rose always understands exactly how to make the best possible trip / experience for us.
We have Just returned from &beyond sossusvlei in Namibia and Atzaro camp in Botswana. We have had the most amazing experiences at two totally different locations. Both lodges and activities were 5 star and I’d highly recommend. We have travelled extensively in Africa and I’d put this as one of our best trips.
Main memories include, climbing ‘Big Daddy’, cave paintings, petrified dunes , the stars and planets at night with an astrologer and incredible sundowners at Sossusvlei. At Atzaro just about every animal and more that we could have ever hoped to see even porcupines and honey badgers not to mention leopard, a family of lions and wild dogs. I miss the night sounds.
Definitely planning to go back soon.
Thank you Rose (The luxury safari company)
Email David and Ellyce | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb safari destinations, seamless organization!
A Dream Come True
We recently returned from an amazing Safari in Kenya that was organized by Rose Hipwood and her team at the Luxury Safari Company.
This was our first safari and our first visit to Equatorial Africa.
When we were planning our trip, we searched the internet for information on Safari companies…Rose’s website stood out as being well prepared and informative. We decided to contact her whereupon she organized a video conference call with us. During that call, Rose homed in on the wildlife we hoped to see and experiences we were seeking. From there Rose curated our dream vacation.
From the moment we arrived in Nairobi we were keenly aware that having Rose’s knowledge and connections were priceless; as we had been advised, the airport in Nairobi is a bit chaotic. As promised, we were met immediately, assisted in getting our luggage, being delivered to our driver who then took us to our first destination, the beautiful Hemingways Hotel. That same driver picked us up the next morning and thankfully ensured that we were checked in at the Wilson Airport, the hub for safari destinations.
In order to accommodate our wildlife wish list, Rose had arranged for us to visit three different locations: Ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills, Saruni Samburu (now called Saruni Basecamp) near the Rift Valley, and Rekero Camp in the Masai Mara. This combination provided us with the opportunity to see vastly different terrains, elephants, lots of beautiful elephants, two types of giraffes, two types of zebras, two types of gazelles, wildebeest, cheetahs, lions and lionesses that got so close you could pet them, hippos, crocodiles, the elusive serval cat, a leopard and birds of every feather; the list goes on!
Each of the camps was stunning in its own unique way, yet they all provided us with exceptional wildlife viewing experiences, outstanding guides, fabulous food, and incredibly caring and attentive managers and staff.
Rose suggested that we end our adventure at “Alfajiri”, a beautiful property near Diani Beach on the Indian Ocean just south of the Equator. Our villa, the host and staff were all fabulous! It was a wonderful place to relax and rejuvenate, another exceptional experience!
Rose and her team at the Luxury Safari Company organized our vacation with seamless precision. They arranged for the best accommodations and service providers in the business, thereby ensuring that we were safely delivered to every airport, camp, and villa. We were assisted with all of our needs, even an unexpected one for medication. All we had to do was wake up and wait to see what nature wanted to share with us.
David and Ellyce
Aptos California.
Email Cliff | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very responsive, turnkey, and knowledgeable
Rose did an amazing job pulling together a 4 week itinerary for us. Moving around between camps is very sophisticated (we met several stranded travelers). Rose made it seamless and hassle free. The facilities chosen were top notch! I would highly recommend.
Rose was knowledgeable, efficient, thorough, and clear about all costs and arrangements
We arranged a trip through The Luxury Safari Co to Zambia in 10/25. We worked with Rose who is quite knowledgeable about all of Africa. She answered all of our questions very quickly and seems to always be available for consultation. All arrangements were made as expected and there were no negative surprises on our trip. We visited 3 different lodges with transfer by taxi and small plane. There was not a single snafu with all of the somewhat complicated itinerary. The 3 lodges- Sindabezi, Sausage Tree, and Sungani were all different and all excellent in their own ways. We will definitely use The Luxury Safari Company again for future trips to Africa.
Email Ken and Chris | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent and well organized
Everything was superb and went like clockwork. Our safari lodges and Cape Town tours were exactly what we wanted