Our trip to Rwanda and Kenya was an amazing adventure that exceeded any expectations we might have had. I'm not sure I even know how to break it down but I'll try. Every aspect of our actual travel experience was without a doubt, meticulously planned and executed. From our jetway greeters/customs guides, to our transfer people (Willis, et all) to our drivers and guides, everything went off without a hitch. Never did we feel that we had to do anything but show up and someone or multiple people would be waiting for us. The only downside was our flight delay out of ORD and your team on the ground, in Nairobi, made the necessary adjustments and was waiting for us on our arrival. The accommodations in Rwanda at Heaven and Anakora Lodge were just perfect. It goes without saying that our gorilla trekking was an unbelievable lifetime experience....truly amazing. Toppng that experience off with the monkey trekking and the trip to the Genocide Museum left us loving Rwanda and its people. The museum brought Connie to tears and left me limp. The monkeys were hilarious. The camps in Lwea and Mara North were also perfect. You really did listen to us by finding small camps, in the heart of the conserviencies. I also want to thank you for guiding us to the convercencies as opposed to the National Parks. The lack of crowds and small numbers of vehicles made for a truly personalized experience. Again, what can we say about the daily safaris? Our driver/guides were great. We saw every African animal possible, many within feet of our vehicles. The staff were just the loveliest people possible and in these two camps the food was amazing. Chef John in Lewa could open a restaurant tomorrow in Boulder. Lastly, Diani Beach. Great location, warm water, very nice room, fantastic staff and again the best food. We went to Africa to see animals and came away with the experience of having been taken care of by the warmest and most lovely people anywhere. We wish we could remember everyone's name but want to send a special acknowledgement to our driver/guide Emile, in Rwanda (Bush and Beyond needs to use this independent contractor whenever they can), Sasha, Caroline, Janet and James in Lewa, Moses, Simon and Charles in Mara North and Terry, Angeline and Dorcas in Diani Beach. We wish we could remeber them all. The one thing that left us wanting was our departure from Nairobi. Due to our late flight departure, 01:30, we had a lot of time to kill. The restaurants recommended felt very western and we really wanted more of a local African flavor. Neither Carnivore (just like Fogo de Chao) or the Italian restaurant we went to filled the bill. Ok, I think that's long enough. MELANIE, you put together a wonderful trip, we will use and recommend you and TRAVEL BEYOND to anyone considering a travel consultant. If our travel plans point us back to Africa or to Asia you will be the person we call. read more

My husband and I decided we wanted to go to Africa for our honeymoon and we wanted it to be the most memorable trip ever. After searching around, we found Travel Beyond on the internet and saw that it had amazing reviews. We contacted Craig and from the first moment speaking with him, we were hooked. We could tell right away that he knew Africa like the back of his hand and we wanted him to plan our trip. From the beginning to the end of the trip, every detail was perfect. We told Craig that we wanted to spend a month traveling around Africa and that we didn't shy away from lots of activity. He planned the most amazing trip; in the month we traveled to six different countries, took 24 flights, and stayed at 16 different hotels/camps. In all of that coordinating, there was not one single detailed missed. Every time we got off a flight there or showed up to a new hotel, there was a staff member standing there waiting for our arrival. Craig took care of all the details from reminding me to apply for a new passport (I took my husband's last name when we got married) to providing us with information about travel insurance, to scheduling massages for the afternoon we arrived in Cape Town (a great idea after such a long flight) to even letting the staff know at the various camps that I did not eat tomatoes. Everything was absolutely perfect and we cannot thank Craig enough for the experience of a lifetime. After that, we decided we were a "Craig believer"! Both my husband and I travel quite a bit, and we agree that Craig provides an unprecedented level of service. If you are looking for a travel agency, please pick Travel Beyond. I promise, you will be thanking your lucky stars that you did! After such a wonderful experience with Travel Beyond, we decided to have Travel Beyond plan our next trip to Bora Bora. We just got back from that trip and had yet another flawless, memorable trip all thanks to Travel Beyond. This time we worked with Sue. She coordinated the inter-island flights, transfers hotel reservations, and made dinner reservations for us. She always promptly and thoroughly responded to any of our inquiries. She and Craig recommended a restaurant called Villa Mahana. It was the best meal my husband and I have ever had. Hands down. We really appreciate the fact that we know when an agent from Travel Beyond recommends something, it really is the best of the best. My husband wanted to do some kiteboarding on the trip and Craig even went to the trouble of scouting out the best beach for that...where the most wind is. That's the level of detail you will get from Travel Beyond. Thank you Sue and Craig for helping us create the most wonderful memories. read more

Based on the recommendation of a former colleague, we used Travel Beyond to plan our recent trip to East Africa with another couple, and we were very pleased. This was our first trip to Africa, and arranging a trip can be confusing given the number of travel advisors, tour operators, safari companies, etc. that are in the market. We had initial difficulty in finding the right advisor/company to work with. Once we were introduced to Travel Beyond, we worked extensively with Melanie, who has been in Africa on many trips. None of our group knew a lot about East Africa, so Melanie helped us think about what we really wanted to do and experience. She then provided some customized itineraries and budgets for our consideration. Just as importantly, she helped steer us away from some of the more "touristy" experiences in East Africa. Melanie was very patient in working with us and addressing our questions and concerns. Ultimately we booked a two-week trip to Kenya and Tanzania, with my wife and I continuing on to Rwanda for a couple of days of trekking to see mountain gorillas. Melanie and Elle kept in regular contact leading up to the trip, and provided comprehensive information and instructions on what to pack, how to obtain visas, etc. Travel Beyond effectively provided a turn-key customized experience, with four to six different hotels/lodges/camps, flights between locations, tours and game drives, etc. The properties were uniformly of very high quality and unique, with wonderful service and food. From a "peace of mind" standpoint, we had someone with us at each entry/exit/transfer point to help with immigration, security, logistics, luggage, etc. We also had a dedicated "local" contact while on the trip to handle any questions or help with any issues (which we didn't have). While all four of our group are experienced travelers and have made most of our own arrangements in the past, it was great to have someone else worry about the logistics so we could focus on the experience. We had a wonderful trip and are already thinking about our next one. We can very enthusiastically recommend Travel Beyond. A safari is by no means an inexpensive trip, but we found that Travel Beyond worked with us to understand what was possible at different budgets and then crafted an exceptional trip. read more

I end up knowing the existence of Travel Beyond by a review I read on Tripadvisor, I was half way on arranging my Honey Moon by myself, but then decided to have some help from a travel agency, and I'm so thankful and lucky that Travel beyond help me, special that I had to talk to Jeanie Fundora, I speak Spanish as a first language and English as a second language buy Jeanie is fluent Spanish and English speaking so this made everything easier and better. Jeanie is an expert on every aspect of your trip to Africa, from what area to go depending on what you like or necessities ( adventure, romantic, luxury, exclusive, etc) to best planner of logistics on your trip, when you are talking about Africa you have to think and plan a lot on logistics, because there are not much flights to small cities and very few charters to some reserves ( or you have to pay your own private charter and that's very expensive ), and Jeanine does all that work for you the best way ( best times, best budget, and most comfort ) She has been to many safaris in Africa ( 11 of the 12 singitas, most of the AndBeyond, etc) and there is no better way to recommend a destination other than if you have already been to. She is very kind and efficient, all changes you make or questions you have she will have answers that same day or the next day ( most changes take 24 hours because of the time zone in Africa ) She is an expert of restaurants in Cape Town, if you are a foodie, here is where you have to start ( the best restaurants in Cape Town have 2-4 months of RSVP ) Jeanie and Travel Beyond know the owners of most safaris and know the managers of the best hotels, that helps a lot when you want specific things or if there are any problems, solutions come fast. In our 22 day honeymonn trip, Lorenia my wife and I had the best experience of our lives, I cant think of 1 thing didn't go as planned or as we want it to or expect. On the contrary, it higher our expectations way way higher. 100% recommend this agent and travel agency. read more

My wife and I just returned from our first safari in Africa. Our arrangements for the safari were handled by Travel Beyond. Kota Tabuchi was our travel consultant for this trip. We had never been on safari before so it was a pleasure to work with Kota for our trip. We used miles for our international airfare so we did not have a lot of flexibility when it came to dates. Kota had several telephone conversations with me and my wife to get an idea of what we were looking for and what kind of travelers we were. Based upon feedback from several of our friends, we were leaning towards a lodge type of camp in Sabi Sands in South Africa. He provided us with a couple of different itineraries to choose from. One had two different camps in South Africa and one with two camps in Zimbabwe. Kota suggested that we consider "tent style" camps in Zimbabwe to get a more traditional style of safari experience. We took his suggestions and it was the best experience we've ever had. Our "tents" were like rooms in a 5 star hotel. Kota was always prompt in replying to emails and phone calls. Once we secured the international airfare using miles, I reached out to Kota and he quickly confirmed our space at two different camps. The other staff members at Travel Beyond were also easy to work with. They promptly sent out confirmations and arranged trip insurance for us as well. The two camps he recommended in Zimbabwe were terrific. They were both unique and provided us with different experiences. We spent 4 nights at Ruckomechi Camp and then 3 nights at Little Makololo Camp. Both camps were Wilderness Safari camps and both were exceptional experiences. Everything arranged by Travel Beyond went off without a hitch. Drivers met us when they were supposed to, light aircraft flights between camps were right on schedule and accommodations at all camps were exactly as promised. We will definitely do it again and we will definitely use Travel Beyond again. read more

Travel Beyond did an extraordinary job planning and managing our Great Migration Safari across Kenya and Tanzania last August and September. After brief stays at Ole Sirine Hotel in Nairobi and Lake Duluti Lodge near Arusha Tanzania, we spent 3 days and nights at each of 5 venues: Sanctuary Swala Camp in Tarangire National Park, Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp, Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp, Governors II Il Moran Camp in Masai Marat, and ol Donyo Lodge in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. We saw virtual every animal one might want to see, close up but safely. The bird life was an incredible bonus, as was the Leakey Museum at Olduvai Gorge. We wanted a tented Safari experience with a small number of tents in each of our first 4 camps, and each of our camps fit the bill superbly, while being quite comfortable, providing all the necessities. The staff at each camp was most pleasant and bent over backwards to provide flexibility in meeting any special dining needs, and assistance needed because my mobility impairment requires the use of a walker. Our driver/guides were incredibly knowledgeable and most accommodating. There is nothing that we missed seeing, and we had some very pleasant surprises including animal sightings, bush picnics and more. Meals were excellent throughout. We finished our safari at a small luxurious lodge in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, and then spent 2 days in Nairobi visiting the elephant orphanage, giraffe center and the National MuSeum. Travel Beyond also handled all our travel arrangements, both international flights and bush plane hops between our camps. Like everything else they did, everything went swimmingly. All in all, they organized a perfect once in a lifetime experience for us. We could not have made a better choice than Travel Beyond! read more

When 3 friends who have never traveled to Africa, decide to travel to Africa, they very quickly find that it's an overwhelming trip to plan for novices. We needed help and had separately noted very knowledgeable, smart, comments and suggestions for inquiring travelers on various travel threads from Travel Beyond staff. We all agreed we felt good about using them. We never looked back. Jenny was amazing. She helped us with our trip to Victoria Falls then on to two camps in Zambia; Flatdogs for South Luangwe National Park and Chongwe River Camp in the Lower Zambezi. Her recommendations and suggestions we perfect. No detail was left undone including lovely notes waiting for us on arrival, a surprise birthday cake, a floating river lunch, amazing accommodations (quite often being upgraded on our arrival) and being treated exceptionally well at all locations. Though we arrived at our first camp after the evening game drives had departed, she arranged for us to still be taken out once we did arrive. The Tipping Guide provided was the envy of other travelers as well as having greeters at every small regional airport stops to assist with luggage, transfers and boarding. She even helped us with suggestions for the stay that we planned ourselves in Cape Town. Providing us with an emergency number we could call regardless of day or time was a comfort but thankfully never needed. The trip was everything I could have hoped for and more. You will be in good and experienced hands with Travel Beyond. read more

Visiting Africa was a travel dream for my husband and me. All our hopes were realized with the careful planning and attention to our needs with Travel Beyond. From pre-travel conferences with Megan to our return home, every detail was well coordinated. We highly recommend Travel Beyond for the ultimate travel experience. The safari experience in Amboseli, Lewa, and Mara North were exceptional. Accommodations at the three Elewana properties were most luxurious. Each property provided us with a different adventure, wonderful service, and great food. Our guides in Kenya were most professional, extremely passionate about their work, and provided a wealth of knowledge about Eastern Africa. We appreciated learning not only about the animals, birds, insects, and plants, but also much about the way of life in the bush. We also have a greater appreciation for how the natives, conservancies, and government owned land work together to share the beauty with others around the world. Gorilla trekking in Uganda was well worth the time and resources. Being in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park observing gorilla families just inches away was breathtaking! The hike in the forest with guides, trackers, and porters is also a learning experience. Our accommodation at Mahogany Springs was beautiful. We are most appreciative of Megan at Travel Beyond and staff on the ground in Kenya and Uganda for this opportunity. read more

Africa....what a trip we had! Thank you, Pam and Callie, for the excellent arrangements and preparation involved in putting together our itinerary and accommodations. The weather was perfect for the duration of the trip. Transatlantic travel arrangements went smoothly as did the transfers between the camps and the flights within South Africa. Representatives were invariably waiting for us upon our arrivals, were professional and courteous, and prompt in delivering us to our departure sites. Without exception, the guides associated with Wilderness Safaris were engaging, and impressive in their wide-ranging knowledge of flora, fauna, geology, geography and history. Staff at all of the hotels and camps were accommodating and eager to please. The numerous brochures, check-lists and itineraries you provided before-hand resulted in our being well-packed and provisioned. The welcoming notes left by the two of you for our arrival at each destination were a nice touch. In summary....a perfect trip. With the exception of the elusive leopard, we saw all the wildlife we were hoping to see, and well over seventy species have been checked off of our birding list! This is a journey we have looked forward to for many, many years. Our thanks to you both, and to your team, for having made the fine arrangements. read more

My husband and I had been looking for an agency to help us plan a month long vacation to southern and eastern Africa when I happened on on-line comments by Travel Beyond owner, Craig Beal. He was obviously extremely knowledgeable, and he had an eco-conscious sensibility about travel that immediately appealed to me. Craig has visited virtually all the safari camps in that part of Africa. He knows them intimately, and had great advice that helped us make our choices quickly. His staff booked our long flights from San Francisco to Africa, and also lots and lots of short hops within Africa. It was a complicated trip, but they did it efficiently. Our personal rep, Pam, guided us through the rest of the planning details and checked up with our hosts as we traveled to make sure everything was going according to plan. We felt incredibly well taken care of!! We visited Rwanda, Victoria Falls, Botswana's Okavango Delta, Cape Town, and two safari camps in South Africa. The itinerary was well paced, and the wilderness experiences were broken up by really fun urban experiences in Cape Town. I can't imagine using another agency for travel in that part of the world. I've recommended Travel Beyond to several friends. Sally K San Francisco read more

I highly recommend Travel Beyond to help plan all your future travels. My husband and I travel a lot but have never used a travel agent before. We contacted Travel Beyond to help plan a 10 day vacation in South Africa (Cape Town and a safari in Kruger National Park) and were instantly impressed with the personalized attention we received. Our travel counselor, Rachel, listened to our interests and suggested an itinerary that matched perfectly. She was responsive and fit in everything we wanted to do and explore. Rachel provided us with a wealth of information about the area and answered all of our questions. Prior to leaving, she gave us a detailed itinerary, packing list, tipping guide and a list of emergency contacts. Once we arrived, everything was taken care of for us, from a dedicated agent to get us expedited thru customs, to transportation, dinner reservations, guided tours, etc. Rachel is very committed to her clients and even asked for a follow up phone call to get feedback on our trip, what we liked/ didn't like, so she can better guide future clients. We had the trip of a lifetime and could not be happier that we chose Travel Beyond and Rachel! read more

This summer our family of three took an amazing 11-day trip to Kenya, staying at 4 safari lodges in Nairobi, Amboseli, Lewa and Mara North. We've always planned every detail of our family trips ourselves, but I was overwhelmed by the number of parks, lodges, times of year, and even countries in East Africa; I also really wanted to travel with culturally and environmentally responsible outfitters and guides. From my first phone call with Megan, she answered every single question even those that felt silly to ask, and I trusted her to give me honest answers. She and Katie also made our pre-trip planning so easy to follow, from visas to insurance to immunizations to packing to tip guides, no detail was overlooked. Their team works so closely with every lodge they booked for us; they've been to every place personally, recently, and they are thoughtful about which camps they send each client to. And, of course our trip was absolutely beautiful in every way. I've recommended Travel Beyond to every friend who has reached out and said they saw our pictures, they've always wanted to go to Africa, and they don't know where to start. Thank you so much Megan and Katie! read more

My husband and I travel extensively and both work very hard. Our gift to ourselves is travel and we have high expectations . I take great joy in planning our trips and research obsessively. After a great deal of research and inquiry I came upon Jenny Mikkelson at Travel and Beyond for our last trip to South Africa for Safari, vineyards, and to Capetown. I will never work with another consultant unless it involves a trip that is outside of her realm. From the start, Jenny asked the right questions, showed an interest in our personal tastes but was not afraid to offer her expertise and opinions. She NEVER steered us wrong. Jenny was always responsive, stayed in touch with us throughout our trip and after. I feel as if I made a friend for life. She went over and beyond. We even were surprised with a gift for our new grand-baby when we arrived at Cape Grace in Capetown, and other surprises along the way. It seemed every hotel/lodge manager we met knew Jenny/Travel Beyond and that made all the difference. They made a point of coming up to us and saying hello and always commented on how wonderful Jenny and Travel Beyond are. ( We already knew that). read more

I have just returned with my family from a most rewarding, exciting and meaningful trip to Lesotho and South Africa. If you are planning a trip to Southern Africa I highly recommend you call Marguerite Smit at Travel Beyond. She, with her Travel Beyond team, will help you create a trip of a lifetime! Before contacting Marguerite we spent hours on the internet exploring ideas and destinations for our trip. There was so much information out there that we became totally overwhelmed! We tried to book various safari lodges only to discover that they were already fully booked!! We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to postpone our trip for a year! But then I called Travel Beyond ..... and Marguerite saved the day! She paired our dreams with thrilling proposals of Safari lodge experiences we didn't know about and she worked out an exciting itinerary that included all our destination requests plus guided day trips, excursions and more that fit perfectly into our vacation time frame and budget. So... dream big, then contact Marguerite and her Travel Beyond team and they will make it happen for you! read more

My husband and I went to South Africa in March and a friend recommended Travel Beyond to coordinate our first safari adventure. From Day 1 I was impressed. Katie was great at listening to what we wanted to see, what wasn't important to us, and suggested several different options for us. Our final itinerary was just perfect! A few days in Cape Town at the amazing Cape Grace Hotel and touring throughout the area; 3 days at the Phinda Vlei Lodge (where they have only 6 private cottages - such luxury!) - we saw the Big 5 in the first 24 hours, then tracked 2 cheetahs in the meadow outside our lodge; we ended our trip with 3 days at the Ngala Safari Lodge where our guide found not only the Big 5 but the Magnificent 7 within 36 hours - and he said "we never see cheetahs here!" We were also able to watch pride of lions waking up in the dry river bed. Every detail was taken care of; the service was impeccable; and the experience will live with us forever! Thank you! read more

We just completed our 3rd trip with Travel Beyond, and we will certainly plan a 4th. From Craig (Africa) to Rose (Egypt) and most recently Jennifer and Nicole (Ecuador/Galapagos), each expert curated the perfect trip for our family. There is nothing "cookie-cutter" about the trips they plan, and they have been to every place they recommend. For our trip to the Galapagos, I explained to Jennifer that we were looking for something off the beaten path, something other than the regular 7 day cruise. She listened to me and planned a wonderful adventure for all of us. We stayed in unique places and met incredible people along the way. On all of our trips, everyone who was supposed to greet us along the way was there waiting for us. They really provide you will every detail before you leave and are available all through the planning process to make sure they are delivering your dream vacation. The only question I came home with was, "where to next?" read more

I can't say enough positive things about our trip to South Africa with Travel Beyond. We knew we wanted to go to Africa for our honeymoon, but we weren't sure where in Africa to go or what activities to plan other than safari. Kota at Travel Beyond helped us work with our budget to plan an incredible 2 week trip that included everything from safari, city, wine country and a nature reserve - something we would never have been able to come up with on our own. The pre-departure planning was super organized and straight forward, and every detail from airport transfers to lodging was taken care of. We felt truly pampered and well taken care of and had an amazing time exploring a beautiful country. I can't recommend Travel Beyond highly enough and we will be forever grateful to Kota and his team for an unforgettable honeymoon. read more

I just returned from a trip to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Travel Beyond created this trip that was beyond even my extensive dreams. I worked with Craig and Sharon. They were always responsive and enthusiastic. Everything was perfect. We had excellent lodges with wonderful people. All of our guides were amazing. Just watching them track animals was incredibly interesting and engaging. Most importantly the animals we saw will remain in my heart for my entire life. We saw lots of interesting behavior as well as up close encounters with elephants, rhinos, baby lion cubs, hyennas as well as more rare animals like bat-eared foxes and genets. Travel Beyond knows what they are doing and plans a trip to meet your expectations. I would go on more trips with them any time. read more

We used Travel Beyond/Marguerite Smit to organize our first trip to Africa. We were not sure where to go and conveyed to Marguerite that our preference was game and nature viewing. Marguerite was very familiar with the area and suggested Mashatu, Pafuri, and Mala Mala game reserves. She organized for us a very efficient 11 day itinerary to visit the three locations and did a very good job to help us prepare for the trip. The trip plan went extremely well without any issues. The game viewing/drives at both Mala Mala and Mashatu were superb. We saw the big five plus much more. Accommodations, service, food at all sites was very good. This was a very memorable vacation. I highly recommend using this agency for trips to Africa. I plan to go again will definitely contact Marguerite Smit for next trip. read more