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What travelers are saying

"The brilliant excursions! Dear Richele! I am writing you with gratitude for organizing the brilliant excursions for our group of 16 people! They came back from Brazil very happy and really satisfied! So, many-many thanks to you and your wonderful team! Looking forward to our next cooperation) Kind Regards, Anna Zboranska Exotic Department TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL GROUP"

What travelers are saying

"The brilliant excursions! Dear Richele! I am writing you with gratitude for organizing the brilliant excursions for our group of 16 people! They came back from Brazil very happy and really satisfied! So, many-many thanks to you and your wonderful team! Looking forward to our next cooperation) Kind Regards, Anna Zboranska Exotic Department TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL GROUP"

What travelers are saying

"Our experience with Kensington Tours, specifically Lily Baffour was amazing. The planning of the trip was impeccable, she recommended a good time frame to travel, put together an unforgettable itinerary, was extremely timely in answering all of our questions. The hotels, transportation, private tour guide, and lunch were all included the price. We stayed at the Kempinski Hotel which far exceed our expectations. Our tour guide Pius was exceptional, he was VERY knowledgeable about the Ghanaian history and culture due to him the tours were life changing. We went on this trip with lifelong friends and were so glad that we shared this trip of a lifetime with them. We will definitely use Lily and Kensington Tours for future travels."

What travelers are saying

"I've been on 13 trips with STI and I've had a great time and met a lot of wonderful people on all of them. What I really like is the STI process for encouraging togetherness which includes (1) members meeting the day before the trip to have drinks and dinner so that when you start the trip the next day you feel comfortable with the other members, (2) a Breakfast Club for members who want to meet for breakfast, (3) Happy Hours each night before dinner, (4) eating together each night, (5) Theme nights for members , and (6) separate excursions for members. Another good feature of STI trips is the concierge who makes arrangements and schedules activities and helps to resolve any problems that occur."

What travelers are saying

"Absolutely amazing two week trip to Mexico. Phoebe was very knowledgeable and helped us plan a fabulous itinerary. The hotels she'd recommended were perfect and in excellent locations. Our guides were helpful, friendly and spoke excellent English and when we contacted the Mexico office to squeeze in another excursion, they were responsive and immediately organised everything. All round brilliant customer service and Mexico was the most interesting and beautiful place to visit! Thank you!"

What travelers are saying

"Absolutely amazing two week trip to Mexico. Phoebe was very knowledgeable and helped us plan a fabulous itinerary. The hotels she'd recommended were perfect and in excellent locations. Our guides were helpful, friendly and spoke excellent English and when we contacted the Mexico office to squeeze in another excursion, they were responsive and immediately organised everything. All round brilliant customer service and Mexico was the most interesting and beautiful place to visit! Thank you!"

What travelers are saying

"First, let me say our tour guide Tomomi S. is hands down THE best tour guide I’ve ever had - knowledgeable, fun and made great efforts to ensure that we were comfortable and happy (MTSobek tour guides are independent contractors. Tomomi also works for other Adventure/Tour companies) Secondly, Japan is beautiful, clean and the Japanese people are very welcoming. The hiking in the national parks was amazing. It could have been a truly five-star experience if MtSobek had not cut corners so egregiously. The website said (at the time) group tours are 5-22 people. The tour gets canceled if the minimum is not met. When I paid there were TWO other people booked-a mother and daughter duo. Shortly before our departure date I called to see if the tour would be cancelled. I wanted my money back but Mt Sobek was “pleased to say that the trip would not be canceled”. In other words, I could not get a refund. At the last minute a guy named Matt signed up so there were four of us. Five days into the trip Matt left and took a train back to Tokyo. I said to him “You realize Mt Sobek is not going to refund you”. He said, “I don’t care, Mt Sobek scammed us.” With tax, the tour costs $11,645 for 13 nights. For that price there is an expectation that the accommodations Mt Sobek chooses would be decent and clean. We all fully expected a ‘traditional Japanese experience’ which often means no private bath and 8 out of the 13 nights we slept on futon mats on the floor. However, Mt Sobek consistently booked us in the cheapest Ryokans (hotels) in each area in which we travelled. Most of these hotels were unclean and very out-dated. One Ryokan they booked us in was listed on a hotel website for $40 USD/night when there were much nicer accommodations nearby for $100 USD/night. (The Japanese yen is way down, the luxury Park Hotel in Tokyo was $200 USD/night. A comparable hotel would have been about $800/night in Austin.). We were the only people staying in several hotels that accomadated many more people. The most egregious example of MtSobek’s booking the cheapest rooms is when we were booked at a large traditional ski lodge at the base of a spectacular mountain. It was beautiful on the website but had two very different wings. One wing was modern, clean and beautiful with simple beds. The other wing was very old (similar to a cheap Motel 6 that had not been updated since the 1970’s). The carpet and bathrooms were disgusting and like many of the Ryocans where we stayed the futon mats seemed as though they had not been cleaned In 30 years. Only after our tour guide checked us in did we realize we had been booked in the cheap rooms. I asked Tomo why. Immediately someone from MtSobek reached out to me and said, “gosh, I’m sorry you did not realize you were going to have a traditional Japanese experience”. Really? “Traditional” experience depends upon one’s budget. In the US, “traditional” to some people may be the Marriott, a Motel 6 or the Four Seasons Hotels. We were paying for a Marriott experience and received the one-star Motel 6 experience. Upon arrival in Tokyo I expected to be met at the airport by a driver (as many tour companies do). However, several days before our arrival dates in Tokyo, MtSobek sent an email telling us how to locate taking a city bus from the bustling Tokyo airport. That is interesting if you do not speak Japanese. MtSobek cleverly uses great photography and elaborate descriptions of the national parks and the hiking while using terms like “traditional Japanese experience with tatami-mat sleeping” to disguise sub-standard accommodations. At one point we were looking on-line at the very hotel where we were staying and did not even recognize it from the website pictures. The hiking was amazing. The group size was disappointing with just the three of us. I would absolutely recommend a hiking tour through Japan, just not with MtSobek."

What travelers are saying

"Attention to detail, actually listened to what we wanted and our budget and delivered an experience that truly met our hopeful expectations. Great service, great communication and clear information all the way."