Elevate Destinations

Experts in socially responsible luxury travel. We design travel experiences that support conservation and local communities without skimping on comfort.

Testimonials from our Travelers
to Africa

"I was blown away by how wonderful this trip was. Of course the locations and the animals were amazing. The game drives and the camp locations were beautiful, very exclusive and intimate, not over crowded with cars or anything like that. Service at the camps was seamless, we were perfectly taken care of and the staff went above and beyond. The staff were all so warm, knowledge, open, and became our friends in the end. The other travelers we met were all interesting, adventurous people. Transportation, food, everything was all taken care of which left us to enjoy the animals and our new friends. I would highly highly recommend this trip to anyone!

— Kelly Ward, Kenya

“Our family feels very lucky that we found Elevate Destinations. Dominique and her team pulled off our trip-of-a-lifetime vision weaving together service opportunities that were just right for our kids and a luxury safari experience that outperformed our wildest hopes. We would like to do every trip with them, forever more.”

— Jagerson Family, Kenya

“My main insight about Elevate and our trip is this: When we were first researching the idea of an African safari, there was no shortage of companies and agencies that could provide us with the service of developing an itinerary and doing the bookings at all kinds of lodging. The key to Elevate was that the focus was on smaller, family-run lodges, and that truly delivered the most authentic and best possible safari experience for us. No crowds, highest quality accommodations and food, seamless arrangements, excellent management and staff at every stop along the way. Parallel to this, the idea of actually doing transportation and transfers once you're actually in-country reveals itself to be no sure thing. In our case, however, it was all executed perfectly and with no stress whatsoever. Thank you Dominique and Elevate staff for all that hard work! "

— John DeGarmo, Kenya

"My first safari experience was supposed to help me unplug, but in fact it plugged me into what is most important. Being immersed in the wild was life-changing, awe-inspiring, funny, beautiful, touching and scary all at once. I felt entirely at one with the animals and the elements and connected as I never had been before."

— Virena Hermann, Kenya

“Our trip was amazing and the process before and after we superb. From the time I emailed Elevate Destinations to after I got home it was a pleasure to be working with your company and especially Lana. She was able read my family and plan the trip exactly around what we wanted without us really knowing ourselves! We volunteered, went on safari, then visited the beaches for some relaxation. It was like we had 3 trips in 1 and complete different experiences. I especially enjoyed the volunteer work through Make a Difference, a fantastic organization that put in a lot of attention to detail to make sure that we really experienced the country and got to really know the people and the culture through authentic experiences. We've made lifelong Tanzanian friends and feel we really understand their country. The whole experience overall with your company was smooth and the trip was fantastic. I cannot say enough about my great experience!!!!”

— Liza Mandeville and Family, Tanzania

“This was our second trip to Africa with Elevate in a year's time. And once again, it did not disappoint. Working with Lana was a dream. She seemed to know exactly what we would want and expect from our conservation safari. Everyone on the ground in Tanzania was knowledgeable and kind. Not a single snafu - which is unbelievable considering we were so far from home. Ruaha National Park is a treasure. I recommend it to anyone who would like a safari experience without the crowds of the Serengeti or Masai Mara.”

— Jennifer Whalen, Tanzania

"It was satisfying to know that the money we were spending was directly fostering conservancy and the Samburu people. Each place we stayed was both lovely and utterly dedicated to the animals and the community. One highlight was how playful and funnel of the guides were with our kids and us. (Gabriel hid in long grass, roaring softly, with me whispering, "does anyone else hear that?" and then jumped out at me as I walked by. I screamed so loud that they did the same EXACT thing to me two more times that day. Another wonderful thing is how excited the guides were (almost as much as we were!) each and every time we saw a lion or an elephant or a cheetah . . . I guess it never gets old! Thanks Dominique, for pointing us to Kenya and devising our fantastic trip."

— Laura Solinger and Family, Kenya

"My daughter graduated from college this year, and I thought we should do something grand before she started her first job and would be limited with her vacation time. I started researching companies that build in volunteer activities into family vacations and found Elevate. Dominique Callimanopulos worked patiently with me as I had a lot of questions and did feel nervous about going on my own, not with a tour group. I am so glad I went this way as we got to do everything we wanted to at the pace we wanted to do it in. Dominique had some great suggestions and together we put together what I think is the perfect trip to Africa (S. Africa, Botswana and Victoria Falls/Zambia side). Every step of the way we were met and I never had to lift my luggage the entire trip - now that's a vacation!

I can't recommend Dominique and Elevate Destinations enough. Her passion and compassion is what stands out the most about her. If you tell her you want to book my exact trip, I promise you a trip of a life time.”"

— Nancy Symonds, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia

“Dominique was a pleasure to work with, I felt like she truly listened and GOT who I was and how I like to travel in the world.

The trip was PERfect and effortless. Our guide in Namibia was not only incredibly knowledgeable, intelligent but also had keen emotional intelligence. He knew when to give us space and when to interact. He made our trip a dream come true. I was sad to at our departure after 5 days.”

— Amy Zuckerman , Namibia

“We just came back from our 30th anniversary dinner at Sirikoi. We are completely speechless. We are not sure what exactly you knew, but it was a once in a lifetime experience. The evening drive did not return ‘home’ but brought us to a special remote location where a private campsite had been prepared for ‘dinner for ‘two’. During dinner (very romantic indeed, under the stars with a campfire at our feet), a group of Masai warriors and females served as a second surprise. We were treated with a private hour long dance and singing performance. Incredible. THANK YOU SO MUCH for this very special arrangement. We will treasure it for years to come.”

— Arty and Max Coppes, Kenya

"I was so pleased with the planning and execution of this trip for fourteen women.  We were treated with courtesy and respect by everyone we met.  Our guides added immensely to our understanding of the culture of the country."

— Susan Downs, South Africa

"Every aspect of my trip was incredible.

Riding horses in Kenya was a dream come true. I galloped through herds of animals and saw every species.

Crossed rivers teaming with hippos, filmed lions and rhinos."

— Billy Snodgrass, Kenya

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