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

"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

“I’m home and overwhelmed with great memories and photographs... MANY, MANY THANKS TO YOU! You did such a great job of putting all of the pieces together to ensure a flawless trip. It was a big leap to put such a big trip in the hands of someone that I found through an online search, but I’m so glad that I did. You are really, really good at this! The itinerary was really terrific. I honestly loved every bit of it. You put together something truly special for us. I will remember it forever. I’ve been home less than 7 hours, and I’m already thinking of reasons to return to Peru.”

— The Raab Family, Peru

“Elevate Destinations provided an unforgettable experience in the highlands of Ecuador for me and my 13-year-old son. We experienced amazing adventures — rafting, biking, trekking, and horseback riding. We also delighted in experiencing the local culture through working with a farmer, spending a day at a school, and taking a cooking class.”

— Russell Family, Ecuador and The Galapagos

"Dominique is fabulous! She makes a point of understanding precisely what I want from a trip and goes the extra mile to make it happen. Dominique understands that I enjoy getting to know the culture of the places I visit. She always curates a unique and individually-focused experience. I recommend her enthusiastically. My 14-year-old daughter and I went to China for two weeks and worked with Dominique to arrange our adventures. I love working with Dominique and Elevate Destinations because they really get a traveler who wants to engage in the culture of the country. I'm not sure how many travel agencies go out of their way to create unique and personal experiences for the world traveler. The more I work with Dominique I realize I truly have an opportunity to have adventures in the world tailored to my interest and dreams.....whatever those may be."

— Amy Zuckerman, China

“For my birthday this year, I decided to buy myself a solo trip. I had never traveled alone to a distant country, so I relied on Elevate Destinations to use their expertise to place me in the perfect location. They chose Ladakh, India, one of the safest places for women to travel alone. What I did not know at the time was how much this journey would change me. Being surrounded by beauty, witnessing all that nature has to offer and knowing that this place is so deeply connected to spirituality fed my soul so much that it overflowed. I will never forget my time in Ladakh. It is something I will cherish forever."

— Jessica Dolan, India

“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

"Having everything organized for us - transportation, tickets, etc. - was fabulous! It enabled us to sit back and enjoy our trip and truly appreciate the experiences we had. We loved Peru - the incredible scenery, the open and friendly people, and the great food. It feels like every day was a highlight, but our top three were hiking the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu; the Sky Lodge adventure; and the visit to the Chicuchas Wasi girls school. Every adventure we had, from big to small, gave us insight and appreciation into the Peruvian culture and we came home feeling like we learned so much. We cannot wait to visit Peru again."

— The Sherwood Family, Peru

"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

"Lana Byal, my trip planner, connected with me on our very first call and never dropped one detail in creating the most perfect trip for my daughter, grand daughter and myself that I could ever imagine. She knew exactly what I was after and arranged every last detail for me perfectly. I was able to call her with some on-the-fly changes to the itinerary and she and her staff were ON it immediately! All this, and somehow we wound up with the best guide and driver you could ever ask for...and seeings how we spent nine days together, we were fortunate beyond belief. Kudos to Elevate Destinations!"

— Deborah Hart, Peru

"Throughout many years, I thought my independence in traveling instilled the greatest cultural experience. That view quickly diminished when Elevate Destinations planned a trip for my mom and I to Myanmar and Cambodia.

Lana was able to build a program for us that opened our eyes to the poverty yet hope in the communities while pairing us with guides who became not only our source of an honest depiction of the area but our friends. They shared stories to show us how they live, provided opportunities for home cooked meals, visits to villages untouched by tourists and opportunities I never thought I would experience. Everything was seamless and yet adjustable based on our desires to explore. We did not just witness the cultural differences, we experienced and left with them ingrained in our soul. Thank you Elevate Destinations and Lana, this trip will continue to live in our lives and the hope of the people will be cherished and prayed for."

— Shannon Plumstead, Cambodia, Myanmar

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