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

“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

“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

"We were extremely pleased with Elevate in putting together an amazing trip to India! We had a number of specific requests outside of the usual travel plan, including visiting NGOs, especially those focused on empowering women and girls, and visiting pottery villages. Dominique was unfazed, working hard to put together something that met our many needs and taking into account our promises that we liked to stay very busy when we traveled. She provided expert guidance on what was/wasn’t doable and told us the pros and cons of the things that we would be missing if we added our special requests.

It’s hard to talk about the highlights – because the entire trip was so awesome – but our recommendations would be to go off the beaten path as well as seeing major sights. Going to an NGO in East Delhi gave us the chance to understand even a tiny bit better the struggle faced by many in the city, visiting potters and their families in their homes gave us a chance to better understand the long history of craftspeople in India, going to a village helped to understand life outside the bustle of the huge cities.

Through Elevate we had the opportunity to have in-depth discussions about India with our drivers, guides, staff at NGOS, and many others. Everyone was incredibly generous with his or her time and we are so grateful for that."

— Jan Goldstein and Shereen Arendt, India

“The most amazing trip! We will never forget and never be the same.

And we will be back!

Elevate Destinations was the perfect partner for our adventure and will be planning our future travels...”

— Leslie Hsu Besner and Family, Belize

"This trip exceeded my expectations! From initial contact to support while we were traveling, Lana was a professional - but truly more than just that; she was friendly and completely in-tune with the experience that I wanted to have with my children, and she went out of her way to ensure that we connected with wonderful people in beautiful, special places. She cared about us and our experience in a personal way that went beyond simply doing a job. I'm completely hooked and have already recommended Elevate Destinations to friends and family and will most definitely contact Lana again to plan more meaningful travel."

— Julie Simons, Nicaragua

“The trip was phenomenal, the guides were incredibly helpful, knowledgeable and great with the kids, the people were warm and welcoming, the hotels were great. Via Ferrate and the zip line was a highlight for the kids; I loved the "social experience" in the mountains, and the high activity level of the entire trip. We really felt like we got to understand the people and the culture.”

— Betsy Fishbone, Peru

"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

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