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

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 funny 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

Everything was done super well. The accommodations were fabulous. The train reservations and physical tickets were immensely helpful. All of our requests were heeded. We had a great time!

— Karen French, Japan

Elevate Destinations provided an experience of a lifetime. From the initial planning to coordinating local tours and on the ground transfers, my trip was a breeze. Their expertise in recommending the must see locations was invaluable. I would definitely arrange a trip through Elevate Destinations again.

— Sherri Pittman, Thailand

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

All the guides were amazing and super knowledgeable. I especially enjoyed travel near Arenal. It was very beautiful and the adventures were very informative. Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and if you want to be immersed in wildlife it is definitely the place to go.

— Leah Donehy, Costa Rica

We were all incredibly impressed with the knowledge the tour guides displayed. The schools there do an excellent job of teaching the archaeology, plant/animal names, eco-sensitivity to their guides, and it showed! We also found not one single tour guide or resort employee who was falsely friendly; in fact, a few of them were shy! We really appreciated that gratuities were included in the resort costs because it simplified the whole "Do I tip this person?" angst. Elevate Destinations did a fantastic job of hearing how we identified ourselves and the activities we thought we wanted to explore. The schedule was full without wiping us out, and each day proceeded seamlessly. We all even noted that doing the jungle first and ocean second was ideal for our family. I highly recommend Pooks Hill especially to anyone looking for environmentally respectful. The food was outstanding, and the atmosphere home-like. We look forward to returning and to using Elevate Destinations again!

— The Campbell Family, Belize

We worked with Dominique at Elevate Destinations. Let me start with a summary, we couldn't have been more pleased with her responsiveness and with the arrangements she made for us. We were concerned with the January changes in the White House and needed to make things happen quickly. Dominique was always on top of things and responded to us on weekends and in the evenings. My wife, Susan, is an artist so we wanted our agenda shaped around art. Elevate Destinations prepared a custom itinerary for us. We travel a fair bit and this was one of our most enjoyable travels.

— Bruce and Susan Kelling, Cuba

My goal for this trip was to have a great adventure with my tween son with a little community service thrown in. Our itinerary was perfectly suited to achieve both of these things. We had a great time ziplining, horse-back riding, searching the trees for monkeys (and sloths!), paddle boarding and just hanging out together. We also got to visit Barrio Planta which reminded both of us that middle schoolers are the same everywhere: embarrassed, shy, self-conscious...and fun! Realizing that we have so much in common, even amidst the obvious differences in our cultures and circumstances, is a wonderful life lesson.

— Jessica Berry

My trip to India was perfectly coordinated from beginning to end. As a solo traveler, I was taken care of by ground staff from beginning to end. The facilities I stayed at provided tremendous service and were excellent quality that were eco friendly, clean, safe and beautiful. The safari drives were amazing and filled with views of amazing animals and wildlife of all kinds including Tigers! It was an excellent adventure filled with cultural experience, fantastic food and learning of a new culture.

— Lisa Weaver, India