Abercrombie & Kent Reviews 745

We took a trip with A&K where there were twelve total travelers. Two groups of five and us. On the first night, one of the guests asked us “how long we would be on their trip”. On top of that…, we were shuttled back and forth between the transit vans, between the two bigger groups.

I asked our guide if we could have designated transportation and he never responded. We were treated like the fifth wheel by both the other travelers and the guides.

When I wrote my review I commented on this. Following up once we were home, I wrote to the A&K agent in their Chicago office and was told “we should have booked a private trip”. Why is that? Because the other travelers basically HAD a private trip at our expense.

Whatever anyone else says, we will never travel with A&K again. They are arrogant, they don’t listen and they treat people like they are the only game in town. We have lots of choices with whom to travel and A&K isn’t going to get our money ever again.

This was our first trip with Abercrombie & Kent. The booking was made by our travel agent, the superb Crumlin Travel in Northern Ireland. We had previously had a trip organised with A&K to the Amazon but due to an unexpected very last minute hitch with air traffic control this did not work out. Crumlin Travel liaised with A&K on this and they were very good to deal with thus we were happy to use them again. Fortunately this holiday, to India, went very smoothly. We were met at Delhi Airport by Amit who coordinated our transfers in Delhi. He was always on time and very helpful. We had an email from A&K’s Delhi office during the trip offering their assistance at any stage should it be needed. As it happened our train returning to Delhi was delayed by severe fog for three hours meaning that an appointment we had made at our hotel was in doubt. I called the A&K Delhi office and asked if they could contact the hotel and rearrange our appointment for later in the afternoon. A short while later I got a call to confirm that this had been done. Thank you Delhi office!
We had a guide on our trip on the Maharaja’s Express who was excellent. She does work for A&K but on this occasion I’m not sure if she was working for the train itself or A&K. Her name is Rachna and she was super fun as well as being very informative and having a great eye for a photo opportunity.
We hope to use A&K again in the future and certainly recommend them.

We had a fantastic trip to Egypt organized by A&K. The tour guides made airports and logistics super smooth, the Egyptologists were really knowledgeable and the cruise was fantastic.

We are returning customers so were not surprised that we got the excellent service we hoped for. Margaret was unfailingly helpful and well informed. We had a general outline of what we wanted to do in Sri Lanka but she suggested a very do-able itinerary and excellent hotels. Our AK driver/guide in SR, Dumi, could not have been more helpful - he took all the stress out of the transfers, checking into hotels, dealing with local guides and visits/trips etc. His knowledge of SR was impressive - historical, cultural, economic etc - he had it covered. We were totally confident with all the arrangements both before and during the trip.

Our experience in Cairo with our guide Mohamed Sobhy was excellent. His command of English was very good and was able to explain things to us in a very understandable way, as his knowledge about Egyptian history was outstanding.

A&K uses only the best; the best hotels and the best guides for every venue. The hospitality everywhere was warm and welcoming.

We just completed our trip to Chile, Argentina and Brazil and it was an excellent experience. Our traveling guide, Leticia Lacoste, was perfect for this job. Energetic and she did a good job catering to some special needs of her customers. Local guides were also excellent, but a special call out for Maze in Mendoza and Marcela in Rio. Even the bus drivers were first class.
In the area for room for improvement:
1. We did have what was a wasted day when we traveled from Santiago to Mendoza. No morning activity planned, afternoon flight to Mendoza. I would suggest an earlier flight or another tour of Santiago of some type.
2. Flights book by A & K were all coach, which is all that was available on some flights. In addition we were often last to board, which created a challenge for carry on luggage. On one flight we had to check our carry ons. I would suggest that most of A & K customers are use to flying business / first class and would ask that A & K check to see if an extra fee is paid their customers could move up in the boarding process.
Again this is minor issues with what was an excellent experience.

Our SEAsia trip was a perfectly curated and executed. Every day was a special experience and every staff member and guide gave their best to give us an unsurpassed adventure.

We went on the A&K cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula on the luxury expedition ship Le Lyrial. From the moment we arrived in Buenos Aires to our return 19 days later, the A&K team and Captain Michel went the extra mile to deliver an exceptional experience. Special mention must be made of the A&K expedition team led by Marco, a superb team of experts who were passionate, enthusiastic and friendly; there was a wonderful camaraderie and energy amongst the team which flowed across the guests.
Thank you to everyone who made this such a unique adventure; we will definitely travel with A&K again.

A&K once again knocked it out of the park when arranging our pre-Antarctica cruise itinerary in Buenos Aires and then Iguazu. Our guide in Buenos Aires, Elizabeth was able to give us a great overview of the city with her recommendations for food and shopping. We loved seeing the neighborhoods and had a great tango lesson. For Iguazu, we do wish we had one more day just to space out all the activities of the walks through the falls to just be able to relax given the heat and humidity of the region during summer.

Once we were on the Ponant boat, we loved our expedition team along with the crew. The speakers from the expedition team are fantastic and we do wish there was some kind of signup to have meals or talk more with them as it was chaotic respecting their time but also wanting more discussions. We do wish the recordings of the lectures were given to us at the end of the trip as well. Rob, Patri, Lucy, and Jason were our favorite speakers and any passenger would be lucky to learn from them.

The ponant boat was absolutely luxurious and wonderful. The head waiter Keyane was particularly amazing for us because our party has a food allergy and after he heard about it, he stepped in every meal we appeared to double check with the teams for what would be available for us to consume without having to worry. He even made sure the chefs had something on standby in case they had planned for the menu to be heavy that day with the particular allergen. One thing that would have helped is better planning amongst the pastry teams because our A&K guides knew we had a nut allergy in our party but the Ponant team did not seem to know about it until we were on the ship. The kitchen team definitely needed a more thoughtful update on how to menu plan for the whole trip with a very common allergy. Still, Would absolutely love to take a ponant boat again.

Antarctica with A&K was the perfect way to spend the holidays . As always A&K delivers more than expected, even when exceptions are high to begin with . Perfect Antarctica weather certainty did hurt things . Their expedition staff made the entire trip , interesting & informative. A dedicated team of individuals sharing a desire to immerse you in the rich history of polar exploration, the ecology , flora & fauna . Pre cruise hotel the very best Buenos Aires had to offer . Having traveled the seven continents with A&K , From my perspective A&K is simply the very best of the many alternatives you will find .

Meticulous attention to detail by Abercrombie and Kent, added to the excellent staff and crew of the Chartered Ponant expedition ship Le Lyrial, made every day an adventure. The Activities Director and Historian presenter proved outstanding, while the French captain navigating his ship through a strait full of icebergs was one of the highlights. The ship was impressive with a few minor annoyances such as no sink in the toilet, some lukewarm vegetables and no Christmas Dinner, but desserts were fantastic. Abercrombie and Kent were always accessible for this wonderful cruise.

We arrived in Mumbai and from the moment we landed we were cared for as royalty. There was nothing that Vicrum did not attend to.
The itinerary was fantastic and we were extremely fortunate with the weather.
Accommodations were first rate and if there were any issues Vicrum resolved the few challenges encountered. He was exceptionally knowledgeable about India. He was generous and invited us to his home. The sites were amazing. The Indian people were lovely.
Our only issue was after the main part of the tour was over and we continued with A&K. There were no glitches but my husband and I would have felt more comfortable had we had our flight information for the remainder of our stay.
All in all it was absolutely FABULOUS and Vicrum was great.

we had the best time with ANDY on our Patagonian trip. She was very experienced kind and a very notably educated guide. I am telling everyone to take the trip.

Everything was perfect, everything detail was taken care of
We felt safe everywhere. Had the best experience

So far I give this company the lowest possible rating and we haven't even started the trip. 1) They didn't listen to my needs for the 1st class custom tour. From the beginning I said we needed to end the trip in Phuket. They are ending the trip in the remote north of the country , not the south! They don't respond with answers or modifications to comply to our needs. Managers won't respond to my please for help! Have no idea of trip details 3 wks prior to departure, other than hotels. Started with them 6+months ago. The 1st travel consultant went on maternity leave. She seemed good. Once they got our money, equivalent to a really nice care purchase, they have been frighteningly bad. I could go on....I am beyond frustrated. I have never in 40+ yrs of travel had such poor trip prep service!

I asked Abercrombie & Kent - Harrods Branch - London to tailor make a trip to Patagonia for my employers. My contact there was Rhian Wills who was totally amazing. Rhian gave me exceptional 5 star customer service and guidance and provided my employers with an incredible Itinerary for Patagonia. This is the third year I have asked Rhian to put together tailor made trips for my employers and each time Rhian has been totally awesome. Nothing was too much trouble - truly superb. Thank you very much and will be in contact at the end of this year with another amazing trip in another part of the world!

wanted to share that we had such a lovely time.

The entire process, local guides, everything was super smooth. High quality guides, wonderful accommodation, stunning game drives, great food and we made friends.

Fabulous safari trip, thank you A&K

"I have been trying to book a Nile cruise through Abercrombie Kent ] for over 7 days now. After speaking with Maria last Friday, I was promised an update by Monday or Tuesday. It is now the following Friday, and despite multiple emails and phone calls, I still have no confirmation. Every time I manage to get Maria on the phone, she seems in a hurry to end the call and offers no concrete information. Now I’m being told it will be Monday before the cruise can be confirmed ( 10 days since initial contact ) This lack of transparency and slow communication is making it very difficult to plan a high-stakes trip. Disappointed in the level of service thus far."

We have had a good experience booking our holiday with Abercrombie & Kent. Very helpful and knowledgeable consultant who listened with care to our requirements and wishes and created an impressive itinerary. Amendments to the itinerary were all handled well. Prompt response to telephone messages and emails. Helpful advise throughout