Aïda & Kerem | Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya| January 2023

I recently booked a 6 week trip to Africa through Karvansarai travel agency and I must say, it was an exceptional experience. Alessandra Sikand, the owner, helped me with everything from logistics, hotels, restaurants, and activities, making my entire trip budget friendly without compromising on quality. Her recommendations on what countries to visit were spot on, and her tips on where to splurge a little bit made the trip even more enjoyable.

One thing that really stood out to me was how available Alessandra was during the trip. She was always there to answer any questions or help out as needed, which made the trip that much smoother. The overall service provided by Karvansarai was top notch, and I had an incredible experience from beginning to end. I will definitely be booking my future travels through them, and I highly recommend anyone looking to book a trip use Karvansarai.

Yves Lefebvre | South Africa: Tswalu, Singita Boulders, The Silo, Babylonstoren | Dec 2022

Well! Well! Thinking I really should write something about my trip to South Africa.

In musical term, it would be called: Perfect pitch.

In travelling term, it would be called: Karvansarai.

For the following reasons:

.Amazing (plus-que-parfait) attention to details.

.Immediate response to any concerns.

.Personalized planning and acute perception of expectations.

.Creative proposals for opening one’s mind to discoveries.

.Hotels, restaurants and guides referrals on the upper scale of excellence.

.« Smooth operator » mode transition from one airport or location to the next with the kindest people.

In a couple of words: Pure delight!

A dream of a trip! Already planning another one: to wherever Karvansarai will bring me to…

Mahima Puri & Simran Sidhu | Rwanda | November 2022

Thank you for organising a wonderful gorilla safari for us. Wonderful memories were made – the planning was thoughtful, detailed, intuitive and tremendously well executed. All of it, from the Airport concierge, to the little gifts, to the journey, to the hundreds of questions answered before we arrived, to the final send off!! Thank you Alessandra, it wouldn’t have been the same without you and your thoughtful planning.

Roser Grima | India | March 2022

Alessandra organised an amazing trip to India (Rajasthan and Agra). I contacted her with very short notice, as I was waiting to buy my tickets closer to the date due to COVID. She asked me what were my interests and activities I wanted to do, and my daily budget. It was my first time in India and I knew very little about it, so I was not very sure where to go – specially for the short period I was going to be there. She gave me some recommendations and I ended up having one of the best trips I have ever had. I also changed my mind about one city on the last minute, and she changed my itinerary very quickly.

I really appreciate that she insisted that I also experience India’s nature, because at first I only wanted to go to cities. I did a small safari and stayed in a hotel next to a lake, and went bird watching. All these activities were new for me and were actually my favorite experiences.

All the hotels were incredible, as well as the guides and BJ – who drove use around. Everything was perfectly organised. She also booked a cooking and yoga class for me. And she gave me a list of restaurants that, as a foodie, I have to say were delicious.

Alessandra also solved all my doubts and was very helpful before and during the trip (although we did not have to contact her as everything was perfectly organised). Therefore, I highly recommend Alessandra, and I really thank her for organising such an unforgettable trip.

Sid | The Galapagos | January 2022

In Jan of 2022, I knew I had a couple of weeks to do something off the grid. I wasn’t sure of travel restrictions around the world, but knew that I wouldn’t get this time back. Alessandra and I met in Africa a couple of years prior and so I reached out to her.

As travel usually does, my trip to the Galapagos was much more than I could have imagined. And so much of my experience had to do with Ale patiently listening to me, researching where we needed it, talking to me about her recent experience there and speaking to her contacts to confirm the most updated info. She has this wonderful way of empowering you to do it your way, and also being there for you from start to finish. I think that’s what makes it feel so personalized and special.

So, for anyone who has a similar independent streak and is looking to travel….my humble suggestion is to give Ale a call immediately – I know I will for my next trip!

Richard | Kenya | January 2021

Out of a simple conversation with an acquaintance in Miami Florida the longing to discover Kenya came to me and who better to turn to than Alessandra Sikand. Thankfully the stars were aligned, when I reached out to her I learnt she happened to be on location which sealed my decision.

I can only describe my trip to Kenya as purely magical and cannot thank Alessandra enough for making it possible. Her personal care and attention to detail are remarkable.  Her knowledge + guidance made my journey to the Maasai Mara memorable.

I will never forget this trip for the rest of my life and look forward to my next adventure organised by Karvansarai. This is the beginning of my African discovery tour and I will let soft spoken but sharp mind Alessandra set me in the right direction wherever I go next. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Banu & Ozer | Costa Rica | March 2020

In March 2020, without having a single idea that all the world would have seen terrible pandemic my husband and I visited Costa Rica. It was our first visit there. We needed a good guidance, organization for this trip. Although I worked on it we didn’t speak Spanish and we decided to get help from Karvansarai. Our travel designer Alessandra Sikand was awesome. She made a great itinerary for us. Before we started our travel, she visited there and checked every detail point. My husband and I were so impressed. Especially, we liked so much when we found a lovely gift in our room. It is not enough to thank you Alessandra. We will never forget this awesome tour to Costa Rica. During the pandemic we understood how much we were lucky that we made this trip. Thank you thank you.

Philip | Nicaragua | January 2020

Alessandra was a life-saver – I had been looking to get away from it all, but didn’t have a lot of time or knowledge to find something that suited my needs.

Alessandra made every aspect of my trip possible – in a very personal but also professional way. I told her I was looking for a beautiful and secluded place in the middle of nature where I could spend a week relaxing and getting recharged for the new year. She provided a great selection of places – each of which she had personally visited – tailored exactly to what I was looking on a spiritual level as well as something that fit my logistical needs. She empathized completely with my needs.

I had a fantastic week in Nicaragua on the beach and in the jungle at a beautiful eco-lodge (including a great yoga program). Alessandra took 100% care of everything and personally monitored all logistics as they were happening (eg. transfer from airport) and checked in a number of times with me to ensure everything was exactly like I needed.

She exceeded all my expectations and will certainly rely on her expertise next time I am travelling for pleasure!

Andrew & Sara | Peru Honeymoon | June 2019

Huge thank you to Ale and Karvansarai for planning a truly exceptional honeymoon. From the start, Ale was eager to get to know us and learn exactly what type of experience we were looking for on our trip to Peru, and her expertise as a planner and local knowledge from her many trips made our trip one of a kind. Not only was every last detail taken care of, but the hotels, guides, activities, meals, and every other experience were also exceptional, making for a seamless, unique, and incredible trip. Thank you again for an unforgettable honeymoon, and we can’t wait for you to plan our next adventure!

Shannon & Jeremy Perez | Morocco Honeymoon | June 2019

What an incredible adventure you prepared for Jeremy and I!! We can’t thank you enough for your attention to detail and for creating the most magical experiences for us in Marrakech. We had so much fun everyday and it was more than we expected. The entire staff at Riad L’Orangeraie, our guides Adil (medina), Antoine (side car) and Jamal (Atlas Mountains), the staff at Scarabeo, our drivers, and the staff at La Mamounia were all incredibly friendly and helpful. We wish we had more time to explore more of Morocco, but now we know that we will definitely go back again and hopefully with more of our family. Thank you so, so much again for everything- it was a seamless trip from start to finish!

Julie Murphy | Himalayan & Rajasthani Yoga Adventure | March 2019

“Travel Design” is the perfect description for what Alessandra does. Her talents go beyond organizing a trip; she designs extraordinary travel experiences to create memories for a lifetime.

One of the best things about working with Alessandra is how the trip takes shape from a long wish list during preliminary discussions, to the perfect blend of everything you knew you wanted, plus experiences you wouldn’t have known how to access nor create on your own. Alessandra’s excellent relationships with contacts all over the world, her own extensive travels, and her enthusiasm about each destination she visits, all add up to the perfect recipe for an outstanding travel adventure.

It was a pleasure to work with Alessandra to bring together our group’s India Yoga Adventure. We could step confidently onto the plane, knowing that all the moving parts and details of our trip would fall into place and that Karvansarai would swiftly resolve anything unexpected.

Travel is about people, cultures, and caring for our planet. Alessandra knows how to weave all of that into the perfect experience, with remarkable knowledge, integrity and the gift of her own personal touch.

Julie Murphy | Stretch & Safari South Africa | October 2017

Thank you, Karvansarai, for working with us to create the most spectacular “bucket-list” journey to South Africa. As a retreat leader and host, the success of my travel adventures depends very much on the people with whom I partner and I am thrilled to have collaborated with Karvansarai as a creative, professional and reliable travel colleague.

Alessandra is a Travel Creator Extraordinaire and I appreciate the effort (plus all those extra little touches) and the level of enthusiasm that went into planning this trip for our group. Thank you for bringing their Africa travel dream to life. Looking forward to co-creating more moments of travel magic with you.

Hedy Gropper | Botswana & South Africa | October 2017

For my first solo trip to Africa I chose to visit Botswana and South Africa with the help of Alessandra from Karvansarai. She is extremely organized and a pleasure to work with. I would not hesitate to have Alessandra plan another trip for me.

Jeanne & Robert | Namibia | September 2017

Only superlatives for this outstanding journey into Namibia – services, accommodations, excursions, logistics, everything met the highest world class standards.

Travelling is our passion and we are happy to be able to rely on Karavansarai to lead us to wonderful discoveries in parts of the world we haven’t visited yet.

Thank you to Karvansarai.

Rozelle & Party | Marrakech Birthday Celebration | September 2017

Last night I decided to look at my photos of my Moroccan Magical Mystery Tour expedition and Birthday celebration with my wonderful friends. The experience was out of this world.

Karvansarai planned everything down to the last detail. It all started when I originally spoke to Alessandra who I felt had the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to pull this all together. Her excitement was infectious and I knew that she would make sure that this trip would be unforgettable. As memorable as it was I am forever grateful. Everyday was an adventure until the very end. We started in Marrakech with friends from all over the world and spending the last night sleeping in a desert camp, how she knew it would be under the full moon “I don’t know.”

Thank you, Thank You, Thank you for making my dreams come true.

Jennifer & Kreshnik Dibrani | Japan, Cambodia, Singapore | August 2017

I am so fortunate to have found Karvansarai Travel before my trip though Asia. I attempted to coordinate things on my own and it just wasn’t adding up. Thankfully Alessandra jumped into action and meticulously planned out insider spots, local eateries and tours to many wonders of the world I hadn’t even thought of. Sunrises in Angkor Wat, Sumo practices, private Temple tours. Her knowledge of the area and understanding of the cultures saved us time and money, which enhanced the fluidity of traveling abroad. It was such a delight working with her discovering new destinations to visit or finding exciting things to do while we were there. I would recommend her to anyone traveling, and I’m looking forward to the next adventure we’ll plan together.

Zachary Morton | Thailand | April 2017

If anyone plans on traveling somewhere they’ve never been or anywhere in general I highly recommend working with Karvansarai travel agency! Specifically I worked with Alessandra and she literally put a 50 page packet together for each step of my trip and each separate activity I had along the way. Basically I told her what I like to do and what kind of things I’m interested in and she spent the time to put together one of the most memorable and action packed trips I’ve ever had. Unfortunately at the end of the trip I did get a little sick but there she was again for me to book all my doctors appointments and to make all the proper changes I need as far as hotels and flights. Very professional and very helpful. I wouldn’t go anywhere else!

Michelina & Greg | Hong Kong, Seoul, Japan | March 2017

We thought about a trip to Asia for a long time, particularly during the years we lived in San Francisco.  We never followed through mainly because we lacked the confidence to travel comfortably where the native language and culture are so different from ours.  After speaking with Alessandra at Karvansarai, we quickly realized we could have an effective plan for a major trip based on all of our personal preferences, along with all the specific guidance as well as plenty of great optional recommendations at each location.

Every aspect of her services was wonderfully professional:  her depth of knowledge, communication skills throughout the entire process, incredible attention to detail, managing our trip within our budget, decision making on our behalf, and much more….  As a result, we travelled for three weeks to five different cities in three different countries with amazing ease (we never ONCE found ourselves lost), able to focus on capturing countless fun-filled and adventurous moments – all the while with a strange feeling as if we were home, on account of the compatibility of the planning decisions we made with Alessandra’s help.

It is unlikely we will ever travel again without Alessandra and Karvansarai providing their priceless input.

Ash Ganesh | Cuba | December 2016

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Cuba for 2 weeks before Christmas. Our itinerary and all arrangements were organized by Karvansarai. I had some concerns as to how things would go since Cuba is still a developing tourist destination. And our Karvansarai travel consultant told us to expect some glitches. But to our very pleasant surprise everything went like clockwork! From the hotel bookings in home stay and 5 star properties all was impeccable. The guides who met us at the airport and saw us off on our departure were so helpful and friendly. And last but not least Karvansarai captured completely from our initial briefing exactly what we were interested in our Cuba experience: the people, culture, food, art, music, history and countryside.

All in all a memorable trip and we look forward to Karvansarai arranging our next travel adventure!

Natasha & Paul Yeaman | Maldives Honeymoon | August 2016

Alessandra did a wonderful job helping us organize, research, and book our honeymoon to the amazing Six Senses Laamu, Maldives. She thought of every detail and meticulously helped us plan everything. As we are both vegetarian, she went out of her way to ensure that the hotel chefs would look after our dietary needs. We would highly recommend the services of Karvansarai for any trip and look forward to booking our next trip with them!

Clementine Porot | Indonesia Recce | July 2016

I have travelled with Karvansarai in Indonesia and I have to say, travelling with them truly is a unique experience on its own! It is tailor made design at its best. I have been able to visit Borneo, Java and Bali outside of the traditional touristic tracks, discovering its people, culture and pristine landscapes through a different and exciting perspective. Karvansarai not only understood my vision and desires but also ensured I was able to fulfill them while being respectful and mindful of Indonesian fragile environment. Karvansarai embodies the concept of sustainable travel and I cant wait for my next trip with them!

Hodnett Family | Gastronomic Evening in Rome | July 2016

Thank you for creating such a memorable experience for us – it was terrific to have that very personalized, insider perspective on Rome, and terrific to have the chance to meet you in the beauty and comfort of your fantastic home.  It was the perfect end to a wonderful Italian vacation.

Farhan & Amal Islam | Maldives & Sri Lanka Honeymoon | April 2016

Booking my honeymoon with Karvansarai was a fantastic experience. I gave them an initial idea of what I had in mind in terms of the type of holiday and they suggested possible destinations all over the world with details on each one and what they would be good for/ not good for. I was able to discuss any questions I had on the phone and by email and when I had chosen the destination (Maldives!) they provided me with several hotel options to choose from depending on my budget and list of activities desired. Being able to speak to someone who had actually been to the resorts was such a great help. In the end our villa was exactly as was described and we loved the resort that we stayed on.

The whole holiday was so well organised from all the bookings to the transfers and internal flights, I didn’t have to do a thing once I had made my choices. I would definitely book with them again. Excellent service and very knowledgeable.

Reid Family | Gastronomic Evening in Rome | November 2014

We travelled to Rome with our family ages 13-60+ to visit family ancestral villages East of Rome. Our base of operations was Rome and we had planned a gastronomic event while there. The event was an organic wine, artisanal olive oil, and hand crafted cheese tasting with Alessandra. The setting for the tasting overlooked a scenic part of Rome which added external sparkle to our unique event. All 3 tastings were presented creatively which kept all ages totally engaged. The commentary from family afterwards was that this was a most educational, delicious and delightful evening. One of the “Highlights” of our family trip.