Seasonal - Exceptional Travel

2026 safari openings that shift the dial

While Africa sees new safari openings every year, only a handful truly shift the dial. The most compelling arrivals don’t simply add more beds to the map — they reinterpret classic landscapes, open up lesser-known regions, and offer fresh...

Lessons from Peru

At the end of 2025 we spent two weeks in Peru, meeting artisans in the Sacred Valley, hiking the final day of the Inca trail ending at Machu Picchu and taking in the volcanic city of Arequipa, with time...

Featured in The Independent: The most thrilling way to do a safari – by running a marathon

As Travel Partners to Tusk, we were delighted to arrange for Isabella Machin to run amongst wildlife as part of the Lewa Safari marathon in June, raising critical funds for the charity. Enjoy a snippet of her time below...

Featured in The Mail: Running whilst spotting the Big Five

As Travel Partner to Tusk, Exceptional Travel manage all the logistics around the annual Lewa Safari Marathon. A challenge that has been raising essential conservation funds for over 25 years, whilst enabling runners the experience of a lifetime; running...

The Power of Purposeful Shopping

Bringing home a meaningful piece from your travels is a wonderful way to remember the people, places, and moments that made your journey special. Across Africa, a growing number of social enterprises are creating beautiful, purpose-driven products that directly...

A-Z of Sri Lanka

Often overlooked in favour of its neighbour India, what Sri Lanka lacks in size, it makes up for in scenery, experiences and friendly people. With lush mountain passes and palm-fringed sands, ancient cities share the landscape with charming colonial...

Safari | Journey | Expedition

The word “Safari” usually sends the mind into a thrilling African wildlife adventure – the wind in your hair as you traverse game filled savannahs before returning to a crackling fire with gin and tonic in hand. However, taking...

An Exceptional Adventure through Rajasthan

Visiting such a famous region of India I felt I knew what to expect and, in all honesty, was a little nervous about the “assault on the senses” I was told was ahead of me. Being from the countryside,...

ZAMBIA – A Wildlife Lovers Paradise

Zambia is often overlooked as a safari destination which, for the cognoscenti, adds to it’s appeal… Zambia holds unique appeal for the discerning safari afficionato. It excels in delivering classic safari experiences, with a focus on wildlife and exceptional...

Colours of Morocco

With vibrant landscapes, diverse communities and a rich history, Morocco is a tapestry of colours. From the fish markets of Tangier in the north to the arid Sahara Desert in the south, the bustling markets of Marrakech to the...

Beyond the Tourism Map

Our planet is blessed with many beautiful, wildlife rich islands that have been embraced by travellers far beyond their shorelines; The Maldives, Barbados, Bali and even the remote Galapagos. We know and love them too! However, there are also...

Featured in The Telegraph: Meet the 2022 finalists of the Tusk Award for Conservation

Meet the 3 chosen finalists for the Tusk Conservation Award in this powerful article by Sarah Marshall in The Telegraph on the lead up to the Tusk Conservation Awards on November 1 2022. David Daballen – on a mission...

End of Year Reflections

Dear friends, As we approach the end of another year dominated by Covid, which has admittedly continued to test our industry’s resilience to the max, we are choosing to reflect on the positives and are, as ever, looking optimistically...

Red List Removals

Buckle up… we finally have some news worthy of dusting off our keyboard and posting about! On 22nd September, five of our destination countries will be moved off the UK government’s red list. These are: Kenya, The Maldives, Egypt,...

Isolation Escapism – Australia

Whilst we cannot physically transport you to our destinations themselves at present, we would like to offer you a little virtual escapism. We do hope that they will be a welcome distraction as we sit out these extraordinary times,...

Isolation Escapism – Oman

Whilst we cannot physically transport you to our destinations themselves at present, we would like to offer you a little virtual escapism. We do hope that they will be a welcome distraction as we sit out these extraordinary times,...

ISOLATION ESCAPISM – Jordan

Whilst we cannot physically transport you to our destinations themselves at present, we would like to offer you a little virtual escapism. We do hope that they will act as a welcome distraction as we sit out these extraordinary...

Weathering the Storm

Dear Friends, These are extraordinary times. Like so many industries, the world of travel has been knocked sideways and we are in uncharted waters. With the situation seemingly changing hourly, and with countries closing their borders like dominos, there...

Do nothing…

You may know us as specialists in multi-centre itineraries; but that’s not all Exceptional Travel are about. We also have a wealth of knowledge on single centre destinations, those ‘fly & flop’ hotspots intended to instigate rest, sooth the...

Exceptional Ladies

Ahead of International Women’s Day this Sunday we’d like to thank and celebrate the great ladies in the Exceptional Travel team. The team, plus our MD Toby are pictured above at the 2019 Exceptional Travel Christmas lunch in London,...

GIVEAWAY with Wick & Tallow

We’re thrilled to collaborate with Wick & Tallow on an exciting Instagram competition to win one of their delicious Bold Collection scented candles alongside one of our vouchers worth up to £500 toward your next escape with Exceptional Travel. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀...

Come and see us at Cocklebarrow races

This Sunday 26th January we are delighted to be exhibiting once again at Cocklebarrow Races in Gloucestershire, set to be a fantastic day out for all the family. We’d love to see past and new Exceptional Travellers, so do...

South Africa with the Children

South Africa is well known as a the perfect destination for a family escape – be it February or October half-term, or the Christmas or Easter holidays. At the end of 2019, our Senior Sales Consultant, Alex Bellew, packed...

Christmas Crackers

Toby – Norway For a traditional Christmas escape I can think of nothing better than packing up the family and taking them to Norway. Getting cosy by the fire while the snow falls outside is a pretty idyllic picture...

Myanmar’s Top Ten

Rudyard Kipling said ‘This is Burma. It will be quite unlike any land you know about.’ Just over a century later, the exotic and enthralling country of Myanmar offers travellers a blend of cultural influences and a traditional way...

GenerationTusk

Exceptional Travel and GenerationTusk invite you to celebrate the festive season whilst also supporting progressive conservation efforts across Africa. Join us for Christmas Drinks Gone Wild at the Maddox Gallery Westbourne Grove, showcasing the superb David Yarrow “Pride Rock”...

Oman’s Top Ten

With an impressive variety of luxury hotels and just 7.5 hours from London, Oman is an attractive option for that winter sun escape. Step outside the your chosen resort and you’ll discover far more than just world class hospitality....

Half Term not Half Time

From Mexico to The Maldives, we all need a little winter warmer to keep us going ’til spring. Here, we’ve picked some of our favourite family friendly holidays, perfect for your half term escape from the murky month of...

An adrenaline fuelled adventure in Namibia

Having been lucky enough to travel extensively throughout Africa, Namibia has always been one country that I’ve been keen to return to and see more of, in particular. When Ultimate Safaris kindly invited me to experience their exclusive guided...

Exceptional Journeys

We are delighted to announce that Exceptional Travel have teamed up with world-class photographer, Paul Joynson-Hicks, to lead an exclusive wildlife photography tour to Brazil’s Pantanal. The Pantanal is home to one of the largest and, thanks to dedicated conservation teams, thriving jaguar...

News

Latest News

Posts from the past

2026 safari openings that shift the dial

Lessons from Peru

Featured in The Independent: The most thrilling way to do a safari – by running a marathon

Featured in The Mail: Running whilst spotting the Big Five

The Power of Purposeful Shopping

A-Z of Sri Lanka

Safari | Journey | Expedition

An Exceptional Adventure through Rajasthan

ZAMBIA – A Wildlife Lovers Paradise

Colours of Morocco

Beyond the Tourism Map

Featured in The Telegraph: Meet the 2022 finalists of the Tusk Award for Conservation

End of Year Reflections

Red List Removals

Isolation Escapism – Australia

Isolation Escapism – Oman

ISOLATION ESCAPISM – Jordan

Weathering the Storm

Do nothing…

Exceptional Ladies

GIVEAWAY with Wick & Tallow

Come and see us at Cocklebarrow races

South Africa with the Children

Christmas Crackers

Myanmar’s Top Ten

GenerationTusk

Oman’s Top Ten

Half Term not Half Time

An adrenaline fuelled adventure in Namibia

Exceptional Journeys

An Exceptional Journey to Zambia and Malawi

The First Decade of Exceptional Travel

Our Favourite Tree Houses

Put Your Best Foot Forward

The Myriad Landscapes of Latin America

An Exceptional Adventure in Sri Lanka

Don’t get left out in the cold…

The First Lady of Kenya starts 2018 Lewa Marathon

October Half Term

Get in touch with us now to start planning your journey

Follow Us

Proudly ASSOCIATED WITH

Sign up to our newsletter