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Home/Our Experts/Africa/Kelley Cleaveland
Kelley Cleaveland
Africa
Indian Ocean
Middle East

Kelley Cleaveland

My passion for travel, and my subsequent career in the travel industry, began after I graduated from Archaeology at UCLA. I spent the summer after graduation on a dig in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile, which also happened to be my first time out of the U.S. This experience helped to clarify that my true passion was not for Archaeology, but rather for travel, and I haven't stopped travelling since. I have had incredible game viewing experiences in Kenya's Masai Mara, explored the narrow streets of Zanzibar's Stone Town, come face to face with Great White sharks in Gansbaai, flown in a helicopter over the majestic Victoria Falls, and glided through the life-giving waters of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro. Africa is every bit as magical and amazing as it is made out to be, and is a place that I absolutely believe everyone should travel to at least once, but preferably many times, in their lives.

The best time to go on safari is typically the winter months, when there is less foliage on the trees and bushes and the animals are easier to see.

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer" - Anonymous

It is almost impossible to choose just one experience from the many I have been fortunate enough to have in Africa, but the most recent memorable experience I had was spending the night on a sleep out (an isolated platform in the middle of the African bush) where its just you, and the stars, and the animals all night long. I won't forget that in a hurry.

Some of Kelley's Favourite Places

01

Cape Town

Cape Town
02

Lower Zambezi National Park

Aerial view on the river and surrounding areas
03

Luxor

Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun Re at Temple of Karnak - Luxor
04

Masai Mara National Reserve

Sunrise over the Masai Mara, with a pair of low-flying hot air balloons and a herd of wildebeest below in the typical red oat grass of the region
05

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

View of the Ngorongoro crater from atop the mountain
06

Sossusvlei

The dunes of Namib-Naukluft at sunset.
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We recently completed a custom Vietnam tour organized by Goway, and it was everything we asked for and more. We would definitely choose Goway again. The true highlights of our trip, however, were our two guides: Vu Dang and Thien. They truly made our experience unforgettable. Both were incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and kind. Their pride in their Vietnamese heritage shone through in every conversation, making our learning experience both deep and engaging. We learned so much in such a short time, and it was always fascinating. I would highly recommend these two guides to anyone visiting Vietnam!Laura Derbyshire
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There were 4 travelers on this trip. All of us were in our late 70's. We started planning this trip 6 months prior to our travel date and had a lot of questions regarding this trip. Our Goway Travel Specialist, Karen Larrota, always answered our questions in a timely and complete manner. We traveled to Quito, Ecuador, the Galapagos, The Sacred Valley in Peru, Machu Picchu, and Cusco in Peru. Not only were the destinations and accommodations excellent, but every tour guide and driver were beyond excellent. The entire trip went smoothly every step of the way, which was amazing given the fact that there were numerous flights and hotels included in our package. We found out that the tour company that Goway used, Condor Travel, checked on us with our guide to make sure we were doing OK which we thought was very nice but also amusing as we are fairly fit older adults. Would also like to mention that we did a cruise thru the Galapagos on the Galapagos Legend which was arranged thru Go Galapagos - Kleintouurs. This portion of our tour was also excellent as were the wildlife guides and staff. We continue to discuss how wonderful this trip was with our family and friends and how wonderful this experience was. Would definately use Goway for our travel needs in the future.Dianne
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