Travel and Leisure Worlds Best Awards for number 1 tour operator in the world 2024 and number 2 tour operator in the world 2025

We're one of the World's Best Tour Operators!

Voted No.1 in 2024 and No.2 in 2025 by Travel+Leisure

Experiences

Family

Bring the whole troop

Family

What you'll do

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is truly magical. Everything just seems bigger, brighter, and altogether more exciting… And family holidays don’t have to mean stress, tears, or packing half the house. With a little Timbuktu magic, they become wild, wonderful, memory-making adventures that your kids will be talking about for years (and so will you). We’ve got top-notch family guides and activities ranging from archery in Kenya to surfing in Indonesia, private villas with swimming pools and enough space to tire out little legs, and chefs who can whip up pasta at the drop of a hat. So go on, bring them all!

Open Map

Take a tribal textiles art safari in South Luangwa

Summit the desert dunes of Sossusvlei

Gaze at wildlife from a boat safari on the Zambezi

Family Trips

Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch

Gorillas, Ngorongoro & the Serengeti

Tanzania + Rwanda

Gorillas, Ngorongoro & the Serengeti

11 nights from $13K per person

Arusha Ngorongoro Crater Serengeti

The essence of Japan

The essence of Japan

9 nights from $10.5K per person

Tokyo Kanazawa Kyoto

Chilean adventure: deserts to glaciers

Chilean adventure: deserts to glaciers

10 nights from $10.5K per person

Atacama Desert Santiago Torres Del Paine

A classic Costa Rica adventure

A classic Costa Rica adventure

9 nights from $6.3K per person

San José & Central Valley Arenal Volcano Monteverde Cloud Forest

Epic Ecuador: volcanoes, jungles & the Galapagos

Epic Ecuador: volcanoes, jungles & the Galapagos

14 nights from $9.2K per person

Quito Otavalo The Ecuadorian Amazon

The Full Brazil

The Full Brazil

14 nights from $8.9K per person

Rio de Janeiro Paraty Green Coast

Design a Custom Trip

Our Experts

Want to chat?

Get advice and suggestions to make this your perfect trip.

or call us on: +1 (646) 542 0667

Tessa

Tessa Dancer

Africa & Asia Travel Specialist

Jessica

Jessica Klauzenberg

Asia Travel Specialist

Kristin

Kristin Jessup

Africa Travel Specialist

Articles

Family in the blog

Zimbabwe Safari Guide

Planning Guides

Zimbabwe Safari Guide

Take a walk on Zim’s wild side

Tanzania Safari Guide

Planning Guides

Tanzania Safari Guide

Your guide to navigating Tanzania’s amazing safari circuit

Vietnam Travel Guide: Where to Go, When to Visit & How to Plan Your Trip

Planning Guides

Vietnam Travel Guide: Where to Go, When to Visit & How to Plan Your Trip

Start planning your adventure to this Southeast Asian jewel

India Travel Guide

Planning Guides

India Travel Guide

Make the most of your India trip and start planning!

Ecuador Country Guide

Planning Guides

Ecuador Country Guide

From the Amazon to the Galapagos

Chile Country Guide

Planning Guides

Chile Country Guide

Geysers, glaciers & Easter Island

Reviews

Based on 902 Feefo Reviews

26 nights in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia

They are great. Great planning with your participation! They have great folks on the ground. I have done on trip to India, leaving for Africa soon and planning a trip to South America. Both Carola and Meg are great!!!

Expert travel advisors

Expert travel advisors

19 nights in Kenya and Tanzania

This will be my third trip with Timbuktu and they are amazing! Very smart and helpful with plans and what you want to see and do. They can tailor your trip to your specifications which isn't always the case with travel agencies.

17 nights in Chile and Argentina

My Kenya and Ethiopia trip

My Kenya and Ethiopia trip

16 nights in Kenya and Ethiopia

So far Kevin has done an excellent job on everything. Communicates well and seems to be on top of all the details

Great experience - highly recommended

Great experience - highly recommended

11 nights in Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania

Wonderful experience - this is the second time I booked with Tessa for Africa safari. The first in 2024 was a great experience so I naturally came back to her this year. She is very knowledgeable (she has traveled to many of the camps herself), she listens before she suggests, and a pleasure to work with. Her communications are timely and clear / concise. I highly recommend Tessa and Timbuktu.

South Africa/Zambia/Seychelles

South Africa/Zambia/Seychelles

12 nights in South Africa, Zambia and Seychelles

We planned a multi country vacation with several flights, lots of different hotels and many activities. Timbuktu took a lot of the stress off of me by helping me Figure out exactly what I wanted to do on this trip and helping me get it all scheduled. At every stop we were well taken care of and we had exactly what we needed. We felt safe and taken care of the entire trip.

As Seen in

11 Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists 2025

No. 1 & No. 2 Tour Operator in Travel + Leisure's Best Awards 2024 & 2025

Best Booking Platform in Women's Health Travel Awards 2025

Travel Specialist voted as Latin America A-List Travel Advisor 2025

"Timbuktu can take relatively complex and slightly amorphous travel plans and transform them into a well-organized, perfectly tailored trip."