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Dream Journey Tourism named in TripAdvisors’ Best of the Best for 2024

Dream Journey Tourism dominates UAE’s Top Experience category in Travelers’ Choice Awards

Dream Journey Tourism , a leading tour operator specialising in desert safari experiences in Dubai, has been recognised by TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best for 2024. Along with the coveted No 1 spot in the Top Experience category in the UAE, Dream Journey has also secured the impressive No 12 position in the World's Top Experiences list. This accolade places Dream Journey among the elite top one per cent of listings globally on Tripadvisor.

As the leading travel guidance platform, TripAdvisor’s awards are a testament to exceptional service and unforgettable experiences. This honour is based on genuine feedback from the community, reflecting authentic, first-hand reviews over the past year, making it a trusted badge of excellence.

"Winning this award is a significant achievement for us,” said Syed Hasnain Haider, Managing Director of Dream Journey Tourism. "It underscores our commitment to providing exceptional experiences, which is essential in a sector where personalisation and innovation are paramount. We deeply appreciate the support from our guests and the recognition from Tripadvisor. This accolade inspires us to keep pushing the boundaries and setting new standards in the dynamic world of travel experiences."

Award-winning experience: Dubai Red Dune Desert Safari, Camels, Sandboarding & BBQ Options

The award was bestowed for Dream Journey's highly popular Dubai Red Dune Desert Safari, Camels, Sandboarding & BBQ Options, a quintessential Dubai experience that has become a must-do for visitors. This desert safari experience takes guests on an exhilarating journey through Dubai’s iconic red dunes, offering a blend of adventure and a scenic journey to Dubai's secluded desert landscape.

The experience includes thrilling dune bashing, a sunset photo stop, camel rides, and a traditional Bedouin-style camp where guests enjoy a BBQ buffet dinner, live performances, and other cultural activities. As one of the most sought-after activities in Dubai, this desert safari has earned its place at the top of travellers' lists, making it a key factor in Dream Journey's recognition as the UAE's top experience.

“Congratulations to Dream Journey Tourism on its recognition in TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best for 2024,” said John Boris, Chief Growth Officer at TripAdvisor. “Ranking among the top percentage of businesses globally means you have made such a memorable impact on your visitors that many of them took time to go online and leave a glowing review about their experience. Travellers rely on TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best lists to help them navigate the myriad things to see, eat, and do across the globe. We hope this recognition continues to drive business to you in 2024 and beyond.”

Discover the glowing reviews and explore more about Dream Journey’s award-winning Dubai Red Dune Desert Safari experience on TripAdvisor here , or visit its website www.dreamjourney.ae . To check out the full list of all the world’s top experiences, visit the Travelers’ Choice Awards page.

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Volcanoes Safaris Was the First to Bring International Travelers to Rwanda’s Gorillas — Here’s Why It’s Still the Best

Nearly 25 years since its founding, Praveen Moman's Volcanoes Safaris is as focused on community and sustainability as ever.

Brad Japhe/Travel + Leisure

When viewed in pictures, the silverback gorilla is a foreboding beast: a hairy, barrel-chested warrior weighing as much as 600 pounds with an arm span that can stretch more than eight feet. But, when observed in their native habitat of Sub-Saharan Africa, there is nothing menacing about Earth’s largest living primate. Juveniles are as playful and innocently curious as their human counterparts, while adults are wholly enveloped in a zen aura. It is a spellbinding spectacle.

So, it’s no wonder that approximately 50,000 visitors a year make the trek to experience it for themselves — and despite the steep cost of entry (a permit is $1,500 per day in Rwanda and $800 per day in Uganda), that number is rising. They’re arriving not just for the silverback but for all the great apes of the region, which includes chimpanzees and critically endangered golden monkeys.

Still, despite the interest in the region and its incredible ecosystem, with increased tourism comes the continual risk of over- tourism. Sadly, the communities and ecosystems directly threatened by such are largely denied the added revenue it generates.

Brad Japhe/Travel + Leisure

One man, however, is working hard to ensure a more equitable — and sustainable — outcome. Praveen Moman, a native Ugandan and a successful hotelier and passionate activist, leads Volcanoes Safaris , founded in 2000 as the first international safari company to take clients to Rwanda. Five years later, it became the only safari company to sign the United Nations Kinshasa Declaration on Saving the Great Apes. By 2009, Moman had started a non-profit trust dedicated to promoting their conservation while simultaneously enriching the livelihoods of those in surrounding villages.

“We believe that responsible tourism can be a powerful force for positive change,” says Moman, who was listed as an A-List Travel Advisor for chimpanzee and gorilla safaris earlier this year by Travel + Leisure . “We are proud to support the communities and habitats that make gorilla trekking experiences possible.”

SHAUN S. RITCHIE/Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris

What exactly does that look like in practice? For one, the lodges he operates — which now include five properties spread across the high mountain jungles of Rwanda and Uganda — are built by a local labor force who are paid salaries that exceed the going market rate. They also rely on locally sourced materials and incorporate eco-friendly technologies, including water recapture, to reduce energy consumption and waste.

Through the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, a litany of ongoing projects improves infrastructure in the remote villages that border conservation land. In recent years, it has donated water tanks to these towns, improved road conditions, and set up solar energy sources, all while rewilding wetlands and ensuring the safety of the gorillas and chimpanzees that bring the tourists here.

Because Volcanoes Safaris was the first to bring five-star luxury to gorilla trekking two decades ago, with its now-legendary Virunga Lodge, the brand enjoys an edge of expertise over its competition. It’s had extra years to train and develop a knowledgeable workforce comprised exclusively of local talent.

Propping up these communities while protecting the wildlife is a complicated task. It is often viewed as an either-or supposition because these small villages turn to any form of tourism as a potential lifeline — even those that don’t employ best practices. But Moman is proving that you can serve both. When Volcanoes Safaris established its Kyambura Gorge Lodge back in 2009, it opened concurrently to an ecotourism project fueling conservation efforts in and around its namesake ridge. Within the immediate area is an isolated community of chimpanzees, and by creating a nearly two-mile-long buffer zone around the canyon, the population of these animals has climbed from 15 to 33 in the ensuing years.

On July 1, the company cut the ribbon on its latest offering, Kibale Lodge . Positioned along the Albertine Rift in southwestern Uganda, the eight-villa estate reinforces the ethos of its sister property at Kyambura Gorge. It will partner with the Jane Goodall Institute in the town of Kibale to help ensure the safety of neighboring primate populations, and it’s working with the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation to support and showcase the output of local artisans.

None of these brand missions sacrifice anything to the quality of the hard product. In fact, they only enhance a sense of luxury routed in an authentic vernacular. A deluxe banda at the new Kibale Lodge brandishes plush kingsize bedding, a stone-ringed fireplace, and an unfettered sightline of the Rwenzori Mountains climbing high above the distant plain. It’s all contained charmingly under a vaulted ceiling thatched with exposed wooden beams. Personal butler service is offered to all guests, along with access to a pool and spa.

In many ways, the look and feel of the latest addition to the portfolio is an extension of what was laid down at Virunga Lodge two decades prior. That original property, suspended high on a spine between two of Rwanda’s largest lakes, remains a vibrant icon of five-star forest trekking. Each of its 12 spacious villas is appointed in a decor that Moman originally coined as “Rwandese Afro-chic.”

Rates there start at $1,030 per person during the low season of October through May and climb up to $2,230 for single occupancy if you book from June through the end of September, on par with the pricing you’ll find at the Kibale Lodge. It includes food, drink, post-trek massages, laundry, and butler services. There are cheaper places you can stay — indeed, the jungle trekking landscape is crowded with options in this day and age — but you’ll be hard-pressed to find an operator fully committed to the sustainable cause.

“Volcanoes Safaris is the pioneer of great ape tourism in East Africa and, for the last 25 years, has been solely focused on providing the premier gorilla and chimpanzee trekking experience,” Moman says. “But that’s all pretty hollow if we’re not providing social support for local communities.”

In this particular pursuit, Volcanoes Safaris wasn’t just the first; it remains the best.

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I went on my first safari trip to South Africa. I won't make these 10 mistakes next time.

• I spent a week on safari in South Africa , visiting three different reserves.
• I found that planning was essential and that I always needed to have my camera ready.
• Next time I'd bring warmer clothing and a buff for dust control.

I spent a week on safari in South Africa, visiting three different reserves.

It was a thrilling adventure I'll never forget, and I got to see incredible creatures such as hyenas, elephants, and lions.

It's no wonder more travelers are looking to weave game reserves into their trips. According to the most recent data collected by the travel agency Go2Africa , interest in beach and safari combo trips was up 20% from 2022 to 2023 alone.

But although the trip was great, it wasn't always easy — and I had a few missteps from the planning phase to the wildlife observation.

Here are mistakes I made on my trip that that everyone should avoid on their first safari .

We booked our trip during a busy part of the year.

I try to avoid traveling during holidays , which often means more crowds. Unfortunately, we ended up booking during Easter break, which was the end of summer in the southern hemisphere.

The lodges were full and busy with lots of kids, and the prices were higher. We still had a great time, but if we'd booked different dates — maybe during a low season — we may have paid less for a more private experience.

The mornings were cold, even in summer.

Our morning game drives started before sunrise in an open-air jeep.

The safari guide was wearing shorts, so I thought I would be comfortable matching that. Wrong! I was so cold on our first ride.

I quickly learned that although it was summer, a beanie and down jacket would've been cozy on the drive.

I missed photo opportunities because my camera wasn't ready.

I knew I wanted to keep my camera out at all times when on a game drive. But after several hours of driving, we were approaching the gate and I tucked my phone away.

That's when we turned a corner and saw a large white rhino facing us in the middle of the road. It was a dramatic moment I captured in my head, but I didn't have time to snap a photo before it darted into the bushes.

Next time, I'd be better prepared for animals that might pop up near the exit.

I had no idea how dusty the roads were going to be.

The safari terrain changed based on where the guide drove each day, and some routes were quite dusty.

After a day of exploring, I felt as if I had dust in my ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. Sunglasses helped shield my eyes, but I wish I'd brought a buff to cover the rest of my face.

Driving between game reserves made me more tired than I'd expected.

Our safari adventure included visits to three different wildlife reserves, and we rented a car to get between them.

On each transition day, we had a morning game drive, then a drive to get to the next reserve, and then an evening game drive there.

That was a lot of sitting, and by the time I got to the evening game drive, I was tired. Next time, I may space my schedule out more.

I made the classic mistake of leaving the car door open when unloading the luggage.

At one point, I walked my bags inside my accommodations, leaving the door open behind me. When I came out, the neighbors were taking photos of a monkey inside my car.

He was quick because, fortunately, I didn't have any food in the car for him to run off with.

Now I know to stay on top of shutting and locking my car doors when at a game reserve.

We got too close to elephants.

Animals can be unpredictable and safaris are not like a zoo. I learned how quickly a situation can change while watching a herd of elephants eating in Kruger National Park.

They started crossing the road in front of my car, and a large one turned to look right at us and started shaking his head. It seemed clearly displeased with our presence.

I flipped the car into reverse faster than you can say "elephant," but it was a scary moment.

Consuming too much liquid can be risky.

Evening safari drives include a stop in the bush around sunset for a "sundowner" beverage. One of the nights, my drink proved to be too much liquid for my bladder.

The problem was that we were following a pride of lions, so there was no chance of hopping off the truck to relieve myself.

I was able to hold it, but next time I'll be more careful with the amount of liquid I consume before and during bush drives.

I was caught off guard by load shedding.

Load shedding is the name for scheduled power outages in South Africa that help prevent the power grid from being overloaded.

Some places have backup generators or solar panels to alleviate power disruptions, but I learned not to expect that to always be the case.

When the power turned off during our trip, I found myself sitting in complete darkness. I scrambled for my phone flashlight, but I could've avoided that panic by plugging in the emergency light that was provided.

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