Abercrombie & Kent vs Myths and Mountains - Tour Companies Compared

Co-founded by current CEO Geoffrey Kent in 1962, Abercrombie & Kent started out in modest fashion as an African safari operator, but quickly grew into one of the world's premiere luxury travel brands. Today they cover the globe, with 50 offices worldwide.

What Makes Abercrombie & Kent Stand Out?

• Award-winning luxury tour operator
• Insider-access opportunities
• Focus on culture, wildlife, and history 

Abercrombie & Kent is one of the world’s leading luxury travel companies. The emphasis is very much on luxury here -- whether it’s small-group travel (limit of 18 per group), tailor-made journeys, expedition cruises, train travel, African safaris, European barge cruises, or any of its many other offerings, just about everything A&K arranges is top of the line.

They are specific in their travel style, promising superior and attentive service, comfort, and cultural exploration. While this may seem exclusionary - and the prices are quite a barrier to entry.

Luxury travel might have a reputation for being swanky and even perhaps a bit dull, particularly for those who travel for adventure, the image being a glass of champagne all day long, moving from meal to meal, sitting on the private deck of a cruise ship. This perspective is a misnomer however, as there is quite a bit of action available on tours with Abercrombie & Kent.

Enjoy invigorating walks, hikes, get outdoors to remote locations, meeting local people and learning about their cultures; experience the thrill of getting up close to waterfalls, and poise your camera for the perfect shot on a safari. Then retire to your room for a cocktail before dinner.

Who Will Enjoy Traveling With Abercrombie & Kent?

• Ages 65-75
• Luxury travelers

Abercrombie & Kent travelers embody an adventurous spirit, but enjoy the finer things as well. “Elegant exploration” is one way to put it. These travelers appreciate a slow pace and personalized attentive service. The age range tends to be older - baby boomers and seniors looking for a relaxing experience, with many cultural touch-points, but not overly “immersive” as their children and grandchildren might prefer.

This is upper crest travel at its finest - though Abercrombie & Kent makes a concerted effort to be worldly and inviting, your experience is definitely a luxury version of any given destination. This is a travel company that offers Private Jet trips, some of which offering the chance to meet an Abercrombie & Kent family member.

Think private after hours tours, exclusive outings with artisans, chefs, and winemakers; spectacular meals and accommodations that go a touch beyond comfortable. Imagine the civilized world of cocktail hour and dressing for dinner, but in the context of exploration. Perhaps you’re sipping your negroni on the deck of your private suite in Kenya, gazing out across the savannah with elephants silhouetted in the distance, against the dusty yellow sunlight of dusk. This is the wonderful travel world waiting for you with Abercrombie & Kent.

The majority of A&K’s guests come from North America or Britain. A&K trips are definitely not for the budget traveler, but they offer deluxe lodgings and transport and exceptionally attentive service, which their customers value highly.

Top Destinations

Abercrombie & Kent made its name offering luxury small group and private safaris in Africa. Today they go around the world, but with the same luxurious approach.

Luxury doesn’t mean same-old, same-old or unadventurous though. Groups head off on Antarctic expeditions or Uganda gorilla safaris, visit Tibet or Machu Picchu, join a European or Nile river cruise, or travel to India’s Pushkar Fair.

You can ride deluxe trains or fly across Africa by private jet with Abercrombie & Kent. Or you can outline your own tailor-made journey under the guidance of an A&K consultant, then be accompanied by their guides throughout.

Abercrombie & Kent Travel Style

There could be a tendency to view Abercrombie & Kent as old fashioned when it comes to travel style. However there is a difference between old fashioned and appreciating a traditional travel style. Those who travel with Abercrombie & Kent do expect a certain kind of experience. From luggage handling to having the salad fork in the correct order, from short or non-existent lines to special assistance when needed. These expectations have become the blueprint for an Abercrombie & Kent travel experience.

Transportation on an Abercrombie & Kent tour is almost always private and chartered. Exceptions would of course be rail journeys, but here you would have a private car and access to first class dining and viewing. Your journey may involve anything from helicopters, private jets, luxury coaches, and yachts. Walking is a common part of most guided tours, but you can expect simple and easy distances during your A&K itinerary. (Unless of course you are on a Gorilla Trek!).

Accommodation follows a similar pattern. Luxury hotels, safari lodges, villas, you name it and it’s probably available.

Why Choose a Tour With Abercrombie & Kent?

Abercrombie & Kent promises to deliver an authentic, “insider” travel experience, such as seeing Machu Picchu under the guidance of its former resident archaeologist. You can even ride an elegant train to get there. In Tanzania, A&K runs its own luxury safari camps.

From the time they first meet you at the airport until trip end, Abercrombie & Kent promises that your trip will go as smoothly as possible -- and that their entire global organization will be dedicated toward that goal.

It may strike some as contradictory to see certain parts of the world in luxury. Some countries have luxury homes, but they are only available to tourists and travelers because the locals simply occupy a different social sphere. There is a unique dependency on tourism in much of the world. Abercrombie & Kent takes this seriously, doing their philanthropic part wherever possible, giving back to the local communities.

Since it was founded in 1988, Myths and Mountains has endeavored – and succeeded – in immersing travelers deeply in the culture of destinations where they conduct both group and custom-designed trips. Each itinerary is focused upon one or more “core concepts” intended to provide unique insights into a destination.

What Makes Myths & Mountains Stand Out?

The concepts around which each trip is planned are not intended to limit participants’ experiences. Instead, they provide inspiration to explore a destination more deeply and fully, based upon the unique attributes of the local culture.

For example, depending upon the destination, the “Culture and Crafts” focus might include learning traditional crafts or cooking local delicacies. “Natural Healing” and “Traditional Medicine” may visit a shaman festival or include a visit with indigenous healers in a rainforest. There also are itineraries that explore the “Environment and Natural History” of a destination, and “Religion and Pilgrimage Sites.”

Who Will Enjoy Traveling With Myths & Mountains?

Travelers with Myths and Mountains are seeking to delve below the surface of a country and its culture, and meet and interact with its people. These trips are intended to provide an immersive experience, exploring through doing and getting to know individuals.

If your ideal trip challenges your perspective in ways you never saw coming, provides avenues through which to go off the beaten path, and explores well beyond the classic tourist spots then the Myths & Mountains approach could be for you.

These trips are not for those travelers who are looking to stay in 5 star hotels, or pack a lot of activities in each day. Expect modest but comfortable lodgings, you will be active during the day, and spend a good amount of time outside or in rural areas getting to know the locals.

People who travel with Myths and Mountains to Nepal, India, or Bhutan also have an opportunity to learn first-hand about the company-supported READ Global centers there.

Those self-sustaining projects provide education and community development to residents of isolated villages. In the past two decades, the close to 80 READ (Rural Education and Development) centers that have been established continue to improve the lives of people in countless ways.

Top Destinations

Given its goal of introducing travelers to life-changing experiences, it’s not surprising that Myths and Mountains steers clear of more tourist-trodden destinations. It offers guided trips to six countries in each of Asia and Southeast Asia. A “Customize Your Trip” link to each planned itinerary described on the website enables those who wish to do so to tailor a tour to their own interests and preferences.

Myths & Mountains Travel Style

The term “off the beaten path” gets thrown around a lot these days, but Myths & Mountains creates itineraries with this in mind, and in a more authentic and true way than most. This is somewhat due to the destinations themselves that they specialize in.

Depending upon the location, Myths and Mountains augments familiar ways of getting around with modes of transportation that are indigenous to a destination. They include trekking through stunning landscapes, exploring caves in a sea canoe and hiking over lava fields to a volcano.

Why Choose a Tour with Myths & Mountains?

The Myths and Mountains approach to immersing travelers in the essence of a destination is a major reason why it attracts a very high percentage of repeat clients. You will return home with not only new understanding about a part of the world but also with memories of very personal experiences that will linger for the rest of their lives.

For Myths and Mountains, the belief that “There is no such thing as one itinerary fits all” is not just a slogan. It’s the way the company does business. As a result, travelers benefit in ways well beyond only seeing a destination.

They get to know and understand its history, environment, and especially the people who live there. They come away with an understanding of a new and different society that results from being a participant in its traditions and mores, rather than just an observer.