By Richard Jasinski·Updated 14 October 2026
Company record · opened 14 October 2026 · every fact dated and sourced · no score · Is this your company? Correct a fact
Ampersand Travel is a luxury tour operator and planner of fully tailor-made holidays, owner run by founder and managing director James Jayasundera, arranging holidays to Asia since 2003 and to Africa in recent years, with a 13 day Namibia trip from £8,625 per person. The deposit is 25% of total cost, the balance is due 10 weeks before departure, cancelling 35 days or less before departure costs 100%, and it names ATOL 6065 for flights and flight-inclusive packages. Read on 12 October 2026, Condé Nast Traveller (UK) lists it in the feature 'The top travel specialists to know right now', published 7 November 2025.
Verified 12 October 2026 · Ampersand Travel’s own website and booking terms · Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler lists · Google, Trustpilot, SafariBookings and Travelstride
Ampersand Travel is on this site because it is one of the 50 African safari planners whose public facts are kept in one table, read the same way for every company. This page gives no score. It shows what is public: what the company’s own website says about who it is, its prices, deposits, cancellation terms and payment protection, its reviews on each platform, and the lists that name it, each with the source and the date it was read. To set it beside another company, open that company’s page on this site: the same facts sit in the same order. The scored comparison pages and the best African safari tour companies page use these records.
54 facts about Ampersand Travel were read from its own website, the award publishers and the review platforms on 12 October 2026, and every one below says who stated it, where it was read and when. “Not stated on their website” means the right page was read and the fact is not there; “Could not access” means the page would not open; “No profile found” means the platform has no listing. None of the three means the company does not have it. The same form is kept for every safari planner on this site, so each line can be set beside any other company’s. Where a line here differs from an older line on this page, this one, read later, is the current reading.
Trading name and legal entity
Ampersand Travel Limited, company registered in England, number 4656968 (trading as Ampersand Travel; site footer prints 'Ampersand Travel Ltd.')
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
Where it is based
Not stated on their website: no head-office address on the contact page. Only a +44 (0)20 7819 9770 number and office hours are printed; offers to 'meet up in person' without naming a city
Source: Company · contact · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Year founded
Home page: 'Since 2003' arranging holidays to Asia, 'in recent years' Africa as well. About page: 'over 20 years of experience' but also '16 Years Ampersand has been in Business' (the two statements differ)
Source: Company · home page · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Owner or parent
'Ampersand is owner run'; James Jayasundera is named Founder & Managing Director. No parent company or separate owner named
Source: Company · home page · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
What it is
Describes itself as 'a luxury tour operator' offering fully tailor-made holidays; a planner that sells lodges it has inspected. No own camps stated
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Team
7 named people: James Jayasundera (Founder & MD), Catriona Deredas (Director), Emily Gillman (General Manager), Devika Nanda (Senior Travel Consultant), Chloe Goolden (PR & Marketing Manager), Moiz Taherbhoy (Finance Director), Kim Steven (Senior Support Specialist). Same page's figures say '7 Highly experienced destination specialists'
Source: Company · our people · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Where it sells
UK line +44 (0)20 7819 9770; email [email protected]. Office hours Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat 0900-1500 (limited staff). No US or other phone line or overseas office printed. Prices shown in GBP (£)
Source: Company · contact · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
In its own words
'Luxury is in the experience': luxury tailor-made holidays to Asia and Southern Africa, personally tested, for individuals and small groups
Source: Company · about us · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Response time and named planner
Quote and suggested tour 'from your personal consultant within a couple of days'; 'we personally answer all phone calls (during office working hours)'; clients get personal mobile numbers. No single planner named on the pages
Source: Company · contact · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
No profile found: no Google business listing was shown in the search on 12 Oct 2026.
Source: Independent source · Google search · by hand · 12 Oct 2026
Trustpilot
No profile found: trustpilot page for ampersandtravel.com returned a 404 (no profile found)
Source: Independent source · Trustpilot · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Tripadvisor
Could not access: to be read by hand
Source: Independent source · not recorded · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Trustindex
No profile found: trustindex page for ampersandtravel.com returned a 404 (no profile found)
Source: Independent source · Trustindex · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Any other independent platform
No named platform. Home page structured data shows an aggregateRating of 97 out of 100 from 317 ratings, with no platform or date given. Own testimonials page also carries client quotes
Source: Company · home page · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Where it asks clients to leave reviews
Not stated on their website: no link to a review platform found in the saved pages; the site shows its own testimonials on the press/testimonials page
Source: Company · press testimonials accolades · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Every award, 2024 to 2026
Read from the publishers (Independent source): Condé Nast Traveller (UK), The top travel specialists to know right now: listed (hand-picked by the UK editors; published 7 Nov 2025) The company's own site also states (Company): Condé Nast Traveller Top Travel Specialist, listed 2019-2026 (home page: 'every year since 2019'); Robb Report Travel Masters 2025. Also listed without a year: Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Award; Top 10 Super Agents by Financial Times; 'voted best travel agent by Wallpaper'. Categories and results beyond these not given; publishers' lists not checked
Source: Independent source · travelandleisure.com World's Best Awards 2026 and A-List, cntraveler.com/travel-specialists, cntraveller.com top travel specialists · by hand · 12 Oct 2026
Advisors on named lists
Not stated on their website: press page lists awards and a How To Spend It quote about James Jayasundera but gives no counts of advisors on lists
Source: Company · press testimonials accolades · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Certifications
Not stated on their website: no B Corp or similar certification on the about, charity or philosophy pages. Only the ATOL licence is mentioned
Source: Company · about us · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Prices published
Yes. Individual African itinerary pages show 'N days from £X per person' (no year on Africa pages; the Asia pages saved say 'for 2026'). Six African itinerary pages read: Self-drive South Africa, Namibia Deserts/Dunes, Safari in Style Botswana, Namibia Off The Beaten Track, Namibia with the kids in tow, Perfect Botswana Honeymoon (plus listing-page prices). Total number of priced itineraries on the site not stated
Source: Company · namibia deserts dunes wildlife coastlines, safari in style the ultimate botswana safari · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Priced example trips
Namibia: Deserts, Dunes, Wildlife & Coastlines: 13 days from £8,625 per person (private guide for the whole trip; private safari vehicle); Safari in Style - The Ultimate Botswana Safari: 7 days from £11,130 per person (helicopter transfers between Jao, Duba Plains and Zarafa camps; Jao, Duba Plains, Zarafa); Namibia with the kids in tow: 11 days from £5,720 per person, priced on 2 adults and 2 children (£4,640 per adult, £3,129 per child). Also listed per person: Namibia Off The Beaten Track 13 days from £6,115; The Perfect Botswana Honeymoon 9 days from £7,920; Self-drive South Africa 10 days from £2,700 (includes 1 free night at Twelve Apostles, certain dates excluded). Earlier listing-page prices also seen: Namibia in Style 12 days from £9,340; A Classic Botswana Circuit 7 days from £4,745. Pages say 'days' not nights, give no season, and show no formal inclusions list beside the price
Source: Company · namibia deserts dunes wildlife coastlines, safari in style the ultimate botswana safari, namibia with the kids in tow · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Price per person per day
Not stated on their website: no per-day price range stated on the Africa or cost pages saved
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Minimum spend
FAQ: 'Yes, £3,000 per person is our minimum spend, which includes accommodation, flights, transfers, guides, activities and sightseeing outlined in your itinerary'
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
What the price includes
No formal inclusions list beside the price. Day-by-day text shows some inclusions: private guide and private safari vehicle (Namibia), airport/camp transfers, helicopter and light-aircraft transfers (Botswana), privately guided Cape Town and Winelands tours and a hire car (self-drive), Gondwana Reserve 'on a fully inclusive basis'. Flights within the itinerary are shown (e.g. Johannesburg-Maun). Earlier FAQ list for the minimum spend (accommodation, flights, transfers, guides, activities, sightseeing) still applies
Source: Company · self drive south africa an epic road trip, safari in style the ultimate botswana safari, namibia deserts dunes wildlife coastlines · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Deposit
25% of total cost per person (or other amount advised); full payment at booking if within 10 weeks of departure; may be higher where suppliers need full payment (clause 1a, 1i)
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
Balance due
Balance received 10 weeks before departure (clause 1h)
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
Cancellation charges
By days before departure: more than 70 days = loss of deposit; 70-56 days = 50% of total cost; 55-36 days = 75%; 35 days or less = 100%. Amendment charge £100 per booking or £100 per hour (clause 3a, 3b)
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
How client payments are protected
ATOL 6065 (Civil Aviation Authority) covers flights and flight-inclusive packages; £2.50 per person APC included in prices. Packages not under ATOL: money held in a trust account until end of trip or cancellation. Bookings other than ATOL-protected flight/package made via website are not financially protected. ATOL protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the UK. Home page: 'ATOL bonded'. Register not checked (clause 6)
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
Currencies and card fees
Not stated on their website: terms do not state a billing currency or card surcharge; they say prices vary with exchange rate (clause 5c). Site prices are shown in £
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
24-hour contact while travelling
FAQ: 'We provide 24-7 support throughout your holiday and are on call in the case of an emergency'; home page: clients receive personal mobile numbers; terms refer to emergency contact numbers provided to clients. No 24-hour number printed on the saved pages
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
How the company is paid
Not stated on their website: no planning fee or lodge commission stated. FAQ says hotels are obtained at discounted rates and the total is 'only marginally more' than booking direct; terms mention 'an amount to cover agents' commission' only in surcharge clause
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Price against booking direct
FAQ: 'As we get hotels at discounted rates, the total cost you pay will only be marginally more than if you booked directly yourself'; it says it seeks out special offers and discounts hotels provide. Does not state it matches lodge rates
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Licences and registrations
ATOL number 6065 (CAA); company number 4656968 (registered in England). Not checked on the registers
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
African countries it plans
Southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Source: Company · africa · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Own offices or staff in Africa
Not stated on their website: no African office or staff named. Nearby: a photo caption refers to a farm owned by MD James Jayasundera in the South African Winelands; Kim Steven grew up in South Africa
Source: Company · south africa · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
How it books on the ground
Through 'carefully selected ground handlers', 'most of which are owner run'; terms refer to a local agent or representative and say locally booked excursions are contracted with the local company
Source: Company · home page · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Own camps or vehicles
Not stated on their website: no own camps or vehicles stated; it sells third-party lodges it says it has inspected ('Totally independent')
Source: Company · africa · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking
Not stated on their website: gorilla or chimpanzee trekking not mentioned; its Africa country list does not include Rwanda, Uganda or Tanzania
Source: Company · africa · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Beach add-ons
Mozambique: Bazaruto Archipelago (Anantara Bazaruto, Azura Benguerra, Santorini Mozambique), Quirimbas (Ibo Island Lodge), Machangulo Beach Lodge; beach itineraries from £3,465. Beach page also mentions Lake Malawi. Zanzibar, Seychelles, Mauritius not mentioned
Source: Company · mozambique · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Africa only, or other regions too
Both. Asia (Indian Subcontinent, Far East, Southeast Asia, e.g. India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Vietnam, Maldives) plus Southern Africa; home page also mentions the British Isles
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Family trips
Africa: South Africa with the Kids 11 days from £4,775; Safari with the Kids - Botswana 10 days from £6,325; Namibia with the kids in tow 11 days from £5,720 per person, priced on 2 adults and 2 children (£4,640 per adult, £3,129 per child; itinerary can be altered). Family features: Okonjima Bush Suite with own chef, guide and exclusive vehicles, nanny can be arranged for younger children, Little Ongava (3 suites with plunge pools), Himba village visit, Gondwana Reserve 'Junior Ranger Program'. Also Self-drive South Africa 10 days from £2,700; Beach Bliss on Benguerra 8 days from £3,465; Quirimbas island-hopping 8 days from £5,640
Source: Company · namibia with the kids in tow, self drive south africa an epic road trip · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Minimum child age
Not stated on their website: no minimum child age stated on the family pages saved
Source: Company · family holidays · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Teenagers and multigenerational trips
Multi-generational trips stated ('a good starting point for any multi-generational trip to Southern Africa'). Teenagers mentioned only for Asia (beach break in Indonesia with teenagers)
Source: Company · family holidays · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Honeymoon trips
Africa honeymoons: Perfect Botswana Honeymoon 9 days from £7,920; Starlit South Africa 13 days from £6,350; Starry-Eyed Namibia 12 days from £7,700; Safari in Style Botswana 7 days from £11,130; Top 10 Southern Africa honeymoons list; Honeymoon Gift List offered
Source: Company · honeymoons · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Solo travellers
Not stated on their website: no single supplement policy stated
Source: Company · faqs · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Older travellers and limited mobility
Not stated on their website: no policy for older travellers or limited mobility. Booking conditions only ask clients to disclose any medical problem or disability before booking so suitability can be advised
Source: Company · Booking Conditions (file name dated 2016) · pdf · 12 Oct 2026
First safari
Not stated on their website: no itinerary or guidance marked as a first safari on the Africa pages saved
Source: Company · wildlife safari · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Private guide and vehicle
Private guide stated: Contact page 'tailor-made and completely private'; Namibia itineraries give a private guide 'for the duration of your trip' (Deserts, Off The Beaten Track) and a specialist private naturalist guide throughout (kids itinerary), with transfers 'by private safari vehicle with your private guide'; Okonjima Bush Suite has 'exclusive safari vehicles'; Cape Town and Winelands tours are privately guided. Botswana itineraries rely on camp guides and do not state a private guide or vehicle
Source: Company · namibia deserts dunes wildlife coastlines, namibia off the beaten track, namibia with the kids in tow · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Exclusive-use camps and villas
Some exclusive-use offerings in itineraries: an 'exclusively set up' mobile camp in the Huab Conservancy, Damaraland and a Huab Under Canvas 'Stellar Escape' camp in complete privacy (Namibia Off The Beaten Track); Okonjima Bush Suite (private suite with own chef, guide and exclusive vehicles); Zarafa Camp 'built with exclusivity in mind', only 6 guests at a time; The Beach House Knysna, a 4-bedroom villa (self-drive itinerary). Not offered as a general exclusive-use camp service on the pages
Source: Company · namibia off the beaten track, safari in style the ultimate botswana safari, self drive south africa an epic road trip · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Small-group departures
Not stated for Africa. About page says it designs for 'individuals and small groups'; Asia pages list 'Group Diving' trips with no group size given
Source: Company · about us · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Who guides the trip
Mixed. Private guides it arranges in Namibia: 'your private guide for the duration of your trip', 'specialist naturalist guide who will be with you throughout' (kids itinerary), 'private naturalist guide' in Damaraland; expert guides at Tok Tokkie Trails and the Huab Under Canvas night-sky camp. Botswana camps use their own guides (Jao 'professional guides', Zarafa 'best professional guides'). Earlier: Robin Pope Safaris (South Luangwa) and Kwando Tau Lodge trackers. No statement of employing its own guides
Source: Company · namibia deserts dunes wildlife coastlines, namibia with the kids in tow, safari in style the ultimate botswana safari · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Self-drive
Yes: Self-drive South Africa: An Epic Road Trip, 10 days from £2,700 per person, pre-planned by Ampersand with sat nav: Cape Town (privately guided city and Winelands days), then self-drive to Hermanus (Birkenhead House), Gondwana Reserve (Big 5, malaria-free) and Knysna (The Beach House), hire car dropped at George airport. Other pages saved show guided itineraries only
Source: Company · self drive south africa an epic road trip · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Photography trips
Not stated on their website: no photography trips or specialist photography vehicles stated; 'Photography' appears only as an option in the enquiry form's specialist interests
Source: Company · contact · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Conservation
Charities page lists Pebbles Project (South Africa) among supported causes, plus others in UK, Burma, Sri Lanka, Delhi. Africa captions mention Ibo Island Lodge community school, Sorris Sorris conservancy fees and Phinda's Africa Foundation. No amounts stated
Source: Company · charities · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Walking, horseback and other specialist trips
Walking safaris (Robin Pope Safaris, South Luangwa, Zambia; Botswana walking safaris at Duba Plains and Zarafa); Tok Tokkie Trails two-day guided desert walking safari (Namibia); nature walks, large-carnivore and cheetah tracking on foot at Okonjima; Selinda Adventure Trail canoeing/walking and camping (Botswana); horseback safari at Tswalu (Kalahari) and riding at Grootbos; mokoro trips and boat cruises in the Okavango; quad biking (San Camp, Swakopmund dunes); kayaking with seals (Walvis Bay); night-sky 'Stellar Escape' camp (Huab); helicopter transfers in Botswana; hot-air ballooning in Namibia; helicopter and microlight flights at Victoria Falls; white-water rafting (Zambia)
Source: Company · namibia off the beaten track, safari in style the ultimate botswana safari, namibia deserts dunes wildlife coastlines · crawl · 12 Oct 2026
Not the fit if your budget is below its stated minimum spend of £3,000 a person; or you want a 24-hour phone number printed before you book, since none is printed on its website. Facts are from the company’s own pages unless marked Independent source or Official register. A company can correct any line through the contact page; a correction changes the line and its source, never anything else on the page.
'Ampersand is owner run'; James Jayasundera is named Founder & Managing Director. No parent company or separate owner named Read from the company's own website on 12 October 2026.
Not stated on their website: no head-office address on the contact page. Only a +44 (0)20 7819 9770 number and office hours are printed; offers to 'meet up in person' without naming a city Read on 12 October 2026.
Not stated on their website: no per-day price range stated on the Africa or cost pages saved Read from the company's own website on 12 October 2026.
Read from Ampersand Travel's own website on 12 October 2026. Deposit: 25% of total cost per person (or other amount advised); full payment at booking if within 10 weeks of departure; may be higher where suppliers need full payment (clause 1a, 1i) Balance due: Balance received 10 weeks before departure (clause 1h) Cancellation: By days before departure: more than 70 days = loss of deposit; 70-56 days = 50% of total cost; 55-36 days = 75%; 35 days or less = 100%. Amendment charge £100 per booking or £100 per hour (clause 3a, 3b)
On how client payments are protected, Ampersand Travel's website, read on 12 October 2026, gives this: ATOL 6065 (Civil Aviation Authority) covers flights and flight-inclusive packages; £2.50 per person APC included in prices. Packages not under ATOL: money held in a trust account until end of trip or cancellation. Bookings other than ATOL-protected flight/package made via website are not financially protected. ATOL protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the UK. Home page: 'ATOL bonded'. Register not checked (clause 6) None of "not stated" or "could not access" means the company has no protection; ask for the wording in writing before paying a deposit.
Read on 12 October 2026. Read from the publishers (Independent source): Condé Nast Traveller (UK), The top travel specialists to know right now: listed (hand-picked by the UK editors; published 7 Nov 2025) The company's own site also states (Company): Condé Nast Traveller Top Travel Specialist, listed 2019-2026 (home page: 'every year since 2019'); Robb Report Travel Masters 2025. Also listed without a year: Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Award; Top 10 Super Agents by Financial Times; 'voted best travel agent by Wallpaper'. Categories and results beyond these not given; publishers' lists not checked
Read on 12 October 2026, shown per platform and never added together. Google: No profile found: no Google business listing was shown in the search on 12 Oct 2026. Trustpilot: No profile found: trustpilot page for ampersandtravel.com returned a 404 (no profile found) Tripadvisor: Could not access: to be read by hand
Southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe Read from the company's own website on 12 October 2026. Other regions: Both. Asia (Indian Subcontinent, Far East, Southeast Asia, e.g. India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Vietnam, Maldives) plus Southern Africa; home page also mentions the British Isles
Africa: South Africa with the Kids 11 days from £4,775; Safari with the Kids - Botswana 10 days from £6,325; Namibia with the kids in tow 11 days from £5,720 per person, priced on 2 adults and 2 children (£4,640 per adult, £3,129 per child; itinerary can be altered). Family features: Okonjima Bush Suite with own chef, guide and exclusive vehicles, nanny can be arranged for younger children, Little Ongava (3 suites with plunge pools), Himba village visit, Gondwana Reserve 'Junior Ranger Program'. Also Self-drive South Africa 10 days from £2,700; Beach Bliss on Benguerra 8 days from £3,465; Quirimbas island-hopping 8 days from £5,640 Minimum child age: Not stated on their website: no minimum child age stated on the family pages saved Read on 12 October 2026.
Not stated for Africa. About page says it designs for 'individuals and small groups'; Asia pages list 'Group Diving' trips with no group size given Read on 12 October 2026.
FAQ: 'We provide 24-7 support throughout your holiday and are on call in the case of an emergency'; home page: clients receive personal mobile numbers; terms refer to emergency contact numbers provided to clients. No 24-hour number printed on the saved pages Read on 12 October 2026.
Read next
This page contains no affiliate links and no paid placement. Ampersand Travel is not bookable through this site and had no input into this page. Company, publisher and review-platform links are not paid. Facts read 12 October 2026 from Ampersand Travel’s own website and booking terms, the Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler lists, Google, Trustpilot, SafariBookings and Travelstride. How this site earns · How we work.
Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · record opened 14 October 2026 · facts read 12 October 2026
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