Served with a smile!

Be ready to come back with new friends after your Safari. It sounds cliche but that is really what happens. Our Safari guests come back and tell us they were sad to say good-bye to their new friends even those they met for a short time. Some guests keep in touch for years and even return to go on a Safari with their favorite guides in their favorite areas. Besides my guide friends, I still keep in touch with some of the lodge crew and rangers who I met on my journey. Who knows, may you too will come back with a friend or two after your Journey To Africa Safari.

Your Safari dollars support:

When you are on Safari, the people who you will come across are genuinely happy to see you for a myriad of reason; they have a job in the tourism industry which is one of the better-paying jobs in most Eastern and Southern African countries, good tips from you = better standard of living for the whole family - think better education for the children, good healthcare, living conditions, etc. Statistically, 8 other people will benefit from the one person you ‘touched’ on Safari - the community at large is supported by you.

Our friends in Africa, especially our guides, through our past guests have traveled to visit homes and places in the US - sometimes, Safaris can form friendships for life!

When you are ready to travel, we will be waiting for you with a huge smile - me from behind the phone call, email or zoom [the new reality - which hey, sign up for a few planned get-together sessions] - and my friends; soon to be yours - somewhere in magical Africa. We can’t wait for you!

And in this new post-Covid world, if you are up for it, and hopefully can, a hug with a smile awaits!

Leopard Day!

One of my favorite animals to photograph is the leopard. In the presence of the leopard, you feel so privileged as you have now entered a group that has seen an animal not easily spotted on Safari.

Leopards are elusiveness; they hide up in the trees, in the cracks of kopjes, and because they are usually solitary animals, searching for them is that much trickier and the excitement level high. Our guides will be finding subtle clues; the birds call, the shake of a branch, the handing leg of a recent kill - a good guide is a must on Safari.

When you do see one, especially up-close, you can’t help but have your hair rise because you can see the powerfulness of this predator and if your eyes meet, you can see through their soul.

Photographing them has been a goal on every Safari of mine because every encounter solidifies my love for these beautiful predators. I have been lucky to see them on most of my Safaris. Some from really far away and others really close. I remember seeing one really far away in Ruaha National Park, Southern Tanzania. We were on the hunt for this leopard called Onca - names because it’s spots were really dark like the jaguars in the Amazon forest. Well, we did not see Onca but we did see a silhouette of the leopard from far away.

The closest I have been was in Botswana. We were on an early morning game drive from Machaba Camp when our guide got a call to come quick. We held on to our seats and boom - wild dogs and two leopards. A mama and young leopard perched on a tree limb, looking at the beautiful sunrise. Magic moments on Safari.

Leopards can be spotted in all the parks in Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, and South Africa.
Where will you be on Safari to see your leopard?
Let’s chat Safaris.

Africa in the time of CoVID-19

To my guests going on Safari in 2020 - Thank you - you have been patient and kind while working with me in postponing your Safari to the many parts of Africa; your Safari deposit funds have kept our many initiatives going at this unprecedented time.

Conservation. Community.
The Safari deposit funds you have paid are being used for wildlife conservation and community. My amazing Safari partners and my curated list of Safari lodges, who support wildlife directly or by partnering with many organizations that are responsible for keeping our wildlife safe are working hard to keep wildlife safe as we 'speak'.

Also supported are the many communities surrounding the parks/ conservations. The symbiotic relationship between the community and the Safari lodges is a win-win in so many different ways depending on the location, the Safari lodge, etc.

Besides continuing our support for Big Life Foundation, David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, RCVC to name a few, we are doing our best to send money to friends in Kenya and Tanzania who are giving meals to people who can't go out to work due to lock-down to small clinics who have lost all funding with only a trickle of tourists. 

All in this together.
I am hopeful that once the world is safe to travel again, we will travel with consciousness.

We are grateful that our Safari partners and Safari lodges that we work with value conservation and are committed to personally being custodians of the wildlife or partner with companies in the front line taking care of our wildlife. Besides wildlife conservation, without supporting the community, wildlife is in peril. All of these components are essential to sustainability practices.

This was very important to us before the crisis and we are even more committed to making sure this is the cornerstone of all our partners.

Many of you - hello friends - have seen our Safari partners' commitment in-depth first hand. You will have visited the villages/ schools to see first hand how your funds have helped; from clean water, education, de-snaring, farming produce, and more. If you have any special stories you want to tell us more about how their commitment impacted you, please do share.

How you can help my friends?
If you want to support right now when travel is at a standstill please email me and I can point you in the right direction - either a gofundme created by our Safari partner for their initiatives, your specific Safari guide, the Safari lodge, and the crew, a charity you visited, etc. we are here to help.

If you want to know more about what your Safari will be funding, please contact me and I can send you information.

Stay safe and healthy rafikis [friends].
This. too. shall. pass. I look forward to chatting with you about your Safari somewhere in magical Africa soon.

What will this day be like [on Safari], I wonder?

I just love this photo of my daughter walking to the Safari vehicle. The song from the musical, The Sound of Music pops up, ‘What will this day be like, I wonder?’. The excitement of what lies ahead.

It was the first morning on Safari and the anticipation of what will I see? What wildlife will I enjoy on Safari? The glorious landscapes in the wide-open space. The sunrises and sunsets. The birds, the insects, the flowers, the trees, the stars - oh yes, so lovely to notice. The sharing of information with the Safari guides - the knowledge he/she will impart about the animal kingdom, the people of the country, the tribes, and so much more.

I know this is what she was feeling when she was skipping to Jacob, our wonderful Safari guide with Rekero Camp in Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.

This day is coming for you.
Let’s chat Safari.

Planning Your African Safari

A guest recently asked me how do I come up with the Safari itineraries. Are the places I have suggested places I would go to? What would be something different if I was going?

Here is what I am doing when I am planning and mapping your Safari - I am physically taking your Safari in my head - from arrival to departure; just like the Safari somewhere in Africa you will take.

A little background:
Majority of the Safaris I suggest are to parks, reserves, conservancies, etc. I have been and Safari lodges I have stayed at or visited on my travels. Personal, first-hand knowledge. Some are sister-lodges to the places I know so I can be sure of the quality and attention to details. There are a few times I will plan Safaris to places I have not been but my guests have either traveled with me before [my Journey To Africa family is strong] and trust me to plan again.

So when I am planning your Safari to, for example, my home country of Tanzania, I am visualizing my own arrival into Kilimanjaro International Airport to departure from say Dar-Es-Salaam Nyerere Airport after some beach time in Zanzibar Island or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. If you are going to South Africa or Botswana’s Okavango Delta, how it was for me when arriving into Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, South Africa so I can choose the right routing.

I will put myself in your shoes with the information you have given me - length of Safari, must-see things to do, Safari lodge style and budget, age of the Safari goers, interests, etc.

I will ask myself many questions. Is the length right? How can I make this a slow Safari so you are immersed in the experience? Would I want to do that drive? Should I fly them? Will walking with Maasai be fun for a Family Safari? Would I want to stay longer here because the season is just right? Can I ask you to add more time as I think it will make the Safari more seamless? Is this place their style? What Safari guide will I request for this Safari?

Sometimes, you will come with Safari lodges that are recommended or favored by a magazine or a Safari itinerary suggested. I will decide what I like and when I need you to trust me and my judgment especially when we are not comparing apples to apples.

In the end, I plan a Safari I would like to take, with your interest in mind!
The Safari itinerary has to be a Safari we both get excited thinking about. I want to send you off on a Safari with complete confidence you will be bitten by the amazing Safari bug - very harmless and no cure found. The intent is you will want to take another Journey To Africa Safari and also tell everyone you know about your experience.

"You will never kick the ancient dust of Africa off your boots." - unknown author

Now, pick my Safari information filled brain and let’s get you on Safari somewhere in magical Africa.

"Enjoyed every bit of it"

Joe Maggio and I talked about his Family Safari for a long time. He was so involved in the Safari planning details to make sure his Family Safari in Tanzania was a memorable one. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Joe because in envisioning his Safari to all the lovely Tanzanian National Parks, it took me right back to my many Safaris.

And so happy to say, Joe and I are back at it with planning his Safari Two for 2022. This time to Zambia and Victoria Falls and the glorious Mahale Mountains and exquisite Greystoke Mahale with an ending in Zanzibar Island for rest.

Some of the highlights from my phone conversation with Joe when we were going over their Safari were:

• The Camp Manager in Serengeti [Ubuntu Camp] made authentic Swahili food for them when they asked for Tanzanian cuisine.

• He loved all the lodges picked for them. He thought he got, “super value for the money”.

• He said, “it still surprises me how close we got to the wildlife! I was not zooming at all.”

• At Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, when walking to the room, the guard says “stop, the backup, turn around and walk away”. Two lions were mating about 30 ft from the room. They drove them to the room at night. He said he heard them mate until 6:00 am that following morning. They will never forget the sounds.

• The bush plane rides were an adventure especially when there was a bit of wind.

Thank you for much Joe for letting us show you our favorite corner of the world - Tanzania.
And thank you, Melissa, for sharing your pictures from your Family Safari. To many more Safaris together.

Let’s chat and get you and your family on Safari somewhere in amazing Africa.

Your Safari is only as good as your Guide

On your Journey To Africa Safari, you will have an amazing guide!

I feel confident saying this because thanks to our guides, many of Journey To Africa guests are repeats or referrals - our guides make Safari’s memorable. With a great guide, you are sure to see the animal-life you are excited to see, have fun on the game drives, learn about the country, feel safe, and more. Your Safari guide becomes your friend.

Our guides go through rigorous training in wildlife, birdlife, plantlife, etc. but also human psychology. How to read you to make sure you have a great time. Which brings me to the next tip.

Be open with them.
What do you want to see if nature allows, want to spend a long time on a sighting, how do you like your coffee or tea, do flowers interest you, what birds are on your lifer list [if not a birder, do give birds a chance please ;)], need extra blankets to keep you warm or a pillow for your back, into photography - tell them so they are aware of positioning the vehicle correctly, etc.

The more you tell them about you, the better your experience will be. Trust me - your guide wants to give you the best Safari experience. If you are having fun and enjoying yourself, then it’s a Safari well done.

Your Safari awaits with one of our amazing Safari guides.

Safari Stories from our Family Safari.

I wanted to share some of the many Safari Stories from my kids Summer Safari 2019. We continue to recollect, ‘remember that’, and keep the stories alive from our memorable time together.

“ My four favorite things were seeing all the Masiys [Maasais] dance because it was really nice. And I really liked seeing Scarface because he was cool to achaly [actually] see him. All the people at the camps were very nice because they are surprized that a kid is here - they really enjoy kids. And my last thing I liked was leopards. We found 2 leopards - they are bautiful [beautiful] creturse [creatures].
- Farhana, 8-yeard-old at the time of her Safari. Written out as she wrote in her Safari journal.

“ The funniest things I saw on Safari … seeing cheetahs getting surprised by a vulture. Cheetahs, really? And seeing lion cubs walking away from their mom and the mom was yowling for them to come back. They were so naughty, the mom had to go run after them.”
- Shiraz, 10-years-old at the time of his Safari.

Family Safaris are amazing!
If you have any questions - will they be bored, how to create the right Safari itinerary, and more - Let’s chat.
I will share my personal experiences for your Safari.