We have the expertise to help you create your private safari around whatever your special interests may be. There are a number of types of adventures that can be included within the term, Family Safari. While the traditional family safari which includes parents and their children remains the most popular, “Grandtravel” – in which grandparents take their grandchildren (with or without the grandchildren’s parents) – is rapidly increasing in popularity.

Each family safari is as unique as each family. Our planning for a family safari includes detailed attention to the interests, needs and activity levels of the family’s children, in addition to the parents’ goals. Flexibility in designing each day’s activities is important. What interests an 11 or 12-year-old is likely to be very different from those activities that would interest a 16 or 17 year-old.

A small number of the lodges and camps we often visit have developed special programs for families. You might invite a local child to join you on your game drives or walk with a Maasai or Samburu moran (warrior) and discover their unique relationship with the plants and other creatures that share their world. And a visit with local children to learn about their lives can be an amazing experience for children of any age. Recently, a 16 year-old boy on safari brought soccer balls to give as presents. It was great to watch everyone kicking the soccer balls to each other.

While all of our guides excel at conducting family safaris, a few of them stand out. Among them is Stanley Kariithi. Stanley loves the natural inquisitiveness of children and enjoys adapting each day’s activities based on the family’s interests. A gifted singer, Stanley often teaches children the Swahili songs of his youth. A Silver member of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association, Stanley is frequently requested when our travelers return for their next safari.

Serious photographers have very different needs and interests. They want to capture that perfect light of the “golden hour,” that arrives with the dawn and comes back in the late afternoon. Wildlife photography requires exceptional knowledge of wildlife behavior and where to go to find the specific wildlife desired, without the distractions of tourists. Most of all, great wildlife photos require patience. And we work with some of the best photographic safari guides in Africa!

A photographic safari is generally more intense than most game viewing safaris. Having thoroughly planned the day’s travels with your photographic safari guide the night before, you rise before 5 a.m. and venture out to take advantage of the African sunrise’s first light. Taking your breakfast and lunch with you, you may spend the entire day patiently following a mother cheetah as she scouts the horizon for her cubs’ next meal – or settle down near a pride of lions to watch the playful interactions of the younger cats when they awaken from their nap.

If birds are your primary interest, there are incredible opportunities to see and record many of Africa’s colorful species in all of the destinations we visit on safari. But the serious birder will want to venture into the forests and other locations, under the guidance of a specialist guide.

We are proud to recommend Edwin Selempo as your guide for your birding safari in Kenya.

For the past 20 years, he has been one of the top ornithological guides in Kenya. He served as resident ornithologist for Savannah Camps and Lodges and the Taita Discovery Centre in Tsavo. During his time in Tsavo, he rediscovered the Taita falcon – a beautiful bird of prey thought to have been extinct from Kenya for over 60 years.

As a native Maasai, Selempo has been able to roam areas of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania that are generally inaccessible to others. He was one of the first, if not the very first, ornithologists to study the avifauna of the highland forests of Tanzania’s Nguruman Escarpment.

Edwin is one of the few safari guides who have achieved the designation as a Silver member of the Kenya Professionals Guides Association.

We love his engaging tales of his explorations in pursuit of birds. In addition, Edwin is a gifted wildlife artist and we are proud owners of some of his beautiful watercolor paintings of the East Africa birds that are the focus of his life.

First reported by the missionary, Johannes Rebmann, in 1849, claims of a snow-capped mountain in Africa were dismissed with almost universal derision from the scientific establishment. Fourteen years later, Baron Carl von der Decken climbed high enough to reach snow, giving credence to Rebmann’s discovery of snow on the equator. Since then, “Kili” has become Africa’s most recognized icon, each year drawing thousands to attempt to reach UhuruPeak, the highest point in Africa.

It is a long-held belief among those who climb mountains that the selection of the expedition leadership is the single, most important choice that they make. We are proud to have Tanzania’s most experienced professional mountaineer, Ake Lindstrom, in charge of our Mt. Kilimanjaro expeditions. Born in Kenya, raised in the Sudan and educated in Great Britain, Ake has spent much of his life trekking in East Africa and has assembled what many say is the top team of Kilimanjaro experts in Africa. His intimate knowledge of the physical and mental challenges of a Kilimanjaro expedition will greatly increase the likelihood that you will safely reach your goal – Uhuru Peak!

As challenging as this climb is, it is achievable. Almost anyone in reasonable physical condition can succeed. However, there are a number of factors that must be considered to increase the odds that you will be successful in reaching the summit at Kibo. Following the choice of your expedition leader, the most important decision is the selection of a route that allows you to effectively acclimate to the challenges of climbing in high altitude. Safari Professionals is committed to helping you understand the various aspects of your Kilimanjaro adventure so you may prepare properly and maximize the probability you will enjoy a safe and successful climb.