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• African Hunting Safari Magazine
• African Hunting Magazine

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Ten minutes after walking off the plane, I was on my way out of the Nairobi airport. Less than ten minutes later I saw a zebra roadside, my first wildlife of the trip. It was an auspicious beginning to what would be a fantastic trip, especially given that most of my fellow passengers were still back in the airport, waiting in the immigration line. And it would have simply been impossible had I not been traveling with Micato Safaris.

Micato was founded in Kenya more than 50 years ago, and is still family owned, run jointly out of headquarters in New York and Nairobi, with substantial satellites in South Africa and India, and smaller offices across Africa. Its founders have brought many millions of dollars in tourism activity to the local economy, provided numerous high quality jobs, and run an impressive non-profit, AmericaShare, that has given free education to thousands of children and sent hundreds more through college. Micato sponsors the education of a Kenyan child for every safari it sells though its One for One program, operates charitable efforts in South Africa, and has won awards for its sustainability and conservation efforts. Jane Pinto, who founded the company in 1966 with her husband Felix, even represented Kenya in the Olympics. The result of all this is that Micato is locally beloved and impossibly well connected, and that is how I found myself using the empty diplomatic line at immigration. Then, while other travelers filled out customs forms, we exited with a wave of the hand. Micato’s dedicated airport staffer meets arriving guests every day and knows everyone at the airport, and like many of their employees and safari guides, she has been with the company for over twenty years. That’s why Micato’s guests routinely dive deeper than the normal luxury tourism experience and get to meet scientists, rangers and dignitaries. It’s why I had tea in the otherwise off-limits residential area of the Royal Palace in Jaipur on my trip to India, and why the head of the National Park met me for lunch at my hotel to discuss Bengal tigers. It’s why Micato customers include many who have their own sea of handlers and are used to incredible access, with clients including supermodels, professional athletes, and lots of Hollywood stars like Will Smith, and Leonardo DiCaprio bought his Micato Safari at a charity auction. Even the President of the United States chose them - George H.W. Bush and his family traveled with the Pintos. But except for the Secret Service detail, every Micato customer gets that kind of special treatment.

Micato is also expert at luxury travel in India, the best place in the world to view the largest cats, Bengal Tigers.

About 20 years ago a magazine assigned me a large feature on African wildlife safaris, and I had to put together my first visit to the continent. Knowing a lot of experts in the travel industry, I asked around and the consensus advice was that Micato was the best, so I made my arrangements with them. I was blown away by the quality of their services and my experiences, and I am very, very familiar with the world of luxury travel. That first trip made me want to go back and write more about wildlife, and in the two decades since, I have traveled with Micato four more times to seven countries in Africa and to India, and have recommended them to countless friends, families and colleagues.

Five years ago here at Forbes I wrote about why Micato runs the World’s Best Safaris (read it here) and I just got back from my most recent trip, to Kenya and Rwanda. This reaffirmed what I have learned repeatedly over the intervening 20 years - if you want the best possible travel experience in Africa or India with expertise you cannot get from any book or website, informed and updated curation of the best hotels, restaurants and game viewing lodges, flawless execution of often convoluted logistics like bush plane flights, gorilla and tiger viewing permits, and most of all, nonstop VIP insider access, just go with Micato. After these experiences and the certainty of an outstanding trip every time, I would not take the risk of going with any other outfitter.

Micato makes guests dreams come true, like bottle feeding an orphaned endangered rhino.

Or get up close and personal with wildlife in the Kenyan bush.

I am hardly alone in this opinion, as the company has won endless awards and accolades, most notably Travel + Leisure magazine’s World’s Best Safari Outfitter - a record nine times. Best Active Tour Operator, Best Outfitters on Earth, Trips of a Lifetime, World’s Best Guides, and so on and so on, awards have flowed in like water from the likes of National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Virtuoso, and major travel trade publications. For their extensive non-profit endeavors, they’ve won Conde Nast Traveler’s World Savers Award five times and were named to the World Savers Hall of Fame. As contributing travel editor to Cigar Aficionado magazine, I oversee the annual travel poll, and Micato has won every category it competes for, with votes cast by the nation’s most informed travel agents and journalists. But on this last trip I spoke to another traveler who had chosen Micato for her first ever trip to Africa and her simple reasoning had nothing to do with awards - she liked that they were truly local, actually founded and based in Kenya, where Felix and Jane Pinto still live. The Pintos host every Micato guests who has time in Nairobi upon arrival to lunch at their home. They have anywhere from two to twenty guests, along with their “safari directors” (expert head guides), for an elaborate luncheon to get them oriented, and they do this four or five days a week. Thousands of travelers have passed through the Pintos’ home, and for decades this has been emblematic of Micato’s personal touch, whether you are on a completely custom bespoke private itinerary or a more affordable scheduled group “catalog departure.” And unlike many tour operators, all of the departures are guaranteed, which means after you book the trip is on, even if you are the only customer (This is a nice security blanket - a few years aback I signed on for an upscale cycling trip with a well-known operator and the trip was later cancelled for lack of participation, but only after my wife and I had gotten tickets to Sardinia).

Having done assignments on safaris, wildlife, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and even African golf for a variety of magazines and newspapers, I have been fortunate to have been able to choose Micato again and again, and each time makes me want to go back. I’ve traveled in all sorts of iterations, with a group of strangers on a scheduled trip, with a group of friends, with just my wife, and with a photographer, and every time it has been an unqualified success. Success breeds more success, and because it has so many safari directors and family owners in the field, each year Micato gets better and better, enriching its personal connections while staying on top of the latest and greatest new lodges and hotels, and dropping those with declining standards.

Of course you'll get in all your traditional safari wildlife viewing experiences, like this gorgeous cheetah.

Some large high-end safari outfitters are actually adventure travel companies doing all kinds of trips in all kinds of places. Micato does only Africa and India, where the Pinto family is originally from, and where they still have a home. Many luxury safari outfitters, even the best known big names, use subcontractors, especially for vehicles and drivers in various regions. I saw this first hand last week at the airports with third party shuttle drivers holding signs for guests of some very pricey competitors. Not Micato, which maintains an elaborate fleet of top quality vehicles and an extensive network of full time local guides and drivers. So when I flew to Rwanda to trek with gorillas, my safari director traveled with me, but the in-country driver, a Micato employee in a Micato owned vehicle, was a well-connected local, as is always the case. He introduced us to the head ranger at the national park, just as had been my experience in India, and time and again over the years, I’ve seen any challenges along the way disappear with a few well-chosen words in languages I don’t speak.

Micato’s access goes beyond the diplomatic line and royal palaces, and adds many little things most travelers will be having too good a time to notice. Before you even leave home you will be inundated with checklists and tips on what to bring and expect, even sent pieces of high quality luggage perfectly sized for the domestic cargo limitations of bush planes. You will be asked for dietary preferences which will be a passed on to each lodge and offered assistance with visas. Safari directors carry their own better binoculars for guests because the standards at various lodges are unpredictable, and they secure their own supply of bottled water. They know and request the best rooms and best rangers and trackers at every lodge and hotel, and they get them, because they have massive clout within the hospitality industry locally. Africa’s best luxury safari lodges are very small, often just 4-12 rooms, tents or villas, and the GM at one of the most famous luxury lodges told me straight out if that if they have just one room left at a peak time, Micato will get it for one of their guests over the competition because they need to keep the company happy. On my group trip I traveled with a honeymoon couple, and Micato got them upgraded to the Presidential suite at a grand hotel as a surprise. Every stay booked through Micato includes extras like a special celebratory dinner, under the stars or in a private wine cellar, and at hotels that do not include free laundry service (a common extra in Africa), they do anyway for Micato guests. There’s no assigned seating on the little bush planes used between lodges, but twice I’ve been offered the most prized spot next to the pilot in the cockpit simply because I was traveling with Micato. These small touches are often unannounced and may even go unnoticed, but at the end of the day, there are so many of them that they add to up to a much better trip.

And the critically endangered Black Rhino.

I spoke to a couple of travelers on my flight from the Masai Mara back to Nairobi who had booked their trip through another US-based safari operator and were staying at top lodges, doing the pricey gorilla trekking, and spending thousands of dollars on their trip, but had only a thin printed itinerary for guidance, and had no idea that the airport we were flying into on the propeller plane was not the same one where their onward connection on a commercial flight to Rwanda was. One day while gorilla trekking we hiked with another group who were on a pricey trip through the alumni travel arm of an Ivy League university. They complained that their handlers had vanished after the Tanzanian portion of their trip, leaving them to try to navigate the rather complex Rwandan gorilla permits, park process, and ground transportation logistics on their own, and they were not happy about it. Over my various trips I’ve spoken to many travelers who planned their own vacations online by choosing lodges and cities and attractions they wanted to see, then combined them in amazingly inefficient ways, crisscrossing from southern to eastern Africa and back, wasting whole days during their trip with ill-fated and ill-informed itineraries that never made sense. On what should be a trip of a lifetime, that kind of wasted time is even worse than wasted money, but many travelers to Africa manage to waste both.

While I’m a fan of using a good travel agent for just about everything, there are plenty of trips you can plan well on your own, like a weekend in Paris. But with tons of moving parts and requiring deep layers of local knowledge, African safaris are not one of those. Neither are trips to India combining insider access to sites the like the Taj Mahal with tiger viewing. While Micato Safaris is a luxury company, one of the more notable of the many awards it has won was “World’s Best Value” from Travel + Leisure Magazine. Value does not mean cheap, it means delivering the most bang for the buck, and as I have seen over many years and many trips, that is exactly what they do, and it is worth every penny.

Follow me on Twitter @TravelFoodGuy

African Hunting Safari Magazine

As an expert travel consultant, can you tell me a little about your trip-planning philosophy?

I really only try to sell what I know, so I spend an average of six months out of each year on the road scouting locations, meeting new people, and getting to understand these experiences for myself. I pride myself on being an authority on each destination which is why most of my clients have been with me for years. The experiences I promote in Africa, from safaris to Nile cruises, tend to be focused on immersion, with an adventurous component by day and relaxing place to lay your head for the night.

Elephants on an East African safari.

A safari is a once-in-a-lifetime trip usually handled best by an expert. What’s important for people to know as they embark on the trip-planning process?

First off, it can be incredibly complicated charting a course of action in Africa, especially for the first time. Many properties won’t accept bookings from individuals, and Google Maps won’t get you very far because road conditions are often questionable, so I always recommend hiring a travel expert when planning a safari. If there’s one time in your life to let someone craft the experience for you, this is it. In the Serengeti alone there’s something like 115 camps: How do you even begin to narrow it down? I like to say that crafting a safari program is like conducting an orchestra — you should try to build upon each destination or property with unique experiences that complement one another. This is why it’s a good idea to work with someone who’s seen more than just the glossy pictures.

A pride of East African lions.

What are some of the most common questions you get asked by people planning a safari?

A big one is “How long should I go for?” A lot of people don’t realize that Africa is bigger than the United States, China, and all of Europe combined! I have people who tell me they want to see ten countries in ten days — that’s just not feasible. I like to suggest focusing on just ONE country and doing it for a minimum of ten days with no more than three stops. Trying to squeeze in more starts to feel like the Amazing Race and there’s just no point in rushing what will be the most fantastic trip of your life.

I also get asked about malaria a lot. The disease is very real and very serious. Most of sub-Saharan Africa has some level of the mosquito-borne disease, but there are pockets of so-called “malaria-free areas” in South Africa, which are an attractive option, especially for families traveling with young children (however, in these cases, “malaria-free” really means “very low chance of malaria”). The best defense? Talk to your doctor about prescribing malaria pills, which are incredibly effective.

Speaking of traveling with young children, do safaris make good family trips?

Yes, if the kids are old enough — I typically recommend safaris for children ages eight and up. Each property has their own age restrictions (so be sure to check before you book!) and some are more kid-friendly than others. Look for a lodge that offers kid-focused programming, like Saruni's Young Warrior Program in Kenya or the outstanding Morukuru properties in South Africa in “low-malaria” Madikwe. The reality is that safaris can be tiring: You’re in the jeep on bumpy roads for three to four hours in the morning and then for another three to four hours in the afternoon, so working in relaxation time and splurging on a lodge with great kids activities is well worth it.

Do you recommend private or group travel?

If you enjoy the camaraderie of a group, or if you have a particular passion and want an experience centered around that activity with other individuals who share your passion (like bird watching, for example) then a group tour makes sense. One group I love is Natural Habitat Adventures, which often hosts themed trips for photography lovers. Look for a group program with less than a dozen guests and a high guide-to-guest ratio.

However, at the four and five-star level, there isn’t much cost savings by being with a group, since all properties price on a “per person, per day” basis, so if you’re looking for a more general experience and have the budget, you’ll have more flexibility on a private tour and the chance to fully customize your trip. It should be noted, however, that unless you spring for a private guide/vehicle hire at each property, ($500 USD+ extra/day), then you are going to be paired with other travelers at each lodge you go to. For private tours, I recommend traveling with six people or fewer.

I assume a lot of people go on safari hoping to see as many animals as possible. Is the migration the best time to visit?

It depends. First of all, the migration happens 365 days a year, not just at one time. They go in a clockwise circle between Tanzania and Kenya, through the Serengeti, up through the Mara, and then back down through the Serengeti. The Serengeti migration lasts for about nine months out of the year, and the Mara in Kenya gets the migration the other three months. The migration is a wildebeest migration — it’s not a lion migration, not a cheetah migration — so that’s something most people don’t realize. If you’re an avid photographer, then yes, basing your trip around the migration would mean having a good chance of taking incredible pictures. But it’s still important to understand that nothing is a guarantee with wild animals: They go where they want to go, when they want to go. The best we can do is predict the paths their migration will take. That said, the best place to catch the action is in the northern Serengeti, at Nomad Tanzania's Lamai Serengeti.

Right, so let’s get into specifics here: Can you break down a few top safaris for me?

Absolutely. When you’re planning a safari, the first question you should be asking is: Should I visit South Africa or East Africa?

African Hunting Magazine

South Africa is the better option if you’re looking for an inexpensive, well-rounded experience (with the possibility to visit large cities, like Cape Town and Johannesburg, in addition to more remote regions) that doesn’t just focus on game viewing. It’s one of the most diverse destinations on the continent and one where you can find a little bit of everything: urban centers, some of the world’s best winegrowing regions, and wonderful game reserves. Spend time with elephant researchers at White Elephant Safari Lodge on the Pongola Game Reserve, visit the high animal-density Sabi Sands Game Reserve, home to the lovely Dulini Lodge, or head to one of the “malaria-free” areas, like Madikwe, and stay at the model of eco-tourism, the Tswalu Kalahari Private Game Reserve.

East Africa, on the other hand, is more like what you’d see in an issue of National Geographic: It’s better for travelers looking for that big game viewing experience who aren’t put off by the prospect of long, arduous safaris.

Up close and personal with a group of lions.

Now, when you say East Africa, you’re referring to Kenya and Tanzania specifically, right?

Igi 2 pc game free download working setup. Right. Rather than trying to combine Kenya and Tanzania into one ten- or twelve-day circuit, we suggest picking one country and doing it properly.

How does one choose between the two?

I like to say that Kenya is perfect for families, culture vultures, and those looking for a more natural, rustic experience, while Tanzania is the better option for big spenders who are hell-bent on seeing some animals and anyone hoping to work Kilimanjaro into their itinerary.

Kenya has a whole host of lodges that are extremely family-friendly, with child-focused programing and staff that are especially welcoming to little ones. One is Sosian Lodge, a private ranch situated on 24,000 acres in the Laikipia Plateau, which has a whole family program with discounted rates for children. In Kenya, there are also more opportunities to engage with and join in the practices of local tribes. The Ol Malo ranch, for example, is deeply involved with the indigenous Samburu tribe, and offers an experience where you can visit the tribe during one of their weekly festivals where members trade livestock and celebrate their heritage.

And Tanzania?

In Tanzania, you’ll find more mobile tent accommodations (don’t be fooled, these are very glamorous tents), and a lot of properties will pick up and move entirely to follow the migration, improving your chances to spot game. If you’ve settled on Tanzania, there are basically two trip options: the essential, introductory itinerary that should include the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, or the less-trodden Ruaha National Park and the Selous Game Reserve. Ruaha and Selous are perfect for people who truly enjoy being on safari all day, even if they’re not spotting animals every second — you’ll still see the big five here, but the game viewing isn’t as dense. If you’re looking for something completely different and more remote, then Greystoke Mahale on the white sand beaches of Lake Tanganyika is a great option (especially if you love wild chimpanzees).

Accommodation-wise, the Nomad brand has a circuit of camps located around the country in all of the best locations, including some mobile tents and the only private house in the Serengeti. If money is no object, then look no farther than the Singita brand: they’re the best of the best. No request is too large, no detail is overlooked, and their properties are the epitome of comfort. They’re also the custodians of a 350,000 acre swath of land that they protect and preserve with their own anti-poaching unit.

Tanzania also offers one of the most epic climbs for the truly intrepid traveler. Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. It's usually accomplished in a six to eight-day day climb and can be topped off with a safari in Tarangire National Park using Chem Chem as a base. It's estimated that Tarangire is home to the highest density of elephants in Tanzania with some herds reaching more than 600 elephants!

Do people ever ask you to plan a trip with the objective of seeing one particular animal?

Definitely. Here’s one example: Should I gorilla trek in Uganda or Rwanda?

Consider this: Rwanda has doubled the price of their gorilla trekking permits to $1500 per person, per trek, compared to Uganda’s $600 per person, per trek — clearly a huge difference. The Ugandan government also offers gorilla habituation permits, which Rwanda does not. That said, it’s also much easier to see gorillas in Rwanda than in Uganda: From Kigali, it’s just a three-hour-drive to Volcanoes National Park and you’re there! Compare that to Uganda, where you’ll have to fly from Entebbe down to Kihihi and then drive at least one hour to your lodge, or another five hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

If luxury is what you’re after, then Rwanda is the obvious choice. Last year saw the opening of Wilderness Safari’s Bisate Lodge, there’s ecotourism pioneer Virunga Lodge, and Singita plans to open a Rwanda property in 2019. Uganda is absolutely more budget-friendly: Buhoma Lodge, Buhoma Community Haven Lodge, and even the country’s top property, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, is less expensive than much of what you would find in Rwanda.

Basically, Uganda is a better standalone, budget destination, where you could do a full ten-day safari and never get bored. Choose Rwanda if money is no object, you’re short on time, and have your heart set on gorilla trekking.

It seems like a lot of travelers (particularly honeymooners) want to pair a safari trip with a beach retreat to top it off. What are your thoughts on that?

That all depends on the season and the weather, but in general, if you’re in Kenya, my favorite places are either Lamu in northern Kenya on the border of Somalia, which is very remote and great for honeymooners, or the Seychelles or Mauritius, both of which you can reach via non-stop flight from Kenya. If you’re in Tanzania and enjoy diving, go to Mafia Island, or if you prefer something a little more luxurious stay at &Beyond Mnemba Island, off the coast of Zanzibar. Azura Quilalea, a resort and private island off the coast of Mozambique, is the best island destination that can be easily reached from South Africa.

Okay, I’m sold. So what should I pack?

If you’re traveling by small aircraft (which is likely), you’re going to have a small luggage allowance, usually 30 lbs/person, so pack light! Think easily washable fabrics: most lodges will do laundry for you, so you don’t need to pack a set of clothes for every day. It’s all about functional clothing that provides bug/rain/wind protection — this isn’t a fashion show! If your property doesn’t provide binoculars, that’s the one big ticket item you should invest in. My favorite pair is the Nikon 7541 monarch 3 ($199 on amazon).

There’s more to the African continent than safaris. Read on for Eric's advice on tackling Egypt.