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THE TRAVEL+LEISURE TEN-TIME #1 WINNER

The wild creatures

I had come to Africa to see are exhilarating in their multitudes and colors...

and I imagined for a time that this glimpse

of the earth’s morning might account for the

anticipation that I felt...

The sense of origins, of innocence and mystery, like a marvelous childhood faculty restored. Perhaps it is the consciousness that here in Africa, south of the Sahara,

our kind was born. Peter Matthiessen, The Tree Where Man Was Born

Micato Safaris The World’s Most Awarded Safari Company Unprecedented 10-Time Winner of Travel+Leisure’s Award for #1 World’s Best Safari Outfitter. Travel+Leisure Hall of Fame. Five-Time Winner of the Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Award for Education and Doing it All. Member of the World Savers Hall of Fame.

It’s Lonely at the Top (But we’ve gotten used to it)

World’s Best Value Winner

Trips of a Lifetime

Best African Safari Tour Operator

Global Vision Award Legacy in Travel Philanthropy Award

WORLD TOURISM AWARD Micato-AmericaShare For philanthropic work that has improved many thousands of lives

Development, Youth Education Micato One for One Commitment

Best Tour Operator Africa / Middle East

1,000

Virtuoso Winner Best Sustainable Leadership Best VAST (Active) Operator Best Escorted Tour Operator Best Destinations & Experiences Custom Tour Partner Family and Celebration Partner Virtuoso Performance Award Luminary Award Winner

PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE #1 New York Times Travel Guide Preferred East Africa

Sorry for the fine print, but here are some other Micato Awards and Accolades: Luxury Lifestyle Award: Top 100 Travel Agencies & Tour Operators of the World • Shorty Global Impact Award for Fighting Poverty: Huru International Global Travel Collection, Best Community Involvement • World Tourism Award • 73-Time Winner, Travel Weekly Magellan Awards, including Gold for Best Tour Operator, Best Education Program, Best Giving Back Initiative, Best Social Media, Best Consumer Brochure, Best Marketing Campaign, Best Direct Mail, and Best Trade Website Travvy Award: Gold, Best Escorted Tour Operator, Africa and Silver, Best Escorted Tour Operator, Adventure • Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Adrian Awards: Leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility; Gold, Best Trade Brochure and Best Consumer Brochure, multiple years; HSMAI and National Geographic Traveler Gold Winner, Leader in Sustainable Tourism • Ubuntu Tourism Award • Travel Weekly’s World Travel Market Global Award • Tanzania Tourist Board Cruise Development Award • TORCH (Together Our Resources Can Help) Inspiration Award, to Lorna Macleod, head of Micato-AmericaShare William D. Littleford Award for Corporate Community Service Travel Agent magazine’s Tour Operator of the Year: Leaders in Luxury—Dennis Pinto LuxuryLink.com’s World’s Best Luxury Tour Company National Geographic 50 Tours of a Lifetime

Each day felt like a new chapter in a storybook — fun, exciting, and filled with wonder. There was seamless organization behind every excursion, meal, and accommodation. It was not just a safari; it was a lifetime of memories, crafted by a team that knows how to turn travel into art.

Micato is unsurpassed in its attention to detail. They anticipate any need and are there with you from the moment you land in Africa up through when they say goodbye to you before you go through Customs. And their commitment to local philanthropy will take your breath away.

Lana Brown

Mari Marks

Four of us, all women, just returned from Botswana, Victoria Falls, and Cape Town. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Our Micato guide was incredibly attentive, and we never touched a bag or paid a bill. When Micato says “everything is included” they mean it. Marjorie Feld

These reviews share common themes: Seamless, unfailingly genial service; familial care; large, on-the-ball staff and infrastructure; and our commitment to Africa, our birthplace.

This was the biggest adventure I ever undertook and it far outshone anything I could imagine. Every detail was taken care of. I felt safe and awed on the trip because of the care and knowledge provided by our guide and the drivers. No question was too unimportant, no request ignored. The Micato team is incredible, the Kenyans so hospitable and the animals shine! Mary Helen Foglia

And Why is Micato the World’s Most Awarded Safari Company? Travel companies win awards because they have happy guests, and here is a sampling of more than 700 (and counting) Five-Star Google Reviews by highly pleased Micato safariers (and may we add that no other company comes anywhere close to that number?).

No words can do justice to articulate the joy and ease the Micato experience is. From the first planning phone call to the moment you step on the return flight home, Micato plans every minute with your comfort and happiness in mind.

Our honeymoon with Micato to Kenya and Tanzania was nothing short of extraordinary! Micato handled every single aspect of our trip, so we didn’t have to worry about planning a thing. The staff were incredibly kind and welcoming, and we built genuine friendships with so many people we met along the way. We can’t wait to go on another Micato safari in the future.

Carolyn Greitzer

Brooke Grogan

If you are not travelling with Micato, you should and you’ll never regret it. We have travelled to over 50 countries, both on our own and with several major companies, but Micato wins hands down. Through planning and execution, trust them for a trip of a lifetime. Chuck Ruggles

Micato Safaris is the Rolls-Royce of the safari world Forbes Magazine

Contents The Micato Story

The Classic Safaris

The World’s Most Awarded Safari Company 10 A Letter from Our Managing Director, Dennis Pinto 15 The Pinto Family: A Unique African Story 16

The Micato Difference The Micato Difference 18

How We Safari Three Ways to Safari with Micato 34 A Typical Day on Safari 36 When is the Best Time to Safari? 38 Flying Over Africa 40 Families on Safari 43

The Micato One for One Commitment Micato-AmericaShare 46 Huru 50

The Safaris: Custom, Classic, and Private Classic Custom Safaris 54 Private Villas and Estates 63 Classic Safaris 72 Private Classic Safaris 76

The Micato Grand Safari 81 East Africa’s Golden Savannahs 87 The Hemingway Wing Safari 93 The Great Herds of Kenya and Tanzania 99

The Heart of Kenya and Tanzania 105

Tanzania Spectacular 111

African Splendour 117

Jewels of South Africa 125

Passage Through Botswana and Zimbabwe 131

Botswana’s Timeless Wilderness 137

Safari Extensions and Options

East and Southern Africa Extensions and Options 142

Camps and Lodges The East and Southern Africa Collections 152

You can call your trusty Travel Advisor, * or you can call us at 800-Micato-1 ( 800-642-2861 ) or zip an email to: Inquiries@Micato.com

* Micato has long and firm relationships with almost all of America’s — and the travel world’s — top travel advisors; they have been our valued partners in creating the world’s best safari company.

Dear Friends,

We recently won our tenth first-place Travel+Leisure award for World’s Best Safari Outfitter (I’m proud to say that no other company has more than three wins), but among all our many accolades, perhaps the most heartening is also from Travel+Leisure: “The Pintos treat their guests like well-loved, out-of-town relatives.” Micato’s dedication to expert, familial service is the legacy of our founders, my parents Felix and Jane. Their willingness to go many extra miles to ensure that a Micato safari is the trip of a lifetime—as it is for so many of our guests—was the rock on which Felix and Jane built our family-owned, family-operated company and remains our guiding principle today. It is also why every member of the Micato team will become your welcoming family—from the Safari Director who will be with you from touchdown to takeoff, to our large staffs in the U.S. and East and Southern Africa.

And so, I hope you’ll enjoy an armchair safari with this brochure, and that you’ll consider joining us for hilltop sundowners overlooking the guileless and gorgeous African game lands. We’ll clink our glasses in celebration of the safari life Isak Dinesen said “makes you forget all your sorrows and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne— bubbling over with heartfelt gratitude for being alive.” Sincerely,

Dennis Pinto Managing Director

Micato founders Felix and Jane Pinto, with a friend, in Nairobi

The Pinto Family

A Unique African Story n 1963, Felix Pinto, a high-ranking member of Kenya’s colonial government, was personally invited by Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s founding father, into the government of the newly independent country, where he was instrumental in laying the foundations for Kenya’s agricultural success story.

Jane Pinto—like Felix, a second-generation Kenyan— was an elite international table tennis player. They lived on a rambling farm off Bogani Road, in the Nairobi suburb of Karen, where they raised their three children. In 1966, Felix and Jane—Jane known as Mama Kibiriti or “She Who Gets Things Done” — decided to start a little safari company. The brochure you hold in your hands is evidence of their success. But Micato, now a global company, remains a deeply personal, family-run 16

affair — still guided by the values Felix and Jane established from the very beginning: making Micato affiliate employees on three continents, and its guests from all over the world, feel like family. Felix Pinto was a widely respected Kenyan businessman

and founder of Micato. With his rare blend of vision, warmth, and entrepreneurial drive, he built Micato into one of the world’s most admired safari companies by offering a style of hospitality rooted in generosity, sincere care, and family values—and his spirit remains at its heart today. The family’s Ideal Farm, established by Felix on the border of Nairobi National Park in the early1960s, was a model East African agro-industrial enterprise for many decades, and the home of a cadre of prize-winning livestock— including a massively beautiful champion pig who occupies regal stature in family lore.

Jane Pinto remains an extraordinary presence at

Micato, for whom retirement seems largely theoretical. A former Kenyan table tennis champion—ask Jane about having her photograph taken with China’s premier Zhou Enlai during the famous Ping Pong Diplomacy tournament in 1971—she has served on the board of the International Table Tennis Federation and represented Kenya at the Olympics and at international championships. Together with Felix, she built Micato into a world-renowned company without ever losing the family warmth on which it was founded, while also extending that same spirit of care through her work with Micato-AmericaShare, a cause particularly close to her heart. She can still be found stopping by hotels and airports to welcome guests, dividing her time between her homes in Nairobi and Cape Town, often surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Dennis Pinto, Micato’s Managing Director, has shaped

Micato into the company it is today, carrying forward his parents’ distinctive philosophy of luxury, exploration, cultural interaction, and responsibility. After graduating from St. Mary’s School in Nairobi, he headed west to Stanford University and then all over the world as a vice president for American Express International Banking. He took a six-month sabbatical to set up Micato’s New York City office, where he is still happily ensconced nearly forty years later. Dennis also co-founded MicatoAmericaShare and established a Micato affiliate office in India, while guiding Micato into one of the world’s most admired travel and safari companies.

Executive Director Anastasia Pinto heads up Micato’s multi-continental sales efforts from her base in Los Angeles. A graduate of St. Lawrence University, she began her sales career with Hyatt Hotels in the South Pacific. Anna is deeply involved with the Pediatric Therapy Network and Sandpipers, an influential Southern California women’s philanthropy, and she is a major force behind Micato-AmericaShare, just one example of her embrace of Africa’s and the Pinto family’s tradition of supporting those in need. Joy Phelan-Pinto, our Executive Director and

Dennis’s bride of 33 years, oversees Micato’s brand and editorial strategy and is the impresaria of this brochure. An alumna of Taft School and Brown University, Joy’s love of travel and storytelling has led to executive roles at Travel Dynamics and Cunard Line. She managed such legendary vessels as Sea Goddess, Sea Cloud, and Royal Viking Sun, and at last count has travelled to 120 countries and territories. She has summited Kilimanjaro, regularly explores Africa with the family, and keeps their New York home fires burning for their newly launched children, Sasha (Brown ’21) and Tristan (Yale ’23). Alan Lobo, our Chief Operating Officer, is a graduate of Southern California’s Loyola Marymount University and is a mainstay of New York City’s much-vaunted Village Lions Rugby Football Club. Alan grew up with Micato: his mother, Dulu, is Jane Pinto’s cherished sister and Micato’s Head Concierge Emerita in Nairobi.

The Micato Difference For more than a half-century we’ve been perfecting our craft, maximizing our safariers’ ease and comfort, minimizing their worries. The result? An almost unbelievably allinclusive, hassle-free safari, as this list, and the next 15 pages demonstrate. What drives us? We were born here, more than a half-century ago. We’re eager to show you Africa through our proud eyes. And we’re quite literally dedicated: Our teams on the ground and stateside work only for Micato, giving us unsurpassed quality control over every facet of your safari. Our mission is happily two-fold: Orchestrating the world’s best safaris and, just as importantly, supporting our wonderfully successful nonprofit, Micato-AmericaShare (about which please see pages 46-53).

The Pintos treat their guests like well-loved, out-of-town relatives. Travel+Leisure

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And so, here’s a quick list of the Micato Differences: n

Travel+ Leisure has named us #1 World’s Best Safari Outfitter ten times. No other company comes remotely close. Micato’s full time, safari-expert staff—their average tenure is 11 years—is ready to address questions, make recommendations, go over every detail. Itineraries perfected by our large in-country staff ’s generations of experience and the generational knowledge that comes from living in Africa.

Small-group, non-groupy safaris averaging 12 guests, and as few as two. And on Custom Safaris, sky’s the limit. n

All tips included—from Safari Directors and Driver Guides to porters, waiters, bartenders, housekeepers, and everyone else. It’s possible to safari with us and never take out your wallet. 100% guaranteed departures on our more than 400-ayear scheduled Classic Safaris, even for parties of two. A generous 44lb baggage allowance on safari flights across the savannahs — a stress-reducing Micato exclusive. Safari Directors —all Silver and Gold certified— accompany every Micato safari from beginning to end. Equal parts wildlife expert, gracious host, and behindthe-scenes orchestrator, they bring each game drive to life while making the entire journey seamless.

A wonder-working Concierge Team, ready to spring into action for any request, large or small, unexpected or everyday — so your safari never misses a beat. Luxurious camps and lodges—obsessively and continually evaluated on the ground by our Safari Directors and Africa staff. (And since we don’t own or operate the lodges and camps we frequent, we’re able to put our guests’ interests first, not our company’s.) Free valet laundry service, everywhere, every day —plus custom-designed Micato luggage for the journey. Pack lighter, travel easier, and return home with clean clothes. All meals included. And we unhesitatingly pick up the tab for meals in any local restaurant on all Custom Safaris. At mealtimes, regional wines, beer, and bottled water are included. In Southern Africa, spirits are often included, too. The finest, well-stocked safari vehicles, Wi-Fi equipped, with guaranteed window seats for all. Private safari vehicles and flights easily arranged for your circle of friends and family on any safari, whether Custom, Classic, or Private Classic. Exclusive access to people, places, and experiences available only through the Pinto family’s longtime connections. And this could go to the top of the list: knowing that your safari contributes directly to Micato-AmericaShare’s substantial efforts to educate and nurture African youth.

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Seamless, Worry-Free Travel When Micato was founded 60 years ago our mission statement was simple: Treat guests like family. For us, that means anticipating your wants and needs as well as handling a multitude of tiny details… part of our familial dedication to making safaris seamless and worry-free.

Every Safari Is 100% Guaranteed We have never cancelled a safari, even for parties of one or two. (Of course, Micato’s Recommended Travel Insurance Plan protects your investment should you be forced to cancel the trip yourself.)

We’re with You, Touchdown to Takeoff Day or night, as a matter of course, your Safari Director and a private vehicle will meet you promptly and accompany you to your hotel. And the same seamless care goes for departures: your Safari Director won’t leave until your plane is in the air. Vacation time is valuable, and we won’t let you languish in waiting rooms, or roam an airport looking for transfers. There isn’t a moment on a Micato safari when your Safari Director isn’t cheerfully at your service.

Day Rooms on Departure On your last day, we also book a private hotel day room for you to await late-departing flights—with, as always, your Safari Director and a vehicle at your disposal, with meals included and our no-tipping

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policy in comforting effect. In addition to not having to mark time in an airport, this gives you the afternoon for shopping, resting, and freshening up before your Safari Director and vehicle accompany you to your flight.

Bush Flights with a Difference Our safaris include myriad internal flights for both expeditious and amazingly eye-popping travel. In addition to a Micato-exclusive 44lb baggage allowance on all bush flights, we provide customized flight kits with local newspapers, fact sheets, and entertaining quizzes. And note that we can easily arrange for your group to enjoy private flights (and private safari vehicles) on all our safaris. As for the important practicalities: by flying in— it almost goes without saying—carefully vetted, comfortable planes, we save up to 20 hours of driving per safari. We arrange for all flights to take off and land at excellent bush airstrips, close to your lodges, eliminating the tedium of airport check-ins and arrivals, luggage transfers and delays. We simply drive to the steps of our waiting aircraft and amble aboard.

Barely half an hour goes by in my regular life that I don’t have to think about details or schedules or making a decision for someone in my family. On my Micato safari I didn’t have to think. Our Safari Director did all the thinking. I could relax and enjoy the sublime moments.

Patty Brandt

Safari Vehicles with Every Luxury Sixty years on safari has taught us what makes an exceedingly comfortable, even luxuriously stocked safari vehicle. In the bush we supply ours with cool beverages and snacks, binoculars, flora and fauna guide books, lap blankets for chilly mornings and evenings, a pit-stop kit, plus bean bags for stabilizing long lenses. All guests are also assured of a window seat in our vehicles throughout East and Southern Africa. Micato vehicles also offer Wi-Fi, charging ports, refrigerators, oversized windows and extra head room. Our city vehicles are additionally equipped with air conditioning.

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Flying Doctors on Call The services of East Africa’s famous Flying Doctors are included in every safari as part of Micato’s comprehensive Passenger Protection Program. A group of highly qualified physicians, the doctors fly throughout the East African bush, providing treatment and emergency transportation. Similar evacuation services are available to Micato travellers in South Africa and at select lodges in Botswana, ensuring our guests receive the quickest, most reliable medical attention and transport.

Lost Luggage Rescue Kits If your luggage fails to arrive from an international flight, we’re at the ready with a marvelously stressrelieving kit including a change of clothes and amenities. And if you need something else, your Concierge will provide it, posthaste.

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I’ve never been on a trip where I didn’t worry about anything. I knew we would be taken care of regardless of what happened. It truly was a trip beyond expectations. Michele Vogel

Your Safari Team in the Bush Safari Directors: Guides, Helpers, Friends And they’re with you every step of the way. Safari Directors meet you upon landing in Africa and are with you until the moment you depart, always nearby and on prompt call around the clock—not just during business hours. In addition to a thorough education in the theory and on-the-savannah practice of our state-of-thescience safety protocols, every Micato Safari Director in Kenya has earned prestigious Gold or Silver certifications from the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association. Seasoned professionals, most of whom have been with us their entire

careers, graduates of Kenya Utalii College or Tanzania’s College of Wildlife Management, they’re creative choreographers of safari: guiding flexible, always-on-the-lookout forays into the bush, lecturing on flora and fauna, deftly handling logistics, and imparting fascinating nuggets of African history and local folklore. They will also become dear friends. And the same highest standards and credentials— and affable, unstinting service—apply to Micato Safari Directors in all the East and Southern African countries in which we safari.

From the minute we stepped off the airplane in Nairobi, to the moment we said good-bye to our Safari Director, the trip far exceeded our expectations. He delighted us with his enthusiasm, his knowledge and love for the animals. He gracefully took care of all travel needs — airport check-ins, boarding passes, border crossings, hotel check-in/out, many wonderful surprises, and overall hand holding.

Elisabeth Brown

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Details Taken Care Of No Tipping, Ever

Micato’s Unique Concierge Service Our Concierges are available any time and anywhere Micato takes you. These resourceful Nairobi, Cape Town, Arusha, and Johannesburg-based teams are ready to obtain forgotten prescriptions, make flight changes, find a camera battery and fly it to you in the bush. They’ll shop for you, pack your purchases, and ship them home. If you need it, they’ll move mountains to get it done. Micato is the only company to offer this (of course, trip-price-included, worry-banishing) service.

Not at safari’s beginning or end, not in hotels, lodges, camps, airports, not to Micato Concierges, or anywhere in between. We also decided years ago to buck industry convention and include the substantial end-of-trip tips to Safari Directors and Driver Guides, unlike other safari operators. Because a seamless safari should never include the anxiety of how much, who and when to tip.

I have rarely ever worked with an organization that is so detail-oriented, so thoughtful, so welcoming, so personal (and with such personable staff). And all those extra-special Micato touches, those behind-thescenes experiences. How to chronicle them?

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Ruth Katz

Complimentary Laundry and Wi-Fi Laundry is included everywhere, every day—not just once during your safari, but where and when you need it. Imagine returning from a day in the bush to find your clothes cleaned and folded, even on your last day with us. Flying home in clean clothes: a delightful luxury.

lightweight-but-sturdy, gloriously roomy duffel with terrifically handy features, including a retractable handle and wheels…not that you’ll ever lift your bags in Africa: luggage will simply appear inside your room like magic from camp to camp.

It’s also our pleasure to provide complimentary Wi-Fi wherever it exists. More and more camps feature Wi-Fi but not all—though, rather wonderfully, Micato safari vehicles throughout Africa do. You may or may not want to keep in virtual contact with the world, but it’s nice to know you can.

Safari Luggage You’ll Happily Flaunt We put our 60 years of safari experience together with our ace designer friends to create the ideal bag, sized for safaris and bush flights, and for easy rolling in airports. The result: a stylish,

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Small-Group Boutique Safaris Averaging 12 guests (and as few as two), our guaranteed-departure Micato Classics create astonishing shared experiences, fond friendships, and lots of laughter—with your exuberant, expert Safari Director leading the troupe. Individualized Choices Micato is proud to offer the most non-groupy group safaris imaginable. We operate our 10 Classics with the same dedication to service as our private Custom Safaris (see pages 54-61). At every location your Safari Director will present you with a variety of individualized activity choices (and he’ll make sure every camp and lodge chef meets your dietary preferences and restrictions).

Perhaps you’d like to return to the bush to find that elusive leopard while others catch up with their reading? Certainly. Or maybe your fellow travellers prefer to visit that intriguing shop three villages down the road while you remain at camp? We’ll send a car. And if you change your mind and decide to join the shoppers later, we’ll send another car.

There may be moments when your interests diverge from those of the group, but the Micato team is ready.

Our Safari Directors make the seemingly impossible quite happily possible for every Micato guest, every day.

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Arrive as Guests, Leave as Family Group travel, for many, conjures images of weary guides waving flags, herding people into garish buses. Which is not the Micato way. We resolutely emphasize individual care and preferences, and, as one Micato safarier wrote, “Within a day or so, our group melded beautifully…it was like taking a vacation with new and like-minded friends.”

Small Groups, Big Adventures Small groups and Micato’s love of spontaneity mean we can react quickly and do more. You may find yourself hopping out of the pool and into a vehicle to see the lion cubs that came out of hiding while you were relaxing. Or diverting from the lunch plan to check out the hip little café discovered by the younger Pintos a few days earlier.

Our Safari Directors have been known to make impromptu stops in their villages to introduce you to the family. Other groups have chatted up Parliament members, ministers, and professors encountered on the fly by Safari Directors who made the introductions. We’re constantly on the lookout for remarkable opportunities to delight our guests.

Brilliantly Crafted Itineraries And finally, our Classic Safaris are the culmination of generations of safari experience complemented by present-day knowledge, and woven together with seamless bush flights to provide more time on safari. Not having ownership stakes in African hotel properties is also a key Micato advantage: we’re uniquely able to include only the newest, best and most desirable camps and lodges in our programmes, unlike so many safari operators who are obliged to use their own.

One of our group purchased the wrong size pants in Nairobi, and Micato returned the pants, found the right size, and had them delivered to the bush the next day. Your service surpassed all definitions of “excellence,” from stunning sunset appetizers and fine wines in the bush, and all the hundreds of little touches that none of the other safari companies provide.

Zora Lazic

Singita

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Enchanting Camps and Lodges It’s a point of pride for us to find and favour East and Southern Africa’s toppest-notch camps and lodges. And evidence of our selectiveness appears just about everywhere in this brochure, very specifically on pages 152-177.* A Continually Evaluated Collection We and our guests are in our camps and lodges almost every day, and we constantly give them white-glove, top-to-bottom look-overs. Most of our regularly scheduled Classic Safaris feature properties listed on the Travel+Leisure World’s Best Hotels Africa list and T+ L’s World’s Top 500 Hotels…plus a few private favourites of our own. Because we enjoy such good relations—and good business—with Micato’s favoured camps and lodges, our guests are accorded preferential treatment, and greeted as good friends of good friends.

What Makes a Great Safari Camp? It takes on-the-ground, up-to-the-minute knowledge to select the finest safari lodges. The latest trendy camp in the magazines may be a long 45-minute drive from wildlife. Or too close to a main road or village to attract good game—antelopes perhaps, but not big cats. Sometimes you want your camp to be inside a game reserve, and other times it’s preferable to stay outside the gate. Many of the oldest lodges are in the best locations, but what about the leading-edge, community-owned group ranches? We know these things, and more.

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Singita

A frequently asked question: What’s the difference between a lodge and a camp? Well, a lodge’s buildings are permanent, while camps feature canvas tents on permanent foundations. Of course, as the many pictures in these pages attest, and as a friend once said, “Those are tents like the mansions at Newport were cottages.”

Immediate Hotel Check-In You’ve flown all night and your plane touches down in Nairobi, Cape Town, Arusha, or Johannesburg in the wee hours of the morning. You meet your Micato staff and drive to the hotel and—!—proceed serenely to your room (feeling sorry for the folks who booked with other safari companies, and who are now exhaustedly lining up in front of the reception desk).

We Scrutinize and Micato-ize Your Room Micato’s unique Personal Concierges in Nairobi, Cape Town, Arusha, and Johannesburg carefully scrutinize your hotel room before your arrival to make sure everything is shipshape… and even slip in a surprise or two. They also escort you to your room, show you around, and check back with you regularly.

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Micato’s Unique Access Micato’s 60 years of safari experience and three generations of the Pinto family born and raised in Africa enable us to provide you with an insider’s understanding, extraordinary introductions, and unique access. With Us, It’s Personal With three generations of Pintos born and raised in Africa, the family has long made its home in Nairobi and Cape Town, and their long presence on the continent has fostered an extraordinary breadth of relationships. And, of course, their friends are your friends—and as one of those friends once noted, “The sign may say closed, but if it’s Micato, come on in.”

The Benefits of Micato’s Insider Access Whether it’s Louise Leakey driving her Micatodecaled car #17 in an off-road rally in between unearthing fossils of early mankind, National Geographic Explorer and lion researcher Shivani Bhalla, or the continent’s new master chefs and young artists, we can put you in touch with engaging people making a mark in today’s Africa.

LEFT Dennis, Tristan, Sasha, and Joy Pinto with Drs. Meave and Louise Leakey, holding the evolution of mankind in their hands at Kenya’s Turkana Basin Institute.

For me, whether it’s Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, side trips to Zanzibar or Victoria Falls, or gorilla-tracking excursions to Rwanda, the “best” is always the same — Micato. The Pinto family, which launched Micato 60 years ago, from Africa, has unrivaled experience and an incredible network of personal connections at the highest levels . . . I know many of the best and most well-informed travel agents in the nation, and they pretty much unanimously swear by Micato . . . There is no one else I would consider using to plan a trip to Africa.

Larry Olmsted, Forbes

Safari Directors Without Equal It’s a rare company that doesn’t say its guides are the best. But: You don’t reach the pinnacle of the safari world if your guides—the very face of your company—aren’t absolutely the best. And ours are, or we wouldn’t be atop that pinnacle. Africa’s magic charms are revealed as you explore everything from wildlife and tribal cultures to politics and history with your remarkable Safari Directors—Africans born and raised, not expats or transplants. They bring Africa’s story to life through a delightful blend of guiding in the bush, lecturing in camp, conversations over meals, and enlightening anecdotes in between.

Extensive Safety Network The health and safety of Micato guests is our highest priority. Micato is connected with top-flight security and advisory networks in the U.S. and Africa. Our general manager in East Africa is a

member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kenya, and works closely with the U.S. ambassador and government officials. Building on the standards and relationships established by founders Felix and Jane Pinto—who always considered guests part of the extended family—the Micato management team lives in Africa, with the network and resources to anticipate and respond quickly and effectively. Our team has its finger on the pulse of events across the continent.

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Only Micato Moments You don’t win Travel+ Leisure’s award for #1 World’s Best Safari Outfitter an unprecedented ten times unless you’re on the ball, all the time. It’s our happy tradition to go far beyond what’s expected of even the most luxurious safari outfitter. Heartfelt Hospitality It’s more than a custom in Africa, it’s a way of life. And it includes a joyous, proud, and uniquely insightful introduction to the wonders of our homeland’s sterling people, its astounding animals, and its magnificent landscapes.

Amazements Aplenty Every safari includes Only Micato Moments designed to surprise and delight. In the bush, we arrange sublime sundowner cocktails at twilight on the plains and picnic lunches under ancient baobab trees. Then we amaze

32 THE MICATO DIFFERENCE

you with the sights and sounds of the awakening bush on an early morning walking safari or a peaceful afterdark encounter with Africa’s nocturnal creatures. In villages and towns, we visit market days and tempt you with savoury bites of local specialties and the joyous hubbub of local sellers, and take merry, offthe-beaten-path rides in tuk-tuks to explore proudly authentic old quarters. In the savannahs, we also know the traditional tribal villages where heart-stirring encounters with elders and mamas are still wonderfully possible, your Micato Safari Director facilitating every unforgettable moment.

Over The Top and Imaginative There’s nothing we relish more than providing exclusive safari experiences. Just a few highlights: Flying ice cream sundaes to a surprised game-driving couple so they could continue a long anniversary tradition. Arranging for guests to run the Kenyan Highlands with elite Kenyan marathoners. The celebrated Rovos Rail luxury train staged its first-ever cooking demonstration in their galley car exclusively for our travellers. We’ve assisted award-winning biologists in lion conservation projects, and we’ve combed the dry riverbeds of Northern Kenya for hominid fossils with the Leakey family. If you want to meet someone, see or do something, we’ll make it happen.

Private Dining and Libations On Us From the moment we welcome you to Africa, all meals and mealtime drinks are included—even, happily, local beer and wine. In Southern Africa, we often include spirits, too. We’re also lavish with complimentary bottled water and soft drinks—and not just at meals but in your rooms, tents, and safari vehicles. On a Custom Safari, you may also dine at any restaurant of your choice and order anything on the menu. We’ll make the reservation, arrange the car, and pick up the tab. You expect first-class treatment from Micato and that’s exactly what you get. What makes Micato even more special is the attention to detail in the added touches, the welcoming dinners, the little gifts from the Pinto family along the way, and the extra care taken with our children.

Alex Trebek

Three Ways to Safari with Micato

Custom A safari hand-tailored from top to bottom according to your schedule and interests.

For more about our Custom Safaris in East and Southern Africa, see pages 54-61. And take a look at our sublime Private Villas and Estates on pages 62-71.

34 THREE WAYS TO SAFARI WITH MICATO

Classic A scheduled small-group departure. Ten different safari programmes, with multiple departure dates every month, all guaranteed to operate.

Scroll over to pages 72-121 for East Africa and pages 122-141 for Southern Africa.

Private Classic Safari

You and your family or group of friends choose one of the many scheduleddeparture dates of any Classic Safari and convert it into a completely private journey, with your own vehicle and a Micato Safari Director to yourselves. See more about Private Classics on page 76 (and elsewhere; they’re a splendid safari option to consider).

THREE WAYS TO SAFARI WITH MICATO

A Typical Day on Safari Early Morning Game Drive The sun rises early and eagerly on the savannahs, and after some tea, coffee, and pre-breakfast snacks, we and our Safari Director hop into our uniquely designed safari vehicles for an exploration of what the great lover of Africa Peter Beard called “a paradise caressed by light and air in their most special forms.” The multitude of free-ranging animals, going about their ancient and immediate business, untroubled by our presence, is astounding. Our Safari Director knows the hangouts and comings and goings of the animals, where that big lion pride is getting ready to go to work (or bask in the warming sun), the daily routes of the elephant clans, the two cheetah siblings who are having a territorial dispute with a grumpy leopard. We roam in a land where “whole landscapes seem alert,” as Peter Matthiessen wrote. He may well have been thinking of our alertness to these land- and animal-scapes, a charged, joyous

concentration “like a marvelous childhood faculty restored.” After a couple of hours we return to our lodge, and tuck into an English-style breakfast, or perhaps enjoy an acacia-shaded picnic in the bush.

At the Lodge One of safari’s subtle charms is the opportunity to mix the excitements of game drives with the pleasures of relaxation—by the lodge’s pool, reading that book we don’t have time for at home on the veranda of our tent, taking a comfy nap, or, if we’re in an active mood, choosing from one of the many activities our Safari Director will brief us on and arrange (and which vary from camp to camp): guided mountain biking; visiting a village (where our Safari Director is greeted as an old friend); jogging with a Maasai warrior; taking a specially-arranged helicopter jaunt over the game lands; riding ATVs; watching the dogs of anti-poaching teams practice their sleuthing.

Afternoon Game Drive and Sundowners After a festive lunch, with talk of sightings and amazements (high on the list of safari surprises: the fresh and tasty food), we take an afternoon game drive, on the lookout for what seems a never-ending cavalcade of magnificent animals found nowhere else on earth. And as the sun lowers, we’ll suddenly come across a serene clearing or a hilltop overlooking guileless infinity, and enjoy classic sundowner cocktails and snacks before heading back to a lovely dinner at camp and some time around the campfire before heading off to bed. And in the morning we may agree with Elspeth Huxley that there is “no sleep so perfect as that stirred but not broken by the thrilling vibrance of a lion’s roar.”

A TYPICAL DAY ON SAFARI

When Is the Best Time to Safari? An often-asked question. And the quick but accurate answer is: Now. Here’s why: East and Southern Africa don’t experience dramatic seasonal differences (like most of the Northern Hemisphere, for instance). In Kenya, of course, you can step across the equator, from summer into winter,

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO SAFARI?

without noticing the slightest change in the weather. But that holds largely true, eight and a half million straight-line footsteps, all the way south to Cape Town. If you take a look at our Classic Safaris (pages 72-141) you’ll see that we offer two to (usually) four or five safaris every month in East and Southern Africa, except April in East Africa. And remember, all those many more than 400 safaris are guaranteed departures. We safari year-round because the best time to safari is when you have the time to realize a travel dream. Because the wet and the drier times of year each have their own inimitable African charms, and because, year-round, Africa’s game lands are, as Peter Beard said, “a paradise caressed by light and air in their most spectacular forms.” (One paradisiacal sight: the long, golden streams of light that streak down from polished pewter clouds. Africans call them “fingers of God.” Photographers call them crepuscular rays, most of us call them sunbeams, and they are deeply memorable.)

The Great Migration The Great Migration, the grandest movement of large animals on the planet, is another year-round event. Millions of zebras, wildebeest, and other ungulates, eagerly awaited by mammalian and reptilian predators, circulate clockwise around the New Hampshire-sized Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem. Our camps in Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti are well-situated to view the migration’s dramatic rivercrossings, but throughout the year we commonly see miles-long streams of animals from many of our camps and lodges in both countries.

The Quiet Season High and low seasons are essentially travel industry terms, reflecting times when larger or smaller numbers of people are free to travel. During the “low” season, between November and March (roughly, North America’s winter, excluding the Festive Holiday period) fewer people tend to travel internationally. We call this the Quiet Season. Not quiet because the animals, landscapes or the safari experiences are any less active and vivid, but because there are simply fewer travellers in the airports, the towns and very definitely in the game lands. It’s a wonderful time to safari. Temperatures are moderate, the lush savannahs emerald green, and the sunsets breathtakingly vivid. It is also when many species—including wildebeest, zebra, and antelope—give birth, along with elephants and lions (who give birth year-round) so there are marvelous opportunities to spot baby animals.

How splendidly wrong we were in thinking Micato was like anyone else. For Micato it’s not about luxury (though there’s that to spare), it’s about authenticity.

Dr. Jean Marmoreo and Bob Ramsay

Flying Over Africa

You may remember—it’s hard to forget—the scene in the film version of Out of Africa when Denys Finch Hatton (played by Robert Redford) lands his Gipsy Moth near Karen Blixen’s (Meryl Streep’s) farm. She rushes out to the spiffy little biplane, and Finch Hatton doesn’t take off his flying goggles, he barely throttles back his engine, he just says, “Get in,” and thus begins one of cinema’s great moments: a heart-firing poem of a swooping flight over the incomparably eloquent landscapes of East Africa.* Isak Dinesen, Blixen’s nom de plume, remembered her many African flights as “the most transporting pleasure of my life. . . . Every time I have gone up in an aeroplane and looking down have realized that I was free of the ground, I have had the consciousness of a great new discovery. ‘I see,’ I have thought, ‘This was the idea. And now I understand everything.’ ” It’s as true today as it was in the 1920s: flying low and easily over Before she climbs into the the continent in small planes is a plane, Blixen asks Finch Hatton, “When did you learn matchlessly intimate way to apprecito fly?” And he answers with ate its subtle and dramatic colours, its a Redfordian grin, “Yesterday.” tectonic dramas, and its cavalcade of Rest assured our pilots have hundreds upon hundreds creatures. We fly over villages, waving of times more experience to their residents, and in a few mothan that—and many of them ments, we’re on the ground, shaking have movie-star smiles. (As for the practicalities—and their hands. One of our guests said Micato-exclusive 44lb baggage it well: “For me, flying over Africa allowance—on bush flights, is about as flying as flying gets.” see Bush Flights with a Difference on page 20.) Our Custom Safaris offer as many flights as your personalized itinerary calls for, and we—and our guests over the years— think the flights that link lodges and camps on our Classic Safaris (six on The Micato Grand Safari, for instance, and five on The Hemingway Wing) are safari highlights, airy dalliances with Africa’s incomparable landscapes.

FLYING OVER AFRICA

Families on Safari Africa is one of the most family-friendly places on earth. Not only because of the stellar, multi-generational excitements of safari, but also because family is vitally important to the people of Africa, and visiting families enjoy great respect. Devices are put on hold and youthful imaginations are sparked on safari. The world expands, brightens. Fabulous sights are seen, horizons stretched, enhanced, emptying nests are strengthened by memories that reverberate merrily unto the generations.

FAMILY SAFARIS

ABOVE The Pinto family in Laikipia, Kenya

A Micato Tradition for Sixty Years Creating one-of-a-kind family safaris isn’t a nice little market niche for us. It’s a way of life. As witnessed in the family portrait above. Dennis Pinto was born and raised in Africa, and safaried with his parents Felix and Jane, Micato’s founders, since his childhood, growing up in the purple shadows of the Ngong Hills. Joy Phelan-Pinto was already an old Africa hand when she and Dennis were married. And Sasha and Tristan were gambolling in Africa’s wildlands before they knew the difference between a warthog and a wildebeest. For three generations of Pintos, safari has been both a vocation and an ever-expanding delight.

FAMILY SAFARIS

Every Family Is Unique... ... which is why all our safaris—Classic, Private Classic, and Custom—are designed to be family-welcoming, whether it’s a big clan or a clan of two. We welcome and make special arrangements for anniversaries, reunions, birthdays, cross-generational celebrations, graduations, weddings, and special interests of all sorts. From the first phone call to the airport on the way home, we are alert to your family’s needs and fancies, from youngest to oldest and every age in between. And, at the risk of boasting, no other company has our many decades of experience and dedication to seamless service and carefree fun.

Enriching, Inspiring Encounters n

Have a private, crowd-free visit specially arranged by Micato at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where we sponsor a baby elephant in your family’s name. Amaze the family with a soaring helicopter ride over one of the planet’s eye-poppingest wonders, Victoria Falls. Learn to make fire and track big cats with Maasai warriors. Commune with colonies of African penguins and Cape fur seals during privately arranged kayaking excursions. Ask your kids “Who is Nelson Mandela?” then show them. Follow in his footsteps at Robben Island, where he was imprisoned for nearly two decades. See Africa’s herds in an uncommon way…from the back of a friendly horse or camel. Get a selfie with that giraffe you’re feeding.

Watch shooting stars in Africa’s night sky from a customdesigned star bed. Jog through the Great Rift Valley alongside a barefooted Maasai warrior... the most memorable workout ever. Enjoy youth-themed game drives and ranger programmes at selected lodges. And on every safari, age-appropriate activities and encounters designed just for your family by your Micato Safari Director.

My son danced exuberantly with the Maasai, and decided to become a warrior himself . . . . The chef at Amboseli told me he hadn’t cooked with nuts for two days to keep my son safe. So incredibly moving . . . such warmth, such care. True kindness and unbelievable good humor. Ami Rothschild

ABOVE A private visit at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

FAMILY SAFARIS

The Micato One For One Commitment For Every Guest on Safari We Send a Child to School

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela

undreds of thousands of Kenyan children don’t attend school because their families are too poor to pay even the most nominal school fees. In principle, primary education is free in Kenya, but myriad fees often put it beyond reach: parents are obliged to buy their child’s desk; to pay for term exams, the wood for cooking fires, and a portion of the cooks’ salaries. Then there are schoolbooks, uniforms, writing supplies, and notebooks. All this adds up to many, many thousands of eager and worthy children staying at home.

The Micato One for One Commitment For over 40 years, Micato-AmericaShare has been a passionate advocate for East African children and their families. Under the Micato One for One Commitment, simply by signing up for a Micato safari, every guest on every safari sends a child to school—year after year. Thousands of Kenyan children are able to attend school thanks to our guests who join us in this commitment. Every child deserves an education, and we’re overjoyed to be contributing to this unalienable right.

LEFT A typically exuberant classroom, led by Peter Mithamo at a school near the Micato-AmericaShare Harambee Centre. Anastasia Pinto summed up the African ethos when she said, “African people will give away their last dollar or loaf of bread to someone who needs it more.”

Micato-AmericaShare For over 40 years — Micato’s tribute to our birth continent has been our nonprofit, Micato-AmericaShare. In the next six pages we’ll tell you what AmericaShare does, but first, here’s why: It all began with one little boy, going from person to person in a Nairobi shopping centre with a note from his school headmaster. The note said that he was an orphan and needed to raise 700 shillings for a school uniform before he could come to class. He had only collected 100 shillings. The boy approached Micato’s Lorna Macleod. She read the note and handed him the 600 shillings—the equivalent of $15. Tears running down his face, the boy stood there for a moment, said “God bless you,” and dashed away. At that moment Lorna realized that Micato was an ideal bridge between some of the poorest people on the planet, and some of the wealthiest, our travellers. So we gave that bridge a name: AmericaShare, and have been helping to change lives for the better ever since.

School Sponsorship It’s not unusual for inspired safari guests to decide on the spot (or back home for that matter) to sponsor a child to attend a carefully vetted boarding school, and our School Scholarship Programme provides every resource necessary for many hundreds of children to graduate high school (and beyond, if the spirit is willing). Sponsors and students are kept in touch by letters, deep relationships are built, and many lives are changed. As one of our sponsors wrote, “You start out writing a check, but what you get back is the joy of seeing the impact, the happiness. Our sponsee George, getting ready to attend university, is a joyous human being.”

The Harambee Centre The heart of Micato-AmericaShare’s Kenya operation is Harambee Centre, a multi-building oasis of calm

THE MICATO ONE FOR ONE COMMITMENT

and purpose in the midst of Mukuru, one of Nairobi’s largest informal settlements (the word slum doesn’t do justice to the stubborn hope and vitality of those settlements). Harambee Centre serves Mukuru—where a staggering 60,000 children are unable to attend school—with a Community Centre; a beautiful 30,000-volume library (with more than 60,000 yearly visitors); a secondary, specialized library; and a Computer Centre with more than 120 computers, laptops, and tablets and a 12week programme in digital skills training.

The Red Hill Library and Community Centre AmericaShare’s Red Hill Library and Community Centre, on the seaward side of the glorious Old Cape Road, south of Cape Town, is joyful place considering it’s a town with a single part-time clinic, 37 per cent unemployment, and no school for its more than 2,000 school-age kids, who, if they attend school, have to take long bus rides to state schools in the vicinity. Red Hill’s bright, cheery library is staffed with trained librarians, a computer centre, and a welcoming community meeting place. Its Literacy and Numeracy Programme meets for 3 1/2 hours daily, kids are taught basic and advanced computer skills on its expanding bank of computers, and its beautiful, ocean-view Umbono Wempunelelo—View to Success Deck — has become an integral part of Red Hill’s commitment to meeting the needs of young, energetic minds by engaging the kids in outdoor learning activities.

Learn More At our website, AmericaShare.org, or email us at Inquiries@AmericaShare.org.

5 to 1

$10

1 Million

The number of students in many Kenya public schools who share a single textbook

The average cost of a textbook in Kenya

The number of Mukuru resident visits to Harambee Centre Library and computer centre

8X Higher

200,000

The likelihood a child in the Sponsorship Programme will go on to college, compared to the national Kenyan average

The number of computer sessions to date

THE MICATO ONE FOR ONE COMMITMENT

Huru Means Freedom African girls who can’t afford sanitary pads very often avoid school during their periods, losing as much as an entire month each school year. The consequences are significant: girls who miss school or work fall behind, drop out or quit, perpetuating a grim cycle of poverty and gender inequality. Micato is a major donor and proud supporter of Huru, founded in 2008 by AmericaShare’s co-founder Lorna Macleod. Huru manufactures reusable sanitary pads—more than 2,700,000 to date—which have been distributed in free Huru Kits to more than 450,000 girls in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Huru Kits have proven to be a simple, sustainable, and wonderfully practical way to alleviate this world-wide problem. Each Huru Kit consists of a colourful drawstring backpack with six reusable pads; two pairs of underwear; detergentgrade soap for washing pads; two resealable waterproof bags for safe storage of used pads; and educational materials on life skills. All Huru pads are locally produced by women and men from underserved communities, and are designed for the resilient girls and women who use them. Each pad lasts a minimum of 24 months, making them a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to expensive disposables.

Since Huru pads came we are comfortable and we do not feel left out. We are able to attend classes without fear or shame. It brings so much joy to know there are people on earth living far away from Charity, age 16 you who can rescue you.

50 THE MICATO ONE FOR ONE COMMITMENT

450,000+

2.7 Million+

24 Months

The number of girls who have received Huru Kits throughout East Africa

The number of Huru Reusable Sanitary Pads produced to date

The minimum number of months each Huru Pad lasts

The crucial and heartening bottom line: Huru Kits have saved girls upward of 32,400,000 school days that otherwise would have been lost. Independent evaluation shows that girls who receive Huru Kits are three times less likely to miss school during their periods. Huru also leverages its extensive network to reach girls most in need, through its menstruation and reproductive health app, and by sending Huru teams to schools, rescue centres, and community hubs, distributing essential supplies and providing vital education to girls and young women, not only about menstruation, but sexual hygiene and awareness.

Almost 900,000 girls have benefited from those distributions and education sessions, and the much-visited app.

Learn More About Huru’s important and effective work. And about its highly successful Skills Development Program, a targeted, practical programme that addresses East Africa’s huge problem of youth unemployment, which disproportionately impacts girls; 65 per cent of the Skills Development Program’s trainees have no income whatsoever. Huru’s informative website is accessible 525,600 minutes a year at HuruInternational.org.

We educate women because it is smart. We educate women because it changes the world.

Drew Gilpin Faust, first female president of Harvard University

My Ambitions Were Given a Chance to Shine Micato-AmericaShare and Huru Success Stories From The New York Times Not long ago, Pulitzer Prize-winner Nicholas Kristof and journalist Trisha Mukherjee travelled to Africa. The result: “The Shame That Keeps Millions of Girls Out of School,” a Times op-ed column in which Mukherjee writes: In Nairobi’s bustling settlement of Mukuru, Celestine Wanza, 18, used to tear off a piece of her mattress to use as a pad, a workaround common in Kenya. Ms. Wanza is charming, sharp and quick to speak up when her classmates are shy — the kind of student any

teacher would want. For years, she stayed home while menstruating. But once she had to attend school for an exam. Blood seeped through the cloth shred and onto her clothes, sending her running home. That day, Ms. Wanza decided she had had enough. Asking around, she learned of Huru International, a nonprofit that provides free kits of six thick, washable pads, along with panties, instructions and an odor-proof storage bag for when water is scarce. When I ask whether she still misses school because of her period—even one day a month—she proudly shakes her head no.

This collaboration with Micato-AmericaShare has brought light to our community. Scholars are able to do their homework and research in the library, which provides a great environment for their education and homework clubs. The Forum is also benefitting from having a productive space in which to meet. This project has uplifted the entire community by making resources available to everybody.

THE MICATO ONE FOR ONE COMMITMENT

Luyando Lombo, Red Hill Development Forum member

From Scholarship Sponsors Caroline Wainaina [who was in university when this was written] has been our “adopted daughter” for six years now. The depth of her thankfulness, her gratitude and joy are sustaining for both of us, but we don’t want to take credit. All we did was give her some financial stability to use her considerable talents to shine. If truth be told, her success is really all about her, not us. We feel so lucky to be part of her life. Juliet Walters I am fortunate to sponsor two children, Evalyne Lucinda, and Dennis Mburu. It was their letters that really made me feel connected to them. Their personalities shone. People would be surprised by the effect that being a sponsor has on one’s daily life. I want to thank them for adding to my life, and for widening my perspective. Albert Herrera Irene [Nduta Njuki] had been living in a ghetto with her grandmother and uncle. She is very bright and loves academics, so going to a boarding school offers her protection, good medical attention, direction, and most of all, hope. I want Irene in my family’s life. Her example is one of overcoming adversity and pressing on to succeed. It is women like her who will change the world. Bonnie Scripps

From Micato-AmericaShare Scholarship Students I am proud to say that Micato-AmericaShare has been nothing but a blessing to me.... Later this year I will begin my studies at Nairobi’s Multimedia University. If it were not for Micato-AmericaShare I surely could not have had a future to dream about. My ambitions were given a chance to shine. Edwin Odwori My mother died when I was two years old and my father died a year later. I lived with my Aunty in Nairobi, but she had seven children of her own and couldn’t afford to pay for my school fees, but I somehow got by. In the sixth grade, Micato-AmericaShare came looking for children from needy backgrounds, and I was enrolled in a boarding school near Nairobi, with all the tuitions and school items I need thanks to AmericaShare....[After graduating from high school] in 2013, I entered the Bachelor Degree of Medicine program at the University of Nairobi, again with AmericaShare’s full support. Dr. Justus Omondi Okeyo (At the time of this writing Justus is a resident Obstetrician Gynecologist at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya’s largest teaching and referral hospital. He’s also pursuing, with Micato-AmericaShare support, a Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Nairobi.)

We have Africa in our blood and Africa has our bones. We are all African.

Custom Safaris Richard Dawkins

C USTO M SA FA R I S

Custom Safaris Our private, hand-crafted Custom Safaris are inspired by a good old British word, bespoke, which brings to mind custom craftsmanship, finicky attention to detail, and, above all, a fruitful collaboration between client and purveyor, with an eye toward creating a unique product . . . in this case, a safari whose memory will warm the coldest night. ustom-building safaris is something we do as well as — no, better than anyone in the world. (Why allow modesty to trump accuracy?) Our uniquely large staffs in East and Southern Africa and the U.S., our round-the-clock Concierge Service, and the touchdown-to-takeoff presence on every safari of a top-notch Safari Director are (pardon the accurate immodesty), simply and demonstrably the finest in the safari world.

Micato’s Custom Safari experts are in hour-to-hour touch with the ins and outs, the ups and downs, and the soaring possibilities for private safaris. They have created epically enjoyable Custom Safaris — private and charter jet and helicopter safaris; exclusive stays in private villas and upcountry manor houses on private estates; and highly specialized safaris — for couples, connoisseurs, celebrities, book clubbers, big bubbly families, and friends-since-kindergarten. So whether you’ve always dreamed of going on safari, or if you woke up the other day with the sudden urge to visit Africa, we will tune in to your wishes, your schedules, your interests and inclinations, and we will work with you to create a Custom Safari that will surpass your dreams and— as a safari so often does—ignite the urge to return one day to bask again in Africa’s golden joys.

56 CUSTOM SAFARIS

Like a lot of people, we’ve been dreaming of going on safari for a very long time. What we didn’t expect was how Micato could so completely translate our dream into even more wonderful reality.

Oona and Eric Moes

CUSTOM SAFARIS

C USTO M SA FA R I S

Custom Safari A Micato Custom Safari is just that: A unique, expertly hand-crafted experience. With a minimum of eight days, they can be as long, as focussed or as free-form, as populous or as private as you like. It’s up to you.

Just a Few Examples: We’ve delightedly designed Custom birthday and anniversary safaris; archeological dig safaris with the Leakey family, long-time Micato and Pinto family friends; graduation safaris; private balloon flights in the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti followed by champagne breakfasts on the savannah; exclusive helicopter tours on the slopes of Mount Kenya (with some fly-fishing on the lordly peak’s streams if you’d like), or over Victoria Falls or Lake Bogoria’s massive pink flamingo colonies, or in many unique places far, far off the normal touristic map.

and We felt like part of the family and my mom is still talking about her wonderful African adventure and will continue to do so for the rest of her life. Janice Ruckmick

CUSTOM SAFARIS

I am hard pressed to think of any reason why one wouldn’t book with Micato. Priscilla Alexander, former president, Protravel

Ideas We’re adept at creating private culinary and oenophilic tours in Cape Town and its gorgeous Winelands. Our guests have run with the friendly, dedicated poacher-sniffing dogs of the Loisaba Conservancy and many other anti-poaching units throughout Africa. We arrange jogging safaris in the Great Rift Valley with Maasai warriors, ATV jaunts to places like Botswana’s vast Makgadikgadi Pans and golfing expeditions to South Africa’s many magnificent courses. And then there are our exquisite Private Villas and Estates, extolled a couple of pages to the east of here, which exemplify Micato’s approach to thoughtful luxury, serene privacy, and happy service.

Inspirations Micato Rules! Heidi Klum

CUSTOM SAFARIS

C USTO M SA FA R I S

Private Helicopter and Jet Safaris “Airy dalliances with Africa’s incomparable landscapes,” is how we rhapsodize Flying Over Africa, west of here on page 40. It’s true about our bush flights, and many would say it’s even truer about helicopter jaunts to places eye-boggling to see from the air, like Victoria Falls or South Africa’s theatric Blyde River Canyon, or Cape Town’s magnificent mix of nature and humanity, to hard-to-reach places like Kenya’s vast Northern Frontier region (with its otherworldly Lake Turkana) or the Laikipia Plateau’s Mount Lolgurugi (where we can enjoy picnic breakfasts on the heights). And many marvelous places and revelatory jaunts in between. When you talk safari with our experts, you’ll be filled in on helicopter excursions almost as unlimited as Africa’s vast skies. And as for jets: Arranging, facilitating, and creating private jet safaris has been a Micato speciality for more than a couple of decades. We know the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the permissions and strip lengths, FBOs and immigration requirements, and we’re masters at untangling and scissoring red tape.

CUSTOM SAFARIS

Each and every member of your staff should be congratulated often for the lengths they go to, to bring the spirit of Africa to everyone. Sharon Fake, Director of Operations, Travel Experts

CUSTOM SAFARIS

C USTO M SA FA R I S

Private Villas & Estates “Elegance,” Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, “is that quality that transforms the greatest amount of being into appearance.” All the wonderfully private estates and villas on these pages are superbly luxurious and gorgeous, but what sets them apart is their essence, their very being: a love of Africa, a commitment to service and care, a recognition that the greatest of luxuries is serenity.

PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

C USTO M SA FA R I S

Segera Retreat laikipia plateau, kenya

Set up on the Laikipia Plateau, presided over by Mount Kenya, the Segera Retreat is a lush oasis whose raised timber and thatch villas look out expansively at the surrounding savannah. A large bedroom and en-suite bathroom occupy each villa’s upper floor; a sun deck and jacuzzi in the private garden offer comfortable lounging and post-game drive relaxing. All of Segera’s villas are graced with expertly chosen original African artwork.

Ol Jogi laikipia plateau, kenya

Forbes cautions guests at Ol Jogi to not get “caught up in the exquisite details,” the “Murano glass globes over lamps, the sumptuous Hermès linens, the perfectly polished Buccellati silver,” but to—not instead, but in addition— savour its “enchanting…incredible and diverse” wildlife. For generations the home of the Wildenstein family, Ol Jogi is quietly luxurious, stunningly situated, and welcoming in the highest African tradition.

In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be. Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa

64 PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

Arijiju laikipia plateau, kenya

Vanity Fair pays tribute to Arijiju’s “sensuous genius,” and for good reason. Overlooking the game lands of the Laikipia Plateau, graced with views of lordly Mount Kenya, the grand estate and home is an epitome of thoughtful luxury,

with five gorgeously appointed suites (and a rooftop “Constellation Suite” for sleeping under the stars). It has its own spa, gym, clay tennis courts, extensive sun-dappled gardens, a talented resident chef, and a staff of 14.

Sirai House laikipia plateau, kenya

Ensconced high in the Laikipia Plateau’s Borana Conservancy, Sirai House’s six individually designed and decorated private cottages look down upon the gorgeous plateau and up to the rocky spires of Mount Kenya. Sirai’s gym, pool, wood-panelled spa, its pickleball and basketball courts, optional helicopter forays into the mountain’s upper slopes, its intimate private theatre, e-biking, horsebacking excursions, and brilliantly cheery service and top-notch cuisine are elegant interludes in the main story: game-drive encounters with the Big Five and hundreds of equally fascinating species.

PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

C USTO M SA FA R I S

Kifaru House lewa wildlife conservancy, kenya

At the cutting edge of conservation and sustainability, the much-revered Lewa Conservancy is famed for its rigorously protected white and black rhinos, along with its full repertoire of free-ranging African beasts. And Kifaru

Lewa Private Wilderness lewa wildlife conservancy, kenya

Created by the pioneer conservationist Craig family, marvelously secluded Lewa Private Wilderness is set amidst the rolling hills of the Eastern Marania River valley, up on the game-rich Laikipia Plateau. Its five spacious, elegantly appointed villas can be arranged as either double or twin configuration, accommodating a maximum of ten guests simultaneously. Its full range of amenities include a team of private chefs to cater toyour every food and beverage need and whim.

PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

House’s main lodge and five charming thatched cottages, each a safari villa of its own, are splendid, intimate, and scenic places (glorious Mount Kenya rises just to the south) for a quintessential African experience.

The Singita Villa Collection tanzania, zimbabwe, south africa, and rwanda

Much acclaimed Singita is a byword for hospitable excellence. In addition to its camps and lodges throughout east and southern Africa (see page 168), Singita offers its Villa Collection, nine exquisite, exclusive-use villas, each with a private host, chef, housekeepers and butlers. Leisure facilities range from tennis courts to private massage treatment rooms, cinemas, media rooms, fitness centres and swimming pools, and its ravishing vistas range from the vast plains of the Serengeti and Zimbabwe’s rugged sandstone ridges, to the deep-green mountains of Rwanda and the river forests of South Africa’s Sabi Sand.

Loirien Mara maasai mara, kenya

Atop a bluff within the private Partakilat Conservancy in the heart of the Maasai Mara, Loirien Mara’s three private residences blend beautifully with the gamethronged Mara’s golden landscapes (into which game drives, walking safaris, optional helicopter and hot-air balloon jaunts bring us into intimacy with the world’s greatest assemblage of freeroaming animals). The main villa, Loirien, encompasses three king-size, ensuite bedrooms, with personalized meals prepared by your private chef, an infinity pool set amid blooming garden, and a sauna and steam room.

PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

C USTO M SA FA R I S

The Villas at Four Seasons serengeti, tanzania

The five sublimely private villas at the acclaimed Four Seasons Safari Lodge in the northern Serengeti each have their own kitchen and plunge pool and range from one romantic bedroom to the grand, three-storey Presidential Suite’s three (that grand villa has its own chef, and was designed by acclaimed South African architect Francois Theron). All the villas are graced with bespoke, African-chic furnishing and magnificent, floor-to-ceiling views across the Serengeti Plain.

Little Saseka thornybush game reserve, south africa

Little Saseka offers the privacy of staying at your own fully-amenitied, airily spacious tent within the magnificent grounds of Saseka Tented Camp, overlooking Thornybush’s seasonal Monwana riverbed. The tent has a spacious living and dining area

with an expansive, viewful private deck and pool, and can accommodate two adults and two children— and if you need to accommodate additional people, you can book two or three adjacent tents as part of your private group.

Delaire Graff Owner’s Villa stellenbosch, south africa

Famed for its magnificent setting in the Cape Winelands, for its winery, superb artwork, exquisite cuisine, and luxury lodges, the Delaire Graff Estate is graced with what it calls its “pinnacle,” the sumptuous Owner’s Villa.

Featuring a 45-foot pool, four bedrooms decorated by artworks curated by Laurence Graff from his private collection, and just about every salubrious amenity imaginable, the Owner’s Villa is, quite simply, a Winelands masterpiece.

Africa House at Royal Malewane thornybush game reserve, south africa

The Royal Malewane — recently named one of Condé Nast Traveler’s Top 20 Resorts in the World—is delectably luxurious, but its Africa House is a notch above: an exclusive-use villa, designed for family-friendliness and airy and pastel-hued appreciation of the very private Thornybush Game Reserve’s grand landscapes and abundance of wildlife. Africa House has its own chef and butler, and all its 12 luxurious rooms are, of course, equipped with all the modern amenities, and grace notes abound.

PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

C USTO M SA FA R I S

Phinda Homestead kwazulu-natal, south africa

Phinda Homestead is an elegant yet homey exclusive-use villa with four private bedrooms and exceptionally expansive and inviting guest spaces. An interactive kitchen brings the lodge’s private chef into the centre of the guest experience, while a fully equipped private gym and spa allow for relaxation between game drives. Phinda’s private, 70,000-acre wildlife reserve is a magnificent tapestry of dappled woodland, grassland, wetland, and dense forest—highly attractive not only to us, but to the Big Five as well.

Ellerman Oceanfront Villas cape town, south africa

Ellerman’s two sparklingly designed, multi-level private villas take full advantage of a prized Bantry Bay location, looking out over the Atlantic with epic Table Mountain, exquisite Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and Cape Town’s amiable jazziness close at hand. Each generously spacious villa—Villa 1 with five en-suite bedrooms, Villa 2 with three — is a multi-generational delight, with its own chef and staff, activities aplenty, and the voluptuous luxuriousness that invites serenity.

70 PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

Tarkuni Homestead kalahari desert, south africa

Once the home of the Oppenheimer family in Tswalu, their private game reserve, the largest in South Africa, Tarkuni’s understated elegance eloquently bespeaks the family’s deep African roots. Set between two mountain ranges in the soul-stirring, animal-rich vastness of the

Kalahari, recently redesigned Tarkuni has five beautifully appointed suites, each with an expansive deck that can be converted into a star-bedroom, plus a lovely pool, a dedicated staff (including a crackerjack chef ), and unbounded serenity.

Cheetah Plains sabi sand game reserve, south africa

Set in the private Sabi Sand Game Reserve, with an unfenced border with Kruger, Cheetah Plains “ratchets up the luxury factor while committing to sustainability,” says The New York Times. Each of its three Plains Houses has four one-bedroom suites, a heated lap pool, lounge, loggia, dining area, a wine gallery, original artwork by some of South Africa’s star artists, its own staff and chef, and a unique experience of private luxury in the bushveld.

PRIVATE VILLAS & ESTATES

Classic Safaris I never knew of a morning in Africa

when I woke up that I was not happy. Ernest Hemingway

C LA SSI C SA FA R I S

Classic Safaris Our 10 East Africa and Southern Africa Classic Safaris (and handy safari extensions) on the next 77 pages speak for themselves—with a tremendous lot of information, enthusiasm, and, we hope, a bit of eloquence. (And if you’d like to know more about our flexibility in tailoring them to your interests and needs, don’t hesitate to call us or your travel advisor.) These Classics are the distillation of Micato’s three-generations’-worth of African experience, and they’ve been crafted and carefully orchestrated to reflect the newest and best, the deepest and most memorable ways to experience the dreamt-of Africa. (And keep in mind that all these Classic Safaris can easily be made into a Private Classic for families and groups of friends, as we describe on pages 76 and 77.)

CLASSIC SAFARIS

lassic Safaris are group safaris designed to be as non-group-like as possible. Our groups are small, averaging 12 members, and as few as two (they can be that nicely unpopulated because of the next item).

We have never, in all our years, cancelled a safari. At the end of each safari’s description, you’ll see a long list of departure dates. So: if you sign up and pay a deposit for the September 23 departure of, say, The Hemingway Wing Safari, it will proceed very happily even if you and your spouse (or family or buddies or whomever you’re safariing with) are the only guests. Guaranteed. On each Classic Safari your Safari Director will be with you—gently guiding, natural historying, storytelling, and taking care of whatever you need taking care of—from the moment the curtain rises to the warm applause (to be honest, it’s usually an emotional ovation) at safari’s end. (And of course, our unique Concierge Service is on round-the-clock call.)

Remember: there is no tipping, anywhere, anytime, on a Micato trip, Custom, Classic, or Private Classic, not even the traditionally sizeable gratuities to guides and drivers at safari’s end. And all your meals are included, everywhere, all the time. And all porterage fees, park fees, this-that-or-theother fees are paid. We’re travellers, too, and we know what a balm it is to have these nagging concerns deftly and definitively erased from our vacationing consciousness. See pages 18-33 for a deeper look at these and more of the many Micato differences.

CLASSIC SAFARIS

P R I VATE C LA SSI C SA FA R I S

Private Classic Safaris A great idea that pops up at many a family dinner, a barbecue with friends, or social media post: “Let’s take a trip together!” Our Private Classic Safaris are marvelous ways to turn that idea into resplendent reality. It’s simple. A phone call will do it. The rest is fine-tuning. You pick one of our 10 Classics, hone in on one of the departure dates listed at the end of each safari description (a lot of choices: each safari departs three or four times a month, year-round), and tell us you want to make it a Private Classic.

PRIVATE CLASSIC SAFARIS

To be totally honest, we were a tad nervous about investing so much money on our trip when we started . . . but by the end of the trip, we ALL were saying how it was all SO worth it. Micato made us feel as though we were their only customers and that anything we needed would be taken care of — that was how focused their support and service for us was! Lillian Chang, on behalf of a family of ten from different parts of the globe

Why Make It a Private Classic Safari? It’s your own safari departure: just you and your friends or family travelling together—with your own ever-present Safari Director to advise and suggest activities at every destination. You’ll have your own safari vehicles and the freedom to choose when and how long you’ll go on game drives. A full-day game drive? No problem. If you want to track a lion on a hunt or observe a dung beetle decimate a dung pile you can. Within logistical parameters, you determine your days. And your Safari Director is there to make it all happen.

CLASSIC SAFAR IS

To depart on a safari is not only

a physical act, it is also a gesture. You leave

behind the worries, the strains, the irritations of life among people under pressure, and enter the world of creatures who are pressed into no moulds, but have only to be themselves; bonds loosen, anxiety fades, the mind closes against the world you left behind like a folding sea anemone.

Elspeth Huxley, The Flame Trees of Thika

THE MICATO GRAND SAFARI Kenya’s Amboseli, Laikipia Plateau & Maasai Mara

Tanzania’s Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

15 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/from Nairobi

Sitting [by a safari campfire] listening to the lions far out in the darkness was like returning to the really true world again — where I probably once lived 10,000 years ago. Karen Blixen, in a letter to her mother, Ingeborg Dinesen

he grand, glamourous, unabashedly luxurious safaris favoured by princes and princesses, potentates, plutocrats, and ex-presidents (Teddy Roosevelt’s epic 1909 safari was one of the first of its sumptuous kind) are central to East Africa’s heritage as one of the world’s most desired destinations. This Grand Safari is Micato’s homage to those old and romantic days, to their indulgent and exquisite grace. The Micato Grand Safari’s six flights— be sure to see our praise for Flying Over Africa on page 40—make travel between game reserves and luxury camps a seamless, time-saving joy. And our stays in places like the airy Tortilis Camp in Amboseli; Bateleur or Mahali Mzuri in the Maasai Mara; the charmingly luxe Four Seasons Safari Lodge in the Serengeti; and the serene Lewa Safari Camp or Loisaba Tented Camp on the Laikipia Plateau bring us into close and comfortable contact with some of Africa’s richest game lands and most stirring landscapes.

DAY 1 Depart home DAYS 2 & 3 Nairobi

Upon arrival in the Kenyan capital, we’ll be met by our Micato Safari Director and driven to Hemingways, a hotel that great lover of Africa would have savoured for its classic African ambience and old-school luxuries. The next day, we’ll pay a heart-sparking visit to Micato-AmericaShare’s Harambee Centre, greet Giraffa camelopardalis at the Giraffe Centre, visit the former home of Karen Blixen, author— writing as Isak Dinesen— of Out of Africa, one of the most evocative books ever written about any earthly place. And we’ll have lunch at one of Nairobi’s star restaurants, then tour the excellent National Museum before returning to our hotel, serene Hemingways. DAYS 4 & 5 Amboseli

We fly south this morning over the Athi Plains to the natural wonderland of Amboseli National Park. Mount Kilimanjaro, the still-glaciated monarch

EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE MICATO GRAND SAFARI

of Africa, presides over Amboseli, thrusting three dizzying miles above the park’s grasslands. As Peter Matthiessen wrote in The Tree Where Man Was Born, “A snow peak in the tropics draws the heart to a fine shimmering painful point of joy.” Tortilis Camp is our base for a visit to a Maasai village and game drives in this almost incomparably rich animal kingdom. Our spacious, luxuriously furnished, thatch-covered tents nestle under the huge and reposeful Tortilis acacia trees from which the camp takes its name. Unwinding on our veranda, we might, like Isak Dinesen, watch a parade of elephants “pacing along as if they had an appointment at the end of the world.” DAYS 6 & 7 The Laikipia Plateau

We’ll spend our two nights on the airy Laikipia Plateau in one of two superbly designed, intimate camps, Lewa Safari Camp or Loisaba Tented Camp. Both offer vast unending views over the animal-thronged Plateau, with sightings of wandering elephants, elegant leopards, rare Grévy’s zebras, rhinos, wild dogs, and the full African roster of predators and prey (which we’ll encounter in

What an incredible experience! Thanks to Micato, my family and I enjoyed a trip we will never forget. We could not have asked for a friendlier, more knowledgeable team. It was truly the adventure of a lifetime.

thrilling close-up during our game drives; those gorgeous leopards sometimes use our safari vehicles as cover as they stalk). Both 1 7,057-foot Mount camps are centred in highly Kenya, seat of Ngai, respected conservancies, God himself, is the only mountain in the protecting—in partnership world to give its name with local communities—an to a country. area larger than 20 Manhattans, with massive, but Baryshnikov-nimble giraffes substituting for skyscrapers. And both bask in the aura of lordly Mount Kenya.*

DAYS 8 & 9 The Maasai Mara

This morning we’ll fly over the planetary rumple of the Great Rift Valley—it makes “the Grand Canyon look like a line scratched with a toothpick,” John Gunther wrote in Inside Africa—to the Maasai Mara, the northern sector of the biggerthan-Belgium Serengeti–Maasai Mara ecosystem, unquestionably the earth’s greatest haven for large mammals, more than 70 species of which go about

Cal Ripken

their business in the oceanic Serengeti–Maasai Mara grasslands. Based from equally splendid Bateleur Camp or M ahali Mzuri, we’ll game drive throughout the Mara, spend rewarding time with the local Maasai people, and make side trips to the Mara River and its tributaries for a gander at leviathan crocodiles and hippos. And we’ll have sundowners in the gentle evening warmth of Ms. Dinesen’s true world, breathing its clean and guileless air, watching Africa’s showy stars come out to dazzle, feeling like we might have dallied in these parts, 10,000 years ago. On our second day in the Mara, we’ll sweep in a hot-air balloon above the siringet, or the “endless place,” as the Maasai call this great land (normally an additional cost, ballooning on The Micato Grand Safari is part of the luxe experience; see page 147 for some warm words about ballooning in the Mara). And at flight’s end, we’ll savour a sparkling breakfast; we’ll already be a little giddied by the plain’s beauty and our good fortune to be so welcome and at ease in its presence.

THE MICATO GRAND SAFARI EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

DAYS 10 & 11 The Serengeti

We’ll spend our two Serengeti nights in the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti. The magnificently conceived Four Seasons is set on a fine collection of kopjes, looking out at what seems a golden eternity, with sunrise skies “banded with rose and lemon and the colour of flamingo wings,” as Elspeth Huxley wrote. The vast plain, home of three million or more large mammals — elephants, cheetahs, gazelles by the gazillions, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes “floating across the plain” (thanks, Ms. Dinesen), lions, rhinos and more than 60 more species inhabit the great grassland, its riverine Your Safari Director forests, and bustling, setwill discuss with you a piece kopjes, rock islands variety of individualized that pop up from the plain. activity choices at every The Serengeti — and the safari location. Four Seasons — are the kind of African places that Micato loves to introduce our guests to, places that lull us into slowing down as we enter a world where nature expresses itself wholly and the tumults and furies of the larger world are stilled by a million-year calm. DAYS 12 & 13 Ngorongoro Crater

We fly southeast from the unforgettable Serengeti to Lake Manyara — the lake that heart-stirringly erupted with thousands of flamingos in the film Out of Africa. Ernest Hemingway thought, and many of us think, that Manyara is Africa’s loveliest lake. We’ll 84

EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE MICATO GRAND SAFARI

have splendid views of the lake during lunch at the refreshing Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, and perhaps have time to amble, maybe catching sight of some local predators and sprightly birds. Now we make the beautiful drive across the Crater Highlands and up to the Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá, set on the rain-forested rim of Ngorongoro Crater, one of our solar system’s grandest geographic ornaments. In The Tree Where Man Was Born, Peter Matthiessen captured one of the crater’s enigmas: “How did the hippopotamus find its way up into the Crater Highlands, to blunder into the waters of Ngorongoro? Today one sees them there with wonder, encircled by steep walls.” Indeed, meandering around the softly lush caldera floor, we may feel like Professor George Edward Challenger and Lord John Roxton in Arthur Conan Doyle’s thriller The Lost World. True, we won’t see any Aardonyxes or Zupaysauri, but — as we often say — once you’ve really looked at a rhino, or contemplated the gigantic unlikeliness of an elephant, your old sadness at never having seen a dinosaur will be lightened. DAYS 14 & 15 Depart, arriving home Day 15

After breakfast and a last look at the Edenic lands below, we’ll drive to Lake Manyara and fly to Nairobi, where we’ll have day rooms, and the services of our Safari Director and vehicle, at the Four Points Nairobi Airport, and get a bite —meals and amenities as always included—before being driven to the airport for our late flights back to the Northern Hemisphere.

Make Your Safari a Private Classic

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person Nov, Jan-May

June-October

December

$38,950 7,550 3,500

$42,950 9,750 4,150

$44,750 9,950 4,150

The Micato Grand Safari can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

2027 Dates

2028 Dates

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Tuesday, returns Tuesday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Tuesday, returns Tuesday | New rates and dates may apply

Jan. 05 – Jan. 19 Jan. 12 – Jan. 26 Jan. 19 – Feb. 02 Jan. 26 – Feb. 09 Feb. 02 – Feb. 16 Feb. 09 – Feb. 23 Feb. 16 – Mar. 02 Feb. 23 – Mar. 09 Mar. 02 – Mar. 16 Mar. 09 – Mar. 23 May 11 – May 25

May 18 – June 01 May 25 – June 08 June 01 – June 15 June 08 – June 22 June 15 – June 29 June 22 – July 06 June 29 – July 13 July 06 – July 20 July 13 – July 27 July 20 – Aug. 03 July 27 – Aug. 10

Aug. 03 – Aug. 17 Aug. 10 – Aug. 24 Aug. 17 – Aug. 31 Aug. 24 – Sept. 07 Aug. 31 – Sept. 14 Sept. 07 – Sept. 21 Sept. 14 – Sept. 28 Sept. 21 – Oct. 05 Sept. 28 – Oct. 12 Oct. 05 – Oct. 19 Oct. 12 – Oct. 26

Oct. 19 – Nov. 02 Oct. 26 – Nov. 09 Nov. 02 – Nov. 16 Nov. 09 – Nov. 23 Nov. 16 – Nov. 30 Nov. 23 – Dec. 07 Nov. 30 – Dec. 14 Dec. 07 – Dec. 21 Dec. 14 – Dec. 28 Dec. 21 – Jan. 04 Dec. 28 – Jan. 11

(Nairobi / Amboseli / Lewa / Maasai Mara / Serengeti / Lake Manyara; Lake Manyara / Nairobi) Connections may apply.

Jan. 04 – Jan. 18 Jan. 11 – Jan. 25 Jan. 18 – Feb. 01 Jan. 25 – Feb. 08 Feb. 01 – Feb. 15 Feb. 08 – Feb. 22 Feb. 15 – Feb. 29 Feb. 22 – Mar. 07 Feb. 29 – Mar. 14 Mar. 07 – Mar. 21 May 09 – May 23

May 16 – May 30 May 23 – June 06 May 30 – June 13 June 06 – June 20 June 13 – June 27 June 20 – July 04 June 27 – July 11 July 04 – July 18 July 11 – July 25 July 18 – Aug. 01 July 25 – Aug. 08

Aug. 01 – Aug. 15 Aug. 08 – Aug. 22 Aug. 15 – Aug. 29 Aug. 22 – Sept. 05 Aug. 29 – Sept. 12 Sept. 05 – Sept. 19 Sept. 12 – Sept. 26 Sept. 19 – Oct. 03 Sept. 26 – Oct. 10 Oct. 03 – Oct. 17 Oct. 10 – Oct. 24

Oct. 17 – Oct. 31 Oct. 24 – Nov. 07 Oct. 31 – Nov. 14 Nov. 07 – Nov. 21 Nov. 14 – Nov. 28 Nov. 21 – Dec. 05 Nov. 28 – Dec. 12 Dec. 05 – Dec. 19 Dec. 12 – Dec. 26 Dec. 19 – Jan. 02 Dec. 26 – Jan. 09

THE MICATO GRAND SAFARI EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

EAST AFRICA’S GOLDEN SAVANNAHS Kenya’s Tsavo & Maasai Mara

Tanzania’s Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

15 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/from Nairobi

I thought . . . of Africa, not a particular place, but a shape . . . and the shape of course, is roughly that of the human heart. Graham Greene, Journey Without Maps

here are marvelous earthly places that, no matter how many pictures we’ve seen of them, how many documentaries and travelogues we’ve watched, still rocket past our expectations. The Grand Canyon and the Taj Mahal come to mind, and so do the grand game lands of East Africa. We’ve been acquainted with its animals since we hugged them in our cribs. But coming close to them, watching as they go about their freeranging lives, is a revelation. We thought we knew them until we met up with them in their homelands and we realize that we are truly in what we call, in uppercase, A World Apart. On East Africa’s Golden Savannahs we savour and roam in the ultimate exemplars of that unique world: The fabled Serengeti, the Maasai Mara, Tsavo, and— excuse a phrase your strictest English teacher would disapprove of—the most unique game land of all, the Ngorongoro Crater. We chose the camps and lodges for this safari because they were created to honour and complement the beautiful landscapes of the game lands, and because they allow us to inhabit this World Apart in thoughtful luxury, imbued with gentle, smiling African hospitality.

DAY 1 Depart home DAYS 2 & 3 Nairobi

After landing in Nairobi, we’ll be escorted through the formalities by Micato staff and driven to Hemingways, our jet-lag soothing hotel in one of the capital’s lushest suburbs. ( Just another of the many Micato Differences: amazingly quick and smooth touchdown-to-hotel transitions.) The next day we’ll mingle with the kids and elders at the Micato-AmericaShare Harambee Centre, and head over to the Giraffe Centre (where we’ll hand-feed endangered Rothschild giraffes) and the home of Karen Blixen, now a lovingly restored museum. In 1937, Baroness Blixen (under the pen name Isak Dinesen) published Out of Africa, which many of us consider the most heartstirring book ever written about the continent. And after a leisurely lunch at one of Nairobi’s stylish

EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS EAST AFRICA'S GOLDEN SAVANNAHS

restaurants, we’ll return to Hemingways, inspired by our first experiences of African hospitality, by good food and conversation, eager and ready to embark on a classic African safari. DAYS 4 & 5 Tsavo National Park

It’s fitting that our first camp is in Tsavo, an archetype of all that brings us to Africa’s astounding game lands. The Big Five are in numerous residence, along with the myriad of animals and birds, almost infinite skies, long, golden reaches and millionyear quiet that, as Isak Dinesen wrote, “soothe the homesick soul.” We and our Safari Director make unfailingly exciting game drives based from Finch Hattons Camp, named for a man who held Tsavo close to his heart. Denys Finch Hatton, a charismatically jaunty British aristocrat, was a pioneer of modern safari (and, as you may remember from the book

or movie, was Isak Dinesen’s great and tragic love). Now part of Sir Richard Branson’s stellar Virgin Collection, Finch Hattons expertly combines deep respect for history and African culture with modernity and smilingly orchestrated luxury. DAYS 6–8 The Maasai Mara

We fly from Tsavo to the Maasai Mara, the northern reaches of the Maasai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, the greatest assembly of wild (and wondrous) animals on planet Earth. The Mara abounds with rolling grasslands, expressive acacia trees, sweeping vistas teeming with wildlife, and the rock islands, called kopjes, that Peter Matthiessen called “magnificent, harmonious stone gardens… [revealing] the bone of Africa.” And then there is one of Africa’s common but unforgettable sights: “the cumulus clouds that drift all day long across a sun-filled sky,” as Elspeth Huxley wrote in The Flame Trees of Thika, “remind[ing] me of huge swirls of whipped cream.” While in the Mara, we’ll safari by hot-air balloon and at this glorious flight’s end will savour a champagne breakfast. Our camp, Mahali Mzuri, is another Richard

Branson gem, a winner of Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for Favorite Safari Camp. Its twelve innovatively designed tents and main lodge, connected by winsome walkways, are designed for full-tilt, reposeful luxury (And, as we like to say, Your Safari Director those tents resemble the comwill discuss with mon idea of “tent” about as you a variety much as a vintage Yugo resemof individualized bles a Rolls-Royce Phantom.) activity choices at every safari location. DAYS 9–11 The Serengeti

Now south by air to the fabled Serengeti, a place, wrote the great conservationist Bernhard Grzimek, “where you can feel the pulse of the Earth, the rhythm of life that has been playing out for millions of years.” Our lodge, the Elewana Serengeti Explorer, the newest addition to Elewana’s superb collection of camps and lodges, sits in serene isolation on the Nyaboro Hills, overlooking the auric plains. We roam freely on the vast plain, watching elephants make their mammoth rounds, cheetahs atop rocky kopjes, alert to every shifting molecule below, and

EAST AFRICA'S GOLDEN SAVANNAHS EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

It is a challenge to determine where to begin in our praise of Micato. . . . We are seasoned travelers, taking an average three to four significant trips annually. I can say without reservation that we have never had a single travel experience that we haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. However, having said that, we can also state unequivocally that our safari with Micato transcends any journey that we have ever taken.

Gary and Linda Kaplan

long, orderly lines of zebras and wildebeest as they trace their ancient migratory paths. We delight in hippos frolicking, fighting, and snoozing in waterholes, and gaze upward as mountainous afternoon clouds pile up over the Ngorongoro Crater, our next stop on this eventful, revelatory safari. DAYS 12 & 13 Ngorongoro Crater &

Lake Manyara We fly to flamingo-thronged Lake Manyara, the comeliest of Africa’s Rift Lakes, and drive to Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá, a lovely, boutiquey sanctuary brightened by original African artwork and tremendous views. And from there we hop into our safari vehicles and wend our way a couple of thousand feet up, then thrillingly down into the Ngorongoro Crater, like Manyara, gigantic evidence of Africa’s eons-long splitting apart. That tear in the earth’s surface has created the Great Rift Valley, a gargantuan parting of the ways of the Nubian Plate, which carries most of the continent, and the Somali Plate, on which fitfully rests most of far-eastern Africa. As one tectonic plate moves east, and one west, the slender (but sometimes very deep) Rift Lakes are formed—Tanganyika, Turkana, and Manyara among many — along a 4,000-mile-long fracture.* And an unimaginable grinding creates volcanoes like For trivia buffs: Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, and, The world’s deepest as we’ ll see and experience today, lake, Siberia’s Baikal — also a mid-continent the world’s largest intact caldera, a rift lake — is 5,387 feet 100-square-mile, 2,000-foot-deep deep. Second deepest bowl, all that’s left of a mountain is Tanganyika, at 4,823 feet. that, before a stupendous explosion a couple of million years ago, rivaled Kilimanjaro in grandeur. Now peacefully at rest, Ngorongoro abounds with life and beauty. (It was unknown to the outside world until 1892, which helps account for its wealth of wildlife, everything from a burgeoning lion population to fine strands of flamingos).

DAYS 14 & 15 Depart, arriving home Day 15

After flying back to Nairobi, we’ll have a day room— with full amenities — at the Four Points Nairobi Airport before being escorted by our Safari Director for our late-night flights home.

EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS EAST AFRICA'S GOLDEN SAVANNAHS

Make Your Safari a Private Classic

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person Nov, Jan-May

June-October

December

$38,550 7,150 3,500

$42,550 9,550 4,150

$44,350 9,750 4,150

East Africa's Golden Savannahs can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

2027 Dates

2028 Dates

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Thursday, returns Thursday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Thursday, returns Thursday | New rates and dates may apply

Jan. 07 – Jan. 21 Jan. 14 – Jan. 28 Jan. 21 – Feb. 04 Jan. 28 – Feb. 11 Feb. 04 – Feb. 18 Feb. 11 – Feb. 25 Feb. 18 – Mar. 04 Feb. 25 – Mar. 11 Mar. 04 – Mar. 18 May 13 – May 27 May 20 – June 03

May 27 – June 10 June 03 – June 17 June 10 – June 24 June 17 – July 01 June 24 – July 08 July 01 – July 15 July 08 – July 22 July 15 – July 29 July 22 – Aug. 05 July 29 – Aug. 12 Aug. 05 – Aug. 19

Aug. 12 – Aug. 26 Aug. 19 – Sept. 02 Aug. 26 – Sept. 09 Sept. 02 – Sept. 16 Sept. 09 – Sept. 23 Sept. 16 – Sept. 30 Sept. 23 – Oct. 07 Sept. 30 – Oct. 14 Oct. 07 – Oct. 21 Oct. 14 – Oct. 28 Oct. 21 – Nov. 04

Oct. 28 – Nov. 11 Nov. 04 – Nov. 18 Nov. 11 – Nov. 25 Nov. 18 – Dec. 02 Nov. 25 – Dec. 09 Dec. 02 – Dec. 16 Dec. 09 – Dec. 23 Dec. 16 – Dec. 30 Dec. 23 – Jan. 06 Dec. 30 – Jan. 13

(Nairobi / Tsavo / Maasai Mara / Serengeti / Lake Manyara: Lake Manyara / Nairobi) Connections may apply.

Jan. 06 – Jan. 20 Jan. 13 – Jan. 27 Jan. 20 – Feb. 03 Jan. 27 – Feb. 10 Feb. 03 – Feb. 17 Feb. 10 – Feb. 24 Feb. 17 – Mar. 02 Feb. 24 – Mar. 09 Mar. 02 – Mar. 16 May 11 – May 25 May 18 – June 01

May 25 – June 08 June 01 – June 15 June 08 – June 22 June 15 – June 29 June 22 – July 06 June 29 – July 13 July 06 – July 20 July 13 – July 27 July 20 – Aug. 03 July 27 – Aug. 10 Aug. 03 – Aug. 17

Aug. 10 – Aug. 24 Aug. 17 – Aug. 31 Aug. 24 – Sept. 07 Aug. 31 – Sept. 14 Sept. 07 – Sept. 21 Sept. 14 – Sept. 28 Sept. 21 – Oct. 05 Sept. 28 – Oct. 12 Oct. 05 – Oct. 19 Oct. 12 – Oct. 26 Oct. 19 – Nov. 02

Oct. 26 – Nov. 09 Nov. 02 – Nov. 16 Nov. 09 – Nov. 23 Nov. 16 – Nov. 30 Nov. 23 – Dec. 07 Nov. 30 – Dec. 14 Dec. 07 – Dec. 21 Dec. 14 – Dec. 28 Dec. 21 – Jan. 04 Dec. 28 – Jan. 11

EAST AFRICA'S GOLDEN SAVANNAHS EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

THE HEMINGWAY WING SAFARI Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau

Maasai Mara

Tanzania’s Serengeti

Ngorongoro Crater

Lake Manyara

14 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/from Nairobi

All I wanted to do now was get back to Africa. We had not left it, yet, but when I would wake in the night I would lie, listening, homesick for it already. Ernest Hemingway, Green Hills of Africa

uch is Africa’s allure: that a bright fellow like Hemingway would lie in his tent, homesick before he’d even parted from a place that had come to seem more like home than home itself. We’re told these days to stick to the now, and the here, but Hemingway—like many of us lovers of Africa—knew that sometimes you can’t micromanage your passions. The Hemingway Wing Safari— a cherished favourite of Micato staff— is a tribute, not only to Africa’s tendency to grab hold of our hearts, but also to the old-fashioned and cozy safaris of Hemingway’s time, with three tented camps (a little more luxurious than in Ernest’s day, but he was never one to avoid intelligently offered luxury), good looks at East Africa’s most legendary game parks (and a couple of lesser-known gems), and five swooping flights that bring us into great intimacy with Africa’s landscapes.

There is no feeling like being absolutely alone with creation . . . with nothing spoiled or sullied or abused . . . . A whole world revolves in balance with itself more perfect than the finest symphony. Elspeth Huxley, The Mottled Lizard

DAY 1 Depart home

DAYS 2 & 3 Nairobi

We’ll be met by our Micato Safari Director and whisked away to the serene, jet lag-banishing Villa Rosa Kempinski. We’ll visit the impressive National Museum of Kenya, make a joyously inspirational visit to MicatoAmericaShare’s Harambee Centre, visit the Giraffe Centre, lunch at one of Nairobi’s most delightfully cutting-edge restaurants, and pay our respects at the home of Out of Africa’s Isak Dinesen (who wrote as Karen Blixen; Hemingway said more than once that she should have received the Nobel Prize for literature instead of him). DAYS 4 & 5 The Laikipia Plateau

We fly north from Nairobi to the Laikipia Plateau. It’s a short, but momentous flight, taking us from Nairobi’s urban whirl to a vast, animal-abounding wilderness graced with views of the more-than-iconic Mount Kenya and the monumental clouds that seem to drift up from its 17,000-foot summit. We are, gleefully, in the Africa we’ve been carrying around in our imagination since we were children. Our haven in this marvelous world-of-its-own is the excellent Mutara Camp, set high atop a cliff overlooking the Plateau, and the only camp (or lodge or pretty much any modern artifact) in the 20,000-acre Mutara Conservancy, a fruitful partnership between the local people and Mutara’s diligently eco- and heritage-aware

EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE HEMINGWAY WING SAFARI

owners. Spiraling down from the clifftop, we make game drives in Laikipia, encountering in solitude its fabulous plentitude of large (and cunningly small) mammals (all the Big Five, including some especially svelte leopards) who are just the headliners in a fabulous cast of very natural, very intriguing characters. (Some travellers, having seen and appreciated the Big Five, begin a more difficult search for the Little Five, whose identities we will divulge a little east of here, in Tanzania Spectacular.)

DAYS 6 & 7 The Maasai Mara

South by air to the Maasai Mara, the northern reaches of the Serengeti–Maasai Mara ecosystem, earth’s richest wildlife habitat. Our base for explorations in the fabled Mara is the Olare Mara Kempinski, a small tented camp in the soothingly luxurious Your Safari Director Kempinski style. Olare Mara’s tents will discuss with are built on wooden platforms on you a variety of individualized the banks of the Ntiakitiak River, activity choices at giving us veranda views of hippos every safari location. galumphing and elephants joyously bathing in the river. And it’s a great jumping-off place for extraordinary game drives in the mixed land- and waterscapes of the Mara. We’ll visit a traditional Maasai village as we wend our way through this natural wonderland, the kind of place that moved Hemingway to write, “I loved this country and I felt at home and where a man feels at home, outside of where he’s born, is where he’s meant to go.”

DAYS 8 & 9 The Serengeti

“How can one convey the power of Serengeti?” asked Cyril Connolly in The Evening Colonnade. “It is an immense, limitless lawn, under a marquee of sky. . . . The light is dazzling, the air delectable; kopjes rise out of the grass at far intervals, some wooded; the magic of the American prairie here blends with the other magic of the animals as they existed before man.” The Serengeti sometimes does remind us of the American prairie, but in truth it can’t be compared with any other place on earth. Its kopje-dotted landscape, its vast and billowing skies, and especially its astounding wealth of wildlife make it one-of-a-gorgeous-kind. Flying via Nairobi and Arusha, we reach our base, Migration Camp, on the hippo-haven Grumeti River. Known for its superb tents (which, one traveller wrote, “have only one thing in common with normal tents: canvas”) and its dramatic setting in rocky outcrops, Migration Camp is revered for its tranquillity (something of a Serengeti speciality). Olare Mara Kempinski

THE HEMINGWAY WING SAFARI EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

The amazing thing was that your staff acted as though we were the only people in the world and that all their efforts were on our behalf. We were pampered. They were unbelievably caring and helpful. As we moved from place to place, we realized that everyone with Micato is caring and helpful. We were entertained, instructed, educated, and advanced along the way by the nicest group of guides and drivers that we could ever imagine.

Bill and Lee Shewry

and a festive bush picnic. And we’ll game drive and view-catch at Lake Manyara, which our guy Ernest Hemingway thought “the loveliest lake in Africa.” The lake is a birder’s heaven, (it’s frequented by 300 migratory species)*, and the water from its Crater Highlands-supplied springs makes it a forested redoubt for all the most glamourous large mammals, including the famed Manyara tree-climbing lions. (It’s a little irreverent, but tree-lounging might be a better description.) DAYS 13 & 14 Depart, arriving home Day 14

We’ll fly back to Nairobi and rest up— with our Safari Director and vehicle on call — before our late evening flights at a full-service, meals-included day room at the Four Points Nairobi Airport, with some time to shop, or just kick back and savour the first, fresh memories of a classic African safari. DAYS 10–12 Lake Manyara and the

Ngorongoro Crater

We take a picturesque flight from the Serengeti to Lake Manyara, then drive to our base for the next three nights, the lovely Cape Dutch style cottages and suites of The Manor at Ngorongoro, set mellifluously in an Arabica coffee estate next to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. And then we’ll wend our scenic way up from the Manor to the rim of the one of earth’s wonders, the great, green, animal-nurturing caldera of a once catastrophically cranky, now beneficently mellow volcano, the planetarily unique Ngorongoro. We’re at Vail and Aspen altitudes of well over 8,000 feet, and being up that high, figuratively and actually, we may recall Isak Dinesen’s words in Out of Africa, “The air of the African highlands went to my head like wine, I was all the time slightly drunk with it.” And then we zoom down a couple of thousand feet to the Lost World’s lush and park-like floor (but which, make no mistake, is an animal, not a human, kingdom) for a day’s game viewing

EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE HEMINGWAY WING SAFARI

Manyara especially, but all of East Africa, is an avian wonderland. One of our many bird-fancying safariers offers a representative tale: “Lilac-breasted rollers are among the most beautiful sights I’ve seen in Africa, anywhere, anytime. And I was mesmerized once watching a kingfisher power-dive into a river several times in succession, and when he came up with a fish in his beak on the third try, three of us broke into applause spontaneously.”

Make Your Safari a Private Classic

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

The Hemingway Wing Safari can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Nov, Jan-May

June-October

December

$30,450 3,450 3,350

$34,550 4,350 3,750

$35,950 4,450 3,750

(Nairobi / Samburu / Maasai Mara / Serengeti / Lake Manyara: Lake Manyara / Nairobi) Connections may apply.

2027 Dates

2028 Dates

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Thursday, returns Wednesday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Thursday, returns Wednesday | New rates and dates may apply

Jan. 07 – Jan. 20 Jan. 14 – Jan. 27 Jan. 21 – Feb. 03 Jan. 28 – Feb. 10 Feb. 04 – Feb. 17 Feb. 11 – Feb. 24 Feb. 18 – Mar. 03 Feb. 25 – Mar. 10 Mar. 04 – Mar. 17 May 13 – May 26 May 20 – June 02

May 27 – June 09 June 03 – June 16 June 10 – June 23 June 17 – June 30 June 24 – July 07 July 01 – July 14 July 08 – July 21 July 15 – July 28 July 22 – Aug. 04 July 29 – Aug. 11 Aug. 05 – Aug. 18

Aug. 12 – Aug. 25 Aug. 19 – Sept. 01 Aug. 26 – Sept. 08 Sept. 02 – Sept. 15 Sept. 09 – Sept. 22 Sept. 16 – Sept. 29 Sept. 23 – Oct. 06 Sept. 30 – Oct. 13 Oct. 07 – Oct. 20 Oct. 14 – Oct. 27 Oct. 21 – Nov. 03

Oct. 28 – Nov. 10 Nov. 04 – Nov. 17 Nov. 11 – Nov. 24 Nov. 18 – Dec. 01 Nov. 25 – Dec. 08 Dec. 02 – Dec. 15 Dec. 09 – Dec. 22 Dec. 16 – Dec. 29 Dec. 23 – Jan. 05 Dec. 30 – Jan. 12

Jan. 06 – Jan. 19 Jan. 13 – Jan. 26 Jan. 20 – Feb. 02 Jan. 27 – Feb. 09 Feb. 03 – Feb. 16 Feb. 10 – Feb. 23 Feb. 17 – Mar. 01 Feb. 24 – Mar. 08 Mar. 02 – Mar. 15 May 11 – May 24 May 18 – May 31

May 25 – June 07 June 01 – June 14 June 08 – June 21 June 15 – June 28 June 22 – July 05 June 29 – July 12 July 06 – July 19 July 13 – July 26 July 20 – Aug. 02 July 27 – Aug. 09 Aug. 03 – Aug. 16

Aug. 10 – Aug. 23 Aug. 17 – Aug. 30 Aug. 24 – Sept. 06 Aug. 31 – Sept. 13 Sept. 07 – Sept. 20 Sept. 14 – Sept. 27 Sept. 21 – Oct. 04 Sept. 28 – Oct. 11 Oct. 05 – Oct. 18 Oct. 12 – Oct. 25 Oct. 19 – Nov. 01

Oct. 26 – Nov. 08 Nov. 02 – Nov. 15 Nov. 09 – Nov. 22 Nov. 16 – Nov. 29 Nov. 23 – Dec. 06 Nov. 30 – Dec. 13 Dec. 07 – Dec. 20 Dec. 14 – Dec. 27 Dec. 21 – Jan. 03 Dec. 28 – Jan. 10

THE HEMINGWAY WING SAFARI EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

THE GREAT HERDS OF KENYA AND TANZANIA Kenya’s Maasai Mara

Tanzania’s Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater & Lake Manyara

13 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/from Nairobi

There is no feeling like being absolutely alone with creation . . . with nothing spoiled or sullied or abused. . . . A whole world revolves in balance with itself more perfect than the finest symphony. Elspeth Huxley

he splendours we encounter on this brilliantly focussed safari—the Maasai Mara, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater—are matchless in their African and planetary magnificence, quintessentially African in their wealth of wildlife and their stunning landscapes, planetary because their likes are found precisely nowhere else on Earth. We begin at Hemingways, a serene hotel in Nairobi’s verdant suburbs before heading to Sir Richard Branson’s innovative Mahali Mzuri, an ideal outpost for our forays into the river forests and golden plains of the Maasai Mara. Then, based from the soothingly luxe Four Seasons, we delve into the sea of life that is the Serengeti. Our last stop before heading back to Nairobi is the Ngorongoro Crater, a 100-square mile caldera populated by the Big Five and just about every glorious African animal from antelopes to zebras. And while ensconced in the Manor at Ngorongoro, we’ll visit Lake Manyara, whose lyrical flight of flamingos you may remember from Out of Africa.

DAY 1 Depart home DAYS 2 & 3 Nairobi

Arriving in Nairobi, we’re met by our Micato Safari Director and staff and drive to serene, stately, and history-honouring Hemingways, tucked in the greenery of the capital city’s suburb of Karen, named for Baroness Karen Blixen, author (writing as Isak Dinesen) of Out of Africa. We might remember that classic’s famous opening lines: “I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.” Those hills rise just to the southwest of Hemingways, and it was in their shadows that Micato’s Pinto family has long had its home. During our time in Nairobi and environs, we’ll commune with the endangered, but quite friendly Rothschild giraffes at the Giraffe Centre and visit Karen Blixen’s home, now a museum. We’ ll lunch at one Nairobi’s cosmopolitan restaurants, and visit Micato-AmericaShare’s Harambee Centre (see pages 46-49 for more about this deeply cheering place).

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EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE GREAT HERDS OF KENYA AND TANZANIA

DAYS 4–6 The Maasai Mara

And now we fly to the game lands of the Maasai Mara (see Flying Over Africa on page 40 for a tribute to these revelatory trips through African airs). The Mara and the Serengeti, magic names synonymous with African safari, are the northern and southern regions of a naturally defined ecosystem more than twice the size of Jamaica. Here in the north, the landscapes are greener than in the south, thanks largely to somewhat more seasonal rain. Wildlife teems and thrives in the Mara, and the Big Five rule their respective roosts with regal aplomb. Our camp is Sir Richard Branson’s Mahali Mzuri, situated on one of the Mara’s major migration routes. The camp’s uniquely designed tents are a marvelous introduction to the modern luxuries and timeless excitements of safari life. DAYS 7 & 8 The Serengeti

A short flight takes us south into Tanzania and the Serengeti. We once wrote rather controversially that the Serengeti’s skies make the Big Sky state

of Montana’s skies look like Manhattan’s. But immense and extra-Montanan they are. Morning clouds so alive with sunlight that they’re almost too bright to look at directly. Soaring afternoon cumulus that seem to brush up against As Beryl Markham wrote in her marvelous West the stratosphere. And, of with the Night, “In the course, the animals, who, season of drought the when we’re up close and Serengeti Plains are as dry and tawny as the personal with them, seem coats of the lion that to be from some fabulous prowl them, and during new planet. We’ll reside for the rains they provide the benison of soft grass a couple of nights at the to all the animals in a superb Four Seasons Safari child’s picture book. They Lodge Serengeti, high on are endless and they are empty, but they are a bouldery ridge, basking in as warm with life as the panoptic views of the prodiwaters of a tropic sea.” gious, golden-hued plain.*

I had time after time watched the progression across the plain of the Giraffe, in their queer, inimitable, vegetative gracefulness, as if it were not a herd of animals but a family of rare, long-stemmed, speckled gigantic flowers slowly advancing. Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa

DAYS 9–11 Lake Manyara and the

Ngorongoro Crater Another flight — with textbook views of the Great Rift (more on that in a moment) — brings us to two more natural marvels. We land near one of them, Lake Manyara, and drive to the tranquil Manor at Ngorongoro, set in a coffee estate on the gentle first slopes of the other marvel, the Ngorongoro Crater.

THE GREAT HERDS OF KENYA AND TANZANIA EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

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Micato seems to have a secret sauce that turns hospitality into something more like love. We were continually impressed and delighted by your team’s ability to take every opportunity to make every moment more than special in very personal and meaningful ways . . . . Africa for me was a gauzy, far-away vision of a place where exotic animals roamed near places with names I could barely pronounce. Now, the places and people live in our hearts. Tom Lieberman

In the afternoon, we can enjoy one of safari’s lesscelebrated benefits — untroubled rest — or we can hop on one of the Manor’s accommodating horses, do some mountain biking, or take a dip in its lovely pool, followed by traditional afternoon tea and dinner in its private dining room or expansive wine cellar. On Day 10, we’ll motor our way upslope to the Crater’s 7,900-foot rim, then down 2,000 feet into the halcyon, 100-square mile caldera, the remnant of a once-glaciated volcanic colossus that a planettrembling blast decapitated millions of years ago. There are no giraffes among the Crater’s 25,000 or so animals; it’s said they’re too gangly to climb the caldera’s steep walls. But that doesn’t explain the

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presence of the far less nimble hippos who nonchalantly bubble in its pools. We’ll roam the Crater in the morning and afternoon, with a fine al fresco lunch at midday, then head back to the welcoming Manor. Now, about Africa’s Great Rift, a 4,000-mile-long, ever-widening slash, a slowly dramatic splitting of two tectonic plates that in 50 million years or so will become an ocean. Its highest volcanoes — Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Ngorongoro, and others — will become islands, and its epic Your Safari Director Rift Lakes — Tanganyika, Malawi, will discuss with Victoria, and Turkana and many you a variety of more — are, like Manyara, the first individualized waters of that ocean. But for many, activity choices at including Ernest Hemingway, every safari location. the smaller Lake Manyara is the brightest gem of them all. We’ ll indulge in some relaxed (or active) time in the morning before setting out for the lake, where we’ll delight in its famous tree-climbing lions (who lounge on trees in a number of East African places, but Manyara’s seem to make a more satisfying habit of it). Flamingos in their thousands will be in brilliant pink evidence (we may remember the stunning scene of them wafting into the sky in Out of Africa). And after sundowners, we’ll return to the Manor, rich in marvels seen and experienced. DAYS 12 & 13 Depart, arriving home Day 13

We fly back to Nairobi, where we’ll have a full-amenity day room at the Four Points Nairobi Airport, and after a quiet dinner, our Safari Director and staff will escort us to the airport for our late-evening flights home.

EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE GREAT HERDS OF KENYA AND TANZANIA

Make Your Safari a Private Classic 2027 Dates

The Great Herds of Kenya and Tanzania can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Wednesday to Monday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Nov, Jan-May

June-October

December

$30,950 6,150 3,000

$36,450 7,950 3,450

$37,950 8,150 3,450

(Nairobi / Maasai Mara / Serengeti / Lake Manyara: Lake Manyara / Nairobi) Connections may apply.

Micato is the definition of true luxury with class. Not one stone was left unturned from beginning to end. All you have to do is show up and they do the rest. I cannot wait to return and am already planning my next Micato safari.

Meagan Spataro

Jan. 06 – Jan. 18 Jan. 13 – Jan. 25 Jan. 20 – Feb. 01 Jan. 27 – Feb. 08 Feb. 03 – Feb. 15 Feb. 10 – Feb. 22 Feb. 17 – Mar. 01 Feb. 24 – Mar. 08 Mar. 03 – Mar. 15 Mar. 10 – Mar. 22 May 19 – May 31

May 26 – June 07 June 02 – June 14 June 09 – June 21 June 16 – June 28 June 23 – July 05 June 30 – July 12 July 07 – July 19 July 14 – July 26 July 21 – Aug. 02 July 28 – Aug. 09 Aug. 04 – Aug. 16

Aug. 11 – Aug. 23 Aug. 18 – Aug. 30 Aug. 25 – Sept. 06 Sept. 01 – Sept. 13 Sept. 08 – Sept. 20 Sept. 15 – Sept. 27 Sept. 22 – Oct. 04 Sept. 29 – Oct. 11 Oct. 06 – Oct. 18 Oct. 13 – Oct. 25 Oct. 20 – Nov. 01

Oct. 27 – Nov. 08 Nov. 03 – Nov. 15 Nov. 10 – Nov. 22 Nov. 17 – Nov. 29 Nov. 24 – Dec. 06 Dec. 01 – Dec. 13 Dec. 08 – Dec. 20 Dec. 15 – Dec. 27 Dec. 22 – Jan. 03 Dec. 29 – Jan. 10

2028 Dates Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Wednesday to Monday | New rates and dates may apply Jan. 05 – Jan. 17 Jan. 12 – Jan. 24 Jan. 19 – Jan. 31 Jan. 26 – Feb. 07 Feb. 02 – Feb. 14 Feb. 09 – Feb. 21 Feb. 16 – Feb. 28 Feb. 23 – Mar. 06 Mar. 01 – Mar. 13 Mar. 08 – Mar. 20 May 17 – May 29

May 24 – June 05 May 31 – June 12 June 07 – June 19 June 14 – June 26 June 21 – July 03 June 28 – July 10 July 05 – July 17 July 12 – July 24 July 19 – July 31 July 26 – Aug. 07 Aug. 02 – Aug. 14

Aug. 09 – Aug. 21 Aug. 16 – Aug. 28 Aug. 23 – Sept. 04 Sept. 30 – Sept. 11 Sept. 06 – Sept. 18 Sept. 13 – Sept. 25 Sept. 20 – Oct. 02 Sept. 27 – Oct. 09 Oct. 04 – Oct. 16 Oct. 11 – Oct. 23 Oct. 18 – Oct. 30

Oct. 25 – Nov. 06 Nov. 01 – Nov. 13 Nov. 08 – Nov. 20 Nov. 15 – Nov. 27 Nov. 22 – Dec. 04 Nov. 29 – Dec. 11 Dec. 06 – Dec. 18 Dec. 13 – Dec. 25 Dec. 20 – Jan. 01 Dec. 27 – Jan. 08

THE GREAT HERDS OF KENYA AND TANZANIA EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS

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THE HEART OF KENYA AND TANZANIA Tanzania’s Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti

Kenya’s Maasai Mara

12 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to / from Nairobi

All our lives we’ve seen these animals in captivity or on a screen. Now we see them in wilderness, propelled by the force of their evolution; at last they’re able to tell us what they are, who they are. Mary Marenka Poxon, in a letter to her sister, Eileen Borzencki

he names alone are magic: The Serengeti. Ngorongoro Crater. The Maasai Mara. We’re reminded that when we travel, we visit names as well as places—names with romantic heft, names that resound, names that may have captivated us for many years. Names like Ngorongoro. (Then again, if we’d never heard that sonorous name, and we made the exhilarating drive up the flank of the old volcano and reached its rim and suddenly beheld the green and animalthronged crater far below, Ngorongoro would be just as utterly amazing.) In less than two weeks, The Heart of Kenya and Tanzania introduces us—or re-introduces us—to places with famous names, but most of all, it brings us to fantastic places, fantastic in the sense that their like is to be found exactly nowhere else on earth.

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DAY 1 Depart home

DAYS 2 & 3 Nairobi

After arrival at Jomo Kenyatta Airport, we’ll be met by our Safari Director and driven to the restorative Villa Rosa Kempinski. During our day in Nairobi, we’ll meet sassy pachyderms at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, consort with the world’s tallest terrestrial animal at the Giraffe Centre, make a pilgrimage to the home of Karen Blixen—aka Isak Dinesen, one of Africa’s supreme laureates — browse the informative National Museum, and stop in at some of Nairobi’s (deservedly) fashionable restaurants. We’ll also visit the inspiring MicatoAmericaShare Harambee Centre.

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EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE HEART OF KENYA AND TANZANIA

DAY 4 Tarangire

After breakfast we’ll wing our way from Nairobi to northern Tanzania’s Arusha Airport. We fly onward to Tarangire National Park and the Tarangire Sopa Lodge, a classic example of beautifully designed modern lodge architecture. Tarangire is an apt place to begin a wildlife safari. Home to just about all the headliner beasts, including a large and robust elephant population, Tarangire also shelters such rarities as the fringe-eared oryx and the long-necked gerenuk, a particularly winsome and creatively constructed antelope. Also of note: Tarangire’s 550 bird species and its outlandishly towering termite mounds. Tarangire charms us with its exemplary African landscapes: acacia trees, brawny brown hills, sweeping vistas, clear nights of “soft velvet,” as

Elspeth Huxley wrote. “[Like] a warm conservancy whose great dome was encrusted with all the diamonds in the world, and all the scents in the world were there too, changing like currents in the sea.” DAYS 5 & 6 Ngorongoro Crater

We drive from Tarangire to the green Crater Highlands, weaving our way to the serene and view-rich Ngorongoro Oldeani Lodge, from which we’ll make a full-day game drive into the Ngorongoro Crater. As geologic masterpieces go, Ngorongoro has had quite a career. It’s been a gigantic peak, perhaps a rival of Kilimanjaro, and, after it blew its snowy top in what must have been a rather impressive explosion If there were a Guinness Book of Best Sunsets (our forefathers over at the and Sunrises, the nearby Olduvai Gorge, busy Serengeti’s would be getting their humanoid act near the top of the list; one morning we saw a together, probably saw it), cloud on the horizon lit Ngorongoro spent many milso incandescently by the lennia as an alternately quiet still-hidden sun that it was almost too bright and occasionally bubbling to look at directly. lava lake. Now in an extended pacific mood, the crater is

home to upwards of 25,000 personality-rich animals, who roam —as we will— over a sweetly lush area larger than 76 Central Parks. DAYS 7 & 8 The Serengeti

After driving from Ngorongoro to Lake Manyara, we fly to the Serengeti, the known universe’s largest collection of illustrious mammals: elephants, giraffes, tumbling pool-fuls of hippos, elegantly slinking serval cats, zebras with incredibly muscular haunches (leading us to wonder why they were never ridden — very weak backs, that’s why), and scores of species more, all of them going about their business unconcerned by the likes of us. (“But make no mistake,” an old Africa hand once wrote, “these aren’t theme parks. The truest owners of these lands are the animals who roam them free and, if that’s their nature, fiercely.”) We’ll soak up the essence of the Serengeti from the Serengeti Explorer, set on an escarpment overlooking the seemingly limitless plains, enjoying a sundowner after a game drive, watching clouds build up as the day cools, big clouds that “look like you could scoop them up with a spoon,” Elspeth Huxley wrote.*

DAYS 9 & 10 The Maasai Mara

We fly back to Kilimanjaro International, then to Nairobi, and on to the Kenyan section of the Serengeti–Maasai Mara ecosystem, a world treasure, one with no counterpart, anywhere. (During humanity’s tenure, the closest any place on earth has come to equaling the Serengeti’s incredible wealth of wildlife may be paleolithic Your Safari Director Siberia, with the ancient North will discuss with American Plains another contender.) you a variety of The size of Vermont (with Liechtenindividualized activity choices at stein thrown in for good measure), every safari location. the Serengeti–Maasai Mara ecosystem is, amongst much else, famed for the dramatic migration of its 1,000,000-plus wildebeest and 750,000-or-so zebras (and the intense attention that migration gets from predators, both mammalian and reptilian). Though the migration reaches seasonal crescendos, the movement of animals—north after the Long Rains, south as the rains return to nourish the southern plains — is more or less continual, and the sight of a two- or three-mile-long train of animals on the move is extremely memorable. Up here in the system’s north, the landscapes are grandly varied but tend to be more green (which is why the migration heads here, searching for water), with somewhat less savannah than in the south. We’ll be staying in the heart of the Mara North Conservancy, at small, elegant Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp, wonderfully secluded in a luxuriant grove of fig and elephant pepper trees. Game viewing here is superb, with the full and vibrant roster of Africa’s fabulous beasts in residence. And we’d feel remiss not noting optional and thrilling balloon excursions; wafting over the Mara in the piercingly fresh and golden morning, floating over elephants and hippos, feeling a mild and worthy intoxication-by-grandeur, is one of those things that, having done, we wonder how on earth we ever contemplated not doing. DAYS 11 & 12 Depart, arriving home Day 12

In the morning we fly back to Nairobi, for some relaxation at our full-service, meals-included day room at the Four Points Nairobi Airport, with our Safari Director and vehicle at the ready for outings before our flights home.

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EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS THE HEART OF KENYA AND TANZANIA

It certainly was a new experience to receive so much attention from a company owner. The personal touch of Jane Pinto and her sister Dulu was very much appreciated. And our driver Frederick was so warm and amiable that we thought we were traveling with a friend. We were especially moved by the enthusiasm and dedication of Roba, our Safari Director. It was beyond a vacation or even a dream. Roger, Julia, and David True

Make Your Safari a Private Classic The Heart of Kenya and Tanzania can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Nov, Jan-May

June-October

December

$24,550 2,250 3,000

$26,950 2,550 3,250

$27,550 2,650 3,250

(Nairobi / Arusha / Tarangire: Lake Manyara / Serengeti / Maasai Mara / Nairobi) Connections may apply.

2027 Dates Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Wednesday to Sunday | Every date is a guaranteed departure Jan. 06 – Jan. 17 Jan. 13 – Jan. 24 Jan. 20 – Jan. 31 Jan. 27 – Feb. 07 Feb. 03 – Feb. 14 Feb. 10 – Feb. 21 Feb. 17 – Feb. 28 Feb. 24 – Mar. 07 Mar. 03 – Mar. 14 Mar. 10 – Mar. 21 May 12 – May 23

May 19 – May 30 May 26 – June 06 June 02 – June 13 June 09 – June 20 June 16 – June 27 June 23 – July 04 June 30 – July 11 July 07 – July 18 July 14 – July 25 July 21 – Aug. 01 July 28 – Aug. 08

Aug. 04 – Aug. 15 Aug. 11 – Aug. 22 Aug. 18 – Aug. 29 Aug. 25 – Sept. 05 Sept. 01 – Sept. 12 Sept. 08 – Sept. 19 Sept. 15 – Sept. 26 Sept. 22 – Oct. 03 Sept. 29 – Oct. 10 Oct. 06 – Oct. 17 Oct. 13 – Oct. 24

Oct. 20 – Oct. 31 Oct. 27 – Nov. 07 Nov. 03 – Nov. 14 Nov. 10 – Nov. 21 Nov. 17 – Nov. 28 Nov. 24 – Dec. 05 Dec. 01 – Dec. 12 Dec. 08 – Dec. 19 Dec. 15 – Dec. 26 Dec. 22 – Jan. 02 Dec. 29 – Jan. 09

2028 Dates Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Wednesday to Sunday | New rates and dates may apply Jan. 05 – Jan. 16 Jan. 12 – Jan. 23 Jan. 19 – Jan. 30 Jan. 26 – Feb. 06 Feb. 02 – Feb. 13 Feb. 09 – Feb. 20 Feb. 16 – Feb. 27 Feb. 23 – Mar. 05 Mar. 01 – Mar. 12 Mar. 08 – Mar. 19 May 10 – May 21

May 17 – May 28 May 24 – June 04 May 31 – June 11 June 07 – June 18 June 14 – June 25 June 21 – July 02 June 28 – July 09 July 05 – July 16 July 12 – July 23 July 19 – July 30 July 26 – Aug. 06

Aug. 02 – Aug. 13 Aug. 09 – Aug. 20 Aug. 16 – Aug. 27 Aug. 23 – Sept. 03 Aug. 30 – Sept. 10 Sept. 06 – Sept. 17 Sept. 13 – Sept. 24 Sept. 20 – Oct. 01 Sept. 27 – Oct. 08 Oct. 04 – Oct. 15 Oct. 11 – Oct. 22

Oct. 18 – Oct. 29 Oct. 25 – Nov. 05 Nov. 01 – Nov. 12 Nov. 08 – Nov. 19 Nov. 15 – Nov. 26 Nov. 22 – Dec. 03 Nov. 29 – Dec. 10 Dec. 06 – Dec. 17 Dec. 13 – Dec. 24 Dec. 20 – Dec. 31 Dec. 27 – Jan. 07

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TANZANIA SPECTACULAR Tarangire

Ngorongoro Crater

Serengeti

10 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/ from Arusha

When you have caught the rhythm of Africa, you find it is the same in all her music. Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa

e bow to the fact: Many of us are firmly engaged in a very busy world, a world in which time away from the busyness is precious. And so we offer this safari to three major contributors to the East African mystique: the classic game lands of Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the fabled Serengeti — all in a mere but marvelous 10 days. We begin with the sudden, serendipitous serenity of the Arusha Coffee Lodge, and then we’re off on a carefully choreographed safari, with two nights in each of the three camps and lodges we’ve chosen for their warmth of spirit, their invigorating calm, their location, their refreshing lack of busyness.

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DAY 1 Depart home DAY 2 Arrive in Arusha

Arusha Coffee Lodge, an old-fashioned island of quietude tucked away in a plantation, is a great place to unwind after the rigours of long flights. Arusha is only 3 degrees south of the equator, but its 4,500-foot elevation encourages floral luxuriance and gentle airs. So we’ll be more or less surrounded by enthusiastic greenery as we sit on our Plantation Suite’s veranda—perhaps after a relaxing swim— looking up at massive Mount Meru, a 14,977-foot volcanic colossus that looms beneficently over this quintessentially African city. DAYS 3 & 4 Tarangire

After a breakfast topped off by some of the freshest and best coffee we’ll ever imbibe, we’ll be briefed by our Safari Director and set off on a marvelously African drive to Tarangire and our home for the next couple of nights, Tarangire Treetops. Our first experience of luxury life in the bush couldn’t be more spectacular. Treetops’ main lodge, built around a thousand-year-old baobab, is only the beginning. The lodge’s 20 famous, lovingly crafted tree houses, elevated for sweeping views of the park, are extra-ordinarily large, airy, and utterly magical. And from our tree house’s balcony, we look out at Tarangire’s wonderfully varied landscapes of rocky outcrops, rolling hills, and golden savannah generously strewn with acacias and baobabs,

home to just about the entire cast of wild African characters —and some rare stars, like kudu and oryx—in addition to 2,500 or so elephants. We’ll spend a day in the bush discovering the big game and spying dozens of species of birds cavorting in the trees of Tarangire, and, if we’re still keen to see more all-star creatures, we can go out on a night drive, always a revelation.

DAYS 5 & 6 Ngorongoro Crater

The drive from Tarangire north to the Crater Highlands and the world-wondrous Ngorongoro Crater is a delight, a dazzlingly scenic game drive. We pass Lake Manyara, then begin our climb to the Crater’s rim and the reposeful Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá. We’ll drive down into the crater for an extraordinarily rewarding full day game drive, exploring the caldera’s 100 square miles, spotting lions, elephants, black rhinos, just about all of East Africa’s faunal celebrities, and return to the lodge for quiet, viewbesotted sun-downers, followed by a lovely dinner overlooking one of the world’s most magical places.

I can watch elephants (and elephants alone) for hours at a time . . . . There is mystery behind that masked gray visage, an ancient life force, delicate and mighty, awesome and enchanted, commanding the silence ordinarily reserved for mountain peaks, great fires, and the sea. Peter Matthiessen, The Tree Where Man Was Born

DAYS 7 & 8 The Serengeti

We end this short, but undeniably spectacular, safari in the Serengeti. “There is a lightening of the spirit,” Cyril Connolly wrote about the vast plain. We’re invited to a rare, deep-rootedly serene idyll. The sky is huge and blue and as pure as the day the earth was born. (And on the southern horizon, over the Crater Highlands—“That’s Ngorongoro, just behind that big green mountain,” we’ll say knowledgeably, affectionately—clouds pile up in grandly crazy towers, looking like computer-generated special effects.) The Serengeti’s kopjes are the creation of a cosmic bonsai master, and on a flat brown rock atop one of them, a lion rolls over and warms its fluffy white belly in the sun.

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We’ll spend two idyllic Serengeti nights in Migration Camp, tucked away in kopje-esque rocks just above the Grumeti River. The main lodge has a split-level lounge, a swimming pool, and each of Migration Camp’s 20 tents—which resemble normal camp tents about as much as the august New York Public resembles a little hometown library—is encircled by a deck, a private sanctuary from which to gaze out at the natural extravaganza below and beyond. Those of us who can’t quite believe that hippos really exist — that’s how otherworldly they sometimes seem — are delighted that rumbling pods of them disport on the Grumeti, along with many single-minded crocodiles; the great migration funnels into a crossing of this river, and the crocs bide their time like the pleistocenic beasts they are.

DAYS 9 & 10 Depart, arriving home Day 10

After a final game drive, we’ll head back to Migration Camp for breakfast. Maybe we’re close to sighting the Little Five, and need just a little luck to complete the list. We promised to divulge their identities on page 94, and here are the mini- masterpieces: rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise (not so mini, really; they can weigh as much as three standard bowling balls), ant lion, and the extremely shy elephant shrew, which weighs not much more than an elephant’s tear. In any case, it’s time to say goodbye to the Serengeti and Tanzania’s spectacular bush. We fly back to Arusha, relax in day rooms at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, maybe take a pre-flight swim, and board our homebound planes in the evening.

Your people are knowledgeable, kind, funny, and lovely. Thank you Micato. Lisa and Richard Troska

114 EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS TANZANIA SPECTACULAR

Make Your Safari a Private Classic

At each camp we would meet other travelers and the talk would eventually come around to their safari company. When they heard about the quality service we were

Tanzania Spectacular can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

experiencing, you could see them turn green with envy. To say that this was the best trip I could ever have expected is an understatement. I cannot find a flaw in your system. Jim Paul

2027 Dates

2027 Rates

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Sunday to Tuesday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Nov, Jan-May

June-October

December

$20,950 3,150 950

$22,850 3,450 1,150

$23,850 3,550 1,150

(Lake Manyara / Serengeti / Arusha) Connections may apply.

Jan. 03 – Jan. 12 Jan. 10 – Jan. 19 Jan. 17 – Jan. 26 Jan. 24 – Feb. 02 Jan. 31 – Feb. 09 Feb. 07 – Feb. 16 Feb. 14 – Feb. 23 Feb. 21 – Mar. 02 Feb. 28 – Mar. 09 Mar. 07 – Mar. 16 Mar. 14 – Mar. 23

May 16 – May 25 May 23 – June 01 May 30 – June 08 June 06 – June 15 June 13 – June 22 June 20 – June 29 June 27 – July 06 July 04 – July 13 July 11 – July 20 July 18 – July 27 July 25 – Aug. 03

Aug. 01 – Aug. 10 Aug. 08 – Aug. 17 Aug. 15 – Aug. 24 Aug. 22 – Aug. 31 Aug. 29 – Sept. 07 Sept. 05 – Sept. 14 Sept. 12 – Sept. 21 Sept. 19 – Sept. 28 Sept. 26 – Oct. 05 Oct. 03 – Oct. 12 Oct. 10 – Oct. 19

Oct. 17 – Oct. 26 Oct. 24 – Nov. 02 Oct. 31 – Nov. 09 Nov. 07 – Nov. 16 Nov. 14 – Nov. 23 Nov. 21 – Nov. 30 Nov. 28 – Dec. 07 Dec. 05 – Dec. 14 Dec. 12 – Dec. 21 Dec. 19 – Dec. 28 Dec. 26 – Jan. 04

2028 Dates Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Sunday to Tuesday | New rates and dates may apply Jan. 02 – Jan. 11 Jan. 09 – Jan. 18 Jan. 16 – Jan. 25 Jan. 23 – Feb. 01 Jan. 30 – Feb. 08 Feb. 06 – Feb. 15 Feb. 13 – Feb. 22 Feb. 20 – Feb. 29 Feb. 27 – Mar. 07 Mar. 05 – Mar. 14 Mar. 12 – Mar. 21 May 14 – May 23

May 21 – May 30 May 28 – June 06 June 04 – June 13 June 11 – June 20 June 18 – June 27 June 25 – July 04 July 02 – July 11 July 09 – July 18 July 16 – July 25 July 23 – Aug. 01 July 30 – Aug. 08 Aug. 06 – Aug. 15

Aug. 13 – Aug. 22 Aug. 20 – Aug. 29 Aug. 27 – Sept. 05 Sept. 03 – Sept. 12 Sept. 10 – Sept. 19 Sept. 17 – Sept. 26 Sept. 24 – Oct. 03 Oct. 01 – Oct. 10 Oct. 08 – Oct. 17 Oct. 15 – Oct. 24 Oct. 22 – Oct. 31 Oct. 29 – Nov. 07

Nov. 05 – Nov. 14 Nov. 12 – Nov. 21 Nov. 19 – Nov. 28 Nov. 26 – Dec. 05 Dec. 03 – Dec. 12 Dec. 10 – Dec. 19 Dec. 17 – Dec. 26 Dec. 24 – Jan. 02 Dec. 31 – Jan. 09

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AFRICAN SPLENDOUR South Africa’s Cape Town Zambia and Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls Kenya’s Maasai Mara Tanzania’s Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater & Lake Manyara n

17 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/ from Cape Town and Nairobi

Feeling the cool wind of the night and smelling the good smell of Africa, I was altogether happy. Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa

e’re not sure why, but great journeys often involve great contrasts. African Splendour is a case in point. We range through 34 degrees of latitude and four countries, but, most engagingly and contrastingly, we experience the diverse excitements of Cape Town’s urban and scenic pizzazz, the watery colossus of Victoria Falls, and the wondrous game lands of the Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem, where the wandering rains compel the planet’s most momentous movement of big, interesting mammals. (And then there’s the Ngorongoro Crater, which really can’t be contrasted with any other place, because there really isn’t any other place remotely like it, at least on our home planet.)

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DAY 1 Depart home

DAYS 2–4 Cape Town and environs

After a late afternoon or early evening arrival in South Africa’s second-largest and most scenic and snazzy city, we’ll settle into Cape Town’s grande dame hotel, the pink, very pretty, much-loved Mount Nelson. Nelly, as it’s affectionately known, lies in the centre of City Bowl, the rocky amphitheatre that embraces Cape Town. During our two full days we’ll make a massively scenic excursion to the Constantia Winelands for tastings and lunch— with a heartlifting visit to Micato-AmericaShare’s Red Hill Library and Community Centre. We’ll visit Cape Point Nature Reserve and the Cape of Good Hope (a dramatic point around which the world’s history once spun), take a private tour of the world wondrous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and ride the Aerial Cableway to Table Mountain’s stroll-inviting flat top — which has more plant species than the entire United Kingdom— a World Heritage site that is centre stage in Cape Town’s amazing natural and human extravaganza.

DAYS 5 & 6 Victoria Falls

A lovely flight northward via Johannesburg delivers us to Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke That Thunders,” not the highest or the widest but the world’s grandest and most booming waterfall, a large lakesworth of water flinging itself 360 feet straight down every minute of every day, right before our delighted eyes.* He had been intrigued by We have a couple of days to their towers of mist from many miles away, and appreciate the Falls, cruising on when David Livingstone, the Zambezi River, watching the first Westerner to see elephants and giraffes. We’ll the Falls, finally reached them in November 1865, helicopter over the Falls on he was so moved that for the Flight of Angels, and we’ll the only time in his 32 wander from one misty vantage years in Africa, he “vanpoint to another, returning for dalized” nature by carving his initials on a tree, as if sustenance and leisure to our to verify to himself that stately Victoria Falls Hotel he had actually seen such in Zimbabwe, within walking as sight as Victoria Falls. distance of the world wonder.

DAY 7

Nairobi

We fly northeast from Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls to Nairobi and Hemingways, a quietly ravishing haven for lovers of old-style panache mixed with modern amenities and great cuisine, wonderfully set in the lush suburb of Karen. DAYS 8–10 The Maasai Mara

We fly west from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara, the northern, more verdant section of the single most salubrious wildlife habitat on this or any known planet, the Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem. Game drives in the Mara are especially fruitful….Our Mara headquarters is Sir Richard Branson’s Mahali Mzuri, whose innovatively designed, yet very African tents “resemble the tents of our youth like a Gulfstream G650 resembles a Piper Cub,” as we said a while back. Mahali Mzuri is auspiciously set next to one of the Mara’s prime migration pathways.

DAYS 11 & 12 The Serengeti

Now—these are thrilling safari words! — into the Serengeti, amazing in its enormity, its almost infinite skies and long, golden reaches, its million-year quiet. We’ll make far-ranging game drives on the great plain and in its riverine forests, based from the stunningly deluxe Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, set on rocky bluffs, giving us vast, endlessly stimulating views.

DAYS 13–15 Lake Manyara and the

Ngorongoro Crater

A typically spectacular flight and pleasant drive deliver us to The Manor at Ngorongoro, a marvelous 10-cottage, 20-suite retreat set within a 1,500-acre Arabica coffee estate adjacent to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Those of us who began African Splendour in South Africa will recognize the Manor’s elegant Cape Dutch style; those who haven’t will simply be charmed. Our three nights at the Manor are a rare idyll. We’ll enjoy a restful afternoon (or a very active one; the Manor offers horsebacking, mountain biking, swimming in the Manor’s pool, and estate walks, among other enjoyments), before a classic high tea and dinner in the private dining room or wine cellar. And the next day we visit one of the earth’s natural masterpieces. We’ve got a lot of affection for Ngorongoro, and we attempt to do it justice on pages 84, 90, 96, 101, 107 and 113. In case you’d prefer not to scramble around this brochure at the moment, here’s the essence of the crater’s tremendous charisma: 25,000 or so large and very viewable mammals— from apex predators to galumphing hippos — inhabit the crater’s 100-square-mile floor,

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and zigzagging up the old volcano’s forested wall to its rim, and gazing for the first or fifth time at the lush lands and their inhabitants in the crater below, is a great moment in any traveller’s life. We’ll descend to the crater and excitedly roam from morning to afternoon, stopping at mid-day for a charmingly luxurious bush lunch, before heading back to a serene Your Safari Director evening at the Manor. will discuss with Now we encounter Lake you a variety of Manyara. Africa is blessed with individualized epic lakes (Tanganyika is the activity choices at every safari location. world’s second deepest; all the Rift Lakes are gigantic stunners), but many, including Ernest Hemingway, consider the smaller gem of Lake Manyara—with its diamond-white alkali rim, its million or so coral-coloured flamingos, and the deep sapphire waters at its centre—the loveliest of all. After a relaxed (or active) morning at the Manor, we’ll embark on a fine afternoon of game viewing around the lake (many tree-climbing lions frequent Manyara’s Africa-embodying scrublands, mahogany forests, and bird-thronged marshlands). And after cocktails and canapés in the bush, we head back to the Manor for a final night before regretfully getting ready to head home. DAYS 16 & 17 Depart, arriving home Day 17

After flying back to Nairobi, we’ll relax in a fullservice, meals-included day room at the Four Points Nairobi Airport, have a quiet dinner, and head out with our Safari Director to nearby Jomo Kenyatta Airport for our late evening flights home.

Words are not adequate to describe the genuine attention to detail, down to the small gifts on the bed at night. Awaiting us on Valentine’s Day was a pack of heart-shaped homemade cookies. That’s class!

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EAST AFRICA CLASSIC SAFARIS AFRICAN SPLENDOUR

Leo P. Lavellee

Make Your Safari a Private Classic

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

African Splendour can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Nov, Jan-May

June-October

December

$42,250 10,450 6,550

$47,750 12,450 7,150

$49,750 11,950 7,450

(Cape Town / Johannesburg / Victoria Falls / Livingstone / Nairobi / Maasai Mara / Serengeti / Lake Manyara: Lake Manyara / Nairobi) Connections may apply.

2027 Dates

2028 Dates

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Saturday to Monday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Saturday to Monday | New rates and dates may apply

Jan. 02 – Jan. 18 Jan. 09 – Jan. 25 Jan. 16 – Feb. 01 Jan. 23 – Feb. 08 Jan. 30 – Feb. 15 Feb. 06 – Feb. 22 Feb. 13 – Mar. 01 Feb. 20 – Mar. 08 Feb. 27 – Mar. 15 Mar. 06 – Mar 22 May 15 – May 31

May 22 – June 07 May 29 – June 14 June 05 – June 21 June 12 – June 28 June 19 – July 05 June 26 – July 12 July 03 – July 19 July 10 – July 26 July 17 – Aug. 02 July 24 – Aug. 09 July. 31 – Aug. 16

Aug. 07 – Aug. 23 Aug. 14 – Aug. 30 Aug. 21 – Sept. 06 Aug. 28 – Sept. 13 Sept. 04 – Sept. 20 Sept. 11 – Sept. 27 Sept. 18 – Oct. 04 Sept. 25 – Oct. 11 Oct. 02 – Oct. 18 Oct. 09 – Oct. 25 Oct. 16 – Nov. 01

Oct. 23 – Nov. 08 Oct. 30 – Nov. 15 Nov. 06 – Nov. 22 Nov. 13 – Nov. 29 Nov. 20 – Dec. 06 Nov. 27 – Dec. 13 Dec. 04 – Dec. 20 Dec. 11 – Dec. 27 Dec. 18 – Jan. 03 Dec. 25 – Jan. 10

Jan. 01 – Jan. 17 Jan. 08 – Jan. 24 Jan. 15 – Jan. 31 Jan. 22 – Feb. 07 Jan. 29 – Feb. 14 Feb. 05 – Feb. 21 Feb. 12 – Feb. 28 Feb. 19 – Mar. 06 Feb. 26 – Mar. 13 Mar. 04 – Mar 20 May 13 – May 29

May 20 – June 05 May 27 – June 12 June 03 – June 19 June 10 – June 26 June 17 – July 03 June 24 – July 10 July 01 – July 17 July 08 – July 24 July 15 – July 31 July 22 – Aug. 07 July. 29 – Aug. 14

Aug. 05 – Aug. 21 Aug. 12 – Aug. 28 Aug. 19 – Sept. 04 Aug. 26 – Sept. 11 Sept. 02 – Sept. 18 Sept. 09 – Sept. 25 Sept. 16 – Oct. 02 Sept. 23 – Oct. 09 Sept. 30 – Oct. 16 Oct. 07 – Oct. 23 Oct. 14 – Oct. 30

Oct. 21 – Nov. 06 Oct. 28 – Nov. 13 Nov. 04 – Nov. 20 Nov. 11 – Nov. 27 Nov. 18 – Dec. 04 Nov. 25 – Dec. 11 Dec. 02 – Dec. 18 Dec. 09 – Dec. 25 Dec. 16 – Jan. 01 Dec. 23 – Jan. 08

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CLASSIC SAFAR IS

Southern Africa So geographers in Afric-maps . . .

Place elephants for want of towns.

—Jonathan Swift, On Poetry: A Rhapsody

JEWELS OF SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town & Cape Winelands Phinda Private Game Reserve Thornybush Private Game Reserve Sabi Sand Game Reserve n

13 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/from Cape Town and Johannesburg

Haste, haste has no blessing. Kiswahili proverb

e honour four especially radiant gems on this wonderfully eventful, under-two-week safari: sparkly Cape Town and its Winelands, Phinda Private Game Reserve’s seven marvelously varied ecosystems, and the classic safari landscapes of the Thornybush Game Reserve and the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, both private reserves on the unfenced border of the far more visited Kruger National Park. Adding to Jewels of South Africa’s luster: our Cape Town hotel, the historic, lushly gardened Mount Nelson; the Phinda Reserve’s Forest Lodge and its hilltop Mountain Lodge (we frequent one or the other according to the seasons); the Sabi Sand’s quietly, but nonetheless emphatically luxurious Tengile River Lodge; and the equally luxe and serene Saseka Tented Camp, like Tengile, set on a serene river bend. (And another gem, easily added as a safari extension: Victoria Falls, the world’s most stupendous waterfall—see page 150).

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DAY 1 Depart home DAYS 2–4 Cape Town and environs

“The whole town,” Captain Cook wrote in 1771 about Cape Town, “may be considered as one great inn fitted up for the recreation of all comers and goers.” The great voyager may as well have been writing yesterday: Cape Town is one of the world’s jazziest, most fascinatingly multicultural and downright beautiful The Cape Floristic Region, cities. Our base is the iconic Pink which we’ll be amidst, is far and away the smallest Lady, the Mount Nelson, from of the world’s six recogwhich we gaze at Table Mountain nized floristic kingdoms or (which we’ll ascend via the famed phytochorions. It’s the only earthly abode of more than Aerial Tramway). We’ll drive 6,000 vascular plant spedown the grand and wild Cape cies. The long and short of Peninsula to the Cape of Good it: the CFR is a guaranteed pulse-raising wonderland Hope, around which the world’s for nature lovers. history once turned, paying a visit to Micato-AmericaShare’s Red Hill Community Centre along the way. And we’ll motor into the Cape Winelands for winetasting, leisurely lunch-taking, and view-imbibing in one of the most salubrious spots in a region rich with human and natural splendour.*

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DAYS 5 & 6 Phinda Private

Game Reserve We fly northeast across South Africa’s gargantuan geographies to the private Phinda Reserve’s seven distinct habitats —woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, rolling hills, rivers, seasonal marshes and pans, and a hauntingly beautiful sand forest—Africa’s last sand forest — all home to a superb wildlife medley (which includes the Big Five and 436 bird species). We’ll settle, depending on the season, into one of two outstanding camps: either the Phinda Forest Lodge, set in that marvelous forest, with “glass bubble” suites that bring us into cozy contact with the sweetly enveloping forest, or the Phinda Mountain Lodge, set on a hilltop with wraparound views of the verdurous Lebombo foothills. Each lodge features beguiling infinity pools, festive outdoor dining under South Africa’s intense but friendly stars, birdsong and the twittering of bush babies, and deep tranquility as we rest up from our game-driving forays into Phinda’s remarkable microregions.

Our guides were not only magically knowledgeable about every possible thing you could want to discover about the wildlife that popped up at every turn, they were funny, human, and real. Dr. Jean Marmoreo and Bob Ramsay

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DAYS 7 & 8 Thornybush Game Reserve

Thornybush’s setting is classically African: more than 34,000 sweeping acres on a private nature reserve sharing a fenceless border with famous Kruger National Park — so for our footloose animals, that’s no border at all. Big 5 encounters are both the standard and the standout experience here (includYour Safari Director ing sightings of the endangered, will discuss with marvelous-looking pangolin, you a variety of well-protected in Thornybush). individualized activity choices at Set on a beautiful curve of the every safari location. meandering Monwana River, Saseka Tented Camp has just nine luxurious, stylishly decorated tents, each with glass doors opening onto a river-view deck complete with a pool and outdoor shower. (Those tents are exemplars of our adage that tents in Micato’s Africa resemble the tents of our youth as a fresh-from-thefactory Bentley resembles a Model T.) DAYS 9–11 Sabi Sand Game Reserve

The very private, very beautiful Sabi Sand Game Reserve is one of our favourite African places.

Adjacent to Kruger National Park, the 240-square-mile Sabi Sand is home to all of Kruger’s famously rich roster of animals — including, of course, the Big Five — who wander freely between Sabi Sand and the much more humanly thronged national park. Our domicile in this surpassingly lovely corner of Africa is the conveniently modern (and solarpowered) Tengile River Lodge, set in a riverside forest, with only nine soothingly secluded, thoughtfully luxurious suites, each with a private plunge pool. DAYS 12 & 13 Depart for home, arriving Day 13

We fly to Johannesburg, and on to full-service, meals-included day rooms at the InterContinental, whose spa and indoor pool beckon, before our Safari Director accompanies us to the adjacent — it’s only 250 feet away — international airport for our flights home.

Tengile River Lodge

Most memorable was the attention to detail, the personal service and thoughtful gifts from the Pinto family. This is what wins awards as well as loyal clients. I can honestly say that this was the finest tour my husband and I have ever taken.

Make Your Safari a Private Classic

Hannah Reinmuth, Virtuoso Travel Consultant

2027 Rates

Jewels of South Africa can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Jan-Mar

Apr-Nov

December

$36,950 7,850 4,550

$39,550 8,150 4,550

$47,550 14,950 4,550

(Cape Town / Nelspruit / Phinda / Nelspruit / Thornybush / Skukuza / Johannesburg) Connections may apply.

2027 Dates

2028 Dates

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Sunday to Friday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Sunday to Friday | New rates and dates may apply

Jan. 03 – Jan. 15 Jan. 10 – Jan. 22 Jan. 24 – Feb. 05 Feb. 07 – Feb. 19 Feb. 21 – Mar. 05 Mar. 07 – Mar. 19 Mar. 21 – Apr. 02 Apr. 11 – Apr. 23

Apr. 25 – May 07 May 09 – May 21 May 16 – May 28 May 23 – June 04 May 30 – June 11 June 13 – June 25 June 27 – July 09 July 11 – July 23

July 18 – July 30 July 25 – Aug. 06 Aug. 08 – Aug. 20 Aug. 15 – Aug. 27 Aug. 29 – Sept. 10 Sept. 12 – Sept. 24 Sept. 26 – Oct. 08 Oct. 10 – Oct. 22

Oct. 24 – Nov. 05 Nov. 14 – Nov. 26 Nov. 28 – Dec. 10 Dec. 19 – Dec. 31 Dec. 26 – Jan. 07

Jan. 02 – Jan. 14 Jan. 09 – Jan. 21 Jan. 23 – Feb. 04 Feb. 06 – Feb. 18 Feb. 20 – Mar. 03 Mar. 05 – Mar. 17 Mar. 19 – Mar. 31 Apr. 09 – Apr. 21

Apr. 23 – May 05 May 07 – May 19 May 14 – May 26 May 21 – June 02 May 28 – June 09 June 11 – June 23 June 25 – July 07 July 09 – July 21

July 16 – July 28 July 23 – Aug. 04 Aug. 06 – Aug. 18 Aug. 13 – Aug. 25 Aug. 27 – Sept. 08 Sept. 10 – Sept. 22 Sept. 24 – Oct. 06 Oct. 08 – Oct. 20

Oct. 22 – Nov. 03 Nov. 12 – Nov. 24 Nov. 26 – Dec. 08 Dec. 17 – Dec. 29 Dec. 24 – Jan. 05 Dec. 31 – Jan. 12

JEWELS OF SOUTH AFRICA SOUTHERN AFRICA

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130

PASSAGE THROUGH BOTSWANA AND ZIMBABWE Botswana’s Okavango Delta & Khwai Private Reserve Zambia and Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park n

14 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/from Johannesburg

I think I could turn and live with animals. . . . I stand and look at them long and long. . . . Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth. Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

otswana’s Okavango Delta, a world-unique oasis of smoothly meandering waterways, lagoons bubbling with hippos, idyllic mini-savannah islands, the “most unexpected of wonders,” as Frans Lanting wrote, “water in the desert,” gently pulsing water that brings life to a dazzling population of wildlife. Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke That Thunders,” far and away the planet’s grandest waterfall—as we like to say, one of the planet’s grandest anythings — brimming with “scenes so lovely [they] must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight,” rhapsodized David Livingstone, the first outsider to succumb to the Falls’ immense charisma. And not far from the colossal cascade, Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park’s archetypal African landscapes, roamed in natural freedom by the fabled Big Five and five score other mammals and 20 score colourful avians, making Hwange one of the continent’s finest game-viewing, traveller-enchanting destinations.

131

DAY 1 Depart home

DAY 2 Johannesburg

After arrival we’ll be whisked out to Johannesburg’s verdant suburb of Sandhurst and the halcyon Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa, a place intimately associated with Nelson Mandela, as we explain at the bottom of page 138. DAYS 3 & 4 The Okavango Delta

It’s hard to be more enthusiastic about the “vast, mesmerizing oasis” of the Okavango Delta than we are just to the right of here, on page 137’s introduction to Botswana’s Timeless Wilderness. Suffice to say — until you experience it —that the Delta is in the topmost rank of world wonders (and more sweetly accommodating than most). We fly from Joburg to Maun, then on to the Kadizora airstrip, where we’ll hop on a helicopter for a quick but scenically superb flight to Duke’s Camp, set in solitude deep in the beautiful braided

waterways of the Northern Okavango. Our camp for two nights is named after Sarefo “Duke” Sarefo, custodian of this lush parcel of African wilderness, who was born on the very island that the camp now occupies. Duke’s embodies all that a smartly designed, tradition-honouring, nature-graced African luxury safari camp should be. DAYS 5–7 Khwai Private Reserve

A short morning flight takes us to what we think is one of Botswana’s best kept secrets: the Khwai Private Reserve, another Okavangan marvel. Our lodging here is Sable Alley, an inspirationally stylish camp set on its own quiet lagoon. We step out onto the veranda of Sable’s enormous (almost 600-square-foot) tents to a close view of the lagoon and its medley of animal visitors. Khwai’s water- and landscapes vary dramatically: riverine forests, acacia woodlands, and the Delta’s gliding watercourses. We’ll explore them all, in small watercraft, safari vehicles, and on foot, delighting in the reserve’s full African cast of nowhere-else-on-earth creatures — lions, skyscrapey giraffes, bouldery Cape buffalo and peppy, fascinating African wild dogs. “They live the life domestic dogs wish they could live,” as biologist Rosie Woodroffe says.

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DAYS 8 & 9 Victoria Falls

We fly into Zambia, and along the way we may see a dramatic sight from many miles away: silvery, towering clouds rising up from the flat brown earth. The plume of the world’s most colossal cascade, Victoria Falls. Our small, astutely designed Thorntree River Lodge is set in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, beside the Zambezi River, upstream from the Falls. We’ll make an arrival-afternoon game drive in the park (lovingly protected rhinos are headliners), or take a sunset cruise on the Zambezi. But Victoria Falls beckons, and we’ll spend When I first thought about taking our groups to Africa, I was told by people I respect that I should deal only with Micato Safaris. I was told not only that you were the best, but also that you were unique in your ability to transfer the warmth of your operation to everyone you touch . . . and I must say that even my very high expectations were exceeded in every way!

Barry Wolpa

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Day 9 wandering its many vantage points, strolling through mist in our Micato-supplied rain gear, swooping over the Falls in a helicopter (the famous, pulse-quickening Flight of Angels), continually astonished by one of the greatest wonders in a world full of them (see more waterfallian praise on page 150). DAYS 10–12 Hwange National Park

Somalisa Camp is located in the middle of Hwange,

in a vlei, or marshy, animal-attracting area. We arrive in the intimate camp (only seven fully modern, elegantly decorated tents) after a short flight from

Victoria Falls and make the first of our eventful game drives in the cooling afternoon, perhaps after a revivifying dip in Somalisa’s aquamarine pool, often with Your Safari Director elephants frolicking in a waterwill discuss with hole only yards away. you a variety of individualized Hwange is classic African activity choices at bush country, and our game every safari location. drives in the park are exceptionally rich; the Big Five are in residence, along with white rhino, zebras by the hundreds, and more than a hundred other mammals, including another large contingent of wild dogs, stately gemsbok, and brown hyenas, crafty and oddly compelling creatures who endear themselves to many veteran safariers. And after game drives we relax on Somalisa’s tree-shaded veranda, enjoy the camp’s top-notch cuisine, and savour safari’s freedom from care. DAYS 13 & 14 D epart, arriving

home Day 14 After a short flight back to Victoria Falls, we continue to Johannesburg for our outbound flights, with full-service, meals-included day rooms at the InterContinental — and, as always, our Safari Director and vehicle is at your beck and call.

Thorntree River Lodge

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Somalisa Camp

Thank you again for all the unexpected wonderful gifts and surprises we received on our safari. We have proof now that Santa Claus’ headquarters is in Nairobi, not the North Pole. Shelly and Jim Fraser

Make Your Safari a Private Classic Passage Through Botswana and Zimbabwe can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Jan-Mar

Apr-May

June-Oct

Nov-Dec

$30,550 1,050 5,250

$32,950 6,450 5,250

$38,950 8,550 5,250

$31,550 5,850 5,250

(Johannesburg / Maun / Camp to Camp / Kasane / Livingstone; Victoria Falls / Hwange National Park / Johannesburg) Connections may apply.

2027 Dates Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Sunday to Saturday | Every date is a guaranteed departure Jan. 03 – Jan. 16 Jan. 24 – Feb. 06 Feb. 07 – Feb. 20 Feb. 21 – Mar. 06 Mar. 07 – Mar. 20 Mar. 21 – Apr. 03 Apr. 04 – Apr. 17 Apr. 25 – May 08

May 02 – May 15 May 09 – May 22 May 23 – June 05 June 06 – June 19 June 13 – June 26 June 20 – July 03 July 04 – July 17 July 11 – July 24

July 18 – July 31 July 25 – Aug. 07 Aug. 01 – Aug. 14 Aug. 08 – Aug. 21 Aug. 15 – Aug. 28 Aug. 29 – Sept. 11 Sept. 05 – Sept. 18 Sept. 19 – Oct. 02

Sept. 26 – Oct. 09 Oct. 03 – Oct. 16 Oct. 24 – Nov. 06 Nov. 07 – Nov. 20 Nov. 21 – Dec. 04 Dec. 12 – Dec. 25 Dec. 19 – Jan. 01 Dec. 26 – Jan. 08

2028 Dates Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Sunday to Saturday | New rates and dates may apply Jan. 02 – Jan. 15 Jan. 23 – Feb. 05 Feb. 06 – Feb. 19 Feb. 20 – Mar. 04 Mar. 05 – Mar. 18 Mar. 19 – Apr. 01 Apr. 02 – Apr. 15 Apr. 23 – May 06

Apr 30 – May 13 May 07 – May 20 May 21 – June 03 June 04 – June 17 June 11 – June 24 June 18 – July 01 July 02 – July 15 July 09 – July 22

July 16 – July 29 July 23 – Aug. 05 July 30 – Aug. 12 Aug. 06 – Aug. 19 Aug. 13 – Aug. 26 Aug. 27 – Sept. 09 Sept. 03 – Sept. 16 Sept. 17 – Sept. 30

Sept. 24 – Oct. 07 Oct. 01 – Oct. 14 Oct. 22 – Nov. 04 Nov. 05 – Nov. 18 Nov. 19 – Dec. 02 Dec. 10 – Dec. 23 Dec. 17 – Dec. 30 Dec. 24 – Jan. 06

PASSAGE THROUGH BOTSWANA AND ZIMBABWE SOUTHERN AFRICA

135

136

BOTSWANA’S TIMELESS WILDERNESS Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve & Chobe National Park

Zambia & Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls

12 days door-to-door | Includes days en route to/from Johannesburg

The word wonderful does not fit into science, for from one point of view every natural occurrence is as wonderful as another. But we are justified in using the term when we meet a phenomenon which is such an exception to the ordinary rules of nature that it appears to be a miracle. Eugène N. Marais, The Soul of the Ape

f we had to pick the most miraculous African place of all, it might well be the Okavango Delta, where the 1,000-mile-long Okavango River gives up on its search for an outlet to the sea and seeps life-givingly into the sands of one of the world’s most uncompromising deserts, creating a vast and mesmerizing oasis. As Frans Lanting wrote in his elegiac book Okavango: Africa’s Last Eden, “The [Delta’s] very existence in the middle of the Kalahari Desert is nothing short of miraculous . . . like a dream.” Botswana’s wilderness is expansive and— to our scurrying senses—timeless, and the Okavango isn’t its only dreamy place. Our under-two-week safari takes us to three others, right up near the top of African marvels: the elephant-rich Savute region of Chobe National Park, the exemplary Moremi Game Reserve, quite close to another phenomenon of miraculous rarity, Victoria Falls.

137

DAY 1 Depart home DAY 2 Johannesburg

After arriving at O. R. Tambo International, we’ll be escorted to the Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa in Johannesburg’s tree-lined suburb of Sandhurst. This quietly luxurious hotel has much to be proud of but says, touchingly, that its greatest “boast” is that the father of modern South Africa, Nelson Mandela, chose the Saxon as his sanctuary at which to complete his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. DAYS 3 & 4 The Okavango Delta

Our base in the miraculous Delta is beautifully shaded Kiri Camp, tucked away in a vast private concession. The intimate camp has many charms: unflashy luxury, great dining, and extraordinarily well-designed tents , each raised on a platform with a private deck overlooking the hippo-thronged Delta waters. While here we’ll game view by canoe

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SOUTHERN AFRICA BOTSWANA'S TIMELESS WILDERNESS

Whatever was promised in the brochure was far surpassed in our actual experiences. There is no way we can sufficiently praise our Safari Director and drivers—far and away the most knowledgeable, intelligent, and caring we have ever encountered.

Fran and Paul Heller

in the Delta’s waterways, and take guided bush walks. All the classic African headliners are to be seen, sometimes unexpectedly. “One of the Okavango’s delights,” Frans Lanting writes, “is the sheer surprise of seeing an elephant emerge from underwater.” DAYS 5 & 6 Moremi Game Reserve

A jaunty helicopter flight takes us southeast to a heart-stirring sanctuary, Elephant Havens, where we’ll delight in the impish behaviour of young, orphaned elephants. After our visit and some lunch we’ll helicopter to the Khwai River and Monachira Camp, whose thoughtfully-realized tents open onto the floodplains and a marvelous variety of animals who wander these environs insouciantly, delighting us as we watch. And, among Moremi’s myriad charms, it gives us the chance to see the huge African night sky that ever captivated Elspeth Huxley, a sky “bristling with innumerable stars, as close-packed as the quills on a porcupine.” *

DAYS 7 & 8 Chobe National Park

A quick flight takes us northeastward to Savute Elephant Lodge, amid towering acacia trees in one of the continent’s greatest gamelands, the Savute Channel. This mighty waterway nurtures Chobe National Park, as it flows to and from the vast wetlands of northern Botswana. Our superbly appointed tented suites are raised above People ask us about books. the ground on pillars to give Africa has a great and deep our game viewing a lift. Off literature, but if you read the main building, a waterhole Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa; Elspeth Huxley’s The Flame attracts the area's star residents, Trees of Thika and her herds and herds of elephants, sometimes overlooked The who gather to drink. Our worMottled Lizard; Ngūgī wa thy reasons to head into the Thiong’o’s bracing A Grain of Wheat; and Beryl Markham’s bush, beyond seeking game, West with the Night, you will will be to take in a collection be extremely enchanted and of ancient San Bushman rock informed. (Of course, our predeparture materials include a paintings that date back more well-scouted reading list.) than 1,500 years.

BOTSWANA'S TIMELESS WILDERNESS SOUTHERN AFRICA

139

DAYS 9 & 10 Victoria Falls

To say that I am

We don’t like to repeat ourselves, Your Safari Director so we hope you don’t mind if we will discuss with direct you to a torrent of praise you a variety for Victoria Falls over on page of individualized 150. Here we’ll repeat something a activity choices at Micato friend once said: “Victoria every safari location. Falls is billed as one of the world’s greatest waterfalls, but, as a matter of fact, it’s one of the world’s greatest anythings.” In other good news: we’ll be staying in the grand, colonial-era Victoria Falls Hotel, within walking distance of the incredible cataract. DAYS 11 & 12 Depart, arriving home

on Day 12 We fly to Johannesburg, with full-service, mealsincluded day rooms at the InterContinental before our ever-in-attendance Safari Director accompanies us to the airport for flights homeward.

140 SOUTHERN AFRICA BOTSWANA'S TIMELESS WILDERNESS

impressed with your company and operation is a vast understatement. I had lofty expectations for our safari and Micato surpassed those—in a big way. In my mind it would be a travesty for you not to win the Travel+Leisure award for the next ten years. Paige D. Koerbel, Regional Vice President, Renaissance Hotels

Make Your Safari a Private Classic

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

Botswana’s Timeless Wilderness can easily be transformed into a fully Private Classic Safari, with your friends or family group’s own Safari Director, private vehicles, with the freedom to set your own schedules, to enjoy private meals in the bush, and many etceteras. For a deeper look at Private Classics, see pages 76 and 77.

Double Occupancy Single Supplement Internal Flights

Jan-Mar

Apr-May

June-Oct

Nov-Dec

$25,950 3,850 4,250

$27,550 6,750 4,250

$30,950 7,550 4,450

$25,550 4,350 4,250

(Johannesburg / Maun / Camp to Camp / Kasane / Victoria Falls / Johannesburg) Connections may apply.

2027 Dates

2028 Dates

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Saturday to Wednesday | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Door-to-door from home, including days en route Departs Saturday to Wednesday | New rates and dates may apply

Jan. 02 – Jan. 13 Jan. 16 – Jan. 27 Feb. 06 – Feb. 17 Feb. 20 – Mar. 03 Mar. 13 – Mar. 24 Mar. 27 – Apr. 07 Apr. 10 – Apr. 21 Apr. 24 – May 05 May 01 – May 12

May 08 – May 19 May 15 – May 26 May 22 – June 02 May 29 – June 09 June 05 – June 16 June 12 – June 23 June 19 – June 30 June 26 – July 07 July 03 – July 14

July 10 – July 21 July 17 – July 28 July 24 – Aug. 04 July 31 – Aug. 11 Aug. 07 – Aug. 18 Aug. 14 – Aug. 25 Aug. 21 – Sept. 01 Aug. 28 – Sept. 08 Sept. 04 – Sept. 15

Sept. 11 – Sept. 22 Sept. 18 – Sept. 29 Oct. 02 – Oct. 13 Oct. 16 – Oct. 27 Nov. 06 – Nov. 17 Nov. 13 – Nov. 24 Dec. 04 – Dec. 15 Dec. 18 – Jan. 29 Dec. 25 – Jan. 05

Jan. 01 – Jan. 12 Jan. 15 – Jan. 26 Feb. 05 – Feb. 16 Feb. 19 – Mar. 01 Mar. 11 – Mar. 22 Mar. 25 – Apr. 05 Apr. 08 – Apr. 19 Apr. 22 – May 03 Apr. 29 – May 10

May 06 – May 17 May 13 – May 24 May 20 – May 31 May 27 – June 07 June 03 – June 14 June 10 – June 21 June 17 – June 28 June 24 – July 05 July 01 – July 12

July 08 – July 19 July 15 – July 26 July 22 – Aug. 02 July 29 – Aug. 09 Aug. 05 – Aug. 16 Aug. 12 – Aug. 23 Aug. 19 – Aug. 30 Aug. 26 – Sept. 06 Sept. 02 – Sept. 13

Sept. 09 – Sept. 20 Sept. 16 – Sept. 27 Sept. 30 – Oct. 11 Oct. 14 – Oct. 25 Nov. 04 – Nov. 15 Nov. 11 – Nov. 22 Dec. 02 – Dec. 13 Dec. 16 – Dec. 27 Dec. 23 – Jan. 03

We were continually delighted by the little extras that you provided. I’ve never been on a packaged trip like this where literally everything—beyond what your brochure promoted—was covered. What an absolute pleasure. Scott J. Mermel 141

EA ST A N D SO UTHE R N A F R I CA

Safari Extensions and Options

TRACKING MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN GORILLAS DAYS 1 & 2 Kigali and Parc National

des Volcans, Rwanda

Talk to someone who’s paid a visit to the mountain gorillas of Rwanda’s highlands and you are likely to hear near-rhapsodic praise for a rare, beautiful, and often very moving experience.* Our carefully orchestrated visits begin in Kigali, revitalized Rwanda’s charming A friend of ours turned capital, which we’ll tour before a leafy corner in the heading northwest to mountains and came across a mother gorilla the Virunga Volcanoes, giving birth. “My general a stately chain of jungle optimism quotient— volcanoes that top out at maybe illogically, but very forcibly—rose Mount Karisimbi’s 14,787 about 70 percent,” he feet, higher than any said. “I will carry that Rocky or Sierra Nevada. memory, and maybe some of that optimism, We’ll settle into the superb with me forever.”

rights activist Pat Derby said, “They are brave and loyal. They help each other. They play and have humor and they harm nothing. They are what we should be.” DAY 4 Depart Kigali

We’ll make the drive to Kigali for our homeward flights. (One final note: travellers who’d like to visit more of our primate relatives should ask us about easy-to-arrange side trips that put us in contact with chimpanzees and colobus monkeys.)

One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, a fine base for our

wanderings in these almost supernaturally verdant precincts. The next day, led by our guide and his crew, we begin making our way through a forest of trailing vines, trilling bird calls, giant lobelia, and mossy hagenia trees—a Jurassic, emerald world—walking toward an encounter with one of the park’s 12 habituated (meaning they aren’t frightened by us) families of mountain gorillas; no more than eight people are allowed to visit any given family up to an hour each day. Seeing a 450-pound male saunter by only a few yards away is something you’ll want to tell your grandchildren’s children about. DAY 3 Parc National des Volcans

We’ll pay our respects to a different gorilla family today, noting the subtle cultural differences between clans, getting more insight into why the great animal

144 OPTIONS AND EXTENSIONS EAST AFRICA

ABOVE The Pinto family, photobombed by a gorilla.

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Gorilla Permits (nonrefundable)

from $12,750 $ 3,000

The animal has secrets which, unlike the secrets of caves, mountains, seas, are specifically addressed to man.

John Berger, Why Look at Animals?

OPTIONS AND EXTENSIONS EAST AFRICA

145

Safari Extensions and Options

BALLOONING AND HELICOPTERING OVER AFRICA

If you’ve ever taken a ride on a hot-air balloon, you know. And if you haven’t, you are in for an indelibly jolly experience. As we put it earlier: “Wafting over the Mara in a piercingly fresh and golden morning, floating over elephants and hippos, feeling a mild and worthy intoxication-by-grandeur, is one of those things that, having done, we wonder how on earth we ever contemplated not doing.” Ballooning is available in many of our camps in the Maasai Mara, the Serengeti, and South Africa. Our safari experts, balloon enthusiasts all, will fill you in on details, including the festive open-air breakfasts that follow these marvelous sky-jaunts. Another terrifically jolly safari option: private helicopter excursions to places fully appreciated only from the skies—gargantuan Victoria Falls, South Africa’s dramatic Blyde River Canyon, or the wild Cape Peninsula and sparkling Cape Town. Places otherwise difficult to reach— the trout fishing streams and alpine

slopes of Mount Kenya, or a viewful picnic on the slopes of the Laikipia Plateau’s Mount Lolgurugi. Or helicoptering just for the fun of popping from one safari camp to another, with a whirlywinged look down at massive crocodiles weaving through watercourses and elephant clans pacing “as if they had an appointment at the end of the world,” as Isak Dinesen wrote. Africa’s landscapes always tell a story, and it’s an exhilarating one. Very few of us don’t thrill at the prospect of a helicopter flight, and our safari experts are not among those few. And they can fill you in on the almost unlimited opportunities to enjoy one.

2027 Rates | Balloonic enchantment: from $490 Maasai Mara

from $520 Serengeti

Helicopter rates vary; we’ll consult with you on specifics.

OPTIONS AND EXTENSIONS EAST AFRICA

147

Safari Extensions and Options

CAPE TOWN SOJOURN DAYS 1 & 2 Cape Town and environs

Not much has changed in the intervening four centuries to undermine Sir Francis Drake’s praise of Cape Town’s situation as “the most stately thing and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.” (Of course, the town on the Cape was yet to be, so the local Khoisan people had the natural spectacle all to themselves for another six decades or so before the Dutch arrived and began town-making.) We are fervent admirers of Cape Town, and either of our two hotels on this extension—the superb One&Only or the equally excellent Mount Nelson —are a fine place to begin our explorations

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OPTIONS AND EXTENSIONS SOUTHERN AFRICA

of this grand, cosmopolitan city (whose praises we sing on page 114). From there we venture to the Cape Peninsula, a nature lover’s dream (its fynbos ecosystem is a unique bit of natural magic). We’ll drive out to the Peninsula’s southern tip, the dramatic and historically momentous Cape of Good Hope, and we’ll head over to Boulders Beach, where the hoots of the peninsula’s baboons are replaced by the trills of penguins, who somewhat mysteriously set up shop here only a few decades ago. And we’ll stroll in the oldstyle streets of Simon’s Town before returning to our hotel, where we’ll dine on our own (all meals on the Cape Town Sojourn extension are happily included).

DAY 3 Cape Town and the Winelands

A day of estate touring and wine tasting in the Winelands’ sunny and exuberantly fertile valleys tucked between towering, beautifully sculpted mountains laced with mist (to put it mildly). We’ll lunch at Delaire Graff Estate, which houses a world-class art collection, and we’ll have the chance to wander through some of the district’s resolutely quaint villages, like famous Franschhoek (“French corner” in Dutch, a small sign of the Western Cape Province’s multicultural history). DAY 4 (OPTIONAL) Cape Town

We’ve slotted in an optional extra day in Cape Town on the principle that most people are quite reluctant to leave it. A ferry from the Victoria &

Alfred Waterfront will take us across Table Bay to Robben Island for an instructive look at the prison where Nelson Mandela and former South African president Jacob Zuma were confined during the old apartheid government. And we’ll pay an inspirational visit to Micato-AmericaShare’s Red Hill Library and Community Centre. DAY 5 Depart Cape Town

. . . reluctantly. 2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Single Supplement

3 Nights from $4,950 from $1,850

4 Nights from $6,350 from $2,450

Micato rules supreme in the world of safaris very simply because of their attention to detail and their ability to anticipate and coordinate the most fantastical adventures. Blair Underwood

OPTIONS AND EXTENSIONS SOUTHERN AFRICA

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Safari Extensions and Options

VICTORIA FALLS Like the Grand Canyon, or the Taj Mahal, Victoria Falls is one of those earthly sights that surpasses the eagerest of expectations. Far and away the world’s most massive cataract, Mosi-oa-Tunya, the “Smoke that Thunders,” flings “a large lakesworth of water 360 feet straight down every minute of every day, right before our delighted eyes” (as we say over in African Splendour, page 116). DAYS 1 & 2 Victoria Falls

On arrival your Micato Safari Director and driver take us to one of two hotels we’ve chosen for their ambience and proximity to the Falls. Either the elegant Royal Livingstone, one of Travel+ Leisure’s Best Hotels in the World, or the elegant, colonial-era Victoria Falls Hotel, in a pacific little corner of Zimbabwe; an “incredible hotel,” one visitor called it, “with stunning views and just a 10-minute walk to the Falls.” In the evening, we’ll take a sundowner cruise on the lushly banked Zambezi, a normally easy-going river that enjoys a madcap escapade at the Falls before dutifully heading to its outlet in the Indian Ocean. The next day we’ll helicopter over the Falls, an experience impossible to describe without harkening back to something David Livingstone —the first, albeit earthbound Westerner to see the Falls — wrote in 1855: “A scene so lovely [it] must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” And in the afternoon we’ll take a walking tour of the Falls from a variety of vantage points, getting close to its endless but untroubling thunder, gleefully wonderstruck by one of the most stupendous sights we humans are privileged to see. DAY 3 Depart Victoria Falls

Onward to home, Africa, or the world.

2027 Rates Land arrangements, per person

Double Occupancy Single Supplement

150

OPTIONS AND EXTENSIONS SOUTHERN AFRICA

2 Nights from $5,950 from $2,050

Enough cannot be said about the familial comfort, genuine joy and personality-based generosity that all of the Micato employees displayed throughout our safari. Luke Kallis

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EAS T A FR ICA

Nothing comes as more of a surprise to first-time visitors to Africa than the luxury, serenity, and romance of its lodges and camps. Tributes to these delightful lodgings appear throughout this brochure, along with testimony to our long, hearty relationships with them. Here are some of the extraordinary East Africa properties Micato has chosen for its Classic, Private Classic, and Custom safaris. (For more Custom Lodges and Camps and splendid Private Villas and Estates, see our expanded collection at Micato.com.)

Olare Mara Kempinski maasai mara, kenya

A small luxury tented camp in the grand, centuryold Kempinski tradition, Olare Mara is beautifully set in riverine forest on the banks of the Ntiakitiak River, an ideal place to watch elephants bathing and hippos lazing. Olare’s tents, built on airy wooden platforms, feature a large lounge area furnished with sofas and large pillows on which to unwind after a game drive or just for the fun of it.

Olare Mara Kempinski

Kichwa Tembo maasai mara, kenya

Set in a lush forest in the midst of a game-rich private conservancy, Kichwa’s tented suites are modern and elegant. Each has a private deck overlooking what we think is one of Kenya’s most stunning landscapes (which is saying a very lot), and the camp’s pool, airy main lodge, and exceptional service add luster to Kichwa’s terrific reputation. Kichwa Tembo

Mara Nyika maasai mara, kenya

In the heart of a towering acacia forest in the private, 50,000-acre Naboisho Conservancy next to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Mara Nyika is a quietly luxurious, ecologically adept camp with many well thought-out extras, such as professional cameras and lenses provided in each of its three suites (and one family suite). Its dexterously designed, 1,000-square-foot, thoughtfully furnished tents are on raised platforms for a delightful treehouse experience.

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Mara Nyika

Mahali Mzuri maasai mara, kenya

The inspired creation of Sir Richard Branson, Mahali Mzuri is a state-of-the-art tented camp whose futuristic, fabulously comfortable and innovative—yet very African—tents resemble the tents of our youth like a Gulfstream G650 resembles a Piper Cub. The camp, graced with an infinity pool and a wealth of Bransonesque touches, is located next to one of the Mara’s prime game-viewing areas, much frequented during the great migration.

Mahali Mzuri

Mara Plains Camp maasai mara, kenya

Located in a spectacularly predator-rich area of the Mara, Mara Plains is an intimate escape, with seven tents in a vast private conservancy. Sweeping savannah views dominate the lusciously appointed marquis tents that create the lounge, dining room, and library. Unique octagonal guest tents are raised on decks with floor-to-ceiling net walls. Combined with night game drives, nature walks, and unrivalled access to superior wildlife, Mara Plains Camp presents a remarkable bush experience. Mara Plains Camp

Bateleur Camp maasai mara, kenya

A sister property of Kichwa Tembo, Bateleur epitomizes tented luxury. The camp’s setting is exquisite, nestled among the forests on the edge of the Maasai Mara (quite near where the final scene of Out of Africa was filmed). Lavishly appointed tents, each looked after by a butler,* feature polished wooden floors, en-suite bathrooms with glass-walled showers, and private decks.

Butler is one of those words that remind us of East Africa’s British colonial past. Some prefer room attendant, or something a little less highfalutin. But these finefellows-and-gentlewomen-by-anyname are there to make sure your every need is cheerfully met.

Bateleur Camp

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Elephant Pepper Camp maasai mara, kenya

Nestled in a lush grove of fig and elephant pepper trees in the heart of the Mara North Conservancy, Elephant Pepper Camp looks out at the oceanic grasslands of the Maasai Mara and its free-roaming wildlife. A wonderfully small and secluded camp, Elephant Pepper is entirely solar-powered, ecologically astute, and proof that luxury and responsibility for the land are happily compatible. And, of course, our game drives here with our Micato Safari Director are exhilarating.

Elephant Pepper Camp

Governors’ Il Moran Camp

Governors’ Il Moran Camp maasai mara, kenya

Luxurious yet homey, Governors’ Il Moran nestles in a serene forest, and its 10 superbly crafted tents line the Mara River, giving us a fascinating, ongoing story line: elephants and rare small cats, galumphing hippos and delicate birds throng to the water, playing, drinking, relaxing, unconcerned by our rapt attention. Breakfast and lunch at Il Moran are served under giant evergreens on the riverbanks, and dinner is served by candlelight in the open dining tent or al fresco by the river: just a couple of examples of the camp’s romantic aura.

Tortilis Camp amboseli, kenya

Kilimanjaro looms above, glamourous beasts gather at the waterhole nearby, and the essence of Africa slowly works its magic. Tortilis is in many ways the archetype of an African tented camp. Its 16 classically designed tents, secluded under the acacia trees that give the camp its name, blend soothing comfort and rustic style. Tortilis grows its own vegetables and herbs, and our meals there are especially vibrant and delicious. Tortilis Camp 156 EAST AFRICA MICATO LODGES AND CAMPS

Hemingways Nairobi nairobi, kenya

Set in lush gardens in the pacific Nairobi suburb of Karen, Hemingways has created an excited stir in East Africa’s travel world. Its 45 gorgeous rooms, each honouring an African luminary, are unmatched in their intelligent, gentle luxury. Hemingways’ common rooms are reminiscent of English stately homes, yet with an African flavour. And its restaurants, designed by Michelin star-winning Barry Tonks, have quickly entranced the capital’s gastronomic community.

Hemingways Nairobi

Villa Rosa Kempinski nairobi, kenya

A brilliantly fresh and modern hotel in the midst of Nairobi’s bustle, the Villa Rosa Kempinski is a lovely place to recoup after international flights or unwind after an animated safari. Its quartet of restaurants cater to a variety of tastes, its pool and spa beckon the weary traveller, and its Balcony Bar is buzzy. (A pleasant Kempinski grace note: complimentary mini-bar in each of its astutely designed rooms and suites.) Villa Rosa Kempinski Ol Donyo Lodge

Ol Donyo Lodge chyulu hills, kenya

Set amidst 275,000 acres of rolling wilderness with inspiring views of Kilimanjaro, Ol Donyo Lodge is a supreme experience. We explore this enchanting landscape by foot, mountain bike, or horseback and view wildlife in a four-by-four or at close range in Ol Donyo’s unique “logjam” blind. The lodge has nine exquisite, individually designed suites; all feature combinations of private pools and verandas,sitting rooms, and an indulgent treat: private rooftop star beds.

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Campi ya Kanzi chyulu hills, kenya

Owners Luca and Antonella Belpietro are warm-hearted hosts, and the unique partnership between this dynamic Italian couple and a conservation-conscious Maasai community has resulted in a stunning camp, constructed entirely of local materials, with luxe touches and grand style imported from Italy. Walking safaris, game drives, and sundowners in wildly spectacular settings with the Belpietros make for an unforgettable stay. A personal favourite of the Pinto family, Campi ya Kanzi is a true ever-memorable and bright gem. Finch Hattons

Campi ya Kanzi

Finch Hattons tsavo west national park, kenya

For more than 30 years, Finch Hattons has honoured Kenya’s oldest and largest national park, its grand game lands, its people, and ancient landscapes with care and enthusiasm, never faltering in offering its guests comfort and the kind of luxury that makes them dream of returning before they’ve even left. Finch Hattons’ Chyulu Spa is one of the best in Africa, its cuisine draws rave reviews, and game drives in Tsavo are quintessential African experiences.

Elsa’s Kopje

Elsa’s Kopje meru national park, kenya

The Daily Telegraph calls Elsa’s Kopje “heaven for romantics,” and for good reason. Named for the camp where George Adamson raised and released orphan lions (those of a certain age will remember Elsa from the movie Born Free), Elsa’s Kopje is sculpted into Mughwango Hill in the heart of Meru. Each cottage is crafted around Mughwango’s rocks, with a large bedroom, open sitting room, veranda and spacious bathroom, and vast, varied, and heartlifting African views.

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Lewa Wilderness lewa wildlife conservancy, kenya

Lovingly built in the foothills of Mount Kenya, Lewa Wilderness is the home of Will and Emma Craig, whose idyllic ranch—part of the vanguard Lewa Conservancy—has been in the family since 1922. Its eight cottages are decorated with a mixture of British coziness and safari chic. Another branch of the famous Craig family—Calum and Sophie Macfarlane — has created Lewa House in the Conservancy’s heart. Its sweet hospitality and novel, luxurious Earthpods are a cause for celebration.

Lewa Wilderness

Sirikoi lewa wildlife conservancy, kenya

The Lewa Conservancy is perhaps the most successful conservancy in Africa. Family-operated Sirikoi, one of its gems, was named the #1 Safari Property in Africa in 2019 by Condé Nast Traveler’s readers. Sirikoi’s three-bedroom House, two-bedroom Cottage, and its four tents are warm, appropriate, exemplary safari lodgings, and the Conservancy’s wildlife viewing is as good as the continent has to offer. This is a place that inspires great respect and affection.

Sirikoi

Lewa Safari Camp lewa wildlife conservancy, kenya

High up on the Laikipia Plateau, graced with unendingly various views of Mount Kenya, Lewa is classically airy and simply, easefully luxurious. The camp delights with its 12 thatched roof tents, each with a modern en-suite bathroom and a large private veranda overlooking one of the continent’s most vibrant African landscapes.

Lewa Safari Camp

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Loisaba Tented Camp laikipia plateau, kenya

Nestled on an escarpment overlooking the magnificent patchwork of Laikipia, Loisaba was designed to relish the breathtaking views. Spacious, airy tents have floor-to-ceiling doors and windows, polished floors and minimalist but sophisticated Africana furnishings. Horse and camel rides, bush walks, Samburu village visits and more await as we explore the Loisaba Conservancy quite literally in our backyard.

Loisaba Tented Camp

Segera Retreat

Segera Retreat laikipia plateau, kenya

Presided over by Mount Kenya, set atop the grand Laikipia Plateau, Segera Retreat is a luxurious oasis decorated with expertly curated original African artworks and graced with sweeping views of the surrounding savannah. Each villa’s upper floor features a large bedroom and en-suite bathroom; a sun deck and jacuzzi in the private garden offer salubrious lounging and post-game drive relaxing.

Loisaba Lodo Springs laikipia plateau, kenya

Set on a sincere little bluff, with only eight tents— each with its own Guest Ambassador—Loisaba Lodo is designed to welcome in the brilliant light of the 57,000-acre Loisaba Conservancy and catch ever-changing views of magisterial Mount Kenya. An intimate, intelligently designed camp, Loisaba pays informed tribute to old safari ways, with outstanding service, unobtrusive luxury, and deep respect for the land and its animals. Loisaba Lodo Springs

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Mutara Camp laikipia plateau, kenya

Set high on a cliff-top overlooking the vast and contemplation-inspiring Laikipia Plateau, Mutara Camp is the only camp in the 20,000-acre Mutara Conservancy. One of our contemplations is likely to be the invigorating contrast between the Plateau’s uninterrupted, animal-rich wilderness, and the soothing luxury of Mutara’s elegantly appointed tents, which feature all the modern comforts, including one of the rarest: deep serenity.

Serengeti Explorer

Mutara Camp

Serengeti Explorer serengeti, tanzania

Brilliantly reimagined, now the flagship of the Elewana group’s Explorer series, Serengeti Explorer sits high on the Nyaboro Hills, overlooking the planetarily unique “warm ocean of life” that is the Serengeti. With multiple restaurants, a chef ’s table in the wine cellar, an art gallery, kids’ bushcraft centre, yoga and fitness facilities, and all the elegant grace notes Elewana is famous for, Serengeti Explorer is an instant Serengeti star. Mwiba Lodge

Mwiba Lodge serengeti, tanzania

Perched on a bouldery, tree-shaded kopje overlooking a river gorge, Mwiba is a little island of serene civilization and luxury in the midst of an even more serene natural wonder, the vast, golden, animal-thronged plain of the Serengeti. Its 10 tented suites (two of them adjoining for family safariers) are superbly equipped, and well situated to capture the Serengeti’s epic sunsets and sunrises.

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Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti serengeti, tanzania

Already well supplied with safari-style elegance, the rebranded Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti is a delightful escape in the heart of the Serengeti. Spacious, lavishly appointed rooms feature original artwork and private decks. We browse the art gallery, luxuriate in the world-class spa, and lounge in the infinity pool while watching wildlife drink at the nearby waterhole. Private ranger and butler services make this heavenly African experience yet more luxurious.

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge serengeti, tanzania

Chic and elegant, Grumeti’s 10 luxe tents feature modern, earthy interiors of African fabrics and locally sculpted furnishings, as well as al fresco showers open to the sun and stars. Winningly, the camp sits on the edge of an oxbow lake bustling with hippos.

Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge Migration Camp

Migration Camp serengeti, tanzania

Perched alluringly on a kopje above the rolling hills and plains of the Serengeti, Migration Camp is a haven of sumptuousness amidst the raw splendour of the surrounding bush. Its roomy tents are superbly secluded and blend in with their site above the Grumeti River. Migration Camp’s split-level lounge, cigar bar, restaurants, and swimming pool remind us of what it’s pleasant to think of as the delightfully, almost innocently decadent days of the past.

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Namiri Plains serengeti, tanzania

Located on land recently opened by the Tanzanian government, Namiri Plains basks in privacy. Its classic, animal-rich Serengeti savannah is dotted with acacia trees, the inimitable African signature. Namiri prides itself on its simplicity, but that said, it has the comforts—pool, all the modern conveniences—of more theatrically themed camps. Its 10 tented suites, a family suite, and two large retreats are, Condé Nast Traveler writes, “emphatically chic.”

Namiri Plains

The Manor at Ngorongoro ngorongoro, tanzania

South of the glorious crater, within a lush coffee estate, The Manor blends refined European touches and farmhouse chic. Private, stand-alone cottage suites with adjoining sun terraces are floored with sleek parquet and tile, accented by impeccable wooden furnishings as well as double open-fronted fireplaces. Favourite pastimes here include exploring the Manor’s hills or surrendering to a deep-tissue massage. Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá

The Manor at Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro Lodge Meliá ngorongoro, tanzania

Inspirationally set on the rim of the fabulous Lost World of the Ngorongoro Crater, Melia excels in modern touches like a bright, well-equipped spa and gym; a sharp eye on sustainability; an excellent restaurant; and an infinity pool overlooking — you might think it hovers over — the Crater. And, as it should, modernity here serves a purpose: bringing us into close engagement with one of the world’s grandest wonders.

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Tarangire Sopa Lodge tarangire, tanzania

Built to blend in with its vast and beautiful surroundings, Tarangire Sopa Lodge is hidden among the kopjes, ancient baobabs, and grasses of Tarangire National Park—home to the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa (many of whom can be seen around the lodge, affording us close, respectful encounters). Tarangire Sopa’s rooms—each with a private-entry lounge and mini-bar—are unusually spacious and refreshingly open to the pristine Tarangire air.

Ngorongoro Oldeani Lodge

Tarangire Sopa Lodge

Ngorongoro Oldeani Lodge ngorongoro, tanzania

Colonial-style Ngorongoro Oldeani Lodge is situated on a hill with around-the-compass views of Oldeani Mountain and especially booming looks at the worldwondrous Ngorongoro Crater, close at hand for our eventful game drives. Oldeani has all the unpretentious luxe—the great cuisine, soothing pools, spas, amenities, and lovely accommodations—we expect, and its sublime location makes it a Tanzanian gem.

Tarangire Treetops

Tarangire Treetops tarangire, tanzania

The main lodge encircles a baobab tree, but that’s just one Treetops fascination: every marvelous tree house boasts one of the largest bedrooms to be found in any camp or lodge in East Africa. Each features an exotic double shower in its ensuite bathroom, furnishings that demonstrate a commitment to fine local craftsmanship, and an open-fronted room design affording views across the Tarangire plains from an expansive balcony.

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Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge parc national des volcans, rwanda

Due west of here, on page 144 we say that visiting with the famous and carefully protected mountain gorillas of the Parc des Volcans is “something you’ll want to tell your grandchildren’s children about.” Micato is delighted to use the lovely Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge’s six stone cottages, its two suites, and its grand family suite, as a staging point for “rare, beautiful, and often very moving” encounters with our magnificent near-relatives.

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

Bisate Lodge

Bisate Lodge parc national des volcans, rwanda

Graced by towering views of the jungle volcanoes from which the park takes its name—they’re higher, as we say, than “any Rocky or Sierra Nevada”— Bisate is a sumptuous gateway to heart-stirring meetings with the Parc des Volcans’ mountain gorillas. Intimate and very African in feel, the lodge’s six brightly decorated suites were designed for comfort, immersion in this natural wonderland, and for state-of-the-art sustainability.

One&Only Gorilla’s Nest

Gorilla’s Nest parc national des volcans, rwanda

One&Only, of Cape Town fame, brings its tradition of unremitting excellence to the high greenlands of the Virunga Mountains (the lofty volcanoes of Africa’s oldest national park, established in 1925). The lodge’s detached cottages, decorated in flairful style, feature all the modern amenities and imaginative touches we expect from One&Only, and provide a marvelous base from which we venture out for visits with the Virungas’ animal denizens, most notably its zealously protected mountain gorillas.

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S OUT H ER N A FR ICA

Whether our travellers embark on a Classic, Private Classic, or a hand-crafted Custom Safari, Micato relishes selecting magnificent properties for the journey. These charming Southern Africa hotels, resorts, camps, and lodges vary in style and locale from chic urbanity to ever-entrancing tented camp luxury. (For more Custom standouts and exquisite Private Villas and Estates, see our expanded collection at Micato.com.)

Singita Private Game Reserve south africa, zimbabwe, tanzania, and rwanda There is hardly an award that Singita hasn’t won in its more than 30 years (its African roots are a hardy century-old). Each of its lodges provides unrivalled luxury in an unspoiled landscape. In South Africa, Lebombo is a sensory immersion, a glass-walled haven of elaborate simplicity. Embodying earthy elegance, Sweni is distinctly African and soothingly serene. Boulders’ rough-hewn, rock-and-timber aesthetic is infused with such lavish luxuries as private, heated plunge pools. Exceptional quality and refinement pervade the graceful, exclusive-use Ebony. Singita’s nine private villas—including Kataza House, next to the gorilla clans of the Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park—are exemplars of the Bailes family’s commitment to conservation and thoughtful luxury. See page 67 for more about these stunning properties. Modern and nostalgic, romantic and sexy, cozy and airy, colonial and African, Singita’s lodges are luxurious worlds within a wild land. True in South Africa, equally true in Singita’s East African properties, Sasakwa Lodge, Sabora Tented Camp, Faru Faru Lodge, Serengeti House, Milele and the exclusive-use Explore Camp. Singita Sweni Lodge

Ulusaba Private Game Reserve sabi sand game reserve, south africa

A private game reserve, Ulusaba affords boutique hotel comfort at the threshold of South Africa’s wilderness splendour. Owned by Sir Richard Branson and featuring his flair for mixing luxury with adventure, the camp has an attentive staff and superb facilities—including a world-class spa, gymnasium, tennis courts, wine cellar, and luxurious rooms—that make it an ideal location from which to spy passing predators or explore nearby, wildlife-rich Kruger National Park. Ulusaba Rock Lodge 168

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Earth Lodge

Earth Lodge sabi sand game reserve, south africa

Considered one of the most environmentally sensitive lodges in Africa, Earth Lodge blends almost invisibly into the bushveld of the private Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which shares an unfenced border with famed Kruger National Park. Each of its 13 extra-luxurious suites (and its Amber Presidential Suite), decorated with natural wood sculptures by renowned South African artist Geoffrey Armstrong, features a private plunge pool, and glass-fronted bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers.

Tengile River Lodge sabi sand game reserve, south africa

Tengile’s nine, beautifully designed, solar-powered luxury suites are ensconced in a lush forest on a leisurely bend on the Sand River, attracting the plenteous wildlife of the private Sabi Sand Game Reserve, adjoining Kruger National Park. Each suite features a familysized living room, indoor and outdoor showers, a private plunge pool, and a comfy viewing deck. Tengile’s common areas, including an especially grand dining room, are uncommonly homey.

Tswalu The Motse

Tengile River Lodge

Tswalu Kalahari Private Game Reserve kalahari desert, south africa

South Africa’s largest private game reserve—it’s larger than eight and a half San Franciscos—Tswalu Kalahari hosts a maximum of 30 guests at a time in its three properties, the Motse, Loapi Tented Camp, and Tarkuni Homestead. The three are brilliantly luxurious, wonderfully varied, and testaments to the Oppenheimer family’s superb taste, in both scenery and design. Limited space is the only reason we don’t rhapsodize about Tswalu for, say, two or three pages… per property. SOUTHERN AFRICA MICATO LODGES AND CAMPS

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Royal Malewane

Royal Malewane thornybush game reserve, south africa

Micato’s safari experts are poised to give you tempting details on the private villas, private pools, grand suites, and overarching hospitality and service in Malewane’s three impressively luxe lodges, Malewane Lodge, Farmstead, and Waterside. All are set in the private, 34,500acre Thornybush Game Reserve, which borders on famed Kruger National Park’s wondrous game lands. And each of these distinctively designed lodges offers deep immersion into the peaceful world apart that makes safari such a unique and vitalizing experience.

Phinda Forest Lodge phinda private game reserve, south africa

Set on a hilltop with wraparound views of the exuberantly green Lebombo Hills in KwaZuluNatal, Phinda Mountain Lodge’s airy suites and cottages (many joinable to create family compounds) offers an imaginative host of activities, including, of course, game drives in the 73,000-acre Phinda Private Game Reserve, home to the Big Five. And Phinda Forest Lodge, set in Africa’s last remaining dry sand forest, is a particularly luxurious exemplar of ecological alertness and harmony.

Phinda Forest Lodge

Saseka Tented Camp thornybush game reserve, south africa Saseka is beautifully set in the private Thornybush Game Reserve, which shares a fenceless border with Kruger National Park. All the Big Five are in residence, along with their equally starry supporting cast of African animals. Designed by the visionaries Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, Saseka is a brilliant combination of modernity and classic, environmentally immersive safari style. Its eight luxurious tented suites each have their own private deck, outdoor shower, and pool.

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Saseka Tented Camp

Mount Nelson cape town, south africa

Set in nine acres of verdant gardens, Mount Nelson is one of Cape Town’s most ravishing abodes of style, comfort, and history—the iconic Pink Lady has hosted the likes of Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, John Lennon, and the Dalai Lama. Its rooms and suites evoke an older, gentler time: a welcoming vase of roses, a balcony overlooking the grounds, Venetian mirrors, a Victorian four-poster bed, a cosy fireplace, and a fine view of Table Mountain. Mount Nelson

One&Only Cape Town cape town, south africa

A jewel in a city positively brimming with them, the One&Only is wonderfully situated in the soft shadow of Table Mountain, within easy ambling distance of the fizzy Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Its rooms and suites are warmly modern and commodious, its service is peerless, and its three restaurants — Isola (set on the hotel’s inner island), cosmopolitan ROOI, and Nobu (the great Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s sub-Saharan outpost)—are some of Africa’s culinary capital’s finest. One&Only Cape Town

Zarafa Camp selinda reserve, botswana

Set in the shade of a red ivory forest, Zarafa Camp is an eco-friendly hideaway offering a personalized luxury camp experience. Accommodating only eight guests, the camp’s four 1,000-square-foot marquis tents each feature enchantingly rustic decor, complete with custom-crafted furniture and a copper fireplace. Outside, the veranda offers a private plunge pool, lounge, and breathtaking views of the Zibadianja Lagoon. Zarafa entwines exquisite privacy with princely comforts. Zarafa Camp Selinda Camp

Selinda Camp selinda reserve, botswana

On the banks of a spillway in a private, pristine reserve, Selinda is one of Africa’s most luxurious wildernessencounter camps; its superbly realized four tented villas are a study in polished wood and safari chic. From our doorstep the lush Delta is easily explorable by watercraft, vehicle, or on foot, while the temptations of a quiet swim or in-room massage beckon back at camp.

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Duke’s Camp okavango delta, botswana

Set on a nifty, solitudinous little island in a private conservancy in the lyrically twisting waterways of the Delta, Duke’s is named for its custodian, Sarefo “Duke” Sarefo, who was born on the island. Created by the founders of legendary Jack’s Camp, Duke’s honours its deep African roots with lovingly curated, traditional safari accoutrements, and a sense of understated luxury that compliments its lush and scenically exuberant surroundings. Duke’s Camp

Duba Plains

Duba Plains okavango delta, botswana

Intimate—only five rooms and a two-bedroom suite—Duba Plains Camp rests pacifically in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Designed by the renowned filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dereck Joubert to blend seamlessly into the Delta’s lush forests, Duba Plains pays tribute to the miraculous, animal-abounding Okavango with traditional Botswanan grace and cheery panache.

Xigera Lodge

Xigera Lodge okavango delta, botswana

Sublimely set in the midst of the Okavango Delta, a one-of-a-kind natural masterpiece, Xigera Lodge’s 12 beautiful suites overlook one of the Delta’s pacific waterways, connected to the maze of channels and islands that provide a lush habitat for a marvelously rich roster of wildlife. Just a couple of Xigera’s many charms: its winsome walkways and its extraordinarily beautiful interior decorations, curated by the esteemed Southern Guild design group of Cape Town and Los Angeles.

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Atzaró Okavango okavango delta, botswana

Atzaró is justly proud of its harmonious integration with the great Delta. Its eight tents and two villas are crisply modern and contemporary, with canopied four-post beds, plump leather chairs, dramatic slatted ceiling lamps, and wood accents that frame the floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto your private outdoor veranda and private plunge pool. Suites also have indoor and outdoor showers and all the most modern accoutrements.

Atzaró Okavango Camp

Eagle Island Lodge okavango delta, botswana

Like its sister property, Cape Town’s fabled Mount Nelson, Eagle Island is a masterful combination of soothing luxury and great location, in this case the incomparable Okavango Delta. Its tented rooms feature all the most modern safari amenities, including private plunge pools and outdoor showers. And Eagle Island’s eventful game drives with your Micato Safari Director, and its optional helicopter and horsebacking excursions, are especially alluring. Eagle Island Lodge Sandibe Safari Lodge

Sandibe Safari Lodge okavango delta, botswana

Superbly situated on a leafy riverbank, amid private concession land bordering the Delta’s Moremi Game Reserve, Sandibe is something of an architectural marvel. The lodge’s 12 enchanting private suites, elevated among the trees, are panelled in pale wood, furnished with a platform bed, sculptural pendant lights, and a bath with copper basins and a shower enclosure of smooth stone. Each boasts its own intimate veranda with a plunge pool and daybeds for lounging.

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Monachira Camp

Monachira Camp okavango delta, botswana

Monachira’s elevated wooden decks give us expansive views of the wildlife-thronged channel that gives this old-timey (but cheerfully modern) tented camp its name. And that’s only a prelude to game drives, motorboat, and mokoro waterway excursions in the famed Moremi Game Reserve that introduce us to its marvelous variety of animals— exceptionally large elephant and buffalo herds, leopards, painted dogs, and bubbly pods of immense hippos—that make their ancient home in the Okavango.

Tuludi okavango delta, botswana

Nestled in the Okavango’s 770-square-mile Khwai Private Reserve, the new Tuludi was created to enfold its guests in the Okavango’s resplendent natural surroundings. Its seven tree-house-style rooms (and one family suite), designed with a soothing mix of modern and African styles, each feature a private plunge pool and sunken deck. The camp’s location within the Khwai Reserve offers Micato guests great privacy on game drives and boating sojourns in the Delta’s waterways.

Tuludi

Sable Alley okavango delta, botswana

Set beside a hippo-, elephant-, and Cape buffalo-favoured lagoon in the Okavango’s 495,000-acre Khwai Private Reserve, Sable Alley is a brilliantly conceived camp whose canvas-walled, 600-square-foot suites combine old-fashioned safari ambience with up-to-the-second modern conveniences.

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SOUTHERN AFRICA MICATO LODGES AND CAMPS

Savute Elephant Lodge chobe national park, botswana

Serendipitously set on the Savute Channel in Chobe, Botswana’s first and most biologically flourishing national park, Belmond Savute combines elegant and pacific luxury with exciting game drives in search of the park’s grand assembly of Africa’s animal stars. We’ll make a rare visit to 1,500-year-old San Bushmen rock paintings, typically followed by a “hushed and awed” meeting with a majestic baobab forest, “like entering a gorgeous natural cathedral,” as one guest remembered. Savute Elephant Lodge Kiri Camp

Kiri Camp moremi reserve, botswana

Its location in a private concession gives lovely Kiri Camp access to remote, previously inaccessible areas of the world-unique Okavango Delta. And so we’re able to make night and off-road drives and expertly guided walks on the Delta’s islands, populated by plains predators and grazers, and to wend its soothing waterways in mokoros, gazing in serenity at its myriad water-loving beasts. In short: the Okavango in all its magnificent faunal, floral, avian, and scenic varieties.

Kwessi Dunes namibrand nature reserve, namibia

Located in an especially spectacular spot in a country abounding in magic places, secluded Kwessi Dunes’ 12 air-conditioned, welcomingly luxurious chalets — each with a winsome star-gazing room, outdoor and indoor showers, and all the mod cons, as they say — brings us into cordial contact with the NamibRand’s scarlet sand dunes, limitless African skies (it’s Africa’s first International Dark Sky Reserve), and its seemingly eternal desert and mountain landscapes. Kwessi Dunes

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Sossusvlei Desert Lodge namib desert, namibia

The Sossusvlei Desert Lodge is a remote hostelry near an otherworldly wonder: the gargantuan Sossusvlei Dunes. The lodge’s spacious stoneand-glass villas—enfolded by ancient mountains—feature elegant interiors and spectacular views through massive windows. We explore this rugged landscape by foot or on quad bikes, and relax on a private veranda looking across to the almost glowing, barely believable dunes. And when night falls, we gaze at a matchless celestial spectacle from the lodge’s observatory. Sossusvlei Desert Lodge Onguma the Fort

Onguma the Fort etosha national park, namibia

Remindful of a splendid Moroccan fort, Onguma offers near-infinite views across the thorn tree-dotted plains of Etosha, one of the finest landscapes in a country rich with them. Each of the Fort’s 11 luxury suites, decorated with lush but subtle flair, stands alone, detached by 150 or so feet and many metaphorical miles from the rest of the world, giving us wonderful privacy in a dramatically solitudinous setting.

Thorntree River Lodge

Thorntree River Lodge victoria falls, zambia

Set beside the Zambezi River, just upstream from the fabulous torrent of Victoria Falls, Thorntree River Lodge’s eight twin and two family suites are inspirationally decorated in traditional safari style, with locally carved wood and private thatched verandas above the mighty river, looking out at Victoria’s silvery mists. Micato is especially fond of Thorntree for its imaginative engagement with the river, whose steady pulse animates and refreshes life in the lodge.

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Royal Livingstone Hotel livingstone, zambia

An old-fashioned, colonial-style redoubt, fully up-to-the-second, one of T+L’s Best Hotels in the World, the Royal Livingstone would be a sought-after destination even if it weren’t within strolling distance of ceaselessly stunning Victoria Falls. An African icon, the Royal Livingstone underwent a many-million-dollar upgrade recently, and its charms have been burnished to a shine for another few decades to come.

Royal Livingstone Hotel

Somalisa Camp

Somalisa Camp hwange national park, zimbabwe

With only seven tastefully designed, airy, up-tothe-minute modern tents, Somalisa takes appreciative advantage of its location in the heart of Hwange National Park’s classically African landscapes and the animals who frequent the camp’s waterhole. With their lively decor, sitting room, and big, old-fashioned bathtubs looking out at the bush, these tents, as we often say, resemble the tents of our youth like a Rolex resembles a Timex.

Victoria Falls Hotel

Victoria Falls Hotel victoria falls, zimbabwe

A classic colonial-era masterpiece, the Victoria Falls is within walking distance of the gargantuan cataract. Built in 1904, it was the first and finest of the Falls’ hotels, and, after a complete and thoughtful renovation, it’s back at the top of the list. High tea on the hotel’s veranda, with Victoria’s mist-creating rainbows in the near distance, is an unforgettable treat.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS, RESPONSIBILITY AND BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT This Terms and Conditions, Responsibility and Binding Arbitration Agreement is applicable to the tour you are booking as well as to any tour to which you may transfer or on which you rebook. Rates quoted in this brochure are valid through December 31, 2027, and include:

Accommodations First-class hotel accommodations based on double or twin-bedded rooms with private bath or showers. The categories assigned to hotels reflect the opinion of Micato Safaris. Meals Three meals daily per the itinerary, based on evening arrivals on Day 2. Regional wines, beer, soft drinks, and bottled water are included with meals. Air Transportation Your travel advisor can arrange your international flights. Internal African flights on safari must be purchased through Micato. Luggage Micato provides a safari bag that guests are urged to travel with. On certain flights within Africa, strict luggage restrictions apply; details are provided in tour documentation. Luggage and personal effects are at “owner’s risk” throughout the tour unless insured. Wi-Fi and Laundry Where available, Wi-Fi and laundry service are included in the Tour rates. Taxes The tour program includes hotel taxes as imposed by city and state governments, entrance fees to National Parks and Game Reserves, and airport taxes for intracountry flights. International airport taxes are not included. Not Included in Quoted Tour Rates: Cost of obtaining passports, visas, travel insurance, excess baggage charges, items of a personal nature such as communication (calls, faxes, emails, etc.), deviations from the tour and anything else not specifically included. Registration A deposit of 30% is required at the time of booking. The balance or final payment is due 120 days prior to departure. Cancellations Cancellations received by Micato 120 days or more prior to departure are subject to a cancellation fee of 20% of the total retail tour rate; 119–60 days prior to departure is 50% of the tour rate; Cancellations received 59 days or less are subject to a 100% cancellation fee. Trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended. Different cancellation terms apply for Custom, Private Classic journeys, or Extensions. Arrangements Quoted tour rates include planning, handling and operational charges, based on the current rate of exchange as of September 2026. In the event of an increase in foreign exchange, energy or fuel surcharges, or other increases, etc., except for increased governmental taxes which can be assessed at any time, rates are subject to revision up to the time of your final payment to us. Guaranteed Departures Micato guarantees departure of all group programs once a deposit is paid excepting only cases of force majeure. Force majeure includes any event that adversely affects international travel patterns such as epidemics, acts of God or government, terrorism as well as any other circumstance beyond Micato’s control. Extensions Extensions are locally guided. Responsibility Taicoa Corporation d/b/a Micato Safaris, its employees, shareholders, officers and directors (collectively “Micato”) does not own or operate any entity which is to or does provide goods or services for your trip, including, for example, lodging facilities, transportation companies, local ground or safari operators, including, without limitation, various entities which may utilize the Micato name, guides, entertainment, food or drink service providers, equipment suppliers, etc. As a result, Micato is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any such person or entity. In addition, Micato is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any person or entity it does not own or control, nor for any act or inaction of any third party not under its control. Without limitation Micato is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damage, injury, death, financial or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience or irregularity of any kind which may be occasioned by reason of any act or omission beyond its control, including, without limitation any willful or negligent act, failure to act, breach of contract or violation of local law or

regulation of any third party such as an airline, train, hotel, bus, taxi, van or safari operator, local groundhandler or guide, whether or not it uses the Micato name, financial default or insolvency of any supplier which is to, or does supply any goods or services for this trip. Similarly, Micato is not responsible for any loss, injury, death or inconvenience due to delay or changes in schedule, transportation delays or cancellations or the failure of any transportation mechanism to depart or arrive timely or safely, overbooking of accommodation, financial or other default of any third party, attacks or bites by wild or domestic animals, pests, or insects, injury or death while on activities sponsored by lodging facilities or by other third parties, sickness, the lack of appropriate medical care, evacuation to same, if necessary, weather, strikes, acts of God or acts of or orders of government, acts of terrorism, or the threat thereof, force majeure, war, quarantine, epidemics, or the threat thereof, criminal activity, lost, misplaced, delayed or damaged luggage for any reason, or any other cause beyond its control. In addition, guest holds Micato harmless from its own negligence and assumes all risk thereof. The right is reserved to alter, cancel or postpone the itinerary or trip, at Micato’s sole discretion, as it may deem necessary or advisable. Micato reserves the right to decline to accept or retain any passenger on any of its tours if, in its sole discretion, it deems accepting or retaining any such passenger as creating a health or safety risk to any person, being detrimental to the tour, or if that person’s continued presence is inconsistent with the best interests of the trip, other guests or staff. In the event any passenger is removed from a trip, Micato’s only obligation is to refund to that person that portion of the payment allocable to unused services.

Cancellations and Postponements by Micato If Micato cancels or postpones a trip, based upon acts of God or force majeure, acts or orders of government, epidemics or the threat thereof, terrorism or the threat thereof, strikes or labor disturbances, demonstrations, riots or civil unrest, criminal activity, supplier default or insolvency, or other similar circumstances, its sole obligation is to issue credits in the full amount of moneys paid to Micato to the extent its suppliers are crediting Micato with those monies paid by Micato to them. Under no circumstances is Micato obligated to refund the cost of any purchased travel insurance. Micato is not required to cancel any program for any reason including without limitation, United States Department of State, Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization or other Warnings or Advisories of any kind. Micato is not responsible for fees assessed by air carriers resulting from operational and/or itinerary changes, even if Micato makes the flight arrangements or cancels the program. Your decision not to participate in the tour due to State Department or Centers for Disease Control advisories or warnings, fear of travel, or for any other reason will be deemed a cancellation. Miscellaneous Micato reserves the right to substitute lodges, hotels or attractions of a similar category for those listed in this brochure. Guests are urged to review the important information provided by the United States Department of State and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s country specific information available at http://www.state.gov and http://www.cdc.gov. Changes in these Terms and Conditions, Responsibility and Binding Arbitration Agreement can be made only in a writing signed by an officer of Micato. Photography: Micato may take photographs or film of its trips and trip participants, and participant grants Micato express permission to do so and for Micato to use such for promotional or commercial use without payment of any compensation therefor. Unused Services: There is no right to a refund for any unused services. Binding Arbitration: Any dispute concerning, relating or referring to this Agreement, the brochure or any other literature concerning my trip, or the trip itself, shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. Sections 1-16, according to the then existing Comprehensive Arbitration Rules & Procedures of the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. (JAMS). Such proceedings will be governed by substantive (but not procedural) New York law and will take place in New York, NY. The arbitrator and not any federal, state, or local court or agency shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, conscionability, or formation of this contract, including but not limited to any claim that all or any part of this contract is void or voidable. Please understand that by agreeing to these terms and conditions, you (and we) are waiving our right to a trial by jury. Any arbitration commenced against Micato must be on behalf of only the signatory to this Agreement and his or her immediate family members who travelled with signatory, such as a spouse or child. Under no circumstances can participant be part of a class or other joint action.

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Micato is undoubtedly the finest safari company I have ever been involved with for any of my film shoots in Africa. Their organization and friendliness are outstanding, and the Pinto family’s involvement and obvious love distinguish them further. Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo, and Emmy Award–winning host of Jack Hanna’s Wild Countdown

Join Us in India Micato’s Ancestral Home

ur roots in India are deep and our enduring love for it is great. Mark Twain called it “the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his round” and his praise is as fresh as ever.

For the past 30 years Micato has showcased the subcontinent in high, elegant, and knowledgeable style. For a look at our sparkling brochure, pop over to our website — or call — and ask for a copy.