Larry Olmsted, Contributor I travel to learn, eat, golf, and ski, but mostly for travel’s sake
The World’s Best Safaris Keep Getting Better: 50 Years Of Excellence Ten minutes after walking off the plane, I was on my way out of the Nairobi airport. Less than ten minutes later I saw a zebra roadside, my first wildlife of the trip. It was an auspicious beginning to what would be a fantastic trip, especially given that most of my fellow passengers were still back in the airport, waiting in the immigration line. And it would have simply been impossible had I not been traveling with Micato Safaris. Micato was founded in Kenya more than 50 years ago, and is still family owned, run jointly out of headquarters in New York and Nairobi, with substantial satellites in South Africa and India, and smaller offices across Africa. Its founders have brought many millions of dollars in tourism activity to the local economy, provided numerous high quality jobs, and run an impressive non-profit, AmericaShare, that has given free education to thousands of children and sent hundreds more through college. MiWhen you are the top of the food chain, others notice. Maybe that’s why so cato sponsors the education of a Kenyan child for every many people in the travel industry keep naming Micato “Best Safari Outfitter.” safari it sells though its One for One program, operates charitable efforts in South Africa, and has won awards About 20 years ago a magazine assigned me a feature on African for its sustainability and conservation efforts. Jane Pinto, who wildlife safaris, and I arranged my first visit to the continent. The founded the company in 1966 with her husband Felix, even consensus among travel industry experts I knew was that Micato represented Kenya in the Olympics. The result of all this is that was the best, so I picked them. I was blown away by the quality Micato is locally beloved and impossibly well connected, of their services, and I am very, very familiar with the world of and that is how I found myself using the empty diplomatic line luxury travel. That first trip made me want to go back, and in at immigration. Then, while other travelers filled out customs the two decades since, I have traveled with Micato four more forms, we exited with a wave of the hand. Micato’s dedicated times to seven countries in Africa and to India, and have recomairport staffer meets arriving guests every day and knows mended them to countless friends, families and colleagues. everyone at the airport, and like many of their employees and safari guides, she has been with the company for over twenty Five years ago here at Forbes I wrote about why Micato runs years. That’s why Micato’s guests routinely dive deeper than the the World’s Best Safaris and I just got back from my most normal luxury tourism experience and get to meet scientists, recent trip, to Kenya and Rwanda. This reaffirmed what I have rangers and dignitaries. It’s why I had tea in the otherwise offlearned repeatedly over the intervening 20 years—if you want limits residential area of the Royal Palace in Jaipur on my trip to the best possible travel experience in Africa or India with India, and why the head of the National Park met me for lunch expertise you cannot get from any book or website, at my hotel to discuss Bengal tigers. It’s why Micato custominformed and updated curation of the best hotels, restauers include many who have their own sea of handlers and are rants and game viewing lodges, flawless execution of often used to incredible access, with clients including supermodels, professional athletes, and lots of Hollywood stars like Will Smith, convoluted logistics like bush plane flights, gorilla and tiger viewing permits, and most of all, nonstop VIP insider access, and Leonardo DiCaprio bought his Micato Safari at a charity just go with Micato. After these experiences and the certainty auction. Even the President of the United States chose them— of an outstanding trip every time, I would not take the risk of George W. Bush and his family traveled with the Pintos. But going with any other outfitter. every Micato customer gets that kind of special treatment.