Notes & Scrapbooks from Travelers

EAST AFRICA

I wanted to send a heartfelt thank you for all your time and hard work in making our trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar so special and memorable for my family and me. All the places we stayed were beautiful, and the staff's hospitality was unmatched. Our girls left with their eyes opened and hearts full. Justin also welcomed us with gifts, stories, and complete peace of mind. 

We would like to give special recognition to our driver and safari guide, David. He was absolutely brilliant, patient, and knowledgeable, taking care of us as if we were family.

Thank you! Thank you! We look forward to working with your company again and already have our sights on Rwanda to see the gorillas when the girls are of age.

Stephanie, Christophe, Juliette and Charlotte (Family in lead picture)

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TANZANIA

We have been back home for a week, and we are still reeling from our fabulous time in Tanzania. It's almost difficult to describe to our friends and family because we saw so much in regards to the flora and fauna and, no doubt, culturally as well.

I appreciate your advice to drive to the Serengeti instead of flying. We got to see so much of the rural areas, villages, and Masai people. It was truly educational for our sons (13 and 10 yrs old) and made a deep impression on them. We feel they matured after this trip by observation; they saw kids playing soccer with a water bottle and a homemade ball made out of plastic bags and rope because a real soccer ball was inaccessible. So much was truly eye opening.

I also have to give high praise to our guide, Evod. He was truly an amazing person. He welcomed us from the beginning and was open to all of our questions. We bonded over many cross cultural exchanges. It was clear that his 17 years of experience helped guide us to so many animals. We know that tracking a leopard for an hour requires a bit of luck, but he got us to the right places on several instances. We saw a pack of female lions dragging a carcass back to the den. It was unreal! 

Thank you for your help in developing this trip. It was a dream fulfilled for Josh in particular. We will keep Born Free at the top of our list.

J.S. Cooper

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Hello Born Free!

To say that our trip was a trip of a lifetime would be an understatement. Watching our family members, who had never been to Africa, experience it for the first time was an incredibly special experience for John and me. Thank you for all the work you put into this trip!

Our visits to Swala, Lion's Paw, and both Serengeti camps were wonderful. Every night we would talk about "our favorite thing" for the day, and along with the magnificent animal sightings, the people we met were definitely part of our favorites. Again, for John and me, hearing our kids express their awe at all they were doing and seeing was my on-going "favorite thing!"

The kids are also talking about their next safari, so you may be hearing from them! Thank you so much for once again helping us "find the joy" 

and "make a memory." 

Stanfield Family

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We’re home and trying to recover from jetlag. Had a wonderful time, thank you! It was seamless. Swala was wonderful, and our last camp Lemala Kuria Hills was also a favorite. Lemala Ngorongoro camp was a hoot. But it was so cold up there on the rim. I did not like the drive up to the rim, long narrow mountain roads with fog coming in. kind of scarry.  

We had the best driver/guide, Peter Njau. He was a really good guide who knew his stuff.  (As you know)  Noa had surgery this morning on her elbow. Hopefully, she’ll recover and heal rapidly. I really thought we were going to have to cancel the trip while in Dubai. Your assciate in Kenya, Mary really came thru, where our insurance emergency number did not. Mary also proactively sent a courier to pickup the xrays to send to our daughter Morgan, who was trying to communicate with doctors here in LA.  

Linda E. 

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ZAMBIA

Your attention to detail made everything perfect. I understand putting together such an experience for your customer is your “job” but we all felt Born Free went above and beyond......... Our helicopter ride over Victoria Falls was breathtaking. Our stay at the A’Zambezi River Lodge was lovely as was the Royal Zambezi Lodge. Everything about the BushCamp Company was outstanding. From the moment Alex and Onacious met us at the airport to our emotional goodbyes after seven packed filled days and nights. Their knowledge, fun loving spirit and everything about them quickly made us feel like family. The staff at the camps were so gracious; always smiling and making sure we had just what we needed. And the cuisine was so delicious! Our pizza oven lunch, dinner under the stars and breathtaking sundowners while sitting in the river were so cool! Sign me up for a bush camp over a Hilton any day! I can’t thank you enough for helping to make my first Africa adventure the best ever.  

Most sincerely,

Patricia Z. 

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UGANDA

I can’t thank you enough for putting together such an amazing trip to Uganda. I’ll admit I started out with a few worries.-the flying, and whether there would be enough to keep me

busy-but you both put me at ease. Everything was so well thought out. I could just relax and enjoy it.

The guides were wonderful, and Phillip especially made the long drives fly by. We laughed and talked for seven days straight and those moments turned into some of

my favorites memories of the trip. 

This really was the trip of a lifetime, and I’m so grateful to you both making it happen.

Sherry G. 

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UGANDA

Some trips fade into memory. Others become part of who you are. My travels with Born Free Safaris & World Wide Tours belong firmly in the second category.

Six friends and I travelled to Kenya on what began as a safari and gradually became something much more meaningful. A week in the Maasai Mara introduced us to Africa’s extraordinary wildlife. Watching lions at sunrise, listening to the sounds of the savannah from our luxury tented camp, and witnessing the rhythm of life on the plains remains one of the great privileges of my life.

Looking back, what made the trip remarkable wasn’t simply where we went. It was how naturally everything unfolded. Every destination flowed into the next. There was time to pause, to absorb what we had seen, and to meet the people whose stories gave those places life. That kind of travel rarely happens by accident. It happens because someone has quietly done an extraordinary job behind the scenes.

That someone was Alana Hayden and her U.S. team.

Six years later, three friends and I found ourselves planning another African journey to Uganda…………….. 

Uganda ultimately became one of the finest trips I have ever taken. Our guide, Musa, accompanied us throughout the entire journey. By the end of two weeks, he no longer felt like a guide but like a travelling companion and friend. His instinct for finding wildlife seemed almost uncanny. Whether tracking gorillas through mountain forests or positioning our vehicle for unforgettable encounters with elephants, leopards, and hippos, he always seemed to know exactly where to be.

The greatest compliment I can give Born Free Safaris is this: they make extraordinary travel feel effortless.

Only after returning home do you begin to appreciate the countless decisions, adjustments, and relationships that quietly made everything possible. The logistics disappear. What remains are the memories. And those memories have stayed with me ever since.

When I next find myself planning another journey to Africa, I already know that Born Free Safaris will be there helping me to write the next chapter.

Stephen Oliver

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ISLANDS

We just checked in to our lovely apartment at Le Suffren in Mauritius. Another amazing place. The entire trip has been incredible. We have marveled at the level of service, the great accommodations, the

engaging experiences, the promptness of every guide and driver, and the truly flawless experience.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. We know that a complicated and wonderful trip like this requires incredible expertise and effort. We appreciate you so much.

Regards,

Linda and Roger