Top of my list...
Micato
Dennis Pinto, who runs Micato Safaris, is a sort of hero of mine. He's doing just
the kind of work I've always dreamed of doing: showing the wonders of
Africa (and India too!) to the whole world, and making a difference in
the process. There's a reason why Micato has been voted the
#1
World's Best Safari Outfitter by Travel+Leisure a record nine times, and
named Travel+Leisure World's Best Value on every poll ever taken.
They're also the only tour operator in Travel+Leisure's Hall of Fame.
These people
know how to do a safari! Here's just one brilliant example...
Imagine
gliding down massive sand dunes, visiting a remote African tribe, and
quad-biking past herds of wildlife -- and then exploring the Cradle of
Mankind with Africa's legendary family of fossil hunters! All of these
are uncommon safari experiences, but combining them into one adventure
is the most extraordinary of all.
That is precisely what Micato has done in A Northern Frontier Expedition. You'll
travel by deluxe helicopter to the spectacular dunes of the Saguta
Valley for the thrill of sand surfing, then to the windswept shores of
Lake Turkana for a fishing expedition, and perhaps visiting Kenya's
smallest tribe, the El Molo.
But
the highlight of this "Journey Beyond the Ordinary": Koobi Fora, the
excavation site offering the largest repository of early hominids and
Early Stone Age archaeological material in East Africa-some four
million years
old, with Louis Leakey's granddaughter, Louise, who leads the project with her mother, Meave. True paleoanthropology
royalty
-- having proven the African genesis for humankind-the family was
featured in Time's list of the 100 most important people of the last
century. Time noted that with Louise and Meave, "the stage is set for
the first family of anthropology to continue well into the next
century."
You'll
get an opportunity to overnight here, living the life of an
archeologist with the Leakey team. From base-camp authentic to endlessly
luxurious, this expedition is unlike any other: Kitich Camp, in the
remote Matthew's Mountain wilderness with no vehicles in sight...Koija
Star Beds in Laikipia-open air accommodations and a unique experience in
a partnership with the local Maasai tribe.
So from adventures in paleoanthropology to the ecology of the African savannahs
to some of Kenya's most exotic tented camps. This sensational "Journey Beyond the Ordinary" offers it all.
But here's the thing: It's not just about the safari. It's about making the world a better place.
Micato
Safaris matches every safari it sells with payment of all school fees
for a child in need...a child who would otherwise stay home due to
extreme poverty.
One safari, one child. They call it their One for One Commitment.
Through its School Sponsorship Programme, Micato-AmericaShare helps
children who might not otherwise be able to afford a quality education,
placing these vulnerable children in reputable boarding schools with
the help of you, the Micato traveller. The sponsored children get an
emotional boost knowing that someone cares about them, and it provides
them with a sense of hope and inspiration that they've never had before.
The funny thing is, it works both ways.
The
children's sponsors have long reported that the emotional boost for
them is just as powerful...that their own sense of hope and inspiration
increases a thousandfold once they get to know their sponsored
children. (I know -- my sister sponsors a child!)
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