africa & mideast

African Safari

Linda Young
Gavin Ford is a well-known and respected professional guide who has been leading safaris across and through Africa for the last 28 years. He has been awarded international awards for consistent guiding excellence, including Conde Nast 2002 Best Guide in Africa and ‘HIGHLY COMMENDED' from Paul Morrison Guiding Awards 2005. In addition, he is regularly recommended as one of the Top Five Guides in several international travel magazines.

Gavin has been actively involved in all aspects of safaris for over twenty six years. He has personally lead in excess of 2000 trips which include extended hiking trails, walking safaris, customised camping and lodge combinations, fly-in safaris as well as boat trips.

Gavin grew up as a native Zimbabwean, in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, and spent his early years in the quiet rural town of Mutare, surrounded by mountains and bush country. His family resided there for many years and it remains his home "where the heart is," as Gavin says.

After Independence in 1980, he was directly associated with the development of the guiding and hunting fraternity in the ‘new' country and was instrumental in creating the standards and examining processes for young professional hunters and guides in Zimbabwe. This standard is still a benchmark in southern and east Africa to this day. An interesting legacy.
photo gallery

Really Close Gorillas

03/07/2015
By Lisa Anderson
This video shows our gorilla tracking experience in Rwanda. The gorillas had finished naptime and were moving around. A couple gorillas went right by me (Lisa Anderson) and others in our small group as our cameras rolled. Notice the guide says "Sit down. Don't move." Quite a heart-beating moment for us and an amazing once-in-a-lifetime memory.
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our trips

Albums of Africa

Botswana

Chief's Camp

Chief's Camp is reminiscent of a time past. You can usually see the elephants, antelope, and other game in the distance. At Chief's Camp the views everywhere from the lodge and the rooms are alluring, and the game drives offer a wide variety of animals of all types.

Botswana

Chobe Chilwero

The elephants are the real stars here. You see them in all sizes, from the tiniest newborn to the massive bull, with everything in between. You see stair-step siblings playing together on the beach here, too, just like at home.

Botswana

Stanley's Camp / Okavango Delta

a great first stop for your African safari. The atmosphere is laid back and relaxing and it is one of the only places in the world that you can walk with the elephants.

East Africa

Gavin Ford

Egypt

Cairo

See the Alabaster Sphinx, the ancient Step Pyramid, and enjoy a camel ride! Visit the magnificent temple of Ramses II, take a three night cruise down the Nile River, and site-see the Valley of the Kings & Queens, Tut's tomb, and the Temple of Luxor.

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Kenya

Kenya is lush, green and overgrown in the Samburu area where the very fortunate happen upon the lions taking a siesta in the trees. The monkeys are at play all around you as they scamper about looking for their breakfast, then settling into the serious business of grooming their brothers and offspring. The native Samburu people will share their home with you, if you ask, and even tell you about their life a thousand light years away from ours.

Rwanda

Virungas | Gorilla Tracking

On our first tracking day, I had the great privilege of being with Francois, the famed tracker who worked with Dian Fossey (Gorillas in the Mist) for eighteen years. He actually talked to the gorillas constantly and was able to anticipate their behaviour.

South Africa

Africa Inscribed

South Africa: Singita

Kruger National Park / Lebombo

Lebombo is a place that is one of a kind. Ranked as a top destination in the world by many travel magazines and affiliates, it is truly worth every penny. These trips are about making memories, and the Lebombo property, service, and staff are just as memorable as the herds of roaring elephants and the pride of lions. It is definitely a place of leisure and for those wanting a pampered experience and a solid home versus a tent. It is romantic, magical, breathtaking, spectacular, and gracious all in the same breath.

South Africa: Singita

Sabi Sands/Ebony & Boulders

The Singita properties are breathtaking as well as filled with exceptional staff. The "hotel lobby" is like a big outdoor den, with open sides and nature literally at your doorstep. From every angle, the wild is all around you, with impala grazing under the trees, an occasional baboon in the river, an elephant chomping away at the trees, and monkeys lounging on the pool furniture.

Tanzania

Arusha

The bustling town of Arusha in northern Tanzania is widely considered to be the gateway to the northern safari circuit due to its close proximity to numerous national parks and game reserves. Tanzanians proudly showcase their lush gardens, vibrant markets, colorful crafts, sprawling coffee plantations, and stunning Mt. Kilimanjaro views. Allow yourself a few relaxing days to discover this gem, immersing yourself in the welcoming culture and experiencing a sensory overload in the process. Arusha is an unforgettable experience and an ideal way to bookend your dream safari.

Tanzania

Nogorongoro Crater

Only time to go to one country in Africa on safari? Tanzania is the place to see the most animals in the least time! If you travel there during their migration on the Serengeti plains, you will see their legendary zebra and wildebeest by the thousands and see the newborn calves too. The Ngorogoro Crater is like a big bowl full of animals.

Uganda

Bwindi

Uganda is the most beautiful country I have ever seen. It is Tahiti, Hawaii, Bali, and the most beautiful Caribbean islands multiplied. Everywhere the landscape is lush and green with flowers and fruits, deep valleys, and steep hills covered in a patchwork quilt of garden plots.

Uganda

Mghahinga

In southwestern Uganda lies Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda's smallest. On the way to this quaint and somewhat quite village, you pass thorugh a big bustling city where everything is sold in the streets and there is actually a traffic jam of people selling everything from linens to eggs to lettuce to soap - and more!! You go from not passing a car for miles to the center of what feels like craziness b/c of the normal calm and quiet that usually surrounds you in the bulk of Uganda outskirts. Fantastic people watching and their colors on their clothes are representative of their specific village/region within Uganda.

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about us

Owner Linda Young and her staff have traveled on six continents and visited well over one hundred countries and all of the fifty states. These experiences by land, as well as extensive cruising on all the deluxe cruise lines, make us uniquely qualified to help you choose the perfect trip. Our clients participate in many delightful experiences that are unknown to others.

contact info

(864)232-8880
550 East McBee Ave | Greenville, SC 29601