Guest Comment by Bill Haines
Dear Deeper Africa,
Traveling to Africa has always been a dream of mine. So when things fell into place and I thought that I could seriously pursue this dream I wrote a list of things that were important for me to consider such as: what were the guides like, people I would meet, cultures I would be exposed to, animals I would want to see, lodging, food, safety etc. So I hit the internet and found Deeper Africa. I seriously looked at five tour providers but kept coming back to Deeper Africa! Every time I had a question or concern not only did Deeper Africa answer my questions thoroughly, they encouraged me to keep calling them with any other questions that I might come up with - no matter how small or annoying I felt I was. Deeper Africa's pre-planning and logistic planning prior to departure is second to none not to mention their in-country knowledge and built in safety measures!
With me being a perfectionist and a detailed planner (due to years in Emergency Services ) I had built up my trip to Kenya up in my mind for so long that I was bound to have it tempered by reality. I was wrong! Everything was beyond what I could have expected. Joshua Sonkoyo, my guide, was more than friendly and accommodating - he was also extremely knowledgeable of the environment, culture, people and the symbiotic relationship that the animals had with one another and humans. Joshua opened up to me things I am convinced I would have never seen with another tour operator or would have experienced without his knowledge and love of the land and his country. I also noticed that other tour guides would come up to us and ask us had we seen this or that and would race off to see what they were looking for. Nature is unpredictable and Joshua knew this. With his patience, knowledge, and experience, we just let things happen naturally around us - this is what a safari should be! This wasn't a race to see animals! This was an immersion in the wilds of Kenya. Not only did I see everything, meet new people and make new friends, but through Joshua I had deep and meaningful interactions with the animals and have a deeper respect and understanding for Kenya than I could have ever imagined.
If you want to meet the "real" people of Africa and experience the "real" culture of the Kikuyu, Samburu, and Maasai, as well as others, and learn about their lives and see and have meaningful experiences with the Big Five and other animals, you would be a fool not to go with Deeper Africa.
Deeper Africa truly lives up to its name. What I did and saw and the people I met in fifteen days is more than I have could have ever seen on T.V. or read in National Geographic in a life time!
Ant the sunsets... they're not to be missed!
Bill Haines
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
USA