My colleague Colin is currently in South Africa on an inspection trip before heading into Zimbabwe to explore a concession that remains largely under the radar. As a former safari guide with decades of experience in the field, Colin has a unique ability to look beyond marketing and evaluate a property through the lens of guest experience, guiding quality, and sense of place. Below is his first dispatch from the road.
“I’ve spent the last several days inspecting properties across South Africa, and a few stood out immediately. There are a handful of camps in Africa that operate at a different level. The clear standout for me in Madikwe was Molori. Having visited numerous camps throughout my career, Molori is among those rare properties where everything simply comes together. The service, guiding, dining, and overall guest experience reminded me of some of the continent’s most respected brands. There is a quiet confidence to the operation that doesn’t need to announce itself. It simply delivers. What also impressed me was the quality of the game viewing in this section of the reserve. During a previous stay near the eastern boundary, my experience was noticeably different. Here, wildlife encounters felt more consistent and reinforced something I’ve long believed: where a camp sits within a reserve can be every bit as important as the camp itself. I had the opportunity to experience one of Molori’s larger villas, but what struck me most was that the standard suites lose none of the charm. They are beautifully designed, intimate without feeling small, and provide every comfort without crossing into excess.
In a completely different setting, I spent time at RockFig. What stood out immediately was the feeling that this wasn’t a place designed to impress you, it was designed to make you comfortable. Rather than shaping every moment of the day around a traditional hospitality model, RockFig allows guests to settle into their own rhythm. There is a residential quality to the property that creates an immediate sense of ease. The accommodations feel less like hotel rooms and more like spaces you could happily inhabit for an extended stay. Thoughtful design, generous living areas, and fully equipped pantries contribute to that feeling, but it’s more than the physical space. There is an authenticity to the experience that feels increasingly rare. For travelers who appreciate having the freedom to decide how they spend their time, RockFig offers something genuinely refreshing. Nothing feels overly choreographed or curated. The experience is relaxed, comfortable, and grounded, allowing guests to connect with their surroundings at their own pace. After spending weeks moving between camps and lodges, I found that sense of independence particularly appealing.
Back in Johannesburg, I stayed at Four Seasons Westcliff. Part of the reason for the visit was simple: I wanted to make sure the Four Seasons benchmark was still firmly in place. It was reassuring to find that nothing was out of place. The service was exceptional, the team genuinely engaged, and the property delivered that rare combination of polish and warmth that defines truly great hospitality.
An added bonus was spending time with the General Manager, who will soon be relocating to One&Only Gorilla’s Nest in Rwanda. As is often the case in travel, relationships matter. Building connections with people who share a commitment to exceptional guest experiences ultimately benefits our travelers as much as it benefits us.
Stay tuned for my next stop.”
What’s your favorite part of a theater production? Is it the monologue, or the encore? For me, it’s the second act. The story is really unfolding, and the scene actors are really in a rhythm.
Right now, the herds have reached the northern Serengeti, with the first major waves beginning to cross into Kenya’s Masai Mara. Millions of wildebeest, accompanied by zebras and gazelles, are massing along the Mara River, creating the scenes that wildlife enthusiasts dream about – an endless column of animals, clouds of dust, and the constant tension of a river crossing where survival is never guaranteed.
Big Five guides currently on safari, along with our friends at Serengeti Bushtops, have been sharing footage from the field. These aren’t polished 8K documentaries or carefully edited television specials. They’re mobile phone videos captured by enthusiasts like you and me. Somehow, that makes them even more compelling. The scale, the noise, and the uncertainty come through unfiltered.
But the migration is about far more than the wildebeest. It is a moving feast for Africa’s predators, and it’s not just the big cats or the crocodiles waiting in the river. Spotted hyenas shadow the herds, constantly looking for opportunities, often hunting for themselves rather than scavenging. Yet what fascinates me most is that there are no single behaviors that explain the migration. Nothing operates in isolation; everything works together as a concert.
Zebras possess remarkable memories for routes and water sources. Wildebeest are better at detecting fresh grazing. Separately, these animals have little in common. Together, they form one of nature’s most successful partnerships. What appears to be chaos from a distance is actually cooperation on an immense scale. One broad brushstroke across the East African plains – or one broad stripe, in this case.
The long rains have passed. The second act is underway.
What was your favorite roller coaster growing up? Mine was one called Shockwave, and it was the first coaster I ever encountered where you were harnessed in and standing up, not sitting. At the time, and we are talking about the early 90s in rural New Jersey, this was the greatest thing since slice bread.
I bring this up because the last six months have felt like a roller coaster to many. Whether its geopolitical events, elections in countries that we knew would be contentious, another disease outbreak, or something personal, the road has not been smooth. Yet, the desire for families to travel has not slowed down. The world keeps turning. Every roller coaster is full of inclines and declines, turns and loops. However they flatten out at some point. And, for some inexplicable reason, when the ride is over, we want to get back in line and ride again!
The same can be said of family travel. With everything going on, and what seems like a full schedule for our children, it’s hard to imagine that there are 120 days left before the holiday travel period truly opens. The team here took a very proactive approach and has been checking where holiday space still exists. In some cases, we were surprised it was even there. Therefore, we are going to keep a list ready of space that is open and each country, which we will keep updated. When your clients are ready, the most updated information is ready.
And don’t worry about last minute requests, our team loves the adrenaline. I believe it keeps them young.
Enjoy the video.
As I enjoyed lunch, a cascading water wall flowed effortlessly down a nearby glass façade. Its gentle movement created a serene, Zen-like sound.
This was at the Four Seasons Bogota, and the year was 2016. We were having lunch with the ministers of sustainability, discussing the amazing initiatives the administration was undertaking. Chief among the projects, was the buy-in from indigenous communities in the further reaches of the country, areas, that to this point, were off limits. Then it happened. The ministers looked at their phone and abruptly stood up. “We have to go,” one said.
Before I could ask, the other volunteered that they are making their final offer for the now famous FARC peace treaty, later that afternoon. I knew this was in the works for some time, however there was low hope of this to succeed, and it was their last offer. After I had lunch, joined by some amazing advisor partners, we headed back to our rooms, taking the afternoon to acclimate to Bogota’s altitude.
I flipped through the channels that evening, wondering what mind-numbing program I was going to watch. My inability to sit still was at an all-time high, I couldn’t just stop on one channel. I had to go through all of them, multiple times, stopping on each just long enough to find it boring before moving on. I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for. It’s a habit that drives my family crazy. Then it happened. BBC Breaking News, along with their theme music, which I find very cool by the way. The peace treaty was signed!
There were the two ministers I had just had lunch with a few hours earlier, announcing the news. The next morning, we cancelled all the planned tours and walked through the streets of La Candelaria, asking all the street vendors and graffiti artist their thoughts, knowing the topic would be very polarizing. It was a stop, backwards for some, forward for some, but it was a step, in a moment where doing nothing wasn’t an option. I knew at that point, that Colombia, my second home, would never be the same. New areas were going to open up, areas that were inaccessible before. I knew the 2017 educational was going to be one of the most emotional, because we were going to head to the other side of the Magdalena River. And boy was it, more so I think for the Colombians with us, proud that their nation was finally on the progress path.
Fast forward, to today, I beam with pride again as the AmaWaterways’ vessels finally are sailing on the Magdelena, showcasing the river and coastal areas we passed through nearly 10 years before. We knew we had to find ways to support them. Beyond our ground team offering advice to theirs on logistics around the river, we knew we wanted to help AMA be successful, because they were not going to alone. They were going to be the first, just like we were when we opened in Colombia in 2006.
Our team put together this amazing program that fits in perfectly before or after a cruise on the Magdalena, no matter whether you start or end in Cartagena or Barranquilla.
Big Five Tours – Colombia Through Local Eyes
So once that cruise is confirmed, take a look at this program and as they say… plug and play .
