Dear Advisor Partners,
I just got back from a magical time in Morocco, as I mentioned before, this was my 23rd visit there! I loved getting off the beaten track like usual to the untouched parts of the country. I want to tell you about my experience, while also walking you through what you need to get there. First, and this never gets old, is the face of the person meeting you on arrival, with a smile ear-to-ear made of part gratitude, part excitement, and part love of their profession. Guides and drivers around the world are so happy to be getting back to work, seeing the world open up, and knowing that they get to be back to their desired profession. Many guides and drivers found other work during the pandemic to help provide for their families, not able to do what they loved doing most. I had our team help put together a video of the experience which you can watch here.
Back to my arrival. The fast-track arrival was definitely a nice touch in Casablanca, something I highly recommend for anyone arriving, as you avoid the lines forming around the gate where your documents are checked and you avoid the second line in the immigration hall as you pass through in a designated area. Current rules for Morocco say fully vaccinated guests may arrive with proof of vaccination, no PCR test required. Unfortunately, not all airport or airline staff know this, and I was still asked for my PCR test by Air France staff. We always encourage travelers to get a PCR test before going, even if the destination doesn’t require it, and carry it with you for an added assurance of hassle-free travel. As I had both the vaccine card and PCR test, regardless of the current regulations, each stop was seamless. Once in the country, the cities are alive! I spent little time in Marrakech, as my love of Morocco lies more towards the south and in the very north, however, what I saw was just amazing.
If you want updates on hotels, please let me know. I stayed at: Amanjena, La Mamounia, Dar Al Houssan, Michelifan Resort, Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay, and Four Seasons Casablanca.
The journey south begins heading through the narrow lanes combined with highways to Taroudant, sometimes referred to as the New Marrakech. I’ve been through here before and always loved how local it all feels, right down to the impressive gardens that my rural hotel was built around. Everything you eat is fresh and grown originally, with a local twist you won’t find anywhere else. As you drive through Taroudant, you pass a medina that seems like a miniature version of the one on Marrakech, complete with the riads stacked 4 stories high, and it includes the customary traffic circle. It was here that I had what still consider a highlight of my journey, visiting a granary called Itoghayn. Dating back to the 12th century, it is possibly the first banking system in the world, with everything written on wooden scrolls in order to preserve the test of time. Let me add that I love getting to places where Google Earth just can’t find. Normally I have the latitude and longitude lines accessible, however, in this case, I actually had to add the point! It was a proud moment, made me feel like I was writing my own algorithm.
After a brief stop in Marrakech, it’s off to Ifran, 1 hour away from Fez. If you have been to Banff, Canada, or Vail, Colorado, then the resort here is for you. This is where the Rocky Mountains experience meets the Moroccan landscape, golf, ski slope, and all. The golf course belongs to the royal family, and I can neither confirm nor deny that a divot was left on the hole 9 tee box! While the stay here is not Moroccan in style, it is certainly welcoming with the largest spa in Africa, with the feel of a log cabin in the mountains. Combine this with an amazing General Manager who launched his career at the Royal Mansour. Keep heading north and we arrive at Tamouda Bay which has, and I confirmed this, the strongest masseuses I have ever met. This is where you come to do nothing, literally. With the private beach on one corner, and the lavish grounds surrounding you on the other… the hidden tip has to be that this is the best Thai food I have had outside of Asia or my favorite locations locally. So, if you are coming to Morocco and you enjoyed Tajin and want something different, this is your place! The journey ends like most do, in Casablanca, however as in life, the journey outweighs the final destination.
How fast does one have to go to feel a thrill? Well, anyone that knows me knows I LOVE cars, love racing them, love geeking out on them. The fastest I ever drove was 216mph in a Koenigsegg CCX-R running on biofuel. Now I’ve been on bullet trains before in Japan and other places and it is thrilling, however not nearly as thrilling as riding the first and only bullet train in all of Africa, the Al Boraq, named aptly. Traveling at 186mph (300kph) takes a 5-hour drive down to a 1 min 58-second journey that revolutionizes how you combine Rabat and Tangiers and offers a glimpse of the future of what overland travel in Morocco could hold. That one train ride was the exclamation point on my journey, what will be yours?
For some thrilling ideas for your next journey, feel free to explore our page on Morocco, full of expertly designed sample itineraries.
Dear Advisor Partners,
I once read a great article in National Geographic Traveler magazine about Botswana being the last frontier, written by Costas Christ, whom many of you may know. I thought the article accurately explained what Botswana was evolving into at the time, and while that narrative usually morphs with each year, the essence remains. I gravitated towards this article, first because I have the privilege of calling Costas a close friend, and second, because I thought he was right back then, and his conclusions remain correct today.
The phrase ‘the last frontier’ has many connotations and interpretations from unchartered to unknown, and so much more. It is this idea that makes Botswana so special. One such example is Mashatu Reserve in the northern Tuli Block, far from the cluster of safari camps surrounding the northern sectors of Botswana. You see, when you go on safari, the usual curriculum centers around game drives, culture, and landscape. Here, with archaeological findings such as dinosaur footprints dating back over 50 million years ago, or evidence of the Mapungubwe Dynasty from the 1200AD period in rock art and stone tools, it means so much more. All this and I haven’t even gotten to the wildlife part of the experience which can be seen by horseback, mountain bike, or even in photography hides. Some of the clips in this week’s video are from the Euphorbia Villas, where we just had guests a few days ago.
Another example is in the spillways of the northern sector, west of Chobe or the private reserve that makes up the marshland between the Okavango Delta and the Linyanti, where endangered lions roam near the water, exhibiting very different behaviors compared to those in East Africa, as proof that Darwin’s theory of evolution does in fact work. Speaking of lions, did you know while there is one main species of lion, Panthera Leo, there are actually several subspecies (2 that are officially recognized) that make up the world’s lion population? It’s a fun fact I love dropping at cocktail parties over the years, so if you hear me say it, pretend to be entertained, please? Botswana is about close encounters, from meerkats in the flats, hippo near your mokoro, the elephant just a few meters away on your walking safari, to that leopard that just walked in front of your vehicle. You have to work a little to see the wildlife here, and when you do, oh boy are you close.
The last frontier awaits, maybe it’s time to chart your uncharted. Enjoy this week’s video.
Dear Advisor Partners,
Have you ever made an assumption about a country, only to be pleasantly surprised? It’s ok to be honest. You see, that’s what happened to me with Costa Rica. On my first visit when I was 14, Arenal volcano was still erupting and a piece of ash actually burned through the lens of my camera, destroying all evidence of my presence there, Mission Impossible style. I loved how natural Costa Rica was and on every subsequent visit I would fall equally in love with the nature all around me, yet always left wanting more. I love what the destination had to offer and our team has done a great job getting off the beaten track over the years, offering locations in remote Costa Rica before they were mainstream, where community-based tourism meets luxury travel.
Whenever I think of authenticity, at times it feels like perhaps my expectations are just too high. With Costa Rica being one of the pioneers of the term ecotourism and then seeing it become a destination treated like Cancun, enter the assumption and disappointment. Well, this program covering the lowlands and southern Caribbean of Costa Rica strongly connected with me, which tells me that my expectations are actually not high enough, and I was in fact, pleasantly surprised. Imagine being in a country and getting past the beach resorts, past the all-inclusive stays, and on to the Costa Rica I first fell in love with at 14. That is what our new Costa Rica program has done and it just stopped me in my tracks as it set a direction that resonates well with the Big Five team, with our travelers, and with me personally. Another one of the many highlights is seeing evidence of the pre-Colombian culture in the lowlands near Turrialba.
Now, speaking of volcanoes, those of you who follow my adventures know I have a thing for active volcanoes, ok… it’s an obsession. While we’re not quite cooking pizza over lava here, seeing a volcano like Turrialba which remains active, then seeing how it links to ancient empires is just as impressive.
This program is Costa Rica as it should be seen. Enjoy this week’s video.
Dear Advisor Partners,
Have you ever looked under the hood of a car, wondering what happens when you drive the car? You might even understand in theory what happens with the pistons and cylinders, etc. Have you actually seen it happen though? And where did the innovation start? In a similar fashion, many of you have heard me talk about Big Five’s sustainability mission while mentioning the projects around the world. These projects happen behind the scenes and are true labors of love. You are always welcome to see them in action, even participate for a day or multiple days. Our journey down this path started in the late 1970’s when our founder and CEO Mahen Sanghrajka, (aka dad), was collaborating with other companies in a joint effort to eliminate public cigarette smoking in the game reserves of Kenya. That led to education for the children in rural communities in Kenya and kept growing to even providing eye surgery to the underprivileged in parts of India. Since that time, the commitment has remained, always working behind the scenes.
In Peru’s Sacred Valley, we collaborate with the folks at Awamaki in teaching women from several Andean communities micro-entrepreneurship through weaving. Every $1 we give, generates $4 of income for each weaver. This support and education allows these communities to protect their land and provide for their families. Those of you who attended Virtuoso Travel Week, you may have seen that we were handing out 350 hand woven bracelets made by these women, with each bracelet representing a full day’s wage. We offered to mail these bracelets out to anyone who would like one, we still are, all you have to do is ask.
In Tanzania, just outside Arusha, sits Ereto Primary School. Built within prominent Maasai communities, this school is providing education to just under 300 primary level students. What amazes me about this school isn’t where we are now, rather where we came from. When Ereto first started, the local director had to basically beg the Maasai elders to let their children learn instead of being farmers. After intense deliberation to give education a try, Ereto was born with 20 children sitting on dirt floors in the open air, come rain or shine, without any stationary and limited literature. On my last visit in March 2021, the class size had grown to 265 students, 3 classrooms were built, with plans for 2 more, and thanks to a generous donation, a teachers dorm is under construction as of this writing. Many of our guests going to Tanzania stop in to deliver supplies, or even work at the school. Every $300 we provide allows for one child to be educated for an entire year.
In Sri Lanka, the JetWing Youth development Program we proudly collaborate with provides training for children of war in northern Sri Lanka. These children were born into and raised in a war zone. As a result, they are dealing with substance abuse issues and premature death. At a time when conflict and other crises devastated many industries in the country, older children, especially those from rural marginalized communities, faced stiff odds in getting jobs that offered a career path. With Jetwing, we train these older children in the hospitality field, giving them a step in the door with a well-known hotel chain and providing future opportunities to grow in a career. With every $1 donation made, we provide a trainee with a day’s worth of accommodation, learning materials and also set-off his or her trainer’s expense. The program is free to students, who earn certificates equivalent to internationally accepted NVQ standards, and employment opportunities at one of the Jetwing Hotels.
In Guatemala, one of the leading causes of death has been a lack of clean drinking water, something I saw firsthand when my family and I visited. Our recent partnership with EcoFiltro allows for artisanal clay pots made locally, to be turned into clean water filters that last 2 years. These filters start life as a clay pot, before a process of coating and submerging and baking turn them into long lasting, cost effective water filters. Each filter, which costs $35 to deploy, provides clean water for 25 children in need at a local school, or even a multifamily household. After the filter portion has been utilized fully, the pot, and the minerals captured in the filtering process, become an ideal pot for in home organic farming. Guests to Guatemala can choose to help us deploy more during a day of work.
And coming full circle back to Peru is our newest project, Kipi the robot, built by brilliant grade school teacher Walter Velasquez. In early 2020, when borders and schools closed, the concept of virtual learning in a town like Huancavelica just didn’t work. Most homes don’t have even the most basic forms of internet connection. To make matters more challenging, Huancavelica is one of the poorest regions in Peru with one of the highest cases of narco-trafficking. Walter, using the best form of innovation, built Kipi, a prototype robot from scratch, loading the mainframe with the complete curriculum in almost 50 languages. Kipi is then deployed to the villages where children learn in person. In many cases, Walter delivers Kipi in person traveling on foot or by Alpaca or donkey to these remote neighborhoods. Walter and Kipi are showing the world that children are not necessarily the victim of narco-trafficking, they are in fact, the biggest resistance.
Your Big Five journey, no matter where it goes, is supporting one of these projects. With the help of our system, GIB 5.0, your journey can take you to one part of the world, while your efforts are felt in another part of the world. The name Big Five was born from the animals. To us, it is so much more, it is our higher purpose.
Dear Travel Advisors,
The number 23 has so many connections. Those of you who are sports fans like me, of course 23 is tied to His Airness, Michael Jordan. 23 is the width of the Arecibo message, sent to space in search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The earth’s axis is tilted at approximately 23°. Normal human reproductive cells have 23 chromosomes, other human cells have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs. My favorite, however, is in numerology, where 23 represents creativity and a sense of freedom. How appropriate since I am soon embarking on my 23rd visit to Morocco and staying in my favorite riad, in a room with 23 in the number. Coincidence? I think not.
Honestly speaking, my first visit there years ago just didn’t draw me in like the subsequent visits did. I don’t know if I was my jaded from having been around Africa so many times, or just an unrealistic expectation. Mind you this was before places like Dar Ahlam and the Royal Mansour existed. For example, on my first visit, hot air balloons were just getting started outside Marrakech, and on a more recent visit, paragliding had surpassed ballooning in popularity. On an earlier visit the southern part of Morocco was just opening up, and on a more recent visit, Taroudant was officially the new Marrakech. I once learned from a friend early on what it took to operate successfully in Morocco. Where others may see challenges, I see opportunity, because this country has transformed through tourism over time.
Now I do need to share a few hidden gems with you. First there is the Henna Art Café, a Lebanese café that I go to every time I’m in Marrakech. Many of you know, my mother is from Sudan, so anytime I can get Lebanese string cheese, ful or even falafel, I am all over it. Another is Espace Lastah in Taroudant, because nothing says Morocco like… tacos. Now this place is not fancy, however this gem was found when I was looking for something simple. No more couscous no more Berber bread, something much simpler, and it was purely by accident. The last, not dealing with food is not so much a gem, rather a must see and must do. About 4 years ago, a friend turned me on to this orphanage for abandoned infants, called project Radhia. The sole purpose of this orphanage is to take in abandoned babies, some as young as 2 months old, and nurse them until the age of 2, where a more long term loving home is found. While gut wrenching, it shows how a loving act like this, in a residential neighborhood in Marrakech can make such a huge impact. I visit this orphanage with every visit and any of our programs in Morocco support this orphanage. The smiles alone are worth an annual visit, especially since you can’t take cameras with you.
Well that was all on visits 1 – 22. Now comes visit 23, and there is no better way to explain Morocco then a sense of freedom, especially when you go beyond Marrakech and Fez to the more remote routes. This program, Morocco South Sahara Discovery, is a perfect example of Morocco at its finest.
Dear Advisor Partners,
Who knew going to Las Vegas would be so sought after. Yet here I am, 48 hours away from returning to Vegas for Virtuoso Travel Week to see so many partners, colleagues and friends. This week’s video is for you, to make you laugh, and take you to my childhood, because nothing says childhood like superheroes…and Vegas. Ok…maybe not Vegas. I am looking forward to seeing our Virtuoso friends back in Las Vegas and many of you later on at other conferences too. The road to get here has been challenging and bumpy. If you are reading this, you endured and clearly you have superpowers because you never gave up. Take a minute, enjoy the video, smile, and congratulate yourself. Whether you know it or not, you are a superhero in my book.
If you do see me in the Aria or Bellagio hallways, say my name and put the word BIG before it. I go by Big Ash, Big Pool, Big Hulk, Big Man, Big Bat, or even Big Hey Guy (that’s for you Lynda. We miss you.)
See you in Vegas!
Dear Advisor Partners,
Life works in very strange ways. I had two thoughts this past week. First, I cannot believe we are in the second half of 2021 already. This time last year, the months seem to drag on. 30 days felt like 300. This year, those same 30 days feels like 3 days. While there is still uncertainty in the world, the progress from 12 months ago cannot be denied. And with just over 5 months left in the year, I began thinking about plans for festive travel. I thought about where everyone seemed to want to be this holiday season. The usual suspects were back, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Tanzania, etc. the one that jumped off the page to me was Egypt and Jordan, currently one of the top requests for festive travel in 2021.
This led to my second thought and explains why our exciting video this week is about Egypt and Jordan. I remembered driving down Interstate 95 towards the hotel where the USTOA conference was being held, in south Florida, me in the driver seat (obeying all speed limits for those that wonder), and in the passenger seat, our Egypt country manager Gamal. This was 2 years after the famous protests in Tahrir Square, with tourism in Egypt taking a harsh body blow as a result. Gamal looked tired, yet never broken, cautiously optimistic for better days ahead with all signs confirming those days were coming. There was a new Minister of Tourism and he had all these new ideas to break the mold of marketing Egypt. There was a renewed focus on archaeological discovery with excavations resuming and nationalistic pride of Egypt that rivaled pride in the country’s sports celebrities. This must all sound similar today. That conversation with Gamal was one I will never forget, the contents of which still teach me today. You see, we were talking about the need to revive tourism in Egypt and the new minister of tourism and how his focus was worth believing in, that he understood why it was so necessary. Beyond the 1 in 6 jobs that are tourism derived in Egypt, there was something more powerful to remember – tourism was and remains the largest employer of women in Egypt. Gamal and I talked about how this new at the time minister understood that. Then Gamal said something which I still think is pretty profound. As we talked about the level of understanding the world has about Egypt’s path, he said, “Ashish nobody will ever fully understand what Egypt is going through. They didn’t have their hand in the fire as we did.” He’s right.
So imagine my delight when I see festive 2021, and Egypt and Jordan are among the top destinations Big Five guests are looking for. Whether it’s due to the now famous ‘Mummy Parade’ back in April as the procession moved them to their new museum home, or the anticipation of the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, this surge in travel to Egypt was definitely a long time coming, and a welcome change. As our video says, we know what guests in this region will be doing on New Year’s Day. What will you be doing?
Check out our Egypt Days of History to get an idea of the trip you could be experiencing this festive season.
Dear Advisor Partners,
As many of you know I was born in East Africa. I’ve had the privilege of going on safaris since the age of four. 40 years later, I still get emotional going back to visit my childhood friends, being back in the bush, and every single visit, I always see something new. I love seeing areas I grew up around that were simple residential areas, now coming to life with new hotels, new restaurants, or new experiences. As I watched the video accompanying this blog, which I think is one of our best ever (our team is getting really good at these), I began thinking about all the changes over the last 40 years in my personal connections to Kenya.
For starters, my closest friend Sunil, who I have known since we were 3, went on to become a finalist on the Great Kenyan Bakeoff. How he went from riding bikes in the woods with me in Nairobi, to being a local celebrity will always amaze me. Having him still in my life really makes this four decade old friendship very special. Even more jaw dropping is seeing areas we explored as kids that were not developed, now becoming either residential areas or in one case, having a US embassy built where roads barely existed in the past. On a visit in 2019, we ended up at Mint Shack, a local restaurant that is now a favorite for me, for our entire team, and for those who were in Kenya with me on that trip and subsequent trips. The fact that it was built so close to where I was born brings back fond memories. In fact, one of our valued partners, Sandy Staples of Artistico Travel, just came back from Kenya with us where she was celebrating her husband’s birthday. Sunil, recognizing Sandy’s posts where she had tagged me, made it a point to go say hi and share a photograph. Special thanks by the way to Sandy for sharing some of her pictures for the video.
Now an African safari must include the great wildebeest migration of course, following the herds across the Mara into the Serengeti in Tanzania, understanding how something as simple as rain can have such a profound impact on the entire circle of life. From the simple dung beetle to the zebra, gazelle and wildebeest, to the mighty cats. What I love about East Africa, is that there is so much that you want to see even beyond this phenomenon. Where you stay depends directly on what time of year you visit. My favorite part is the safari by e-bikes, we sure didn’t have those 40 years ago! What we did have was the Sacred Singing Wells of the north, a must for anyone looking for pure cultural immersion.
The two areas I am most excited about are the hidden gem in the Mbulia Conservancy, deep in the heart of Tsavo where I was earlier this year, and the Kenyan Coast. They say Cardamom is one of the most common ingredients in cooking, it has an unmistakable flavor that you know exactly when to use. Cardamom House, newly opened on the Kenyan coast is just that. Growing up, this area was only known to local residents and fishermen. Seeing this historic property opening here will mean so much to the local community, representing a beacon of sustainability in a part of Kenya that sorely needed it. Just like all flavors lead back to Cardamom, all the conservancies in our new President’s Pick East Africa program lead back to Cardamom House.
Dear Advisor Partners,
Well, I’m back from Colombia, I think this is visit #1,546,485 for me, or it feels like it at this point. I fell in love with this country back in 2006 during my first visit and keep going back every year, sometimes multiple times. You know what drew me in? The fact that this country was willing to work harder, tell their story better and improve faster in order to show you that their past, while still a part of their identity, doesn’t define their future. The fact that this country is where it is today, is a modern miracle, one I am grateful to have a special bond with.
What made this visit extra special, was that I got to share it with an amazing travel advisor, Landa Mauriello Vernon of Largay Travel, and her son Andrew. They were exploring Bogota and Medellin on a custom Big Five journey she called Mommy and me. You see her son Andrew, who is one of the smartest 18 year-olds I have met, is about to head off to college, so this trip was a last hurrah before he begins this next chapter in his life. Their adventure started with graffiti and history in Bogota with our masterful guide, and modern day Indiana Jones, Leon. It elevated to paragliding and ATV explorations in Medellin, with our expert story teller guide, Juan. The story became really special in Communa 13 as this dynamic duo of mother and son met our guide Kabala, local celebrity in his own right, and someone I have the honor of calling a friend. Now, I met up with Landa and Andrew on their last few days while in Cartagena, where they were exploring the old city with Vicky, our resident guide, and real life energizer bunny! We met up for a farewell rum tasting and dinner with one of my closest friends, Abraham Dau of El Arsenal. (You will see Abe mentioned in a lot of our blogs, as he and Angie opened their hearts to help those in need around Cartagena, with their cause becoming an adopted Spirit of Big Five Foundation project). Picture this moment, Landa, Andrew, Abe, me, my wife, and my 2 young kids – all at a rum tasting, all having way too much fun together! We shared stories of Landa’s adventure in Bogota, which included a story involving her passport you will just have to ask her about. We laughed proudly at the courage she found to go paragliding in Medellin in order to impress Andrew. I was really proud that my children got to hear from someone else what their father really does for a living and about how real our commitment to sustainability is.
I have been in this business officially since 2002, and unofficially my whole life. In that time, this is the first time my family got to interact with travelers enjoying a Big Five journey while in country. It made me so happy to show my family, what I couldn’t property explain for 20 years when asked what the best part of my work was. It was made extra special by Landa sharing her experience out on the ocean helping us replant red mangroves as part of an on sustainability initiative we started in 2019, because my family got to do the same thing the next day. I remember seeing the posts on Landa’s Facebook page when she shared she was going to Colombia. The comments ranged from is it safe, to are you nuts and everything in between. Then I read her comments on her final post before flying home. and it ranged from “this trip looked amazing” to “wow what an incredible experience.” That is the transformation we see whenever anyone says they are going to Colombia because that is the power this country has in transforming one’s emotions. It is the same transformation that occurred to me in 2006, and the same that we now see on a regular basis.
I give special thanks to Landa and Andrew for letting me share their story in brief. If anyone wants to learn about her journey, you can find her contact information here.
Enjoy this week’s video, recounting our family experiences and that of Landa and Andrew, and check out our tour, The Mansions and Rivers of Colombia, to start planning your next transformation.
Dear Advisor Partners,
From time to time, I enjoy sharing what is happening in our destinations around the world. From exciting experiences, and WGS® guest assistance cases, to some of the really unique activities being planned, the travel landscape is definitely active. Here are a few of the goings on with guests on location in some of the popular areas across the globe.
In Ecuador, tea time at a historic hacienda within Cotopaxi National Park, where you can find the highest active volcano in the world, surely has to make the list. Mint tea just isn’t the same back home. Then you have bird watching in Mindo Cloud Forest for the avid bird lover. This is where the birds stop being a hobby and become part of the quintessential safari. It’s so good to see the Galapagos Islands making a comeback especially on the land based section where customization meets exploration. With the recent news that fully vaccinated guests no longer need a PCR test to enter the archipelago, it’s clear the renaissance is under way.
Colombia, the country which remains one of my first loves, was started on my watch. You see, when I came to Big Five 19 years ago, our other destinations were there and operating successfully. It thrills me to see clients exploring and discovering this culture rich country. After a graffiti stop in Bogota, it’s on to Medellin. On the docket next, paragliding, mango ice cream and communas. And we haven’t even reached Cartagena yet with a must stop at Pergamino.
Across the water in East Africa, we see trekking wild rhino on foot in Northern Kenya before heading to Mara River, where the dramatic animal herds can be witnessed. Crossing over into Tanzania to explore the Serengeti, guests are taking African safaris in a very different way. The timing is just perfect as the many zebra have crossed over the Mara River and Sand River into the Mara reserve, while the wildebeest are not too far behind. The culmination is gorilla trekking in the lower Bwindi forest, happening upon a troop of gorillas, observing a silverback watching over the group as the young play and the females rest.
Looking north, we have Egypt, another well-deserved hotspot. The anticipation of the Grand Egyptian Museum opening later this year is just amazing. I always knew Egypt was on everyone’s bucket list, however the sheer excitement of visiting Egypt is more than anyone could have imagined. It’s a testament to Egypt’s rich history. The interesting thing is our preferred method of visiting between Luxor and Aswan by road has become the more popular method for so many, even in a warm month like June. I visited Egypt for the first time as a teenager and just fell in love with the rich history. And by the looks of it, others are having a similar reaction.
Each month, more of the world opens and one thing is clear, we haven’t forgotten how to do this, thank goodness! Enjoy the video and we’ll see you out there soon.
Dear Advisor Partners,
Have you ever had an event just jog a collection of memories about something? Well a few days ago, Morocco joined the growing list of countries allowing fully vaccinated guests to enter without PCR testing. When I heard the news, after looking for flights, I thought of a number. The number 24 represents many things: hours in a day, a binge worthy tv show , according to numerology, it is the number of harmony and diplomacy, yet, it is also the number of times a day you have to tell your teenager to do their chores. It also represents the number of times I have been to Morocco. Truth be told, the first time I visited, I actually wasn’t as amazed as I was on the following trips. You see, my mother was born in Sudan and having traveled through parts of Sudan, I craved the most authentic of experiences. So of course I went to Morocco searching for just that. Well as they say, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. So I decided to return and boy, am I glad I did!
Now I should stop and explain that I also disliked my first visit to Colombia and Australia, both destinations I now adore, and the same can be said about Morocco. On the second visit, and each subsequent visit after, the magic began to appear. Whether it was the mountain biking in Asni, the ATV exploration in remote deserts, the coast line in Oualidia, or the marvel of the unknown in Taroudant, something just started calling to me. I remember being out in the remote Eastern Atlas Mountains on one of my earlier visits, before the luxury hotels had opened, and thinking to myself, this is the Morocco I was looking for. I stopped to talk to a local farmer tending to his land which was handed down through four generations. This young man was learning computer science, however his pride was in this land, something he planned to hand down to the generations after him. He was storing his crop in an abandoned kasbah away from the heat, shielding himself away from the heat as well. On a later return, I found myself having lunch in the Agafay desert with the a few guides we work with, one of them being the first female guide in the region, each sharing their indigenous family roots. On that same visit, I fondly remember visiting a local Berber house located in between the Agafay Desert and the High Atlas Mountains. Here I sat with a fellow father, as he shared how his two daughters took such divergent paths. One daughter completed her higher education, while the other was forced out of school by the elders before 5th grade because they believed, against his wishes, that she should not be educated. He explained to me that along with his elder daughter, he saw the value in tourism but to further the younger daughter’s education, her place was in a school. He opened up his house to a few visitors like me, who would hike the trails behind his house, through the olive groves to his donkeys that help process the olive oil we were about to use making our lunch. While the food was amazing, the conversation with the father, the guide, and the land owner shaped the stories that drew me to Morocco. Combine that with exploring the medina in a Russian built WWII motorcycle replica, and you can imagine how much fun can happen in one day! You see it wasn’t the museums or the sights, it was the stories that I missed out on in my first visit.
On my most recent visit, I was just outside Marrakech paragliding. Truth be told, I was there for work, so I called this research and development (just to make my non travel friends jealous). I have been wanting to hang glide in Morocco for some time, and it seems each time it was about to happen, the weather decided to close the door. So when the opportunity to go paragliding came up, I had to say yes, how could I not! The hang gliding remains one of the final items to check off on my adrenalin bucket list. Over time, starting with my second visit onwards, I began falling in love with Morocco, and it all culminated with dinner in my new favorite Indian restaurant in Marrakech, Bombay. The host, a local Moroccan fluent in Hindi, and chef Surender Kumar, hailing from an area not far from my family in India, offering the home made recipes I grew up loving!
A simple event jogged back all these memories. Now let’s go make some new ones!
Enjoy this week’s video and daydream about your own trip with our Morocco South Sahara Discovery tour.
Dear Advisor Partners,
As we entered the midpoint of 2021, I found myself looking back at the blogs sent out in June 2020, when fear followed confusion, and I gravitated to a blog our team wrote on June 3, 2020 titled “Because We Are Better,” (which you can read here). We talked about the difficult journey the world had undertaken, challenges in every direction, and the impacts of the world being shut down. We talked about how helping the voiceless became less of a choice but rather more of an honorable responsibility, an obligation even. It has come to a time where we can finally start to see the silver lining.
Now that the storms of 2020 are beginning to move off into the past, there is sunshine peeking through again in 2021. Yesterday the CDC and the US State Department eased restriction on 60 countries with more to come. Friends are returning to work, expeditions are restarting and people are planning and travelling. The light and the path are even brighter today. More countries are allowing vaccinated passengers to enter without testing. Europe is opening up, and progression is occurring. Everything is changing and will continue to change as we progress further into 2021 an beyond. The one thing that will not change, and cannot change, is remembering where we came from these last 12 months. I hear people talking about how bad 2020 was, and it was, no doubt, yet the one major positive is the light shining on all those suffering around the world, voiceless to their struggle. The 100,000+ that go hungry in the islands around Cartagena, the 600+ Andean weavers and their children in the communities around the Sacred Valley in Peru, the hundreds of children that now get clean drinking water in Guatemala and the 217 children from the neighboring Maasai communities receiving a promising education in Tanzania, all have much more needed visibility. The one that hit closest to my heart is the young and brave Arianis in Cartagena, who is happily in foster care now, healthy and prospering. In fact, I firmly believe this little girl will be telling her story on a Ted Talk stage one day.
This blog and the accompanying video is a reminder, as we begin to grow again, to look back where you came from these last 18 months. Let’s not forget what it took to get here, and continue to increase our social responsibility in our travels. The work we saw around the world, that inspired us to hang in there, to keep fighting, to keep struggling, isn’t going away. Those needs have always been there. The Big Five team united behind our foundation, loudly said to all those that we were fortunate to help, “we see you, we hear you.” As we begin what should be an epic recovery, we say to them now, “we still see you, we still hear you, even clearer now.”
Look back on your accomplishments, be proud of them, and rise together. Learn more about the Spirit of Big Five Foundation’s work here.
Dear Advisor Partners,
As the father of a high school freshman, graduation week takes on a whole new meaning. It takes me back to my own graduation, high school and university (being the first in my immediate family to attend university was an added bonus), and how special that week is. As a parent though, the conversation is very different, rather than a sense of achievement your child has, you have a sense of urgency, counting the number of summers and holidays left with your child before they head off to graduate studies, and their own life. While my son is an incoming freshman, I essentially have four more summers, four more festive holidays, and 208 more weekends before he heads off on his own road. I remember even now, as if it was yesterday, holding him in one arm, his head in my palm and his body resting on my forearm. I went from massaging his ankles as a baby, to him frankly breaking my ankles in a game of 1-on-1 basketball.
You see these are the memories all of us have as we proudly watch our children reach the lofty aspirations we set for them at an early age. It is in these memories that we realize, that our children actually set goals for themselves even loftier then the ones we set, which explains why our expectations are exceeded so often. The other part as parents that we think about often, is family adventures, creating memories in the time you have left together. Now this is not to say future travels won’t be together, however there is a moment, before children head off to further their studies, where they get one last hurrah. They get the adventure they will use later on to shape their own journeys around the world. It was from this concept, that Precious Journeys® College Edition was born a few years ago.
Just think of all your fellow travelers young and old and ask them where their love of travel began. Almost every answer starts with an experience with their family or friends, doing something they never thought they could or would do, or a memory so powerful that all the years cannot water it down. You see, the College Edition is just that, a collection of programs meant for children heading to adulthood, ready to carve their own path in life, ready to take on the world and inspired to change it. It’s equal parts ultimate adventure, unique experiences, and family memories all blended together in the perfect balance. This could mean hiking in the Sechura Desert in Northern Peru, getting off the beaten track in the salt flats of Botswana, immersing in the graffiti scene in Guatemala, Argentina and Colombia, or hiking through one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world in Australia.
We put together a video of some of these experiences, with more being designed all the time. These journeys don’t have do overs, and neither do you.
To fellow parents – well done, celebrate your hard work in raising such fine leaders.
To the high school graduating class of 2021 and 2022 – we need your help, your ideas, and your leadership. Congratulations on achievement. The journey isn’t over, it’s just beginning.
See our collection of Precious Journeys® College Edition.
Dear Advisor Partners,
With the start of summer, everyone is back to enjoying outdoor festivities and celebrating with friends and family once again. But let us not forget to take time to also remember those who put their lives on the line to ensure we have the freedoms to do so. Thank you to all those who have served and are still serving our countries. To our neighbors to the north, Happy belated Victoria Day and to our neighbors here, Happy early Memorial Day.
Dear Advisor Partners,
By now you’ve heard the exciting news, Peru has removed the antigen test requirement for arriving guests. This is certainly a step in the right direction and the reopening is picking up momentum with each day. As some of you know, I have been traveling in Peru since May 10th, exploring unknown areas in the north and now traveling through the Sacred Valley and Cusco, experiencing some of the lesser-known ruins. As an added bonus, I am traveling with a few great travel advisors who are funny, curious and definitely happy to be here. Together we are checking out how ready Peru really is, firsthand. Around each corner seems to be something new and each new story we have to tell begins with the infamous line, “what had happened was”.
I was planning a visit to my favorite eco domes, only to end up surrounded by dogs at a local farm. See, what had happened was…the road we wanted to take was closed, so after visiting the ruins of Tarawasi, we decided to break for lunch. We were in an avocado region, so naturally, we skipped the restaurant, bought some tomatoes, onions and peppers and handpicked some avocados, (we’ll say “borrowing”). While trying to choose where to stop and eat, we were invited to a farm by a lovely lady and her dogs. It was here that I learned just how much dogs love bread, as I somehow ended up serving an impromptu canine buffet line (who says no to big brown-eyed dogs?). The day ended with the best avocado sandwiches I have ever had, whether its because the were “borrowed” or just how hungry I had become, I’ll never admit.
As for Peru being ready, I can tell you, or I can show you in this week’s video. First what is required to get here – a PCR test 72 hours before arrival and the health declaration form completed electronically. Masks are only required in crowded or indoor areas and social distancing outdoors has become natural for most people, so often masks are safely not needed. Once in country, our team takes every precaution while ensuring you are immersed in Peru.
I have to share one of my more personal experiences encountered here, with our long-standing sustainable partner, Awamaki, that the Spirit of Big Five proudly collaborates with to support micro entrepreneurship for women from five Andean communities through weaving. Due to Covid, these women have not seen travelers in over a year and the tears they shed were real, their struggle over the last year has been real and their joy in seeing visitors again, very real. Everywhere you go, there is gratitude for your visit, welcoming smiles and open arms, tears of joy, and a passion and pride to share their country with visitors, all magnified to a much higher level than all my previous repeated visits to Peru.
So, enjoy the video and feel free to share it to show your friends and colleagues what the experience is like once you arrive. See our newest additions for Peru.
Dear advisor partners,
You know the phrase, getting off the beaten path? Well, I am writing this from Illescas Reserve in northern Peru, 300 km/186.4 miles from the Ecuador border, 900 km/559.2 miles from the Galapagos coast. Here, there is no path. There is no industry standard route, or Peru hotlist tourist spots attracting crowds of people. Here, at Illescas, there is an adventure not yet discovered full of raw nature, adrenaline rushes and welcoming locals. My trip has been full of surprises and left turns, and this is only day four.
When I set out on this adventure, I had our high school graduates on my mind, finishing up their final year in 2021, during interesting times. Whether they finish through virtual learning or in person learning, tomorrow’s leaders are about to embark on their next chapter. However, there is a gap between those chapters where most grads head off for a summer internship, a job, summer school, or in most cases, an ultimate ‘leaving the nest’ family vacation. Precious Journeys College Edition was born specifically for this gap, and where I am standing presents new opportunities for our grads.
Imagine heading to a reserve in Peru, where you can go kite surfing, hike to see endangered condors in the wild (the true wilderness), encounter migrant sea lions and birdlife that have arrived here from the Galapagos Islands, and even see species such as the Andean Cat and the desert fox just to top off the experience. There is only one hotel, with four rooms serving 76,000 hectares (1 hectare = 10,000 sq meters for fellow math nerds), and it’s a hidden gem. I can’t even call it a hotel because frankly, it does not feel like one. It’s so much more, it is a home away from home. Not to mention, getting here was an excursion in itself. A trip that saw us pushing a 4×4 to its limits, testing each facet of its abilities, crossing deep soft sand, rocks, mud, and compact beach sand. We even managed to get the 4×4 stuck a few times, including once with the rear axle bending in a way Toyota likely never intended. If you want more of that story, you can head over to my Facebook page.
There are no groups here, no cruise ships, no transit cars – just pure wilderness, amazing food, and warm smiles. Some 3000+ people visited Machu Picchu each day in 2019. Just 1100 people visited Illescas in TOTAL, in all of 2019. This is the perfect setting to take in the known history of Peru, featuring Machu Picchu, and merge that with the climbing adventure of Sky Lodge and Turawasi in the Sacred Valley, then top it off with the Illescas Reserve in northern Peru for the grand finale. The new Precious Journeys College Edition adventure to Peru is here.
Dear Advisor Partners,
Travel advisor day is normally one day, however, after the year we just had, I think you earned the whole week. This video is dedicated to you. Happy Travel Advisor WEEK!
Dear Advisor Partners,
Even though we are still seven months out, the festive season of 2021 is starting look how a festive season should look. The months feel like they are flying by and everyone is dusting off their passports, finding those travel bags and getting ready to return to adventure. With inquiries starting back up, I get asked frequently, where are people looking to travel? Rather than tell you, let me show you!
Since the world started opening up, the requests have focused on several countries; Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador and Galapagos, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. These areas are among the first to regain interest and spark excitement. With so many festive opportunities out of reach last year, the planning for 2021 is underway and agents, travelers and suppliers alike are eager and ready to get back to the road. In some destinations, space is already near capacity for 2021 and 2022 trips are being enthusiastically planned. When we first started down this arduous path, the conversation about when to talk about travel was a delicate balance, with many simply not yet ready to discuss travel.
Well my friends, fast forward to today and listen to the conversations now. Talking about travel is no longer in anticipation, but has become a conversation full of excitement, action and passion once again. Advisors are reporting that their clients are talking about travel, planning travel, and I can proudly share, actually traveling. Children are returning to school, fans are slowly being allowed back into sporting events, so it’s only fitting that travelers are emerging with vacation windows open, ready to put the perfect adventure for themselves and their families together, sooner rather than later. The path forward is getting clearer each day. Take a look at some of my private collections, known as Presidents Picks.
So enjoy the video, share it with your clients and happy travels!
“While we’ve been exploring, you’ve been waiting planning traveling!”
Many of you have never met Deborah Kilcollins, our brand manager. Yet I promise you all know her. If you’ve read any press release, read this blog, or have simply called the office, you know her. You see, she is the one who wrote them all. She has even wrote every Big Five Navigator Series®️ hard cover book, from cover to cover.
Well after 21 years at Big Five, Deborah is calling it a career and retiring at the end of May. I came to Big Five 19 years ago and met Deborah, who was already working at Big Five. I went up and said, “Hi Debbie,” and her reply was “Nice to meet you, and it’s Deborah, thank you.” Little did I know that this person, over the next two decades, would help Big Five with launching the Spirit of Big Five Foundation, launching Precious Journeys®️ family programs, and helping to shape the messaging you read to this day.
Deborah will still be coming into the office periodically as she embarks on her new adventure, writing a book!
Thank you Deborah, for the laughter, the tears, and for simply being you.
I wanted to share something beautiful that Deborah wrote to our team:
A note from Deborah Kilcollins
What do you say after 21 years in one job? Shazam….
Seriously, when Ashish asked me if I wanted to say something, I had no idea what that would be. I can say that this job has been an adventure all its own. I had worked as a freelance writer/photographer for years and in fact, that is how I learned about Big Five. I interviewed Mahen for an article about the company and himself, for a regional business publication. I was taken aback when Mahen offered me a job here. The thought of a “real” job, as my father used to say, was somewhat daunting. So when I started at Big Five, my thought process was that I might work here for maybe five years at the most, and even that was a staggering thought. However, it seemed the most logical course for me at the time. I began as a receptionist with the understanding that the job would evolve, and evolve it has.
Even as a kid, I dreamed about far off places. I took my first trip to Europe on my own when I was 18 with no real experience in traveling alone or abroad. What an eye-opening journey it was. I had a Eurail pass and I ran around Europe for a few months, often sleeping on trains to save money. I had no agenda beyond seeing everything. But that was just the beginning. Since then, I have visited some 60 countries. So when Big Five and I crossed paths, my friends just laughed and pointed out that if I had to have a real job, this surely must be it. And, indeed, it has been. I’ve added a few destinations with Big Five. My favorite and one that I would likely never have been able to do on my own was China.
Big Five has been an education all its own, and I have learned about dedication, loyalty and so much more. I wish Big Five all the success in the world and fully expect it to continue to be among the best. You have all taught me valuable lessons so to each of you I say with gratitude, thank you.
“May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, The foresight to know where you’re going…”
Dear Advisor Partners,
Have you ever seen tears of joy on someone just happy to see you? This past week, thanks to an amazing travel advisor who sent our first guests to Peru since the quarantine lifted, I saw that in Cusco. Picture an Andean story teller, sharing her wisdom about her culture, and becoming emotional as she spoke. She was overcome with joy that someone was there just to listen to her story, something that would sound unbelievable in any time except now.
Imagine the same look on a good friend who normally does all arrival services in Lima, who took a job in a call center in 2020 to provide for his family, vowing to return to tourism. Well, he was overcome with emotion as well, sharing his happiness about greeting his first guests in Lima since the quarantine ended in Peru with anyone that would listen, thanks to yet another amazing travel advisor. I got a good laugh when he noticed the arrival flight for the incoming guests was delayed and laughed at how he loved the stress, that he even missed it!
That is the power of tourism. It’s not just monetary, it’s the silent benefit – self pride. The ability to proclaim in the loudest voice you can, that Peru, like other countries, is on the slow journey back to full strength. Each success story means more, each happy guest means more, each moment of pride means more. Each person you encounter while in country goes the extra mile, even a restaurant in Cusco opening earlier than planned simply because a guest is hungry. Nobody said the road back would be easy, and you are allowed to quit the struggle anytime you want to. What I see in Peru and in so many other destinations, is nobody quit. Nobody said I am done with tourism. Everyone loved what they did and knew the time would return when they could go back to doing what they love.
Well my friends, in Peru, that time has come. This is a new Peru, a grateful Peru, a sincere Peru, and an emotional Peru. They are happy to see you again and say that you may never really know just how happy your visit made them.
Check out our latest video on the joy that is Peru, and the creative way we share Peru.
