“I like mornings. There is a stillness just before the dawn and in that moment anything is possible.”
My pledge is to find the right safari for you, your family and friends, created personally and specifically, with no hidden extra costs however with plenty of extra services added in and designed with safety foremost.
I believe we are only as good as our last safari and that above and beyond is par for the course. From initial conversations and visits to your home, to sunrise on the savannah and evenings around a campfire; this is completely personalised travel where every detail is taken care of so that all you have to do is enjoy.
We meet with every guest beforehand, during the planning stages, anywhere in the world. This way we can better understand what it is that you are looking for, expect and how we can provide the unexpected. At the Original Ker & Downey each partner is a safari guide, we do not just plan safaris, we guide them as well and we have been doing this since 1946. As a result, we have the support systems and team in country, on hand and perfectly placed to show the wonders of life on safari.
Trust in the
Wonders of Nature
My Journey
NOMAD’S LAND
I was born in 1968 and spent seven years in the British Army before a series of fortuitous circumstances led me to Botswana and the Okavango Delta. There I spent the next seven as a guide and mahout with Africa’s first elephant-back safari company, developing a deep understanding of and passion for elephants.
Swapping elephants in the Okavango for chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains, I lived on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and began what is an ongoing fascination with great ape behaviour, human evolution and our place on the planet. From there I continued to the vast Selous Game Reserve, leading walking safaris in the continent’s largest protected wilderness.
Invited to join the Original Ker & Downey in 2005, Kenya is now home base and where I launch out from to lead safaris in twenty-five countries. My personal passion remains African travel and I am happiest on the road, exploring new wildlife frontiers, the continent’s art world, hiking big hills, disappearing into the desert and digging into conservation. I believe that we have a responsibility to ask questions and to peel away natures many layers in order to reveal the true essence of safari.
On Safari
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
Being on safari reminds us to respect our planet and different cultures, while perhaps true luxury lies in the magic of nature, silence and space.
Conservation is at the heart of every one of our safaris. There are many countries, camps, lodges and reserves to choose from and we are here to help.
As guides we look at everything from three perspectives; do these properties and areas have a positive environmental and social impact; do they support a vision of responsible tourism and sustainable travel; and do they have the right mix of wildlife or wilderness experience, appropriate comfort and absolute safety.
In consultation and collaboration with you, as much or as little you prefer, we will find the right safari. For those who like to plan then the research, pouring over maps and dreaming can be almost as much fun as the safari itself.
I believe wholeheartedly that the pillars of any safari must be expert knowledge, precision planning, attention to detail and genuine service.
Going on safari should be a journey of continuous discovery where you move from viewer to participant. From your first elephant sighting to tracking lions on foot, hiking to the mountain gorillas, game rich plains and campfires under star filled skies, these are distinctive journeys that nod to the bygone, acknowledge a more simple, elegant way of living and yet look firmly towards the horizon.
Tradition
SINCE 1946
An African mobile camping safari may accurately be described as ‘the Safari of Kings’ and there is precedent for such a bold claim as since the early 1900’s Monarchs, Heads of State and Leaders in their field have all made a mobile-tented camp their home while on safari.
From the day William Cornwallis Harris set out in 1836, an African safari has been recognised as one of the great adventures the world has to offer; a journey full of hope and discovery. This same ethos and spirit continues today among those who believe that the true essence of safari lies under canvas.
Far from the crowds there are wild places that still exist; vast, untouched and full of wildlife. Here is where one would set up camp. In this new definition luxury appears when camp is yours alone, when you wake up among the great herds, where you spend your days tracking wildlife or meeting communities, where you are immersed in nature, where you have the time to slow down and the space to enjoy every moment.
We camp not only because it is the original way, we also camp to protect the wildlife and wilderness that remain in these remote areas and to support the guardians who call these distant regions home. As Brian Jackman, one of the UK’s most respected travel and safari writers, says,
‘The privacy of a mobile camping safari – especially in the company of a top professional guide – is probably the greatest luxury of all’.
I am often asked where is the best place to go on safari. This is clearly a subjective opinion based on individual preference, specific interests and time of year. A different question might be, if you were to only go on safari once, how would you do it? Well, that’s easy.
Travel with Purpose
Who Cares
CONSERVATION MATTERS
We cannot change the past however we can try to leave this place we call home in a slightly better way than we found it.
I believe that when there is emotional investment in the natural world then meaningful conservation is possible. Very simply, if we love it, we will protect it.
In its purest form, wildlife and wilderness based tourism can be a force for good and a means of change. Sadly, it is sometimes extractive however when it genuinely supports forward thinking conservation organisations then it can create positive solutions for people, wildlife and habitats.
Fiscal and social responsibility along with result driven effectiveness are as important in conservation as they are in any business and successful long-term conservation happens when these meet passion and financial impact.
As guides we have a moral imperative to protect the environment and we are well positioned to assist in connecting the right person to the right conservation body.
At the Original Ker & Downey we plan safaris that have helped protect Africa’s wild places for over seventy years. Our track record is strong and our guest’s legacy continues across the continent to this day.
To that end, there are many remarkable people doing great things and the list of those on the ground is long. Here are some that walk more than they talk; who get on with it, quietly, efficiently and effectively.
‘The value of conservation can not be underestimated’.
