Top 10 African Safari Tour Operators

Recent controversy surrounding the death of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe at the hands of a big-game hunter has raised an important debate: What is the best way to protect African wildlife? On one side, pro-hunting advocates argue that exorbitant hunting fees fund conservation efforts that would otherwise be underfunded or nonexistent. Meanwhile, other argue that going on game drives (and thereby pumping money into local economies) benefits the animals. But not all safari outfitters are created equally, and some are much less conscious of respecting animals and the environment than others. If you're a responsible traveler who wants to plan an African safari, work with one of these top-rated tour operators, most of which have dedicated philanthropic causes.
&BEYOND
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This luxury tour operator offers ready-made trips and tours to all parts of Southern or East Africa or can tailor a safari to your needs. It offers some of the best destinations and accommodations in Africa (and manages thirty-three of its own highly regarded properties) from the Okavango Delta to remote Indian Ocean islands. Unique trips for the discerning traveler can be planned around learning, conservation, and sustainability, or “luxury in the bush,” which includes more holistic activities, such as yoga safaris. This outfitter also offers active adventures such as rhino darting for conservation, walking safaris, and turtle-hatching expeditions.

Destinations: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Popular packages: Treasures of Tanzania, eight nights, from $6,685; Grand Botswana, ten nights, from $9,967.

Philanthropy: It has raised and committed R100 million (US$11.5 million) to implement and operate projects in six African countries.

What they do best: Luxury in the bush, impeccable attention to detail, and honeymoons.
ABERCROMBIE & KENT

In business since 1962, this company is considered one of the best in the business and is consistently given high marks by former clients. From your first decision to go on safari to its successful conclusion, A&K offers seamless service. Its tailor-made safaris hearken back to days past when intrepid adventurers such as Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway relied on private guides to create a safari program and escort them through the bush from start to finish. The company has a professional network of local A&K offices in all of its destination countries, staffed by full-time A&K experts; maintains its own fleet of four-wheel-drive safari vehicles; and trains its own drivers. The head office in the U.S. is in Illinois.

Destinations: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Popular package: Kenya & Tanzania, twelve days, from $5,995.

Philanthropy: Extensive projects benefit ecosystems and wildlife, communities and cultures, and health and education. Guests can meet local people making a difference in their communities. Many guests build their safari around several of these projects.

What They Do Best: Destination knowledge—they have some of the most experienced guides on the continent.
AFRICA SERENDIPITY

This New York-based company has excellent Africa-based operators and specializes in Kenya and Tanzania exclusively. Although it offers suggested itineraries, the trip is ultimately custom-designed for the client and dependent on the time of the year and bud- get. Clients often combine Kenya and Tanzania into one trip. Africa Serendipity is flexible, as it offers prospective clients what they wish and at a price that meets their budget.
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Destinations: Kenya and Tanzania and their coastal islands.

Popular packages: Serengeti and/or Masai Migration, twelve to fourteen days, from $6,100; a beach escape can be added to the end of any safari.

Philanthropy: They have no direct involvement with any charities, but the ground outfitters it uses only employ local residents and are involved in community schemes.

What They Do Best: Kenya and Tanzania. Their focus on these two countries truly makes them experts.
AFRICAN PORTFOLIO

African Portfolio’s team members visit each in-country operator annually and are on a first-name basis with the managers of the properties they use. They pride themselves on discovering the best places, whether they’re hidden gems, up-and-coming properties, or well-established classics. With each client, they’re committed to providing a safari reminiscent of what captivates them about Africa. Their mission is to provide unique and memorable experiences through nature-based travel that educate, entertain, inspire, and provide participants with opportunities to directly contribute to conservation.

Destinations: Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles,South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Popular package: Great Rift Valley Safari, Tanzania, 10 days, from $6,000.

Philanthropy: African Portfolio was started in Zimbabwe and its philanthropic efforts are directed there; this includes support for orphanages and a wildlife sanctuary.

What they do best: Assisting travelers with “off the beaten path” trips.
GAMEWATCHERS SAFARIS

This Nairobi-based company specializes in delivering luxury, tailor-made safaris to small camps and lodges in the top game-viewing areas of East Africa. Every traveler is guaranteed a personal, authentic safari and the opportunity to experience the magic of the African bush while helping protect Africa’s wildlife, ecosystems, and cultures. Gamewatchers runs its own ground operations, ensuring guests are well looked after from the start of their trip to the finish. Guests often add beach trips to the end of their safaris.

Destinations: Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania,Zambia.

Popular packages: African Splendours Safari, twelve nights, from $5,895; Gamewatchers Adventure Camping Safari, six nights, from $1,995.

Philanthropy: It supports a school in Kibera, Nairobi, and more than 1,000 Maasai families are directly benefiting as a result of its conservancies. It has also set up outreach pro-grams to assist with water provision, education, and predator protection.
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What they do best: A personal, authentic experience, as far from mass-market tourism as it’s possible to get.
MICATO SAFARIS

Family-owned and -operated, this New York-based operator offers ultra luxurious trips driven by a sustainable ethos. Safari lodges enchant with such unadulterated luxuries as private plunge pools and personal butlers. Cultured safari guides educate, instruct, and amuse, while itineraries offer an irresistible array of experiences from the sophisticated pleasures of Cape Town to the celebrated savannas of the Serengeti and the near-spiritual beauty of the Kalahari. Micato has long been praised for its ability to deliver seamless personalized “un-group-like” service and over-the-top luxury without sacrificing true immersion in the “real Africa.” Standout inclusions on Micato programs include timesaving bush flights between lodges and an “all tips included” policy.

Destinations: Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania,Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Popular package: The Hemingway Wing Safari, Kenya, fourteen days, from $13,175 per person.

Philanthropy: Its charitable endeavors are impressive, with visits to the Micato-AmericaShareHarambee Community Center a highlight for many clients. In addition, every safari sold puts one Kenyan child in school through Micato-AmericaShare’s One for One program.

What They Do Best: Impeccable service from start to finish alongside excellent community projects.
NATURAL HABITAT ADVENTURES

Nicknamed “The Nature People,” this operator is known for its focus on wildlife and conservation.Nat Hab’s headquarters are in Colorado, and although it organizes trips to destinations around the world, it has a good reputation for arranging incredible safari itineraries. It always chooses the best destinations for viewing wildlife in its natural habitat and focuses on small groups and intimate lodges in secluded, off-the-beaten-track settings. Its online safari-building tool,iSafari.com, is a useful starting point for getting an idea of what’s possible before speaking to one of the experts in its team. The operator can also arrange photo expeditions and family safaris.

Destinations: Botswana, Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Popular package: Secluded Botswana (includes Victoria Falls on the Zambia side), thirteen days, from $10,995.

Philanthropy: The Natural Habitat Foundation focuses on conservation and arranges voluntourism programs. They’re the first carbon-neutral travel company and the travel partner for the World Wildlife Fund.

What they do best: Sustainable ecotourism for small groups with a focus on wildlife and conservation.
NOMAD TANZANIA

Nomad Tanzania owns and operates its own collection of unique camps and privately guided safaris across the most geographically diverse areas in Tanzania. It also offers an efficient ground-handling and safari-planning service throughout Tanzania and Zanzibar and uses its experience and approach to recommend other camps that it feels meet its exacting standards. They have a reputation for employing excellent guides and for always going the extra mile for guests. All of its team members have a deep love for the African bush and a desire to share their passion with others. Its website has some sample itineraries for inspiration, but each trip is fully customized.

Destinations: Tanzania

Popular package: Serengeti Safari, eight nights, from $5,000.

Philanthropy: A microfinance scheme allows guides to purchase their own safari vehicles, which Nomad then rents from them. Nomad has also introduced steel water bottles for all guests so as to reduce the use of plastic. The Nomad Trust raises charitable donations for a range of community projects.

What they do best: Excellent guides, camps, comprehensive itineraries, and service in a specialized region.

5 Reasons to Go to Santa Fe Now

If you’ve ever wondered about the best time to visit Santa Fe, September is definitely in the running. The entire month belongs to festivals—the city celebrates everything from beloved pets to religious icons to the famed chiles that are New Mexico’s claim to fame. It’s harvest time, and there’s an overriding feeling of abundance in the air. Here’s why you should take a trip there soon.
THE BURNING OF ZOZOBRA



Book a last-minute getaway for this weekend’s Burning of Zozobra. Every year on the Friday before Labor Day, an elaborate festival is held in Santa Fe's Fort Marcy Park. A 50-foot working marionette called Zozobra (which means "anxiety" in Spanish) is stuffed with physical representations of stress (bills, divorce decrees, tax forms, bankruptcy filings, breakup letters, etc.) and burned in effigy on the street. Fire performers, fireworks and ceremonial dances help chase away strife and turmoil for the upcoming year. It’s a completely unique experience that you can only have in Santa Fe, and the intrinsic nature of the event means everyone is there to let loose and have fun.
FIESTA DE SANTA FE
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The following week is filled with events for Fiesta de Santa Fe (September 4–7). It’s been an annual tradition since 1712, making this the oldest civic celebration in the United States. In 1680, the Pueblo Indians drove out the Spanish settlers in the area, who spent the next twelve years in El Paso del Norte (now Juarez, Mexico). The festival marks the resettlement and peaceful reoccupation of Santa Fe by the Spanish in 1692. There are many religious ceremonies around town this week, which, even if you aren’t the pious type, are interesting, beautiful and educational to watch. The festival also features outdoor festivities, Spanish dancing, a children’s pet paradefeaturing hundreds of adorable kids and animals in costume, and plenty of New Mexican cuisine. Don’t miss the Mariachi Extravaganza (September 5) where you can watch some of the world’s best mariachi bands perform in their finest regalia.
THE RAILYARD DISTRICT’S ART SCENE



Santa Fe has long been known as an art mecca, and the burgeoning Railyard District is home to some of the city’s most unique galleries.
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Our picks: Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, which specializes in contemporary, monochromatic pieces. You’d think these one-color works would be boring, but they are anything but. Creative uses of 3D, mixed media and sculptural forms keep the pieces modern, light, and a tad bit edgy. The Japanese baskets and bamboo art at TAI Modern are also worth a visit.
JAPANESE-STYLE RELAXATION


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Whatever you do, make time for Ten Thousand Waves, a traditional Japanese-style bathhouse, during your visit. This tranquil oasis sits near national forest land and though it’s just fifteen minutes from downtown, you’d never guess it, since you’ll feel transported by the Japanese baths, gardens and architecture. Splurge if you can—the private suites are the way to go. They feature sitting showers (an important part of the Japanese bathing ritual), saunas and “ultimate toilets,” a modern marvel that has more features than many cell phones. There’s also an on-site farmhouse-style restaurant, Izanami, that serves small plates (average main: $10) and more than 50 varieties of artisanal sake. Try the Wagyu ishiyaki, delicate slices of beef served on a 500-degree searing stone. At the spa, go for the Nose to Toes treatment: a full body exfoliation; massage with Thai stretching and extended head, neck, and shoulder work; Japanese foot massage; and a foot scrub with rice bran, green tea, and adzuki-bean powder (80 minutes, $165).

Q&A: Chef Greg Marchand of Frenchie in Paris

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It was celebrity chef Jamie Oliver who first referred to Greg Marchand as "Frenchie." It was in Oliver's fabulously successful London restaurant Fifteen, and Marchand was the only Frenchman toiling away in the kitchen.

Neither knew that it would become a lifelong nickname. (Marchand says that newer employees at Oliver's restaurant "never even learned my real name.") But it would also become the moniker of Marchand's mini-empire of restaurants on the Rue de Nil in Paris: Frenchie, Frenchie Bar a Vins, and the newest addition, Frenchie To Go.

One thing that isn't necessarily French is the menu. Marchand, who has worked all over the world, including in Hong Kong, Spain, and Scotland, helped to create the New Bistro style of cooking that emphasizes ingredients fresh from the market and preparations that let the natural flavors shine through. It's no surprise that his first restaurant was a success almost from the day it opened.
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There's no trick to his style of cooking, Marchand insists. To prove his point, he recently pennedFrenchie: New Bistro Cooking, which makes his recipes seem simple enough even for cooks who have never attempted French cuisine.

We talked with Marchand about cooking tips he's picked up around the world, his philosophy in the kitchen, and his favorite eateries in Paris.
YOU'RE A TRAILBLAZER OF THE NEW BISTRO MOVEMENT, WHICH EMPHASIZES FRESH INGREDIENTS AND SIMPLE PREPARATIONS. IS THIS WHAT YOU INTENDED WHEN YOU OPENED FRENCHIE BACK IN 2009?

I wanted to create a place where I would want to go and, most importantly, return to. I wanted the restaurant to emphasize fresh products and have a short, ever-changing menu with affordable prices. (That was actually the introduction to the business plan that I showed the bank when I applied for a loan.) I didn't really know what was going on at the time in Paris as I had living abroad for the past 10 years, so I guess I was in the right place with the right offer at the right time.
IS IT EASIER FINDING SEASONAL PRODUCE THESE DAYS IN PARIS?

I don't think it has ever been complicated. France has some of the greatest produce in the world and most of it is readily available in Paris. I worked in many cities abroad and found very good produce, but it was never so readily available. There is truly something about the terroir over here. Call me chauvinist, but I find that vegetables taste better here. That said, while I was cooking at Gramercy Tavern in New York City, I remember going to the Union Square Greenmarket during the good season and tasting amazing stuff. And I've never found fresh chickpeas over here in Paris.
ARE THERE ANY INGREDIENTS YOU'VE COME TO LOVE OVER THE YEARS? ANYTHING YOU'VE STOPPED USING?

I love good olive oil. I go to Sicily every year during the olive harvest with Cedric Casanova from "la tete dans les olives", literally "the head in the olives." He is a great Sicilian guy who is promoting artisanal Sicilian products here in Paris and in France. We do a Frenchie olive oil that we use in the kitchen at Frenchie and that we sell at the restaurant, too. I usually buy the whole production of one varietal from one producer for the year.
EVEN WHEN THEY KNOW YOU SPENT A DECADE COOKING ABROAD, ARE PATRONS SURPRISED WHEN YOUR DISHES AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT WE THINK OF AS FRENCH CUISINE?

I don't think most of our guests expect French cooking when they come and visit us. What is French cuisine today? For me, I do French-based cuisine using the world and my experiences abroad as my larder.
ONE FOOD WRITER CALLED YOU THE "MOST AMERICAN CHEF IN PARIS." IS THAT A FAIR DESCRIPTION?

That's a personal point of view that I respect, and I can understand it because of my background. Self-description is something I find hard to do. We should ask what French food writers think about that.
YOU SPENT A YEAR WORKING AT NEW YORK'S GRAMERCY TAVERN. WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT A KITCHEN IN NEW YORK AND PARIS?
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The size and pace mostly, with the span of opening hours. In Paris most restaurants are open five days a week with lunch from 12 to 2, and dinner from 8 to 11. In New York, it's more like seven days a week, all day, with an a.m. team and a p.m. team. In New York, you have a fine dining restaurant doing 200 covers a night. It's a huge machine. In France it's more intimate: most fine dining restaurants don't exceed 60 to 80 covers a night.

The business model is different here, too. I was speaking to a famous chef from California who came to dine at Frenchie last week about my plan for renovating Frenchie. He asked me if I was going to expand, to which I replied, "No, I'm going to lower the number of seats and probably earn less in the process." He looked at me strangely and said, "Ah, the French business model, can't get around it." I guess I'm not looking at a final destination in life, but just a nice journey.
YOU CALLED YOUR TAKE-OUT RESTAURANT, FRENCHIE TO GO, THE FIRST "NEW YORK-STYLE DELI" IN PARIS. ANYTHING THAT WOULD SURPRISE NEW YORKERS?

Well, maybe that a Frenchman went all the way in doing hot dogs, bagels, pulled pork, lobster rolls, and pastrami with everything house-made, from our own fermented sauerkraut for the hot dog, to our pastrami and house-smoked arctic char for the bagel. Our American customers usually leave very happy, as do our British ones, who say that our bacon sarnie and fish and chips kick ass.
DO YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO TRY OUT OTHER RESTAURANTS IN PARIS? ANY FAVORITES?

I love L'Arpege and L'Astrance for a treat. I had a blast at Thoumieux also lately. I also really likedClamato (80 rue de Charonne), the latest fish restaurant from the owner of Septime. At this time in my life, with two young children and three restaurants, going to restaurants is difficult. I don't eat out often enough.

Where to Eat in Hong Kong Now

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There's no perfect translation for foodie in Cantonese—mei sic tat yan (literally "food guru") comes close—but Hong Kong gives food lovers plenty to bite into regardless. Innovative restaurants both casual and formal populate the city, with chefs dishing out creative plates that employ organic, slow-food, and artisanal approaches in beautifully designed venues. Here, we present seven of the city's best eateries, ranging from high-end takes on traditional Chinese cuisine to fusion-filled menus like you've never experienced.
BIBO



Hidden behind the facade of the now-defunct headquarters of a French tramway company, Bibo(163 Hollywood Road) is a contemporary art trove doubling as restaurant. Filled with work by big-name artists including Banksy, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, plus local calligraphy-graffiti master King of Kowloon, the space serves up chef Mutaro Balde's eye-catching, entirely house-made French-inspired plates and mixologist Alexandre Chatté's inventive and speakeasy-inspired craft libations.
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Menu Must-Have: The seasonal seafood carpaccio, brightly colored and flavored with lemon juice, chili, and finely chopped herbs
MIC KITCHEN



Alvin Leung, known as the "Demon Chef," broke new ground with his avant-garde, molecular approach to traditional Chinese fare, dubbed "x-treme Chinese," at the two Michelin-starred Bo Innovation. His latest venture, opened in 2013 within a Kowloon Kwun Tong district office tower, with a protégé, chef Lo Ka Ki, at the helm, has already snagged a Michelin star. Although more Asian-Western fusion in nature, MIC Kitchen's menus, both fixed (dinner starts at HK$598) and a la carte, are equally surprising and flavor-driven.

Menu Must-Have: Iberico ham: hot and sour soup and braised rice vermicelli rolled within slices of ham topped with lychee foam
LITTLE BAO



Asian-American comfort food is the concept behind May Chow's cozy, open kitchen Little Bao, where bao, Chinese steamed bun sandwiches, receive a burger-style makeover. Chewy, mildly sweet Northern Chinese-style buns contain fillings ranging from decadent pork belly to vegetarian-friendly shitake tempeh. A "no bao cutting" policy is explicitly stated on the menu and strictly enforced; May, a Bo Innovation veteran, says that if dining companions want to taste each other's selection, they'll need to get messy and chomp directly from the source. However, the menu features plenty of sharing-specific dishes like crispy eggplant and pork tempura with ponzu dip, and Southeast-Asian-inspired roast Brussels sprouts in fish sauce.

Menu Must-Have: Fish tempura bao with tamarind palm sugar glaze and pickled lemongrass-fennel salad
ARMANI/AQUA



Aqua Group specializes in impeccably designed concept venues, and this collaboration with Armani is fashionista-worthy indeed. The first course at Armani/Aqua is pure visual drama, and served before one even sits down: a strut down a red and black hallway-cum-catwalk, the rear wall of which parts to reveal a roomy dining space with Asian design elements and rich colored lighting. As for the menu, it's split between high-end Italian and Japanese fare, from sushi to fresh pasta and Wagyu beef dishes.

Menu Must-Have: The dinnertime "Salt Discovery" set menu (HK$1288, about $166), which pairs exotic salt varieties with six courses including a Sicilian red prawn risotto with tableside shavings from a rock of Persian blue salt
MOTT32



Taking its name from Manhattan's 32 Mott Street, in the center of New York's modern-day Chinatown, Mott32 is a 2014 newcomer housed within the depths of the Central district's Standard Chartered Bank Building (be sure to take a peek at Remo Riva's stained glass depictions of contemporary and futuristic HK in the lobby before dinner). Mott32's chef Fung, formerly of the two Michelin-starred Dynasty, delivers up-market, insanely delicious takes on traditional Chinese and dim sum fare, featuring chilled free-range chicken with Sichuan pepper; crispy pork belly with mustard; and Iberico pork char sui in downright cinematic, industrial-chic environs.
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Menu Must-Have: The applewood-roasted Peking duck, which, due to its time-consuming preparation and advance air-drying, must be pre-ordered.
NUR



Opened on the third floor of a Central district building in April 2014, NUR derives its name from both the Arabic term meaning "light" and UK-bred head chef Nurdin Topham, whose affinity for organic, fresh, and local produce (and training as a nutritionist therapist) inform his artfully plated "nourishing gastronomy." Topham's pair of nightly set menus—the six-course "Light" rings in at HK$788, and nine-course "Feast" at HK$988—change frequently according to produce availability, sourced locally wherever possible from a growing number of organic farms in Hong Kong's northern New Territories and NUR's own terrace herb garden. While Topham admits he hasn't "cracked local seafood" just yet, meals typically open with a gorgeous Gillardeau oyster bathed in cucumber-wasabi foam. Allergic to shellfish? Delectable house-made ricotta with generous truffle shavings is your enviable substitute.

Menu Must-Have: Zen Organic Farm heirloom cherry and grape tomatoes in a chilled herbal "soup"
LAB MADE



Bursts of thick white fog billow nightly from the front of Tai Hang neighborhood ice cream shop, Lab Made, whose molecular gimmick—liquid nitrogen is used to flash-freeze ingredients for a crystal-free smoothness—hasn't overshadowed the product's incredible, Hong Kong-centric flavors and textures. Four are offered weekly (keep tabs via their Facebook page), including favorites like sticky toffee pudding, almond roca, Hong Kong crispy toast, moon cake, and, a take on a beloved dim sum staple, Hong Kong custard bun. Since opening during the summer of 2012, Lab Made has sprung three more locations including one in Tsim Sha Tsui's Miramar Shopping Centre and in the New Territories' Tuen Mun Town Plaza.