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Blog
Every year in May I return to Africa to catch up with old friends in the safari business. It’s the month our annual Safari Trade Show takes place in Cape Town. And when I’m there I always take the opportunity to visit a part of Africa that I have not visited for some time. This…
Read MoreIn case you haven’t heard safaris are booming! Safari lodges are filling up and everyone it seems is going on safari in 2023. A custom safari takes a lot of planning as we find those places that others tend to miss. And as a result those hidden places are not crowded and make for a…
Read MorePlanning a Custom Safari requires firsthand knowledge and experience of Africa. Which is why most of the bigger tour operators don’t do them! The knowledge pool of Custom Safari operators is too small to scale up into a big business. Instead, the bigger tour operators plan multiple departures all following the same itineraries year after…
Read MorePutting together a custom safari takes close co-operation and frequent communication between the parties involved; you, me, and my contacts in Africa. At Holden Safaris my specialization is custom safaris. Not many safari operators have sufficient experience to put together custom safaris. To successfully plan and operate a custom safari requires many years of safari…
Read MoreReferrals and Unique Experiences. Recent travel industry surveys from the likes of Expedia, report that travel post covid is booming. And before the next pandemic hits travelers want to focus on their travel bucket list NOW! Africa features prominently at the top of most people’s bucket list, destinations such as Tanzania, Kenya, and South…
Read MoreAs 2022 draws to a close it’s time to wish all our Supporters, Travel Advisors, and Clients Happy Holidays. It’s also an opportunity to thank you all for your support in 2022, helping us to get back to some sense of normalcy, after two years of Covid. I say “some sense of normalcy” when actually…
Read More“Meet Esther Mahlango, a Celebrity Artist from South Africa, painting in the Ndebele style. On a safari to South Africa, you’ll be able to recognize the colorful Ndebele Houses, painted in the style made famous by Esther Mahlango, after watching this video of Esther and learning about her impressive accomplishments as an artist. “Safari…
Read MoreLike everyone else, the Holden Safaris teams, both in the USA and Africa, are having to work from home. Some of us are more comfortably set up than others! Take a look at the selfies sent in by some of our team. Some have dogs for company. Our U.S. Team No elephants! I have my…
Read More“The Spirit of Ubuntu” The spirit of Ubuntu, is something we’ve been questioning as it relates to everyone in the world right now. Above is a short video where Reverend Mpho Tutu, episcopal priest and the executive director of the Desmond & Leah Legacy Foundation, explains the concept of “ubuntu”. Reverend Mpho Tutu, episcopal priest…
Read MoreJim Holden and Sonia Marsh were on a two-week trip to Madagascar, over the Christmas holidays, checking out the best experiences for our guests. We had no idea how many species of mammals, reptiles and plants are endemic to Madagascar, including 6 of the world’s 9 species of Baobab trees. Why is Madagascar so different?…
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