We’re in Seventh Heaven!

T+L magazine has named Micato the #1 tour company in the world, topping a list of 20 other prestigious tour and safari operators.

It’s our 7^th time in the #1 position—a record for any tour company and a humbling honour because the award comes from our esteemed travellers who ranked Micato so highly in the T+L survey.

So thank you past travellers!  With redoubled enthusiasm, we look forward to fulfilling this spectacular distinction every day with every new guest.

And for those of you who haven’t experienced Micato’s award-winning service yet, take a look at our Travel+Leisure World’s Best Safari—a stunning African experience that includes stays at T+L World’s Best lodges and camps.  It’s a real winner!

World Cup Fever is gripping us all… it seems everyone is transfixed by the excitement in South Africa. Yet as millions of people watch the thrilling games unfold, the following question arises:

What’s that noise?

The die-hard fans in our Cape Town office have long embraced it: the sound of the vuvuzela, that ubiquitous horn filling South Africa’s stadiums with its signature drone. Said to be descended from the kudu horn—a device that was used to summon African villagers to gatherings—the original tin vuvuzela gained particular prominence at soccer games in the 1990s. Banned as a danger, it was replaced by a new plastic version that has been popular ever since.

And what does vuvuzela mean? No one has a clear answer – one popular theory is that it evolved from the Zulu word for “making noise.” Which it most certainly does: in fact, the blare from a vuvuzela has been measured at up to 130 decibels (louder than a chainsaw).

Of course, you can experience the thrills of South Africa without the need for earplugs.  May we suggest our South African Sweeping Sojourn? From canyons to coastlines, whales to wildebeests, urban sophistication to untamed wilderness, you’ll experience the best of this remarkable land on this unique and active safari.

For now, we hope you are enjoying the World Cup as much as we are.

Ever imagined yourself on an around-the-world trek?

The intrepid adventurer, hopping from one spectacular place to the next. Costa Rica’s lush jungles. Austria’s verdant hills. Borneo’s far-flung islands. Exploring the Arctic, discovering the Galapagos and roaming the wild wonders of East Africa.

What if you could do it all?  And all that was asked of you… was to blog about it.

It can happen.

No, really.

Announcing the Blog Your Way Around the World contest. Sponsored by Micato Safaris and several of our travel partners in Adventure Collection, this contest will send one lucky and talented blogger on the trip of a lifetime.

You can go whitewater rafting, bicycle touring, heli-hiking, polar bear viewing, bird watching, zip-lining, snorkeling and sea kayaking in some of the most spectacular places in the world.  Not to mention two five-star expedition cruises and, of course, an African safari that is beyond compare (if we don’t mind saying so ourselves).

Win a chance to embark on a continent-hopping adventure with some of the most respected travel companies in the world.

CLICK HERE for all the details.

We’ve quite a few friends in Africa, many of whom are doing remarkable things.  One woman in particular continues to impress us in many ways: Louise Leakey.

You may recognize the name, and for good reason. Louise is one of the most famous paleoanthropologists in the world. The current standard bearer for the Leakey family—true royalty in the paleontology field— Louise made headlines when she co-led an expedition with her mother to Kenya’s Turkana Basin, discovering a 3.5-million-year-old skull belonging to a new genus of hominid or early human.

Sure, Louise is a scientist. She’s also a pilot. A professor. Even a winemaker. In essence, Louise is an adventurer at heart… and she’s also an avid supporter of conservation in her beloved Kenyan homeland.

As an adventure-loving conservationist, Louise is a natural to participate in the annual Rhino Charge. It may sound foreboding, but the Charge is actually an exciting off-road motorsport competition that is held to raise funds for Kenya’s Aberdare Conservation Area. Louise is participating as part of Rhino Rouge, an all-woman team that has competed in the Charge for the past six years (and won the Ladies event four times!). More importantly, the team has raised more than $175,000 to date for the Aberdares, a forest ecosystem of critical importance to a wide variety of species including the endangered black rhino and the mountain bongo. In addition, the waters that flow from these forests are vital to the survival of several million people in the region.

We’re proud to have been associated with Louise, her family and their Turkana Basin Institute for years, and we continue to cheer them on in all their endeavours.

So, when the engines start at the Rhino Charge, we know who we’ll be rooting for: Louise and Rhino Rouge (car #17)! And we’re happy that no matter who crosses the finish line first, the Rhino Charge is a winning proposition for conservation in Kenya.

Want to learn more about Team Rhino Rouge?  Click here to learn all about the team and their cause.

Welcome to Micato Musings.  Soon, this will be a place for us to share some of our stories, questions, thoughts… the general meanderings of the Micato mind.  We look forward to interacting with our guests and friends on this blog, so please check back soon.

Thanks for visiting!

Micato Safaris

(more…)