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!

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.

1)      has an encyclopedic knowledge of India’s history, culture and customs

2)      is brimming with positive energy

3)      loves his pug, Buddy

4)      can make you think… and make you laugh!

Journalist Claire Martin recently experienced Puneet’s erudite charm. Ms. Martin travelled with Micato to Delhi, Varanasi, Jaipur, Udaipur and Agra (including a stop at Puneet’s home). As is evident in the resulting article, Puneet not only makes a journey interesting—he makes it fun.

Puneet can expound upon 16^th century Indian history as easily as he can comment on Bollywood’s brightest stars. He is passionate about Indian culture and his enthusiasm is infectious…whether he is remarking on colonization or on the Vedas, it isn’t long before you are as excited about it as he is.

India is replete with stunning sights (the inimitable Taj Mahal, for one), fascinating history (in fact, Mark Twain once called Varanasi “older than history”) and thrilling activities (elephant polo, anyone?). Plus, it was recently named one of 2010’s top emerging travel destinations by Luxury Travel Advisor.

You can read all about Ms. Martin’s travels with Puneet in The Faster Times.

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.

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.

You never quite know what you will see. Captivating battles for savannah supremacy. Predator and prey, for a brief time,  snuggling together against the night’s chill. The “King of the Jungle” remembering his playful youth—with two very unlikely friends.

We’re out on the rugged landscapes of Africa daily and we’ve seen more incredible things than we can count.  But even we enjoy watching some of the great videos that have found their way onto the web.  Here are a few of our favourites:

Christian the Lion

Adopted by John Rendell and Ace Berg as a cub, the lion that came to be known as Christian was eventually  reintroduced  into the wild. Incredibly, he became the head of his pride, and John and Ace tried to visit him. What happened next has been viewed by millions, including on the ABC show “The View.”

The Battle at Kruger

This bush-born battle of wills reached an astonishing 50 million+ views on YouTube. If you haven’t seen it, we highly recommend it. And if you have seen it… it may be even better the second time around!

Leopard Cuddles Baby Baboon

Every once in a while, something happens in the wilds of Africa that defies logic.  This was one of those times… and incredibly, it was caught on camera. We invite you to view this  remarkable and heartwarming story of a predator-turned-protector.

These are certainly thrilling examples of the raw (and sometimes poignant) power of the African wild—but there is, of course, nothing like seeing it in person!

We’re excited that a Micato adventure in Africa has once again been chosen one of National Geographic Traveler’s Tours of a Lifetime.

This year’s selection? Our behind-the-scenes Kenyan Conservation Safari—an insider’s look at Kenyans who are at the forefront of protecting the country’s natural treasures.

On this 9-day safari, we introduce our guests to many of the heroes of Kenya’s conservation movement. These leaders range from those helping orphaned and endangered creatures—such as Dame Daphne Sheldrick, one of the world’s most respected conservationists—to those preserving ancient cultures, like Maasai elder Rakita Ole Nkere.

The safari includes on-the-ground explorations of vital agriculture conservation practices, as well as insights into the rescue and conservation work with chimpanzee and rhino populations at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. And of course, we also experience firsthand the wild wonders these people are working so hard to sustain—from the broad savannahs to the Big Five.

A particularly rewarding visit takes place at one of Nairobi’s “informal settlements” when we experience the remarkable work of Micato’s nonprofit arm, AmericaShare, in their Community Center in the Mukuru slum. It is here that—through education, community outreach and economic empowerment programs—travellers see and experience the conservation of something precious to Kenya’s orphaned and vulnerable populations:  Hope.

Of the multitude of safaris available in Africa today, we are proud to have had Micato’s Kenya Conservation Safari be among the very few selected as a National Geographic “Tour of a Lifetime.”

Read all about it!

Micato’s nonprofit arm, AmericaShare, is at the forefront of a life-changing initiative in Africa—and it appears The New York Times has taken notice!

Tuesday’s New York Times featured an article about one of our projects designed to keep African girls in school every day of the month. The project is the creation of reusable sanitary napkins for impoverished girls in the slums. An unfortunate reality is that school-age girls typically miss one week of school each month when menstruating since disposable sanitary napkins are beyond the reach of poor families.

The Micato-AmericaShare Harambee Centre is the headquarters for this remarkable project. Washable and reusable sanitary napkins are being sewn by our women’s group and packaged into kits that include eight pads, three pair of underwear, washing soap, plastic storage bags and a pamphlet about safe sex and HIV/AIDS.  These kits are being distributed free of charge to girls via the Kenyan Girl Guide Association. The expectation is that this project will be replicated throughout Africa at other community centers serving impoverished populations.

The project was launched by Huru International, an organization that was founded by Micato’s own Lorna MacLeod, the executive director of AmericaShare. The word ‘Huru’ means ‘freedom’ in Swahili and the organization’s mission is to empower girls by providing them with the knowledge and resources they need to develop into healthy, economically secure women.  Huru International’s partners are the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Johnson & Johnson and Warner Brothers, amongst others.

All of us at Micato are immensely proud of our involvement in this meaningful endeavour.  We hope you will take a moment and read all about it.

For a moment in time—over eight minutes, in fact—people in Africa this week will see something rare and spectacular: an annular solar eclipse.

According to the NASA website, on January 15, 2010 an annular eclipse of the sun will be visible in Kenya as well as other parts of Africa. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun, leaving only a small ring (or annulus) of light.  It will be the longest such eclipse of this century, so professional and amateur astronomers are understandably excited.

That includes Micato’s Safari Directors. In preparation for the big event, they have become armchair experts in this sort of thing—adding to their already encyclopedic knowledge in a variety of subjects. Guests on all our East African safaris will be treated to a once in a lifetime celestial show, in addition to the astounding wildlife show they can expect on the savannahs.

While Micato would like to take credit for arranging yet another special event exclusively for Micato travellers, this time we have to thank Mother Nature!

It is an exciting time in an extraordinary place.  (Be sure to wear your sunglasses!)

A closer look revealed something even better.  The holiday elves at Bing featured Travel+Leisure’s recent article “15 Life-Changing Trips” that highlighted Micato’s popular tree-planting initiative—a favourite with guests.  Plus, we have other ways that travellers can make a difference, even before they set foot in Kenya.  Thoughtful ways to assist include donating a book to the new library we’re building in one of Kenya’s most impoverished areas—with a $10 donation.  Or for something with a really big impact, sponsor an orphaned child to attend boarding school for a year (or more!).  Micato’s AmericaShare foundation offers a number of opportunities to join our work, and at costs that fit every holiday budget.  Read about How We Give Back or visit AmericaShare to learn more.

A wonderful start to the holiday season— Travel+Leisure and Bing’s mentions of Micato’s volunteer opportunities had our phones lit up like a Christmas tree!