Trails of Africa at a glance

Trails of Africa at a glance

Trails of Africa Tours and Safaris Ltd is a full destination management company offering reliable, competitive, professional holiday services across Eastern and Southern Africa. Our purpose is to handle every detail of your travel and holiday — sorting through the vast options available and finding the dream holiday that meets your needs and gives you value for your money. That's our commitment to you, and it's what saves you from the hassle, uncertainty and inconvenience of trying to plan it all yourself.

We specialise in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Our success rests on our knowledge of the destinations we sell, combined with the reliability, creativity and dedication of our team. To us, every traveller is unique — which is why we build a specifically tailored package for each group, based on a customer-focused approach, personal attention and thoughtful suggestions.

History of the owners

The company is run by John Gakinya and Maureen Kariuki, with the invaluable support of a wonderful team of travel experts eager to plan your next safari.

John Gakinya — Managing Director

John has more than 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. After pursuing a bachelor's degree in Tourism Management, he had the privilege of working across both the private sector and government. Within the Kenyan government, he has worked at the Ministry of Tourism, the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). In the private sector, he has worked for Woodside Energy of Australia, a number of destination management companies, and several hotels on the Kenyan coast at Mombasa — before setting up Trails of Africa. That breadth of experience underpins how the company runs today: John is well travelled, deeply knowledgeable about the region, and hands-on in how Trails of Africa is managed.

Maureen Kariuki — Head of Operations and Logistics

Maureen holds a degree in Financial Management and worked across three financial institutions before joining two destination management companies. Day to day, she makes sure hotels are paid on time, rooms are blocked and confirmed, invoices are accurate, and vehicles are roadworthy for the next safari. Together, John and Maureen lead a team of dedicated travel experts who go the extra mile to make every client's safari worthwhile — customising each trip to the client's preference, from affordable trips to the most luxurious.

Our travel experts team

…a team keen on every detail of your holiday.

After dreaming, planning and paying for a holiday, all you want is a unique, memorable, flawless experience. Our team is made up of committed, adventurous and highly experienced people, many of whom have worked in this industry for years. Their creative instincts give every holiday a positive surprise element, and our success rests on knowing the destinations we sell combined with the reliability, creativity and dedication we bring to every booking.

To us, every client is unique — that's why we build a specifically tailored package for each group, based on a customer-focused approach, personal attention and thoughtful suggestions. We guarantee expert advice and assistance in holiday planning, efficient and timely itinerary building, and professional, reliable customer service from tour guides who have travelled extensively throughout this region.

Our safari guides

More than just a guide — your personal travel companion.

At Trails of Africa, our guests are the most important people to us. But our safari driver-guides come a very close second, and for good reason: most of your time on safari will be spent with your driver-guide. Their passion for the job, knowledge of nature, driving ability and personality are the biggest factors in making your trip memorable. It's through their trained eyes that you'll really see and understand the wonders of nature in front of you, and through their knowledge that you'll get a genuine feel for East African wildlife, landscape, culture and people.

That's why we take great care selecting our driver-guides. Knowing the job simply isn't enough — they need to love the land, the animals, the culture and the people, and be able to share that love with every visitor, with a genuine smile and a sense of humour. We have driver-guides who speak English, Spanish, French, Italian and German, and all of our guides are comfortable travelling with families and children.

We employ, and work hard to retain, only the best in the industry — people with expert knowledge of wildlife, culture, history and other areas of visitor interest. Our driver-guides go through continual training on customer service, client safety, wildlife knowledge and general knowledge, and are registered with the Professional Guides Association: experts in wildlife identification and behaviour, with deep knowledge of each destination's flora, fauna, history and way of life.

Our experienced guides have always made sure your yesterday is different from today — and leaves you looking forward to tomorrow.

Our safari vehicles

Safety, priceless exclusivity and luxury.

Trails of Africa runs a fleet of custom-designed safari vehicles — a choice of 4×4 Land Cruisers, safari vans or buses. Buses are typically used for city tours, conferences and airport transfers; 4×4s and safari vans handle the actual game drives, since they're built to cross Africa's varied terrain, with special pop-up rooftops for better game viewing and photography.

• Routine maintenance, plus a full check after every safari, so each vehicle is fit for the next one
• Custom-designed pop-up rooftops on our 4×4 Land Cruisers and safari vans, opened for game viewing and photography
• Long- and short-range radio frequencies for efficient communication between drivers while on safari
• Seat belts on every seat, a cool box with bottled water, a first-aid kit, binoculars and reference material — bird guides, animal guides and more
• Guaranteed window seats for every client, for better game viewing
• Generous legroom and a dedicated luggage rack
• Free WiFi on a number of our 4×4 Land Cruisers, so you can stay in touch and share your safari moments instantly
• Charging sockets on most of our 4×4 vehicles, so cameras and phones stay powered throughout the day

Our communication network

We're equipped with state-of-the-art radio communication equipment and 24-hour mobile phone contact with our drivers while they're out in the bush with clients. All vehicles carry long-range, two-way radio systems interlinked for constant bush-to-base communication, and every driver also carries a mobile phone — giving you an unmatched support network across the region.

Financial bonding under KATO

Trails of Africa Tours and Safaris Ltd is a member of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) Bonding Scheme — Membership No. FE:536 — and is backed by a leading insurance company, so your payments are protected under the KATO Bonding Scheme, subject to its terms. Our overseas agents and clients can rest assured that their funds and travel plans are safe and insured with us.

KATO is Kenya's leading tourism trade association, representing the interests of more than 250 of the country's most experienced and professional tour operators. As a KATO member, our activities and service standards are guided and regulated by the KATO Code of Conduct, to make sure we offer you nothing but the best.