Ben

MEET BEN

I've been involved with holidays to Africa for pretty much all my life... either taking them – whilst growing up in Sudan and Kenya – or making them, as a specialist tour operator for the past 20 years and counting.

Fifteen of those years were spent setting up and running Imagine Travel, a leading UK-based tour operator. So far, the things I’ve had most success at in my work life are: talking about Africa (I still love organising trips for people), forming strong relationships with local suppliers, and building successful teams by always keeping the focus on our customers.

I'm happy talking about anywhere from Cape Town to Khartoum, and now that I've got 3 children, I'm fast becoming a family holidays expert too.

My Expertise -

• Boring but important stuff like ATOL protection, our price promise and booking conditions.
• Kenya. I’ve spent more time here than in any other African country.
• Mozambique. I’ve planned trips for the BBC, sailed its coast, bounced on its dirt roads and honeymooned in its luxurious beach hideaways.
• Self-drive 4x4 safaris. (Having driven all over Africa, making every mistake under the sun.)
• Tanzania. I’ve spent great times in the Serengeti, the Selous, and its beautiful coast. But Western Tanzania (and Katavi in particular) still elude me.
• Family holidays. I have 3 young boys and an adventurous wife Charlie, and as a family we’ve the experienced full travel spectrum… from five star luxury, to DIY camping and most in between.

I LOVE STAYING AT...

El Karama - Laikipia, Kenya - Perfect for me and my family. Not your typical safari holiday! Wonderful owners, and great experiences. What more could you want.

Simien Lodge - Ethiopia - High up in the mountains. Views all around. Great place to relax and take it in.

Almanara Villas - Kenya - In my opinion there is no better beach in the world than Diani beach in Kenya. Almanara is perfectly located. Friendly staff, great food. Just a fantastic place to be.

MY TOP TRAVEL TIPS

• My recommended Africa read: Empires of the Monsoon - the history of the Indian Ocean. I love a good book to get me through a flight.

MY FUTURE ADVENTURES

• Katavi in western Tanzania
• Lake Turkana. I’ve been here before, but I’d dearly love to return.
• Ethiopia. the whole country, and especially the Omo Delta, a hidden corner of Africa.
• Zambia And Lake Malawi.
• Mozambiques Quirimbas Archipelago. No matter how many times I’ve been there, it’ll always be on my ‘where I’m going list’.
• Laikipia in Kenya. My ‘go-to’ place in Africa.

MY INTERESTS

Plastic. Right now I’m interested in plastic… how we can move from treating it as being a single-use substance, to thinking of it as being endlessly recyclable. (And I’m having a go by trying to build a boat out of recycled plastic… www.theflipflopi.com) - Find out more about it here – and I have written about the issue in the Feb 2018 edition of BA Highlife Magazine.

Africa. No getting away from it (literally!)… this is THE continent for me!

Wilderness. Wilderness is my kind of luxury (And increasingly I think the world is coming to the same realisation… that luxury is best defined as ‘where people are not’.) Camping with the bare essentials and not much else around is, for me, cooool!

Ethiopia, Madagascar, Uganda and Rwanda. Off the beaten track, interesting Africa. I’m looking forward to venturing deeper into these destinations over the coming years.

Riccardo Semler. Watch this space as we try to emulate some of his ideas at Far and Wild.