The Luxury Travel Bible - PETER SILVESTER (East Africa)

Peter Silvester (East Africa)
Company: Royal African Safaris (Pan Africa)
Peter Silvester's East Africa

Peter designs safaris to give his guests a true immersion in the Africa of  'old'. He travels to meet each group of family or friends before their safari and each safari is crafted with careful consideration to ensure it exceeds his guests' expectations.
Peter has been leading safaris for 30 years and is closely involved in a number of conservation initiatives. He enjoys an incredible network of like minded personalities and is able to access areas that are truly off the beaten track away from the more oversold areas, both in Kenya and elsewhere. This approach gives his safaris a fresh and more immersive feel. 60% of the trips he leads each year are taken by repeat guests and 100% of his trips are by direct referral.

My most luxurious and adventurous trip:
Ideally a safari should be crafted once one has met with the group and will be very different based on the composition, interests and budget of each group. My most luxurious safari ever was a first time safari designed for two active families with an unlimited budget and a particular interest in music, politics and wildlife.
It started at lunch with Nelson Mandela and ended 21 days later with a rock concert for 1500 Maasai on the salt flats below Ol Donyo Lengai. This safari covered 5 countries; included elephant back rides in the Okovango, white water rafting at Victoria Falls, private mobile camps in the Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Mara and the Northern Frontier.

East African action

It employed over 300 people, used 75 tons of equipment, 40 vehicles, 17 aircraft, 7 helicopters and two private jets. It cost well into 7 figures and has resulted in 5 repeat safaris by the same group. In practice most first time safaris are more humble affairs, but each one requires the same meticulous planning and attention to detail. One essential ingredient in any truly 'high end' safari remains spontaneity and as any safari leader worth his salt will tell you that is only possible with meticulous planning and an extraordinary network.

My favourite place in the world:
Watching a waterhole on a dry sand river in the northern frontier in Kenya, from the wildlife in the early morning, to the livestock and traditional pastoralists in the middle of the day, and where I proposed to my wife Julianna: on a Mkomazi mountaintop overlooking the Usambara mountain range in Northern Tanzania.

Adventure in luxury
Other great Africa guides:
Posted 1/7/13
Copyright © 2024 The Luxury Travel Bible
http://luxurytravelbible.com/printed.aspx?active_page_id=741