Our Team

Simon, Australia

One of the highlights of my life!

Tracey and Frances are an amazing team. During the planning phase for our 13 day Kenyan safari extravaganza, Tracey was responsive and flexible, coping very well with my many requests and changes – and the fact that we were happy to stay in backpackers’ in some places yet wanted to stay in some of the best hotels in Nairobi. During the trip, she and Frances worked tirelessly to ensure that we had an incredible experience, saw the best sights, got the best treatment at our accommodation and didn’t miss anything we wanted to see.

For instance, my partner and I had been volunteering in Moshi, Tanzania, so we met Tracey and Frances at the border town, Taveta, a 12 hour drive from their home base in Nairobi. My grandparents had been living in Taveta when my mother was born and our safari was as much dedicated to following in their footsteps as to seeing the many wonders of Kenya.

From Mombasa to Tsavo West to Amboseli to Nairobi to Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha to Masai Mara and back to Nairobi, the absolute highlights (of my life, not just the trip) included:
– a night at Giraffe Manor, possibly the greatest hotel on Earth
– hot air ballooning over the Masai Mara at sunrise
– the abundance of wildlife at Amboseli with Mt Kilimanjaro forming a dramatic backdrop

I cannot wait to get back to Kenya and I highly recommend OTA to anyone heading there!

Jasmin, Switzerland

Absolutely relaxed and responsible safari!

Me and my brother made a safari to Masaai Mara. We already knew Francis and Tracey because we’ve spent some nights at their place in Rongai. They are really nice and helpful people and we had an amazing time with them. The safari to the Mara was one of the highlights of our time in Kenya.

I think Francis is a really good driver and I felt so relaxed in his car. This is important because it is quite a distance to the Mara park from Nairobi. Also in the park we felt that he really knows the area and that he exactly knew when he can drive through a waterhole (this time there were a lot of them) – we never got stuck. He also drove respectfully when animals were around, what I appreciated a lot. He really asked what we wanted and did not just stop at any souvenir shop like I knew it from other safari organizations (and I think can be a bit annoying). Finally, the place where we went for the two nights was also a great spot (The Mara explorer’s camps).

I totally recommend to travel with OTA because it is a small, really personal safari organization of such a nice couple with experience and knowledge.

Linda, United Kingdom

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Giraffe Centre

Tracey met us and and took us to the elephant centre, she was warm, friendly and efficient and provided an excellent picnic between the first and second visit. A very relaxed and happy day

Hanne F, Kenya

Going on safari in Kenya for the first time as a family group of 14 aged between 5 and 72 years makes for a challenge in organising. Tracey at OTA immediately made us feel safe by listening, suggesting, thinking along with us and very quickly providing an itinerary that made it a lot easier to grasp what an adventure it would be – even within our limited budget!
We had 2 amazing days in the Masaai Mara – camping in a really nice little campground and with delicious camper-food cooked and served by Tracey. The kids enjoyed the space to play, sit by the fire and run around when we were not stuck in the car watching amazing sceneries and wild animals in the Mara.
Afterwards 2 amazing days with Masaais in Maji Moto – warrior training, community projects, widow village, herbal medicine, bonfire without paper and matches, ceremonial goatkilling, singing, dancing, sleeping under the stars in the bush etc. We learned SO much about the culture and young as well as old had the best of times.
THANK you OTA for finding these pearls for us in the jungle of lodges and camps in Kenya.

We would recommend OTA for your family adventure at any time!!!

Jasmine Sun, Canada

My friend and I had a great time with OTA. Tracey was really helpful with her e-mails and I knew exactly what to expect. Our plane was several hours delayed but the driver had patiently waited for us at the airport. He knew exactly where to go and we could take as much time at each attraction as we wanted. We were also able to leave donations for the ‘Pack for a Purpose’ group with him. It was an excellent day trip.

Bob, New Zealand

Tracey and Francis definitely know what they are doing. They assembled a multi-day tour that matched pretty much what I wanted to do (essentially a lot of hiking). Plus they added in a few things I didn’t know I wanted to do. They have a network of friendly and interesting people who they use well to provide an excellent experience. They also know how to pace a trip so that you don’t feel knackered after day three. This is a small operation, who work at a personal level very effectively.

Vishal Panday, The Netherlands

We had 2 weeks for Tanzania and Kenya. We came in contact with Tracey and Francis via a local guide that knew Francis. We wanted a custom made itinerary for these 2 weeks to see the Serengeti National Park and a 3 days Mt. Meru Hike. Tracey fixed this for us in no time. Via email we kept in great contact about the status.

Nothing is a problem with Tracey and Francis. They are very flexible. If we wanted something changed, they tried their best to help us and fixed it.

In the end they brought us to Nairobi where we had 3 days to explore the capitol of Kenya, which was great. They are service oriented, so give them a shot!!

Tom Koerkemeier, Germany

I’ve spend 3 weeks in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda with Overland Travel Adventures in November 2012 and it was simply a fascinating and awesome trip. Tracey and Francis did a perfect job from the very beginning. I had the great feeling that I’ve been on an individual trip and went everywhere where I always wanted to go – but without the hassle and headache you usually experience when you are travelling outside the developed world. Tracey did a great job to recommend where to go and stay, and I felt totally safe and comfortable with her and Francis around. On the other hand there was never the feeling to stay in any kind of tourist-bubble in which you cannot get in contact with locals, their way of living or their culture. It was just the perfect mixture between culture, wildlife, adventure and relaxing.

Some of my highlights (and there were a lot):

Visiting the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, shown by a great local guide (Ben) and watching a soccer match with some guys from Kibera afterwards.
Driving through Amboseli National Park and watching the stunning wildlife in front of Mt Kilimanjaro
Being on Safari in Masai Mara, one of the most beautiful places on earth, seeing dozens of Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Zebras, Water buffalos etc etc.
Staying in Jinja, Uganda, at the source of the Nile. Beautiful place.
Gorilla-watching in Bwindi National Park, Uganda. One of the most intensive and fascinating moments in my life, seeing in the eye of an massive silverback from a distance of around six metres.
Standing on the shore of Lake Kivu in Rwanda, with the hills of Democratic Republic of Congo on the other side.

I only can recommend OTA to everyone who wants to have a great and unforgettable time in Africa!

Baldur, Iceland

Perfect insider’s knowledge of all things Kenyan as well as personal attention and care

I had left Tanzania disheartened. My Tanzanian tour operator had been anything but service-oriented on the tour to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro the days before and the stay in Arusha had been very difficult. So upon arriving in Nairobi, I actually wondered why on earth I should do more African safaris. Wouldn’t all the tour operators be the same anyways?

But since I still had some days to kill in Kenya, didn’t want to pay to change my ticket, and was after all interested in wildlife while knowing that I might never again get a chance to see Africa, I decided to give OTA a go. I had been in touch with Tracey (there are countless tour operators/agencies in East Africa and you can’t write to them all but I found OTA on some responsible tourism website and, being an Ecotourism graduate, this appealed to me so I only wrote to companies listed there) and I was amazed at the amount of information she put down and also the passion that shined through. These were not the short almost copy-paste response that you might expect from a larger operator. So even if my money was about to run out, I decided to forget about it and asked Tracey if they could take me to Samburu and Tsavo West.

I can say that Tracey and Francis repaired a lot of what the Tanzanian operator had damaged. Had I not met them, I would have left Africa totally disappointed and totally disillusioned. But the two of them are just a perfect mix. Francis is a born-and-bred Kenyan whose insight into and knowledge of his country is amazing. There was not a question that he could not answer. These were also the weeks leading up to the presidential elections. Francis presented me with some very interesting views on how things might turn out and how things have been. He is also a very balanced man and a confident driver (the traffic in East Africa is horrible but Francis made me comfortable). Australia-born Tracey then offers a foreigner’s view of Kenya and is almost too keen to help out and give you honest advise.

My three weeks in East Africa were difficult as I had never been to Africa before and I learnt many things the hard way. But it would have been a much harder experience if not for Tracey and Francis. They are starting the company and will provide you with what many larger and older tour operators will not: personal attention and care.

Give them a go, you won’t regret it!

Angelique, The Netherlands

Never had expected it would be so amazing!

Overland Travel Adventures had organized an amazing safari in Kenya of 18 days for the two of us. We only had given them our wishes about some places we wanted to see. We traveled by van with open toproof. Francis is a very experienced, excellent driver AND guide who showed us the animals in several wildlife Parks and Sanctuaries in Kenya. Tracey made everything possible, even when it seemed impossible! We were kept stress free! They had made a very nice selection of accommodations, from very sober but original (e.g. Umoja Women Camp near Samburu National Reserve, to very special ones, like Lion's Bluff in Lumo Sanctuary. They arranged also very special adventures for us about real Kenyan culture. This all is so well chosen and personalized, so we enjoyed every moment during this long Safari. We can recommend Overland Travel Adventures to all couples or small groups (families), that want a very special and personalized trip to Afrika!

Francis

Tracey

Passionate People