About Us - Africa Trips & Safari Tours

African Encounter is a small, dedicated team - we like to think of ourselves as the Africian safari experts! We are passionate about Africa and dedicated to making your safari to Africa an experience like no other. We have lived and travelled in Africa for many years and have been planning safari itineraries since 1994. For many years we ran our own safari operation in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe and understand what makes a good safari operator (and what does not!). We have maintained a great many contacts throughout the industry and have associate offices in nearly every country that we send our clients. You are always assured of a local contact and a smiling face when you arrive in Africa, and wherever your itinerary takes you. We will plan your safari itinerary with as much care, thought and attention as if it were our own. That is our pledge to you.

At African Encounter we strongly believe that it is the quality and professionalism of our service that distinguishes us from the competition, and our common passion for Africa that motivates us to want to share our unique experiences with you. We guarantee you'll come to trust and rely on our years of experience and expertise as we work with you to plan one of your special Africa tours.

ABOUT THE OWNERS

The owners of African Encounter are Patrick and Elaine Brakspear. Elaine started as a travel agent in Sydney, Australia in 1994 but was born in Zambia and grew up in Zimbabwe. Patrick was born and raised on a farm in Zimbabwe and until 2004 owned and operated a safari business in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, taking overseas visitors on canoeing trips down the Zambezi or hosting them at his mobile tented camp. Patrick and Elaine now work together in their travel consultancy business where they are both able to indulge their passion for Africa while utilizing their vast knowledge and experience of Africa to provide advice to the many people looking to travel to Africa each year. Together they provide a complete travel advisory service, taking care of all arrangements and ensuring that every safari booked through them is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Patrick has recently written a travel guide called 101 things to know when you go ON SAFARI IN AFRICA aimed at enhancing the safari experience, full of interesting facts and observations – a genuine travel companion.

Patrick also takes the opportunity to accompany our photographic tours to get his own Africa ‘fix', and to keep in touch with a continent close to his heart. Both Patrick and Elaine travel to Africa regularly to maintain their contacts and relationships with the many people within the safari industry who they have come to know over many years in the business.

You can be sure that when you book your safari through African Encounter you are in good hands.

WHY WORK WITH AFRICAN ENCOUNTER?

We know that you have many choices for assistance in planning your trip to Africa, and we believe you will want to work with us for the following reasons:

· Small and personal in approach: By limiting the scope of the destinations we offer, we guarantee a focus on what we know and what we do best. Our team's mission is to work with each client or group in an individual way, not just take a pre-set package off the shelf.

· Consultative style: We encourage you to talk with us! We take the time to discuss your interests, travel style, budget, and timeframe - all the factors that can influence your trip - to ensure we suggest a tour that's right for you.

· Expertise: There is no better substitute than first hand knowledge when it comes to designing your tour. Our staff has traveled to over 100 different safari camps, lodges, and hotels throughout Africa. In addition, several of our staff have lived in Africa for many years, thus ensuring we can offer you a 'real life' perspective on the issues you need to consider in planning your trip.

· Experience: Designing a safari can be a bit like completing a jigsaw puzzle! And that's why you'll find that our 25 years of collective experience in the tourism industry will be invaluable to you. We know the "ins and outs" - the detailed logistics - that can make all the difference in the success of your trip.

· Dedication to quality: Our safaris draw on the resources of highly respected professional guides, incorporate the leading safari camps and lodges, and offer unique adventure and safari activities. All services, accommodations, ground operators and travel arrangements are continually monitored and evaluated, to ensure to the best of our ability that we are providing you with the quality of product and service you are looking for.

· Commitment to client service: As our client testimonials will reveal, we strive for excellence in developing our client service skills. We strongly believe that a safari to Africa is truly a "trip of a lifetime" and the onus is on African Encounter to make your dream a reality.

· Local Offices: Through our associate offices in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and South Africa we continually have our ear to the ground, keeping up to date on what's new and exciting in tourism development in the region, and in turn making these new offerings available to you.

· Timely and flexible response: We know that your time is valuable and we are committed to using it effectively. Therefore, our goal is a 24-hour response time to your inquiry. We continually update you on the status of your request, keeping you informed with a keen attention to detail and efficiency - while retaining our creativity and flexibility.

· Competitive prices: Although travel to Africa is not inexpensive, we believe that our tours offer the best value for your money. We will always work with you to maximize your given budget, cutting corners without losing quality, or providing 'extras' to make your tour that much more unique.

· Comprehensive website: www.africanencounter.com is a comprehensive source of information on travel to East, Central and Southern Africa and we encourage you to use this website extensively in planning for your trip. Your feedback is important to us so please let us know what additional information you would like us to include.

WHERE TO NOW?

Whether you are a frequent visitor or this is a once in a lifetime dream trip, it is our pledge to match your expectations with the knowledge and connections we maintain throughout the continent, and in so doing provide a level of service we hope you will find both professional and reassuring. Contact us now by completing our straight forward enquiry form.