Claudia Dawley, founder of the Stamped Passport Travel Co., a concierge-style travel firm, offers her insights on traveling on the African continent.
After graduating college, I knew that I wanted to take some time to experience and immerse myself into a new culture, so I decided to join the Peace Corps. I'd always been interested in Sub-Saharan Africa, and knew that was where I wanted to go.
At the time, you were assigned a location to serve based on your skills and the positions they had available and could not pick where you wanted to go. I spent the next 27 months in Uganda, and could not have been more excited about my assignment. I spent the first three months in the Peace Corps living with a local family in a rural Ugandan village.
During this time, I took language lessons to become fluent in Luganda, the local language. I later went on to spend the next two years living on my own in a small village near Jinja, Uganda. I worked at a local clinic and my main job was to run a grandmother support group for over 120 grandmothers in nearby villages who had lost their adult children to HIV/AIDS and therefore adopted their grandchildren.
Together with the staff at the clinic I worked hard to ensure the grandmothers had access to health services and school fees for their grandchildren, support for income generating activities, and created a savings and loan program.
I spent a good amount of my free time traveling, not only in Uganda but throughout the African continent as a whole. In all, I was able to spend time in African countries while I was there. Not only did I see the most amazing scenery, but I was also able to go on multiple safaris, which are a great way to view animals in their natural habitat.
I was fortunate to experience safaris where I saw giraffes, elephants, lions, leopards and gazelle in the beautiful African plains. I also went gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. After hours of trekking through the rainforest with our guide, I was able to spend time with a family of gorillas in the wild. Such an unforgettable experience!
There is really something special about visiting Africa - the people, the landscapes, and the wildlife. It is a great destination for anyone to visit, especially honeymooners or multi generational family trips. Not only can you go on a safari to view wildlife but you can also take a hot air balloon ride over the African plains, visit local villages, or take a trip to the wine lands in South Africa.
Many times when clients approach me about a trip to Africa they are not quite sure where to start. Do they want to take a river cruise or stay at a luxury safari lodge? Of course there are so many popular locations for a safari such as Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana or South Africa, to name a few. I listen to my clients and really get to know what they are looking for to help narrow down the perfect location for their Safari and their overall travel needs.
Having spent so much time on the continent makes me uniquely qualified to guide travelers seeking a safari experience.
I use my expertise in the region, combined with my established connections with numerous experts and partners in Africa to curate a seamless and personalized Safari experience. I take all the stress out of planning the trip from beginning to end, so you can relax and immerse yourself in the heart of Africa!
The Stamped Passport Travel Co.
Online:Thestampedpassporttravel.com
On Facebook and Instagram: @TheStampedPassportTravelCo
I take all the stress out of planning the trip.