Who we are
From Barcelona to Cape Town, mainstream tourism has proven to be extractive, exploitative, and unjust. We want to exist to flip the script—running a model where locals call the shots and profit.
We refuse to participate in an industry built on economic subjugation. Tourism is ready for a radical shift, and our role in that is creating a system that directly resources and empowers the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.
Travel should enrich, not extract. We partner with folks who share our commitment to long-term sustainable economic, cultural and natural regeneration, by placing the power in the hands of the local experts who make every one of our journeys unforgettable.
We need you to hold us accountable to these!
We are experts in curation, not corporate takeover. We do not own the businesses we work with or employ our hosts. We partner with local boutique stays, independent transport operators, and homegrown businesses. It is a costly, time-intensive way to operate, but it keeps us lean and our footprint small and allows our local experts to focus entirely on their craft with full independence.
Guided by award-winning experts, we connect local entrepreneurs directly to the global travel economy. Through that equitable relationship we enable travelers to experience bespoke, intimate, immersive experiences — ones that aren’t possible when tourism is extractive. Foreign currency flows directly into the communities and projects our experts have dedicated their lives to. Transparently. Frictionlessly.
We collaborate with our experts to develop effective means of preserving the natural environments and cultural traditions that make Southern Africa extraordinary. Our model succeeds when more small non extractive groups visit, resulting in more resources directly sustaining conservation of all elements, from marine ecosystems and endemic flora to living cultural heritage and ancestral knowledge.
The team
We’re a South African, family-owned and operated business. Jacky and her partner Mike, have spent their lives in rural Southern Africa running world-class conservation lodges, private membership communities and top kitchens across Southern Africa. Ron, a serial entrepreneur and global citizen, has spent his adult life working across Southern Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. We've been embedded in this industry from every angle our whole life, and now we're trying to transform it.
Founder & Hospitality Expert
30+ years in catering, hospitality management and world-class conservation lodges. Founder of our global award winning Side Quest partner Awethentic Africa. Has built the framework for sustainable, expert-led, community-based experiences.
Co-Founder & Director of Partnerships
Global citizen, serial entrepreneur and communication specialist. Has spent his adult life working across Southern Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. Understands what international travellers actually need.
