About us

About Khokelo Safaris

The story of our passion for Africa

We are Eric and Justyna. Together with our son, every year, we return to Africa to enjoy the hospitality and mesmerising nature. Not as part of an organised group trip, but in our own 4×4 vehicle with a rooftop tent.

Every time we experience a unique sense of freedom and adventure. To share this feeling with first time travellers and because we know what it takes to have a care-free travel experience, we created our bespoke travel agency Khokelo Safaris.

Khokelo Safaris is your personal guide in Africa. Our mission is to create unique experiences, safely and responsibly.

What does ‘Khokelo’ mean?

Khokelo means “guide” in the Xhosa language – one of the many languages spoken in southern Africa and characterised by its clicking sounds

The finest example of an African bush guide is without a doubt the matriarch of a herd of elephants leading and escorting her herd to the next watering hole. As we will guide you in your travels through Africa, we have chosen to have the elephant represented in our logo

Our story

Where the adventure began

It is the last day of our holiday in Zambia. We have come to the end of a beautiful and warm day. We just had dinner on the banks of the Luangwa River and while Eric is clearing the table, Justyna washes the plates a bit further down. Eric looks up and sees the silhouettes of three elephants in the twilight. They majestically move along the edge of the camp, feasting on branches and plants. Justyna and our son also spot them, practically at the same time.

Almost literally, we drop everything and the three of us admire these mighty animals. At least an hour passes. We see and smell them and they surely smell us too. Yet, we are all here and there is no threat or fear. Only respect and acceptance of each other’s presence. The feeling of euphoria and bliss is indescribable.

The next day, we drive back to Lusaka with tears in our eyes. We don’t want to leave. Even before leaving, we know we’ll be back.

In the years that followed, many thoughts came to mind. We would like to share our experiences and passion for these special countries with others. But how can we offer a comparable experience and remain unique in what we offer?

We could eliminate the questions and the fears we had as first-time travellers. How do you arrange a suitable vehicle? What if you break down? What about camping? Is such a long journey safe for children? How do you organise all this and what if… Many legitimate questions that we can answer through years of experience.

The idea of our bespoke travel agency was born!

But first we had to gain more experience…

That’s why Eric completed a month of field guiding training in the Okavango Delta and we selected the best 4×4 training courses. As the ultimate preparation for our organisation, we travelled around for 4 months, made important contacts and visited campsites. We personally know all the campsites and routes that we offer and have experienced them first hand.

Our securities

GGTO Guarantee Fund

The Guarantee Fund for Specialized Tour Operators guarantees travelers that they will receive a refund for their travel expenses, and possibly a return trip, if the tour operator in question is affiliated with us and becomes financially insolvent. Guaranteed travel!

The letters GGTO stand for Guarantee Fund for Specialized Tour Operators. The affiliated tour operators operate independently and are specialized direct sellers. They sell their trips directly to their customers, without the intervention of third parties. They are also based in the Netherlands and primarily focus on the Dutch market.

The GGTO Guarantee Fund was established in January 2012 and now offers a guarantee to customers of 301 specialized tour operators.

Our registration number is 1682.

Calamities Fund

Khokelo Safaris (Chamber of Commerce number 73304190) is affiliated with the Calamities Fund Travel Foundation.

The Calamities Fund guarantee means that, as a traveler living in The Netherlands, participating in a trip to which the guarantee applies, you will:

– receive (part of) your travel price back if we are unable to carry out the trip, or cannot carry out the trip in full, due to an emergency;

– receive reimbursement for necessary additional costs if we have to adjust the trip or repatriate you early due to an emergency.

A calamity is defined as an abnormal event caused by civil unrest or a natural disaster.

VvKR

Since 2011, several travel specialists in the Netherlands have joined forces and established the VvKR. These experienced experts advocate for a personal approach and focus on small-scale tourism. All trips are conducted with small groups or on an individual basis, and overnight stays are often in authentic accommodations in unique locations, respecting local culture, traditions, and practices.

Our travel specialists distinguish themselves through their commitment and expertise. All travel organizations affiliated with the VvKR that offer package holidays offer a form of travel guarantee on their packages. This means that you, as a consumer, are assured of a full refund of your pre-paid travel money if the tour operator with whom you booked your trip unexpectedly goes bankrupt.

All our members also have mandatory business liability insurance for travel organizations/tour operators. This liability insurance covers damage to persons and/or property and any resulting consequential damage should an event unexpectedly occur during a trip. Something might happen during the trip.

This way, you can book a trip with one of our affiliated members with peace of mind!

All travel specialists who are members of the VvKR have joined forces within VvKR. These experienced experts focus on small-scale tourism and stand for:

A personal approach
Commitment and expertise
Extensive expertise and knowledge
Travel conditions and guarantees
Travel with respect for local culture, traditions, and working methods

TreesforAll

Trees for All supports tree planting and reforestation projects around the world. They plant half of all trees in the Netherlands and the other half abroad. This is a conscious choice: climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss are global problems. We want to address them both locally and internationally.

All our projects have a broad impact. This means they contribute to a better climate, increased biodiversity, and a healthy living environment. Abroad, we ensure that the local population also benefits from the project, for example, because Trees provide additional work, income, food, or water. This is an important motivation to protect and maintain trees and forests in the long term!

Khokelo Safaris donates two trees for every traveler. You will receive a certificate for this upon booking.

SPOTS

SPOTS is a Dutch organization dedicated to wild cats, with three focus animals: the cheetah, leopard, and lion. From education to fun activities, they do everything they can to raise awareness for these animals. This is crucial, as these animals are threatened with extinction. Therefore, they believe it is essential to provide assistance to these animals living in the wild. They do not support sanctuaries, but local projects, mostly in Africa, that are committed to wildlife. Although they sometimes have to take in animals, and SPOTS helps with this through adoption programs, these projects primarily benefit wildlife. After all, we want a world where generations to come can still enjoy these beautiful animals in the wild.

For every two travelers, we donate €25 to the SPOTS Foundation.