When I was a young girl I sponsored a child in Africa. I saved my allowance, put cash in an envelope and sent it off each month. I do not know to which country it was addressed, and I can no longer remember the organization. I only remember seeing the children’s faces on the television and knowing that I wanted to help. At the time, Africa seemed like an entirely different world from my much sheltered and comfortable daily life in the U.S., but I knew I wanted to travel there some day. Thanks to amazing wildlife photographers , I could disappear into Africa on the pages of National Geographic. Lions, elephants, giraffe, chimps, rhinos and gorillas became more than pictures on a page. They were real, living beings, and I was sure they had the same feelings that I had. Much like the numerous dogs with whom I grew up, I knew they could feel pain, sorrow, joy and fear. Every once in a while we would go to the zoo to see a wild animals in captivity, and as much as my heart raced to see these fantastic creatures in person, I always felt a sense of sadness. I knew they did not belong there, in the enclosures and cages. I knew they were not able to truly be themselves in restriction, living unauthentic lives for humans’ benefits. I knew someday I would travel to Africa and experience these living free animals in their natural habitat. I just did not know how I would get there.
Forty years, and quite possibly the same amount of times watching Out of Africa, later I found myself landing at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Thanks to Carla Geyser and her Blue Sky Society Trust, I was finally in Africa, and I was about to embark on a lifelong dream. Despite the long fifteen hour flight from Atlanta, I felt energized and excited. I wasn’t just going to be in South Africa and Botswana for two weeks, I was going to be with a group of six adventurous, environmentally and socially aware women. While standing in line to check in to the Intercontinental Airport Hotel, a white mustached tall man looked at me and asked if I was traveling alone, and if I had been to Africa before. “Oh no. This is my first time and I’m so very excited to be here!.” He replied, “I’ve been here numerous times. It looks just like Texas.” Feeling a bit deflated by his lack of shared exuberance, I asked him what he was doing in South Africa. “I’m here to hunt. And you?” Hmmmmmmm, I thought. I turned to him and proudly responded that I was joining a Journeys with Purpose, solo women’s travel group which was focused on animal conservation. Needless to say, our conversation did not go much further.
I found Carla Geyser and Blue Sky Society Trust while putting the words Rwanda / Women’s Travel / Conservation into Google. At the time I was dead set on seeing Gorillas in the wild. Besides my infatuation with both Robert Redford and Meryl Streep throughout the years, I grew up completely fascinated with Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall. Without anyone in my own family to lead me to Africa, both of these remarkable women conservation scientists became my role models. I watched and read everything I could about them, and I envied how they devoted their lives to protecting these intelligent, beautiful animals who could no longer protect themselves. By age 42, I was a mother to five children, and I am now a grandmother to four. In a snap of a few years, young mothering got in the way of my becoming the next Jane Goodall. Now at 58, divorced and enjoying rekindled senses of freedom and curiosity, I found a way to at least feel like Jane for a few weeks. Thanks to Carla, I was able to not just live my childhood dream but become a living and breathing part of conservation efforts in South Africa and Botswana.
A Journey with Purpose trip is not just “another safari”. A few weeks before I left for South Africa, I read an essay by David Sedaris in The New Yorker. Composed in his well loved sarcastic, polished writing style, his words paint a somewhat grim and unglamorous picture of his safari experience in Kenya. Because I was about to embark on my lifelong dream trip, I was excited to read what the great David Sedaris was going to say about Africa. Quite to the contrary, I was left feeling both confused and empty. His words felt negative, overused and without an ounce of passion. It struck me that his view was one of a tired male who perhaps paid too much for an overrated experience. I am not sure what he was expecting, but what I do know is that he is a very popular and respected writer, and he has a powerful platform. He had an opportunity to paint a more accurate and optimistic picture of the African wildlife experience. He missed opportunities to describe the delicate balance between people and efforts to protect the environment, the way the safari industry gives jobs and educates locals about conservation and the immense successful African National Parks which should be models for the rest of the world. He failed to advocate for the thousands of animals there who do not have a voice of their own. But then again, he did not go on one of Carla’s Journeys with Purpose trips.
Carla Geyser is a South African born woman who has dedicated her adult life to helping people and animals in need. Why? Because she has immense empathy (something which the world is in short supply), and she is motivated, dedicated and has the discipline to live a life “out of the box”. She is a woman who has made her dreams become reality. In short, she is what I can only describe as a true model of female strength, loyalty, authenticity and compassion, qualities which we all strive to exhibit and maintain but which often fall short in our post modern tech world. Traveling with her becomes your own personal Out of Africa adventure. No two trips are ever the same, and depending on the group’s interests, she weaves her magic and sets an itinerary that is sure to “wow” even skeptics like David Sedaris. Too bad he is not a woman!
We started our fourteen day journey through South Africa and Botswana in two rental trucks with Carla and her good friend Kamilla Norman; our trusted trip leaders. Named “Earth Awakenings”, our late African winter journey was to include inner self reflection work. Kamilla is an adventure mindset coach who lives in Norway. Her positivity and absolute love of life permeated with each supportive word she spoke. Included in each day were individual check-ins, journal prompts and group gatherings to dive more deeply into topics of self-healing and the shared struggles of women’s transitions. The best part about it was that nothing was mandatory. We were supported to take space when needed and take our own time to create a successful inner journey. There was no rush. Each of our hearts found what it needed slowly, healing one amazing African day at a time.
This trip was about finding a personal connection to the African landscape, the animals and the passionate people who protect them. Carla has vast connections in conservation throughout South Africa and the surrounding countries. She has this brilliant way of connecting each trip member to the magic which is “Mama Africa”. She feels the magic, she is devoted to the animals, and she is dedicated to identifying the strength of community.
When you travel with Carla, you become immersed in a true purposeful adventure. It is not a holiday nor an endurance adventure trip. It is a commitment to letting go and allowing your feet to take root in the African soil and your eyes to become immersed in the African sky (sooooo many stars) and see where your connections take you.
Included in all of Carla’s JWP trips are hands on, educational stops with conservationists in the field. One never knows exactly what will happen day to day. Perhaps you will check game cameras with a wildlife biologist ranger, collar an elephant with one of Carla’s conservationist friends or track hyenas and lions with one of many devoted, highly knowledgeable African guides . A trip might include a visit to the African wild dog Boma, run by the dedicated individuals at the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Or you might join a children’s school group and aid with a conservation activity. The education of the youth is vital at this stage of conservation development. The children are growing up not just learning about the animals in their country; they are growing up with a deep understanding of the intricate importance of every creature on our planet and an even deeper care in saving them.
Every living thing has a purpose, and in the African landscape, those connections are what fuel the work conservationists are doing. While finally arriving at Leshiba Venda Art Lodge, a breathtakingly beautiful wilderness accommodation in the Soutpansberg region, a sign read, “Take care not to drive over rhino dung. Dung beetles are hard at work.” At Kruger Untamed Tshokwane camp, our exquisite tented site in Kruger National Park, we learn about the crucial part hyenas play in the system. After observing a giraffe chewing something which did not seem like leaves, one of the guides explained how giraffes eat dried hyena poop. Yes, that white poop we would see often on our bush walks. Hyenas are the only animal that eat the bones of other animals. Their poop is full of calcium. Giraffe eat it and that is how they get calcium.
Perhaps the most informative place where we stayed was Kaingo Game Reserve and Research Center. Nestled in the breathtaking Waterberg area, Kaingo is 41,000 acres of wild Africa and it is being cared for and monitored by a few incredibly smart, dedicated researchers. Reserved only for those connected to the conservation world, the lodge rooms are beautifully appointed and surround an outdoor dining area. The meals included were healthy, locally sourced and delicious. Our three days there were full of presentations about rhino conservation, African Wild Dogs and the various new anti-poaching techniques. All was truly fascinating, and each of the researcher’s passion was magnetic. By the last day, I was convinced I myself would go back to school and get a degree in conservation biology.
The most memorable part of Carla’s JWP trip for me was our four night stay at Lone Tree Wilderness Camp in Tswehe wildlife reserve in Botswana. Run by Isabel and Lloyd Gillespie, a lovely married couple who have dedicated their lives to ecological consciousness. Their mission is to offer opportunities in environmental awakenings and educate others about the vital importance of our interconnectedness with the natural world. Lone Tree is an incredibly special place. There is a beautiful attention to detail; each piece of wood has been hand picked and each view has been carefully created for a once in a lifetime experience. Their place is a hidden oasis at the heart of the Tuli Block. They have brilliantly placed the platform tent sites adjacent to a man made watering hole, so being a guest there means that you have wildlife within feet of you the whole day long. Early morning light welcomes the Guinea fowls……so many guinea fowls! Then come the impala. They take over the space quickly, knowing they have at that point the seniority for drinking right. Then the zebras show up. Always en guard and forever frolicking, they enjoy some peaceful drinks while keeping their ears ready for any sign of danger. Maybe there are a few warthogs running around. And they are so fun to watch! Then all of a sudden you hear them; elephants! Here they come…..mothers and absolutely adorable babies in all stages of development, curious adolescents and incredibly big and somewhat intimidating males. Once they arrive, all the other animals move to the perimeter. This is the time of elephants. And what a time it is. Watching their behavior, family connections and communication (through foot movements on the ground) is extraordinary, and it is impossible believe they have no feelings or that their lives do not matter. They do everything purposefully and with the kind of authenticity which would ground even the harshest disbeliever . To spend extended time watching elephants is to spend time seeing how they are so much like us. They do everything to protect their families, and they do it with love.
Crossing the border of Botswana was one of my favorite memories. The border agents at both sides were intrigued by our group. While leaving South Africa, the male agent asked “Are you five ladies traveling together?” “YES!” we replied. The agents on the Botswana side were all women, and they seemed to feel our sense of strength and empowerment without even asking the question. I immediately remembered a line from Out of Africa. Meryl Streep’s character Karen Blixen has lost everything, and without thinking about what anyone will think of her, she begs the new Governor for land for “her Kikuyu”, the families of African people with whom she has lived and worked side by side for years. Knowing that she has to sell all of her land, she tells the Governor “now they have nowhere to go.” She states “Kenya is a hard country for women, so there is a chivalry here of a sort.”
Perhaps this is what drew me to Carla in the first place. She has that same sense of both purposeful action and resolve. She is not afraid to do what others view as unconventional. She is true to her purpose. She stays to her true north and she partners only with those who share the same compass. These are the qualities which make her Journeys with Purpose completely different from the types of safaris which I’m afraid David Sedaris might have experienced. And, yes, you still get the early morning game drives, guided bush walks and endless long awaited sundowners.
The key to traveling to Africa is to travel with those who are truly passionate about their work there. How do you know that each and every person you meet shares a conservation focused mission? You have to travel with a non-profit organization like Blue Sky Society Trust. You have to travel with someone like Carla.
