about
Getaway Safari
Getaway Safari specialises in designing tailor-made holidays, family safaris and expeditions to destinations we know and love, places that excite and places that change lives.
Getaway Safari was founded in 2004 in New Zealand at the request of a family member. They had a vision of exploring Africa with close friends and wanted first-hand knowledge and expertise on booking their safari of a lifetime. They knew our story, our life working in remote parts of Africa and our passion and love of its wilderness and wildlife. They entrusted us to make their dream a reality…….and so it began.
Today we continue to indulge in our passion for Africa and all it offers to happy clients from around the globe. We pride ourselves in designing Your Safari – Your Way with unique itineraries for the discerning traveller looking to visit countries in Africa.
Our values and that of the company are simple; we care about people, their experiences and equally important, the environment.
A Getaway Safari is built on trust, on respect, and in many cases, long term friendships. Our relationships with our ground operators are both long lived and based on a mutual admiration for each other’s expertise. Everyone we work with shares the same vision as we do.
Our customers are largely repeat travellers or personal referrals. We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with clients and prefer to call them friends as once they are on board they are part of the Getaway Safari family.
“The passion and love of sharing is very much alive and this is why we look forward to working closely with you to put together a personalised safari that will tick every box. Clients become friends and we take personal responsibility to make sure that each trip is special and unique and one that really will change your life in some way or another”
– Linda
what makes us
different?
- Experience- we have spent years living and working in the safari industry in Africa and have many friends, business partners and acquaintances that we work closely with.
- We travel to Africa regularly (at least once per year), to ensure we keep our finger on the pulse and experience the areas, lodges and facilities you will be experiencing first hand.
- Passion- that goes without saying. We have one foot in NZ and one foot in Africa. Africa is deeply embedded in everything we do.
- Attention to detail – a safari to Africa isn’t as easy to organise yourself. Many people claim to know Africa but to really have the best experience you need a bit of ‘know-how’. We make it easy and ensure every detail is looked after.
- Quick turn around, responsive, transparent – we work with local ground operators who know what is going on on a daily basis. We work closely with you to ensure that your safari is tailor-made to your specific needs. Every trip is different- there is no ‘one size fits all’.
It’s the entire experience that matters to us, not just the journey itself. We take great care to really listen and understand the needs of each client, meeting them personally when we can and working out exactly what experiences they are wanting from their trip. We then work closely with our preferred suppliers in Africa to ensure we make it happen.
Pre departure briefings ensure there are no surprises and post safari follow ups are what we delight in. Seeing and hearing their stories and experiences of their journey is what keeps us motivated and continually striving for perfection.
We will work closely with you from start to finish to ensure that your trip is in reality the one you have dreamed about. We only work with operators we have had personal experience with or know others who have. We know what Africa is like- how long it takes to transfer between camps- what the roads are really like and where you will want to spend time. We are proud to say we know our stuff and love sharing it to make sure every trip is a trip of a life-time.
what makes us
different?
- Experience? Customisation.
- Passion?
- Attention to detail? Pre and post safari.
- Quick turn around, responsive, transparent.
It’s the entire experience that matters to us, not just the journey itself. We take great care to really listen and understand the needs of each client, meeting them personally when we can and working out exactly what experiences they are wanting from their trip. We then work closely with our preferred suppliers in Africa to ensure we make it happen.
Pre departure briefings ensure there are no surprises and post safari follow ups are what we delight in. Seeing and hearing their stories and experiences of their journey is what keeps us motivated and continually striving for perfection.
We will work closely with you from start to finish to ensure that your trip is in reality the one you have dreamed about. We only work with operators we have had personal experience with or know others who have. We know what Africa is like- how long it takes to transfer between camps- what the roads are really like and where you will want to spend time. We are proud to say we know our stuff and love sharing it to make sure every trip is bespoke and special.
Linda &
Rowan
Linda was born and raised on a sheep & beef farm in rural New Zealand. After finishing her tourism diploma at Waikato and working in in the tourism industry in Queenstown, the travel bug bit and she headed overseas on a one year return ticket to the UK. Six years later, (2003) she returned to New Zealand, with a South African husband, a three month old son, a 40 ft container of worldly possessions and over five years of life experiences living and working in the safari industry throughout southern Africa.
Linda gets a real kick out of working really closely with people to ensure their trip is one they will remember and that no detail is forgotten. She goes above and beyond to work out the intricate details that ensure that Getaway Safari safaris are absolutely ‘top notch’.
Rowan was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and from an early age developed a love for birds and wild places. After receiving an Agricultural Science honours degree from the University of Natal he set sail for the “University of Life” travelling extensively abroad.
After many years travelling, the call of the wild was strong and lured him back to follow his passions guiding photographic safaris throughout southern Africa.
Since immigrating to New Zealand, Ro has found a new passion in wildlife research, more specifically wildlife telemetry. He works closely with leading researchers and scientists from around the globe who track movement and behavioural information of rare and endangered animals. Knowledge is power and the data driven management decisions derived from these studies contributes to a more sustainable use of our environment and helps conserve the species against the anthropogenic pressures and demands we all put on them.
Ro and Linda have two boys, Finn and Geordie who already have a deep passion for Africa and the great outdoors and as a family they get back to Africa with them as often as possible.
let us help plan your
trip of a lifetime
Getaway Safari caters at one end for families, first time travellers and those in search of the traditional wild Africa safari, and at the other, for those seeking an even rarer, more frontier-type experience. Common to each, is the fact that every journey is meticulously planned, supported and delivered. We work with the very best of ground operators and we choose areas and types of accommodation that share our philosophy on the importance of providing an experience that is as exceptional as it is beautiful.
The success of this approach, one aimed at providing a flawless, creative and adventurous travel service, is underlined by the fact that over 90% of our business is referred by existing clients.
Let us guide you to Africa with a peace of mind borne from our deep understanding of this exceptional continent.
let us help plan your
trip of a lifetime
Getaway Solutions caters at one end for families, first time travellers and those in search of the traditional wild Africa safari, and at the other, for those seeking an even rarer, more frontier-type experience. Common to each, is the fact that every journey is meticulously planned, supported and delivered, we work with the very best of ground operators and we choose areas and types of accommodation that share our philosophy on the importance of providing an experience that is as exceptional as it is beautiful.
The success of this approach, one aimed at providing a flawless, creative and adventurous travel service, is underlined by the fact that over 90% of our business is referred by existing clients.
Let us guide you to Africa with a peace of mind borne from our deep understanding of this exceptional continent.
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touch
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