Spectacular Victoria Falls

Ever since 1995, when my wife and I first visited Africa, we longed to add a true walking safari to our growing roster of small-group adventure tours.

At the time of our trip, safaris were conducted via Land Cruiser or similar vehicle. There was no hopping on or off, much less hiking, anywhere near the animals we'd come so far to see. Our cultural interactions were limited to the staffs at our lodges and a "packaged" visit with some Masai natives. Memorable? Yes, but neither experience was what we wanted for our guests at Classic Journeys.

Even when we made our first foray into Africa in 1999 with our Morocco Cultural Walking Adventure, we pledged to ourselves that we wouldn't create a safari until we could develop our own itinerary in our own signature style—namely, on foot, with plenty of opportunities to mingle with local people.

Then, in 2007, the stars finally aligned. A new colleague, Natalie, joined our team at the head office in