Out of the mouths of babes: virginbush kids testimonials

I was prepared for a vacation but...WOW...was that a fun time! That was probably the most fun I will ever have on a family vacation. VirginBush Safaris did a wonderful job planning everything, there was not one moment when I felt that we were not going to get where we were supposed to go.  All of the camps were AMAZING as were the guides and marvelous game drives.  The best thing about the game drives is that the guides try to get as close as possible to whatever you are trying to see.  Before we left on vacation we were not sure how the food would be, or even what it was!  But the cuisine was great, along with the accommodations.  It was wonderful each day to wake up to coffee, hot tea, or hot chocolate (which was delish…). Thank you Cindi and Lisa for planning such a relaxing and exciting vacation, you did a wonderful job.

Lauren Altobelli, 13

In 2005, I was about to enter my first year of college and my family of eight traveled to Kenya for the first time. We were blessed to have Lisa and Cindi as our guides. They were full of positive energy, hilarious, incredibly knowledgeable and by the end of the trip we felt like we’d known them forever! Their passion for Kenya and life in general inspired me to explore Kenya’s cultures, animals, and landscape. The trip was life changing for my family and we are now addicted to exploring the world! Now, four years later we are still in touch with Lisa and Cindi and have even gone back for a second VirginBush safari!

Carli McGoff, 18

The first time i went on a VB safari I was 8. I have been back twice with them and each time has been a completely different experience. I especially enjoy the interaction with the Maasai tribesmen, learning about their hunting and survival methods. The are sooo friendly and fun as well. It’s also really amazing to see all the animals in their natural habitat and i have spotted lions, cheetahs and leopards while out on a safari. The accommodation can range from a sleeping bag in the bush to a luxury banda on the Indian Ocean. I am relishing the thought of coming again sooon!!!

Chris Shortland, 13

To this day (and I suspect for all days) my family fondly reminisces about our VirginBush Safari as the trip of our collective (and individual) lives. We entered hesitantly, never having taken a personally guided vacation before; these fears quickly melted when we met Lisa, our fearless (and hilarious) leader. VirginBush tailor-fit our excursion to my family's exact preferences, scheduling the perfect combination of both adventure and relaxation. Our daily journeys left us contemplative, inspired and appreciative of nature in a way that has imprinted us forever. My family has always been close, but I can't help but feel that our relationships were greatly strengthened during these two weeks. My brothers and I played zebra-dung baseball, woke together in the morning to the cries of monkeys, and danced alongside Samburu tribesmen. We were all afforded the opportunity to relate to each other on a new level--one of collective awe and amazement. This trip allowed us to step back, put things in perspective, and just "be". The VirginBush ladies took out all of the guess work and made all of that possible. For this, we are forever grateful and forever in deep East African withdrawal.

Caitlin Owens, 19

Our safari was probably the most exciting thing I will ever do or experience. And wanted you to know that all your work was much appreciated. My dad now wants to go to Turkey and Greece, but I don't think they can be much more fun than Kenya was; I had the time of my life. Thanks for taking care of all the complicated stuff.

Casey McGoff, 11

My first memories in life are of watching animals cross the Mara on television...My Mom says that at 3 years of age I began to draw everything, especially elephants, zebras and lions...As I grew, she could not tear me away from Animal Planet..I had a dream..I wanted to wake up in Africa. So for my thirteenth birthday, my Mom and I took our cameras and set out on a VirginBush Safari...When our plane landed in Nairobi, I knew I was home...Every camp, every tribal person, every day the excitement was overwhelming.  The people we met, the beauty of the country, its culture, it was far beyond anything I had ever seen on television. Giraffes ate out of my hands and kissed me in the morning, elephants came so close I could feel and smell their breath, cheetahs lay still in the tall grass with their new babies so I could see the little kittens dancing and playing... We flew across miles of breathtaking scenery, fed orphaned baby elephants with a bottle, danced for rain with natives on the mountain tops, rode camels back to camp for lunch. I rode horses among wild and beautiful creatures of many species. We were so close to lions I was afraid to breathe for fear they might notice I was upon them... There simply is nothing that can describe this experience... I will never forget the people I met and fell in love with..I will always remember my surprise [elephant dung!] birthday cake, waking to the sounds of hippos playing in the river and watching the most amazing sunsets while the lions roared in the distance.  I will never again be able to look at a television, a picture or a painting of an animal and feel the same way.  I will treasure my trip, my pictures and my memories forever. At least until the next time I get to go back on a VirginBush safari.

Logan Kanan, 13