Completely Unique Safaris, a family-owned, South African company, this year opened up its exclusive and highly customized experiences to the public.
The company's founder, Guy Ellis, had long organized out-of-the-ordinary safaris around Africa for friends and family. This year, he decided to share these experiences with wealthy travelers worldwide.
"I want to create a love for Africa in them," he said. "That is the only way to save Africa's wildlife."
Ellis said he aims to take customization to the next level.
"If travelers want to have dinner at 3 a.m. or if they want to sleep all day and go out on safari all night, we can do that," he said.
Ellis differentiates his product in other ways, such as shying away from "the Big Five," which he says was originally a hunting term used to describe the biggest and most dangerous animals. Instead, Ellis discusses with clients which animals spark their interest, whether it is a dung beetle or an elephant. On these expeditions, travelers also have the opportunity to participate in saving some of Africa's most elusive animals, such as the leopard, by helping to collar and track them.
Besides offering unique wildlife encounters, Ellis attempts to take guests out of their comfort zone with unusual experiences, such as a pop-up gallery in the middle of the bush, which Ellis arranges with artists from an emerging African artists initiative. After viewing art in this unique setting, guest enjoy a molecular gastronomy dinner with the artists, where a chef serves items such as "alcoholic air" drunk from a spear.
While many operators offer luxurious accommodations, private guides and private jets, Completely Unique Safaris also insists on having exclusive access and sole occupancy of the lodges they book.
Richard Engle, travel adviser at Protravel International, participated on a fam trip with Completely Unique Safaris to the Kalahari and said the element of surprise made the safari truly unique.
"You'll end up hiking through the bush at midnight, then sitting around out there drinking Champagne under the stars," he said. "It's unexpected and pleasantly surprising all the way."
Luxury and customization of this kind does not come cheap: Safaris start around $5,000 per person, per night. A substantial portion of the price funds Completely Unique Safaris' conservation initiatives, such as the Leopard Identification Project Southern Africa, the largest of its kind in the world.
Engle said these safaris are for clients seeking something completely unconventional and fairly over the top.
"You have to be willing to cough up a lot of cash, but Completely Unique Safaris will truly deliver," he said.
Visit www.completelyuniquesafaris.com or email Wegner Associates at [email protected].