NEW YORK -- East Africa specialist Micato Safaris is one of the
largest operators of safaris to Kenya and Tanzania.
Outside of a small side business of incentive travel to India,
the company focuses its attention on its home base, in Nairobi, the
capital of Kenya.
Its focus on a single region is what sets the company apart. It
is the only major operator of East African safaris that isn't
operating in many other international destinations, as well.
Micato maintains ground operations in Tanzania and a sales and
marketing office in New York. Micato's trademark characteristic is
the hands-on, personal manner in which the company operates its
tours.
Every Micato tour group that goes to Kenya dines at the home of
the company's owners, Jane and Felix Pinto, on Lavington Hill
overlooking Nairobi, or at their country home, called Ideal Farms.
As many as a dozen groups could be in town during a given week, and
all will dine with the Pintos.
"We try to make the programs very people-intensive," said Dennis
Pinto, son of Felix and Jane and head of the company's New York
branch.
Felix and Jane Pinto are both third-generation, native Kenyans.
Micato Safaris began in 1965 when Felix Pinto, a former official of
Kenya's department of agriculture, bought a small transportation
company. It was called Micato, short for Mini Cabs and Tours.
"Through the years, the family had always been in the farming
business," said Dennis Pinto. "Tourism was becoming a business, and
[my father] thought it would be more fun than farming."
Jane Pinto, a former champion tennis player, jumped into the
business with enthusiasm. Her social skills add an essential
element to the family business, contributing much of the personal,
hands-on approach for which Micato is known. She loves to
entertain, and does it with untiring flair.
Roland Largay, president of Largay Travel in Southbury, Conn.,
and veteran of 25 African safaris, said Micato is the best East
African safari company for families and first-time travelers.
"They make you feel like family," said Largay. "All the way from
the top, the mother and father, Jane and Felix, greet the guests
when they arrive. Jane Pinto is there many times at midnight at the
airport to greet the guests as they arrive."
Largay took 12 of his children and grandchildren on a Micato
safari and said it "changed the kids lives forever." One, who was
in high school at the time, changed his career choice because of
the trip.
"Mrs. Pinto took us to an orphanage with abandoned babies with
AIDS," said Largay. "He was initially going to be a lawyer, but
after that trip he changed his mind. Now he's going to be a doctor.
He's a freshman in pre-med."
Micato's guides are well-regarded in the industry. All Micato
guides are required to undergo a two-year intensive training course
at Kenya Utalii College, a prestigious school for tourism
professionals in Kenya. "There are several hundred applicants for
every one that gets accepted," said Dennis Pinto.
"Micato hires only the best drivers," said Carol Rone, manager
of Comfort Tours in Kansas City, Mo. "I know from doing safaris for
four years that ours were always the first to get to the animals
because of the experience of the drivers. And that really enhances
the safari experience."
Each tour is accompanied by a tour director and a driver,
instead of a driver/guide who plays both roles. Micato also employs
its own ground operation in Kenya, hiring its guides as full-time
employees, not contracting them -- and not subcontracting a local
ground operation.
Groups are limited to 24 people, with the average group size
being 16 to 20. Micato does offer guaranteed departures, so a
scheduled trip will go no matter the number of participants.
Allen Mitchem, general manager of 5th Ave Travel Center in
Hendersonville, N.C., uses Micato to create customized safaris to
fit the individual tastes of his clients.
"[Micato has] brochure itineraries, but it lets me do whatever I
want around that," he said. "It is extremely flexible. I can do
things like throw in a cocktail party in the Masai Mara when my
clients don't expect it. [Micato is] the easiest operator to work
with, and it has the most qualified staff. And what I really like
is that the owners live in Nairobi and that gives me a real sense
of security."
Micato gives its guests a close-up experience of the culture of
Africa. Most tours include a personal visit with a Masai tribe
elder and afford clients the chance to participate in a Masai dance
ritual.
Programs also include walks in the bush in addition to game
drives in all-terrain vehicles. Guests in Kenya also visit the
first tea plantation built in the country as well as the home of
Karen Blixen, known better by her pen name Isak Dineson, the author
of "Out of Africa."
Micato provides tour operations for a number of cruise lines
that call in Mombasa, Kenya. Micato's cruise partners include
Crystal, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Orient,
Princess, Seaborn and Silversea.
Micato's business continues to grow. The strongest growth
markets at present are the family market and the luxury market.
"Everyone knows Abercrombie & Kent are the top when it comes
to luxury," said Comfort Tours' Rone. "But I think Micato is right
up there. They have all the five-star things if you want them. But
all the extra, personalized touches Micato supplies are something
no other operator offers because no other operator's owners live
there."
Sampling of safari itineraries
NEW YORK -- Micato's menu of tours includes seven itineraries.
The following is a sampling of what Micato offers:
• The 10-night Livingstone Wing Safari, priced from $2,190 to
$3,295, is based entirely in Kenya. It begins in Nairobi and
includes stops at the Amboseli game reserve, Masai Mara and the
Mount Kenya Safari Club.
• Micato offers a 13-night program that is designed for
families. The tour features visits to a village school, a local
bazaar and a Masai village. The price is $4,095 for adults, $2,950
for children ages 12 to 18 and $2,695 for children under age
12.
• New for 2001 is the 13-night Grand Safari, priced from $6,875
to $7,475. This upscale safari visits well-known attractions in
Kenya and Tanzania, including the Amboseli game reserve, Masai
Mara, the Mount Kenya Safari Club and Serengeti National Park and
Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.
All prices are per person, double, land only. Air fare can be
purchased through Micato. To book, call (800) 642-2861 or (212)
545-7111; fax (212) 545-8297, or e-mail [email protected].