A New Side Project: Mighty Safari

By Cheryl Y. Sew Hoy, February 19, 2018

A New Side Project: Mighty Safari

One of the side projects I’ve been working on with my husband on is a safari tour company in Tanzania called Mighty Safari.

We sent our first customers on a honeymoon safari in October 2017 and they loved it. Our second customer just finished her solo camping tour in December. And we’re now ready to open it up to our friends & family, and larger network.

One of the reasons why we started this venture is because we found the safari space to be overwhelmingly difficult to navigate and fraught with a lot of big tour companies and agencies who provide one-size-fits-all safari tours, and charge a huge margin while passing on a very small daily stipend to the guides/drivers that actually make a huge difference in your safari experience. Apart from which country and national parks you choose to visit, most people think that the core of their safari experience comes from the type of accommodations that they choose, but in reality, it’s the guide and driver of the safari game drive that makes a huge difference.

Why Are We Doing This?

6 out of 10 of the global ambassadors made it to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro on March 4, 2013

In 2013, I was selected as one of 10 global female ambassadors for a Kilimanjaro charity climb, where my friend Caroline McCarthy and I raised $19,341 that went towards supplying a year’s worth of textbooks to 2 primary schools and scholarships for 8 high-school girls in Tanzania to go to college (instead of being forced into marriage by their families).

In March 2013, right after I sold my company to Walmart Labs, I went on to summit Mt Kilimanjaro and then flew my mom to Tanzania for a surprise 5-day safari for her 60th birthday. That’s when I first met Livin Macha, my safari guide and driver, and had one of the best experiences in my life. Livin was very interested in starting his own safari company but lacked the tech and marketing skills to do so. He explained how the safari industry works and the pros/cons of working for a big safari tour agency, as a local guide. He also shared how he got his start when a middle-aged American couple spotted Livin’s talent and offered to pay for his education in tourism and even gifted him a pair of Swarovski binoculars to wish him well on his journey of being a safari tour guide.

Livin Macha, our incredible guide & driver!

I was quite moved by his authenticity and how hard he worked to be one of the best guides in the region (Livin is very popular and well-liked among his safari driver friends!). If there was an annual award for safari guides, I’m certain that Livin would take the trophy home year after year. When he asked if I could help him set up his own business, I promised him that one day I would do so.

A few years passed and I met my husband Jason in 2015. When Jason wanted to do a safari with his brother in January 2016, I introduced them to Livin. After 3 years, Livin was still the incredible safari driver that he was; skilled, honest, charismatic, kind, and most importantly, he had an uncanny knack of spotting wildlife moments like no other. The fact that Livin persevered and kept in touch with me for years, and was still eager for me to help him set up was a big testimony to his determination.

Finally towards the end of 2017, we created Mighty Safari to realize Livin’s dream and give our friends and family an opportunity to witness his extraordinary skill and passion as a safari guide.

A Personalized, Authentic Safari Experience

We’re not a big tour company. We’ve decided to be an owner-operated team that prides itself on delivering that once-in-a-lifetime Tanzanian safari experience.

We specialize in showcasing the world’s most famous safari destinations – the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, which covers an area of 14 763 sq km, and also the greater Serengeti – roughly 30 000 sq km in extend, incorporates several other reserves, most notably the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Tarangire National Park, and Lake Manyara. Here’s a sample safari itinerary that we’d recommend. We’ve had special requests to add a walking / night / canoe safari, a culinary tour to Mto Wa Mbu, a visit to Lake Natron and an authentic Maasai village, a sunrise active volcano hike to Ol Doinya Lengai, and also can accommodate visits to Kikuletwa Hot Springs, close to Kilimanjaro Airport.

Cheetah Spotted by Robyn & Derek Tang on Mighty Safari from Cheryl Sew Hoy on Vimeo.

We frequently get asked when’s the best time to go and our answer is always anytime! Great Serengeti can be enjoyed throughout of the year, although peak seasons tend to be Dec-Feb and June-August, which means that prices will be higher during those months.

“We are so glad we went with Mighty Safari! Cheryl and Jason were amazing to work with, building us the perfect itinerary for our honeymoon with stellar accommodations and excellent service. Our guide Livin was extremely knowledgeable about all the wildlife and plant life, and he had a great eye for spotting animals far off in the distance. Other guides start a 9am and end at 4pm, but Livin gave us time and attention from 6am until 6pm for full days of safari. Mighty Safari is also an incredible value, costing half the price that other companies charge for the same itinerary. I highly recommend them!” ~Derek & Robyn

The video of a rare cheetah spotted above was taken by our first customers, Derek & Robyn. They gave us a glowing review and told us that their expectations were exceeded by how Livin went out of his way to provide the best service, and also how they felt treated more like an old friend rather than a safari customer.

A Tanzanian safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will blow you away. Just imagine being able to see tree-climbing leopards, a lion feeding its freshly caught prey to its cubs, wildebeest migrating across the Mara river, an estranged elephant herds of zebra, a flock of pink flamingos on the lake and an endangered black rhino in the crater, all within the span of a few days. And yes, you will hear howling hyenas at night! It certainly gives you a new perspective on life.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living”
~David Attenborough

It’s best to make safari arrangements 3-6 months in advanced of peak seasons for the best tented lodge accommodation options, but we’ve made last minute safari bookings available in 2 months, although you may not get your first choice lodges. If you’re willing to tough it out via basic tent camping, bookings can be more flexible.

Want to come with us on a safari adventure? Email us at hello@mightysafari.com and mention how you found us. We hope to see you soon!

Categories: Boostrapping, Safari, Side Project, Tanzania