Welcome to ROAR AFRICA – Provider of Ultra-Luxe African Safaris
ROAR AFRICA is the ultra-luxe African travel specialist. We don’t sell Africa just because we like the destination or have visited there before. We don’t sell travel in the USA or Asia, we are not from there. We are also not ex-safari guides now living in America who have morphed into tour operators yet rely on companies back in Africa to deliver the trip they have planned for you.
We are of and from Africa and our passion is sharing the Africa we know and love. Africa is in our DNA, “I am sharing Africa from its roots — a culmination of over 300 years of my family living here and traversing this land,” says Deborah, and hence you benefit from our instinctive knowledge that only comes from living in a place. In short, we are the neuro surgeons of Africa travel, we are at the operating table from start to finish and in full control. We are not generalists relying on other people to do the job. We don’t believe it’s possible to sell a truly authentic experience unless you are from the place yourself and deliver the trip yourself.
Our business is led by Zimbabwean-born and New York-based CEO and founder Deborah Calmeyer, under her expert eye ROAR AFRICA is known as a New-York and South African-based luxury safari company with a passion for Africa. This is reflected in a curatorial approach that has been described as pioneering and highly-crafted. We are proud of the recognition we have received as an industry leader and Africa expert particularly because we have chosen to limit our offering in order to create the kind of hand crafted itineraries that put you and your needs first. As such ROAR AFRICA has become synonymous with a discerning brand of ultra-luxe travel that while insightful and enriching, adventurous and eye-opening, is also totally life-changing.
Drawing on our network of experts, conservationists and properties that echo our values, we work hard to match you to your ultimate African experience. Guests come back to us time and again because in their words “they have never traveled like this before”. Our seamless delivery, honest opinions, discerning judgements and creative imaginings ensure that we construct unique itineraries informed by the needs of our client. Furthermore, we pride ourselves on getting you into places you wouldn’t ordinarily experience, where you will glean the spirit of a place and gain the kind of insider insights that will inform your experience tenfold. And because we believe that how you travel is as important as where you go, we offer exemplary and seamless logistics on everything we create. There is a great depth of emotional intelligence that stands behind our choices of where to go on safari and who best reflects the Africa we want to share. Our promise is to provide you with a comfortable yet intimate lens through which you will experience the Africa that we know and love. If you are interested in high-end, refined travel where every detail is attended to, leaving you to enjoy a stress-free holiday defined by extraordinary levels of expertise and insight – then ROAR AFRICA is the specialist for you.
Our Destinations
ROAR AFRICA’s itineraries traverse 13 countries in southern and east Africa such as Tanzania, Rwanda, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia. We handpick every lodge (and every room in every lodge) we ever recommend, and we vet them annually. Our long association with Africa means that we know the owners, the staff, the guides and the trackers – we have grown up with these people, and trust them to look after you. Your association with ROAR AFRICA means that you have an insider track to Africa, as such we have our own people on the ground. This means that you will never find yourself outsourced to a ground handler. For any first-time safari traveler to Africa, The Big Five (lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, and leopard) is a top priority. But with ROAR AFRICA, you will discover a depth to the safari experience that is both priceless and rare.
Testimonials
Pilar Guzman – Editor in Chief Conde Nast Traveler
“I can’t begin to express how wonderful and well thought out every detail of our trip was. The conversation really begins and ends with you and your team. You have built such a wonderful business that fills a great need in the seemingly crowded high-end marketplace. You seem to have all senses firing at all times and the rare ability to anticipate–and somehow with such a delicate hand. A long way of saying that I notice and appreciate everything.”
Robert Redford
Actor
“We cannot put into words how fantastic our first time has been in South Africa and Botswana. Probably the most amazing and outstanding experience in both of our lives. We almost feel it was a dream.”
Pat Mitchell
The first woman President and CEO of PBS
“Every visit to Africa is an experience that not only is memorable but changes your life – the way you see, the way you think, the way you feel. Come to Africa with Deborah Calmeyer, and you can experience everything because you’re not worried about anything. The detail of your trip is taken care of, and every logistic. You come home a different person.”
Lan Yang
Chinese media proprietor of Sun Media
“As man originated in Africa, we feel something magical about this land; it seems like our bodies and souls are fuller here. This explains my frequent visits to the continent. Of all of these trips, ROAR AFRICA’s journeys are no doubt the best. Because of the people they have introduced me to, and stories they shared, I got to see not only the beautiful scenery, but Africa’s soul.”
Our Trips
As a fully independent, owner-run business, ROAR AFRICA strives to imbue every itinerary with the values associated with the innate, immersive and experiential travel experiences we prefer. CEO and founder Deborah Calmeyer’s knowledge of the bush and her deep connections to Africa (her family have been here for over 300 years), means that every moment of every itinerary is curated with an intense sensitivity that comes from 300 years of African DNA, not to mention a true connection to the land. Ultimately, ROAR AFRICA is not just selling another destination, we’re introducing you to the place that we call home.
We Recommend
Acknowledged by the travel industry as the Ultra-luxe African specialist, ROAR AFRICA strives to deliver the kind of life-changing and authentic luxury safari experiences that are entirely customizable and designed around you. Any first-time safari-goer could take in a few days in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town where you’ll succumb to both urban and natural splendors. With more plant species found on Table Mountain than in the whole of Europe and with a winelands area comprising more than 200 wine farms on its doorstep, there’s a lot to discover. Thereafter you’ll head off on a luxury African safari curated especially for you in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda.
Growing Up In Africa
Growing Up In Africa
“Deeply embedded in my work is an intuitive knowledge built up over a lifetime of growing up on the continent.” — Deborah Calmeyer, CEO and Founder of ROAR AFRICA.
ExploreSee The Big Five
See The Big Five
The first time safari traveler immediately asks to see the big five (lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard), but there is so much more.
ExploreGolden Guides
Golden Guides
We uncover hidden petroglyphs deep inside the continent’s interior. We meet the contemporary artists whom this ancient land inspires. We listen to the music of our ancestors played at authentic ceremonies — with the help of ROAR AFRICA’s specialist guides.
ExploreIn Safe Hands
In Safe Hands
Humphrey Gumpo, 37, is one of the Zimbabwean greats — a walking safari specialist who started guiding in 1998 on the shores of Lake Kariba.
ExploreConservation Matters
Conservation Matters
“Humans are the most insane species. We worship an invisible god, whilst destroying visible nature.” — Botswana’s leading rhino conservationist, Map Ives.
Explore