TOP 20

TOP 20. Check out this testimonial from one of our favorite clients:

"We had an absolutely amazing time. I just can't believe how incredible and how perfect everything was- from the game viewing (saw a lion kill and wild dogs- like a one in a million combination), to the incredible houses (we want to come back to Ellerman next year with 11.7), to the amazing experiences in the village and township, to the wonderful people. We fell in love with Africa. Thank you for a trip we will never forget!"

Lutz' Top 20 experiences in Africa:

1. Watching a lion kill an impala

2. Seeing the very rare wild dogs from our deck at Luangwa

3. Hyena munching on a baby waterbuck's head

4. Leopards in a tree

5. Four lions climbing a tree

6. Lions "attempted" cape buffalo kill

7. Margaret at the Township day educare center

8. The view at Ellerman

9. An elephant mock charging grandpa

10. Lamingtons-yum yum!

11. Pregnant giraffe

12. Baboons playing and trying to steal our sweets

13. Frog on grandma's toothbrush and in Natalie's shoe

14. The amazing service Val, Sam, Obi, Emanuel, etc.

15. Hippos calling in the night

16. Natalie's pen pal Lister and Isabel's new pen pal Asling

17. Luangwa and Chongwe Houses

18. Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope

19. Table Mountain

20. Being together for 11 wonderful days!

Thank you! Thank you!

FIVE WORDS

FIVE WORDS. In a brand proposition survey for 11.7, I posed the question, “what are five words that you associate with Africa?” The results were honest, telling and reaffirmed my gripe with the common perceptions of Africa.

I truly believe we need to change the way the world sees Africa. Common perceptions are often antiquated and skewed by what headlines can accommodate. Pictures of ragged clothing stretched across a malnourished child’s bloated belly are hard on our eyes. The sound of helicopter blades and artillery fire from movies like Blood Diamond and Blackhawk Down are heavy on our ears. And while this is part of Africa and absolutely cannot be ignored, forgotten or glossed over, there is another side – actually other sides. Africa is multidimensional, complex and of course a very large and diverse continent.

I took the 11.7 survey before it was sent out and these are the five words that I associated with Africa: heart, night, sky, warmth and hope. I’ve made it part of 11.7’s mission not only to change common perceptions but also break down the glass wall that makes Africa seem so inaccessible to the majority of people. I want to expose travelers to something that they never expected, put people in touch with those who are like-minded, forge mutually advantageous partnerships and most of all prove that Africa is so much more than any five words. 

-Jen Johnson