Yellow Zebra is a luxury & adventure travel company specialising in ‘Safari’ Africa. Our safari consultants are made up entirely of professional safari guides, camp managers and people who were born and raised in Africa. For the last five years, we have been voted as 'Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator' at the World Travel Awards.
In our opinion, the best advice is born out of personal experience. However we believe that simply having experience of a destination is not nearly enough. One trip to Tanzania does not make you an expert – far from it!
We are very proud to say that our ‘Sales’ team is one of the most experienced in the entire industry. Our team is made up entirely of professional safari guides, camp managers and people who were born and raised in Africa. Together they have guided safaris across the whole of ‘Safari Africa’ and worked in some of the most famous camps on the continent. It is this experience that makes the difference – you are dealing with genuine experts at Yellow Zebra.
When a German-made Dornier aircraft landed in the Serengeti over 60 years ago, two courageous men climbed out of the cockpit – Bernhard Grzimek and his 24-year-old son, Michael. Armed with little more than stubborn determination and an honourable quest, this father–son duo carried out work that resulted in the extension of the park boundary, which protects the great wildebeest migration to this day.
Having touched down in the Serengeti, father and son set about counting and tracking the wildebeest herds. They found it necessary to create markers amongst the herd in order to carry out a scientific count, and discovered that the zebras accompanying the wildebeest were perfectly suited for this. By capturing 50 zebra stallions, painting their hair yellow, and then releasing the herbivores back into the herds, the Grzimek duo were able to observe the movement of these bright yellow zebras from the skies, once they had taken off in their ‘zebra plane’. And this is how they spent two years establishing the migration routes and providing an invaluable baseline for future research.
The co-founders of Yellow Zebra Safaris
Childhood friends Julian and Rory may have grown up in the UK, but both have an insatiable love of Africa and its wildlife. After their degrees in Hospitality and Tourism and following substantial experience in the safari and travel industry, they decided to do something daring and joined forces to create a safari travel company that is firmly rooted in providing an honest, conscious, and conservation-focused tour-operating service.
Conservation has always been integral to Rory and Julian’s vision, and it has come to form the supporting backbone of the company. From the start, YZ donated to children in need in Southern Africa, guaranteeing that every safari sold would pay for a child’s education for a year. As the company grew, YZ was able to expand on its charity efforts to include anti-poaching teams, wildlife protection, and even community development with charities such as Team Rokka, Project Playground, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and the One to One Campaign. All YZ clients are welcome to contribute in some way, such as helping with the David Sheldrick ‘YZ elephant herd’ (90-strong at the moment). Within the office, all client documents are sent either digitally or using 100% recycled material eco-wallets.
Rory and Julian may not have boarded a temperamental plane and spent years tracking wildebeest from the air, but they have created a haven for their team of experts complete with a strong sense of responsibility and duty towards Africa.
Feeling an affinity with the Grzimek duo, Rory and Julian decided there was no better name for their company than Yellow Zebra Safaris, honouring the slightly peculiar but wonderful work of standing out from the herd at large.
Where to begin
Organising a safari holiday can often times be baffling and time consuming, and that is where the experts at Yellow Zebra come in. Whether it is your first safari or you are an avid traveller to Africa, we are here to help plan a trip of a lifetime.
You can start by visiting Your First Safari, which is a helpful guide to frequently asked questions and top tips
Jump straight in and look at a few sample trips
You can check out the Yellow Zebra blog
Or you can simply contact one of the YZ experts on +44 (0)20 8547 2305 or via our contact form.
Yellow Zebra is an award-winning, luxury & adventure travel company specialising in ‘Safari’ Africa.
