Africa Calls

Africa Calls Africa Calls is a boutique travel company specializing in custom southern and east African adventure Today Babette’s time is split between Zambia and Santa Fe.
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Africa Calls, Ltd., a small boutique travel company specializing in Southern and East African safaris, was founded by Babette Alfieri in 1989 and is registered in the US as a limited corporation. The permanent base of operation is in Santa Fe, New Mexico where Babette and her daughter, Christina Alfieri have established their office. Babette’s background in the travel industry began in 1971 with K

LM Royal Dutch Airlines in their 5th Avenue, New York office. In 1974 she joined South African Airways in New York where she handled sales, marketing and public relations until she left in 1980 to join the prestigious tour operator, Abercrombie and Kent. She was Vice President of Sales Eastern USA with specific responsibility to develop special interest travel programs to Southern Africa with American Zoos and Museums. She designed and arranged many such programs until 1986 when A&K transferred her to Zambia’s magnificent Luangwa Valley, to handle all of their incoming Zambian clients. For the following three years she also traveled around the world marketing the company’s Southern African division. In 1989, she founded Africa Calls with the intention of offering unique adventures far off the beaten track, and away from the ever-increasing tourist crowds. Babette also co-founded the WISDOM Foundation in 1980 (originally the Foundation to Save African Endangered Wildlife) registered in New York to raise funds for conservation in Africa. The majority of funds raised went to assist the Zimbabwe Department of National Parks and Wildlife, with additional funding allocated to Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. In 1995 Christina joined Babette full time at Africa Calls as her business partner. Prior to this, Christina’s career began in the finance and private banking field where she worked for Chase Manhattan Bank and Brown Brothers Harriman in Boston for eight years. Christina has traveled extensively throughout Southern Africa since early childhood, and brings a wealth of African knowledge and adventure travel experience to the company. Today Babette and Christina are continually updating Africa Calls with regular travels throughout Southern and East Africa to keep informed on the latest safari products, in addition to both accompanying selected small groups annually on safari. The entire administrative responsibility of the Africa Calls office is Christina’s domain. Her impeccable attention to detail has become Africa Calls’ trademark, and is illustrated by the number of repeat travelers and referrals that we receive. Africa Calls is consistently among the top ten producers for some of Southern Africa’s most prestigious safari camps and land operators. Africa Calls objective is not only to show you the true wilderness areas where wildlife abounds within Southern and East Africa, but where possible to also introduce you to the local people and communities. Should you desire you will have the opportunity to visit schools and clinics and to meet local artists, purchase their goods, and witness traditional ways of life. With over five decades of combined African experience, Africa Calls, Ltd. is able to offer their clients a truly customized safari of the highest caliber. The advantage of Babette living in Africa half of the year offers the significant benefit of being completely on top of the emerging tourist scene there, while at the same time having an intrinsic understanding of the US market and expectations of American tourists traveling to Africa. Africa Calls is uniquely positioned to ignite the spark of a dream safari to Africa here in the US, and to then be there in Africa to help make those dreams come true. Babette Alfieri & Christina Alfieri,
Owners AFRICA CALLS, Ltd.

It’s been a terrific safari season for our traveler’s, with exceptional game viewing all around.One couple completed the...
20/11/2024

It’s been a terrific safari season for our traveler’s, with exceptional game viewing all around.
One couple completed their fifth safari with us, visiting Makweti Safari Lodge in South Africa, The Bushcamp Company in South Luangwa, and Green Safaris Sausage Tree Camp in the Lower Zambezi, Zambia.
Enjoy!

Africa Calls was honored to be among the sponsors of iNgqikithi yokuPhica / Weaving Meanings: Telephone Wire Art from So...
16/11/2024

Africa Calls was honored to be among the sponsors of iNgqikithi yokuPhica / Weaving Meanings: Telephone Wire Art from South Africa last night at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe.

This is the first major exhibition of telephone wire art in any North American museum. It was assembled and generously donated by the David Arment Southern African Collection.
What a gift to have this exhibition right here in Santa Fe!



Sharing the golden hour with royalty.A beautiful image of this magestic cat captured by our travelers currently visiting...
14/11/2024

Sharing the golden hour with royalty.

A beautiful image of this magestic cat captured by our travelers currently visiting stunning camps in South Africa.

Contact us to make your dream safari a reality!

Reposting from our friends  in honor of   - the unbelievable bat migration at Kasanka National Park in Zambia.“This litt...
19/04/2024

Reposting from our friends in honor of - the unbelievable bat migration at Kasanka National Park in Zambia.

“This little - known phenomenon is the largest mammal migration in the world, with roughly 12-15 million bats migrating each year!”

Contact us for your own one-of-a-kind Safari experience!

📷 Will Burrard-Lucas


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Guess who came to dinner??Some scenes in Africa are timeless - like here at Kuyenda Bushcamp in Zambia’s South Luangwa N...
23/02/2024

Guess who came to dinner??

Some scenes in Africa are timeless - like here at Kuyenda Bushcamp in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park (2009)

We can’t wait to help you plan your next adventure - you never know who might show up!

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Did you know that February 15th is World Hippo Day? There are few places in Africa where the hippo populations are so pr...
15/02/2024

Did you know that February 15th is World Hippo Day?

There are few places in Africa where the hippo populations are so prolific as these images show...where at the height of the dry season the many hippo are forced into massed groups of several hundreds as the last remaining waters dry up and form pools of liquid mud.

Contact us to create your own unforgettable adventure, tailored just for you.

📷 1: Owner and Founder Babette shown in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. Photo by Phil Berry, mid 1980’s
📷 2: Owner Christina in Katavi National Park in southwestern Tanzania, 2016

🇿🇲 🇹🇿

The annual Sweetheart Auction for the Cancer Foundation of New Mexico is tomorrow night! We are thrilled to see the 15-d...
09/02/2024

The annual Sweetheart Auction for the Cancer Foundation of New Mexico is tomorrow night!

We are thrilled to see the 15-day, 14-night safari we crafted with the help of Mfuwe Lodge and the Bushcamps, Green Safaris, and Classic Zambia once again be the grand finale auction item once again!

The Auction raises more than half of CFFNW’s annual budget and we are so grateful to our partners in Zambia for their continued support of this cause that is so dear to our hearts.

Don’t miss out on biding on this and so many other wonderful items at
🦒🐘 https://cffnm.org/attend-an-event/sweetheart-auction/ 🦒🐘



32 years ago, as our owner and founder Babette and her husband Phil were about to open the doors of their camp, Kuyenda,...
27/01/2024

32 years ago, as our owner and founder Babette and her husband Phil were about to open the doors of their camp, Kuyenda, in South Luangwa NP, Zambia, Babette found herself staring at a pesky w**d that needed pulling. As she got her garden shears ready, Phil stopped her suddenly and told her not to cut it. Through this series of photos from the archives, we take a look at not only the transformation of Kuyenda over the years, but also at the beauty of that small w**d, which blossomed into a majestic mahogany tree that still stands today; a living testament to the beauty and resilience of Zambia’s landscape. The tree has stood the test of time, telling the stories of the wilderness, waiting for future travelers to share their own. Zambia is not just a destination, it is an invitation to connect with nature, and to marvel at the wonders around us.

📷 #1: 1992 Humble beginnings as a simple grass camp for Save The Rhino Trust. The mahogany tree (Babette’s pesky w**d!) visible on the left – thankfully rescued by Phil just in time!
📷 #2: 1993 Small but mighty, Phil’s mahogany is now secure
📷 #3: 2004/2005 Now over a decade old, and under the umbrella of the fabulous Bushcamp Company since 2000, the tree has grown tall and strong.
📷 #4: 2010
📷 #5: 2013 Babette stands with Phil and his tree
📷 #6: 2014
📷 #7: 2023 Another decade has passed. Kuyenda reimagined and reborn, Phil’s mahogany (center) towers overhead!

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“The unauthorized guide to wildlife photography according to Phil Berry” ca 1974…Not recommended for the amateurWe are s...
22/01/2024

“The unauthorized guide to wildlife photography according to Phil Berry” ca 1974…
Not recommended for the amateur

We are so enjoying going through our collection of incredible photos from the past 50 years. And some photos stand the test of time.

Contact us to design a Safari curated just for you - and add to your own collection of unforgettable adventures and memories!

As we spend 2024 reflecting on our 50 year love story with Africa, it is so special to see others experiencing their own...
15/01/2024

As we spend 2024 reflecting on our 50 year love story with Africa, it is so special to see others experiencing their own. Caitlin and Brendan first traveled with Africa Calls for their honeymoon in 1997, and now, 26 years later, have just returned from a magical safari with their three grown children. We are honored to have such amazing clients who share our passion for Africa and put their trust in us time and time again

As we continue to reflect on our 50 years of deep connection and involvement with Africa, today we share images of Kenya...
05/01/2024

As we continue to reflect on our 50 years of deep connection and involvement with Africa, today we share images of Kenya, beginning in March of 1974.

📸 #1: 1974, Christina, age 7, engaging with a young woman introducing her to traditional Maasai Culture.

📸 #2,3,4: 5 years later Babette and Christina were privileged to meet and fly with Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who was to become the world’s leading authority on African elephants. Already famous by then with his wife, Oria, for their publication of Among the Elephants in 1975, which chronicled his unique study of elephant ecology in the wild.

📸 #5,6,7,8: Fast forward 30 years to 2009 when Christina’s own children, Sebbie (then 6) and Stella (then 8 months), first traveled to Kenya to visit the Douglas-Hamiltons again, now based in Samburu Game Reserve at Iain’s Save the Elephants headquarters, and Oria’s stunning Elephant Watch Camp. Stella had endless new toys to keep her entertained (just as her her mother had all those years earlier), while Sebbie was introduced to Iain’s elephant research, most especially elephant collaring and radio tracking.

Kenya is indeed the most amazing safari destination for families!




2024 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our first adventure to Africa in March 1974. This totally changed the direct...
29/12/2023

2024 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our first adventure to Africa in March 1974. This totally changed the direction of our lives and marked the beginning of our long and wonderful history we are so proud of with the continent that we all love.

Our story begins with Babette who was Interline Sales Manager for South African Airways at their Fifth Avenue, NYC USA headquarters, and thereafter VP Sales Eastern USA for Abercrombie & Kent, who years later moved her to Zambia in 1986 to run their Southern Africa Safaris. She eventually founded Africa Calls in 1989 where Christina joined her 9 years later.

Today, we remember 42 years ago when Babette and Christina arrived in Zambia from NYC for the first time on a unique mission, to deliver 8 donated Land Rover tires, 144 pairs of socks for scouts, and a huge box of Land Rover spare parts to support an amazing singular effort to Save the Rhino Trust. The supplies were for Phil Berry, the SRT Field Commander whose mission was to patrol over 6000 square miles of the Luangwa National Parks, home of the largest population of Black Rhino on the African continent, where poaching of the rhino for their horn was taking a terrible toll on the numbers. Our lives changed that day as Phil eventually became an ever-important member of all of our lives.

We will continue our story with you as we share and celebrate our 50 years of Africa!

Babette & Christina

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A new year is the perfect time for new experiences! This extraordinary itinerary with  would be a fabulous start or end ...
28/12/2023

A new year is the perfect time for new experiences! This extraordinary itinerary with would be a fabulous start or end to an adventure in stunning Botswana!

Contact us today to start planning for 2024 and beyond!

📷: Bee Eaters:  ,  , South Luanga National Park, ZambiaLeopards: , Selinda Reserve, Botswana
21/12/2023

📷:
Bee Eaters: , , South Luanga National Park, Zambia
Leopards: , Selinda Reserve, Botswana

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Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+15059821976

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Our Story

Africa Calls, Ltd., a small boutique travel company specializing in Southern and East African safaris, was founded by Babette Alfieri in 1989 and is registered in the US as a limited corporation. The permanent base of operation is in Santa Fe, New Mexico where Babette and her daughter, Christina Alfieri have established their office. Babette’s background in the travel industry began in 1971 with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in their 5th Avenue, New York office. In 1974 she joined South African Airways in New York where she handled sales, marketing and public relations until she left in 1980 to join the prestigious tour operator, Abercrombie and Kent. She was Vice President of Sales Eastern USA with specific responsibility to develop special interest travel programs to Southern Africa with American Zoos and Museums. She designed and arranged many such programs until 1986 when A&K transferred her to Zambia’s magnificent Luangwa Valley, to handle all of their incoming Zambian clients. For the following three years she also traveled around the world marketing the company’s Southern African division. In 1989, she founded Africa Calls with the intention of offering unique adventures far off the beaten track, and away from the ever-increasing tourist crowds. Today Babette’s time is split between Zambia and Santa Fe. Babette also co-founded the WISDOM Foundation in 1980 (originally the Foundation to Save African Endangered Wildlife) registered in New York to raise funds for conservation in Africa. The majority of funds raised went to assist the Zimbabwe Department of National Parks and Wildlife, with additional funding allocated to Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. In 1995 Christina joined Babette full time at Africa Calls as her business partner. Prior to this, Christina’s career began in the finance and private banking field where she worked for Chase Manhattan Bank and Brown Brothers Harriman in Boston for eight years. Christina has traveled extensively throughout Southern Africa since early childhood, and brings a wealth of African knowledge and adventure travel experience to the company. Today Babette and Christina are continually updating Africa Calls with regular travels throughout Southern and East Africa to keep informed on the latest safari products, in addition to both accompanying selected small groups annually on safari. The entire administrative responsibility of the Africa Calls office is Christina’s domain. Her impeccable attention to detail has become Africa Calls’ trademark, and is illustrated by the number of repeat travelers and referrals that we receive. Africa Calls is consistently among the top ten producers for some of Southern Africa’s most prestigious safari camps and land operators. Africa Calls objective is not only to show you the true wilderness areas where wildlife abounds within Southern and East Africa, but where possible to also introduce you to the local people and communities. Should you desire you will have the opportunity to visit schools and clinics and to meet local artists, purchase their goods, and witness traditional ways of life. With over five decades of combined African experience, Africa Calls, Ltd. is able to offer their clients a truly customized safari of the highest caliber. The advantage of Babette living in Africa half of the year offers the significant benefit of being completely on top of the emerging tourist scene there, while at the same time having an intrinsic understanding of the US market and expectations of American tourists traveling to Africa. Africa Calls is uniquely positioned to ignite the spark of a dream safari to Africa here in the US, and to then be there in Africa to help make those dreams come true. Babette Alfieri & Christina Alfieri, Owners AFRICA CALLS, Ltd.