Heart Of The Savannah

The song of Africa whispers of an untamed land bathed in intense colours where man and beast strive for balance.

- Prachi Joshi

May 1992. It was the summer of many firsts. The first time I got on a plane. My first trip abroad. The first time I fell in love—with travel, and with Africa. There have been many plane rides since then, many countries and cities where I left a piece of my heart, but you never forget your first love, do you?

It has taken me 25 years to return to Kenya. As I step offthe plane onto the tarmac of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International airport,I feel the same excitement as I felt all those years ago. The last time was a family holiday; this time I’m alone and ready for an experience with Micato Safaris—a Kenya-based, family-run safari operator that was founded more than 50 years ago.

I breeze through immigration and customs, and meet Denis Simi, my Micato Safari Director who will be my guide for the next ten days. Over the days, I meet more Micato employees and realise that almost everyone has been with the company for 15-20 years, if not more. It’s testament to the family atmosphere created by Jane and Felix Pinto, the owners of Micato Safaris. Their passion for Africa and love for India (the Pintos trace their roots to Goa) comes through over lunch at their expansive Nairobi home. This is not a special honour accorded to me as a visiting journalist, but something that all guests experience—an elaborate, homemade Goan lunch followed by a musical welcome to the Micato family with Denis and other staffers singing the 80s hit Kenyan pop song, Jambo Bwana (a song I well remember from my previous trip).