{"id":2822,"date":"2025-12-25T17:50:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T17:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=2822"},"modified":"2025-12-25T17:50:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T17:50:08","slug":"what-four-decades-of-safari-adventures-taught-one-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/?p=2822","title":{"rendered":"What Four Decades of Safari Adventures Taught One Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Henrietta Loyd has over 40 years\u2019 safari experience \u2013 now, she shares her advice on traveling well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Across a career spanning over 40 years, Henrietta Loyd has watched the safari industry balloon into just about the number one most coveted travel experience. In 1993, Loyd co-founded travel operator Cazenove & Loyd<\/a> alongside business partner Suzie Cazenove. What began as a two-woman show has developed into being one of the world\u2019s most respected travel companies, with a globe-spanning portfolio. As well as organizing special trips for clients, Loyd regularly hosts small group trips in up-and-coming and less-known regions around the world. Here, she reflects on four decades of witnessing how travelers behave, what they seek, and what might still be saved.<\/p>\n

\"henrietta
Henrietta Loyd has been exploring Africa for over 40 years \u00a9Cazenove & Loyd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

See also: Six Must-visit Destinations Travel Experts Say You Can\u2019t Miss in 2026<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

How has the safari and the wider travel industry changed since you began your career?<\/strong>
<\/strong>The level of luxury. I started 40 years ago and it was all just about being in Africa, in the bush. The [standard] has changed massively and I don\u2019t see how they could get any better. The quality is amazing. But it is leveling \u2013 I think the hospitality has reached its peak and we are moving back to people traveling to see the animals and to truly experience Africa. It’s lovely to have a nice room to go back to and to have a hot bath and a shower, but you spend so little time there. People are more and more interested in going back to that old type of safari.<\/p>\n

In the current climate, what does \u2018luxury\u2019 mean in terms of a safari? Is it access, camps, guides?<\/strong>
<\/strong>It\u2019s about solitude. It’s being alone, with your group and your guide and spending time with a lion pride or seeing that giraffe mother and calf, without the big groups and the other vehicles. The guiding is also incredibly important and is a huge focus for us \u2013 if the guiding isn\u2019t up to standard, it can undermine the whole safari experience. It\u2019s also about learning. You should return with new knowledge \u2013 about the people, the place, and the wildlife.<\/p>\n

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Loyd will send safari newbies to the Kruger National Park and adjacent reserves for the best viewings \u00a9Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The recent videos of cars flocking crossing sites during the Great Migration have been jarring \u2013 have you heard anything on the ground from locals?
<\/strong>Truthfully, it has always been like this. We are just seeing it more because of social media. I have been going to Africa for 40 years and I have never truly seen the Great Migration \u2013 it’s not the standard to see it. You have to be in the right place at the right time. We try to move people away from traveling during that time and we never ever promise anything. In fact, I would recommend going away from where the Jeeps are in search of a quieter area. If you see something on the way back, wonderful, but don\u2019t seek out the Great Migration.<\/p>\n

Do you think social media could have a positive impact in raising awareness of overcrowding during the migration?<\/strong>
No I don\u2019t \u2013 some people just want to go. The industry is massive and people will always want to see it, and there will always be people who take them to see it. It gets whipped up into a frenzy. I\u2019m sorry to be depressing but it\u2019s a fact.<\/p>\n

How do you advise your clients to safari responsibly?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do your research and pick a company known for its knowledge, longevity, and relationships on the ground. We\u2019re known for safari as I\u2019ve done it all of my adult life \u2013 we have a reputation. A lot of our clients are well traveled, but for a first timer we always send them somewhere with great game viewing. In South Africa, for example, we know the reserves adjacent the Kruger National Park are heaving with game. But again, we say nothing is guaranteed \u2013 that is how we deliver in a responsible way.<\/p>\n

\"Punakha,
Over 70 percent of Bhutan is covered by forest \u00a9Marcus Westberg <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beside safari, what destination have you been to this year that has been particularly?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been almost living in Bhutan this year. I have got to know it very well and I have become extremely fond of it. The people are lovely and the landscape is still pretty unspoiled \u2013 over 70 percent is covered by forest. I feel privileged to have spent so much time there. It is very much \u2018slow travel\u2019 and a generally slow way of life there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How can Bhutan protect its integrity as tourist interest grows?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is getting noticeably busy but their [tourism model] keeps numbers down: you pay $100 per day in tourism tax. The King has plans for a whole new town, which will be focused on mindfulness, but that\u2019s ten years off, and there are no plans for any more big hotel groups. Between that and the daily levy, they\u2019re not on a trajectory for it to become a crazy destination.<\/p>\n

What location can you return to time and time again and always discover something new?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Middle East fascinates me. I\u2019ve been to Jordan six times, we\u2019re doing lots more in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and I love Oman. There\u2019s so much to learn and each country is so different \u2013 I don\u2019t think you could ever come away from the Middle East and feel like you\u2019ve done it all, seen it all, or know it all.\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Henrietta Loyd has over 40 years\u2019 safari experience \u2013 now, she shares her advice on traveling well.\u00a0 Across a career spanning over 40 years, Henrietta Loyd has watched the safari industry balloon into just about the number one most coveted travel experience. In 1993, Loyd co-founded travel operator Cazenove & Loyd alongside business partner Suzie […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}