I'm on the Road this #TravelTuesday Click below for my articles on wildlife and Safaris!

Articles and publications on wildlife and Safaris! 

Honored & Excited to be Invited to #MKTE2016

Flyga Twiga Selected as 1 of 3 Hosted Buyers from South Korea Sponsored by Kenya Tourism Board for Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2016 #MKTE2016

Flyga Twiga LLC has been selected by the Kenya Tourism Board as one of 3 Hosted Buyers from South Korea for Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2016 (MKTE2016). MKTE2016 will be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya from 12th – 14th October, 2016. In addition to attending MKTE2016, Flyga Twiga has been asked to arrive in Kenya a week prior to the event to participate in Familiarization (Fam) Trips around Kenya regarding Sustainable Tourism and Travel.

According to the Kenya Tourism Board, “Magical Kenya Travel Expo is a re-leading annual event in the African region organized by Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) that hosts overseas source markets that brings together, travel agents, tour operators and hoteliers. It gathers all the tour operators, travel agents, and destination managers. It is a unique opportunity for the tourism business operators to meet their clients, network, market, and discuss business.

The Magical Kenya Travel Expo is one of the fastest growing exhibitions in the tourism industry aimed at raising the profile of the destination. It has become an important and influential platform for tourism networking and business transactions.

The exhibition aims at showcasing Kenya as a world class tourism destination to top notch international trade. It is a key pillar of the Board’s marketing strategies aimed at increasing the tourist arrival numbers and tourism revenue receipts in line with Vision 2030.”

Flyga Twiga was chosen for the Fam Trips and MKTE2016 due to their commitment to sustainable tourism and their unique offering of bespoke, personal Safari services in Kenya. Flyga Twiga has been the exclusive partner for the Kenya Embassy in South Korea for the KINTEX 2016 Korea International Tourism Show (KITS) and the COEX 2016 Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA). In addition, Flyga Twiga’s clients have come from such diverse places as the United States, Peru and Haiti. 

Amy Millican is the owner of Flyga Twiga LLC, a personal Safari service and consultancy, focused on wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism. She has worked throughout Sub-Saharan and Southern Africa, including on sustainable tourism with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS-the international branch of the New York Zoological Society/Bronx Zoo) in South Sudan. She believes by helping people experience wildlife through Safaris, many species, who are near extinction, will be saved. In recognition of her contributions to conservation and the scientific community in 2015 she was admitted to membership in The Explorer’s Club.

To contact Flyga Twiga LLC, please click here.

For more information on MKTE2016 please click here to visit their site.

Travel Tuesday

It isn’t necessary to pack everything in the world to go to East Africa. While still an exotic and far-off place, a true traveler can survive with simply a passport, a few clothes and access to money. But, that isn’t what Flyga Twiga is about. We want to enjoy the good things in life!

So…what to bring?

Click here for my full Safari Guide.

Happy Day! Safe Safari!

Travel Medicine

It is really important when planning an African Safari to prepare in advance for the vaccinations you will need. Many shots require a series, some as long as intervals of six months.

One of the issues to arise last summer in the greater Washington, DC area was a shortage of Yellow Fever Vaccine. While DC is unique, with a great deal of travelers going to and fro Africa, there is no guarantee your local medical provider will have a ready supply of the vaccine on hand.

Yellow Fever shot should be taken no less than 14 days before travel. And while many Customs Agents in East Africa have gotten slack about checking for the inoculation, you better believe when an outbreak occurs, they check. You do not want to end up in quarantine instead of being on Safari and taking pictures of the magnificent wildlife.

Anti-malarials are another aspect of travel medicine that has to be addressed before travel. Malerone™, the latest, greatest anti-malarial, must be started two days in advance of travel into a malaria zone.

In addition to vaccines and medicines, you also want to seek out the advice of a good travel doctor if you have any pre-existing conditions. And here I would seriously address if there are any food allergies or conditions.

While Kenya and Uganda in particular have exceptional hospitality industries, you need to prepare and plan ahead for such conditions as nut allergies or gluten intolerance. The more you plan, with your travel doctor and your Safari planner, the more enjoyable and safe your Safari will be.

I also highly recommend you seek the advice of your Organic Pharmacist (Herbalist). They should be able to direct you to the highest quality probiotics. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is before traveling to Africa to begin a good, healthy probiotic regime.

Especially if this is your first trip to Africa, your body will be introduced to organism’s your body may never have come encounter with. One of my assistants in South Sudan asked me “why do Expats seem to get so sick?” I pointed out that we had not grown-up in Africa and that there were bacteria and other organisms to which our bodies had not been accustomed, and therefore, had not yet developed the anti-bodies to fight them off. To be fair, I pointed out the same would be true if she came to the United States and was exposed to new bacteria.

Lastly, I want to note that while you must decide what is best for you and your family, it is your top priority and personal responsibility to stay healthy. So, for example, if you are “anti-vax” and decide to go ahead and try and “sneak in” a country without a Yellow Fever inoculation, you are free to do so.

But, please be aware, all Travel Insurance Companies, will not honor or refund your money if you are denied entry into a country because of the lack of inoculation. Again, you must make your own decisions about your health, but you must also be aware of the consequences of making those decisions.

Plan, prepare and engage in determining the best course to make sure you have a “Happy Day! Safe Safari!”

Content copyright 2016. Flyga Twiga LLC. All rights reserved.

Thank you to everyone who visited us at KOTFA! I'm excited to share our new logo! Thank you Jun Bum Park 박준범 !

You're Invited! KOTFA

You are invited to join us at the 31st Annual Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA) - South Korea's largest travel expo - at Seoul's COEX from June 9th - 12th. Flyga Twiga is the exclusive partner of the Kenyan Embassy in Seoul. We look forward to seeing you there!

2016년 제 31회 한국국제관광대전(코트파)에 여러분을 초대합니다.
이번 국제관광대전에는 케냐 대사관의 파트너로 Flyga Twiga가 독점 선정되었습니다.
2016년 6월 9일부터 12일까지 서울 코엑스에서 진행될 국제관광대전,
Flyga Twiga가 여러분 모두 환영합니다!  

Lion © Airports&BeyondTours

One of my buddies from Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club in Nairobi, Kenya October 2015

Monkey © Flyga Twiga LLC

So Grateful to live in a time when there are still elephants.

AmboseliMornngKenya2014©FlygaTwigaLLC

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year!

As I write, it is already Orthodox Christmas in South Korea. What a special day to announce some wonderful new adventures for Flyga Twiga!

• Safaris: Working with my partners in East Africa, there are several amazing safari opportunities for August through November 2015. Specifically, in Kenya we are designing a unique opportunity to visit with Elephant and Rhino Conservationists and preservation groups, not usually open to the public. While in Uganda, with only 750 Mountain Gorillas left in the world, an extensive, luxury gorilla trek is being designed.
   
• New Travel Adventures: Also, during the first part of 2015, I have been given a rare opportunity to tour extensively South Korea and other parts of Southeast Asia. With the "Land of the Morning Calm" as my base for the next half year or so, I will be posting on the Flyga Twiga Blog my experiences and travels.
   
• Wildlife Conservation: With my passion for wildlife and conservation, being based in Southeast Asia couldn't come at a better time. With parts of Southeast Asia the source of so much of the poaching industry, I hope to bring awareness at this critical point in history - with Elephants and my precious Rhinos facing extinction. Interesting how God puts you where you are needed.

I look forward to sharing my adventures and hope 2015 brings us all happy days and safe safaris!

Time to celebrate new adventures! Champagne @ Karen, Nairobi, Kenya ©Flyga Twiga LLC

Some of why I do what I do - one of my childhood favorites! @RangerRickMag

I simply loved my Ranger Rick magazines as a child. I (briefly) contemplated being a US Parks Service Ranger when taking Forestry in High School. (And, probably would have been the ONLY USPS Ranger who was a former "Forest Festival Queen"!!!) While that career path really wasn't for me - my passion for wildlife (& esp my precious Rhinos!) was fueled at an early age thanks to Ranger Rick. Note the sticker is from 1972 - Happy Throw Back Thursday!

@africatravelata Really excited about my Africa Travel Association Membership! #EastAfrica #Safari

Zebra at Sunset, Amboseli National Park, Kenya 2014 © Flyga Twiga LLC

Member ID: 14-3-1090-5CH

Cute little fella from Kenya! #Zebra #AmboseliNationalPark #toocute

Cute Little Zebra Kenya 2014 © Flyga Twiga LLC