80% word of mouth &
50% repeat travelers
WHY US
Experience where it matters
Our type of safari demands experience and real passion from a guide. This makes a difference when planning your trip or guiding it - if you are setting off on foot into the bush, you want to be with the best. All our guides have decades of experience and have undergone our own rigorous guide training and apprenticeship.
> OUR GUIDES
Why Mark Thornton Safaris?
80% word of mouth guests.
50% repeat travelers. Guests become friends. Some return for their 2nd, 3rd… even 10th safari.
100% committed to supporting livelihoods and conserving habitat.
25 years in the bush.
2 times rated Best Outfitter in Africa by National Geographic
Runner-up: World Legacy Awards by National Geographic for companies conserving natural habitat.
Finalist: World Responsible Tourism Awards
Limited trips, limited guides. We only run a certain number of safaris each year. Once we are full, we are full, as we don’t hire freelancers.
What makes us different?
YOU TALK DIRECTLY TO YOUR GUIDE
You talk directly to one of us from start to finish, real bush guides, not agents. Each trip is tailor-made and designed between you and a veteran guide and trip planner to perfect it into the ideal itinerary for your interests and budget, whether you want an adventure, a family trip or high-end safari. No cookie-cutter trips here.
> How it works
EXCLUSIVE & PRIVATE
We know the finest private boutique lodges, villas, and even private atolls on the continent, some unpublicized and hard to reach. For exclusive groups and especially large, multi-generational family safaris, we personally arrange all private charter flights, private camps and bush-homes. This, with our team of experienced guides, makes for a one of a kind experience.
> Camps & lodges
We go where no one goes
It’s actually true! Enormous areas of Serengeti, Ruaha and Tarangire National Parks are off-limits to all entry except our mobile walking safaris. There is no greater exclusivity than 600 sq kilometers of Serengeti National Park all to yourself.
> Walking & Stalking
Low Impact
It matters to you and to us that our impact is low. We have fine-tuned our safari and camp operations to produce what we believe is a model low-impact safari. We tread lightly and our camps are mobile and leave no trace. Your safari is offset by contributions through Carbon Tanzania.
> Leave no Trace
Conservation
We don’t just give money to causes – we get our hands dirty and are involved right here on the ground. We serve on the board of a local cutting edge conservation NGO protecting habitat and supporting livelihoods, and are actively engaged in local conservation strategies to make a real difference.
> Leave no trace
Award winning
Our trips have been praised and awarded by the likes of National Geographic, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Travel and Liesure, Town and Country, Outside Magazine and Mens Journal, to name just a few. Our trips have won numerous ‘best trip of the year awards’ and twice won Nat Geo’s best outfitter award.