Journeys by Design
Rare
Probably the most personalised safari design service in the world
Salampasu warrior, DRC © Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
Tourists don’t know where they’ve been.
Travellers don’t know where they’re going.’ – Paul Theroux
The Rare safari is a future that goes back to the days when travellers placed their hopes and dreams in the hands of the most adventurous of private safari guides. Such faith was rewarded with journeys experienced by the very few — off-radar journeys that were impossible to replicate, and would stay with those who experienced them for the rest of their lives.
Journeys by Design holds a carefully guarded portfolio of over 50 Rare experiences, which we have compiled over years of searching, and which are by their nature either broadly or completely off-google. We do not load them to the site to preserve the value of their uniqueness, our knowledge, and the experience. This said, we’re more than happy to share examples of Rare, such as the Rashaida mobile camps on Eritrea’s Red Sea Coast, Chad’s lost desert rock art, and walking in the Mursi Mountains of southern Ethiopia. The rest are unlocked through direct conversation with us.
In keeping with tradition, our Rare safaris offer a higher level of privately guided adventure. Here, luxury is defined as space, as the calibre of guides that host you, and as the unique impact you deliver to your family, the host community, and the environment. It’s something we’ve been doing for years, for travellers with a taste for a certain level of reasonable risk, and which we are now defining as a service that stands apart from everything else on our books. We currently run no more than 30 Rare trips a year.
Naturally, we also rely on our Classic landscapes and properties as the glue that binds these remote and distributed Rare experiences together. Depending on travellers’ needs and wants, we can make sure there is a pool for the kids, a campfire to laugh around, wildlife, culture, and great food. Whatever the itinerary, all this is private — private guide, private vehicle, private accommodation. It’s a necessary privacy, one that gives us space to think, to be, to act.
The positive impact of the JbD Rare service is significant. Since 2015, we have committed to creating an organisation dedicated to the notion of an equitable economy, one which aims to ensure that travel benefits all, and that its profits are redistributed in the name of creating fairer societies — see our Impact Report for results of our efforts.
Included in the pricing, therefore, of any Rare itinerary is a US$ 5,000 environmental pledge to support conservation and community development charities and organisations on the ground.
If Rare is where you are as a traveller, please do get in touch. We’re one of the only companies in the world capable of delivering Rare, safely, beautifully, and in the spirit of the best of the old ways. We would love to work with you on creating the most extraordinary of experiences, one that will change lives —yours and those of the communities who will host your journey.