fbpx

Why Sikeleli?

We create bespoke luxury travel experiences in Africa and Asia

Sikeleli Travel & Expeditions

How It All Started

The Ponter family founded Sikeleli Travel and Expeditions in 2014 with the desire to deliver truly authentic travel experiences to our guests.

From our deep familial roots in both Africa and Asia, Sikeleli has grown to include destinations throughout the world. We curate travel to continents and cultures that inspire us and that we have immersed ourselves in over the years.. thus we started as Sikeleli Safaris and, by demand of our repeat guests, evolved into Sikeleli Travel & Expeditions.

We serve our guests from offices in Canada, Zimbabwe and South Africa as well as working hand in hand with trusted partners in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and SE Asia, all of who share our conservation values and have an in-depth knowledge of these vast and beautiful areas.

Why Travel With Us?

Ours is a personalized service.

At Sikeleli Travel & Expeditions, we listen to your desires and travel dreams and draw from our expert local knowledge to create unforgettable, tailor-made trips to the world’s most desired destinations. Sikeleli is about one on one service: white-glove, and attention to detail.

We invest heavily in our Travel Expert’s own travel, thus, the knowledge of the destinations we are sending you is delivered with startling detail and insight.

We are committed to planning inspiring, transformative and experiential travel with heart-soaring moments and lasting memories.

Daniella Ponter
Director, Senior Travel Expert and Co-Founder
Daniella Ponter

As a Director at Sikeleli Travel and Expeditions, Danni personally oversees all of the bookings and the travel team. Living between Cape Town, Victoria Falls and the US, Daniella has first hand knowledge of all the destinations, locations, logistics and properties that we curate.

Maddelena Ponter
Co-Founder and Operations Director
Mark Ponter
Managing Director and Co-Founder
Mark Ponter

Mark is our Managing Director here at Sikeleli Travel & Expeditions, overseeing all legal, financial, regulatory, and accounting aspects of the business. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, and going on to graduate with a Law degree (Hons) in the UK, Mark’s skills make him an invaluable asset to the team. We are very lucky to have him!

Karen Dewhurst
Senior Travel Expert
Fungai Gumunyu
Travel Expert
Chiedza Chirape
Administrative Officer
Chiedza Chirape

Chiedza Chirape joined the Sikeleli family a couple of months ago as a Junior data and admin Clerk and currently holds the position of Administrative Officer. Prior to Sikeleli, she worked at Ladybird Preschool and Daycare Centre as an Administrator as well as at Applestone Africa as an Executive Assistant. It is during her internship at Shearwater Adventures that she realized she had found her niche in the travel and tourism industry. Sikeleli offered her a steppingstone to realizing this dream of joining the world of travel and tourism and hopefully one day leave a mark in it.

Conservation

At Sikeleli Travel & Expeditions, one of our core values is wildlife and habitat conservation, with a special emphasis on rhino protection. We are deeply committed, both as a family and a company, to supporting wilderness conservation efforts in Africa. We carefully choose local travel partners who share our commitment to conservation, and we collaborate with the following organizations, which are doing tremendous work in the field.

AWF

The African Wildlife Foundation carries out incredible work in protecting Africa’s habitats and endangered species, while empowering indigenous communities to build a more sustainable future. Their outstanding reputation consistently earns them a top rating with CharityWatch.This organization is close to our hearts at Sikeleli Travel & Expeditions, and one of our team proudly serves as director of AWF Canada. Please take a look at their website to learn more about their conservation efforts.

IAPF

We are also strong supporters of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF). The IAPF was founded by Damien Mander, a former Australian special forces sniper, and Jane Goodall serves as Patron. Visit their excellent website to find out more about their work.Some of us at Sikeleli have had the privilege of meeting Damien on several occasions, and he truly puts his heart and soul into saving wildlife on the brink of extinction. You won’t regret taking a few minutes to watch his inspirational TED talk about protecting rhinos, and ultimately, wildlife.

Imire Rhino Orphanage

Another organization we actively support, both as a family and a company, is the Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservation in Zimbabwe. You can read about their black rhino breeding and release programs as well as volunteer opportunities on their website.

Booking travel safely – what you need to know post COVID-19Learn More
+