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COWGIRLS & PIRATES
the modern africa safari
Travel to Africa and Beyond
reinventing the safari because we recognize that people are part of nature
1, 2, and 3 week Itineraries
bespoke journeys for unique tastes
all price ranges
Our Pledge: No Lion Jams
destinations
Our Story: Dirtbag Deluxe
There are no new stories, just new ways of telling them.
Cowgirls & Pirates was inspired by stories. One was John Muir's, a farm boy who arrived in California in the late 1800s. If he were around today, we'd affectionately call him a Dirt Bag, the kind of scruffy, highly intelligent, mildly maladjusted young man you meet in Joshua Tree or Missoula.
Muir found his life's work in California's Yosemite Valley. "I have run wild," Muir wrote. "As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can.”
Another inspiration? Jackson Looseyia, a Maasai warrior who learned to track animals from his father, a famous hunter - and poacher recruited by conservationists to save animals instead of hunt them. Looseyia bridges the old and new, reminding us, as Muir did, that we are not separate from nature but connected to it in ways that are both quotidian and profound.
jackson looseyia's story
The Maasai Mara: Then and Now
The Difference: People
Cowgirls & Pirates was founded by environmental writer Susan Zakin. In 2001, she applied for a fellowship in Madagascar. Her French was rudimentary and the only guidebook written in English described broken-down buses and strange diseases. It took a long night of tequila and karaoke, but she said OK.
Madagascar changed her life. A decade later, she founded Cowgirls & Pirates to share those mind-expanding experiences.
Now, more than ever, we need to think globally.
Conservation Pioneer: Garth Owen-Smith
The winner of Prince William's 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award talks about his work in Namibia's rugged Kaokoveld desert
We're honored to offer an Africa safari in Namibia with the company founded by Owen-Smith and his partner, Maggie Jacobsohn. This ecotourism business is wholly owned by the Himba people.
Contact Us
Need information? Idle curiosity? Researching your next novel?
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Walking Our Walk
We donate 1% of pretax revenues to environmental organizations that fit our strict criteria: low overhead, community support, and actions based on valid science.
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