Olo Safaris - made up of Olo (short for Oliver) and Katie - is a small, value-driven travel company with deep insider knowledge of Africa. We live in Kenya and were both raised in the country. We have travelled extensively across the continent and spent the majority of our lives exploring the wilderness of the African bush and enjoying the beauty of the East African coast. Olo is an associate guide to The Original Ker & Downey Safaris (“K&D”), the longest-running safari outfitter in Africa. Our extensive knowledge and personal connections enable us to provide seamless luxury experiences.
Born and brought up in Kenya, Olo (short for Oliver) spent much of his childhood either on the East African coast or exploring the bush. On leaving school, he launched and ran a kite-surfing business on the North Coast of Kenya, organising trips along the coast and travelling extensively around East Africa and further afield to South East Asia, South Africa and Europe.
In 2014, Olo completed a professional guiding course in Kenya and began working as a safari guide and lodge manager. Mentored by his uncle, K&D director Tim Melesi, he was soon invited to become an associate guide. Over the past eight years, he has acquired extensive guiding experience and has managed boutique safari lodges in northern Kenya, the Masai Mara, and Rwanda.
Olo is an entertaining and knowledgeable guide with an infectious love of exploration and the wilderness. A talented photographer with the creative eye of his artist father, Olo’s images have featured in magazines and newspapers worldwide, including The New York Times. Driven by his commitment to wildlife conservation, he is the co-founder of , an initiative which showcases photographers and artists in support of conservation organisations in Africa.
Rooted in Africa but having travelled worldwide, Olo has a discerning understanding of the desires of international travellers looking for unique and life-changing safari experiences.
Born in the UK to Kenyan parents, Katie’s family returned to Kenya when she was a child. Family safaris and individual adventures took her all over Kenya and the globe; from hitchhiking around South America to living in Vietnam and exploring Eastern Europe. Katie returned to Kenya full-time ten years ago.
Katie first gained experience organising specialised safaris for a renowned African travel company. She then joined Ocean Sole, a non-profit whose mission is to clean polluted beaches in Kenya and provide careers to Artisans. Katie worked for Ocean Sole for six years in impact and project management, marketing, business development and operations. During her time at Ocean Sole she helped transform a grassroots project into a thriving, functional social enterprise, which positively impacts over 1,000 Kenyans through the collection of flip-flops and direct employment. Ocean Sole’s achievements have been recognised by media including the BBC and Oprah Daily, and launched a viral video viewed by 120 million people.
Katie is passionate about conservation and alongside Olo was a co-founder of. Through Olo Safaris she aims to prove that sustainability and luxury can go hand-in-hand!
Olo Safaris is an associate of The Original Ker & Downey Safaris “K&D”. K&D is celebrated as the longest-existing safari outfitter in the world, and the standard-bearer for unsurpassed luxury in some of its last great wild places. As an associate we benefit from the use of K&D luxury private mobile camps with camp crews that are among the most experienced in Africa. Through K&D we have access to generations of trusted knowledge, contacts and experience.
Olo Safaris is a small, value-driven travel company with extensive insider knowledge of Africa.
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