If you are looking for an African safari travel agent in California, this is who we are. NndeeAfrika LLC is a two-founder safari company based in Fresno, registered with the California Attorney General’s Seller of Travel Program (CST 2173450-50) and a member of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA). It is run by Evance, a Tanzanian-born safari expert, and Jennifer, a California-based travel planner, who are married to each other. We plan private, tailor-made safaris, mostly for travelers from the United States, and the people you write to are the people who plan your trip. From Fresno, we plan private, tailor-made luxury African safaris for travelers across California.
Who plans your safari
Evance is Chagga and grew up on Mount Kilimanjaro. He has 15+ years in hospitality and tourism, in hotels and as a luxury African travel advisor and knows the camps, the guides and the seasons first-hand rather than from a brochure. He shapes each journey and handles the logistics that hold it together: the flights, the transfers and the timing that decide whether a day feels effortless or rushed.
Jennifer is from California, has traveled in more than forty-six countries, and is your US-based point of contact from the first call until you are home. She is usually the first person you hear from, and we usually reply within one business day. What our clients say is on our reviews page.
There is no sales team and no hand-off between departments. We have set out how that compares with a large operator or booking direct, including the cases where we are not the right choice.
What a California seller of travel means for you
Most safari companies that advertise to Americans are based in Africa or the United Kingdom. A California-registered seller of travel works under California law, and that changes what stands behind your deposit.
- Registration and bond. NndeeAfrika LLC is registered with the California Attorney General’s Seller of Travel Program, CST 2173450-50, and maintains a consumer funds protection bond as required by California law. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.
- Travel Consumer Restitution Fund. We participate in the Fund, which may provide restitution to eligible consumers located in California for certain qualifying losses. Coverage is not automatic, does not apply to ordinary traveler cancellations, and all claims are determined by the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation; information and claim instructions are at tcrcinfo.org.
- A US contract under California law. Your agreement is with a US company and any dispute falls under California jurisdiction. Before any payment is accepted, your proposal states our legal name, our CST number, the total price, what each payment is for and the cancellation conditions that apply to your booking.
- One itemized quotation. Accommodation, internal flights, transfers, fees and any private services line by line, so you can compare it with any other quote like for like.
The full wording is in our booking terms. The practical safeguards, from AMREF Flying Doctors membership on East African safaris to the pre-departure document check, are on our travel with confidence page.
Whoever you book with, ask for the company’s CST number before you pay a deposit. A quick check of the California Attorney General’s seller-of-travel registry tells you whether a company that sells to Californians is registered.
Flying to Africa from California
There are no nonstop flights from California to the safari countries. From Los Angeles and San Francisco everyone connects once, via Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Amsterdam or Paris, to Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg or Cape Town. The Gulf hubs usually give the smoothest single connection, and the whole journey runs around 22 to 26 hours door to end. For Tanzania the classic routings are KLM through Amsterdam or Qatar Airways through Doha, both landing at Kilimanjaro Airport.
East Africa is ten to eleven hours ahead of California and South Africa nine to ten, so we build in a night at a comfortable gateway hotel on arrival rather than stepping off a red-eye onto a game drive. Your international flights you book yourself or with miles; we advise on the routing, and every light-aircraft flight inside Africa is arranged and included by us. The full picture is in our guide to flights from the USA.
How planning works from California
- Inquiry. Tell us who is traveling, roughly when, and what you hope for. We usually reply within one business day.
- A call in your time zone. Pacific-time calls with Jennifer, in person in Fresno by arrangement, and Evance on the line from wherever he is.
- One itemized proposal. Camps, flights, transfers and fees line by line, with the booking terms, before anything is paid.
- Booking and the paperwork. A deposit, then the balance on the schedule in our terms; step-by-step visa and entry guidance for every border on your route, and a pre-departure check of every document.
- On the ground. One WhatsApp message reaches a person who knows your whole itinerary, at any hour, in your time zone or ours.
Start with the inquiry form; every inquiry is handled personally and confidentially.
Where our California clients go
Tanzania and Kenya first, for the Great Migration and the classic East African safari. South Africa for first safaris and for families with young children, because of its malaria-free reserves and short flights. Botswana for second safaris, and Rwanda’s mountain gorillas as a short add-on. Our private, tailor-made journeys begin at approximately $12,000 per person, excluding international flights; our cost guide explains what moves the number.
If you are starting from zero, our guide to the best country for a first safari sets the options side by side, and the two-week itinerary guide shows how the nights fall. Planning from outside California? Our guide for travelers anywhere in the US covers the same process.
Rooted in both places
The company’s name is a Chagga phrase from Kilimanjaro meaning “let’s go to Africa”. The family lives between Tanzania and California and runs Two Hands One Heart TZ, a non-profit near Arusha that works with the Meserani Chini community to get clean, filtered water into homes and supports the local government primary school of more than 700 children. A share of what NndeeAfrika does goes straight back into that community. The longer version is on Our Story.
Questions Californians ask us
Do I need a California-based travel agent to book an African safari?
No, but it changes what protects you. A California seller of travel is registered with the Attorney General, maintains a consumer protection bond and participates in the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund for eligible California consumers, and your contract is with a US company under California law. Many excellent safari companies are based in Africa or the UK; the trade-off is that those protections do not apply.
Where in California is NndeeAfrika based?
Fresno, in the Central Valley, within driving distance of both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Jennifer is the US-based point of contact; Evance and the team on the ground are in Tanzania. We meet California clients in person by arrangement.
Which California airports fly to Africa for a safari?
Los Angeles and San Francisco, with one connection via Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Amsterdam or Paris to Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg or Cape Town. Allow 22 to 26 hours door to end, and plan a night at the gateway city before the first game drive.
How much does a luxury African safari cost from California?
Every journey is priced to your budget. Our private, tailor-made journeys begin at approximately $12,000 per person, excluding international flights, and are quoted as one itemized proposal. Flights from Los Angeles or San Francisco are booked separately, by you or with miles, with our advice on the routing.
Written and reviewed by Evance & Jennifer · Published 5 October 2026
