Travel + Leisure USA - 09.2019

TRAVELANDLEISURE.COM 89

Get a front-row seat to the

wildebeest migration at

Tanzania’s Mara River with

the help of an A-Lister.

in Cape Town and the
blossoming food scenes in
cities like Nairobi and Maputo,
Mozambique. Additional
specialties: family travel and
multigenerational travel;
minimum daily spend: $750;
321-622-9371; sunit@alluring
africa.com.

Liz Wheeler

For 20 years, Wheeler was

head of Micato Safaris’ East

Africa office in Nairobi.

Armed with a knowledge of

Swahili and a passion for this

part of the continent, she

avoids “luxury for luxury’s

sake” in favor of immersive

cultural experiences, such as

visiting a paleoanthropology

camp in Kenya or joining

fishermen at work on Lake

Victoria. Minimum daily

spend: $1,300 per person;

212-545-7111; lwheeler@

micato.com.

E GY P T,

THE MIDDLE EAST

Malaka Hilton

Hilton delivers exclusive

experiences throughout

Egypt—think private tours of

pharaohs’ tombs and back-

door access to antiquities

collections. She recently

organized a demonstration

by whirling dervishes in

Aswan and a hard-hat tour of

Giza’s new Grand Egyptian

Museum. Additional specialty:

North Africa; minimum daily

spend: $500 per person; 941-

951-1801; malaka@admiral

travel.com.

EGYPT, MOROCCO,

JORDAN

Samantha Gee

Gee combines classic stops

with cultural experiences

that shine a light on three

countries capturing the

travel zeitgeist. She recently

arranged for a client

interested in Egyptian

politics to meet a former

Agence France-Presse

journalist who was on the

ground during the Arab

Spring. In Morocco, she

can organize a lesson in

making the country’s

famous babouche slippers.

Additional specialties: North

Africa and the Middle East;

minimum daily spend: none;

44-124-278-7825; sgee@red

savannah.com.

ISRAEL

Joseph Yudin

Yudin founded Touring Israel

in 1997. Today, he’s still

scouting new experiences

in the country, such as a

history tour of Bethlehem

and a private dinner on

the banks of the river

Jordan. Fluent in Hebrew,

Yudin makes it a priority to

help clients meet the

residents—journalists,

students, politicians—who

shape contemporary Israel.

Additional specialties:

Palestine, Jordan, and

destination celebrations;

minimum daily spend: $500

per person; 877-778-8644;

joe@touring israel.com.

MOROCCO

Michael Diamond

Diamond, who has been

planning trips to Morocco for

18 years, has established a

network of guides, designers,

scholars, artisans, and

hoteliers from Tangier to

Essaouira. He can arrange a

honeymoon that combines

Marrakesh’s lavish hotels with

hiking in the Atlas Mountains

or find the perfect villa rental

for a multigenerational group.

Additional specialty: Turkey;

minimum daily spend: $1,000

per person; 646-434-1394;

michael@cobblestone private

travel.com.

U.A.E.,

MIDDLE EAST

Amalia Lazarov

Lazarov, who is proficient

in Arabic and Hebrew, is

known for her ability to

augment business trips with

something memorable. Have

professional obligations in

Dubai or Doha? She’ll help

squeeze in cultural

experiences between

meetings, like a day trip to

the Rub al-Khali desert or

market walks through Doha’s

Souq Waqif. Additional

specialties: Asia, active

travel, and family travel;

minimum daily spend: $500;

917-575-5800; amalia@

COURTESY OF AFRICA ADVENTURE COMPANY 247travel365.com.