At Mungo Park, we talk about experiences. First and foremost, we are travellers.
WHO ARE YOU & WHERE ARE YOU GOING ?
At the heart of the Mungo Park philosophy is a certainty: a successful journey is based on close collaboration between the stakeholders in which trust and complicity are key words. By soliciting our know-how and exceptional network, the architecture of your itinerary is built on your personality and your aspirations. By moving together in this direction, we transform your desires into unforgettable experiences.
OUR VALUES
TRAVEL IS WEALTH A TRAVEL PARTNER IS MORE VALUABLE THAN A SIMPLE TRIP ORGANIZER SHARING EXPERIENCES IS WORTH MORE THAN PRECONSTRUCTED CATALOGUESLA PASSION ET LES FIELD KNOWLEDGE IS ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IS A NECESSITY, NOT A LUXURY QUALITY SERVICE IS DELIVERED WITH RESPECT AND FINESSE
THE ARCHITECTURE OF YOUR JOURNEY
We build the structure of your future trip together with you, enlightening you on the destinations we hold in great esteem. The exchange takes place in our agency, by email or by telephone. At the end of the discussion, your program will be unique. To help orient you at first, we propose a series of iconic routes as well as specific guides for each country. In these countries, we have an exceptional local network and passionate collaborators. Moreover, we regularly update our ideas, evolving with current events, new activities or upgraded lodges in the various countries. Finally, we accompany you in the three stages of the trip: before, during, after. At each of these stages, we are at your disposal. In our values, we also pay special attention to the manner in which we encounter other cultures. The Mungo Park team is here to make you aware of these various aspects, offering you specific reading lists, documentary films or initiation novels. At the end of our collaboration, we also appreciate your feedback and we gladly share your photographs and your stories.
AN APPROACH OF SOLIDARITY
We assume our share of responsibility in having travellers visit parts of Africa where we organise our travels. This responsibility combines with three essential aspects that we strive to respect: sustainability, equity and participation. Sustainability is part of the preservation of natural resources. We focus on raising awareness and sharing information. How can we make an impact? By directing the attention of our clientele to natural parks or subregions that fulfill the conditions for the protection of fauna and flora. We encourage these initiatives by considering these destinations as first choice. Second, we are promoting equitable access to the redistribution of tourism-related revenues. We work with local operators who pay their employees for the fair value of their services. We are committed to selecting partners who are transparent and respectful of their commitment. Finally, we strive to build lasting relationships with our various local collaborators. We support regional or community initiatives and we encourage our clients to enter into contact with local stakeholders. In this manner, links are built and learning is done: travel as a generator of wealth for all.
THE TEAM AT MUNGO PARK
Emile Germiquet
Founder of Mungo Park
Born and raised in South Africa – Lives in Geneva since 2006
An avid traveller, cycled from Lhassa to Beijing, rode the transiberian from Vladivostok to Moscow. Goes to various regions in Africa 4 to 5 times a year
Guided trips in Botswana
Spent 5 years photographing various aspects of the social mutation in South Africa
Holds a Masters Degree in Business from ESCP Europe
FAVOURITE REGION
The Okavango Delta in green season for the lush vegetation, the total calm and the unrivalled colours.
PREFERRED ACTIVITY
Photography & hiking
THE PERFECT SOUNDTRACK TO A TRIP
Maya Kügele
Architecte de voyage
Born and raised in Geneva
Has a travel blog and has built a solid network of contributors who are as keen on exploring as her
The preparation of a trip gives her as much pleasure as the travel itself. Nothing escapes her, each destination is meticulously studied
Parts of the Southern Hemisphere: road trips, nature and light, always light
Holder of a bachelor’s degree from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and a special dedication to service
FAVOURITE REGION
The Cape, and the feeling of being at the end of the world
PREFERRED ACTIVITY
Searching for the perfect old African antique and making photo albums of her adventures
THE PERFECT SOUNDTRACK TO A TRIP
MUNGO PARK, THE EXPLORER
Mungo Park (1771-1806) was a different type of explorer traveling without a large team who was dedicated to solving the riddle of the Niger River. This one baffled the cartographers of Europe of the 18th century. They knew the source of it, it sprang from the high plateau of Guinea, but did not know of its maritime mouth. Rivers normally rejoin the seas and oceans, yet the meanders of the Niger head East, seemingly to pour into the interior of the continent. Was it a tributary to the Nile, as the contemporaries of Mungo Park imagined? Passionate about this mystery, the adventurer left Europe to make an intense and perilous journey. His discoveries were decisive…
Our agency is named after the explorer. We adopted his name because his experience reverberates with to us. In his expeditions, we find the quintessence of a journey: curiosity, adventure, encounters, sensations. Mungo Park sought to connect unexplored regions of Europe, the mythical terra incognita on the old maps. Like Mungo Park, we create our trips to meet your aspirations, revealing to you what is behind the destinations that enchant you. Today unknown lands sketched in your dreams, tomorrow unforgettable memories of a privileged moment.
An explorer’s journey – Who was this Mungo Park?
In the second half of the eighteenth century, the African continent still held many mysteries which the geographers and cartographers of commercial companies endeavoured to bring to light. While the coastline was familiar thanks to coastal shipping, the interior is largely unknown to Europeans. Two enigmas particularly intrigue the explorers: the source of the Nile and the mouth of the Niger. Dr. Livingston sought to find the origin of the Nile. Mungo Park, a young Scottish doctor, devoted himself body and soul to finding the delta of the Niger. He joined the African Society in London in 1795, at the age of twenty-four, and wished to resume the explorations of Daniel Houghton. There was no question of advancing inland with a heavy expedition (some expeditions carried several hundred carriers, furniture, provisions, weapons, etc.). He wanted to advance discreetly, with little equipment. In the same way, he learnt as much as possible the local dialects. In a way, Mungo Park adopts a rather anthropological method, ahead of its time. The autobiographical account of his first trip, « The Life and Travels Of Mungo Park« , tells a tumultuous odyssey. Taken as a hostage by a Moorish chief, escaped into the desert, found feverish between life and death, Mungo Park owed his survival to his courage,his resourcefulness and certainly a lot of luck. On many occasions, local rulers came to his aid. He was nevertheless the first European to reach the city of Ségou (currently in Mali). Here, alone and at the end of his strength, he decided to turn back with a return journey equally as painful. Arriving safely in the United Kingdom, he published his travel diary and the book is an immediate success. Filled with freshly acquired popularity, Mungo Park could not resist the call of the South. With more substantial means, he returned to West Africa and joined Bamako (currently in Mali). He organised the construction of a boat. From this merchant city, he started his descent of Niger. Navigation is laborious and hazardous. However, despite the attacks of some local tribes and the diseases, part of the crew reached Bussa (currently in Nigeria), more than 1,600 kilometres from his starting point. At this location, according to the report of the few survivors, Mungo Park was attacked by Houassas warriors. Did he survived the sinking? Was he taken prisoner? The accounts are missing and the disappearance of the adventurer remains partly a mystery. He was on the point of reaching the Niger Delta which flows into the Atlantic … Mungo Park leaves behind many rich reports harvested from his observations. This testimony is unequivocally useful and insightful. His writings about cultures in this part of the continent has enabled historians to better grasp the multiple facets of the continent: pre-colonial slavery, internal wars and the influence of Islam in the Western Sahel region. Finally, Mungo Park used a valued and original travel style. This method inspired his contemporaries and future travellers.
