The Full Story
Africa is not a place you simply visit. It is a feeling, one that remains with you.”
For Connor McKinon, founder and co-owner of OrbiTrav, this feeling has always been tangible. As a commercial pilot flying private charters across Namibia, Connor spent years transporting small groups of travellers from one lodge to another. In the air and on the ground, he had a rare vantage point — not just of the landscapes and wildlife, but of the way people experienced Africa itself.
It was during these flights that Connor noticed a consistent challenge. Many passengers left lodges disappointed, not because Africa had failed to deliver, but because their expectations had not been aligned with reality. Often, the travel agents arranging these journeys had very limited firsthand experience of the places they recommended. They relied on brochures, online research, or second-hand reports, which sometimes led to mismatched expectations and missed opportunities for authentic, memorable experiences.
Seeing this, Connor recognized a clear opportunity: to create a travel company grounded in genuine, on-the-ground knowledge. A company that could design safaris not around what looked good on paper, but around what was truly possible and exceptional in the field.
In 2018, OrbiTrav was founded with a simple principle: experiences should be authentic, thoughtfully designed, and guided by expertise. From the outset, the company’s mission and guiding principles were crafted to ensure every itinerary was rooted in honesty, precision, and respect for the wild places and communities visited. By setting expectations clearly, planning every detail meticulously, and working exclusively with responsible operators, OrbiTrav guarantees that clients can explore Africa with confidence, comfort, and trust.
Since its inception, the OrbiTrav team has travelled extensively across Southern Africa in search of those “hidden gems” that create unforgettable experiences. Beyond Namibia, the team has explored Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa — as well as select journeys to Kenya and Tanzania as part of research and discovery. Each visit deepened their knowledge of lodges, operators, and landscapes, ensuring that every recommendation is informed by real, first-hand experience.
Curated by Experts. Guided by Experience.
At OrbiTrav, we do not believe in the standard itinerary. We believe that true luxury lies in the rarity of the experience—the silence of the Namib Desert, the thunder of the Victoria Falls, and the privacy of a camp where you are the only guest.
We are a boutique travel design studio that bridges the gap between New Zealand's reliability and the raw soul of Southern Africa. Unlike traditional agencies run by office administrators, OrbiTrav is led by field guides and pilots. We don’t just book the destination; we understand the terrain, the logistics, and the specific rhythm of the bush.
The Six Values of OrbiTrav
1. Integrity Without Compromise
We provide clear, honest, and experience-based advice, setting expectations accurately from the outset and prioritising long-term trust over short-term commercial gain. When a journey or operator is not the right fit, we are prepared to forgo a booking in order to act in the best interests of our clients and the environments they visit.
3. Expertise Earned in the Field.
Our recommendations are shaped by personal experience and careful vetting, not brochures or assumptions.
5. Accountability Builds Loyalty
We address issues openly, expect commitment to improvement, and make considered decisions when standards are not met. Loyalty is earned through consistency, transparency, and shared responsibility.
2. Wildlife Comes First
We will never compromise animal welfare or wilderness integrity for guest experience. We do not support practices that prioritise spectacle over ethics, nor do we work with operators who compromise environmental responsibility; in every decision, we recognise that we are guests in wild places and act accordingly.
4. Thoughtful Planning, Professional Care
We work exclusively with proven operators who prioritise safety and operational integrity, while acknowledging that wild environments are inherently unpredictable. Our role is to plan thoroughly, communicate realities clearly, and make informed decisions that allow meaningful wilderness experiences to unfold responsibly.
6. Knowledge, Understanding, and Connection
Through guided experiences and education, we hope that every client leaves Africa with a meaningful connection to its landscapes, wildlife, and ecosystems, gaining a deeper understanding of the environment, the cultures that inhabit it, and their own place within it.
Why Us
We don't sell tours. We commission memories.
Our philosophy is simple: Travel with ambition. Whether you are a multi-generational family seeking safety and comfort, or an explorer seeking the raw edge of Zambia, we ensure your journey is marked by precision, passion, and the ultimate luxury of silence.
Mission Statement
We design highly personalized African safaris shaped by real, first-hand experience of the landscapes, lodges, and logistics we recommend. Through clear, honest communication and expert planning, we set expectations accurately and manage even the most complex details, allowing our clients to experience Africa’s wild places with confidence, comfort, and trust. We work exclusively with responsible operators who respect and protect the natural environments that make these journeys possible.
Our Guiding Principles
We Design the Experience Before We Design the Itinerary
We begin every journey by deeply understanding what our clients want — and just as importantly, what they do not want. We do not force itineraries to fit budgets, trends, or availability. If the desired experience cannot be delivered honestly, safely, or to a high standard, we will say so and recommend an alternative or decline to proceed.
We Set Expectations Early, Clearly, and Truthfully
We communicate realities upfront — from lodge dynamics and logistics to the inherent unpredictability of wildlife and wilderness travel. We do not promise guarantees in wild environments, and we do not allow marketing language to override professional judgment. Clear expectations are the foundation of trust and a successful safari.
We Plan Meticulously and Respect the Inherent Risk of the Wild
We work exclusively with proven, professional operators who prioritise safety, competence, and operational integrity. While wild places are inherently unpredictable, our responsibility is to plan thoroughly, think several steps ahead, and ensure clients are fully informed. We do not compromise on safety standards to meet budgets, timelines, or client pressure.
We Work Only With Partners Who Share Our Standards
We collaborate with lodges, guides, pilots, and operators who demonstrate respect for guests, staff, wildlife, and the environments in which they operate. When standards slip, we address concerns directly and expect accountability and improvement. If alignment cannot be restored, we disengage — regardless of reputation or commercial impact.
We Protect Quality Through Direct Experience
Every journey we design is shaped by first-hand experience, trusted relationships, and careful attention to detail. Clients are sent only to lodges and operators we know personally, have visited, or that come highly recommended through trusted professional networks. Growth will never come at the expense of consistency, ethics, or the quality of the client experience.
