After two group trips with Pete Oxford Expeditions, I decided to celebrate a significant birthday by arranging a private safari to Botswana with my wife and 8 close friends. Although there are many companies that will arrange safaris, based on my past experience, I knew having Pete arrange our trip and serve as our guide would make all the difference. I wasn’t disappointed. Pete is simply one of the best adventure guides in the business and his enthusiasm is infectious. He knew which camps to book to give us the widest variety of landscapes and wildlife. He worked closely with the local guides to ensure we saw the best each camp had to offer and did not duplicate experiences as we moved from one camp to another. As a result, we had an extraordinary safari both in the quantity of the wildlife we saw and the quality of the encounters. We saw at least 6 individual leopards, several with kills and one stalking its prey. We watched as a family of six cheetahs first stalked and then chased a herd of impalas. We also watched a pride of 12 lions consume an entire giraffe over the course of two days, and listened in total darkness to the sound of two large male lions as they crunched their way through a large kudu. In addition to the large cats, we were treated to close encounters with hippos, elephants, ostrich, giraffes, cape buffalo and other birds and animals too numerous to mention. Because Pete is a world-class photographer who is eager to share his expertise, we all came away with outstanding photos of our experience. And while Pete led our group, Renee arranged the flights and other logistics to make our trip go off without a hitch. Through Pete and Renee’s experience and hard work, everyone on the trip had the experience of a lifetime. The highest compliment I can pay is to say my wife and I already have booked our next trip with Pete and Renee. This time we are headed to Uganda to see the gorillas. And, with Pete and Renee in charge of the trip, we know it will be extraordinary.

Not going to lie; I'm *still* tired.

In all seriousness, the absolute commitment by Pete to giving us the most complete experience possible was evident every day, and importantly, lives on after we arrived home. We felt well-shepherded and didn't have to worry about the details which might have worried us in the time of Covid. This group of friends has amazing memories to share. Thanks Pete and Renee.

Botswana trip is our 2nd trip with Pete (after Galapagos) and we are amazed and thankful to have taken the trip with Pete again. After 2 yrs of delays due to the pandemic outbreak, we finally got together with our trip buddies and experienced this amazing place filled with amazing animals, local people and culture. Truly unique experience that only Pete & Renee can organize and offer...feeding off of Pete's energy / knowledge / enthusiasm is the only way to experience this Safari Bootcamp...!!! Predawn to after dusk for days sounds exhausting but Pete & Renee make it possible & enjoyable.
Thank you!

Unbelievable, spectacular and once in a lifetime are the best ways I can sum up my recent trip to the Galapagos. The group I traveled with went in mid-January during the peak of the resurgent Covid pandemic which made getting things organized very challenging. Pete Oxford Expeditions was able to help organize things in a way that made everything doable. From the moment we landed in Ecuador to when we left things couldn’t have been better. Upon arrival in the Galapagos, we transferred to our vessel, the beautiful 3 masted sailing boat Mary Anne. We spent the duration of our weeklong trip on board. The accommodations were wonderful, but I will preface that by saying I was usually asleep within minutes of retiring every evening and we were out on adventures every day from sunrise to sunset. I can’t give enough credit to Pete Oxford and Colette for the terrific job they did getting us all onto shore at sunrise and out snorkeling during the day. We saw so many wonderful things during the early morning hours, such as sea turtles laying eggs, it made getting up so early easier. We were always the first ones on the islands and were usually leaving when the other boats would arrive. We typically did 2 hikes a day, one at sunrise and one at sunset and 2 snorkel trips a day. The marine life is breathtaking. Sea rays, sea turtles, Hammerhead sharks, White tip sharks, colorful Moray eels, octopus, penguins, sea lions, iguanas, Cormorants and, of course, the Blue-Footed Booby. The thing that makes this all so spectacular is the wildlife is unafraid of humans. The huge tortoises are something to behold as are the land iguanas. We also had the opportunity to see an active volcanic eruption when we were there. I will never forget this trip. I want to give a huge thank you to Pete Oxford, Colette, the captain and crew of the Mary Anne and the staff of Pete Oxford expeditions.

It is hard to capture how truly amazing the January 2022 trip to the Galápagos Islands was. To be able to escape the current world craziness for a trip that was exciting, fun, and educational was a privilege. Though the itinerary sounded daunting, I quickly came to see how well thought out the plan was; not only maximizing our experience but to do so with our comfort in mind. Early landings and hikes assured that we not only saw some amazing sites (turtles burying eggs) but did so before the full heat of the day. The snorkels just before and after lunch put us in the water at the hottest time of the day, plus maximized the sunlight to aid in seeing the incredible underwater sites (fish, turtles, seals, penguins, cormorants, marine iguanas munching away, octopi, eels, rays and sharks!). The late afternoon hikes again afforded a visit to yet another island, bay etc.
The accommodations on the boat were comfortable, the food abundant and terrific in taste and variety, and the crew friendly and helpful.
We had a fun equator crossing experience and I had a special birthday surprise, complete with erupting volcano.
But best of all our leader Pete Oxford and guide Colette, could not disguise their unbridled enthusiasm and love for this very special place and it’s amazingly unique inhabitants. This was infectious in the best sense of the word. Since I’ve been home I’ve continued reading about the Islands, shared my stories and pictures, and have enjoyed moments recapturing that incredible sense of adventure and discovery.