Elite Traveler Fall 2024

Right, from top Wilderness Mombo

Below Tully Tully Bridge at Wilderness Mombo

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the raw purity of a safari vacation would have city-dwelling Tully roughing it; au contraire — the bush and all of its inhabitants have the pleasure of seeing her in full glam. “I’m a very girly girl,” she tells me with a giggle. “I’ve never camped a day in my life — I’m not a roughing-it kind of person at all. In fact, I wear full makeup when I’m on safari. And I always wear a sundress… I have clients say they’re worried about the bugs or they don’t like camping, and I say: ‘Really?! Look at me! Do you think I do [either]?! No way!’” To this end, luxury remains a priority to Tully — even out in the bush. “I want a nice duvet, I want a nice pillow, I want nice towels. I want an indoor and an outdoor shower — I don’t want a bucket shower. Some people do want that, but it’s not me. I want a plunge pool, too. Nothing beats coming back to your room after a morning game drive and getting in your private pool… there are so many little extra touches that make it more special.” On safari, luxury takes on di ff erent guises, too; it’s not all about amenities. One of Tully’s top tips (and something she always recommends to clients) is to prioritize staying at a safari camp in a private concession (meaning access is limited to guests staying at camps within the boundaries) for the best viewings, if budget allows. “You don’t want to go somewhere where there are 15 other vehicles at every sighting and you have to move on — I want to be able to sit for as long as I want,” she says. “A fi rst-timer might not knowthedi ff erence to begin with, but once you’ve been, you do.” While Tully has been on safari upward of 50 times, there is one camp that continually calls her back: Wilderness Mombo. Primely located in the heart of Botswana’s wild, thriving Okavango Delta — where a rich ecosystem is home to a myriad of species including gira ff es, lions, crocodiles, rhinos and baboons — Wilderness’s fl agship camp is elevated from the ground, with nine tented suites sitting atop stilts. It’s widely regarded as one of the best wildlife-watching destinations on the continent: “You’ve got everything

right there and, because of the location, the game viewing is [amazing],” Tully says. “And the people, they just understand it — they’re some of the best guides in the world… I just love it so much. I’ve been around 40 or 50 times and people say, ‘You’ve been so much!’ But no two times are the same.” Tully’s love of Wilderness Mombo goes much deeper than the average favorite hotel relationship: “I don’t have children, but my husband and I built the bridge that goes over the delta into Mombo, and that is my legacy,” she tells me gravely. “It is in my will that when I die, my ashes will be spread at Mombo.” The emotional impact of safaris on Tully caused her to become a longtime supporter of conservation e ff orts. “I remember sitting there on my very fi rst safari and hearing stories of elephants being poached

for ivory… and you think, ‘Oh my God, what? How can Imakeadi ff erence? What is it that I could do?’ Being in Africa makes you look at things through a di ff erent set of eyes.” “I own a travel business and I have a voice that people listen to — there is a responsibility,” she says. To this end, Tully, and by default Tully Luxury Travel, is committed to encouraging responsible tourism. “Africa is a place where you have to be careful — I don’t mean from a danger standpoint. You want to go somewhere where they are ethical, sustainable, care about conservation and give back to the animals,” she explains. “And I’ve never had a client come back from a safari and be disappointed.”

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Photos Photosafari, Wilderness