Appreciation for Open Heart Safari 2014

I finally got around to putting up testimonials from participant’s on last summer’s trips.  You can read them all here.  Here are some high points:

“A spiritual journey in Africa.”
–Sheila O.
 
“I still have a hard time finding words that are powerful and profound enough to describe my experience, though the phrases ‘life changing’ and ‘soul touching’ frequently appear….  I can’t imagine myself traveling any other way after this amazing experience.”
–Ling Z.
 
“This trip more than any other is one that I cherish and remember with joy and fullness….  It’s a sacred trip.  You get to know people deeply quickly, and get to know things from the heart.”
–Eleanor D.
 
“This was such a deep and moving experience for me….  It’s hard for me to imagine that we could have had as rich and full an experience without the insights, guidance, connections and organization offered by Tom and Laura.”
–Liz B.
 
“I am forever grateful to Tom for so carefully putting together a journey that surpassed anything I could have imagined.”
–Renee B.
 
“It was more, much more than I anticipated or expected.  Thank you all for experiences to ponder this lifetime.  Overflowing heart.”
–Jeanne R.
 
No other trip compares. I got to connect with the people and the animals on a level that I couldn’t have anticipated….  Thank you Tom and Laura for all your efforts, beautiful dispositions and open hearts!!!”
–Rachil W.
 
It was amazing to watch the wildlife and meet the people, and to experience that in a community that was a safe container with committed people. It was so satisfying and fulfilling. I was just blown away.”
–Scott W.
 
Thanks to my trip with Open Heart Safari I’ve felt a connection to the earth and to other fellow earthlings that leaves me with something very, very peaceful and very still.”
–Jeanne T.
 
Thank you for convening this amazing experience….  The trip the two of you convened is, I think, a way of experiencing Africa in a really rare way….  Your open hearts invited us to open our hearts to the people, land and one another – in addition to the beautiful wildlife.  This experience has indelibly changed me.”
–Bonnie W.
 
And, while I’m at it, a few highlights from our first two trips:
 
“The most emotionally moving experience of my life.”
–Red B., 2013
 
“I just want to express my gratitude to you for running this trip and inviting me to be part of it.  I has had a very profound impact on me….  I am definitely still deeply affected and unusually open to whatever is and whatever comes next ….  Now at the end of the trip I feel a major transformation in my life has been catalyzed.
A year later: Remembering our time in Zambia still reliably brings me to a more peaceful, grateful, grounded state.”
–David M., 2012
 
“Tom and Laura really care about Africa and they care about you having an authentic experience of it.  Every game drive, every meeting, every encounter, is infused with their enthusiasm and heart ….  Open  Heart Safari will change your life in subtle and profound ways.
–Jean B., 2013
 
I want to thank you Tom and Laura for really putting together a thoughtful interaction with the environment and culture. I want you to know I had an incredible time….  How I relate to my world has changed.”
–Dove R., 2013
 
The safari experience exceeded our lofty expectations. South Luangwa National Park is teeming with incredible animals — so abundant, varied, natural and free, beautiful, graceful, powerful, funny, accessible and exciting….  What sets this safari apart, though, is the human interaction, both with the local people and with our travelling companions.”
–Steve H., 2012
 
For me the trip was invaluable.  I am changed and grateful….  I would follow Tom Bennigson anywhere.”
–Patti B., 2013
 
It’s such a crazy experience to see a wild leopard just a few feet from your jeep – it was so magnificent & moving, I almost cried….  This really is a once in a lifetime experience, and I really think going with Tom and Laura is the best way to do it.   I was able to experience Africa on a deeper, more meaningful level.”
–Katie H., 2012
 
Read all the testimonials here.