Florian Keller, Kenya


Working as a Management Consultant for more than 8 years, Florian gained a wealth of experience in various countries in Europe, South America and Africa. During this time, he discovered that his true passion is exploring hidden and fascinating corners of our world and sharing his excitement about the many beautiful places with other people, enabling them to experience facets of our world they didn't know exist.
Following his passion, Florian made Kenya his home in 2006, co-founded Enchanting Africa and built the company as an integral part of Enchanting Travels. As part of Enchanting Africa's expansion to Southern Africa, Florian embarked on a journey from Nairobi to the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa which he enjoyed so much that his dream of a road journey from Africa to the 2014 Soccer World Cup in Brazil was borne.

Parik Laxminarayan, India


With genuine care and insider knowledge as their inspiration and founding philosophy, Parik and his friend Alex crafted a business plan that became Enchanting Travels. Parik has lived and traveled through Europe and Asia as an international tennis player, USA as an undergraduate at Ohio State University and as a consultant in Washington D.C. and completed his MBA at INSEAD in France and Singapore. With an unparalleled zest for life, Parik travels around the various Enchanting Travels destinations seeking new experiences and places to share with our guests.

Aliya Habib, Kenya


Born and raised in Kenya, Aliya has a strong sense of adventure and a passion for the African outdoors, attributes put to good use and further enhanced by her experiences in camp/lodge management in both Kenya & Uganda.
She has a sociable nature and a bubbly personality which, together with her genuine interest in people ensures that she makes friends wherever she goes. Aliya enjoys traveling, exploring the African wild and a range of watersports, and her enthusiasm and passion for life and people is reflected in her travel consulting role with Enchanting Africa.

Joyce Raichenah, Kenya


Has had the privilege of exploring Africa as well as other parts of the world. Born to travel and discover the world, every chance she has had to travel has given her the opportunity to not only discover beautiful places, but interact with all sorts of interesting people and try out new things. Besides that she enjoys helping people plan memorable trips at Enchanting Africa, reading , dancing, watching the Amazing Race and is looking forward to her best adventure yet.

Vivek Kutty, India


Vivek found his new found interest in road trips a few years back. Born in India, Vivek has spent his life in India and various parts of Gulf and India. He started light with a few smaller road trips varying from 100 – 350 kms in and around is part of his country side. His real passion came alive when he did a motor biking trip through tough parts of Himalays for around 750 Km and later through untouched, interior eastern parts of India. Vivek likes to explore less travels routes and encourage people to see simpler things around us! His interest in adventure, passion for exploring new destinations and endures to bring alive dreams for people around - his travel passion is contagious. Seeing is believing, no books or documentary can bring alive destinations – Vivek believes in this strongly and he believes the road trip will further open his mind and senses.

Omondi Amimo, Kenya


Prior to joining the Enchanting Africa team, Amimo worked at various institutions including The Kenya Utalii College, The German School Nairobi as well as wrote for a couple of Kenyan Magazines. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Kenyatta University and an Master of Arts degree from the University of Nairobi.
At Enchanting Africa Amimo looks after the Knowledge Management and Marketing processes. When he's not transferring his knowledge to his team, Amimo is usually spotted hiking, reading and traveling.

Samuel Nordberg, Kenya


As a Finnish-Ethiopian born in Libya and raised in Kenya, Samuel holds a deep passion for adventure and travel. A deep-rooted passion for Africa led Samuel to undertake a BA in African Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London before setting off to work in and explore the continent.
Samuel has travelled far and wide in Africa, from Senegal in the West to South Africa in the South and continually hits the road with his trusted Suzuki 4x4. On his spare time Samuel enjoys talking politics, long-distance driving, fishing and playing squash.

Poonam Saxena, India


Poonam ventured on her first solo travel in 1996, when she got the scholarship for attending a German course in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. This experience was followed by a work-stint as a hostess, compère, translator and interpreter in the Indian Pavillion at the world exhibition EXPO 2000 in Hannover, Germany. A Fulbright scholarship in 2003 as a Foreign Language Teaching Assistant for Hindi was the next stop for Poonam and she spent about 10 months in the USA taking part in International Conferences, spreading awareness about India's cultural heritage, traveling through the USA and learning new skills such as the basics of American Sign Language and Spanish. Her love for travel and her career path took her to various destinations within Asia and Europe, including frequent travels to different parts of Germany.
Poonam maintains her contact with the Goethe-Institut as an online teacher and manages her facebook forum for foreign language teachers across the world- FoLaTeaDo (Foreign Language Teachers' Domain). Since January 2005 Poonam has been associated with Enchanting Travels and has worked in various capacities starting from Travel Consultant to Translator and is currently managing our websites and various marketing projects.
In her free time Poonam loves to sketch, sing, pen down her thoughts, travel and indulge in adventure sports.

Zayra Pereira, India


Zayra's fascination for languages led her to study English, German and French. At the Goethe-Institut, Bombay, where she taught for several years, she had the opportunity to interact with people from varied walks of life. Her wanderlust has taken her to Europe, parts of Asia, trekking in the Himalayas and on a work stint as a tour-guide in Oman. What she likes most about Enchanting Travels is its commitment to perfection and high level of professionalism visible at every level. Zayra's open and friendly nature helps her ensure that her guests at Enchanting India enjoy the unique experience of discovering India with all its cultural complexities.Travelling, adventure, hiking and theatre are a few of her favourite things. The thrill of the unknown continues to beckon...

Boniface Muthui, Kenya


Boniface graduated with a Bachelor of Business Information Technology from Kenya Methodist University (KeMU). He believes working at Enchanting Africa has given him a promising career with a bright future. He is humble, alert, and a team player who is fascinated by traveling. He enjoys watching football, dancing, hiking and interacting with people from all walks of life.

Richard Wambua, Kenya


Traversed across the world through his imagination and Nat Geo but only managed to physically explore Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda, Richard (Rick) is a bubbly and easy going chap. His love and passion for travelling, discovering…and numbers (!) led him to join Enchanting Africa in 2009.
Intrigued by the Arab people , their culture, history, architecture (ranging from ornate Mosques in Oman to futuristic towers in Dubai) and scenic landscapes characterized by vast expanses of sand dunes & desert mountains ; Rick will join the second leg of the Africa to Brazil trip from Oman to Dubai.
Time since Start of the Journey:
Arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Day 202 after our departure from Nairobi!