Safari Coordinator
Amelia Adamson
Originally hailing from Portland, Oregon, Amelia has steadily made her way east over the years. A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, she now lives in New York City, where she’s thrilled to join Extraordinary Journeys in creating unforgettable travel experiences for clients. Her first encounter with Africa was through Semester at Sea, a multi-country ship-based study abroad program where she got to explore parts of South Africa and Namibia. To date, she has visited more than 25 countries, including studying in England, back-packing through Southeast Asia, and teaching English in Thailand. She can’t wait to share her passion and know-how as one of our safari coordinators.
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Accounts Manager
Catherine Kennedy
While living and working in New York, Catherine’s sales and manufacturing position took her frequently to Indonesia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Singapore, and other parts of Asia. Some of her favorite memories include landing safely more than 30 times at Hong Kong’s infamous Kai Tak airport! It was her sister’s many trips to Africa, and work with Extraordinary Journeys that ultimately brought Catherine to the team. She currently lives with her family in the Southeast where she handles accounts payable and other financial aspects of the business.
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Co-Founder & CEO
Elizabeth Gordon
Born in Kenya and raised in Paris, Elizabeth explored the world from a young age. After graduating from Stanford, she worked in Namibia and started a business in Buenos Aires. Eventually she returned to her passion, Africa and the safari experience, starting Extraordinary Journeys with her mother, Marcia. Elizabeth has visited over 40 countries and taken more than 30 trips to Africa. She is active in the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Africa and Safari Professionals of the Americas. She was one of Travel Agent Magazine’s “30 under 30” and is on Travel + Leisure’s “A-List” of Top Travel Advisors. She is an avid photographer.
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Safari Specialist
Emily Cottingham
Emily’s thirst for adventure began at a young age while trekking the Himalayas on a family trip to Nepal. Emily’s family adventures continued and she later studied abroad in Italy, volunteered in Tanzania and then took a yearlong world expedition across the southern hemisphere. However, Emily knew her heart belonged to Africa. She moved to Tanzania and began working with an NGO, with regular escapes to the bush to explore Tanzania’s world-class national parks. After pioneering a 400-mile cross-country mountain bike ride for the charity, Emily realized her true passion was helping others fall in love with nature and wildlife through breathtaking travel experiences. Emily became general manager for a high-end safari and Kilimanjaro outfitter in Tanzania. Emily has now visited 45 countries, but will tell you that her extensive travels throughout East and Southern Africa have been the most fulfilling. Emily eventually returned to the US and now calls Colorado home. She looks forward to her annual trip back to explore new destinations, visit friends and favorite locations.
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Itinerary Designer
Esther Ndirangu
Born and raised in Kenya, Esther is based in Nairobi and designs our itineraries. She holds a diploma in Tourism Management from the Kenya Utalii College and has had the privilege of traveling extensively within East Africa as a group leader as well as to parts of Asia on familiarization trips. Her favorite park in Kenya is Amboseli for the elephants. She is looking forward to visiting Cape Town and Victoria Falls after reading about them while building itineraries and to the U.S. to meet her EJ family! Apart from traveling, she loves cooking, spending time with her daughter Imaani and Zumba dancing to keep fit!
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Safari Coordinator
Gena Tweed
Gena has possessed a love of Africa for many years. She has had the opportunity to visit this amazing continent four times and continues to look forward to more upcoming travel. Each visit has not only reinforced her passion for wildlife and conservation but also inspired a love for the land and its incredible people. She has hiked Mt. Kenya, enjoyed safaris on horseback, foot and camelback, experienced the Great Migration in the Maasai Mara and Serengeti, took a microlight flight over Victoria Falls and had dinner on a pontoon in the Zambezi river! Her favorite animal is the cheetah and so far, her favorite country is Zambia with its remote wilderness and abundance of wildlife. Each trip is unique in this land of adventure and she would love to share her passion of the African continent with you!
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Sales Director & Safari Specialist
Jamie Mehrotra
Jamie’s wanderlust was fostered on weekend getaways during a summer at Oxford while attending the University of Virginia. During her time away from “work” creating educational programs at the Smithsonian, she explored the world until her appetite for travel led her to Extraordinary Journeys. Some of Jamie’s most memorable experiences in travel include being kissed by a giraffe at Nairobi’s Giraffe Manor, quad biking on the Makgagkadi Salt Pans of Botswana, soaking up the sun on North Island in the Seychelles and of course her wedding in New Delhi! Jamie can’t wait to help travelers experience India and Chile, some of her favorite places in the world outside of Africa.
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Safari Specialist
Jenna Stockman
Born and raised in Chicago, Jenna’s passion for travel first took root when she studied overseas in Budapest, Hungary. Subsequently, the distances became increasingly far-flung and the travels more adventurous. Her most memorable safari was her first, to Kenya, where she explored the Maasai Mara and learned about African wildlife and the beauty of the Maasai people. As a foodie and wine ‘connoisseur’, her love of Cape Town and the Winelands is no surprise. She describes her trip to Ethiopia and the historic rock churches as a “religious” experience. Next on her bucket list is gorilla trekking in Rwanda!
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Safari Specialist
Jenny Salentine
A veteran of the travel industry, Jenny has more than 10 years of experience exploring the far corners of the world. She has been to more than 80 countries but from her first lion sighting in South Africa, Jenny was taken by the beauty of Africa. Since then, Jenny has flown over Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, been scuba-diving in Mozambique, walked through the South Luangwa in Zambia and the Loita Hills of Kenya, come face to face with gorillas in Uganda and played with lemurs in Madagascar. She is also the proud completer of all 58 fourteen thousand foot peaks in her home state of Colorado!
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Safari Specialist
Kim Green
Having set foot on all seven continents, Kim knows that while languages, cuisine, landscapes, and wildlife are diverse around the globe, it really is a small world. Kim turned her passion for travel into a career and lead small groups around the world as an International Travel Director. In her years as a Safari Specialist, some of her favorite journeys have included mokoro rides in the Okavango Delta, shark cage diving in Cape Town, a balloon ride over the red dunes in Namibia, standing atop the “Roof of Africa” on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and coming face to face with mountains gorillas in Rwanda & Uganda. While she can’t wait to get exploring again, Kim’s newest adventure is motherhood!
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Safari Specialist
Lara Ray
Lara is a Boston-based member of the Extraordinary Journeys sales team and African safaris are her passion. Since her first safari in 1997, she has traveled throughout east and southern Africa. From horseback riding in the Serengeti, to tiger fishing in the Okavango Delta, to rhino tracking in South Africa and bonefishing in the Seychelles, Lara has had some amazing safari experiences. Having traveled extensively in Africa with her son, daughter and husband, Lara has seen firsthand what a life-changing experience travel can be for children of any age. She loves finding the unique experiences that make a trip special for adults and children.
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Safari Coordinator
Lisa Newby-Fraser
Lisa was born in South Africa and raised in one of the most adventurous families. From the age of 8 to 13, Lisa sailed around the world with her family. Following that she was educated in Europe and South Africa. She has lived in France, Spain, Seychelles, South Africa and the United States. A few years ago, she relocated from Dallas, TX to Cape Town. Lisa’s hobbies are archery, hiking, photography, travel and learning about medicinal plants. Her ambitious bucket list is to see all corners of the globe.
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Co-Founder & President
Marcia Gordon
Marcia has over 40 years of experience in African travel. After Peace Corps in Uganda, she spent 12 years in Kenya building Park East Tours, raising three daughters, designing a home overlooking Nairobi National Park, earning her pilot’s license, studying traditional medicine and expanding her vast knowledge of properties in Africa. After a lifetime in the safari world, Marcia started Extraordinary Journeys with her daughter, Elizabeth. Marcia always encourages travelers to gently push outside their comfort zone, because that is where the transformational moments of travel take place. She was named a “Guide to the Super Guides” in Departures Magazine and is a grandmother of five!
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Safari Specialist
Pearl Jurist-Schoen
Pearl is a Boston native. She attended Union College, where she studied Anthropology and completed field work in Tasmania and Barbados. She eventually returned to Tasmania to play soccer/Gaelic football, run a half-marathon on Mt. Wellington and work at the University of Tasmania. Pearl first caught the Africa travel bug in Kenya’s famed Maasai Mara. In Zimbabwe, she became interested in wildlife conservation efforts in Hwange National Park. In South Africa, she was blown away by the incredible game concentrations in Kruger N.P. Most recently, she had a meditative experience in the remote walking zones of the Serengeti. She is passionate about travel both inside and outside of Africa. Next up: summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro!
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Operations Manager & Safari Coordinator
Rachel Cappucci
Rachel is a Massachusetts native with a passion for adventure and spontaneity. She moved to New York to finish her degree in Journalism, while immersing herself in the city’s vibrant cultural scene. Later, she would fall in love with the rich wildlife of Kenya’s Maasai Mara. In Tanzania, she drove the northern circuit, admiring the diverse landscapes. Rachel has visited Johannesburg, South Africa, where she is particularly fond of the city’s street art. Exploring off the beaten track wineries in Stellenbosch tops her list of memories in the Winelands. And, of course, one of her most unforgettable experiences is bungee jumping Victoria Falls. The opportunity to exchange with local people and build friendships around the world is very meaningful for her.
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In-Country Client Liaison
Sumendri Govender
Sumendri has 12 years of experience working in Southern Africa travel. Based in Durban, South Africa, with her husband and two children, Sumendri is the link between the EJ team and our travelers while they are in Africa. She started her career in travel just out of high school and is now passionately dedicated to making travel a once in a lifetime experience for any traveler. She thinks Durban is one of South Africa’s most beautiful cities and welcomes all travelers to come enjoy a “Bunny Chow” in her home town!
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