Anisha Barrientos

Safari Specialist

Well-Traveled | Off-The-Beaten-Path | Authentic

Anisha Barrientos grew up in Tanzania and brings with her a unique perspective and unparalleled passion and knowledge of safaris. After graduating from UCLA, she worked for the Africa department of a luxury tour operator, and there began her love for planning safaris. Our safari specialist Anisha has been designing safaris for the past decade. She absolutely loves being able to share the beauty and wonder of her home continent with clients. Her travels in Africa have taken her to Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Rwanda, Mozambique and Namibia. Some of her favorite safari memories include trekking Gorillas in Rwanda, quad biking through dunes in Namibia, watching a lioness single-handedly take down a wildebeest in the Serengeti (while having lunch, right at camp) and canoeing on the Zambezi River in Mana Pools. Now based in Los Angeles, California, Anisha loves a good adventure, but always makes sure she has downtime pencilled in during her trips, striking that perfect balance between being on the go and R&R (highly recommend following suit when she plans your next adventure). Her teammates describe her as being enthusiastic, well-traveled, authentic and always looking for new experiences.

a woman sitting in a hot air balloon.

My travel style has really changed and evolved over the years. I am more deliberate now about factoring some down time into my trips than I used to be. I love slower-paced safaris with longer stays at each camp, around three to four nights as it allows me to build closer relationships with the staff and my guide. It also allows me to really take in my surroundings: it’s all about finding the right balance between planned activities and allowing myself some time to just decompress because vacations are such a great opportunity to just switch off and enjoy the quiet. On safari, I love skipping a game drive and just spending an afternoon relaxing at camp, enjoying my surroundings, watching the birds, chatting with the staff and even booking a spa treatment.

My Greatest Adventure

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda. It was such a privilege to be in their presence and the babies just stole the show and my heart, nothing else like it!

My Favorite Destinations

Oh it’s so hard to pick, but if I have to, it would have to be Zimbabwe. Both Hwange and Mana Pools top my list. Hwange for the incredible elephants: we had one visit us one night while we were enjoying dinner under the stars, he came right up to our table, smelled & inspected us and all our food. His trunk was just inches from my face as we sat there in complete silence in awe of what was happening (and upon instruction from our guide who was dining with us). I will never forget that moment, it was one of the most incredible, up close experiences with an elephant that I have ever had. Mana Pools National Park is also one of my absolute favorites for its remoteness, variety of activities (canoeing, walking safaris, game drives) and sheer beauty of the Mighty Zambezi River against the backdrop of the Zambian Escarpment. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, I would recommend it to anyone looking for an active and immersive nature experience away from crowds.

Top Countries I Have Travelled to:

Bahamas
Botswana
Canada
Denmark
Estonia
France
French Polynesia
Germany
Greece
India
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Malaysia
Mexico
Mozambique
Namibia
Netherlands
Puerto Rico
Russia
Rwanda
Singapore
South Africa

Spain
St Maarten
Switzerland
Tanzania
UAE
UK
US Virgin Islands
USA
Zambia
Zimbabwe

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