CONDE NAST TRAVELER
2024
Click’ here for the amazing article featuring Botswana.
TRAVEL + LEISURE
June 2023
Click’ here for the amazing article featuring Zambia.
CONDE NAST TRAVELER
December 2022
Click’ here for the amazing article featuring the Congo.
TRAVEL + LEISURE
April 2022
Travel + Leisure writer Marcia DeSanctis and photographer Ambroise Tézenas inspire us to experience one of earth’s most glorious hideaways. Is it worth traveling half-way around the world to visit these perfect dollops of pure white sand? Marcia clearly thinks so. Click’ here for her in-depth perspective and interviews with the experts illustrating how conservation and tourism can coexist despite the daunting challenges of development and climate change. Read Oceans Apart and then pick up the phone and chat to Cherri. She will help you design your adventure. And if you are into fishing.. you have just found the Holy Grail. THINK BLUE!
TRAVEL + LEISURE
July 2017
Travel + Leisure writer Alexandra Fuller illustrates the outstanding beauty and unique nature of Ethiopia. The only African nation to escape colonization, Ethiopia has retained its exclusive heritage and history. From the first Orthodox church built in A.D. 333 to the Bleeding-Heart Monkeys of the highlands, and one of the most endangered canids on the planet, the Ethiopian Wolf, Ethiopia offers a dynamic landscape fit for the discerning traveler. Read more about Ethiopia’s Uncommon Ground and contact Cherri to design your adventure. For more information about traveling with EXPLORE to Ethiopia and to see a sample itinerary, click here.
CENTURION
Spring / Summer 2017 Experience Namibia
Written by Cherri Briggs, this article in Centurion Magazine highlights the exquisite landscapes and wildlife in Namibia.
CONDE NAST
April 2017
In this issue of Conde Nast Traveler, aptly called In to Africa, Pilar Guzman, Editor-in-Chief, recommends Cherri Briggs of EXPLORE to plan your family trip to Zambia
and Botswana. Cultural visits with the Chiawa village in the Lower Zambezi region in Zambia is a highlight for parents and children alike!
Family Bonding in Zambia & Botswana
WENDY PERRIN
March 2017
In Wendy Perrin’s weekly newsletter, she recommends contacting Cherri Briggs, Owner of EXPLORE, Inc., for travel to Zimbabwe
in her article The Best Trips to Book in March
DEPARTURES
February 2017
Africa Update
EXPLORE’s Cherri Briggs, now a regular contributor to Departures Magazine, gives an African update including both old and new favorites
in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and the Seychelles, and talks Cape Town cuisine.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
February 2017
Women Helping Women
Cherri Briggs of EXPLORE leads a group of 20 women, including feminist icon Gloria Steinem, on a trip to Zambia focusing on social activism and conservation.
Amy Richards, longtime collaborator of both Briggs and Steinem has gathered this group of influential feminist organizers and fund-raisers to support projects
focused on women and girls by visiting a dozen or so cooperatives in the Lower Zambezi region.
BLOOMBERG
January 2017
Where to go in 2017
Bloomberg Pursuits looks to EXPLORE Inc’s Cherri Briggs for her insights into Rwanda: When to go, where to stay and the best trekking experiences to see the elusive Mountain Gorilla.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
December 2016
Top Travel Specialists
For the 15th year in a row, Cherri Briggs, owner of of EXPLORE, Inc, has been chosen as one of Conde Nast’s premier Travel Specialists!
She plans elephant viewing in the Okavango Delta, walks with Singita’s anti-poaching team, and tours with the co-founder of Gabon’s national parks system.
DEPARTURES
September 2016
Mozambique
Richard Story, Editor-in-Chief of Departure’s Magazine travels to Mozambique with Explore’s Cherri Briggs.
“When I commented that I didn’t know what to
expect when traveling to Mozambique, Cherri Brigg’s replied ‘Don’t worry. You’re going to love it.
A trip of a lifetime.’ I spent three days
with Briggs, an African specialist and outfitter whom I’ve been recommending to friends and readers for close to ten years.
I have enormous trust in her understanding of Africa and, just as important,
in her understanding of what DEPARTURES readers are looking for….and what they aren’t.” Needless to say, she delivered.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
September 2016
The A-List 2016
Some of the most extraordinary experiences can be had only with the help of a well-connected travel agent. In Travel & Leisure’s 15th annual A-List, we showcase the 137 best specialists in the business to help take your trip to the next level.See page 8 for East and Southern Africa where Cherri Briggs is highlighted as one of the best!
FORBES
February 2016
Rhino Rescue Effort in Botswana
Forevermark, the De Beers diamond brand and custom safari specialist, Explore, Inc. held a private dinner for more than 100 persons at Le Bernardin Privé to support rhinoceros rescue efforts in Botswana.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
December 2015
The Experience Makers
Sometimes even the well-traveled call on the pros for help-editor in chief Pilar Guzman’s expertly crafted East African safari is proof of the power of a great travel specialist.There are some trips that you simply can’t-or shouldn’t-plan on your own, and a safari is one of them. Thankfully, Cherri Briggs of EXPLORE has relationships with local operators and governments and a deep knowledge of this part of East Africa.
TOWN & COUNTRY
October 2015
Africa’s Ark with Uma Thurman
EXPLORE, Inc. takes actress Uma Thurman and Town & Country editor Klara Glowczewska to Botswana for a Rhino Rescue mission where they witness one of Africa’s great stories of hope. This project will one day be documented as one of the most ambitious conservation efforts in decades.
TOWN & COUNTRY TRAVEL
Fall/Winter 2015
The T&C Trip
Eight action-packed days with the Rhino Rescue Project. An unprecedented opportunity to participate in the most dramatic conservation story of the 21st century and a safari like no other.
Fall/Winter 2015
The T&C Travel 100:RoundtableHere published for the first time, is the T&C list of 100 most wonderful hotels in the world, personally vetted by an exclusive roundtable of consummate travel insiders who regularly journey the world to discover the very best experiences out there.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
September 2015
The A-List 2015
Africa & the Middle East Experts-Cherri Briggs has houses in Zambia and Botswana, and spends six to nine months a year traveling the continent. Her and her husband have also founded a slew of community development projects in Zambia.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
June 2015
The Fixers: Outsource your Anxiety
Some would argue that the need for a travel specialist has diminished in the digital era. Although there is an app for nearly everything, there are still some experiences only a human can make happen. These travel specialists will pull off the impossible, plan a better trip than you ever could and spare you the logistics.
DEPARTURES
May/June 2015
New & Views-Africa:Should I Stay or Should I Go?
In the wake of last fall’s Ebola hysteria, the continent’s safari industry took a major hit, to the tune of 70 percent decrease in bookings. Sophy Roberts goes to sub-Saharan Africa-thousands of miles from any Ebola hot spots.
OUTSIDE
March 2015
Viral Fear
The Ebola virus has devastated a tiny corner of West Africa, but the entire continent is feeling the economic fallout. “The only good news with Ebola”, adds Cherri Briggs, founder of EXPLORE,”is that it gives us a chance to begin to educate people and address a massive geographic ignorance.”
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
December 2014
Land of Sea and Fog
Its vast blue skies and surreal landscapes are dazzling enough, but what makes Namibia’s otherworldly Skeleton Coast truly remarkable is what it lacks; people, crowds and noise.
PURSUING PASSION
December 2014
Empowering the People of Africa Podcast
Cherri Briggs and Richard Wilson of EXPLORE, Inc. and Direct Impact Africa (DIA) tell us about empowering local communities and their work in Africa.
TOWN & COUNTRY TRAVEL
September 2014
Dog Day
A day in the bush with an innovative anti-poaching team -and specially trained dogs-recently deployed by the acclaimed high-design and high-luxury Singita camps & lodges.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
September 2014
T&L’s 13th Annual A-List
A top travel advisor can help you turn your next vacation into the experience of a lifetime. Cherri Briggs named top specialist for Southern Africa. Years as agent-20, other specialties – the Seychelles and Indian Ocean Islands.
DUJOUR ONLINE
June 2014
Yoga in the Wild
In between yoga sessions, you’ll explore the wildlife of Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls & the Lower Zambezi National Park. You can canoe down one of Africa’s fiercest rivers and visit a local village.
ROBB REPORT
February 2014
10 Ultimate Adventures:A Rare Breed
The safari expert Cherri Briggs first started visiting Africa more than 20 years ago on wildlife-conservation missions. For the ultimate equestrian safari, Briggs recommends a journey to Botswana…
LONDON FINANCIAL TIMES-HOW TO SPEND IT
October 2013
New House Rules
Authenticity, independence and character take on quite different forms in the deep wilderness. In this context “it’s all about comfort”, says Cherri Briggs, owner and managing director of blue-chip Africa specialist Explore Inc.
DEPARTURES
October 2013
Who is Cherri Briggs?
When, as a young girl growing up in rural Nevada, someone once told her she would be a mother one day, Briggs replied “No way, I’m going to be an explorer in Africa”. Who knew she would become the go-to gal for the most familiar as well as the most out-there safaris? She loves Dolce & Gabbana, counts feminist Gloria Steinem among her best friends and started out as a kick-ass ad sales girl at GQ magazine.
Hear what Richard Story, Editor in Chief of Departures magazine has to say about Cherri Briggs
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
September 2013
22 Best Trips in the World
IT’S BACK! Once again, we’re offering one-of-a-kind experiences in the world’s most fascinating places-all online and at unbelievable discounts. And if that weren’t enough, they’ve each been designed by the world’s best-connected travel specialists…
August 2013
Perrin’s People
The custom trip designers collected here represent the best blend of destination knowledge, insider connections, consumer advocacy and value for your dollar that I’ve found in more than two decades of scrutinizing the travel industry for this magazine.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
June 2013
Zambia Up Close
With top-tier guides, plentiful wildlife, and a circuit of simple yet stylish bush camps and river lodges, this under-the-radar safari destination is Africa for purists.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
March 2013
I Had a House in Africa
Sidle up to that Out of Africa fantasy by booking a stand alone villa in the bush for your next safari. Find luxury villas across Africa that provide unsurpassed space and privacy at surprisingly great value.
Foolproof Villa Vacations
Mix the adventure of a safari with the privacy and family-friendliness of a villa.
ROBB REPORT
February 2013
Essential Safari Guide
With top-tier guides, plentiful wildlife, and a circuit of simple yet stylish bush camps and river lodges, this under-the-radar safari destination is Africa for purists.
The Colorado-based Safari aficionado Cherri Briggs, who has homes in Botswana and Zambia-scours the African continent six months a year to find the best places for both luxury and authenticity.
TOWN & COUNTRY
December 2012
Border Crossings
Two voyagers and a suitcase full of gowns land in Kenya, testing the boundaries of dress codes, evening wear, and the kindness of beasts and strangers.
TOWN & COUNTRY WEDDINGS
Fall/Winter 2012
Into the Wild
Plot an unforgettable African Honeymoon. Cherri Briggs, of Explore, Inc. who splits her time between Africa and the U.S., is the go-to expert for trips that venture beyond the basic safari tour.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
September 2012
The Ultimate Trip Planners
Cherri Briggs, owner of EXPLORE, Inc has been selected by Travel & Leisure for their annual A-List of World’s Top Travel Agents 2012-Africa & the Middle East.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
September 2012
The World On Sale:32 Trips of a Lifetime!
Executed flawlessly by the world’s best-connected travel specialists-the ones who make our carefully vetted list.
ROBB REPORT
May 2012
The Robb Report 100 Resorts
In compiling the list, we consulted our trusted correspondents, associates and friends in the luxury-hospitality community and asked them to select the most exceptional and exclusive properties-then pressed them to pick their favorites from among the elite group.
ELITE TRAVELER
May/June 2012
Top African Safaris
The last decade has seen tremendous growth in luxury accommodations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. That combined with unique, tailor-made adventure options by top operators, makes an African safari perhaps the most indulgent trip for world explorers today.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
March 2012
Safaris Made Easy
Some of our favorite operators put together signature trips for T&L readers.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
August 2011
2011 World’s Best Awards
EXPLORE, Inc ranked #3 among the Top Tour Operators and Safari Outfitters in Travel & Leisure’s Reader’s Choice 2011 World’s Best Awards.
TOWN & COUNTRY
July 2010
Hanging On
It’s hard to imagine, but Africa’s big cats are fighting to survive. A new initiative launched by documentary filmmakers Beverly & Dereck Joubert may offer the best chance to save them. The visitors from paradise deliver a hellish warning: within a decade there may be no lions, leopards or cheetahs roaming the African wild… unless we do something.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE
November 2009
25 Best New Trips of 2010
Botswana: Big Game by Boat
The Selinda Spillway, a river linking the Okavango Delta with the Linyanti marshes in the Selinda Reserve, provides a massive watering hole for thousands of animals. The river is at its highest level in three decades, which means more buffalo and elephants will come for a drink – and with them, more predators. To showcase the gathering, Explore Inc. offers three night canoe-camping trips in 2010 with an old-school safari vibe.
BLACK INK
Summer 2009
Private Safari Camps
Adjusting to the demand, more and more camps and lodges can be privately booked, ensuring clients total exclusivity, along with a butler, chef, ranger and guide. Many properties offer flexibility where guests can tweak menus, arrange a last minute safari walk or schedule a sunset barbeque in the bush!
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
June 2009
Wendy Perrin’s Worldwide Guide to Affordable Villa Vacations
Looking to mix the adventure of a safari experience with privacy and family-friendliness of a private villa? Enjoy the most spectacular villas in six countries throughout East & Southern Africa, located on game reserves, many affiliated with A-List safari lodges.
TOWN & COUNTRY
April 2009
Delta Dawn
Botswana, Africa’s tourism success story for decades, is reaching new heights with the opening of two new deluxe camps in the fabulous Okavango Delta, joining the already expansive array of lodges which reach far into the arid Kalahari Desert.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
August 2008
Safaris with a Conscience
Explore, Inc. owner Cherri Briggs, having served on the boards of several African conservation organizations, she applies her environmental ethics in choosing accommodations-from rustic-yet-authenitc mobile tented safaris to luxe lodges-and fosters client participation in community and wildlife projects.
TRAVEL & LEISURE
January 2008
Into the Wild: A Safari Tour of Madagascar
Andrew Solomon takes in shockingly beautiful coastlines and landscapes, all teeming with friendly lemurs, colorful chameleons, and other exotic discoveries.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
December 2007
A Once and Future Eden
Mozambique is an African hope fulfilled: recovered from a civil war and balancing the conservation of great natural beauty with sophisticated resorts.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE
November 2007
25 Best Adventure Trips
Explore, Inc. specializes in innovative safaris, from dodging hippos on the Zambezi to tracking gorillas on beaches of Gabon. For a cultural hit, hang with Berbers in Morocco or trek with the Taureg of Niger.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
October 2007
Moroccan Architecture
From Casablanca’s art deco buildings to the preserved medieval city of Fez to the anciant Roman city of Volubilis and the Moorish medina of Marrakech, Morocco’s architecture has been shaped by its location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
August 2007
Of Lionesses, Leopards, and Lechwe
African safaris can mean extravagantly priced lodges and traffic jams around every kill. Not so in Zambia, where the bush camps remain simple, animals abound, and nature’s dramas unfold for your eyes only.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
May 2006
Africa Heats Up
As the politics and economies of the continent shift and in some cases stabilize, many African countries are rolling out the welcome mat. Get the low down on the draws, digs, and hassle factors of Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi and Gabon.
MEN’S JOURNAL
May 2006
25 Classic Adventure Trips & How to Do Them Right
They’re called classics for a reason. These are the journeys with the epic landscapes, wild animals, and wilder cultures that challenge you to contend with circumstances beyond your control. They’re trips with the power to change your life.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
December 2005
The Fabulous 50 – 50 Experiences That Only Insiders Can Deliver
Meet spiritual leaders of one of the last surviving groups of Bushmen, research lions and track leopards in the Kwando Reserve, examine life-size giraffe rock carvings dating to 8000 BC, or meet the leader of the Zulu nation. These are a few of the experiences that only an insider can provide
THE OPRAH MAGAZINE
May 2005
Gabon – One of Five Places You Must See in Your Lifetime
See elephants, more than 600 bird species and one of the world’s largest primate gatherings. Mandrills 1,000 strong and gorillas so unused to humans they round up their family to gawk at you.
MEN’S JOURNAL
May 2005
Zambezi River – Africa’s Most Epic River Journey Goes From Wild to Wildlife
The Bundu People call the Zambezi the “river of life.” You’ll understand why when canoeing the waterway, which divides Zambia and Zimbabwe: Elephants graze just 20 feet from your paddle. Hippos twitch their ears as you pass. Lions bathe and crocodiles nose through reeds.
DEPARTURES
March/April 2004
The New Adventure Class
For the truly intrepid thrill seekers, ain’t no mountain high enough. Joseph Hooper reports on the new adventurers and the men and women who can take them safely, and in style, to the farthest corners of Planet Earth.
TOWN & COUNTRY
Winter 2004
African Queen
“The African bush touches something essential in the spirit that’s dormant
when you are leading a civilized life”, says Cherri Briggs, founder of
EXPLORE, Inc., which operates superb custom tours of the continent.
NEW YORK MAGAZINE
April 2004
Travel Feature – Botswana
If you’re seeking a little bit of adventure, and are willing to spend some money to find it, travel to Botswana. Visit any number of bush planes to any number of remote camps, and find yourself riding out on safari atop a large elephant, or careening across the vast salt pans of the Kalahari desert on an ATV, or splashing helter-skelter through the great Okavango Delta on horseback.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
April 2004
Finding The Inside Track
United States – based travel agency might be the last place you’d look for an authentic experience abroad. The emphasis of tour operator Cherri Briggs’ African expeditions is less on revelry and more on revelation. EXPLORE is the only American operator to visit Sudan. In Niger, Tuareg’s act as her guides.
PADDLER
July/August 2003
Women-led Team
Cherri Briggs, owner of EXPLORE, Inc. is a far cry from Dr. David Livingstone, both in gender and era. But she shares his ambition for exploration, which is largely what propelled her to organize and successfully complete a 400-mile first descent of Mozambique’s Lugenda River.
OUTSIDE MAGAZINE
March 2003
The Scouting Expedition
A Trip is Born
The dream is a brand-new river route through a vast, primordial, wildlife rich wonderland on the verge of environmental salvation. The reality is what happens when a small band of marginally prepared adventurers attempts the 400-mile first descent of Mozambique’s mighty Lugenda.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE
July/August 2000
The Hidden Gems
Many unfamiliar reserves – some over shadowed by more popular neighbors – are blessed with scenic beauty, unique geology and abundant wildlife to rival the big name parks. As a bonus, they are less-crowded, and, in some cases, more pristine.
CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER
May 2000
Africa Unleashed
Lodges like airport hotels? Sedate game drives? Jacuzzis? Fuhgeddaboudit! There’s a wild new way to see Africa. Adam Platt test-drives the active safari.
FOOD & WINE
March 2000
Jacques Pepin’s Safari
On this tour, Jacques Pepin is going to get a concentrated taste of the continent, even if it only serves to whet his appetite for a return visit. Africa does this. Nobody can shrug off the huge plains and rivers and skies, the wild beasts, the music and the people, even the shameful, beautiful remnants of colonialism. Nobody who has been here once is immune from wishing to come back.
TOWN & COUNTRY
July 1997
African Queen
Cherri Briggs started her travel company EXPLORE, Inc. which seeks out “authenticity, remote natural beauty and luxury without ostentation.”