ALL ABOUT the ADVENTURE

About Us

When I established Qui Vado back in 2008, I wanted to step away from the current industry norms of Travel Call Centres and On-line bookings sites and focus on travel as a lifestyle and an adventure.

Having traipsed the globe, from Rio to Hong Kong, Toronto to Hamburg and so many destinations inbetween, I wanted to concentrate on providing a professionalism and savoir-faire to ‘our’ clients who do not want to settle for the average. I have had the great fortune to live and work in Rome, Tel Aviv, Lausanne and Larnaca. Now, my home base is in the beautiful Cape winelands, living on a working vineyard. So, yes, I am passionate about travel and people, but most of all, something very close to my heart is conservation, wildlife and animals. My love for the bush stems from growing up in Zimbabwe and annual trips to the famous Hwange National Park, or road trips to South Africa to visit the Kruger. The stories I love to tell and the recommendations and advise I want to impart all come with such enthusiasm and often, my own experiences.

And this is where Qui Vado comes from… I knew I had something special to offer by sharing my knowledge, travel experience and insight into this amazing corner of the world.

Since Qui Vado’s inception, we have grown from strength to strength. New insights and contacts are gained by annually attending the "by invitation only" International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes – focussed on luxury, the latest worldwide trends and networking. We have built strong partnerships over the years with valued suppliers and we work hard to encourage travellers to southern Africa to give them insight into these beautiful and amazing countries.

Qui Vado loosely translates to “here I go” and so in the words of Mark Twain,

“Throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails,
Explore, Dream & Discover “

 Warm Regards
Colleen

Travel with a purpose
Already by travelling to southern Africa, you are helping. Tourism and hospitality is one of our biggest industry employers in this region.

From the porter at the airport, to the boutique lodge owner, to the waiter in the restaurant, to the grass roots level of the local women who make art and handcrafts. Everyone is impacted positively with tourism.

The porter earns tips to help ease his way to purchase food for his family, the lodge owner who employ, trains and upskills staff so they can go further in their life. The waiter who saves his earnings to pay his children’s school fees and the Gogo’s… the grannies, an essential part of the fabric of our society, make their arts and crafts to sell to tourists. Traditionally in Africa the grandmothers care for their grandchildren, while the children's parents are working, or in many cases may have passed away due to aids. And with the Gogo’s being able to earn an income by selling their wares, they can support their grandchildren. They are ALL helped by tourist spending.

We support two organisations and with each booking coming through to Qui Vado we able to give a little bit more back and help where we can.

Ladles of Love started in Cape Town in 2014 to help feed homeless people and families who are vulnerable and in need of support. It is about more than merely providing meals. It’s about dignity, respect, and creating the kind of world we all want to live in.

“A bowl of soup may not sound like much, but it’s a lifeline to some. And when people come together, incredible things happen”.

Every Wednesday morning is our call to action with the QV Team making countless jelly and peanut butter sandwiches and supplying fresh veggies for soups pots, to be delivered to our Ladles of Love local soup kitchen.

When travelling to South Africa, if you want to get involved as a volunteer, or to donate to this charity, please see www.ladlesoflove.org.za , or contact us and we will happily assist. There are also some of our ‘Small Group Tours’ where we do include a morning of volunteering in the Soup Kitchens.

Living in Africa, conservation is hugely important. Although trophy hunting still occurs today - and controversially so - it isn’t the biggest challenge faced by conservation. That challenge is illegal poaching. At current poaching rates, rhinos, elephants and lions may be gone within our lifetime www.AWF.org

Sadly, Rhino poaching is a very real issue in South Africa, with the Black Rhino already on the ‘Critically Endangered’ WWF list and the White Rhino on the ‘Threatened’ list. Although there are a number of organisations who are active in anti-poaching units and or caring for orphaned rhinos, more help is needed. Whether it is actively trying to close down the illegal trade at source, or increasing anti-poaching units, or monitoring rhino’s 24/7 by drones, or on foot, more funding, donations and volunteers are required.

Care For Wild Africa
Baby rhinos that are orphaned in the wild rarely survive. The mission of Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary is to rescue every rhino that is orphaned, to heal them and to provide a totally secure environment where they can grow, roam free, and breed to ensure that there will always be rhinos in Africa. Despite intense counter poaching efforts, rhino poaching is on-going and a very sad reality. https://www.careforwild.co.za