Deborah Calmeyer

CEO & founder, ROAR Africa

We’ve known Deb Calmeyer for years, from back when she helped us on our Africa issue at Condé Nast Traveler, and many more stories after that. Born in Zimbabwe (where she grew up with a lion for a pet!), she has a passion for the continent and a knowledge of safari travel that is pretty unparalleled. Though always polished, Deb is gritty and tough as nails, and can pull off the seeming impossible (like helping you skirt the epic immigration lines at airports!). She hardly slowed down during Covid, arranging tons of private, immersive trips across sub-Saharan Africa—she also is known for her women’s empowerment retreats, an unusual focus in the male-dominated safari world. As lodges and camps tend to book up months (and even years) in advance, it’s good to start dreaming about it now! —A.P.

Tell us about you and your company.

ROAR Africa is an ultra-luxe South and East African travel specialist. Based in New York and Cape Town, our company is run primarily by women, supported by native-born guides and a curated network of experts based predominantly in Africa. We are known for providing exceptional and exclusive insider access coupled with an extraordinary dedication to making every detail perfect. This ensures a seamless and uncomplicated experience from the moment clients step off the plane. Thinking ahead, we consistently create new, cultivated, and unusual offerings for our international clientele, all in service of preserving the people, animals, and environment of our fragile and extraordinary land.

Over 20 years ago, I moved from South Africa to New York. People would hear my accent and tell me they always dreamed of going there. They would inevitably ask for my help and wanted me to look at their travel itineraries. As I was organizing their trips, I started to sense the value I brought as a South African was much greater than someone who was just selling the destination. It made me one hundred times more dialed in and connected. I also came to understand how hard Americans work and saw that their vacations were extremely precious to them. It was these realizations and experiences that led me to start ROAR Africa. 

What’s the entry level to talk to you?

There is a one-time $500 consulting fee, which is refunded if the trip is booked. Our trips average $2,000 per person, per day, exclusive of international air travel to and from Africa.

What is the sweet spot of your expertise?

As an 11th-generation African, Africa is in my DNA. To truly know Africa and be able to share it the way I do comes from my family steeped in history with a tremendous attachment to this land. I am sharing Africa from its roots—a culmination of over 300 years of my family traversing this land—and the way I know it and love it. My ability to curate indelible moments comes from spending time in places I have loved all my life and live in today. I am not just selling a destination but am sharing my home.

A favorite experience/trip you’ve planned that best represents you and your philosophy…

As the female founder of a predominantly female-led company, my mission has always been as much about crafting exceptional experiential journeys that edify Africa for our guests as it is about supporting and empowering women within the safari industry. “If African women rise, wildlife will thrive.” It was this ethos that prompted the creation of our annual Women’s Empowerment trips, which celebrate pioneering female change agents shattering western and tribal glass ceilings. The vision behind these first-of-their-kind journeys and safaris was to create a learning experience that would bring gender equity into the front lines and pioneer a change throughout the safari industry. African women as well as global female thought leaders are among the guest speaker participants. Our most recent journey took place in Rwanda last month; we’ll do another one in Zimbabwe in February, 2023.

A favorite hotel/lodge/house you love and go back to again and again?

Segera Retreat in Kenya

A not-to-be-missed experience in Africa?

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Underrated location that could use our travel dollars? 

At the top of the list is my homeland, Zimbabwe. This is where we everyone should be going. More specifically, Lake Kariba.

Overrated location? 

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

How do we become better travelers, clients, citizens of the world?

Broadly speaking, I hope [these last two years] will make us more considerate, more sensitive, more aware. Perhaps we will learn a new rhythm, something a little slower that has us taking the time to observe and absorb. I hope we will consider where we go, how we get there, and what impact we have when we arrive. After all, who we are is shaped by where we have been and who we have met along the way.

In this vein, and on a more micro level, I encourage clients to:

• Choose lodges that support community as well as wildlife.
• Become informed about a destination before they travel.
• Support lodges that have women’s empowerment programs in place.
• Support lodges that have anti-poaching units, know their success rates, and understand why this is so important. 
• Visit lesser-known areas and slow down; spend longer in places and take the time to discover the entire ecosystem rather than just ticking off the Big Five.
• Do a walking safari to become immersed in the bush and rediscover your instinctual relationship with nature.
• Be sure the person you choose to plan your trip to Africa doesn’t just sell it as another destination on their global list, but instead work with someone who is African and connected to the land and its people. This ensures an authentic experience that will have you giving back just by traveling there.
• Understand the importance of sharing what you have learned when you return home.

A “why it’s all worth it” moment

Whether we realize it or not, every time a species goes extinct, we lose a part of ourselves. We are all interconnected and perhaps the greatest gift that COVID has given us is the hopeful end to irresponsible travel as it relates to conservation issues. The challenges Africa faces in this regard, from the loss of habitat to trophy hunters to the illegal trade of wildlife, is a problem for the entire world. It’s everyone’s responsibility to protect our wildlife because if we don’t, we all know the global health and financial crisis that can result from the passive ignorance that drives this.

How do you want people to reach out to you?

Welcome@roarafrica.com