We were lucky to catch up with Mecelin Kakoro recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mecelin, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

If I could go back in time, I would start the business sooner. Mulogo Safaris began during the COVID pandemic. The organization I was working for opted to downsize and let go of some of their employees and I was among those who were let go. Since I enjoy writing and traveling, I decided to set up a travel company to help people find places to visit and tell them about these places and the aspects of sustainability taking place there. Starting the business sooner would have meant a pre-pandemic market share. As it is, the tourism industry was hardest hit and despite the reliance and fortitude shown by players in the industry, it has not quite regained its stability. The markets shifted and the numbers are constantly changing. We are starting to see some stability nonetheless, it will take a little longer for everything to stabilize and settle down completely.

If I was to do it all over again, I would definitely, start the business sooner.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I was employed in the tourism industry and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the organization opted to let go of some of its members of staff in the year 2020 and I was among those who were let go. To keep busy, I decided to continue with content creation. I enjoy writing, traveling, and having worked in the tourism industry for several years, I wanted to do something that could combine all these interests.

Mulogo Safaris is a Kenyan-based tour operator providing sustainable safaris within the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Our brand purpose is to create memorable, experiential safaris and we endeavor to deliver to our customers unforgettable, sustainable safaris at an affordable price. We select beautiful and less traveled destinations in the East African region for our customers to have a fantastic stay.

We offer carefully curated safari itineraries for adults and children alike and also provide tailor-made safari experiences including honeymoon safaris. Our itineraries take guests to selected partners in selected destinations thus providing authentic and memorable experiences while creating amazing holidays with exceptional services and value for money. Our itineraries are either wildlife safaris, beach safaris, or a combination of wildlife and beach safaris. These provide our customers with an opportunity to enjoy safari activities such as game drives, walking safaris, horse riding, visits to historical and archaeological sites as well as snorkeling.

In addition to our love for safaris, we give a helping hand to the community’s less fortunate members. Our corporate social responsibility is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), with gender equality and quality education as our main agenda.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

We are still working on building our social media audience and are not quite where we want to be. Creating a strong presence requires consistency in sharing different types of engaging posts. The use of hashtags and engaging with the audience promptly is also part of the process. Some will like or follow your page but those who are truly interested in the industry and your product or service are the ones who will stick around.

For those who are just starting, my advice would be: a little patience will get you where you are trying to go. Keep creating your content and you will connect with the audience that’s right for you.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

So far, the best source of new clients has been referrals. There are a few who come to us organically but the largest share is from referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mulogosafaris.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mulogosafaris/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mulogosafaris

Image Credits
Entumoto Camp, Mara Eden Camp, Foxes Safari Camps Tanzania, Severin Safari Camp, Ride Mara, Leonard Von Bibra (Unsplash), Mulogo Safaris.s.