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Our Travel Specialists

After living and working in Africa for years, Kent Redding and Kelly McElroy opened Denver-based Africa Adventure Consultants to help adventurous travelers discover the wonders of this spectacular continent. Their years of experience in Africa uniquely position them to design and run top-quality adventure trips and luxury safaris for a variety of clients. Their insight into the cultures of Africa, as well as the special environmental and business issues there, place them at the top of any list of US-based safari outfitters.

Kent Redding

Kent Redding

President, Co-Founder

Kent Redding has 25 years of experience as an expert on Africa travel and adventure. During his tenure living in East Africa, he guided trips through the continent’s premier parks and studied with knowledgeable naturalists. He has summited Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru, kayaked in Lake Malawi, dune-bashed in Namibia’s Skeleton Coast and rafted down the Zambezi River below Victoria Falls. He has explored Botswana’s Okavango Delta, trekked through some of Egypt’s vast deserts, mountain biked through African mountains and bush land and tracked gorillas and chimpanzees in multiple countries. Leveraging his safari guiding and planning experience, today he enjoys helping our clients discover these impressive places.

In 2023, he was named by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the top travel professionals in the United States for the fifth time. Kent has also been named to the Travel + Leisure A-List, its annual editors’ choice of the best travel advisors in the business three times, most recently in 2022. Kent is a Kenya Tourist Board Kenya Authorized Travel Specialist and a South Africa Tourism FUNDI. Additionally, Kent served on the Board of Directors of AfricAid, a non-profit providing educational opportunities for Tanzanian girls, and on the board of APTA, Rocky Mountain Region.

Kelly McElroy After her first safari in Africa in 1997, Kelly knew she wanted to return. Soon after, she moved to Tanzania where she was Director of Finance for one of the top Kilimanjaro trekking outfitters in the country. In addition to her experience handling the financial and organizational issues of a safari outfitter and assisting VIP clients, Kelly has traveled extensively in Africa. She has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, snorkeled off islands such as Zanzibar and Pemba, explored the ancient geology and unique wildlife of Namibia, and canoed past hippos and elephants in famous Lake Manyara National Park. She has also followed the paths walked by Jane Goodall in Gombe Stream National Park and others in Mahale National Park, and enjoyed cultural exchanges with peoples such as the Maasai, Hadza and Himba.

Kelly McElroy

Kelly McElroy

Co-Founder
Sara Stark

Sara Stark

Journey Specialist

Sara Stark brings over 15 years planning experience to the AAC team. She studied Travel & Tourism at Ball State University and has also completed Asilia Academy, an accreditation given only to East African specialists. After years of event planning she transitioned over to her real love, travel planning. Sara has traveled to Africa, Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand and loves creating custom itineraries to these destinations. Some of her favorite African travel memories include sighting herds of elephants in Sabi Sand, tree climbing lions in Tanzania, a pack of wild dogs in Botswana, horse riding with giraffes in Kenya, big cats such as a leopard and cheetah in the Serengeti and visiting the South African Penguins at Boulders Beach. Book time on Sara’s calendar to speak about planning a safari.

Diana Garcia Hernandez As a first generation American, Diana has a deep passion to see and learn more about other cultures and environments. She graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a degree in Marketing and Web Design. Diana has also completed Asilia Academy, an accreditation given only to East African specialists. She has experience traveling to parts of Latin America and top destinations in Africa – Kenya, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. She’s especially enjoyed viewing the black-maned lions at Tswalu Kalahari in South Africa, snorkeling at Benguerra Island in Mozambique and witnessing the great migration in the Masai Mara in Kenya. Book time on Diana’s calendar to speak about planning a safari.

Diana Garcia Hernandez

Diana Garcia Hernandez

Journey Specialist
Angie Voigt

Angie Voigt

Journey Specialist

Angie Voigt has been an avid and adventurous traveler for years and any description of her enthusiasm for travel is simply an understatement! Born in South Africa and having spent her younger years living all around the world – wanderlust runs through her blood. Angie completed a Bachelor of Social Work bringing her passion for people into the mix, and she has been designing and creating soul-shifting experiences for over a decade.

Angie feels most at home in the bush and returns to her motherland yearly to be surrounded by vast horizons, the calls of native birds and the thrill of seeking out big game. Special moments have been plentiful but some of her favorites have been the adrenaline of watching a leopard hunt in the Kruger, a lion strolling under the full moon 100ft from her suite in Zambia, navigating the peaceful channels of the Delta by mokoro, a surprise lantern-lit dinner for two on the plains of the Serengeti and evenings spent in good company wining-and-dining at her favorite local restaurants in Cape Town. Book time on Angie’s calendar to speak about planning a safari.

Hilary Walters has been intrepidly traveling the world since her teens. Her love affair with Africa began soon after on a solo trip to Morocco followed by a first safari in South Africa. Globetrotting has since been a natural way of life, with all seven continents already under her belt. Hilary graduated from Claremont McKenna College; has completed Asilia Academy, an accreditation given only to East African specialists; and has had stints living in England, France and China.

Her favorite moments include mountain biking elephant trails in the remote corners of Hwange National Park, coming nose-to-nose with great white sharks cage diving off the coast of South Africa, receiving blessings from a priest within a cliff-hewn church in Tigre, feeling the squeeze of a baby gorilla hand on her leg in Uganda, laughing at the honking sounds of the wildebeest in the Great Migration and frolicking in the sea off the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. Hilary has worked with the most discerning travelers and the most adventurous explorers for the past decade, hand crafting beautiful bespoke African journeys with unique and attentive finishing touches that consistently exceed expectations. Her contagious enthusiasm and love of Africa makes travel planning with Hilary a true delight. Book time on Hilary’s calendar to speak about planning a safari.

Hilary Walters

Hilary Walters

Journey Specialist
Nell Pollak

Nell Pollak

Safari Concierge

Nell Pollak has always been curious about the world around her. After graduating from the University of Colorado, she embarked on a four-month trip to Kenya in pursuit of learning about cultures very different than her own. That is when her spark for Africa ignited. While in Kenya she connected with a former classmate who started the non-profit organization Arrive in Kenya, whose mission is to help empower former street children in some of the most impoverished regions of Kenya. Since that trip, Nell has been back twice and joined the Board of Directors of the organization. Some of her most memorable memories on her last stint in East Africa were starting 2019 on Uhuru Peak on Mt. Kilimanjaro for sunrise and walking 1,088 miles over 58 grueling days across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda – entirely on foot.

Ciara Manning is an experienced travel planner and an avid traveler with a deep passion for Africa. She has traversed over 20 countries across this beautiful globe. Ciara’s most daring adventures were cage diving with Great White Sharks off the coast of South Africa, hiking the W trek in Chile and flying co-pilot in a tiny plane over the Ngorongoro Crater. She has a deep love for wildlife and nature that has manifested itself into a passion for safaris and a newly found addiction to birding!

When she’s not trying to spot the Big 5, Ciara is enjoying the local outdoors with her 4 dogs. Ciara is an endlessly curious explorer and looks forward to many more journeys to come in her favorite continent, Africa.

Ciara Manning

Ciara Manning

Safari Concierge
Kerri Callender

Kerri Callender

Safari Concierge

Kerri Callender lived in Tokyo, Japan in elementary school, introducing her to new people, cultures and adventures. From then on, she had the desire to visit new places and experience new things. Kerri has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Syracuse University, a hotel management certificate from University of Nevada – Las Vegas and a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. She has lived and worked around the world in Spain, Switzerland, South Africa and the United States. Kerri has also traveled extensively, though she considers Cape Town, South Africa to be one of the world’s prettiest cities.

Susan Ely brings more than 30 years of experience to Africa Adventure Consultants in various aspects of the travel industry including leisure travel, corporate travel, cruises and more. She managed the Travel and Events department at a Fortune 500 company before joining AAC in 2005. Susan has explored top destinations in Botswana, Kenya, and Tanzania. She especially enjoyed luxury camping in the Serengeti. Her travels have also taken her to Tahiti, Hawaii, numerous Caribbean islands, Germany, Greece, Italy, and a Mediterranean cruise ending up in Turkey. Susan has completed tourism certifications through the Botswana, Kenya, Qatar, South Africa, and Tanzania Tourist Boards.

Susan Ely

Susan Ely

Senior Operations Specialist
Brooke Dare

Brooke Dare

Office Manager

Brooke Dare has always had a passion to see and learn more about the world around her. From backpacking in Europe to exploring Central America she has traveled to over 15 countries across the world and can’t wait to continue experiencing new places around the globe. Brooke brings many years of experience to Africa Adventure Consultants. She graduated from University of Colorado – Denver with a degree in Business Administration and Management and has experience working in operations. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her kitties, hiking, snowboarding and of course traveling!

Beth McCabe studied abroad in college, which sparked her passion for international travel. She graduated from Bradley University with a degree in Advertising and completed her Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Marketing and Advertising Management from the University of Saint Mary. Beth has also completed tourism certifications through the Kenya, Qatar and South Africa Tourist Boards. She has spent her marketing career working with international travel and education organizations helping connect people to the world at large. She has traveled to Botswana, Uganda and Zambia, as well as many countries throughout Europe and Central America. Some of her favorite safari memories include trekking to see mountain gorillas, watching 4 month old lion cubs play, a mokoro ride in the Okavango Delta and observing African wild dogs up close.

Beth McCabe

Beth McCabe

Marketing Director

Now that you’ve met our Adventure Consultants, see how they can help you find the perfect safari!

If there is one thing that sets Africa Adventure Consultants apart, it’s our outstanding guides. We use local guides on all trips, providing the best combination of expertise and entertainment — all with a distinctively local flavor. Many of our clients return and tell us that getting to know their guide was the highlight of the trip.

All our guides have years of experience and an extensive knowledge of, and passion for, the areas in which they work. On driving safaris, these guides normally accompany your party throughout your safari. For fly-in tours, we use camp-based guides who know their local area better than anyone. Many guests return to be guided by a particular guide with whom they have built up a relationship.

In addition to generalist safari guides, Africa Adventure Consultants can offer specialists guides — men and women who have gained specialized knowledge in mountain trekking, ornithology, astronomy, paleontology, photography, botany and anthropology. Please contact us for more information.

Contact a Journey Specialist

LET OUR JOURNEY SPECIALISTS HELP CREATE YOUR TRIP OF A LIFETIME