Tears for Africa, My Farthest Home from Home

“How in the world did a girl from Alaska end up working with a safari company in South Africa?”

This is a question I often hear. It always makes me pause for a second, because first of all, I guess it is kind of crazy. I mean, the fact is, the furthest place in the world that you can get from Alaska, is indeed, South Africa. And second, it means I get a chance to share a part of my story!

I was born and raised in Alaska. My parents loved and prioritized getting us kids into the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, the works. With one brother, three sisters, including me, and a mom and dad who were avid hunters, there was certainly no discrimination when it came to outdoor activities. In fact, we were the family that competed for a turn to shoot when a black bear showed up in the yard.

All my siblings shot their first big game Alaskan animal at 10 years old. My sisters each shot a moose, and my brother, a black bear. But I had either never drawn the tag, or been in the right place, at the right time. In fact, I was the “girly” one growing up, and I dreamed of the day I could leave Alaska. But the truth is, I loved the outdoors, camping, fishing, and even hunting (on the successful days). My love for the lifestyle was always there; it just took a little extra time to figure it out.

In 2015, when I was 15 years old, my parents very generously took me and my younger sister on a safari to South Africa with Numzaan Safaris. They had made the trip before with my older siblings, and now it was our turn. To be perfectly honest, I was primarily looking forward to our stopover in London on the way home. South Africa seemed cool enough, but I didn’t think it would really be my cup of tea. Boy, did things change!

After 12 days, my perspective had altered drastically. What did Kristin want to shoot? Well, we were on a budget, but budget or not, I wanted to shoot a warthog. Yep. To this day people give me the funniest looks when I tell them that, but hey, don’t knock it till you try it! I ended up with two warthogs and a duiker. My 13-year-old sister shot a zebra and steinbok, and my parents also took some beautiful plains game. We even had the eye-opening opportunity while there to visit local schools, where we provided medical supplies, clothes, and Bibles. But throughout the course of the hunt, early mornings, dove hunting, seeing more animals than you could imagine, enjoying three amazing meals a day, sunrises, sunsets, national parks, and the kindest people you’ve ever met, I fell in love with the place before I even realized it.

I’ll never forget the days leading up our departure, racking my brain to find anything to convince them to allow a 15-year-old to stay in the Dark Continent. Many tears were shed the day we left and the following days in Europe. My mom eventually sat me down saying, “Kristin! What is wrong with you?!” I told her between tears that I hadn’t wanted to leave South Africa, this was a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip after all, I’d probably never be back. I’ll never forget the words mom comforted me with next, “Maybe it is a sign that God will have you come back someday.” Those words stuck.

After graduating high school, I had many amazing opportunities to travel the world. I volunteered all over, in several foreign countries, got my associates degree, and reserved every September for moose hunting season. I avidly pursued hunting and successfully hunted five different Alaskan big game animals. And then it happened. I had not forgotten my desire to go back and work with Numzaan Safaris but had just tucked away. I started talking about it, and my brother encouraged me to go for it. He reminded me that I may not have this chance again.

So, in 2024, nine years after first setting foot in Africa, a few emails and conversations later, I had tickets booked to Johannesburg. My stay in Africa was for almost three months. I’ll never forget saying goodbye to my dad and sister at the airport and suddenly realizing I was alone, going to the Dark Continent. I won’t lie; it was scary. But I was determined to see it through. Touching down, I knew I was in the right place. The kindness of South Africans has not changed, the animals are still prolific and beautiful as ever, and Numzaan Safaris is my family. While they may be considered a bigger company for the region, they have a small company and family feel. I am at home with them.

I’ll be leaving again shortly, for my third consecutive year with Numzaan. Alaska will forever be home and where you will always find me when the salmon are running and, in the fall, when the moose are in rut. But South Africa will forever hold the second biggest chunk of my heart! When I am stateside, I love to help with their marketing booths at hunting conventions and connect with clients. Being able to support conservation through my work with Numzaan is one of my favorite perks. When I am in South Africa, I absolutely love working with clients, photographing their experiences, helping around camp and hunting with the PHs and clients as much as possible. Once you taste Africa, you never forget it.

And that friends, is how a girl from Alaska ended up working with a company from South Africa. I am so grateful for the opportunity to call two of the best places on earth home.