Mikaya Travels is an owner-managed boutique tour operator and Destination Management Company (DMC) based in Gaborone, Botswana, specialising in bespoke journeys across Southern and East Africa, India, Sri Lanka and selected Indian Ocean islands. Founded by Sashi Wijesena, an Africa travel specialist, wildlife enthusiast, photographer and passionate traveller, Mikaya brings together more than 26 years of experience with a personal understanding of what makes a journey truly memorable.

Extraordinary by design and focus, Mikaya Travels believes that exceptional journeys begin with understanding the traveller. Rather than offering standard packages, the company creates individually tailored itineraries shaped around each client’s interests, travel style, budget and aspirations. Every journey is thoughtfully crafted to bring together remarkable places, distinctive experiences and the details that make travel personal.

What sets Mikaya apart is the combination of local destination knowledge, creative itinerary design, meticulous logistical coordination and genuinely personalised service. As an owner-managed business, Mikaya offers direct access to experienced specialists who take personal responsibility for the planning process. Clients and international travel advisors benefit from responsive communication, honest recommendations and a hands-on approach that puts their needs at the centre of every decision.

With Botswana as its home base, Mikaya brings valuable regional insight and established relationships with trusted lodges, camps, guides, transport operators and destination partners. This local knowledge helps the company recommend suitable properties, realistic connections and experiences that align with each traveller’s expectations and budget. Across other destinations, carefully cultivated partnerships extend this expertise, enabling Mikaya to coordinate seamless journeys across multiple countries while maintaining a consistent standard of personal attention.

As a DMC, Mikaya understands that a remarkable itinerary must work just as well in practice as it looks on paper. Coordinating accommodation, scheduled and charter flights, road transfers, border crossings, activities and specialist guiding requires precision, foresight and local support. Mikaya’s strength lies in bringing these moving parts together, anticipating practical challenges and providing attentive assistance throughout the planning process and while clients are travelling. This blend of logistical expertise and personal accountability gives travel advisors a dependable local partner and travellers greater confidence in their arrangements.

Creativity is central to Mikaya’s approach. From complex multi-country safari itineraries and immersive cultural experiences to distinctive luxury stays, beach escapes and its own Art and Photographic Safaris, the company looks beyond conventional itineraries to uncover fresh perspectives and meaningful experiences.

Mikaya also maintains a personal commitment to the destinations and communities connected to its work. Its initiatives include partnering with Travel for Impact through its US$1-per-bed-night initiative, contributing annually to BirdLife Botswana and WildEntrust, and sourcing handcrafted gifts from local artisans and suppliers where possible.

Extraordinary by design. Personal by nature. Meticulous by focus. Mikaya Travels combines experience, imagination, trusted relationships and attentive service to create journeys that are distinctive, carefully coordinated and as individual as the people who take them.