Nana’s Dream Realized: The Lewis Family Safari

When O.A.T. Chair Harriet Lewis was in her 20s, she dreamed of going on safari in Tanzania. But her late husband Alan, who would go on to become the owner of O.A.T. and Grand Circle, did not share her dream. As she recalls, “I remember him saying, ‘why do you want to go?’” For the animals, the vastness, the wildness … yet she couldn’t convince him. So she channeled the spirit of many women who travel solo with O.A.T.: “I went with a friend instead,” Harriet laughs.

In the decades that followed, Alan indeed visited Tanzania and came to share Harriet’s love. “He had to,” says Harriet, “because I told him I might move there.” The couple formed lasting relationships with the Tanzanian people, including members of the Maasai tribe and an entrepreneur named Willy Chambulo, who became an invaluable partner in crafting O.A.T.’s safaris. For Harriet, Tanzania came to feel like home. “After my second visit, I said that if I ever have children, I want to bring them on safari.”

True to her word, when her son Edward and daughter Charlotte were young, she brought them to Botswana. It was a formative experience: “I wanted my kids to be exposed to all walks of life,” says Harriet. When her kids began having children of their own, a new dream took hold. “I remember thinking that at some point in life, I wanted to do an unbelievable trip with the entire family,” she says. “Of course, it had to be Africa.” Specifically, Tanzania, where Harriet hoped to reconnect with Willy, the Maasai people, and the work of Grand Circle Foundation.

This past August, Harriet realized that dream. She traveled to Tanzania with her son Edward and his wife Caroline, daughter Charlotte and her husband Mike, and Harriet’s four granddaughters—two girls each for Edward and Charlotte. “It was a great, great family trip,” she says. “Seeing my grandchildren experience Tanzania was a dream come true.”

Naturally, the girls could not get enough of the animals. They were fascinated by the wildlife, scanning the savanna with binoculars and pointing out sightings to one another. “It’s like playing hide-and-seek,” Harriet laughs. “You never know what you’re going to find.” She recalls with relief that they all got along beautifully. “There were no tears—just excited shouts of ‘NANA! NANA!’ when we saw something great.” She cherishes the memory of the four of them sleeping peacefully in the back of the Land Rover, exhausted from the day’s discoveries.

But for Harriet, no wildlife sighting can touch her heart like her friendships with the Tanzanian people. Of course there was Willy, who is still building lodges and giving back to communities across northern Tanzania. But the other reunion she hoped for was far from a guarantee.

In January of 2001, Harriet and Alan visited Tanzania in hopes of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, but an illness kept Harriet at sea level. What began as a disappointment blossomed into treasured friendships that would bridge Tanzania and the U.S. in a remarkable way. “On that trip, we visited the Maasai village of Sinya and met Chief Kipuloli Napiiteeng,” says Harriet. He and Alan spoke passionately about leadership, and found similarities in their respective roles as heads of a village and a global travel company. Harriet, a former teacher, also connected with Kipuloli about the importance of education. For a couple who dared to dream big, what seemed like a crazy idea felt more like a logical progression: “We invited Kipuloli to Boston.”

The chief agreed, provided his chief warrior, Lamayani Malee, could accompany him—and that he could carry his spear. While the latter was a challenge even pre-9/11, the Lewises agreed, and the Maasai leaders arrived in Boston for a two-week cultural exchange, during which they met associates, visited local schools, and shared their traditions.

Back in Tanzania, Harriet hoped to introduce her family to her Maasai friends. “I even brought framed photos of our first meeting more than 20 years ago, just in case it happened,” says Harriet. Three days into the trip, she was having breakfast at one of Willy’s lodges. “I stood up to get a cup of coffee, and Lamayani was standing right there.” He recognized Harriet immediately and the two shared a warm embrace. “We couldn’t stop hugging, smiling, holding hands,” says Harriet.

Another family highlight was visiting Ayalabe Primary School in Karatu, which is supported by Grand Circle Foundation. “Water is a huge issue in Tanzania,” says Harriet. “We got together with Willy to see what we could do for one village during our trip.” In keeping with the Foundation’s mission to provide every supported school with adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), the family donated a girls’ toilet block to the school. “I love supporting schools—as a former teacher, that’s my nature,” says Harriet. “Seeing the kids makes my heart sing. But I always leave thinking about what else I can do.” Her granddaughters will return to school this September with a new appreciation for water, supplies, and so much more that they might otherwise take for granted.

With the trip in the rearview, still tired and a bit sore from “all the bouncing around” in safari vehicles, Harriet could not have asked for more from her long-awaited family adventure. “Of all the trips I’ve done, this is easily in the top three,” she says—quickly adding, “just don’t ask me to choose the other two!” She acknowledges that Tanzania is changing, with so much more infrastructure cropping up each time she visits. “Now is the time to go,” she says. “You’re not in America. You’re not in Europe. Here, you’re just one of many animals.”

She hopes someday her granddaughters will bring their own children to Tanzania—and hasn’t ruled out a return for herself. “I think I might have one more in me,” she says. “In this life, you only go around once.”

Because for Harriet, soreness and jetlag aside, “Africa is always worth it.”

Experience Tanzania yourself, including a visit to a school supported by Grand Circle Foundation, on Safari Serengeti: Tanzania Lodge & Tented Safari. Interested in traveling on safari—or any O.A.T. Adventure—with your own family? Learn more about our Private Adventures.