So, what is Scintilla’s story?

Scintilla is a South African based travel company and one of the best luxury safari operators in the business. Scintilla is part of Bidtravel, which has been a leader within South Africa’s tourism industry for the past 15 years. In that time, we’ve developed an innate understanding of the region’s top attractions and most mesmerising places, as well as nurtured some of the best travel talent around.

Who are the people behind Scintilla?

Lidia Folli, Richard Arthur and Cuan Rush are the heart and soul of Scintilla, their passion lighting the way and driving the team in all of our operations.

A born-and-bred traveller, Lidia is Scintilla’s CEO and widely respected within the industry for her integrity and grace. With a wealth of travel experience, one of Lidia’s favourite times to travel to bucket-list destinations is during the low season, to fully appreciate the destination without the crowds.

Richard Arthur is our in-house walking encyclopaedia on South African lodges and hotels. Professional, friendly and always eager to share, he loves the finer things in life such as good food, great wine, travelling in style and spending time with friends and family. Some of the highlights of Richard’s travels include exploring the Lower Zambezi, going on safari at Tswalu and relaxing at the gorgeous Cheetah Plains in the northern Sabi Sand.

Cuan has a keen interest in southern Africa’s flora and fauna – a passion that was cultivated from a young age during family safaris to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve. After 18 years in the travel industry, he’s still particularly fond of Zambia’s Zambezi River after managing a lodge on its banks.

What are Scintilla’s values?

We’re driven by innovation and curiosity, which drives us to seek out the lesser-known wilderness areas and experiences not commonly found in the travel world. The traits that we hold dearest to us are professionalism, attention to detail and creativity – a combination of which we’re extremely proud!

What makes Scintilla different?

There are two main features of our customised journeys that stand out for our travellers.

Firstly, the properties we select are in remarkable locations that are completely different to anything else out there. We know how much of a difference it makes to go to bed and wake up in truly beautiful places and that’s a key aspect for all the lodges we work with. They’re also often run by the owners themselves, ensuring our travellers feel a sense of connection to the place they’re visiting.

Secondly, Scintilla’s journeys aim to truly connect travellers to the destination they’re visiting, through unique, authentic experiences curated by our destination experts. Our trips feature a mix of iconic, bucket-list experiences, as well as on-the-ground, lesser-explored experiences that allow travellers insight into local life and give them a real feel for the destination they’re visiting.

Of course, there are other aspects of Scintilla that are also key to who we are. We’re based in Southern Africa, so our team of travel experts has first-hand knowledge of the experiences that await our travellers. These experiences, and the lodges we work with, support their communities and environment, ensuring our travellers’ journeys uplift the regions they’re passing through.

This all contributes to our ultimate goal for our travellers: to connect them to the essence of the place they’re visiting and see them return home enlightened, transformed and inspired.

If you’d like Scintilla to assist with planning your Southern African journey of a lifetime, get in touch by completing a traveller enquiry and one of our experts will get back to you.