Think Wild.
Misguided Safaris was born from a restless curiosity, a deep desire to peel back the layers of modern life and reconnect with something older, wilder, and real. We don’t just chase lions and sunsets. We chase meaning. We track the story of humanity across open savannas, riverbanks, and ancient trails, because here in the African bush, you don’t just see the wild, you feel yourself in it.
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Our trips are handcrafted for travelers who crave connection: with nature, with history, and with themselves. Every safari is more than a bucket-list trip. It’s a homecoming to our evolutionary roots.
We believe the best safaris happen off the beaten path, guided by instinct, not itineraries. That’s why we stay small, stay flexible, and stay real. You will find perspective, wonder, and a thousand untold stories in the tracks beneath your feet when you explore with us.
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Whether you’re a photographer chasing golden light, a traveler seeking transformation, or just someone who needs to remember what it means to be alive, welcome. You’ve found the right kind of misguided. Now, let's think wild.
Meet Alex Coburn
Archaeologist, Safari Guide, Adventurer
I’ve spent my life chasing one question: Are humans still wild animals, or have we become something else?
That question has followed me from the redwoods of California, where I grew up with dirt under my nails and a head full of animal documentaries, all the way to the African savanna, a place that somehow feels more like home than the one I left. Somewhere between elephant herds and ancient stone tools, I realized this wasn’t just a career. It was a calling. There's a lot more to that, but it's a story better told around a campfire.
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I’m a paleoarchaeologist and safari guide. Which sounds impressive until someone asks what it means. So here it is: paleoarchaeology is basically archaeology, but with worse Wi-Fi. I study really old humans, the ones who didn’t have coffee, shoes, or existential crises about their email inbox. We dig up the clues they left behind to understand how we got here, and maybe what we’ve lost along the way.
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And guiding safaris? That started way back in the fourth grade when I did a class report about chimpanzees. I remember standing there and saying, “Did you know that humans and chimpanzees are related?” and watching the room go quiet. That one sentence absolutely changed my life. It set me on a path that led to archaeology, and later to becoming a park ranger with California State Parks. Even as a small kid, I knew it had to be Africa, and it had to be a life spent helping other people fall in love with nature and history.
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That’s what I love about guiding safaris. It’s not just about spotting lions or ticking animals off a list. It’s about the people you meet, the cultures you share space with, and the journey of discovering the things you never knew you never knew. A safari should wake something up in you, that old wild part that still knows how to listen to the world. Every conversation, every track in the dust, every shared meal beneath the stars reminds us that we’ve walked this path before. It's about becoming a better humanbeing.
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Over the past decade, I’ve worked hands-on with wildlife and guests from every corner of the world. I’ve seen city folks go from nervously clutching their cameras to quietly tearing up at a sunset over the plains. I've had the good fortune to meet the vibrant people who call the wild destinations of Africa home, and count them among my dear friends. There’s something universal about this place. Africa doesn’t care who you are or what you do; it simply reminds you that you belong to something bigger.
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And about the name, "Misguided Safaris." Yes, it’s on purpose. People always ask joke about it and ask if it means that I'm lost. The answer is yes, many times. But that’s the point. The best journeys never go exactly as planned. Sometimes you take the wrong turn and end up finding something better, a herd of elephants in the mist, or a great new hole-in the-wall restaurant, or a part of yourself you didn’t know you were missing. Yeah, we go big feels on these adventures.
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So that’s what this is all about. Not checklists. Not rushing from thing to thing. Just connection. To places, to people, and to nature. It's about a chance to step into the wild and remember where we came from. What's the line from the movie about lions..... "Remember who you are."
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Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about the adventure of exploring Africa. It’s about us. All of us.
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See you out there!
