John Cleave on His Safari Career and the Story of Tembo

John Cleave could fly a plane before he could get a driving licence. But one of the journeys that shaped his flying career was a 2,000-mile drive. He left Botswana and drove day and night to Kenya, hoping to join East African Airways. When he arrived, he learned the airline was recruiting only Kenyan citizens. At the time, he wasn’t one.

In this filmed conversation, John recalls his first years in aviation and the phone call that introduced him to Jackson Naurori.

From flying lessons to air safaris

Born in England, John came to Kenya at 16 to join his father, who had been posted there with the Royal Air Force. They shared a love of aircraft. John became a pilot at 17, earned his commercial licence and worked as a flying instructor.

He was 21 and working in Botswana when a friend called with news that East African Airways was hiring. By then, John had already learned to fly air safaris. After the airline turned down his application, he decided to keep flying small aircraft and find a way to make a business of it. At 28, he started his own air safari company, Mombasa Air Safari.

Flying became a family occupation. All three of John’s children became pilots. As John tells it in the interview, he still flies himself.

The phone call that brought John and Jackson together

The Mara had long been a major destination for John’s airline, and he wanted a reason to spend more time there. Years later, a friend returned from a stay in the Maasai Mara and suggested John call the man who ran the camp. John remembers how quickly he and Jackson struck up a friendship. Jackson had been looking for a partner, and John brought years of experience and connections in tourism.

Jackson grew up in the Mara, where he herded cattle as a child. He went on to become a guide and establish the two camps that make up Tembo by Jackson Collection. In the interview, John speaks with admiration about the work and skill that went into what Jackson built.

Two camps, two ways to spend time in the Mara

Tembo Bush Camp is in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. It’s the original camp, where mornings are shaped by game drives and evenings end back under canvas. Tembo Spirit Boutique Camp is in the Lemek Conservancy, where guests can take a guided walk or head out after dark on a night drive.

Today, Jackson and the Cleave family are partners in the Kenyan-owned collection. John spent much of his career flying people into places like the Mara. His friendship with Jackson gave him a reason to put down roots in one of them.

Read more about Jackson and the Tembo camps.

Explore Guest Stories to see the journey to the Mara, the welcome at camp and a game drive through a guest’s eyes.