About Us at Blue Moon Safaris

Blue Moon Safaris is a small specialized safari company that began in Tanzania in 1998. We are small on purpose. Last year we took less than 100 clients to Tanzania, and accompanied almost all of them personally on their trips. We do this because we love being on safari with interesting folks, and sharing our knowledge of Africa, its wildlife and its people.

We offer good, honest safaris at good, honest prices, but we are not for everybody. If you are the kind of person who believes that huge multinational corporations don’t make a better hamburger than the local corner grill, then you will probably appreciate going on a safari with a small organization like us. We believe our small size allows us to offer a level of service and personal attention that would not be possible otherwise - and it’s definitely more enjoyable! 

We try to get to know everyone of our clients personally before we even leave home, and when you arrive in Africa will be there waiting to greet you. Once on safari, we are happy to share our knowledge and passion, gained from years of experience living, working and leading safari groups in Africa.

Unless you have a friend who has been on safari with us, you may never have heard of us. There is a good reason - we spend very little on advertising or overhead, and most of our clients come to us directly from recommendations from happy clients. Since we intend to stay small, we don’t need a lot of clients, just the special ones! And the money we save on marketing and overhead, without the middleman, we pass on to in the form of great safari values. 

Thank you for considering us!

Dr Phi Giovannini


Phil got an early start traveling, moving to North Africa with his family at just 9 months old. From there he continued his foreign travels, growing up in Turkey, Japan and Europe. As an adult, Phil has been living in East Africa as the Director of Wildlife Biology Studies since winter of 1997, where he spent most of his time living in a tent while on safari. Many of his students were convinced he had the best job in the world – exploring East Africa in a Land Rover looking for exciting places and opportunities for students to do their studies.

Phil recently led the first expedition to circumnavigate Mt Kilimanjaro on mountain bikes and published an account of that adventure. He speaks swahili and has received live chickens as gifts. He is on first name basis with various bushmen, and has finally learned to make fire with two sticks! In addition to planning and leading safaris, he has taught wildlife management at California State University and works as a professional environmental scientist.

Phil met his beautiful wife, Seba while living in East Africa, and their son, Massimo, was born there at their home and small farm. Phil is an avid photographer, and many of the pictures shown on this site were taken from his own safari expeditions.

Phil has also worked extensively overseas in Egypt, Eritrea and Costa Rica, and has done work at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology in Oahu, with the Senate Committee on Natural Resources in California, and onboard Japanese fishing vessels in the Bering Sea.


Dr. Randy Mager


I love to travel. My family moved to France when I was in second grade and I became hooked while visiting various countried throughout Europe. We all went to South Africa when I was 12 and spent a glorious 2 months visiting the wildlife reserves and many other places in that country with my family. Later, on my own, I went to Mexico, back to Europe, Canada, Liberia (Peace Corps), Egypt, Israel (fish farming), Tanzania, Cambodia, and throughout the U.S.

The best part of travel is the people you meet. Both the folks that live wherever you are, as well as the other people that are passing through. People that are willing to travel outside of their comfort zone to see new sights and have new adventures are a different breed of folk and well worth making their acquaintance. That's why I love leading these safaris. Not only is Tanzania an incredibly beautiful place and the people there friendly, generous and wonderful, but the people that want to go on our kind of safaris are the kind of people I enjoy spending time with.


As a counseler, and finally director, of the award winning summer camp, Earth Camp One I organized and led many week-long wilderness backpack trips, climbs up Mt. Shasta, and trips down the Pit River. On my own, I have kayaked and canoed down rivers throughout the west and backpacked throughout the Canadian Rockies, Colorado and California. I enjoy nature and made it the focus of my professional life-  with a Ph.D.  in ecology and a profession in river habitat restoration for the State of California. It's really fun traveling around Tanzania on safari and seeing the wildlife and habitats, helping people understand some of the ecology of the area, and talking with the guides and reserve managers about the areas and animals.

Phil and I met when we were in grad school getting our MS in International Agricultural Development back in 1986 and stayed friends throughout our doctoral studies. It's a wonderful thing to work with somebody that shares a common vision and who is such a good friend. Our families have a good time together and it will be fun on safari with them all this summer. I live in Davis, California with my wife and two sons. My boys, 6 and 9 are really looking forward to going on safari this summer, and it should be a really great summer.

Meanwhile, I hope we get a chance to chat and swap stories with you as the sun dips over the horizon and the African stars come out. See you there.
Randy