Kili McGowan

Chief Executive Officer

Kili McGowan was born in Berkeley, CA to a family of pioneers and adventurers. Her father, Richard McGowan, was a renowned American mountaineer, guide, explorer and entrepreneur, and her Canadian mother, Louise, grew up on the frontier of northern British Columbia.

Named for Kilimanjaro, Kili went on her first safari in Kenya and Tanzania when she was just a year old. As a five-year-old, Kili’s fluency in French helped defuse a tense situation near the border with Equatorial Guinea when she was able to interpret for her dad! She has traveled extensively in remote areas of the world from the Sahara to the Himalayas and joined her family’s specialty African safari business, Next Adventure, in 2005.

As a result of her travel experience, knowledge and passion for Africa’s wild places, wildlife and cultures, Kili is one of the youngest Africa specialists and entrepreneurs in the industry, handling customized safari arrangements that often include special experiences such as gorilla tracking, camel-supported walking and birding safaris.

Having graduated from UC Berkeley, with degrees in both Biology and Anthropology, Kili continues to pursue her interests in travel, wildlife, evolution, archaeology and particularly photography. In recent years, she has traveled widely in Western Europe and Southern, East and North Africa both independently and as a safari escort and translator.

View Kili’s personal photography portfolio!