The beginning

How it started

A stapled flyer and what came after

We organized and led our first Safari in 2009 while we were in college in California. It was a simple way to pay for our tickets home for the summer, and it grew from there.

We led those first groups off the beaten track in northern Tanzania, through Maasai communities we'd known for years. We made makeshift camps and slept out in dry riverbeds, climbed waterfalls, got incredibly dusty, saw wildlife up close in a way most people never will, and ended it all soaking up the sun on the beaches of Zanzibar. Those first trips were rugged and improvised, and honestly, that was part of the magic: we fell in love with watching other people fall in love with traveling in Africa.

The original 2009 safari group with Jesse and Trevor in a dry riverbed in northern Tanzania, three vehicles loaded up and a group of young travelers
Maasai community and landscape in the East African highlands
Ngorongoro highlands and crater country
Simple bush camp in northern Tanzania
Group climbing a fallen acacia tree to look out across the northern Tanzania bush on an early safari
Cape buffalo on the savanna in northern Tanzania

The Early Years

Jesse Borden, co-founder and conservation ecologist, Old Mountain Tours and Explorations

Co-Founder  ·  Conservation Ecologist

Jesse
Borden.

In 2022 Jesse earned his PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida. Over the past decade he has worked across multiple continents, conducting herpetological research in Kenya, studying canopy species across Florida, assessing the impacts of cities on wildlife in Europe and across North America, and doing conservation projects in Saudi Arabia. He speaks multiple languages, including Swahili and Maa, and is working on Arabic. Jesse has also taught field courses and led student expedition groups in Belize and contributed to protected area planning as part of the global 30x30 initiative, a worldwide effort to protect 30% of the planet's land and ocean by 2030.

At his core, Jesse is a field ecologist. While he has published scientific papers and often builds models on his laptop, his favorite place to be is out in wild places observing the natural world up close, in the dark with a headlamp, from the top of a canopy, or somewhere with binoculars tracking a new bird.

Jesse conducting herpetological field research at night with a headlamp Field research
Jesse leaning against a Land Rover Defender deep in the bush of northern Tanzania Leading expeditions
Jesse doing canopy research, ascending a large tropical tree with a helmet and ropes Canopy research

Co-Founder  ·  Expedition Designer

Trevor
Borden.

Trevor is a creative designer who loves building functional and beautiful experiences. Through the years, he has applied his expertise to everything from intricate carpentry and software design, to writing music and planning unparalleled adventures. He finds deep satisfaction in tailoring itineraries to guests' interests and coordinating behind-the-scenes logistics so your trip feels effortlessly smooth. He has deep operational judgment, a thorough network of guides and local relationships in East Africa, and a quiet obsession with making complex plans work seamlessly on the ground.

He has spent his years learning to adventure in rural bush settings, and is incredibly competent at solving nuanced and often dusty problems. He is the sort of person you want by your side when your vehicle gets stuck in the mud or your motorcycle's ECU fails. It's not that he wants things to go wrong, he just loves a good challenge and getting to the other side of it.

Trevor Borden sitting by a small campfire at dusk in the African bush
Trevor Borden beside his dirt motorcycle on a muddy, rocky track Crossing East Africa
Trevor Borden with his young son in a safari vehicle in Tanzania, the boy pointing at wildlife At home in Tanzania
Trevor Borden laughing while dragging a loaded bicycle through mud at night on a bikepacking trip Bikepacking in the field

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