Langelihle Sibanda Nkiwane, Founder - Wild Encounter Travel, Zimbabwe

Jan 22, 2025

Please tell us your name, where your business is located and what is it that you do?

My name is Langelihle Sibanda Nkiwane a philanthropist and an award-winning entrepreneur founder and Managing Director of Wild Encounter Travel, one of the leading travel companies based in Bulawayo and Harare offering travel solutions and travel information to local and international travellers. Our service menu includes facilitating flight bookings, accommodation bookings, curating travel packages etc

Tell us about how you got started.

Wild Encounter Travel was founded in 2019 out of the passion for providing seamless travel experiences. We noticed that self-directed internet searches provide overwhelming amounts of travel information making it hard for travellers to choose a reliable service provider that suits their needs. Planning one’s own trip can be daunting, it comes with a lot of stress, loopholes and errors because of lack of travel planning expertise this inspired me to bridge the gap between travellers and quality travel services and to start a travel agency that assists travellers to have a hassle free travel experience so that in rare cases of travel emergencies we will be there to resolve the problem while the client enjoys their destination of choice.

What makes your company unique?

The foundation of Wild Encounter travel is rooted in the passion to serve and provide state of the art travel experience while giving back to the community through Women empowerment programs, food hamper donations and stationery donations to the less privileged children. Hence the existence of Wild Encounter travel serves a bigger purpose than just organizing holidays meaning if you support Wild Encounter Travel you are not just booking a flight ticket but you are contributing towards a greater cause of ending education poverty and of empowering women. 

No business is without setbacks, can you tell us about a time when you faced a significant setback and how you recovered from it?

One of the biggest challenges we faced was during the COVID-19 pandemic. The travel restrictions that came with the pandemic significantly affected the growth of our business considering that the pandemic happened a few months after launching Wild Encounter Travel. This led to a significant decrease in travel bookings as travellers were restricted from leaving their countries. However, we quickly adapted by focusing more on domestic tourism and not solely rely on international tourism. This challenge provided us with a valuable lesson that allowed us to not only survive during Covid but grow networks with the local tourism market especially the B2B community. We managed to retain staff, create new income streams such as the Lph tour guide training, and continue providing travel services to the world.

How do you define success and to what do you attribute your success?

Success to me is defined as the opportunity to live within your divine purpose to dominate and make sustainable impact in the lives of those around you and the community and consistency in achieving nothing short of excellence. I attribute my success to God who is my source, my team because they always strive to go above and beyond for our travel clients and to our clients who believe in us and trust us with their holidays and to myself for believing that a young black woman can excel in a male and white dominated industry.

What's next for your business, what will it look like in 5 years?

We are looking forward to establishing a campsite in Matopos to promote rural tourism and to scale up into a global recognised brand providing employment opportunities to hundreds of youths across the country, contributing significantly to environmental conservation efforts and community development.

What do you think the future holds for Africa-focused entrepreneurs and advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are just starting out?

The future for African entrepreneurs is bright for those that are willing to stop complaining about the economy and identify opportunities in the challenges faced by Africa. My word of advice is that Opportunity finds its way to those who have something of value to offer the world so get up and offer valuable solutions.

Owning a business while balancing a personal life can be challenging; how do you take care of yourself?

Learning to prioritize high value tasks, efficiently planning your day and effective time management is crucial and setting boundaries that allow you to separate work from your personal life.

What is your favorite quote or mantra?  What keeps you going?

Self-mastery and excellence in everything is the key to success and making impact. 

What is your favorite app or a business tool that you can't live without

CRM software is my favorite business tool because it has enabled us to build and maintain key relationships with our customers.