With African safari, Steve Smith takes a walk on the wild side

Celebrity Traveler, Baltimore Raven Steve Smith

No one needs to tell Ravens fans that wide receiver Steve Smith roams the earth fearlessly. On the field, the five-time Pro-Bowler is afraid of no one and nothing.

Off the field, Smith divides his time between family life with his wife, Angie, and their four children in Charlotte, N.C., and his Steve Smith Family Foundation, dedicated to championing awareness and resources for causes like domestic violence and homelessness.

Smith, who came to the Ravens after spending his entire career with the Carolina Panthers, is known for his boundless energy. So it’s not surprising that he chose to spend his vacation earlier this year on safari in Africa, observing the world’s most ferocious land animals. Sidle up next to lions, herds of elephants and shrieking wild monkeys? No sweat. But don’t ask him to swim with the sharks in downtown Baltimore.

As a Ravens player, you travel a great deal with the team. So when you finally have time off, what do you like to do?

I try to go somewhere [on vacation] pretty much every off-season. I love to see the world. I’ve been to Australia, Israel, Barcelona, Italy, London, Turkey, China…I love to see how big the world is and how small we are. Last summer I went to Kenya. … I’ve [already] been to other parts of Africa, too.

Who went with you?

I went with two friends, one was my financial guy and the other was a friend of mine who built my house in Charlotte, so we became very good friends since we were dealing with each other almost every day. I was going, and he said he wanted to go out there, so I said, “Come on.”

How long did it take to get there?

We actually first landed in Dubai. So I stayed a couple of days [there] because I wanted to fly Emirates Airlines, and that goes through Dubai.

What did you see in Dubai?

I saw lavish. It was unbelievable — really crazy. It was like … Las Vegas on steroids.

Did you see the Burj Khalifa, known as the world’s tallest building?

It was cool — watched a little episode how they built stuff there, how far down they needed to go to build it.

Where did you go from there?

And then we flew to Kenya for our safari. It was April, turning into fall.

Where did you go first?

Kirurumu Under Canvas Safari Lodge in Kilimanjaro (about 125 miles over the border into Tanzania from Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport). We did a small safari there and one at Tanzania’s Ngorogoro Crater.

We were in the tented camp. My bed was netted and when I got up in the morning there was the incredible view of the park off the porch. … But you heard [makes sound of a wild cat hissing and snarling]. I went to bed praying, because it was, like, there. On our way up to our first safari, we first saw the sunrise — beautiful across the plain.

Wow, sounds scary.

Yeah. Imagine, like during a football game, 10 feet from the huddle — you can just hear everything going … and shuffling.

So what did you see?

At night we didn’t see anything. [On] our first tour we came up and saw a little monkey. And we’re like “OK, cool, great.” We get a few feet down and there were more monkeys going across the way. And then we saw a giraffe and then we didn’t see anything for a while and all of a sudden it starts. There was an anthill about 10 feet high. Then there was this elephant, just wandering down the road and eating a tree. Then we saw [an entire] herd. The skylines were magnificent.

The next morning at about 7 a.m., we went to Mount Kilimanjaro — I got a little nauseous going up there because of the altitude, and you’re just winding [around the mountain]. That entire thing took all day. But the views were just incredible … the color of the sky, too … like nothing I’ve seen. When we got back to the camp, there were some locals singing, which was amazing to be a part of.

Then [the next day] we went out and came upon some lions — there he is, just sleeping on the side of the road. We pulled over.

Really – were you able to get up close?

You don’t get out. You don’t bother them and they don’t bother you. [Soon after] we saw the zebras … so many, it was unbelievable.

What kind of food did you eat?

We had just about everything. We ate the culture and it was great.

Any scary moments?

When we left Kenya, there was an explosion about a mile and a half from where we were. That was scary — my wife was calling me. [Terrorist attacks and ethnic clashes are ongoing in the region, according to the U.S. State Department, which issued a travel warning for Kenya in June.]

What did you bring back with you?

Well it was really cool. In Tanzania they have the tanzanite stones. I bought my wife some earrings and my 13-year-old daughter — I got her a tanzanite necklace and little charm. I also got a lot of that handcrafted wood stuff.

What do you do to stay in shape when vacationing in the offseason?

I try to get into decent hotels to use their gym. Obviously areas like [Africa], you can’t go for a morning jog, because of the surroundings.

Do you have one item you will not travel without?

My Blu-ray player and the little adapter charger. Because I like to watch movies. Especially on a long flight like that, you’re not necessarily guaranteed to have great movies. I’m a huge Netflix fan, so I try to bring at least four movies, or a series that I can catch up on.

You get to see a lot of this country while on the road with the Ravens. Which is your favorite city to visit?

I love to go to San Diego because I’m from L.A. I love getting West Coast food: Mexican food and In-N-Out [Burger].

Where would you like to go next?

I already have my next trip lined up. Because I actually do football camps on military bases. After I signed with Baltimore, I did one in Washington (through ProCamps, Smith held a football camp at Fort Belvoir, Va., military base for the children of active-duty and retired members of the military). … So it was in front of Congress to show them what we do and so they approved it, and in the spring I am doing a camp on a military base in Germany, probably around April.

And vacations?

Spring break we’re going to go to Costa Rica. Costa Rica is nice because they’ve got a rain forest. My kids love the zip line, so they get to do that. … And Fourth of July we’re going to go to Hawaii.

Have you had the chance to explore Baltimore at all?

Yes, I stay down at the Inner Harbor, so I enjoy that, getting to know the different restaurants and neighborhoods. I took the kids to the aquarium. The area where the sharks are? Wow — little scary!

You know they have a shark encounter program where you can accompany a veterinarian?

No, I’m good. Not me.

If you go
Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Kenya is 12,100 miles from Baltimore. From there, Marangu in the Mount Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania is an additional 150 miles.

Getting there
If you, like Steve Smith, want to first visit Qatar, you must depart from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport aboard Emirates Airlines, about $892 round-trip. If you prefer to depart from closer to home, both United and KLM fly from Dulles International through Amsterdam into Nairobi, beginning at $931 round-trip. The cheapest days to fly are Wednesdays on the outbound and Mondays on the return.

Where to go
There are numerous safari options around Tanzania. Steve Smith chose an Under Canvas experience at Kirurumu Ngorongoro camp, which specializes in luxury tented lodge accommodations. His safari tour took him through Mount Kilimanjaro and other parks in the region.

Information
For travel in this way, choosing the right tour company is essential to ensure your well-being and that you get to see all that you anticipate. For a destination like Africa, it is wise to consultant a travel agent who specializes in the region you plan to visit. Also, visitors to East Africa should be aware of ongoing security threats, according to the U.S. State Department. For more information, go to travel.state.gov.