Safari Blogger Profiles

Paul Steyn

Paul Steyn spends his days submerged in the world of digital story telling. When coming up for air, he prefers it to be somewhere in the middle of the wilderness. He is obsessed with finding new and interesting ways to distribute content to all those who love and connect with Africa.

Holly Meadows

Born and raised in the rural British Counties, my mother began life on a sugar farm in Zululand. After reading Anthropology at university in London, working for a political activist filmmaker in India, and doing a short stint under the bright lights of Bollywood – I decided it was time to return to the motherland. To earn a crust in the name of wanderlust, I finished up a post grad in media and hotfooted around South Africa as a freelance travel journalist. Now, I’ve landed up in the hallways of Safari magazine. If your heart beats for Africa follow this blog & check out Safari.

Peter Borchert

Cape Town-born Peter Borchert has a career in publishing spanning four decades. In the early 1990s he founded the award-winning magazines Africa Geographic and Africa – Birds & Birding. He has travelled widely in Africa and has written extensively about the continent.

Justin Bonello

Cook, traveller and lover of life, Justin Bonello is the veteran presenter and producer of Cooked – a television series aired on the BBC in which the first season saw him and a bunch of friends embark on an epic 30-day foodie road trip across South Africa. He is also a published author of 3 recipe books, with Out of the Frying Pan spinning a quirky Bonello touch on quintessentially South African dishes like bobotie. Now the self taught bush-cook is busy filming a new series where he looks at how our choices as a food consumer directly impact the people and our planet. This blog brings you the best of Justin’s recipes and travel tales, straight from the horses mouth.

Marius Coetzee

Marius Coetzee is a professional safari leader and award-winning wildlife photographer . His photos have graced the covers and pages of numerous publications including Africa Geographic. Marius spent many years in the world renowned Sabi Sands Game Reserve, bordering Kruger National Park. Here he made the area’s celebrated leopards his principal photographic subject. This led to a 12 page portfolio on these shy and elusive felines in the world’s biggest natural history magazine; BBC Wildlife. With over 11 years experience in the safari industry, Marius’ knowledge of and enthusiasm for both wildlife and photography are encyclopedic.

Grant Atkinson

Growing up on South Africa’s pristine and picturesque Wild Coast fuelled Grant Atkinson ’s interest in nature and photography , skills he hones daily as a field guide for Wilderness Safaris in northern Botswana. Having travelled widely across southern Africa as well as to some of the world’s top wild places (the Galápagos Islands and Alaska among them), Grant’s exquisite images and profound observations are a fitting showcase for the best of Botswana’s wildlife.

Amy Edmonds

Amy Edmonds was born with a curious nature and a penchant for exploring. She followed her bliss and became a pro-traveller; visiting far-flung, exotic places for a living. Travelling fuels her insatiable appetite for new experiences. As a freelance travel writer, she is now able to combine her two great loves, travel and literature. Amy’s quest is to share the pure enchantment that her travels have brought her and to inspire the spirit of wanderlust in others. She finds infinite inspiration in nature and our beautiful continent, Africa.

Isabella Monson

Isabella Monson is a freelance journalist who writes travel pieces for newspapers and magazines in Nairobi. More recently she has begun writing a biography in Naivasha. After completing an Anthropology degree in London, Isabella returned to Kenya where her mother was raised. Following in her father’s footsteps, she decided to pursue a career in writing. Although she loves nothing more than to follow her globally nomadic tendencies, she finds there is always something to scribble about in Kenya. Nairobi especially supplies a torrent of fuel for the writing fire, and she recommends this dynamic city to any wayward traveler.

Michael van Rooyen

Michael van Rooyen is a freelance photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Hailing from a background in graphic design and art direction, photography later became his preferred medium of visual expression. When not shooting for commercial clients, Michael enjoys applying his photographic skills to document his various travels and adventures, which have taken him as far afield as Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Madagascar and Ethiopia to mention just a few.

Juanita Welgemoed

Juanita Welgemoed grew up on the banks of the Olifants River near the Kruger Park. She now lives in Cape Town and is engaged to her best friend and love of her life, photographer Alex Aitkenhead . They see themselves as eco-warriors, passionate about documenting anything that helps protect nature and its wildlife. Together, they run several successful blogs about Animals, Photography and Hiking. Follow her on Twitter

Gillian Hazell

Gillian Hazell was born and raised in Johannesburg, but now lives in Cape Town with her husband and two children. She works part-time as a physiotherapist, and has a passion for nature and the ocean. With her family she spends at least some part of every week interacting with nature, whether it’s exploring rock pools, spending time in the sea, working in her organic veggie garden, or walking one of the many easy trails around Cape Town. She wishes her children to grow up loving the incredible African continent and realising how fortunate they are to be able to experience wildlife in it’s natural habitat.

Green Renaissance

Green Renaissance are a South African production company focusing on green content creation. Green Renaissance specialise in helping non-profit organizations and environmentally-conscious businesses develop creative content that promotes green and conservation initiatives. We find inspiration in Nature everyday and we hope to encourage others to affect change and inspire action.

Catherina Hall-Martin

I’m Catherina Hall-Martin and I’m based out in Congo Brazzaville, currently working as a volunteer for the African Parks Network. Follow my blog posts The Congo Chronicles for stories about working hard to create community development projects around the wilds of Odzala National Park.

Alessandro Bonora

Alessandro Bonora is the Art Director on Safari Interactive Magazine .After studying Journalism at university, he began a brief stint in hard news before opting for a career on the visual side of the creative word. He worked as a designer for an advertising agency during a four year spell in Rome, Italy before returning to Cape Town and joining Africa Geographic. He is passionate about digital story-telling and considers it very fortunate he gets to combine this with his love for wildlife and travel on a daily basis.

Roger Horrocks

Roger Horrocks is an environmental photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2010, Roger was voted as the Photojournalist of the Year at South Africa’s PICA Awards and his work has featured in the likes of Nat Geo Traveller. He’s worked as an underwater photographer for the BBC and in 2009 he teamed up with Didier Noirot and the Foster Brothers/NHU Africa to co-direct and produce an award winning documentary called “Into the Dragon’s Lair” about diving with Nile Crocodiles in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Colleen Begg

In 2003, Colleen Begg and her husband Keith started working in the little known Niassa Reserve in Northern Mozambique. Their focus is on promoting the place and coexistence between people and lions, leopards, wild dogs and hyena in this incredible wilderness. They currently live for 8 months of the year in Niassa Reserve with their young children, Ella and Finn. Follow Colleen’s blog posts for updates from the remote corners of Mozambique.

Alecia Cohen

Alecia Cohen is an American living in Marrakech, she is also the winner of the 2011 Morocco Travel Blog Awards. 18 years of music magazine publishing and 30 countries later Cohen started a Moroccan travel company with her berber husband Hossaine Amiri. Travel Exploration Morocco offers tailor-made tours to all the best places in Morocco, and Alecia makes sure to blog about it on the way. Cohen is an expert on Moroccan culture and the subject of “world music”. She has lectured World Bank on culture & sustainable development in Africa and hosted New York Times best selling author, Caroline Myss, on a trip to the sacred spaces of Morocco.

Judy Beyer

Hi, I'm Judy, the senior sub-editor of Africa Geographic magazine. I'm not only fixated about commas, though. I am passionate about our planet, its wild landscapes and its bustling places. People fascinate me, animals even more and wide open spaces simply mesmerise me. I've travelled some and have been privileged to see a handful of Africa's amazing sights. Oh, and I love to write.

Wild Kid

WILD KID is an all-action natural history multi-platform returnable series (13x30) whose purpose is to teach children about African wildlife, while amusing them with active, outdoor stories. It is presented by children, for children, showing them the beauty of the wild while actively educating and entertaining through its fast pace, simple narrative and stunning images. It is being produced by Dream Tent Films.

Kane Motswana

Kane Motswana grew up in the African bush, and he is an renowned tracker and photographer in Botswana. His home is the village of Gudigwa, in the north east of the Okavango Delta. Kane spends his days out in the field, leading guests on landrover and bush walking safaris all over Botswana. The bush is like his backyard and he can track down lions and leopards for game viewing like no other. Follow Kane’s blog posts for stories from the San about canoes dodging hippos & ellies crossing rivers.

Sean Messham

While taking photographs in the Cederberg, neck deep in water with a modest film camera, Sean Messham opened the shutter that he wanted to focus his energy towards environmental journalism. After finishing his Photojournalism course at Rhodes University he experienced a short stint with internal communication before finding his little niche working for bigFIG Digital Media .

Claire Craig-Nassar

I’m Claire Craig-Nassar , currently on a six-year gap year in Egypt. I’ll rejoin the world one day, but not yet. After a degree in Anthropology in London and a stint as a music journalist, I went to work in Egypt, getting paid to explore the region and drag others around with me while doing so. I now run a small B&B, Sunrise Lodge, in Dahab, Egypt, run a travel company called The Curious Camel Company and am a very proud mum to my daughter Salma. After my time in Egypt there’ll be more adventures; I just don’t know where to yet, and I like it that way.

Callum and Jemima

Meet bloggers Callum Sargent and Jemima Middleton . Take one South African with over 5 years of guiding and photography experience, add a bright-eyed Cambridge undergraduate, put them in the bush and, well, strange things happen! We are based in northern Botswana at Mombo Lodge in the middle of the Okavango Delta, where we share our love for the wilderness with visitors from all over the world. Averaging about an adventure a day, we have made the bush our home, and we have many a story to tell!

Richard Pearce

Hey, I’m Rich . I’m a solid believer that adventure is wired into the heart and soul of every human being alive. I consider myself lucky that I’m in tune with my own wiring, and carry the burden of an unrelenting wanderlust. While I like nothing more than to get my fix of adrenalin and taste the elixir of life at its sweetest, I’m deeply passionate about Africa and all its precious places, people and wildlife. After studying Journalism at university, I’m currently interning at Africa Geographic with Safari , an opportunity that I am tremendously excited about. I’m a keen writer and photographer, and my goal is to use my talents to develop my voice on conservation issues in our beautiful continent. Follow me on twitter @richpearcephoto

Harriet Nimmo

Harriet Nimmo is Business Director for bigFIG , the company behind Safari . When not dealing with clients and advertisers – Harriet is an ardent lover of all things African, and has travelled extensively across Africa, from Morocco to Zambia, Ethiopia to Madagascar over the past 20 years. Harriet joined bigFIG at the beginning of 2011 having finally made the jump and left old Blighty behind.

I do Africa

Dorette and Guillaume de Swardt not only decided to take the leap and get married but, while they were at it, also to cash in their wedding budget, pension and savings, quit their jobs, leave their rented house and follow their dream…to take a trans-African voyage. Their wild idea became even wilder when they decided to do this on their 150cc delivery motorbike… for their honeymoon. After some planning, a lot of scheming and a bit of bargaining, the newlyweds were on their overloaded bike, making their way to Egypt at 85km/h. Their desire for exploration, love of Africa, thirst for new experiences and like-mindedness promises to not only get them through Africa, but to help them find loads of adventure along the way. Visit the I do Africa blog

James Williams

James Williams completed his B.Sc in Zoology and Environmental Science and immediately did some time in the Sabi Sands reserve. Thereafter, he moved into a little thatch and reed bungalow 4m off the Zambezi River where he lived and worked as a guide in Barotseland, Western Zambia. After Zambia, he spent some time in corporate agriculture before starting his own tourism and eco-adventure business called Corporate Wildman where he hosts specialized wilderness events and runs Wildman Challenges in the best wildlife, birding and fishing destinations of Southern Africa. He lives in Hout Bay, Cape Town but will always be found somewhere in nature in his free time. He is a keen photographer and a very bad fly – tier!

Guest Blogger

In the Guest Blogger profile, you'll see fresh and exciting content from a range of contributors who have submitted their content to us on a once-off or temporary basis, including press releases, campaigns and exciting adventure and travel tales!

Gorilla Doctors

The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) is dedicated to saving the mountain gorilla species one gorilla at a time. MGVP’s veterinarians, the Gorilla Doctors , provide hands-on medical care to sick and injured mountain gorillas living in the national parks of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With only about 800 mountain gorillas left in the world today, the Gorilla Doctors believe that the health and well being of every individual gorilla is vital to the species’ survival.

Lohi Ogolo

My name is Lohi Ogolo , but you can say Low-He, and consider me a lover all things to do with naija food. I am a young Nigerian and a culinary enthusiast. My love goes back to my early years and fond memories of tasty homemade cooking. Since then I have taken gastronomy head on, teaching myself new recipes, food plating and photography. I hope you find my culinary creations inspiring enough to try them at home. Visit Loli's website

Hope for the Future

The Hope for the Future expedition team comprises of four South African university friends, circumnavigating Lake Malawi on their kayaks and raising money for charity. Caiden Lang, Guy Robertson and Matt and Marc Hampson plan to complete the 1400km of paddling unaided - no vehicle to follow them with backup and supplies! They'll be dodging hippos and crocs, fighting with swells and mosquitoes and fishing for their food, alone. They're raising money for the Hope for the Future Foundation in Tanzania. View their website: Lake Malawi Expedition

AfricaGeo Editorial

We're the Africa Geographic editorial team – a diverse set of editors, designers and social media gurus, all united by our passion for this addictive continent.

View all posts by Hope for the Future

Ryan Green

I have worked for Wilderness Safaris and affiliated camps in the Okavango since 2004. Wild places, travel, writing and photography are my passions, and for the last year I have had the opportunity to combine all of these in a position for Wilderness Safaris, where I generate media, pictures, stories and blogs about our exceptional environment. From my base in Mombo Camp, I travel to the Okavango camps of Xigera and Vumbura, on the lookout for noteworthy sightings, events, animal characters and photographic opportunities, which are then uploaded and proliferated through various digital media. Visit my website Ryan Green Photography

Safari Editorial

Hey, we're the Safari Editorial team. We're passionate about African travel, and we spend our days searching for and sharing the most unique and inspiring stories and images from mother Africa with you. Read our blog, check out our magazine and App and be inspired by Africa!

Rachel Lang

Hi, I’m Rach . If not adventuring in the African bush, the chances are I’m dreaming about it. My childhood played a big role in this passion as I was privileged to travel much of Southern Africa from an early age. Needless to say, I’m happiest barefoot with a sketchbook in hand – watching elephants at a water hole or listening to lions roaring around a campfire. Wildlife, children and storytelling are a big part of my life. Follow my adventures on my blog www.bushboundgirl.com

Marcus & Kate

Marcus and Kate are a freelance writer/photographer team, contributing stories on travel, conservation and human interest from across east and southern Africa. They just completed a year in Kenya's Masai Mara where they conducted a research project on wildlife tourism and community-based conservation, including working on projects such as Elephant Voices and Living with Lions. They are a Swedish-Australian couple with itchy feet and a love for Africa, adventure and discovery. Visit their website Life through a Lens or follow them on Facebook.

Marlon du Toit

An adventurous person by nature, Marlon has been immersed in Africa and its beauty from a young age. Growing up alongside the Kruger exposed him to the wonders of nature and has since crafted his passion for guiding and photography. As a Field Guide at Singita Sabi Sand, Marlon specialises in connecting travellers with the secret lives of some of the most amazing creatures in the wild.

Dave McAlpine

David is pastey of complexion and lily-livered of disposition. None-the-less he has been forced to overcome these genetic handicaps in order to fulfil a lifelong dream of travelling from Casablanca to Johannesburg overland. This journey has required two primary prerequisites: oodles of patience and unemployment. David has been particularly happy to oblige the second of these. When he is not unemployed he can be seen in the hospitals of KwaZulu-Natal trying to convince both patients and nurses alike that he is, in fact, a doctor. He believed that his interest in Emergency Medicine may come in handy during his travels. He was wrong. His predisposition to rashes in ungodly places would have made dermatology a finer choice. His great love is to travel and he has been fortunate enough to have stumbled through over thirty countries spanning every continent except for Antarctica. But of all of these Africa has always held the most allure and David has been happy to shed many layers of singed skin along its crazy and varied landscapes.

Karoline Hanks

I am a freelance editor/writer, ultra-distance trail runner and mother of one. My passion for the natural world and a desire to fix all that we are doing to it runs deep. In my twenties I travelled fairly extensively in southern Africa. Before varsity, I headed off to Malawi to work as a 'travelling chef' . In the early 90s, I spent about 6 very happy months working on the Zambezi/Chobe Rivers as chef-cum-guide. I am happiest when running, hiking or cycling up or down a mountain, or in big open spaces and wilderness areas, away from the madness of the city. In my freelance work, I write predominantly for school kids and almost always about matters environmental. I have an overriding interest in species, habitat loss and in looking at ways to live 'lightly'. Through my writing, I hope to whip up a desire to shift behaviour and to help people see the connections between all that they do and how the earth copes (or does not cope!)

Molly Feltner

Molly Feltner is an award-winning writer and photographer dedicated to telling stories about conservation and the natural world. With 10 years of experience as a travel writer with a specialization in adventure and eco-tourism, Molly believes that tourism, when properly managed, can help save endangered species and threatened landscapes.

Brendan van Son

Brendan van Son, a travel writer and photographer from Alberta, Canada, is the Editor-in-Chief and creator of Vagabundo Magazine , a digital magazine geared to adventure travellers who explore well off the beaten path. Brendan’s personal travel blog, Brendan’s Adventures has also become one of the most popular travelogues on the internet.

Helen & Jason Florio

British born, New York based husband and wife team – award-winning photographer, Jason Florio, and photography producer, Helen Jones-Florio – have worked together on assignments in Mexico, DR Congo, Kenya, West Africa, and the USA. They met in the Gambian bush over 15 years ago and in 2009 they made the first recorded circumnavigation of The Gambia by foot. 'A Short Walk in the Gambian Bush – a 930km African odyssey’. Jason produced what became an award-winning series of portraits of village chiefs Now they embark on their second expedition in this part of the world: ‘River Gambia Expedition 2012 – 1000km source-sea African odyssey’

Christie Fynn

Christie Fynn is passionate about wildlife, Africa, conservation and travel. She grew up exploring her grandfather’s farm in Zimbabwe and, after leaving school, spent seven years working at some of Southern Africa’s top game reserves. She then went onto work for Getaway magazine as an online travel manager and photojournalist. Her passion for wildlife conservation has most recently been fuelled by the surge in rhino poaching. She currently works in Zululand for Wildlife ACT and the Wildlife ACT Fund , companies that assist in monitoring endangered wildlife such as the African painted dog, cheetah and black rhino. Follow her on twitter @christiefynn

Etienne Oosthuizen

I am a professional field guide with an irrepressible enthusiasm for wildlife photography – a born and bred Zimbabwean, I grew up on a tobacco farm where I was exposed to the great outdoors from a young age. Now with more than 10 years guiding experience across 5 countries, and many hours spent behind a camera, I have realised that photography has the potential to become our greatest conservation tool. I now live in Zululand where I work at Thanda Private Game Reserve and am an active member of Project Rhino KZN – dedicated to the protection of South Africa's rhinos.

Anton Crone

As the world moves irrepressibly forward, Crone has lost sight of the whole damn thing. He still communicates by post meaning much of his written work never reaches its destination (he swears those lost words are his finest), however, he personally delivers his invoices. To him, digital photography is the devils work and he still inserts rods up his subjects clothes to keep them rigid for the long exposures of his myopic 19th century camera. Never commission anything from this man.

Marcello Arrambide

Marcello Arrambide, a day trader and travel blogger born in South America, is the founder and editor of The Day Trading Academy , a day trading education company teaching people around the world how to achieve financial freedom whatever the location. Marcello travels the world and writes about it on his blog The Wandering Trader , he has fond memories of East Africa with highlights in South Sudan & Somaliland.

Africa Albida Tourism

Africa Albida Tourism is a Southern African tourism operator with hotels and lodges, restaurants and parks in the region’s foremost tourist destinations with Victoria Falls as the hub. Its operations are characterized by their prime locations, and an untiring quest for quality in every aspect of product delivery.

Rani Resorts

Rani hotels, safari destinations and private islands have been designed to meet world-class standards of luxury. Beautiful bedrooms, fine cuisine, air-conditioned comfort and the highest levels of personal service are guaranteed. But what sets us apart is the sheer untouched beauty of our island, beach and wilderness locations. Our spectacular wildlife and marine adventures, we believe, are unrivaled.

winestyle

Winestyle magazine is a South African glossy quarterly magazine, along with an online community that gives you all the best and latest in wine, food, and travel! You can either subscribe for a R140 a year, and we deliver to your doorstep, or buy our magazine at local South African stores, CNA or Exclusive Books. The online community is free to join and you get all the latest news, reviews, delicious recipes, great give aways and big bargain discounts on some of SA's finest wines! Go to www.wine-style.co.za and join today.

Josie Borain

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Josie Borain was officially recognised as the first South African Supermodel. She was the Fashion Editor for Fair Lady Magazine and further success came by establishing her name as a leading photographer with over twenty years experience doing portraits, self-portraits and reportage. In 2003 she published her own life story in a book, ‘Josie, You and Me’ by Bell-Roberts. Follow the Josie Borain in Africa blog series.

Dana Allen

Naturalist, author, guide, educator, artist and professional wildlife photographer. Originally from California, Dana has lived and worked in Southern, Central and East Africa for the past twenty-five years. He currently resides in Zimbabwe. Dana founded PhotoSafari in 1991 and has led small groups of enthusiastic visitors around Africa for many years. Millions of viewers have enjoyed his images through various publications, cards, calendars and books.

Simon Espley

Simon Espley is an African of the digital tribe, although he also enjoys the odd printed magazine. He has travelled extensively in Africa – walking, driving, boating, biking, horse riding and flying his way in pursuit of wilderness and elusive birds. Simon is a chartered accountant and successful businessman in the online.social.mobile space. He is a director of Africa Geographic Holdings and bigFIG Digital Media. The views expressed in his posts are his own and not necessarily those of these entities. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.

Catherine Sempill

View all posts by Simon Espley

Christian Boix

I left my native Spain, its great food, siestas and fiestas to become an ornithologist at the University of Cape Town and to start Tropical Birding, a company specialising in bird-watching tours worldwide. The past 11 years have seen me travel to over 60 countries in search of 5,000 plus bird species. Time passed, my daughter became convinced that I was some kind of pilot and my wife acquired a budgie for company – that’s when the penny dropped. Thrilled to join the Africa Geographic team, hardly contained in an office, I look forward to reporting on new and exciting travels, and continue to share the joy of birding and exploration.

Shem Compion

Shem Compion is a naturalist and professional wildlife photographer working throughout Africa. His passion for natural areas and photography has led to a life of travel and creating environmental awareness through his photography. Shem is known for his creative representation of common subjects- leading to a diverse range of subject matter. His images have won national and international awards and his work is published worldwide. He has published three books. Shem also owns and runs a specialised photo safari company; www.c4images-safaris.co.za which run photo safaris and workshops. You can see more on of his work at www.shemimages.com

Africa, this is why I live here

If you are delighted, amused, and amazed by the things you see, do and experience whilst living in (or visiting) Africa, feel free to share your photos and stories on our Facebook page.

Christopher Clark

Christopher Clark is a British freelance journalist based in Cape Town. After travelling to more than 50 countries worldwide, he came to Africa on a one way ticket in 2008, in search of sunshine and stories. He writes for various platforms including News24 and Future Challenges and was featured as one of The Big Issue's best young writers in South Africa in 2012.

Mozambican Traveler

The Mozambican Traveler is a free digital travel magazine from Club of Mozambique, the producer of Living in Maputo, covering Mozambique and the region. This is a magazine for the English speaking community in Mozambique and for people interested in travelling to Mozambique. It is published on the last Friday of every month and regularly contributes travel tips and stories to Safari.

Tim Jackson

With degrees in zoology from the universities of Cambridge and Pretoria, Tim Jackson is mandated to keep his finger on the pulse of the science underlying African conservation and wildlife issues. His insights appear in publications such as Africa Birds and Birding, Safari interactive magazine and in Africa Geographic, where he is the scientific editor. Tim is passionate about travelling and enjoys nothing more than heading into the African wilderness with his trusty camera and notebook to uncover the latest developments and news in the world where wildlife and science collide.

Kate Pettit

Kate Olivia Pettit was born and brought up on the East coast of Scotland. After reading an undergraduate in Communications, and an MA in human rights, Kate has lived and worked for numerous NGOs and non-profits around the world. Her passion is being able to experience and learn from others, and use those experiences on her journey to discovery. She is truly invested in travel with purpose and innovative platforms to make the world go round that little bit smoother. She loves the peace and tranquillity she receives from new cultures and norms, and as a skier and rock climber, she is a natural thrill seeker, and thrives off the inner euphoria’s she recieves from adventure travel. Following a generation of footsteps on her mother’s side, she has followed her dream and become a freelance writer.

Tessa Melck

Born and raised on a farm near Velddrif on South Africa's Cape West Coast, Tessa Melck is made for adventure. After spending five years working on luxury Super Yachts in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, she has taken her life to the next level, competing in the 2013 Tour d'Afrique – a cycle race from Cairo to Cape Town, covering 11 different countries over a distance of 12,000 km in just four months. Adding heart to her endeavour, she is doing this in aid of the Make A Difference foundation, a charity that gives financial support to deserving young people to pursue an education. Follow her on Twitter, donate to her charity (tdatessa.givengain.org), or find her on Facebook.

Rachel Macneill

Originally from the far reaches of Northern Canada, Rachel MacNeill has been involved in community development and social justice work since she was a teenager. For the past year, she has worked as a freelance travel writer and NGO development advisor in Zanzibar, Tanzania. For the next few months, she’ll be traveling around the region, getting off the beaten track and discovering the other side of Tanzania.

Carole Deschuymere

Carole has a clothing shop in Belgium, but discovered her passion for wildlife and photography during a trip to Botswana. Back home after that first trip, she became disappointed with the quality of the pictures she brought back, and decided to take a few photography lessons and attend some workshops. Then arrived the time to fully commit “bite the bullet” – she invested in a professional camera setup and gear. She has since returned to Africa in what some would describe as almost fanatical if not obsessive fashion. She has visited Botswana several times, South Africa with a vengeance, Zimbabwe with loose abandon and has recently fallen in love with Kenya. She is nowhere more at home than when totally surrounded by nature and immersed in the moment and her shot - especially when lost of hair, horns, tusks, fangs and claws are at work. For Carol, nothing matches the thrill of seeing wildlife in action and capturing that moment has become her life quest.

Dmitri Markine

Dmitri began capturing images at the age of 7,playing with his grandfather’s film cameras. Overtime his passion for arts and photography grew, but only in an art school he realized that the dream can become a reality. In 2003 Dmitri Markine Photography was finally established. Since then his work was featured in numerous publications and won more than a 100 national and international awards in Wedding, Journalism and Wildlife categories. He was recently named one of the top 10 wedding photographers in Canada and is currently one of the most sought after photographers in the World! There is not a place in the world he would not travel, in order to get unique shots that he truly wants. And there is not a thing he won’t do to get that perfect shot. It is not uncommon to see him kneeling, laying on the ground or bent to an awkward position just so that the camera can capture what his eyes see. Visit his website, and blog to get more insight on what makes Dmitri so different from all other photographers.

Stu Cooper

Hi! I am Stu, a long time early adopter of the interwebs and digital technology with the goal of avoiding working 9 to 5 for some management type corporate person. I build websites for moolah, take photo’s for inspiration and generally believe there is more to life than working for a living. I like beer, shooting the breeze and my couch. Which is not coming with me unfortunately. Currently embroiled in a giant road trip around South Africa you can follow me on Twitter - @going_homeless or on facebook.com/thegoinghomelessproject, visit my blog goinghomeless.co.za or better yet, see you on the road.

Robyn Bowden

Cape Town born Robyn Bowden works in the digital side of Africa Geographic looking after all the social media and online marketing. When she's not spending her time online she loves to escape to the Bushveld and explore South Africa. Her passion for horse riding and bird watching has taken her across the country.

Jeff and Kerryn

Jeff Tyser and Kerryn-lee Maggs like writing stuff, designing things, taking photos, flyfishing, watching birds, collecting illustrations of birds, drinking beer, drinking wine, Landrovers, Africa, avoiding work and, most of all, discovering and exploring amazing places. Kerryn grew up in the wilds of the Kruger Park, where she developed a love of all things nature. Jeff grew up in the wilds of Jozi’s northern suburbs, where he developed a chronic longing for all things nature. They live in Jo’burg, where they both work as freelance creatives in the advertising industry. Last year they said goodbye to all of that, packed as much gear as they could into their Landy, Andy, and struck out on a big adventure around Southern Africa. 5 months later, they returned home with the best suntans of their lives, one very scruffy beard, a whole bunch of new friends, about R7 to their names and a lifetime’s supply of amazing memories. Along the way, they also learnt a few things about getting the most out of a limited budget. Read about their travels here. Or catch them at thelostandfoundblog.tumblr.com, or on Twitter (@Jeff_Tyser, @KERRING_LEE, @iamandythelandy). Andy’s a bit slow on the tweets. But then again, he is a car.

Scott Ramsay

Photojournalist Scott Ramsay spends most of each year exploring Southern Africa's protected areas, taking photographs and interviewing the experts who work in the protected areas.Through his work, he hopes to inspire others to travel to the continent's national parks and nature reserves, which Scott believes are Africa's greatest assets, and deserve to be protected at all costs not only for our own survival, but for their own sake. For more, go to www.yearinthewild.com or www.facebook.com/yearinthewild. Partners include Ford Everest, Goodyear, Cape Union Mart, K-Way, Globecomm, SANParks, CapeNature, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Eastern Cape Parks.

Porini Camps

Porini Camps are small luxury rustic eco-camps in private conservancies within the Maasai Mara, Laikipia and Amboseli ecosystems, Kenya. Our camps are situated on lands leased from local communities and are staffed by local people, making your holiday with Porini a truly meaningful experience for all concerned.

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Limpopo-Lipadi

Limpopo-Lipadi is a large (32,500 ha) game and wilderness reserve located on the northern banks of the Limpopo River in the Tuli Block of south-east Botswana. The owners are a diverse community from around the world who want to conserve and protect the African wilderness, and who treat Limpopo-Lipadi as their home away from home. The reserve is large enough to sustain a natural predator-prey balance, thanks to varied habitat types, and boasts diverse game viewing, phenomenal bird watching, fantastic landscapes and an extremely low visitor density. River Camp comprises seven discrete lodges positioned along the river for maximum privacy for each owner party. Owners and their friends have the option of self-drive or guided game drives and catering options range from fully-catered to self-catering. Activities include game drives, walks, fishing, viewing hides, bush picnics and simple relaxation. The management team based on the reserve is very discrete and respectful of privacy. This unique model empowers owners to leave a legacy without having to deal with the complexity and costs of managing their own game reserve. Go here to find out more or to make a discrete investment enquiry.

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