I've mostly led, and as much as possible still try to lead, an outdoors, adventuring type of lifestyle. That being said, I do enjoy my comforts and luxury just as much as the next person. I imagine it’s the challenges, both environmental and
physical, as well as the associated risks accompanying certain adventures that attract me to taking them on.
My love for mountains and walking in them began when I was given the opportunity to join my school hiking club, and once a year, sometimes twice, we’d head off during our school holidays to hike in the Cedarberg, Boland and Outeniqua mountains. When I made the move from the Cape to Kwazulu Natal it seemed perfectly natural then to continue my sojourns into the majestic Drakensberg Mountains. And having recently spent some time down in the Western Cape, I’ve simply picked up here where I left off.
In between all the hiking, and amongst various other adventures, I've embarked on a bunch of self-drive journeys. The first of which happened back in 1995, was a two month trip through parts of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and I was hooked. It was, however, to be some years before I'd get the opportunity to repeat anything quite like that again. In fact not until opting out of the corporate world, as I did in 2003, and spending the better part of the past two decades managing at high-end safari lodges within the luxury travel industry in Botswana, Malawi, Rwanda and South Africa, would that opportunity again present itself for me. Particularly when working in Botswana, where I spent
a good portion of my vacation time exploring various routes and National Parks within the country, and from there, through Namibia, and naturally back into South Africa doing the same.
The "big" trip came about when at the end of 2008 I decided to take a "sabbatical" from lodge management, and in 2009 drove from Cape Town, through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, to Kampala in Uganda, and back down to Cape Town via Mozambique. It certainly wasn't a straight there-and-back affair, but rather a smidge over 28,000km of camping, lodging, exploring and experiencing as much of those parts of Africa as possible.
As usual, along the way I did the things normal for me and captured special moments on camera and took notes. Some of these stories I've shared through writing where appropriate, and on this page, share further through photographs. Please enjoy.
Wildlife photographer Landscape photographer Safari specialist Privately guided safaris Africa outdoor travel blog
Hiking
Overlanding
Cruising the Okavango Panhandle aboard "Miss Elly"
Miss Elly
Okavango channels
John - your host, skipper, guide, and everything in between
Miss Elly
