CASSIE
When my parents flew us out to South Africa when I was aged 6, it was the beginning of a never ending love story with the continent. We were lucky enough to live 30 minutes away from the Kruger National Park and 2 hours from Mozambiquan border, both of which leant themselves to some pretty incredible experiences. In amongst the various African travels to the likes of Angola and Malawi, we ventured further afield to places like Alaska, Antarctica and Indonesia and Nepal, but we always end up veering back to Africa.
Anyway, the travel bug got me at a young age and has led to numerous solo trips to South America, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand and eventually it dawned on me that a career in travel was what I wanted. So here I am! Being able to facilitate and inspire others to visit Africa, whether it be for the first or fifteenth time, is an absolute pleasure.
MY FAVOURITE PLACE
Always my least favourite question! However, Sri Lanka is definitely a strong contender for this one. The variety of experiences that the country has to offer from the culture, the INCREDIBLE food, the smells, the surfing, the beach and the hiking is just fantastic. I certainly will be going back one day.
MY FAVOURITE LODGE
Another tough one, but I think it would have to be Dunia Camp, a beautiful property in the heart of the Serengeti, Tanzania. Most notably, this camp is Africa’s first (and only) all women operated camp, an impressive feat in itself. The service, food and experience are second to none, all whilst being made to feel right at home in complete wilderness. Nothing beats exchanging stories & listening for animals around the campfire in the evening.
MY MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE
Waking up at 2am whilst camping at Mana Pools in Zimbabwe to some eery noises outside. A little bit nervous, I woke my brother up and he reassured me that we were fine and went back to sleep. The following morning, it transpired that there were some visitors during the night – hyenas scratching on our tent, as well as some rather large elephant footprints just a couple of inches away. Nothing beats close encounters with wildlife!
MY TOP TIPS
- “The only man (person) I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – for he has so much to look forward to”. Go! Go to Africa, you’ll never regret it
- Embrace the experience. Things don’t always go to plan, but it all adds to the adventure. Trust the process and enjoy it
- Take a thin scarf. It’s space efficient, great for extra warmth, pulling up over your nose and mouth to act as a dust cover, camera lense wiper, wrapping delicate gifts in, the list goes on
- Always accept the offer of Amarula in your coffee, it’ll never disappoint
- Become at peace with the idea of a ‘bush loo’! 3-4 hour game drives on bumpy roads make it likely that you’ll need a pit stop
PLAN YOUR TRIP
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