LINDA

About Me

My love of travel and exploring new places started when I was a child in South Africa. Every year with my family, we would head off on our annual beach holiday to The Garden Route. My mother and I always needed to know what was around the next corner of the beach and explore every rock pool until the sun went down. We always stopped at small towns and any nearby attractions just to see what was there, because, why would you not want to explore as much as possible? So when I finished school, there was really only one career I could think of, Travel and Tourism.  So for the last 25 years, I've had the great privilege to work in this wonderful, exciting career and get to explore South Africa and far beyond. 

My Travel Experience

Aside from my in-depth exploration of South Africa, I have also had the chance to visit Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia,  New Zealand, Italy, France and Germany. I've also explored Kenya, Tanzania,  Uganda,  Rwanda, Botswana, the Republic of Congo and Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Among many travel experiences, I've walked on glaciers in Argentina, explored the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia, descended into the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam and hiked up the Torres del Paine in Chile. 

My Favourite Experience

Although I love safaris, whether it's spotting "The Big 5", waiting next to a river to hopefully see a famous river crossing in the Maasai Mara or walking with a safari guide in Ruaha learning about the birds and animal tracks, my personal favourite experiences have been tracking gorillas through the jungles of equatorial Africa. 

My favourite gorilla tracking experience happened in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, I was balancing on the soft soil and compacted undergrowth, half hiding behind a bush while trying to get a good angle for a photograph, when the tracker started shouting at me “just stand still, just stand still” in a very urgent voice. I looked up and saw a young male gorilla (known as a “blackback”) running towards me, I froze and he ran right up to me and slapped my leg (luckily not too hard..) and carried on running, a few meters away from me, he turned to look back as if to say, 'tag, you're it'. So I can officially say that I was slapped by a gorilla! 

My Top Tips

Gorilla tracking tip: Always try to wear boots and gaiters on your gorilla trek. If you don't have gaiters my suggestion is to tuck the bottom of your trousers into your socks, this may not look the most fashionable but it will stop ants and other insects from climbing up your legs when you are standing in the forest watching the gorillas. 

Safari tip: it is best to wear light, neutral-coloured clothing, which is also breathable. This helps you blend into your surroundings better and will keep you cool. Some parts of Africa have Tsetse flies, which are attracted to dark colours, so navy blue and black are not recommended. 

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