A FGASA Nature Guide and South African Tour Guide, Walter enjoyed an extensive guiding career in Southern Africa, leading tours in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi. Looking for a change of direction within tourism, he combined his hands-on guiding experience with a Business Administration degree to establish Safari Online in 2005, allowing him to blend theory with practical aspects of the travel industry.
My favourite safari destination is the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia. It is extremely beautiful – the rugged escarpment, the African bush, the wild Zambezi River – and has so much to offer in terms of activities and experiences: day and night game drives, guided nature walks, river cruises and canoe trips. There are only a few safari camps available – either in the park itself or on a private concession – so there are never many other visitors and I especially like the chance to visit local communities.
This would be in the northern part of the Okavango Delta. We were wild-camping on an island without many home comforts – a true ’back to nature’ experience. One afternoon I was on the island on my own, looking after camp and preparing food, when I looked up to see the whole camp surrounded by elephants feeding from the surrounding thorn trees – in fact, they ended up right inside camp! What a thrilling experience this was! To be among these silent, gentle giants, surrounded by a beautiful wetland paradise, with no sign of anyone else – this moment was deeply ingrained in my heart and flooded me with joy.
My personal favourite must be fishing in Africa’s wilderness areas. And not just for any fish: tiger fish – the most exciting freshwater game fish in Africa. My perfect day in Africa involves standing on a boat waiting for the bite of a ’tiger’ while surrounded by crocodiles and hippos – preferably somewhere in the middle of the Zambezi River or Okavango Delta! Fishing for tiger fish, for those who are keen, is one of the seasonal specialties of the Zambezi River – the best time to catch them is during the hotter months from late August to mid-November which is also a great time for game viewing.
