A Safari Guide’s Tales from Zimbabwe

About the Book

This book is an illustrated collection of short stories and memories of a Zimbabwean Professional Guide who loves what he does! All of the stories are factual accounts, that happened to me, except the one about Alistair Hull, a close colleague. These stories were about incidents that happened to me during the early years of eco-tourism in Zimbabwe, prior to 2000. All of the photographs (except where indicated) were collected by myself at different times during this period, and I have attempted to present them in a sequence similar to the stories.

About the Author

The author was born to English parents in Bulawayo, in what was Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. At a very early age he showed a deep inherent interest in natural history. His hobby eventually lead him into the developing safari industry after Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, when he joined Kazungula safaris as an Assistant Manager on Fothergill Island, Kariba. Surrounded by wildlife of all sizes his affinity with wildlife and tourism matured and he obtained his Professional Guides licence in short order. He lead wilderness trails of four to six day duration deep into the Matusadona and Mana Pools National Parks. Gavin spent four years reading for an Honours degree in Biological Sciences, and started training guides for the industry too. He now is a partner in a successful custom safari operation creating and leading bespoke safaris into 17 countries in Africa. Gavin is married and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.