Louise Dean

After ten years in the travel industry, I thankfully discovered Africa.

Now, a further 25+ years later on, it’s still my biggest passion in the world.

I love all things Africa, including:

• The wildlife
• The proactive conservation efforts
• The hospitality and the smiles on people’s faces!

It captivates your every sense, showing you the true beauty of our planet.

After getting my start in retail, I decided to go travelling abroad for six months before returning home and joining Kuoni in tour operations. Since then, I’ve never looked back!

I love visiting new places, experiencing different cultures and observing wildlife in their natural habitat. For example, being able to embark on a walking safari in Botswana and seeing the resident hippos is simply astonishing. You truly have to see it to believe it.

The fact I get to experience all of this and provide it for my clients is a dream come true.

Over the years, I’ve visited Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya and Botswana on multiple occasions. I love the vastness and the differences from one country to another. Also, the wildlife and the people living throughout mixed with vibrant cities are wonderful.

In Botswana, I found myself in the middle of nowhere on a private island in the Okavango Delta, seeing amazing wildlife and gilding silently in a mokoro along the crystal-clear waters.

But my favourite destination has to be Zimbabwe.

Zimbabweans and their resilience truly amaze me! Local communities have suffered endless shocks over the years due to political crises and the adverse impact of climate change. But even with all of this, the people continue to live life to the fullest and come out of it stronger.

Additionally, the wildlife experiences in Hwange are just superb. You’re able to see herds of elephants frolicking in the shallow pans or man-made waterholes and fierce big cats such as lion, leopard and cheetah throughout the diverse landscapes. It really is that phenomenal.

Still on my wish list to see are the mountain gorillas in Uganda and beaches of Mozambique.