A snapshot

Helle is Danish by birth, but she grew up in West and East Africa. She started her career in safaris by managing a camp in Tanzania after doing a guide course in South Africa. Subsequently Helle moved back to Kenya, where she worked with The Safari Collection and helped to set up the company’s portfolio. In 2016, she moved to the UK, where she has been working as a safari specialist.

Expert destinations

Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda.

Recent travel experience

Helle tries to return to Kenya every year to see family and friends, and she has travelled within much of East and Southern Africa during her career to date. Her most recent trip was to Kenya, where she enjoyed a safari in the ​Maasai Mara and some time at Sasaab in Samburu. Whilst Helle has spent the majority of her time in East Africa, she is delving into Southern Africa with a focus on Botswana. Watch this space as she broadens her Southern Africa knowledge!

Helle's most memorable experience

“My most memorable experience is the first time I encountered a mountain gorilla. I had decided to mark a special birthday with a trip to the D.R.C. to trek with mountain gorillas and to climb Mount Nyiragongo in the Virunga Mountains. I was so struck by these special primates and just how fragile their habitats are within East Africa. I also thoroughly enjoyed the flora and fauna of the indigenous forests, the birdlife in particular. I enjoyed getting off the beaten track and interacting with the rangers who put their lives on the line to protect these parks and all that resides within them.”

Helle’s biography

Helle’s love for Africa comes from a childhood growing up in West and East Africa, and extensive travel throughout the continent.

After she had graduated from university and experienced a couple of years working in London, the call of travel and adventure proved too strong. Helle’s safari experience started with her completion of a field guide course in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. That led to her first job in southern Tanzania, managing a safari camp, where she really cut her teeth!

After her job in Tanzania, Helle moved back to Kenya, where she worked in the safari industry for 13 years. She has enjoyed various roles as a safari guide, as a camp manager, and in other operational capacities. She worked with The Safari Collection for nearly ten years and was part of the company’s journey of building up its portfolio of properties across Kenya, including Giraffe Manor in Nairobi.

Helle moved to England in 2016. Since then, she has worked as a safari specialist, with regular returns home to Africa! Travelling is her passion, and she considers the African continent the premier destination. At Yellow Zebra she specialises in East Africa, but she has travelled extensively across most of the countries where we operate bespoke safaris.