A snapshot

Fiona has always loved travel. Her love for Africa came from volunteering in Zambia during her university holidays. This passion for Africa led to working in Tanzania for a safari company before heading back to the UK, where she has worked in the safari industry for the past 15 years.

Expert Destinations

Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Ethiopia

Recent travel experience

In August 2023, Fiona went to Bazaruto Island in Mozambique, Victoria Falls, and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe with her family. The ages ranged from 9 to 80 years old! But there was something for everyone! They saw and did so much together, from seeing whales and dugongs in Mozambique, to enjoying incredible elephant and lion sightings in Hwange, to experiencing heli flips over Victoria Falls. A truly memorable holiday.

Fiona's most memorable experience

“It is so hard to narrow this down! However, I think tracking gorillas in Uganda has to be one of my favourites. We had to work hard to see them, trekking for 3 hours through hot thick forest, up and down steep muddy slopes, clambering over trees, and wading through streams! However, it was worth it, being on foot, having to work for it, and being without the protection of a car makes it even more special! Spending an hour with these incredible rare animals, at times only an arm’s length away, was awe-inspiring, spine-tingling, and slightly scary! They were so human-like, gentle and social with each other, it was easy to forget they are also immensely strong wild animals who deserve respect. An unforgettable experience.

On a visit to Tanzania, I went walking with Maasai guides from the Empakai Crater in the Ngorongoro Highlands, down into Lake Natron. This area is stunningly beautiful, and once you are away from the main crater there are very few people, except the occasional Maasai warrior. This is Maasai land. Learning about the Maasai way of life from the guides whilst walking through this wild, remote area is really special.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to explore northern Ethiopia by helicopter, which was extraordinary! Flying by helicopter, whilst removing you slightly from the reality of life on the ground, enables you to get to some really remote areas. One great memory was landing in the bottom of an extinct volcano in the Danakil depression, an area very few people reach, swimming in the natural volcanic pools and finding fossils that had been untouched for centuries. Just highlighting the extraordinary diversity that the continent of Africa can offer.”

Fiona's biography

Fiona was born in Hong Kong and spent her early years in Venezuela, which sparked her interest in travel and adventure. 

Whilst studying Geography at Edinburgh University, Fiona was able to make use of the long summer holidays to travel. Her love of Africa started here, when she volunteered in Zambia for a month before backpacking through Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. After university and a stint working in a ski resort, Fiona joined an expedition company planning expeditions for schoolchildren, where she accompanied them on volunteer and trekking projects in various countries in Africa. From there, she moved into the luxury safari industry and lived in Tanzania for 8 months, working in operations for a safari company, looking after guests and exploring the parks. Returning to the UK, she has worked for a few well-known safari operators and she has been lucky enough to travel back to Africa many times through work and with family, exploring Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Mali.