Sebastian

About Sebastian

Inspired by a love of wildlife, Sebastian spent his early twenties guiding throughout Southern Africa, growing ever more enamoured with the sub-continent. Following years of working as a tour operator based back in London, Sebastian joins the YZ herd ready for his next adventure.

Expert destinations

Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Sebastian's recent travel experience

Sebastian was lucky enough to experience a magnificent two week trip back to northern Botswana for the first time in close to a decade. After a brief and exciting stint in the Central Kalahari, he hopped around much of the Okavango Delta for some off-the-beaten-track safaris. Highlights included a hair-raising African wild dog hunt, tranquil mokoro rides through lush reedbeds and mesmerising boat safaris showcasing some of the continent’s best birdlife.

Sebastian's most memorable experience

“As with everybody else on the team, it’s pretty tough to narrow it down. I’m a sucker for the smell of the earth immediately after the first rains, or the excitement in hearing the first returning cuckoos of the season, but perhaps one of the most elating moments was when an elephant gave birth in the camp in which I was working. Understandably, we all awoke to a bit of a mess the next morning. I was tasked with tracking her on foot to get some photos of the newborn; and to my surprise, they had managed to wander a fair distance. The dense green season foliage didn’t help my chances, but that evening I finally managed to catch a glimpse of the protective mother and her precious youngster – umbilical cord and all!”

Sebastian's biography

A traveler from the get-go, Sebastian was born into a family of documentarians and travel writers, in London. After finishing school and finding mixed success as a session musician, he was given the opportunity to volunteer at one of Malawi’s most revered safari camps. Having been obsessed with flora and fauna since before he could remember, he decided this was not a chance to be passed up.

The ensuing few years saw Sebastian training up as a guide on the Zimbabwean side of Victoria Falls and working primarily for Wilderness Safaris in Malawi. Based mainly at Mvuu Camp & Lodge in Liwonde National Park, he was fortunate enough to later be posted in the largely overlooked but undeniably spectacular Nyika National Park. His new home served as a springboard from which to explore much of the wider region, leading to stints as a trails guide in the remote north of South Africa’s Kruger National Park, as well as a roving guide taking him over the Malawian border into Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park.

Eventually searching for something more familiar and well-trodden, Sebastian returned to London in 2016 to begin using his broad knowledge of safaris as a tour operator, both independently and for larger organizations. During this time, he was able to explore East Africa in much more depth whilst keeping his familiarity of Southern Africa strong with frequent visits – for educational trips and private guiding tours alike.

With an aptitude for spreading his infectious love of the bush, Sebastian joins us at Yellow Zebra to help people in pursuit of their own African escapades.

Reviews from Sebastian's recent travelers