Meet Your Leader

doing something we don’t understand!” he said. “That’s when I have to draw on my knowledge of wildlife, and the seasons, to make an educated guess. Perhaps it’s a giraffe breaking down a termite mound to get nutrients. It happens at least once a trip.”

My family has been in South Africa for seven generations and I’ve been taking people on tours for 20 years,” Graeme says when we grab a moment between guiding, cooking for his guests and doing all of the other hands-on tasks it takes to make an adventure here successful. “We get all different sorts of people, from those who have been on multiple safaris to guests that are experiencing it for the first time. It’s not fair to say I have a favourite, but I do love to see the enthusiasm of a first-timer. We are like kids in a candy store! Because a safari is on so many people’s bucketlists, when they finally get here, you can stop anywhere, even near the more common animals like impala, zebra or giraffes, and feel their joy. To me, those moments can be the best part of a trip. It’s an honour to share my knowledge of the wildlife with them and you can really feel their appreciation.”

Whether it’s seeking out the Big Five in the precious conservation area of Kruger National Park or exploring the rainforest at Robberg, Graeme says that the wonder has never worn off for him either. “I haven’t seen pangolins or aardvarks as you might only encounter them once or twice in your whole guiding career. I’m still waiting!” Even the animals he sees regularly teach him new things as he goes. “Animals do strange things, on every tour we’ll witness one

While his homeland is filled with many wonderful creatures, butterflies being his recent fascination, Graeme’s favourite comes as a surprise. Is it a mighty lion? The noble elephant? “People ask this often and when I give my answer, they look at me as though I’m strange… It’s zebra! Why? They’re just so funky! They’re like horses wearing pyjamas! Zebras are so caring towards each other too. They lie in rows, with one resting its head on the next one’s rump. You know they’re best buddies and there’s something so endearing about that!”

As well as wildlife, Graeme takes pride in sharing his country’s culture, from touring the Zulu battlefields to giving them a taste of its past influences with a well-cooked South African Malay curry.

As busy as his adventures get, he never takes it for granted. “My job is many people’s dream holiday, that they might only do once in their lifetime,” he says. “I absolutely love it, I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

We honour our top leaders each year in the Explore Leader Awards. The awards recognise hard work, passion and a dedication to your holiday’s success. Have you had an outstanding tour leader on an Explore tour? Nominate them here exploreworldwide.com/ leader-awards