Hurry, boy, she’s waiting there for you ~ Toto: Africa
About the safari team
Ute
Ute Sonnenberg is a consummate Africa travel specialist. She has been planning and implementing successful safari tours, retreats and wildlife photography experiences for decades. The fine details of planning and logistics are quickly and easily resolved by Ute, who presents clients with a detailed itinerary, fully costed. Hailing from a background of psychology and economics, she is graced with a sympathetic and well-organised mind that focuses on her client’s safari wishes. Ute will help you create your perfect African safari. She has considerable first-hand knowledge of all the safari regions and loves to get behind a camera to capture wild moments. For Ute, every safari is personal and unique. Ask her to help you plan; she is happy to share. Based in Johannesburg, she has a networking team in Europe, the USA and Australia. See more.
John
John Grant is a Cape winelands specialist with a stellar reputation for bringing South Africa’s globally-acclaimed wine estates to life. His fascinating insights and knowledge translate into highly enjoyable tours from Cape Town to Stellenbosch, Paarl, Hermanus and beyond. Consequently, he is highly sought after for his small group wine tours in South Africa’s lyrical wine growing area. As a child growing up in Zululand, Natal province, he experienced the Kruger Park as many South African families do. Frequent holidays in the Park were enjoyed ‘en famille’ and this, after all, is what the Kruger Park is known for. It is a people’s park, originally created by the state a century ago to conserve dwindling numbers of the so-called Big 5, those five iconic creatures most hunted by trophy collectors. Seeing the synergy in his wine touring expertise with their African bushveld passion, John and Sherry-Linn added a safari element to their enterprise. Their focus is on wildlife experiences for discerning clients, offering quality safaris whether budgets are at mid-range or luxury levels. They have partnered with lodges where service delivery “goes the extra mile”. This is John’s own ethos, ensuring his clients keep returning for more. See more.
Marianne
Marianne Birrell is an ex-teacher and journalist who wandered into a “right time, right place” moment long ago, which led to a year of working in a Sabi Sand Game Reserve lodge. This period fostered a deep appreciation of the bounteous nature of Africa, its peoples and its fascinating wild creatures; of timeless nature in perfect balance. “When I understood, finally, the extent of the living treasure we have in Southern Africa, my back yard, I felt compelled to share it far and wide. To experience it in real time is a gift that words don’t adequately describe. Come and see it for yourself ~ these days, it’s so easy.” Having lived in the Kruger area for almost a decade, it was there that she started her safari booking service in 2001. She and her husband visited dozens of private game reserves and safari lodges in the Kruger region and beyond. Extensive international travel, plus a 5-year corporate stint in Geneva helped her to gauge the expectations of international travellers. Her advice to first time safari visitors to Africa? “Leave the digital world behind for a while; it’s not going away. For pure inspiration, breathe in the wildness and freedom here. Smell it. Feel it. Touch it. Here you are at one with great beauty and abundance. You’ll feel a strong sense of ‘yes, now I understand’, as you experience the heart and soul of Africa. Plus you’ll meet wonderfully interesting people here, too!”
Marianne has just dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s (transfers, diet preferences, payments etc) on her final safari itinerary. “This is for a UK couple whose safari honeymoon tour I helped plan and book almost 10 years ago. It seems auspicious to bow out at this moment. I have truly loved helping travellers into the wilds of Africa for the past 25 years; it has been an honour to serve my gracious clients. John and Ute will continue doing plans and bookings; I’ll be offering advice and recommendations to past clients.”