“If you’d have asked me as a young boy what I wanted to do with my life,
I would have answered, “I want to put on a backpack, camp in the bush,
and track elephant”.
Alan McSmith
For the past 23 years, I’ve done just that. Stirred the blood. I’ve led trails and safaris in the big game regions of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland. My lifelong adventure has treated me to desert elephants in Damaraland, tracking with San hunters in the Kalahari, numerous elephant and lion charges on foot in Okavango and hippo encounters on the ZambeziRiver.
From my first cadet rangers post at the age of 17, I’ve developed overland safaris, canoe expeditions, specialist encounters to wilderness trails, and managed safari lodges. Alan McSmith Safaris was formed in 1999 pioneering walking trails and low impact tented camps in the South African Lowveld.
Between 2004 and 2006 I made history as the first guide to lead 5 mokoro (dug-out canoe) traverses of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The expeditions explore some of the remotest country in Africa - without permanent structures, communication or support. In the process I’ve probably poled some 3000 kliometres by dug-out. While working on a manuscript about the expeditions, I met and hosted legendary conservationist Dr Ian Player, founder of the WildernessLeadershipSchool, on safari who encouraged me to foster the wilderness experience. Wilderness and wilderness guiding became a way of life for me. Some say an addiction.
I realize how threatened our regions of wilderness are, and how delicately their tenure hang in the balance. I therefore decided to up my game and in 2007 my wife Sarah and I, with the support of our close Dutch friends, co-founded the non-profit organisation, Wilderness Vision. Born around a campfire on trail, the concept is an example of the power of a simple belief. With various environmental projects we aim to raise the awareness of sustainability values in the lives of young leaders.
My beautiful wife Sarah runs the Wilderness Vision social and environmental projects, and is an accomplished caterer and safari director. I’m deeply indebted to Sarah and my wonderful children Jake (12) and Meg (8) for allowing me my freedom to travel, sometimes for weeks on end. You are all an inspiration!
