Guiding the Wild

30/08/2024

30/08/2024

Good morning.

21/08/2024

Kenya July 2025 with Andrew Goodall. Limited space available so book now. Got to Love Africa.

My 2025 photography tours are now up on the website and ready for booking. After the great success of my 2024 Tanzania tour, now comes the launch of my first...

19/08/2024

These tours run back to back and are both small group departures with just a few open places. Enquire on one or both for an amazing wildlife adventure.

22/07/2024

This Friday we will be hosting two zoom video sessions where we will give you the chance to ask questions and join this opportunity to not only explore India, but also come join us in Ladakh to track down the rarest of big cats, the elusive snow leopard.

13/06/2024

Great having a professional Photographer on tour, you don't need to look at my cell phone pictures. Thanks Andrew. Got to Love Africa

09/06/2024

A great photography tour ends but our travel family has grown and now we get to share their memories of the trip. Thanks Andrew Goodall - Photographer for another fantastic trip.

24/05/2024

Safari time.

09/04/2024

We are about half way through an amazing Kenya safari with some fantastic guests. The safari has produced some incredible sightings and even one that I would never have presumed to hope for. A striped Hyena. My first one ever to give you an idea of how rare they are.

It's also been a safari that for me has had some sightings that have reached deep into me to the point I needed some time to reflect on them. I am thinking of our sighting of the very last two Northern White Rhino, meaning this magnificent beast is basically extinct as both are female and although they have some stored s***m form the last male, you can't bring a species back from just 2 animals. These two magnificent beasts are now kept in a small enclosure for their own protection, and while I consider myself extremely privileged to have seen them (even through a game fence) I also find myself cross with the world for allowing this to happen. Wake Up as soon it will be other species.

Anyway the sightings have been fantastic and we still have a while to go. Got to Love Africa

16/03/2024

In-between the two Galapagos tours we spent a few nights exploring the highlands (Andies) and the low lands (Amazon Rain forest) with altitude ranging from 4000m to 300m above sea level.

We visited humming bird feeder stations, butterfly farms and even artisan chocolate production (yes please). We explored the highlands around their third highest Volcano and found the magnificent Condor.

Ventured for three jam packed nights into the Amazon and had an experience of a life time at NAPO Wildlife Center, were we saw both two and three toed sloth, loads of howler monkeys and so much more from posion frogs to loads of parrots at clay links.

You just can't begin to cover all we did in one post so, there will be more coming soon.

Photos are from myself, Simon Wray, Alison Hall and John Bates.

16/03/2024

What a privilege it is to guide in this magical wild kingdom.

14/03/2024

Great start to our second Galapagos trip. It is a ture wonder of nature.

10/03/2024

What a great trip we are having. Amazon has been great.

07/03/2024

Day 7 Galapagos. Today is our last full day on the boat. I find myself awake at 05.30 in my snorkelling gear wondering where the sun is as in half and hour we going snorkelling to find hammerhead sharks. It's still dark when they lower the dingy into the water. We set off as first light brightens the sky but still no sign of the sun. On route we told that if we're lucky we may see tiger sharks know locally as Galapagos sharks.

Hold on tiger sharks are like number 3 in the sharks vrs human, but then I remind my self that I have already dived with Orcas, so what tge he'll, let's do this.

Well some of us (not me) got to see a huge tiger shark and no hammerhead. Lots of other stuff but no sharks, so back in the dingy and off we move to spot 2, where I have a great sighting of a tiger shark.

Later we move the main boat and enjoy a long snorkel with loads of fish rays and even a few white tipped reef sharks. Amazing

06/03/2024

Even when we're moving there is always something to see.

05/03/2024

Day 6 Galapagos. Parked just behind the erupting Volcano, our first stop is a walk on the same island, Fernandina. We go to explore the marine agama which is found in huge numbers. We also find some Snakes that feed off the baby lizards as well as many flightless cormorants. Vivisection a Volcano cactus area and so much more.

Then we're off to do our first snorkelling outing. Target is to find some marine agama feeding and we do this easily but to me the highlight are the sealions playing and the huge diversity and volume of fish. I make a turtle friend who was just about touching me, and the more I tried to give it its space the more it wanted to stay with me. Swimming just a few cm below me

After lunch we move the main boat and then we're back in the water. We have a big male sealion come to play with us and at one point it looks looks like he is going to give me a big fat kiss.

So many turtles I loose count, at least 60 that came within 5m of me. Lots of eagle rays, as well as marble and diamond rays. Crayfish that I am sure wanted to come back to the boat with us. We also got to dive in a cave where rays and turtles and even some smaller sharks hide from Orcas. Was amazing.

Lastly we did a dingy ride along some cliffs and also into caves. Viewing so many bo***es and other birds nesting on them.

We them move the boat to the next spot but on route we're called to join the captain in the bridge as we cross the equator to much cheer.

05/03/2024

Day 5 Galapagos. Well today had an unplanned start with a wake up at 1 am. Look out the window and there is a Volcano. It wasn't erupting when we went to bed, so is that really a Volcano. Yes it is, it's the 31st eruption on that Volcano since recorded history. Anyway back to bed, to be woken up by crew to tell us of the Volcano.

So what to do when faced with a Volcano. Start the boat and let's get closer so off we go. Witnessing more and more lava flows coming down the mountain. We get pretty close but have a date with some giant tortoises. So later on that day we venture on land to go see some giant tortoises. We also found the smallest scorpion.

That afternoon we make landfall at the historic site that Darwin landed and take a walk to see Darwin's lake and another Volcano ( this one not erupting).

Back on the boat we make our way to the back end of the Volcano and that night the sky is lit bright red.

Never a dull moment when on tour with GTW.

03/03/2024

Day 4 Galapagos. Well today started off with a lovley dingy ride to see some of the tidal pools and we also landed on a fresh lava flow (not that fresh) where we could see the flow of lava and how it had cooled, as well as how quick of the plants had found it and started growing. Looking into the pools and coastal areas we saw so much like. The waters seemed infested with Turtles. Box fish bigger than I have ever seen before.

Then a snorkelling trip with produced more good fish sightings. My highlight was a flightless cormorant tugging at my fins so I turned around thinking it was a person. I then presented the bird with my second fin and once again he bit into it and then proceeded to swim along side me.

After lunch a lovley dingy ride through the mangroves where we say lions sleeping in the trees,(sealions, I am in the Galapagos keep up). Lastly we could do some kayaking as the sun started to set. Another fantastic day.

03/03/2024

So this just happened. You never know what is going to happen when your on tour with Guiding The Wild

03/03/2024

Day 3 Galapagos. Today we did a hike up a Volcano. Very nice to walk in a different habitat and find new birds along the way. Once at the edge of the crater we were shown the effect of each eruption in the past few years.

I must confess if we add a few Buffalo and Elephant it strongly reminded me of Ngorongoro.

02/03/2024

Day 2. GALAPAGOS. Today we had four activities. The first was a wet landing and a short walk to talk about the habitat we are visiting. Lots of sealion pups, penguins and so much more on this short walk. Then back to the boat to get ready for our first snorkelling outing. It was fantastic lots to see and explore including some penguins and 5 white tipped sharks.

Then lunch followed buy another snorkelling activity to find giant manta rays. Now what I am about to tell you, you probably won't believe, I am not even sure I do. Just on the dingy when an Orcas pops up not to far away about 10m. So we follow them but they are on a mission and we decide to leave them and get back to the plan of finding giant manta rays. As I get in less than a minute a beautiful giant manta comes out of the depth to say hallo and then keeps swimming, fantastic what luck. Keep snorkelling with turtles but also able to hear the Orcas communicate with each other.

Towards the end of the outing our ever present tender boats come close and say we must get in quick as there are Orcas. I presumed this was for our safety, they are known as killer whales after all. So we head towards them and have some great sightings of them playing. Next thing our lead Guide is in the water and swims towards them, after a few minutes he says what your waiting for, come join. So fins back on quickly and we hear him shouting saying they just killed a turtle. I am in the water to see them sharing this turtle and swimming around us. One comes up and gets to within 3m of me to say hello. Birds start arriving to feed on the scraps of the turtles and were right in the middle of this whole feeding experience. Words cannot express my joy and excitement.

Our forth outing was a short walk to a lagoon to see some birds and lots of flamingos, before returning to our home on the water for dinner.

The Orcas are rated as one of my top 3 wildlife experiences and will forever be part of my love for all things Wild, and will feed my drive to continue exploring and showing others all things big and small.

What will day 3 bring, how can this be topped.

29/02/2024

First day in Galapagos has been amazing. So tried as it was a long day, but was greeted but one if tge Darwins Finch before we even got to the airport terminal from the plane. Cant wait for Day 2.

29/02/2024

You know you have arrived in Galapagos when there is a Sealion sleeping in the entrance of the shop. Just another day in Paradise.

27/02/2024

Well, after years of planning and research, I have arrived in Ecuador. Seen my first Lama and several bird species in the hotel grounds.

Tomorrow I fly from the capital city Quito to Galapagos to start the first of our tours here.

The islands that represent one of the world's greatest bio diversity both above and below the water line, a place we're Darwin formed his theories, and a place preserved my its government to maintain its great appeal to all Nature lovers.

Can't wait.

04/01/2024

Very few places left for these epic tours. Join us on the adventure of a lifetime.

📸 Look at this post on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/wW43reVT1pYQ6S1q/?mibextid=K8Wfd2

NEW TOUR EVENT! INDIA + SNOW LEOPARDS, JAN/FEB 2025.
It's only the first week of January but this may be my biggest news of the year! My great friend Pierre Duval of Guiding the Wild has come up with an amazing new photography adventure for us. This is two tours back-to-back. The first tour is called ESSENTIAL INDIA and takes is to many of the scenic and cultural highlights of the country - along with numerous national parks in search of tigers, leopards, rhino and much more. The second tour takes us to the foothills of the Himalayas in search of one of the world's most elusive big cats - the snow leopard.
https://naturesimage.com.au/events/essential-india-and-snow-leopards-of-ladakh/

22/12/2023

Merry Christmas and Happy 2024 - https://mailchi.mp/1851efac1a9c/merry-christmas-and-happy-2024