Meet the team

The Expert Team

We believe that to get the best from a trip to Africa, you need impartial advice from people who know Africa well, have actually been to the places where you are thinking of travelling and can advise you from first-hand experience – like our team!

To reduce spam, we haven't written all of our email addresses below. But all follow the form:
first-name dot second-name @ expertafrica dot com ( Please always copy your email to info @ ... )

Chris first went to Africa in 1987, after reading physics at Queen's College, Oxford. He taught for almost three years in a rural school in Zimbabwe (with VSO), and during this time travelled around extensively. In 1990 he co-authored the Guide to Namibia and Botswana for Bradt Publications: the first English guidebook to these countries. On returning to the UK, he spent three years as a business analyst and shipbroker for P&O in London.

Leaving the city, Chris joined Sunvil Holidays in 1994 to concentrate on what he enjoys most: Africa. The passionate and pioneering company that is Expert Africa grew out of this, and remains a proud member of the Sunvil family of travel companies.

Chris feels very lucky to be doing what he loves, and to have an amazing team of specialists working with him.
He is committed to responsible travel, and regards extensive travel for the whole Expert Africa team as essential – helping everyone to keep up to date and give the best advice possible.

In 1996 Chris wrote the Zambia guidebook, for Bradt Travel Guides; then the first guidebook to Zambia. The fourth edition of this guide was published in Jan 2009. He followed it in '98 with a new Namibia guide and in 2003 with a new book on Botswana; both are now in their 3rd editions. He and his wife, Susan, have co-authored three new Zanzibar guides, and he recently co-authored a couple of guidebooks to Tanzania. Chris's regular research trips to Africa help to ensure that up-to-date new editions are produced regularly.

Chris is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and periodically contributes to various papers and magazines, from Wanderlust, BBC Wildlife and Travel Africa to The Independent and The Telegraph.

He has been an expert panel member for two of DFID's business challenge funds in recent years, and a director of AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators) for the last four years.

Based with his family in Teddington, in the UK, he returns to Africa regularly for research trips.