The Expert Team

My first trip to Africa was a hitchhiking adventure to Timbuktu, in 1977, with a student friend and $100 each. We reached the fabled city – having learned en route what a visa is, and what malaria feels like – and my connection with Africa was born.

In 1980, I set off again to hitchhike and cycle from London to Kenya, this time with my girlfriend - later my wife. Nearly a year later, freewheeling into the Rift Valley for the first time, I realised how strong my Africa connection had become.

Back in the UK, I spent two years doing a Master’s degree in ethnography, linguistics and Swahili at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University.

After working for the student travel company STA Travel, I took up an offer with the fledgling travel publisher, Rough Guides, to write the first practical guide to Kenya. Taking with me one of the earliest mountain bikes (this was 1985) I travelled the length and breadth of the country – from Turkana to Shimoni, from the Maasai Mara to Malindi and from Lamu to Lake Victoria. Rough Guides were already adding more comfortable and luxurious options to their backpacker hostels and tips on bus travel, and the Kenya book was no exception, including high-end safari camps and lodges and advice on internal flights as well as incorporating areas that can still only be explored on foot, by Land Rover – or on a sturdy mountain bike.

After the Rough Guide to Kenya was published in 1986, I joined the Rough Guides publishing team to edit guidebooks and then to look after marketing and PR. For many years I worked as Director of Communications, while continuing to write the Rough Guide to Kenya (the 11th edition was published in May 2016). I went on to travel all over Africa, researching and co-authoring many editions of Rough Guides to West Africa, The Gambia, First Time Africa, Madagascar and World Music.

After a stint as a freelance travel journalist, and aware of Expert Africa’s reputation among travellers, its commitment to responsible tourism and the fact that – at the time – it offered no trips to Kenya and happily explained why (“until members of our team have covered Kenya’s parks and coast inside out, we won’t be offering any Kenya safaris"), I saw a wide-open window of opportunity in 2012 and took a running jump right through it, joining Expert Africa to set up our Kenya programme.

As well as launching and running the Kenya programme, I have more recently done a number of trips to mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar, Namibia and Rwanda.

I live in remote suburbia with my wife, Teresa Driver, and our transient offspring. We go on safari as often as possible.

Do give me or one of my colleagues a call to discuss your plans - there's nothing we enjoy better than talking about our African travels and planning other people's!