BEAUTIFUL TEAM
About Us
We started Saseka Safaris because we wanted people to experience the parts of Africa we love; to be privileged to come to know this side of Africa the way we do; to share the small differences which make the big impact; to share our knowledge and experience.
We plan and prepare for each trip as if it was for us and our families and friends.
Your Saseka Specialists
Candice
Candice
Candice
Candice was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her love for wildlife was fostered through many holidays spent with her family in the South African Bush. She works as a qualified physiotherapist with a special interest in cancer complications in her own practice in Johannesburg. Despite enjoying her work, she felt the need to pursue her love of the outdoors in a more formal sense and completed her FGASA Level One qualification through Eco Training.
Candice has a deep love for trees and elephants. She enjoys outdoor adventures and of all her travels her trek to Everest Base camp, searching for wild Orangutans in Borneo and spending time in the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, are amongst her favourites.
"Spending time in the bush brings me a peace I've not experienced anywhere else. I have so many happy memories of time spent with family and friends exploring and learning about the trees, grasses, birds and animals. I am happiest sitting quietly on a river bank under a Wild Fig soaking up the sounds and sights of the bush around me. It is a privilege to be able to share this peace with our clients."
Kim
Candice
Candice
South African born, Kim is a science teacher who has spent the last 20 years exploring the world while using London as a home base. Her love for travel, photography and the natural world has led to a life filled with incredible adventures to 64 countries and the privilege of visiting all the continents.
The African bush has always been a huge part of Kim’s life as she spent countless hours as a child in the reserves of Southern Africa holidaying with her family.
Kim’s formal education includes a BSc, Honours in Botany and Zoology so she is fascinated by the ecology, fauna and flora of an area from the roots of the trees to the birds that frequent their branches. Kim has gained an excellent knowledge of East Africa in particular after having lived in Arusha for a two year period which she used to explore both Kenyan and Tanzanian wildlife areas.
In recent years, Kim has qualified as a Reiki Practitioner and Sound Healing Practitioner with a passion for using essential oils to support healing and wellness. She is planning to use these skills to offer beautiful healing journeys through safari retreats.
"I am a firm believer that the key to conserving our Earth lies in education. By helping people to experience the beauty of the wildlife areas that Southern and East Africa have to offer through responsible tourism, something that Saseka Safaris strives to do, I believe people will be more likely to play an active part in conserving animals and their environments."
Moyra
Candice
Moyra
Moyra grew up on a farm in Zimbabwe and spent many happy hours exploring the bush and learning bushcraft from the local Shona people.
Her interesting and varied career has seen her as a journalist in Zimbabwe, working in advertising in London, being deeply involved in the Southern African tourism industry through many years as Managing Director of Grosvenor Tours, owning and operating a country hotel in the KZN Midlands, lecturing in hospitality management and event management in South Africa, marketing and media for two leading independent schools - one in South Africa and one in the UK - and spearheading massive fundraising campaigns in the UK.
Moyra was involved in the event management of President Nelson Mandela’s Inauguration and she definitely considers this a career highlight.
“I have had the privilege of travelling extensively around the world, and specifically in Southern Africa, and one of my abiding memories is of desert lions in Namibia hunting seals on the beach of the Skeleton Coast. Lions on a beach were totally bizarre to me.”
Fun facts about us...
What are three essential items to pack for a safari?
What are three essential items to pack for a safari?
What are three essential items to pack for a safari?
Candice - binoculars, a camera and a blank book or journal (and pen) to write down your experiences
Kim - the best pair of binoculars you can afford - personally I use Swarovski (especially good in low light and for seeing colours on birds), sarong (useful as a scarf for chilly mornings and evenings and as a sun cover for legs/shoulders in the heat of the day in an open vehicle), bird book/bird app (learning all the time!)
Moyra - binos, camera and a backpack with lots of zipped up pockets for carrying all the bits and bobs you need when travelling
Swaros on brass - Kim, Tanzania
What is your favourite animal and why?
What are three essential items to pack for a safari?
What are three essential items to pack for a safari?
Candice - Elephant. I used to be terrified of elephants, but now that I know they are more intelligent than I am and not just large thugs, I have huge respect for them.Their presence is humbling, like they can see into your soul and when I’m around them, it feels like the closest I can get to God.
Kim - Leopard. Apart from being exquisite, their ability to survive by doing whatever it takes, is sublime.
Moyra - Cheetah - I love the style and grace and speed of this animal. Also love how the mother controls her cubs with a look and a quiet “cheep” while she is hunting. They sit waiting patiently like bookends facing north, south, east, west, until she calls them.
Leopard in a Leadwood - Ken Haley, Greater Kruger
What animal would you most like to see?
What are three essential items to pack for a safari?
What are your 'Big Five’ - which animals/plants give you the most joy?
Candice - Of course a Pangolin. But mostly an Aardvark! Funny looking things. Still looking…
Kim - Pangolin - quirky, harmless, endangered for its scales.
Moyra - Another vote for pangolin - I think we’ve all been influenced by Beverley… (Kim’s mother)
As you know, all the images on our site are taken by our team, guests or our photographer friends. As none of us have seen a pangolin... yet... we have included this incredible pencil drawing by our talented artist friend, Matthew Jurgensen.
You can view and purchase Matt's art from these platforms:
What are your 'Big Five’ - which animals/plants give you the most joy?
What are your 'Big Five’ - which animals/plants give you the most joy?
What are your 'Big Five’ - which animals/plants give you the most joy?
Candice - Elephants. Kingfishers. Honey badgers. Zebras. Meerkats.
Kim - Leopard. Fever Trees. Leopard in a Fever Tree. African Finfoot. Porcupine.
Moyra - Cheetah. African Hoopoe. Wild dog. Fish Eagle. Rhino.
Malachite magic - Kim, Kruger National Park
What is one of your abiding bush experiences?
What are your 'Big Five’ - which animals/plants give you the most joy?
What is one of your abiding bush experiences?
Candice - I recently spent some time in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and we stayed at a camp called Jozibanini. I was tucked up in my warm bed on the deck with a hot water bottle, and was able to listen to the elephants at the water hole all night, and watch endless shooting stars dart across the sky. It was magical.
Kim - My first African Finfoot sighting. Floating down the Kafue River in Zambia, we spotted a Finfoot pootling along the river bank overhang. The guide was amused at my ecstatic response in seeing a bird he sees most days but my enthusiasm was undeterred. What made it more special was that I with my folks who were equally excited and Kush, who had never heard of it! There is nothing quite like seeing a lifer for the first time.
Moyra - Corny to say that each visit to the bush is unique because there is always something different to see, something different happening,
The peace and tranquility of a makoro trip is certainly food for my soul.
Watching the sun rise from the top of a kopjie with not another vehicle for miles around.
The scariest, and most unforgettable experience, was being in the middle of a territorial lion fight at Mala Mala. The lions were in the camp and fighting between the rooms. I really thought I was going to die and lay so still for so long I thought I had died. Of course, the lions were not vaguely interested in peeping through my window and snacking on me at that point, they were far more interested in killing each other, but fear had clearly chased all logic from my mind!
Brotherly love - Kim, Ndutu -Tanzania
Favourite time of year in the bush?
What are your 'Big Five’ - which animals/plants give you the most joy?
What is one of your abiding bush experiences?
Candice - The end of the dry season (early Spring). The bush is dry and the water is scarce, so your chances of seeing game are higher. The temperatures are hot and the chance of rain is low, but very much anticipated. I am very fond of the Greater Kruger area in South Africa at this time of year. The Emerald Season in Zambia is also quite spectacular but for the exact opposite reasons. Water activities afford the opportunity to see unusual birds and water life. The bush is alive with the colors and new life that the rains bring.
Kim - I am with Moyra on this - anytime is a good time. The bush is my true happy place where I feel most alive and joyful. Different times of the year offer unique experiences determined by the rains which influence the vegetation which in turn influences animal behaviour and movement. From the insects reproductive cycles, and the migration of the birds to the mating cycles of the vertebrates. As a scientist, these interactions fascinate me most and when you visit other regions with the same animals displaying wildly different behaviour to their neighbours, the mind boggles.
Moyra - Any opportunity I can get to go to the bush, I will take, regardless of time of year. Every season has something special to offer: sharp crisp mornings and evenings topping and tailing boiling hot days; tumultuous and dramatic thunder storms; crunchy frosty mornings and warm cozy evenings around the fire; breeding season; baby season; summer birds; winter birds. There is never a bad time to go to the bush.
Flock of Carmine Bee-eaters - Mary Colliflower, Zambia