The Year on Safari

Every year around this time, I pinch myself and remember how lucky I am, as I take stock of the places I’ve been over the past 12 months. Field research is one of the core principles at Trufflepig and in every region we plan, planners like me spend huge amounts of time trying to better understand the places we send our clients.

In my case, while AI can probably explain better than I can the dynamics of the annual flood in the Okavango Delta, what it can’t do (at least for now) is describe what the bush smells like first thing in the morning, or exactly what it feels like to have your rational brain and your more primitive lizard brain debate the merits of running away versus standing still as you encounter elephants on foot.

Research in 2025 has taken me to Namibia, Rwanda, the Canadian Arctic and Botswana. Places I’ve been before but that I feel like I understand just that little better after each trip. While this undoubtedly makes me a better planner, it also gives me freedom to practice my other passion – photography. So above are a selection of photos from my trips this year.