Essential Africa has attracted the very best and most knowledgeable private guides in the industry.
Our private guides take the time up front to discover exactly what you are looking for. They know and have extensive experience of the territories, camps and facilities. This places them in an ideal position to match your requirements with the very best of what Africa has to offer.
Your guide will accompany you for the duration of your visit, or for just a portion of it, depending on your requirement. They will share their knowledge with you, as well as their passion for the African wilderness, taking care of every detail along the way.
Phill Steffny
Phill’s childhood love of walking, tracking, birding and, later, photography, introduced him to guiding at &Beyond’s Phinda Private Game Reserve in northern Kwa-Zulu more than a decade ago. From there, he spent five years in the northern parts of the reserve where he started Phinda Walking Safaris, in addition to guiding at Forest and Vlei lodges. A further couple of happy years at Phinda Rock Lodge, close to the world-renowned diving community at Sodwana Bay, gave him many opportunities to swap his khaki uniform for a wetsuit to share the spectacular coral reefs with his guests.
Venturing up into Botswana, Phill and his wife Marnie spent a while managing Nxabega Okavango Safari Camp. This beautiful water-based camp with its phenomenal bird life opened up an entirely different subject matter for his photography. From Botswana, they moved back to South Africa, and his real love of guiding, this time to Ngala Tented Safari Camp in the wildlife-rich Timbavati area bordering the Kruger Park. As a senior ranger within &Beyond, he was mentor and trainer for new recruits.
Phill certainly has the passion for sharing Africa’s incredible wildlife with guests, which is why he’s chosen this way of life. He’s searched for gorillas and photographed shoebills in Uganda, and spent a while in the Namib Desert at Sossusvlei. Family holidays to Zimbabwe and Botswana, and walking safaris through Zambia have added to his experience. Tanzania is also part of his familiar territory, and he constantly seeks out new pockets of wilderness closer to home.
He recently travelled to Scandinavia to give a series of presentations about guiding, and managed to squeeze in a birding trip to one of the spectacular fjord regions. His fluency in German is a delight for many European guests. And if you’re really lucky, he might show you how to make fire the traditional way, using sticks, a pinch of elephant dung and a sense of humour.
After 12 wonderful years with &Beyond, the last four and a half of which were at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, he now joins Essential Africa as a shareholder and permanent guide. He lives in Cape Town with his wife Marnie and their young daughter Zoe.
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Botswana trip report - Benz Family
It was absolutely fantastic being back in Botswana's Okavango Delta once again. After a long break from this country, I had the privilege of joining the Benz family for a nine-night safari, which was out of this world. The most difficult part of any trip report is always picking out the very best parts, as there are so many. The fact is, a safari to Botswana should actually be the highlight of a lifetime. In my account of our safari, we take you on a journey from the tree-lined Linyanti River, to the water-based paradise of Xigera Camp, and finish up at Vumbura Plains, where the lions kept us enthralled by their pride dynamics and sheer guts displayed during a nocturnal buffalo hunt.... read more
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Feet on the Ground
The original concept of 'safari' began in the early part of last century. Rugged walking boots, an entourage of porters and the ability to endure tough conditions were needed, as these expeditions were done on foot, with the occasional use of horses. Today, the appeal of venturing into Africa's wild places remains as alluring as ever, yet we are able to explore in considerably more luxury, and cover greater areas from the comfort of a modern game viewing vehicle. The opportunity to experience the original foot safari is still alive and well, and destinations like Botswana, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe and my personal favourite - Zambia - offer fantastic walking safaris. ... read more
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Lee and Phill's Trip Report - Tanzanian Safari
In this month's trip report I'm going to attempt to repaint some of the pictures and scenes that we've experienced in what we believe are some of Africa's most unique, ancient wild places.
'Wow!' keeps coming to mind while I sit here, back in civilisation thinking about the past two weeks in Tanzania. Lee and I have just returned from an amazing safari through some of it's most wild and beautiful places, from the amazing Tarangire National Park, to the mind-blowing Tarangire National Park, and the unbelievable Serengeti. Three very different environments, yet equally incredible. Very hard to pick out a single highlight.
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Phill's trip report Zambia July 2011
The scent particles of wild sage and elephant dung linger still in my nostrils, together with the dust from one of the most amazing areas I've seen - Zambia's wilderness areas of South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi National Park. As I slowly explore more and more of this spectacular continent, I am constantly amazed and inspired by the wild places that remain in Africa. Happily, there are still so many that it's really difficult to choose a favourite! Having just returned from an amazing safari, Zambia definitely holds the current top prize for me. I think I've found my favourite camp of all of them, which adds to my ever-increasing list. In this month's trip report I will explain why it's my ultimate, and why I absolutely love Zambia.... read more
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Life after Lodges
After 12 years spent working as a guide and managing lodges for one of Africa's finest and largest operators, I have finally taken the plunge and joined Essential Africa as a shareholder and professional guide. In this article I focus on the dilemma that faces any guide in our field, as it is structured at present – that is, to get ahead, we need to move away from guiding and into lodge management, which is an area most guides are not suited for and do not enjoy – and the opportunity created by Essential Africa for professional guides in this sphere.... read more
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Shark Cage Diving
I write this with excitement as I've just returned from an incredible experience in a totally new wildlife environment to my more usual area of expertise in the bush on dry land. Cage diving with great whites. Feeling the memory of the adrenalin stirring, it's hard to sit still and concentrate so I can get it written down! Here's how it went. We set out at first light from Simon's Town Harbour for the half-hour boat cruise to Seal Island. The capable staff at Apex Shark Expeditions gave our group of six a thorough safety briefing, with some very important do's and don'ts for our morning search for the ultimate ocean predator - Carcharodon carcharias, the great white shark.... read more
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The Lighter side of Guiding - Continues
Last month's story about my time at Ngala, particularly the cheese-stealing hyena, brought back some funny memories of my brief foray away from guiding into the unfamiliar world of lodge management. Picture the scene – a beautiful camp somewhere in the Okavango Delta. Teeming with wildlife just waiting to be discovered. And me in a white shirt, now a manager, sitting at a desk, listening enviously to the guides comparing notes during their game drives, glumly trying to make the computer talk to me – not a happy picture! And something I'll try to avoid in the future. My place is out there in the bush. Yet, there were some incredible moments and I guess it takes all kinds of experiences to bring out the rich flavours of life in the bush.... read more
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Camera Review
It's always nice when the time comes to start looking for new equipment, in this case, a camera. But it's not always an easy position to be in, as there are many choices. Firstly there are different brands to choose from. Personally, I have always gone with Canon, but there are many others, all with their own pros and cons. One of the big factors for Canon is its user-friendliness. Once you've chosen the brand you'd like to go with, there are different modules within the brands. Some of them are unbelievably closely matched and the only big difference is the price tag.... read more
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Lions, Bikes and Cell Phones
I'm an avid mountain biker and for the last few years have been taking my bike with me to the lodge every morning and then riding back home through the bush after my game drive. I know what you're thinking – must be mad, what about all the animals? I figured that if I stuck to the open areas, found out where the ones that I wanted to avoid were last seen, and kept my wits about me, well – should be okay, right? So far so good and all that. Apart from one or two surprised buffalo crashing off into the undergrowth, I'd managed to avoid any serious run-ins. The added adrenalin of the unexpected gave me a bit more muscle power than I'd usually have on some boring old track outside the reserve.... read more
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Phill's Journey as a Guide
It's Marnie here, for a change. Our time in the bush is coming to an end and as a family, we've been spending lots of time talking about the special times we've had, what we'll miss (and what we won't!) and the challenge of adapting to a totally new environment. We find ourselves in the novel position of contemplating a radically different way of life. We feel a bit like a family version of 'Crocodile Dundee'! Looking round at our ever-growing pile of boxes, it's hard to imagine unpacking them on the other side of the country, listening to the waves in the distance, the sounds of the sea taking over from the baboons barking in the cliffs at the bottom of our garden, and lions roaring at night.... read more
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Family Safari
Embarking on a first safari is an exciting time in anyone's life. As a child, this experience is magnified and recently I had the privilege of sharing some truly wonderful sights and sounds with the Middleton family at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. To see the world through a child's eyes enhances our appreciation of the simple wonders around us. As a parent myself, it was pure joy watching the two children's excitement as we tracked, searched, and discovered each new species. I'm sure we created some special memories that will last forever.... read more
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The Lighter side of Guiding
Wherever we are - be it in a vibrant city or tranquil oasis of wilderness - a sense of humour is essential. Happily, I've laughed my way through many comical situations during my time in the bush. When Lee said that this month's theme would be an entertaining look at some not-so-rugged rangers' moments, our drive back to Kwandwe after Christmas and New Year in Cape Town was the perfect opportunity to talk about some of the funnier things that have happened since I started guiding back in the late nineties. Trouble was what to choose?... read more
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Phill's Kwandwe Update on Kids in the Bush
As inevitable as day turning into night, summer heat following the frosts of winter, and the scramble to get all the Christmas shopping done in time, comes the twelfth month of the year. In keeping with this month's theme, I thought it apt to write a little about my own family living here at Kwandwe, and the glorious opportunities and encounters that make our lives so incredibly exciting. Take an everyday task like the school run, for example, not usually the most exciting journey for most people. Add a generous helping of wildlife, however, and a mundane trip becomes a safari in its own right. Whilst my wife Marnie was driving our daughter Zoe to school recently, she had to pause for a herd of elephants to lumber across the track in front. Shortly after, a pride of lions strolled alongside, kudus bounded ahead and a shy caracal vanished into a thicket. Each day brings special moments, and it's fitting to think back and mention some of them now that 2011 is just around the corner.... read more
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Spring at Kwandwe: Phill Steffny
We've been holding our breath here in the Eastern Cape, as has most of southern Africa, for the rains to begin. Often the clouds have massed and tumbled above the shimmering rocks and baked earth, and then slowly burned away. Now we've had a quick taste of the seasonal rains, the waiting is nearly over and spring is well and truly under way. The new pale greenery spreading over the khaki ground is grazed, nibbled, tasted, chewed and relished and gives some relief from the monochrome grey-browns of late winter. Herbivores, particularly antelopes like impalas, springbuck, oryx and eland have begun the annual birth extravaganza and the once barren plains and valleys are dotted with contentedly grazing family groups, the young of all species delighting in their new legs and getting the hang of life in the wild. ... read more
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Phill's Namibian Trip Report: Part 2
You may wonder what a follow-up to my previous report might be like. With so many superlatives early on, I wondered too, but that's just it – they just kept coming thick and fast! Birding in particular yielded about fifteen new lifers for me. During my pre-trip research, one of these new additions was a bird that I'd been hoping to see from the start.
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Leopard in the Mist
Ask any adventurer what they would most like to see on safari. Many will answer leopard! If you have the privilege of an encounter with one of these elusive predators, savour every precious second. The essence of feline grace and beauty will stay with you always, long after the creature has melted back into its surroundings and become invisible once more.
One early morning recently, my guests and I braved the rugged and steep tracks of the remote northern part of the reserve. Here, rocky gorges cleave the hills and the views are magnificent. Trees grow much taller in these drainage lines than elsewhere, and are draped with lichens.... read more
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Phill's Trip to Namibia
There are huge benefits linked to working as a guide in the safari industry. One such 'perk' of our job is the chance to travel to areas outside our usual operating area. When I heard that there was an opportunity to spend a month in Namibia at &Beyond's Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, I was packed and ready before you could say 'sand in my Swarovskis'.... read more
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Phinda Private Game Reserve
Phinda Private Game Reserve is tucked neatly just below Swaziland on its left, and beside a narrow strip of the world's highest vegetated sand dunes rolling down to the Indian Ocean to the east. It's just below Mozambique, and this beautiful wilderness area has just about everything to offer a visitor. Whether you're a first time safari goer, or a seasoned bush traveller, Phinda's incredible diversity of ecosystems is astonishing. And the best part about a visit to Phinda is that the only other visitors you'll be likely to encounter will be guests like yourself seeking a private, personalised safari.... read more
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Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, is a prime example of why these private reserves offer a far superior safari experience. With only twenty two rooms between four lodges on the entire reserve, guests are guaranteed to have it all to themselves. And there are lots to make this extra-special place worth a visit. If the prospect of a superb safari experience in a malaria-free region appeals to your adventurous spirit, then read on.... read more
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Phill's Uganda Trip
We were talking about incredible places that we've visited and phenomenal wildlife destinations, and thoughts of trip that I did a few years ago, together with seven other guides, shoved its way firmly into my head. We had put together a shoestring trip to Uganda, fuelled by the enthusiasm of avid birders and the adventures of Frazer, our colleague who had been many times. He became our official trip leader, as many of us were venturing into unknown territory. It's difficult to pick out the highlights – it's a bit like asking a safari addict to pick their favourite wild place – so here are the most memorable ones.... read more
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Kwandwe's Cubs
At the mention of new lion cubs, there's always a thrill of excitement, no matter where in Africa they are discovered. At Kwandwe in the Eastern Cape, there has been an intrepid new addition to one of the prides, in the form of a two-month old cub that Phill tracked for a huge distance over a couple of days. This particular animal has been seen several times now, and it's quite remarkable that such a tiny little cub boldly accompanied its highly mobile pride at an age where most are still tucked up safely in a den. ... read more
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