Travel Designer

Freddie Sutton

Do you want a Travel Designer who knows Africa? Freddie specialises in travel to; Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Rwanda.

Wilderness Travel Designer Expert Feddie Sutton

My background

I have a background in Zoology and Conservation, and considerable experience as a safari guide in Kruger National Park, as well as nearly a decade working in the luxury travel industry, including five years at one of the UK’s leading safari specialists.

I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy.

Ernest Hemingway

I grew up reading cheesy adventure novels about exploring the bush and tracking lions on foot, so as soon as time and money allowed, as a teenager I headed straight to Africa, experiencing the incredible wildlife of Tanzania’s Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and discovering how much weight you can lose climbing Kilimanjaro with an upset stomach.

I pursued my interest in wildlife studying Zoology at university, while putting my theoretical knowledge to practical use during the summer breaks through training to become a safari guide in Kruger National Park.

I later worked with the University of York in Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains, searching forests for a recently discovered species of chameleon and publishing a paper on monitoring success of conservation projects.

I worked briefly in ecology upon returning to the UK, but discovered the wildlife didn’t live up to Africa’s, so I joined a London-based luxury safari specialist. While working here, I helped to update guidebooks to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, while also travelling multiple times per year to Africa on research and personal trips across the southern and eastern areas of the continent, often taking willing partners and family members with me to introduce them to my favourite camps and national parks.

After an involuntary break from working in travel, I leapt at the opportunity to join Wilderness, to use my deep knowledge of Southern Africa to plan detailed, experiential itineraries, and once again share my favourite locations.

Recent travel experience

Last year I spent several weeks exploring the Linyanti and Okavango Delta in Botswana by 4x4, boat, mokoro and helicopter. As well as watching the waters arrive in early April, I explored some of the Delta’s most luxurious camps and best wildlife areas, such as the Chitabe Concession, where I saw more successful hunts in the space of two days than I have done in my previous 14 years of travelling to Africa!

My most memorable experience

With over 10 years of experience working, travelling, and guiding in Africa, it’s hard to pin down my most memorable experience.

Wildlife has always been a passion of mine, though, so close encounters with animals do stand out – from coming face-to-face with gorillas in Rwanda, to crawling within metres of playful wild dog pups in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park… the sort of experience where you come away panting as you’ve been unintentionally holding your breath!

And while the beach is rarely the most memorable part of a trip for me, proposing to my wife in a treehouse on Mafia Island as the sun set over the Indian Ocean was certainly one of my most memorable moments in Africa!