Katie

Job title:

Africa Safari SpecialistAudley Travel

Telephone number:

01993 838 513

Biography

After graduating from University, Katie took a year to travel around the world. Her first stop was East Africa - after numerous family holidays to the continent which fuelled a passion for the countries and their people and wildlife from a young age, she wanted to explore the area for herself. She fulfilled a dream of climbing to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and continued her travels around East Africa, travelling overland through Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda where she was lucky enough to see the country's largest family of mountain gorillas up-close. Recent return visits with Audley have only increased her love for adventure in this part of the world. On her latest trip Katie travelled to Namibia where she tracked black rhino on foot and climbed the towering sand dunes at Sossusvlei.

Favourite Destination - Selous Game Reserve

"The place I want to go back to time and again is the Selous Game Reserve in Southern Tanzania. Home to Tanzania's biggest populations of elephants which are a personal favourite of mine, as well as the fascinating African wild dogs, the wildlife here is diverse and the birdlife is superb!

The landscapes vary between dense bush, open clearings, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and the mighty Rufiji River which runs through the heart of the reserve.

As well as game-drives, you can go out on walking safaris, tracking animals on foot, and boat safaris in the afternoons, getting up close to hippos and crocodiles and watching fish eagles spotting their next meal!

There is something really special about the Selous and I know it's somewhere I'll go back to again and again!"

Favourite Accommodation - Greystoke Camp

"Located on the shore of Africa's deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika, in remote Western Tanzania, Greystoke Camp in the Mahale Mountains National Park is easily the most magical place I've been in Africa!

The scenery is dramatic, with a stunning sandy beach and steep-sided mountains behind which are inhabited by troops of chimpanzees.

The accommodation is beautiful in a rustic way - dugout canoes form ladders to a daybed above your bedroom, and furniture is handmade using reclaimed dhow wood, and although most people come here for the adventure of seeing the chimps, this is also an immensely relaxing place where you can kick of your shoes and swim in the crystal clear lake!"

Most Memorable Experience

"Looking into the eyes of a mountain gorilla in its natural habitat is something I won't soon forget. I watched young ones running around playing chase, infants play the drums on their mother's stomach, silverbacks lying on their backs catching the sun, and blackbacks grooming one another.

No matter how many times you watch documentaries, nothing will prepare you for how similar the gorillas are in their characteristics to humans, and spending an hour with them high on the slopes of the Sabyinyo volcano is one of the best things I've ever done - so much so that I've been back a further two times to relive the experience!"