“My biggest piece of advice would be to travel with an open mind and heart. In an ideal world, I would travel slowly with limited pre-planning and simply let the experiences unfold.”
Get to know your travel specialist
A born and bred South African, Jonty was raised in Port Elizabeth and is now a converted Capetonian. Since arriving at Timbuktu in March 2018, he’s made the office green with envy with his travel list and shocked us all with his refusal of a good cup of Earl Grey. Despite visiting over forty countries globally (and all in his sprightly 21 years!), he’s still going strong and next on the list is anywhere new in Africa. When we can make him sit still, Jonty is our marvellous Head of Sales and loves nothing more than sharing his love of Africa (and travel tales) with our Timbuktu travellers.
A: I would love to visit Chad. The transformation that has taken place in Zakouma National Park under the stewardship of African Parks shows what can be done to bring wilderness and wildlife back from the brink. A trip there, combined with the otherworldly landscapes of the Ennedi Plateau, would be a true bucket list experience for me.
A: I have a few core memories from my travels that will stay with me forever. These include flying to Antarctica and Iceland for the day on two separate trips, waking up to the lapping shoreline at Masoala Forest Lodge in Madagascar, mornings spent exploring Lango Bai on foot in the Republic of Congo – and coming across forest elephants, hippo and African Grey parrots, sailing down the Nile in a felucca, and proposing to my now wife on La Digue Island in the Seychelles.
A: I will never say no to any destination. I will absolutely go anywhere at least once, especially if it’s with my wife and daughters – nothing beats sharing the joy of travel with them.