Guides

THE TRUE AFRICA EXPERIENCE COMES FROM THE INSIGHT OF OUR GUIDES.

Africa is a rich destination with complexities that can be overwhelming even to the seasoned traveler. The subtleties of nature require very specific knowledge to interpret and the cultural dos and don’ts can be hard to keep track of. Most visitors will not spend nearly enough time in Africa to really understand all of her intricacies on their own. For these reasons our guests rely on guides to help get to know Africa better, and to help make the visit as comfortable and informative as possible. Each of the camps you visit will have their own resident guides and no one will know that area better. They understand the movements and moods of their territories and are a pivotal part of your experience. The guides breathe life into every rock and track and illuminate the meaning behind the lion’s roar.

Some travelers come on Safari with very specific requirements and will need a specialist guide to ensure that all their needs are met. With many years of our own guiding experiences behind us, we know many of the best guides within each area of expertise, from professional photographers to accomplished ornithologists to geological geniuses. Your specialist guide will accompany you on your entire voyage ensuring seamless transitions between camps and countries. We have here a list of some of our friends who we trust to take care of you.

Chris Liebenberg

Chris Liebenberg

Chris
Liebenberg

Roy Toft

Roy Toft

Roy
Toft

Matt Meyer

Matt Meyer

Matt
Meyer

Mike McCartney

Mike McCartney

Mike
McCartney

Michele Benoy-Westmorland

Michele Benoy-Westmorland

Michele
Benoy-Westmorland

Festus Mbinga

Festus Mbinga

Festus
Mbinga

Mark Garbutt

Mark Garbutt

Mark
Garbutt

Rich Adams

Rich Adams

Rich
Adams

Guides

THE TRUE AFRICA EXPERIENCE COMES FROM THE INSIGHT OF OUR GUIDES.

Africa is a rich destination with complexities that can be overwhelming even to the seasoned traveler. The subtleties of nature require very specific knowledge to interpret and the cultural dos and don’ts can be hard to keep track of. Most visitors will not spend nearly enough time in Africa to really understand all of her intricacies on their own. For these reasons our guests rely on guides to help get to know Africa better, and to help make the visit as comfortable and informative as possible. Each of the camps you visit will have their own resident guides and no one will know that area better. They understand the movements and moods of their territories and are a pivotal part of your experience. The guides breathe life into every rock and track and illuminate the meaning behind the lion’s roar.

Some travelers come on Safari with very specific requirements and will need a specialist guide to ensure that all their needs are met. With many years of our own guiding experiences behind us, we know many of the best guides within each area of expertise, from professional photographers to accomplished ornithologists to geological geniuses. Your specialist guide will accompany you on your entire voyage ensuring seamless transitions between camps and countries. We have here a list of some of our friends who we trust to take care of you.

Chris Liebenberg

Chris Liebenberg

Born and raised in Namibia, Chris has always had a passion for conservation and travel in Africa.

“When I was six years old, a teacher asked me what I want to be when I grew up, and I responded that I wanted to drive a Jeep in the bush.”

Chris’s passion for wild places led him to work on game reserves when he was only 14. “I just wanted to be in the veldt and made a nuisance of myself with anyone who would listen. And this led to some great experiences.” Chris’s passion for the land is all-encompassing, and he is able to share his passion and expert knowledge on birding, history, culture, zoology, ecology, geology, photography, and a number of other disciplines in a natural dialogue. His home country of Namibia is his first love, “I can’t get enough of this place; I want to know it all, every nook and cranny, and then make sure it is looked after.”

Chris now lives in San Diego, California with his wife and two sons, and together they share their passion for Africa through Piper & Heath Travel.

Roy Toft

Roy Toft

Roy Toft is an award-winning wildlife photographer who is committed to not only documenting the wild for future generations but also using his photography as a conservation tool.

Dedicated to documenting our natural world for future generations, professional photographer Roy Toft of Toft Photo Safaris is one of the premier wildlife photographers of our generation. With a background in wildlife and conservation biology, Roy chooses to focus solely on wild images that convey a sense of the animal’s character and spirit.

Matt Meyer

Matt Meyer

A passionate conservationist who has put his concerns into action to help protect Africa's wildlife. Matt was the "man on the bike" for the Piper & Heath Rhino Ride where over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars was raised for rhino conservation.

From a young age, when his family would vacation at their private game reserve in northern Zululand, Matt developed a passion for wildlife and the outdoors. This passion was enhanced with practical knowledge and developed at the University of Natal where he graduated with a BSc degree in Wildlife Management and Conservation in 2007. During school breaks, Matt helped post-graduate students with their research and field studies. Immediately after graduating, he trained as a game ranger at the world-famous MalaMala Private Game Reserve, where he guided for seven years as head ranger, and head photographic ranger. During his time at MalaMala, his passion for ecotourism, wildlife, photography, and travel grew to the point where he knew this would be his lifetime career. In 2017, Matt embarked on The Long Ride to Free Them: a 2,000 mile bicycle journey from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico towing 350 pound Lunar, a life size rhino replica, behind him. Raising money and awareness, it was Matt’s contribution to saving the rhino. The combination of personal interaction, conservation projects, and safari led him to pursue his dream of private guiding.

Mike McCartney

Mike McCartney

Known around the Piper & Heath office as "Mr. East Africa", Mike has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Africa and his enthusiasm and attention to detail make him one of the finest guides in Africa.

On the coffee and dairy farms where Mike McCartney grew up, and encouraged by his father’s passion for wildlife and wild places, Mike quickly became an avid and keen naturalist, delighting in the study of birds, plants, butterflies and wild animals. Mike has been guiding safaris regularly since the early 1990s. Between 2002 and 2008 he also worked for a conservation organisation affiliated to some of Kenya’s most well respected high-end safari operators. During this period Mike was very actively involved in the establishment of the successful community conservation areas and conservancies which have been set up around the world famous Masai Mara National Reserve. He also assisted with a number of other conservation and community wildlife conservancy projects in various other parts of Kenya. In 2008 Mike decided to focus on guiding safaris full time, whilst continuing his tourism and conservation work on a freelance basis.

Mike has previously served on the Kenya Tourism Federation Environment and Conservation Committee and the KTF Safety and Communications Committee. He also sat on the committee of Ecotourism Kenya, and was Secretary to that committee for two years. During this time he helped to set up Africa’s first Eco-rating Scheme for tourism accommodation facilities. He has also conducted training courses for local Kenyan driver-guides at numerous smaller luxury lodges and camps around Kenya. Mike is a Silver Level member of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association, and he was also on the KPSGA Examination Committee for 5 years, during which time he assisted with the invigilation and marking of their Bronze and Silver Level examinations.

Michele Benoy-Westmorland

Michele Benoy-Westmorland

Michele Benoy-Westmorland is a freelance photographer with a range of skills, including worldwide travel, lifestyle and underwater photography. Michele is also the one who introduced Piper & Heath founders Emily and Chris to each other in the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.

Michele understands the need to tell a visual story, whether it covers exotic locations or the wonders of the natural world. Her years of diving have led Michele to being an active proponent of marine conservation issues. In addition, she is passionate about the culture of Melanesia as highlighted by her project Headhunt Revisted. Michele was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2011, and has been published in several publications from the Smithsonian to National Geographic Travel & Adventure.

Festus Mbinga

Festus Mbinga

Festus grew up in Otjinene, a village in the Kalahari Desert in eastern Namibia. Our founder Chris Liebenberg and Festus first met on the shores of the Kunene River in the early nineties where Chris worked as a River Guide and Festus was a translator.

Mark Garbutt

Mark Garbutt

Mark’s naturalist background has provided a unique opportunity to capture wildlife in their natural habitat, and he continues to lead photography tours to Alaska, Africa, and South America.

Mark Garbutt has lived and worked throughout Canada, Europe, Alaska and Texas. His naturalist background has provided a unique opportunity to capture wildlife in their natural habitat. Mark has over twelve years of experience working as professional photographer and guide innumerous locations around the world. He shares his knowledge with of both wildlife and photography through workshops and continues to lead photography tours to Alaska, Africa, and South America.

Rich Adams

Rich Adams

Rich Adams grew up surrounded by nature on a small farm in rural New England. While his primary interests as a fledgling adult were tinkering on cars and skiing as often as possible, his alternate passion was photography.

Rich Adams grew up surrounded by nature on a small farm in rural New England, where he captured images daily using black and white film. After many years away from the camera, a fateful trip to South Africa reignited Rich’s passion for photography. While the magic of Cape Town and its unique culture and character offered a compelling subject, it was the wildlife and amazing quality of the light in the Kruger National Park that inspired his work to new levels. Since that serendipitous trip in 2003, Rich has returned to the African continent every year since to continue his exploration of this fascinating landscape.