Episode 2 of this season takes us down to a quiet riverbed in the spectacular Thornybush Private Nature Reserve where Serondella Safari Lodge is located. Brett is joined by three gentlemen who make up the core guiding team on the ground here in paradise, and all four of them feel quite at home with our feet in the sand and the sounds of the late morning bush! What a place to sit and have a conversation about the wilderness that has brought us all to this point, from all our different origins in life. 

Togara Joseph (TJ) Charingira is originally from Zimbabwe. He has 10 years of guiding experience under his belt after training under the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority, he's spent parts of his professional career on the Zambezi Escarpment, and has trained under some industry legends and friends of ours: Massimo Rebuzzi, Brenden Pienaar (find him on S1 E2 of our podcast!), Charles Delport, and Trevor Carnaby. Perhaps most significantly in his professional career, TJ earned himself the title of the FGASA Safari Guide of the Year in 2021!

Benji Solms is also sharing our riverbed studio this episode - he is the Assistant Manager and a Guide at Serondella, and this is not our first meeting with him. Brett first connected with Benji on a post-lockdown wilderness trail on the Klein Letaba River with our friend Massi. Benji is most at home when on foot in the bush - something he describes as offering a whole new perspective. 

Alfred Ndlovu - our third guest in this episode - has a fascinating history and a career that has evolved within the tourism industry. He has continuously worked and trained under some of the most prestigious establishments on the South African safari scene, taking him from transfer driver, into reserve maintenance, to a position in community health outreach programmes, and eventually training as a tracker and then a guide. Alfred's passion for all the roles he has performed is evident in the way he speaks, and his career transitions have been a result of enthusiasm and determination. 

Find glimpses of all three of these guys on social media at @serondella_safarilodge