This is Africa Podcast

In this season finale, Andy sits down for a wild, story-packed episode of This Is Africa Podcast with brothers Guav Johnson and Courteney Johnson of Classic African Hunting. From a childhood straight out of an adventure novel— trapping quail, building wire cars, living outdoors, and keeping unusual pets—the Johnsons share how the bush shaped who they are today.

Courteney’s journey takes a sharp turn from aviation into 26 years at the top of the photographic safari world, managing elite camps across Africa and running complex charter logistics as an operations director. Meanwhile, Guav dives into hard-hitting hunting stories—from facing problem lions at just 17 to taking on massive elephant bulls in Matetsi Unit 2 and the remote Kazuma Forest, plus the realities of crocodile hunting and strict daytime-only cat regulations in national parks.

The conversation goes beyond hunting, unpacking their work in Matetsi Unit 2 and Kazuma, and a powerful community-driven re-wilding project in Wilberforce—restoring land through water systems, fencing, wildlife reintroductions, and sustainable community gardens.

It’s raw, real Africa—full of grit, humor, and the kind of stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

That's all for Season 2 folks! Until next year 🙌

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

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From catching snakes to following wounded lions, Ross Johnston has made a career out of running toward the things most people run away from. In this episode of This Is Africa Podcast, Andy sits down with one of Zimbabwe's most fascinating bushmen—a professional hunter, snake expert, and K9 handler who's spent a lifetime working where things can go wrong in a heartbeat.

Ross tells the story of how he left photographic safaris behind in pursuit of dangerous game, explaining why life behind a camera is a world away from following wounded animals through thick African bush. The conversation slithers into Ross's lifelong obsession with snakes—including his once-famous collection of nearly 280 indigenous species—and the truth about black mambas, boomslangs, puff adders, and the snake myths that refuse to die.

Then the stories get even wilder. Ross shares the brutal lessons learned as a young apprentice, tense problem-animal control operations, buffalo encounters that nearly went sideways, tracking lions with dogs, elephant charges that get the heart racing, and the leopard follow-up that no one in the hunting party will ever forget.

Packed with bush wisdom, dark humour, unforgettable close calls, and a healthy respect for Africa's most dangerous wildlife, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

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Dallas Safari Club

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This week, Andy sits down with Zimbabwean professional hunter Tanya Blake, one of the country’s few qualified female PHs, to talk leopard charges, brutal exams, bush pressure, and earning respect in one of Africa’s toughest industries. Tanya shares how she went from a hunting-family upbringing and guiding canoes in Mana Pools to chasing dangerous game through the rocks of West Nick, proving herself in a profession that doesn’t hand out favours. From wounded buffalo and close-quarter leopard follow-ups to the realities of clients, cameras, and camp life, this episode is packed with grit, sharp stories, and plenty of laughs along the way.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

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Dallas Safari Club

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Andy sits down with Zimbabwean entrepreneur, explorer, and 'African Plant Hunter' Gus Le Breton for a fascinating dive into Africa’s wild plants, ancient knowledge, and untold stories from the bush. Best known for helping launch baobab as the world-famous 'African superfruit,' Gus shares how a lifelong obsession with Africa’s biodiversity took him from a mission hospital in Kenya to solo overland adventures across the Sahara and Congo, studying at Cambridge and Yale, and eventually building businesses around the continent’s remarkable trees and plants.

From marula oil myths and medicinal plants to the incredible survival strategies of Africa’s toughest trees, Gus explains why the continent’s botanical world is far stranger, more useful, and more important than most people realise. Along the way, Andy and Gus swap stories about African culture, wilderness experiences, and the hidden connections between people, plants, and conservation.

Insightful, entertaining, and packed with wild stories, this episode will completely change the way you look at the African bush.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

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Dallas Safari Club

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PWP Travel

This week, Andy sits down with veteran Zimbabwean PH Rob Oostindien for a hard-hitting conversation straight out of the African bush. From late-season crocodile hunts in Mozambique to real-world problem animal control after fatal attacks, Rob shares what life in Africa really looks like.

He traces his journey from a farm upbringing and wartime Rhodesia to earning his PH license the hard way, cutting his teeth in Mateke Hills, and eventually building fly camps and opening untouched country along the Zambezi. Along the way, Rob reveals why leopard and big elephant tracking keep him coming back, how he handles clients under pressure, and which animals he truly respects as the most dangerous.

Backed by intense, close-range encounters with lions and wounded leopards in thick grass and around vehicles, this episode is packed with raw African bush stories, practical gear insights, and the kind of hard-earned wisdom you only get after decades in the field.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

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Dallas Safari Club

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Jim Green Footwear

PWP Travel

This week on the podcast, Andy sits down with legendary professional hunter Martinus Naude—nearly 81 years old with over 46 years in the bush. From a childhood spent hunting to qualifying as a PH and guiding safaris across Zimbabwe’s wild concessions, Martinus shares a lifetime of hard-earned experience.

They dive into some of his most dangerous encounters, including his very first guided hunt that turned into a wounded buffalo charge, being gored by buffalo in both 1984 and 2003, and a brutal lion attack that left a fellow PH badly injured before a quick-thinking tracker saved the day.

Martinus reflects on how hunting has changed—from the “plentiful and easy” days to today’s increasing pressure and poaching—while also sharing stories from leopard and lion blinds, memorable (and not-so-memorable) clients, and why buffalo remain one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your hunt visit https://www.tiafive.com

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Swift Bullet Company

Dallas Safari Club

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Jim Green Footwear

PWP Travel

Andy sits down with Zimbabwean PH and safari operator Mike Payne for a raw, no-nonsense dive into a life forged in the African bush. From a grandfather’s legacy to Mike’s own hard-earned reputation, this episode tracks the bloodline of a true hunter.

They unpack what makes Zimbabwe’s tracking culture some of the purest hunting left on earth, Mike’s passion for buffalo hunting, and his trusted .470 double rifle. Expect practical bush wisdom—parallel tracking, reading the wind, knowing when to pull back—as well as edge-of-your-seat stories, including a close call with a lion and multiple full-throttle buffalo charges.

But it’s not just about the hunt. Mike speaks candidly about responsibility in the field, the reality of client safety, and the unpredictable challenges of the wild. The conversation then turns to something bigger: rebuilding the Kaburi-Moto area near Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe. Through anti-poaching, conservation, and community-driven work—led in part by his daughter Chloe—this is a mission to restore a wild landscape and shape a world-class hunting destination from the ground up.

For more information on Zimbabwe Safari Company, email [email protected]

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your hunt visit https://www.tiafive.com

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Swift Bullet Company

Dallas Safari Club

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks

Jim Green Footwear

PWP Travel

In this episode of This is Africa Podcast, Andy is joined by Bill Hober of Swift Bullet Company to relive his very first African safari—hunting buffalo in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley in the mid-1980s with legendary PH Bill Williams.

Bill shares the stories, people, and experiences that made Africa “infectious,” from dangerous game encounters and iron-sight hunting with a .470 Rigby double rifle, to burning grass for visibility and the adrenaline of close-range buffalo hunting.

The conversation also dives into Bill’s favorite rifles, including his .416 Rigby and a family .348 Winchester, cat hunting in Zambia, and the development of Swift bullets for some of the world’s largest calibers. Bill recounts taking a Botswana elephant with a .577 using Swift Break-Away Solids, along with unforgettable hippo and crocodile encounters from decades in the bush.

Together, Andy and Bill discuss conservation, the role hunting plays in protecting wildlife and habitat, and why Tanzania in its prime remains one of Bill’s most memorable safari destinations.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your hunt visit https://www.tiafive.com

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Swift Bullet Company

Dallas Safari Club

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Jim Green Footwear

PWP Travel

The one you’ve all been waiting for folks…Andy sits down with true African legend Guy Whittall for a conversation packed with wild stories, hard-earned wisdom, and a lifetime of living on the edge of the bush.

From growing up in one of Africa’s most iconic safari families to running operations in some of the wildest, most untamed places on the continent, Guy shares what it really takes to survive — and thrive — in Africa. Stories you won’t hear anywhere else. This isn’t just a podcast — it’s a front-row seat to authentic old-school Africa with one of the most respected names in the industry.

If you love hunting, conservation, and real bush stories… this one’s for you.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

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🤝 Supported by:

Swift Bullet Company

Dallas Safari Club

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks

Jim Green Footwear

PWP Travel

On this episode of This Is Africa, The Podcast, Andy is joined by Bill Hober from Swift Bullet Company and Joseph von Benedikt from the Backcountry Hunting Podcast for a deep dive into the world of premium hunting bullets.

From A-Frames and Sciroccos to the new Zephyr, they unpack what really matters when it comes to bullet performance on game in both Africa and North America. The conversation covers wound channels, bullet testing, dangerous game encounters, and why the wrong bullet choice can quickly turn a hunt into a disaster.

Bill also shares the story behind Swift’s latest innovations, including the upcoming Zephyr long-range bullet line, designed for high performance and modern fast-twist rifles.

For more information on Swift visit https://www.swiftbullets.com/

Backcountry Hunting Podcast:

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

🔗 Learn more:

🤝 Supported by:

Swift Bullet Company

Dallas Safari Club

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks

Jim Green Footwear

PWP Travel