PROFILE OF FRANTIC NATURALIST AND MY PROFILE

This company is about people, not animals.  I love wildlife - with a deep passion.  But this company is all about another passion - sharing it with you!

We have chosen to do small groups only (maximum four people) and to only do private trips even with our day tours because we want to give your the chance not just to see, but to experience - to really feel it!

Frantic Naturalist is build on solid guiding experience, though it is still a new Safari company.  We started operating in July 2008.  But the company is build on a block of solid experience.

Frantic Naturalist is a small company owned and run by me, Vernon.  My wife helps me with reservations, and we use some well chosen and experienced freelance guides.  But we aim to stay small and personal.

My special interests include birding, desert ecology, reptiles, the Namib's archaeology, especially pertaining to Bushman's rock art.

A testimonial from good friends:

During the five years we have known Vernon, we have walked with him in the mountains and on the sand dunes of the NamibRand Game Reserve on many occasions.  We have had many discussions with him about desert ecosystems.  He is a knowledgeable and experienced naturalist with an intense interest in both animals and plants.  One especially memorable occasion was a night walk on the dunes to observe nocturnal animals.  On another walk to observe San paintings, his interpretation of evidence related to the San's use of the area was sensitive without being over-interpretive.  We have learned much from him.

from:

• Dorothy and Miles Paul
• Biologists, Retired
• University of Victoria
• Victoria, BC Canada

My Name is Vernon and I was born in Johannesburg in South Africa and lived there country until I was eight.

I moved to Kenya with my parents who started to run a project in the far north of Kenya.  I grew up there in the Kaisut desert.

As a child I soon started to show my passion for nature.  I loved going out by myself or with friends to explore or even just going for a run.  I was so lucky growing up as I did because I got to know deserts, forests, savannas and coastal areas.  I spend a great deal of my childhood climbing hills and mountains.

I studied Nature Conservation at Saasveld in South Africa.  It was not just the course, but some of the people who I studied with that helped me develop as a guide - we explored the bush, talked about it, and told African Bush tails late into the night.  It's the bricks that good guiding is made of.

After my studying years, I moved to Windhoek and then Swakopmund and started guiding.  I have done camping tours, lodge tours, bus tours and small group tours, dealt with conference groups and film crews.  I have done day tours and many years as a lodge guide in the desert.  I have also done various managerial jobs, but never far from guiding. 

I started guiding in 1998 and feel in love with it right away!  I have been at it ever since.

Contact me here.