The Lowveld Trails Co. team seamlessly blends expert African Wilderness knowledge with meticulous logistical support to create unforgettable experiences.
Our Wilderness Guides are highly qualified professionals, many of whom are FGASA-endorsed Mentors. Actively involved in both guiding and training, they offer immersive adventure and learning, driven by a deep passion for African Wilderness.
Behind the scenes supporting them is our dedicated office team, ensuring everything runs smoothly from the moment you reach out. Their careful planning and coordination empower our guides to focus on delivering exceptional experiences.
Together, we combine expertise, passion, and precision to craft transformative journeys. Embark on your own Lowveld Trails Co. adventure and experience the heart of African Wilderness with our dedicated and supportive team.
Passion. Experience. Quality.
Wayne is a Wilderness Trails Guide with twenty years worth of experience in the Nature Conservation and Field Guiding industry. Along with his BTech: Nature Conservation, he became only the twelfth person to achieve FGASA Scout status. It is the organisation’s highest designation, which is a combination of two qualifications – FGASA Specialist Knowledge & Skills: Dangerous Game (SKS:DG) and Senior Tracker (Cybertracker). Wayne also acts as a FGASA Mentor.
For the past decade and a half, the majority of Wayne’s time has been spent leading Primitive Trails and Training aspiring Trails Guides in the Greater Kruger National Park. He has accumulated >15 000 trails guiding hours to date.
Wayne has a calm and relaxed nature, which rubs off on clients and students, making him a popular guide and trainer. With his deep Wilderness connection, and a special interest in tracking and botany, time spent with him in the bush is always enriching and rewarding.
Brenden has been conducting multi-day Trails in the Greater Kruger National Park for the past twenty years. In conjunction with a BTech Nature Conservation and MSc Ecology, Brenden became the tenth person to achieve FGASA Scout status. It is the organization’s highest designation, which is a combination of two qualifications – FGASA Specialist Knowledge & Skills: Dangerous Game (SKS:DG) and Senior Tracker (Cybertracker).
Brenden now focuses on facilitating Primitive Trails, Trails Guide Training and Tracking Courses for Lowveld Trails Co.. His relevant field experience (incl. >16 500 trails guiding hours) has acquainted him with the biological diversity and ecological processes of the Lowveld savanna exceptionally well. It is based on this experience and knowledge that he acts as a FGASA Mentor.
Brenden’s calm nature and ability to interpret the inter-connectedness of the natural environment makes him a popular Trail leader. He deeply values the concept and philosophy of Wilderness and its associated attributes.
Tamsyn’s entrepreneurial spirit was ignited at a young age while working alongside her parents in their family businesses in Stellenbosch, Western Cape Province. This instilled in her a strong foundation of business ethics, values, and skills that have become the cornerstones of her career.
In 2006, a move to Kruger National Park with her husband led to the creation of a successful tour operating company. Together, they spent over six years guiding adventures through the National Park and neighbouring Mozambique, before selling the company and starting a family in Hoedspruit.
Tamsyn’s entrepreneurial journey continued in 2015 with the co-founding of Lowveld Trails Co. alongside Wayne & Brenden. She has worn many hats within the company over the years, and as the team has grown, her focus has shifted to ensuring the smooth running of the company’s finances and human resources.
Beyond her professional endeavours, Tamsyn is passionate about yoga, going on Primitive Trails, Tracking, and the serenity of remote camping. Being part of Lowveld Trails Co. fulfills her desire to contribute to Wilderness preservation through education. It’s especially important to her that her children witness their parents’ dedication to creating experiences that inspire personal growth, social responsibility, and a renewed appreciation for wild spaces.
Nicole has never looked back following her decision to relocate from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit almost 7 years ago. Her professional career began in the retail industry, ranging from management, to merchandise buying and planning for large industry brands, to running her own small business focused on proudly South African made products. After 12 years in retail, she knew she needed a change, and began working for Lowveld Trails Co. All of her previous experience prepared her for the diverse role she plays within the company, from managing the merchandise range and the brand’s website, to brochure creation, and over the last 3 years taking the reins in the Reservations and Operations departments.
Nicole’s positive manner, deft communication skills, ability to see the big picture and seamless planning for our activities, make her an invaluable member of the team. She is passionate and dedicated, with her super-organized side coming out when ensuring clients are well looked after and all the guides are properly prepared and ready to head out on Trail.
Jared’s appreciation for nature and adventure was instilled during happy childhood years in and around Hoedspruit. Jared is always calm and collected, and forms deep one on one connections with fellow trailists. He believes that Wilderness has a powerful presence and is a great environment within which to promote self-awareness.
Following completion of his BSc Zoology degree, Jared decided to pursue a career in Nature Guiding. He subsequently guided in the Lowveld for over 10 years, with a few of those years spent conducting Backpack Trails in the Kruger National Park. This experience had a deeply profound effect on him; It was the sheer beauty and splendour of the Wilderness that impacted me most. I felt alive and didn’t want to leave.
After spending a number of years in the UK, Jared returned to South Africa in 2022 and joined the Lowveld Trails Co. team, itching to get back into the wild. Like most of his colleagues, Jared’s passion while out in the field is Tracking. He has achieved the Specialist Track and Sign qualification through CyberTracker and is currently fine tuning his Trailing abilities. Along with a FGASA Lead Trails Guide qualification and >3500 trails guiding hours, Jared is well equipped to help foster the ‘connection with self’ that spending time in wild places facilitates.
After time spent travelling and exploring diverse places, cultures and landscapes around the world, Lori soon learnt that her heart and feet belonged back on African soil. Enthralled by Wilderness, she joined the Lowveld Trails Co. Apprentice Trails Guide Course back in 2021. After her first Primitive Trail experience, she was captured by the laws of the wild. Lori became determined to build a career in the wilds and grasped the opportunity to join the Lowveld Trails Co. team in July 2022.
Having a foundation in teaching (Bachelor of Education), Lori enjoys every opportunity to engage with guests and students. She is always curious and fascinated by finer details, and her excitement is amplified when sharing these moments of discovery with others!
With an adventurous heart, Lori finds fulfillment in the simplicity of Trails and enjoys embracing the ever-changing environment. Her compassionate nature radiates to those around her, creating a sense of comfort and warmth.
Her growth as a Trails Guide is marked by her ongoing pursuit of knowledge and experience, reflected by her growing list of qualifications; FGASA Trails Guide with Level 2 Trailing and Professional Track and Sign certification through CyberTracker.
Having grown up in Hoedspruit, the Lowveld will always be the place that Sam calls home.
Sam joined the Lowveld Trails Co. team in June 2023 as an Office Assistant. With an Honours degree in Geology from University of Stellenbosch, she brings a deep-seated passion for the natural world to her role. Sam offers vital support with accounts, handles administrative tasks, oversees merchandise sales and does the menu planning for our student groups and Timbavati tented camp.
What Sam loves most about working at Lowveld Trails Co. is the opportunity to promote sustainable tourism and showcase the natural beauty of the places where we operate. She is proud to be part of a team dedicated to the conservation of the Wilderness ethos and creating unforgettable experiences in wild spaces.
David is our Tsonga-speaking culinary powerhouse. He was born in Phalaborwa, on the doorstep of the Kruger National Park. With twenty years of experience cooking across South Africa, he honed his skills in lodges and restaurants, and even had the honor of cooking for Prince Harry. He’s nothing short of a gastronomic wizard.
David, affectionately known as Captain, is the heart and soul of our Tented Camp kitchen. He works his magic on a wood-fire and gas stove, creating delicious meals that delight our students and guests. He’s always ready with a warm smile and a story, happy to share insights into his special recipes. Some might even say that he is Lowveld Trails Co.’s secret ingredient. His ‘world-famous’ bread baked daily on an open-fire is something to behold, with the irresistible aroma drawing everyone closer. The consistent quality that he achieves with a simple layout is something to marvel at.
Spending many weeks at the tented camp, David has a special connection with the local wildlife. He particularly enjoys the company of the resident flock of Crested Francolins, who seem to eagerly await his arrival.
Johan’s lifelong passion for everything wild was ignited by a formative Wilderness Trail experience in Kruger National Park at age 12. Born in South Africa, he lived and completed a BSc in Biology in the United States of America before returning to pursue his childhood ambition of becoming a Trails Guide. Following four years of guiding in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (and a season in Alaska), Johan achieved the FGASA Professional Field Guide qualification and joined the Lowveld Trails Co. team in March 2025.
Johan’s love for Tracking is evident in his ability to interpret the subtle signs of the wild. He has achieved Professional Track & Sign and Level 3 Trailing qualifications through CyberTracker. With extensive guiding experience across diverse Wilderness environments, Johan brings a dynamic and insightful perspective to his role. He believes that Tracking offers a uniquely immersive connection to the natural world, a philosophy he enthusiastically shares with his guests.
