Raised in six African countries, Will Jones graduated with a degree in environmental science from Southampton University, before spending four years in Ethiopia, first as a volunteer in its national parks, and then as the driving force behind the country’s first ecotourism project at Bishangari Tented Camp.
From Ethiopia, Will went to work as a guide and luxury lodge manager in Kenya, at Galdessa in Tsavo East, and at Borana on the Laikipia, before returning to the UK, where he set up Journeys by Design in 1999. A lifelong advocate of sustainable tourism, he did so as a means of contributing to the work of a small but growing band of thinkers, wildlife experts and environmental specialists, all of whom see high-end, low-impact tourism as one of the best ways to help save and then grow Africa’s many wildernesses.
Will travels to Africa at least five times yearly and has formed excellent relationships with the guides, pilots and local communities that play host to our safaris. While he knows the majority of the countries represented by Journeys by Design well, Will specialises in designing itineraries for Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Tanzania, and personally guides a handful of trips each year. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 2019.
In a recent (2023) twist to his story, Will has returned to his design-and-build roots, having built the very beautiful Kiserian Cottage & Bush Camp on Naretoi Estate, in Enonkishu, on the northern border of the Maasai Mara, which he makes available to travellers when not using it as a family home.
For travel, wider conservation matters, and indeed a stay at Kiserian, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Will.