Hot off the Press

Going pro guide

By | Wednesday, 6th April, 2022

Just a quick note to formally introduce you to three new members of the Journeys by Design team: our exploration specialist and pro guides Kyle de Nobrega and Squack Evans and client operations Mij Evans, all of whom are based in Africa.

Having all three on board is both a natural progression for Journeys by Design. Our knowledge and experience are given enormous depth and breadth by the fact that two members of Journeys by Design team – Kyle de Nobrega and Squack Evans – are working professional guides.

Having spent decades in the field guiding in some of the continent’s most untouched frontiers, these exploration specialists and pro guides live and breathe the wildernesses in which they work. Much respected throughout the industry, they are at the top of their game. Mij, who is Squack’s partner, also has enormous experience in the business, both in the world of safari operations and having worked for many years in the NGO sector.

What follows below is just a short introduction to Kyle, Squack and Mij. For a rounder picture of each, please see Team. In the meantime, I’m extremely grateful to all three for joining us and look forward everything they bring to the design and delivery of the most wonderful of safaris.

Kyle de Nobrega

South Africa-born, but based in Maun, in Botswana, Kyle has spent the last few years exploring and guiding in the heart of Africa with a primary focus on conservation, adventure travel and refining tailored safari experiences for guests across the continent.

His curiosity for the last great wildernesses left in Africa leading him into the deepest ecosystems in central, western and eastern Africa, he’s one of the very few naturalist and photographic guides to host guests on safari to these last great African wilderness regions.

In between guiding clients, Kyle balances his time at home advising on and designing safaris and enjoying life with the family, ‘making the most,’ as he says, ‘of the simple things in life, the things that matter most’.

Squack Evans

Born into a ranching family of self-taught naturalists, Squack Evans is known throughout the industry not just for his top-of-the-pile guiding skills, but also for his wonderful enthusiasm for all things wild.

After completing his training in 2001, Squack moved from Zimbabwe to northern Kenya, where he guided camel-assisted walking safaris in Laikipia, before cutting his game management teeth in Zambia, and then in Katavi in Tanzania, where he spent two years running an eco-camp.

A specialist in walking safaris, an excellent and super modest photographer, Squack has spent the last two decades advising on and guiding safaris in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mij Evans

Born in southern Germany, Mij Evans moved to Nakuru in Kenya with her family at the age of 10. Apart from leaving to work briefly in the UK and to read Political Science at Freie Universitaet Berlin in Germany, Mij has spent all her working life in East Africa.

Super organised, extremely detailed, a composite all rounder, and adventurous, Mij has worked in both the safari and NGO worlds, living in or travelling to Tanzania, Kenya, Southern Sudan, and Djibouti.  As Client Operations for Journeys by Design, Mij provides essential support for Squack and the wider team, designing itineraries, helping with logistics, and advising on pro guide and exploration specialist strategy.

Her vast Africa knowledge and experience and her wonderful disposition, one marked by a great sense of humour, makes her an indispensable member of the team.

 

So, welcome Kyle, Squack and Mij. We consider ourselves enormously fortunate that you’ve joined the team. Here’s to a future full of niche CLASSIC and super RARE safaris – and to lots of fun on the way.

If you would like to learn more, please do get in touch with Kyle, Squack or Mij.    

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