I first travelled to Africa in 2000 to climb Kilimanjaro and have held an enduring, long-distance love affair with the continent ever since.

During my travels, I’ve achieved my own high-altitude take on Africa’s Big Five, climbing the five highest mountains on the continent – after Kili, I climbed Mount Kenya, Uganda’s Mount Stanley, Mount Meru in Tanzania and Ras Dashen in Ethiopia.

I’ve been on safari countless times in 12 countries to date, even training with guides in Kenya, and my fascination with life in the bush never diminishes.

I’ve trekked through the rainforests of Rwanda and Uganda to track mountain gorillas on six occasions as well as their lowland cousins in the Congo, and I’ve tracked cheetah, lions, rhinos, elephants and chimps in the wild with expert guides and rangers. I've also been privileged to work with some of the continent's most committed conservationists - click here for details.

I’ve met tribal communities in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley and the Batwa forest people of Uganda, spent time with the courageous Long Shield Lion Guardians of Zimbabwe and with women breaking the mould in the male-dominated world of safari guides.

I’ve run in the Sierra Leone Marathon (the 10K distance!) supporting orphans of Ebola for the charity Street Child.

And I’ve visited schools and village projects throughout Eastern and Southern Africa where children are learning to value their neighbouring wildlife through the work of leading conservationists making a real difference to both wildlife and the lives of local people.

To read some of my articles on Africa, click here.