the person behind roaring skies
Africa first drew me in during a two-month Leopard monitoring project in the Waterbergs, in the Limpopo province of South Africa, in 2014. What started as a fascination for African wildlife gradually became something much deeper: A desire to understand the animals, the ecosystems they depend on and the people who call these places home.
Years later, I returned to Africa to train as a professional field guide in Kenya and South Africa. I went on to live and work across East Africa, guiding in some of Kenya's most remarkable wilderness areas, leading walking safaris and learning from the people, animals and different habitats around me. Today, I personally design and guide a limited number of safari journeys each year through Roaring Skies.
SIMON LANDOLT
Founder & Private Guide
FROM CURIOSITY TO GUIDING
My fascination with wild animals started long before I ever set foot into Africa. As a child, I could spend hours going through my father's animal books, learning the names, habits and characteristics of species from around the world. I was especially drawn to Africa. Its wildlife, its landscapes and the sheer diversity of life found there.
My first real experience came in 2014, when I spent two months volunteering in South Africa. The first month was spent at Atherstone Nature Reserve, a remote reserve dedicated to wildlife research and protection rather than tourism. The second month took me to Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterberg. We worked with a field guide to reach camera traps deep in the bush, often on foot, because there was simply no other way to get there.
That guide, his name is Devon, became a friend, and our conversations continued long after the project ended. Watching him work made something click. I wanted to understand the bush in the same way. Not simply to see animals, but to learn how to read the landscape and what was happening within it. He encouraged me to pursue professional field guide training and introduced me to EcoTraining.
In 2020, I began my professional field guide training, spending time in Kenya before heading to the remote Makuleke wilderness in South Africa's northern Kruger. The training took me far beyond wildlife identification and animal behaviour:
Guiding skills, Geology, Climate & Weather, Astronomy, Biomes, Tracks & Signs, Birds, Plants, Arthropods, Wilderness Medicine, Rifle Handling and walking in dangerous game areas. The list goes on and on... It was challenging, demanding and completely absorbing. But I absolutely loved it.
My six-month placement brought me back to Kenya, where I joined Governor's Camp Collection. What followed became several years of living and working in the country. Guiding in the Maasai Mara, Naivasha and Laikipia, leading walking safaris and eventually helping train other guides.
The more I learned, the more I realised that a safari is about far more than finding animals. It is about understanding behaviour, seeing how species interact, reading the landscape and recognising how wildlife, people and ecosystems are connected.
Today, that way of thinking is at the heart of Roaring Skies. I want to share Africa with guests in a way that puts the wilderness first: Observing without disturbing, travelling with respect, supporting the people and places that make these journeys possible, and taking the time to truly understand what we are seeing.
WE ARE VISITORS.
THESE ARE THEIR HOMES!
EXperience that shapes the way i guide.
Years in the field, professional training and real guiding experience across Africa have shaped not only my knowledge, but how I guide.
With respect, curiosity and a deep appreciation for wildlife, people and the places we explore.
Two months volunteering in wildlife research and Leopard monitoring at Atherstone Nature Reserve and Welgevonden Game Reserve.
2014
SOUTH AFRICA
Professional Field Guide Training with EcoTraining, including broad practical training in Kenya and the Makuleke wilderness. FGASA & KPSGA qualified.
KENYA & SOUTH AFRICA
2020
2021
Six-month field placement with Governor’s Camp Collection, followed by permanent guiding position in the Masai Mara, Naivasha and Laikipia.
KENYA
Leading wildlife and walking safaris, developing deeper expertise in avifauna and guiding. Supporting the training of younger guides as an internal guide trainer.
KENYA & EAST AFRICA
2021 - 2022
Personally designing and guiding limited numbers of journeys across the Africa, focusing on wild animals, birding, conservation and meaningful travel.
THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
TODAY
PROFESSIONAL FIELD GUIDE
EcoTraining
FGASA & KPSGA
TRACKS & SIGNS
My favourite thing to do.
49/50 during guide training.
WILDLIFE & BIRDING
Expertise in animal behaviour, ecology and ornithology
WALKING SAFARIS
Trained and experienced in walking safaris.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Nature & Wildlife photography.
Storytelling.
What keeps me coming back
What keeps me coming back
Africa has a way of revealing new stories,
no matter how often you return. These are
the things that continually inspire me.
And that I love sharing with my guests.
WILDLIFE & BEHAVIOUR
For me, a great wildlife encounter is about more than identifying a species. I want to understand what is happening. How an animal behaves, interacts and responds to the environment around it.
BIRDS AND SMALLER ANIMALS
Birds have taught me to look beyond the obvious. A flash of colour in the canopy, an unfamiliar call or a tiny movement in the grass can reveal an entirely different side of an ecosystem.
There is something different about
experiencing Africa on foot. Without
a vehicle between you and the land,
you become more aware of tracks,
sounds, smells and the smaller details
that surround you.
AFRICA ON FOOT
PHOTOGRAPHY & LIGHT
Photography has made me even more
patient as a guide. Waiting for the best
light or the right moment teaches you
to slow down, observe and sometimes
simply put the camera down and enjoy
what is happening in front of you.
we are visitors.
we travel on their terms.
Africa is not a stage created for us. The animals and the places they inhabit come first.
That means giving wildlife space, avoiding unnecessary disturbance and allowing natural behaviour to unfold. It means travelling slowly, choosing camps and partners that respect their surroundings, supporting local communities and contributing to the conservation of the places we visit.
And it means sharing more than what we see. I want my guests to leave with a deeper understanding of the animals, the ecosystems and the people who make these places what they are.
Come and experience africa with me
There is a lot of Africa I could tell you about.
But some things are better discovered together. Sitting quietly beside a river, following tracks through
the dust, watching the light change across the landscape or finding a bird neither of us expected to see.