Shane Hedges Spotlight On

How did you start out in guiding?

I was born Into the industry and all through my childhood I was on safari, learning all there was to know about life on safari and the way of the wild.

What’s your favorite place in Africa and why?

Botswana, it’s my home and always will be! I have had the privilege of travelling the continent quite extensively and even after I have visited so many wild and magnificent places there is nothing quite like the Okavango Delta.

Have you ever been really scared on safari?

Yes on one cold winter night in the Moremi Game Reserve during the early hours of the morning a male lion decided the side of my tent looked quite comfortable and proceeded to lie down on it. I spent the next few hours lying right next to him with nothing but a sheet of canvas between us. Trying to keep my heart rate down and be still and quiet as humanly possible, I did nothing but hope that he would not notice my presence and move on to find another more comfortable spot to spend the rest of the night.

What three books do you recommend your guests read before going on safari?

A Marriage of Inconvenience – Michael Dutfield
Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela
Whatever You Do, Don’t Run – Peter Allison

What are the three most important pieces of kit for guests to bring along?

Torch
Binoculars
A thirst for adventure

What is your motto in life and what concepts are sacred?

“Be the change you want to see in the world”
“Not all those who wander are lost”
“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy”

 Which rules have you made, which ones do you follow and which rules do you break?

If you think you are too small to make a difference then you have never spent a night with a mosquito

Mind over matter

The speed limit