Eric Reinhardt

His story starts on a farm outside of Windhoek where he was born. A childhood of being barefoot, helping tend the animals with an inquisitive love of nature. Eric completed school in Gauteng in South Africa, he returned to Namibia to serve two years in the military. Post army stint, he found a temp job guiding in Botswana for six months after which he was supposed to return to Namibia to study, but six months turned eight years when he discovered his love for guiding and passion for the bush.

A career and destiny that began in 1986 is now some 38 years later still his career of choice and with good reason, it’s simply what Eric loves to do. He’s done a few other things in between, working for well-known companies in the industry, building, starting and managing lodges and camps in some of Namibia’s most remote areas – Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, Serra Cafema and Lianshulu Lodge to name a few. He spent two years in the Palmwag Concession managing the trekking teams for Save The Rhino Trust and guiding expeditions into Kaokoland in the north west deserted areas of Namibia before heading to Tanzania and Uganda guiding safaris there for a further four years.

No matter where Eric was or what he was doing, one thing was always for certain - he found himself where there’s raw wilderness and wide open spaces. Place to breathe and explore the untouched and untamed. It’s all about being out in the bush where there is freedom and his favourite part of it all, is sharing it with someone else. (If he’s your guide on tour, then we are talking about you here.)

Eric is down to earth and his travel style is much the same. If he has to pick a favourite lodge, it’s Lianshulu Lodge in the Caprivi. It’s not really so much about the lodge for him, but more about the wetlands, an abundant river and the incredible wildlife. The wilder the better. If he can camp in the middle of nowhere that’s best. If it’s in his favourite off the beaten track areas of Damaraland or Kaokoland, that’s top prize.

Eric has been a guide on at least a dozen trips with National Geographic and the BBC in filming of wildlife documentaries too. Any excuse to be in the bush is a good one for Eric. Although this is a pretty cool claim to fame if you ask us and another experience in his years of being a guide, that makes him one of the best.

When Eric’s not on tour, which is almost always never (whether with guests or on his own), he enjoys working on old Land Rovers and taking them for a spin in the dunes. He’s a social chap, as is his wife Tanja, so a good braai (*barbecue) and close friends is always on the cards.

He’s both outgoing and reserved. Patient and eager to go. Especially if it means heading off into the unknown. “Let’s go” is the motto he lives by. The question, “…you coming?” is all that remains.