Lucinda has always been an avid fan of the outdoors, ever since being old enough to toddle after any willing creature at her family farm in Melrose, Scottish Borders – ranging from pet lambs to dogs, chickens, geese, cows, with a particular love for horses, and even a pet parrot at one point. She was educated in Edinburgh, but any spare moment was spent competing in the sport of Eventing across the UK and Europe with her horses and this juggle continued whilst studying for an International Business Management degree at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.
After graduating in 2022, Lucinda worked in real estate in Edinburgh before heading off to explore New Zealand and Australia to dodge the Scottish winter. The trip generated many memories and a travel bug to last a lifetime, and her highlights included diving the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with dolphins in Kaikoura, skydiving over the Whitsundays and immersing herself into traditional Kiwi/Aussie life whilst meeting people from all walks of life on the way. After returning from the southern hemisphere, Lucinda worked with racehorses to fuel her outdoorsy fix until the end of the National Hunt calendar. During this time, it became apparent that her travel bug wasn’t satiated, and joining the Aardvark Safaris team in their Musselburgh office in 2023 was an irresistible opportunity to twin travel with planning others’ ever-lasting holiday memories.
Favourite African experiences
It is so tricky to pick one! The wildlife, the people, the camps/lodges, the landscapes… every trip to Africa offers something new and exciting. Horses truly are the best 4×4 to experience the magic of safari aboard, getting up close and personal with the wildlife never ceases to amaze me, especially how relaxed they are around even the biggest predators. Highlights include cantering across the Masai Mara alongside a dazzle of zebra with
Offbeat Riding Safaris, ‘bush-whacking’ to track a pride of lions with
Wait a Little in South Africa, three leopard sightings in one morning, all on horseback, at
African Horseback Safaris in the Okavango Delta, swimming with horses in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southern Mozambique, galloping with the wildebeest migration with
Kaskazi Horse Safaris in the Serengeti, and jumping every elephant-felled log that could be found with
Horizon Horseback Safari on their
Mashatu Tuli ride in eastern Botswana.
Favourite African animal
Whilst I love seeing any animal on safari, no matter how great or small, on safari,
a leopard sighting is always a highlight due to their stealthiness and therefore, the thrill when you finally see one and can appreciate their beauty up close, normally after an immense shift from your guide. Wild dog is another favourite due to their ability to work as a team, which is reflected by their astronomically high hunting success rate, watching them hunt is so enthralling!
Favourite three camps
Ol Malo Lodge
The views are simply just magical, the hospitality is second-to-none, and the rooms are exquisitely tasteful and built into the rockface on the hill where the lodge is situated so it really blends in with the surroundings.
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Ol Malo Lodge, Kenya[/caption]
Tanda Tula
The most amazing wildlife, guiding and magnificent rooms. A very luxury, upmarket camp but tasteful, and the emphasis still firmly remains on the wildlife.
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Tanda Tula, South Africa[/caption]
Shinde Camp
The most beautiful camp in such an idyllic setting that offers the perfect combination of water and land activities year-round.
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Shinde Camp, Botswana[/caption]
Riding experience
African Horseback Safaris, Ants Hill / Nest, Borana Lodge, Horizon Horseback Safaris,
Horizon's Mashatu Tuli Ride,
Mozambique Horse Safaris, Namibia Horse Safaris Company, Offbeat Riding Safaris, Ol Malo Lodge, Okavango Horse Safaris, Ride Botswana, Sosian Lodge, Tanzania Horse Safaris, Wait A Little.
African countries visited
Botswana,
Kenya, Mozambique,
Namibia,
South Africa, Tanzania
View Lucinda's trip itineraries and highlights here:
Botswana,
Kenya, Mozambique,
Namibia,
South Africa,
Tanzania
On arranging holidays
The tailormade element of the trips we create is so unique, and it means we can deliver exactly what the client wishes to get out of their African adventure. It is always magical when clients come back and shares their experience, as we get to travel to the same places, so it is very special when you can share their excitement. Whilst African travel is a real perk of the job, it also enables us to recommend the most well-suited holiday to our clients. I love getting to know a client, and then establishing what would work best to ensure we achieve, and hopefully emulate, their expectations, which usually leaves them with the safari bug and an infatuation with Africa. 
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