Kingfisher Safaris

Martin has spent many years travelling, living and working in Botswana and South Africa. After visiting Zimbabwe on Safari first in 1997 and again in 1999 he felt the call of Africa and successfully obtained his first Professional Pilots Licence in South Africa. Having heard of opportunities to indulge his passions, he travelled to Maun in Botswana to try and find employment as a Bush Pilot.

Not having been there before he found that this was the perfect place to indulge his dreams of Safari and Aviation. He spent two years working for the largest Charter Company in Maun serving most of the camps in Botswana. He then used the knowledge he gained for the position of General Manager for Botswana of a 5 star Safari operation with two Lodges in the Linyanti region and one Semi-permanent Lodge in the Khwai area of the Okavango Delta.

Martin has held Professional Pilots Licences in Botswana, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Known throughout Botswana as ‘Pilot’ due to the similarity in his name to Pilate (as in the biblical Pontius Pilate) you will be shown this beautiful country by someone who is a born and bred ‘Motswana’ (the name given to citizens of Botswana) and is a genuine local. Pilot was born in a small village, Shorobe, on the edge of the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

He spent his early life in the bush and on a remote cattle post attending Shorobe Primary School. Shopping trips with his parents would entail travel to Maun by Mokoro (a traditional dug-out canoe). Pilot could not attend high school, due to the death of his Father, leaving Pilot to look after the family. His upbringing in the Okavango Delta led him to working with the founder of Wilderness  Safaris and was the first local guide to be employed by Wilderness, and to this day, Pilot is still friends with the founder of Wilderness Safaris. Pilot has spent many years working as a guide in Botswana, mainly as an Explorer guide for Wilderness Safaris, travelling on land throughout the country and guiding his guests in all the country’s National Parks and private areas. This job also took Pilot to the regional safari destinations of Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Recently Pilot has been working, again, as a mobile safari guide, mainly in the Khwai areas of the Okavango and Nxai Pan National Park during the Zebra migration. His greatest claim to fame is to have visited Canada for a Polar Bear Safari and to this day is still the only time he has left the African continent. Pilot is an extremely resourceful man and is fun to be around during a safari where he likes to give his guests outstanding wildlife experiences and service that is second to none. An accomplished vehicle Mechanic, Chef and guide there is no-one better to be with to show you this fabulous country, Botswana.