On the Podcast: 13 Years of Safari with Gary Franklin & Brett Horley

The never-ending bucket list...

Gary is one of the original BHS travellers, putting his adventurous spirit in the hands of a 20-something-year-old Brett Horley almost 13 years ago when he was a guide on a conservation course. Sleeping under the stars and walking the rocky baobab-strewn outcrops of Mapungubwe was only the beginning of the Franklin explorations, which now span more than a decade with BHS.

Camping out in a sweltering hide in the Kruger National Park, celebrating 20th wedding anniversaries with best friends on a star-filled Namibia safari, seeing white lions in the wild, throwing a 60th birthday bash in the Timbavati, trailing in Pafuri, wading through the Levuvhu River, photographing shoebills and gorillas in Uganda...

In a nutshell: Gary’s almost 13 years of safari have created memories to treasure, and there is no slowing down. Just next month, Gary heads to Botswana to capture more moments that will undoubtedly end up framed on a wall or displayed in a photo book.
Walking Bwindi Forest in search of mountain gorillas in Uganda, hitting the trails in the Lowveld winter, and admiring baobabs on foot in northern Kruger.

We’ve been there every step of the way as Gary has introduced his family and friends to African destinations, and in his words, he’ll "be going to Kruger forever”. Walking trails in the Lowveld introducing new people to experiences like these, and never knowing what’s going to happen in the wild are what keep him coming back.


It has been a privilege to see Gary wear our BHS peak cap in more countries in the world than anyone else, and to be connected with a passionate lifetime traveller. This conversation was an awesome opportunity to revisit some of those memories, and it’ll surely inspire you to take the plunge and make those David Attenborough moments a reality.

Spotting and photographing the famous shoebill in Uganda, roasting marshmallows on campfires on the open plains of Timbavati, birthday safaris with friends and family, and never not on the look out for the next big thing to photograph.

Enjoy this chat between friends and get cracking on that travel checklist. Thank you, Gary, for having a seat on Campfire Conversations.

Listen now!