Conrad Hennig

Conrad’s passion for the great outdoors started early in sub-urban Johannesburg, South Africa , whilst falling out of tree houses busy identifying Barbets and Ibises with a 3rd edition of Roberts’ Birds in hand.

After completing a BSc.(Hons) in Zoology at the University of KwaZulu Natal, it soon became apparent that his aptitude lay not in dreary scientific methodology but with people.

His love for all creatures great and small saw him complete his diving instructors’ course, collect insects from all over for his “collection” still found on the study wall and eventually join Wilderness Safaris in Malawi. After two years of running safaris , he was transferred to the Okavango Delta in Botswana where he ran safaris for the next 5 years. He also led safaris for NGOs and Alumni throughout southern Africa as well as further affield in the wilds of Madagascar and Eastern Africa.

The ocean was never far away from his heart, and constantly chose to spend his “down time” at one of South Africa’s best-kept secrets, Rocktail Bay Lodge with its breeding turtles and exquisite SCUBA diving. Over the last five years Conrad has fallen in love with the Polar Regions of our planet, particularly Antarctica and northern Canada. He now leads expeditions to these last great wildernesses of our planet, as well as participating as lecturer on expeditions to the North Pole.

He is blessed with endless enthusiasm, and guests on one of his expeditions or safaris are sure to join him time and time again on different adventures. When not traveling, Conrad finds his home back in Johannesburg, where it all started, still looking for trees from which to fall out of…

Ivan van Heerden

Ivan and I go way back. We studied Zoology together which means I have known Ivan for nearly twenty years! He has been living in the Caribbean for the last 12 years, and has really become very well known in the yachting, diving and underwater photography circles.

It is an absolute delight that not only has he brought himself and his family back to South Africa, but is also joining the Extraordinary Expeditions team. He brings with him great skill and ideas for the future, and will be heading up the underwater (i.e. snorkeling, diving and photography) side of our business.

Of course having lived with all things marine for the last decade, he will be gently prodded to southern Africa’s terrestrial delights, so will also be heading into the safari side of things slowly. So many of Ivan’s friends and clients have never been on safari, nor for that matter, seen Africa and its associated islands’ underwater spectacles. First of course which jumps to mind is the sardine run etc. so we are very excited he has joined us.

Ellie Brinklow

Ellie has recently joined the team as Reservations and Operations Manager and brought with her great knowledge of Southern Africa – partly due to have guided tours extensively through South Africa, Swaziland & Namibia and then in the later years having composed itineraries for one of the biggest safari operators in Southern Africa. She has had the privilege to have visited the Okavango Delta with its sensitive water channels and is very passionate about sustainable tourism with minimum impact on the local environment. She is also fanatical about travelling and spent six years abroad during which the Red Sea scuba diving bug also bit her. Ellie now resides in Johannesburg with husband Joe and their two energetic toddlers.