Lauren Lees

Lauren’s in-depth knowledge comes from years living and working in Africa, guiding trips across top safari destinations. Lauren has worked for leading tour operators in sub-Saharan Africa and the UK. She brings hands-on safari experience to every journey she helps create.

Lauren’s Recent Travel Experience

Lauren’s most recent excursion to Africa included a three-week educational trip to Kenya, where she explored some of Yellow Zebra’s favorite safari destinations, including the Maasai Mara, Laikipia, Samburu, Amboseli, and the Chyulu Hills. She ended her trip along the Kenyan coast and after quite the adventure, selected her top Kenyan lodges with the most iconic views here.

Lauren’s Most Memorable Experience

“There are way too many to choose just one… feeling elephants brush past my dome tent in the middle of the night in Botswana, climbing the rocky outcrops of Spitzkoppe in Namibia, hiking from the Empakaai Crater to Lake Natron in Tanzania, trekking the mountain gorillas in Uganda… oh, and following a pack of wild dog in Ruaha National Park on my most recent trip to Tanzania. This list is endless!!”

Lauren’s Bio

Lauren found herself carving a career in a field that she found rather uninspiring. On having a light-bulb moment – ‘There has to be more to life than this!’ – she decided to up sticks and go travelling! The African continent was first, followed by Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and the USA – a trip that would take 10 months… apparently.

Having fallen head over heels for Africa, Lauren made it as far as Thailand before cancelling the rest of her ticket and booking a one-way back to South Africa. For the next three-and-a-half years, Lauren worked as a guide for an overland camping safari company, travelling through South Africa all the way up to Uganda and back again. When living out of a dome tent became too much, she returned to South Africa, where she worked in Operations. Lauren returned to the UK to work as an African specialist for a reputable worldwide luxury travel company, but it wasn’t long before Africa came calling again.

Lauren then spent three years living in Tanzania. Here, she worked for leading tour operator Legendary Expeditions, which owns the likes of the sensational Mwiba Lodge. Lauren’s final year on the continent, 2015, saw her living on the beach island paradise Zanzibar, where she assisted in the start-up of a small tour operator and worked as a PADI scuba diving instructor.

Expert Destinations

All destinations

  • Tanzania

    A classic safari destination home to big game, epic wildlife events, and iconic national parks.

  • leopards, Timbavati Game Reserve, south africa safaris

    South Africa

    Big Five safaris, lively cities, and dramatic coastlines. South Africa delivers exciting contrasts and variety.

  • Botswana River crossing with Elephants

    Botswana

    From dusty salt pans to delta floods, Botswana is a celebration of pristine African wilderness.

  • Masaai, Kenya - Yellow Zebra Safaris

    Kenya

    The original birthplace of safari, where world-class wildlife experiences and beautiful beaches meet.

  • gorilla trekking uganda africa yellow zebra safaris

    Uganda

    Primate treks, boating expeditions, traditional safaris, and more. Uganda’s safari potential is wonderfully diverse and untapped.

Lauren’s Top Lodges

  • ikuka safari camp main area tanzania yellow zebra safaris
    Tanzania
    •
    Permanent lodge
    •
    Luxury

    Ikuka Safari Camp

     From £620 – £776 pp

    Ikuka Safari Camp is an upscale yet beautifully understated property in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park, run by safari experts and hands-on owners Mark and Chloe Sheridan Johnson, together with a top-notch team. Ikuka Safari Camp is an upscale yet beautifully…

  • Lake Manze Tented Camp edited 39
    Tanzania
    •
    Tented
    •
    Essential

    Lake Manze Camp

     From £351 – £374 pp

    Lake Manze Camp is owned and operated by Essential Destinations, a company that prides itself on providing a range of eco-friendly properties across Tanzania. Lake Manze is sister camp to Yellow Zebra favourite Mdonya Old River in Ruaha National Park – and…

  • Lemala Kuria Hills Suite
    Tanzania
    •
    Permanent lodge
    •
    Luxury

    Lemala Kuria Hills Lodge

     From £642 – £1,381 pp

    Lemala Kuria Hills Lodge is a wonderful property where private pools come as standard, and the hospitality experience rivals the safari experience itself. Near to the Mara River on the border between the Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara, it is a great…

  • Main Farmhouse
    Tanzania
    •
    Permanent lodge
    •
    Classic

    Gibbs Farm

     From £926 – £1,157 pp

    Gibb’s Farm is one of the oldest guesthouse properties in North Tanzania, having been established by German settlers as part of a coffee estate in 1929. We tend to suggest it as a two-night base from which to visit the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.…

Talk to someone who’s been there

Real expertise doesn’t come from a few trips to Africa. All our specialists have either been guides, run the camps, or grown up and lived in Africa. That’s over 600 years of genuine safari experience.
Make an Enquiry
02085472305
Lauren Lees
Client Experience Manager