Diana Smith

Originally born in Kenya, Diana has lived and worked in East and Central Africa, building and running top safari camps and lodges as well as selling safari vacations. The last 15 years have been spent selling safari vacations in London. We’re pleased to welcome her to the YZ herd!

Diana’s Recent Travel Experience

Diana took her two boys to visit their grandfather in Kenya and then on safari. It was very special for them to experience the country as Diana would have as a child. They spent time on the coast too.

Diana’s Most Memorable Experience

“I have had so many memorable experiences that it’s very hard to choose just one. However, I think there is a contender! I was lucky to be able to join a Schoeman’s Skeleton Coast flying safari in Namibia.

We started at Swakopmund Airport, just four of us in a small aircraft and a tiny bit of luggage, and spent 4 days and 3 nights flying north, landing on deserted beaches for picnics before ending each night at a remote but beautiful camp. We got to see the roaring dunes from the air, dramatic coastlines, shipwrecks, and a special visit to a very remote Himba tribe before heading north for our last night on the Kunene river on the Angolan border. Those were possibly three of the most incredible days that I have spent traveling. Not many people get to do things like this!”

Diana’s Bio

While attending boarding school in the UK, Diana visited her parents wherever their posting happened to be, and ultimately this triggered her lust for travel and adventure. Every vacation was different. After her schooling, Diana studied Hotel and Catering in Brighton, but with the travel bug lodged inside her she headed to the Caribbean to work on private yachts, visiting 26 different islands cooking for clients and looking after their every need. She crossed the Atlantic and did the same in the Mediterranean before heading to Zambia, where the safari dream began.

Diana worked at Tongabezi Lodge and Sindabezi Island in Livingstone. She helped build and run Sausage Tree Camp in the Lower Zambezi before moving to Malawi to work for Wilderness Safaris. She ran the Lilongwe office, helped manage Mvuu Lodge, and set up and ran the Blantyre sales office. She guided and cooked on many mobile safaris, including in the Kafue and South Luangwa national parks in Zambia.

Diana settled in the UK with her husband and family and has been in the Africa safari industry since 2006. She joined Yellow Zebra in 2022 to continue her passion for Africa tourism.

Expert Destinations

All destinations
  • Safari truck watches two hyenas approach, Wilderness Busanga Bush Camp, Kafue, Zambia - Yellow Zebra Safari

    Zambia

    From walking in South Luangwa to Zambezi exploration, Zambia is as authentic as safari gets.

  • sunset paddle boarding, pumulani lodge, malawi

    Malawi

    Experience scenic lake shores, ‘blue’ safaris, and a welcoming atmosphere in the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’.

  • Botswana River crossing with Elephants

    Botswana

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

  • namibias known highlights, Wilderness Little Kulala

    Namibia

    Towering dunes, rugged coastlines, and breathtaking night skies. Namibia’s scenery is unlike anywhere else in Africa.

Diana’s Top Lodges

  • Dining, Tena Tena Camp, South Luangwa NP, Zambia
    Zambia
    •
    Semi-Tented (Hybrid)
    •
    Classic

    Tena Tena Camp

     From C$1,353 – C$1,657 pp

    Tena Tena means ‘temporary home’. Owned and run by Robin Pope Safaris, this is certainly a homely little camp with a very friendly atmosphere. Robin Pope Safaris operates a number of authentic camps across Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, and the company is…

  • Namibia
    •
    Semi-Tented (Hybrid)
    •
    Classic

    Wolwedans Desert Lodge

     Enquire for pricing

    Wolwedans Desert Lodge is located in the private NamibRand Nature Reserve in south-west Namibia, a spectacularly scenic desert region of red dunes, gravel plains, and granite mountains. Part of the Wolwedans portfolio, known for its authenticity and the…

  • camp31
    Zimbabwe
    •
    Semi-Tented (Hybrid)
    •
    Luxury

    Somalisa Camp

     From C$1,298 – C$2,044 pp

    For travellers seeking authenticity in Hwange, Somalisa is hard to beat. The camp accepts children aged 7 years and older and we recommend constant supervision at all times as big game passes through camp!

  • Poolside, Little Kulala, Sossusvlei, Namibia
    Namibia
    •
    Semi-Tented (Hybrid)
    •
    Luxury

    Wilderness Little Kulala

     From C$1,353 – C$2,168 pp

    Wilderness Little Kulala enjoys the finest location of any of the camps in the region – it’s set in a wide valley, with the magnificent dunes of Sossusvlei in the distance. It is the only camp with private access to the dunes, which means you beat the crowds…

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.
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