Safari Stories: 5 Journeys to Personal Growth
In the third edition of our blog series, Safari Stories, we share the personal stories of five team members who are helping to shape Namibia’s safari legacy.
At African Monarch Lodges, care comes full circle. Treating our staff as family means they have the support to do the same for our guests. And you know how your visit enriches their lives. But more than that, seeing someone prosper and thrive is a reward in itself. It’s a reminder of our incredible human potential.
Keenan: From child of the bush to camp custodian
Tinolla’s son Keenan has lived and breathed the wild from his earliest days. Within weeks of his birth in Johannesburg, his parents returned with him to the remote lodge in Zambia that they managed at the time. Through moves around southern Africa, as his parents took on different roles and positions in hospitality, the bush was a constant. It tucked him in at night and instructed him in its wild, raw and real ways.
If childhood days spent in a treehouse built around a massive baobab tree at Impalila Island Lodge, collecting strange bugs with his sister and playing cricket with elephant dung sound idyllic, Keenan’s authentic African safari stories show that nature is also a stern teacher. Take for instance what happened one day on his school commute across the Zambezi River with boat driver Rimos, who would let him take the wheel on the return trip:
“The water was calm, Rimos was next to me eating lunch, and I was steering when a hippo surfaced right in front of the boat. I panicked, swerved into the reeds, and nearly flipped us. My face ended up inches from that hippo and my heart was pounding. Rimos grabbed my shoulders, restarted the engine, and said, ‘Don’t tell your parents.’ Of course, I walked into camp pale as a ghost and blurted out the whole story in tears. My dad just looked at me and shook his head. Classic bush lesson.”
He also soaked up the humility, generosity and respect for people that hospitality in untamed places demands. When Tinolla became the Elewana Africa Collection’s Training and Standards Manager in Tanzania, Keenan and his sister would sit quietly under the trees while she trained butlers, waiters, housekeepers and managers. “I watched everything. I loved it. Seeing people grow more confident, more proud,” he says.
And he, too, has taken that journey. After high school in Windhoek, he returned to Nambwa and started at the bottom. Dusty called him the dog’s body, the guy who does a bit of everything – cleaning, assisting, guiding, whatever was needed. Slowly, over time, he worked his way up and is now the Lodge Manager at Nambwa Tented Lodge.
“The water was calm, Rimos was next to me eating lunch, and I was steering when a hippo surfaced right in front of the boat. I panicked, swerved into the reeds, and nearly flipped us. My face ended up inches from that hippo.”
Keenan
Beavan: From lodge gardener to bush master
Beavan moves through the landscape like others slide through a novel. He reads the bush in a snapped twig and a pattern of impressions in the soft sand. This skill is the result of a life-long apprenticeship that started at his father’s side when he went out hunting. On completing his schooling he initially worked at a lodge as a gardener but just a year later knew he wanted to be a guide. His training in Botswana allowed him to zoom into animal behaviour and plant life in all its glorious minutiae.
A few years later, he met Dusty at Susuwe Island Lodge. And he must’ve seen something in him, too, that wasn’t obvious at first glance, because he chose to stay with him after Susuwe closed in 2013 and helped build Nambwa Tented Lodge. Today, he’s the head guide at Nambwa.
In addition to sharing all that he knows about wildlife and nature with the lodge’s guests, he also trains young aspirant guides. Even now as teacher and a guide, he remains a student, eager to learn from the youth and nature. After all, the wild can surprise even the best bush master.
And it did just that one day when he was out visiting Kazile Island together with Tinolla, Dusty and some regular guests. With only a loud snort as warning, a buffalo appeared out of the thickets and charged the group. Everyone scattered in different directions as the animal targeted Dusty.
“Luckily Dusty was thinking on his feet and just as the buffalo lowered its head to strike, Dusty flung himself to the right, out of the buffalo’s way,” says Beavan. “The buffalo continued until he was about 50 metres from us and then stopped, looking at us. I shouted to everyone to stay in their hiding spots. After 20 minutes he finally walked away. That was the only time I’ve been chased by a buffalo and it’s given me a deep respect for them.”
“Luckily Dusty was thinking on his feet and just as the buffalo lowered its head to strike, he flung himself out of the buffalo’s way… That was the only time I’ve been chased by a buffalo and it’s given me a deep respect for them.”
Beavan
Hoster: From the scullery to skilled chef
When African Monarch Lodges employed Hoster in 2017, he couldn’t read or write, but he more than made up for it with his boundless curiosity, grit and a heart full of quiet determination.
Hired as a dishwasher, he spent his days in the scullery with his arms in suds and his eyes on the kitchen window. Always watching. Always learning. There was no mistaking his hunger to learn. A visiting chef trainer put it into words: “This man belongs in the kitchen.”
Since then, Hoster has learned to cook for the entire lodge of up to 20 guests all on his own. He stands with pride each evening, sharing the menu with guests, beaming a grin that stretches all the way to his eyes. While he still can’t read or write, what he brings to our kitchen is immeasurable – talent, confidence, humility, and joy.
The last of those is evident whenever you ask him how he’s doing. His answer never changes: “Always good.” He is one of our greatest staff empowerment stories and a living testament to what happens when potential is seen, nurtured and given the space to rise.
“He is a living testament to what happens when potential is seen, nurtured and given the space to rise.”
Bronah: From unemployed to thriving seamstress
Incredible power lies in Bronah’s hands. Although this local woman probably didn’t see it that way in 2017, when she found herself pregnant and unemployed. At least, she knew that with river reeds, she could still make a mat for the child. Only, she and her mother couldn’t find any. That was when African Monarch Lodges stepped in and first placed resources into Bronah’s hands, providing her with everything she needed to make the mat.
Some two years later, she applied for a position at the Sijwa Project and her creative hands have been busy ever since. She has learned to sew seeds, transplant plants, compost and take care of the soil. And it’s not just the ground that blossoms at her touch now, she also sews and makes jewellery using unique, recycled glass beads.
She recalls, “One of my happiest memories is making my very first dress with the sewing team. I got to wear it myself. I felt so proud. I am very, very happy about all these opportunities I have now in my life, things I did not learn in school.”
“One of my happiest memories is making my very first dress with the sewing team. I got to wear it myself. I felt so proud.”
Bronah
Liseli: From unsure waitress to confident hotelier
Liseli is another local woman from the Mayuni Conservancy who has emerged from her chrysalis as a beautiful “African Monarch butterfly”. When she first joined Nambwa Tented Lodge in 2015 as a waitress, she was young, nervous and unsure of herself. Nurtured and encouraged, she has undergone a remarkable transformation.
“Dusty and Tinolla welcomed me in and taught me what true hospitality means. It wasn’t just about serving food. It was about creating moments, making guests feel at home, and taking pride in every detail,” she says. With every guest interaction, Liseli grew and in 2017, she was transferred to Kazile Island Lodge, where the beautiful waters of the Kwando River proved a great inspiration.
Just a year later, Liseli was promoted to Food and Beverage Supervisor. That role opened my eyes to a new side of hospitality: stock control, quality service and leading a team. Once again, she didn’t have to take on these new challenges alone: “Tinolla, Silvia and Keenan mentored me. They taught me to lead with kindness, stay organised, and lift others as I rose.”
Her new-found wings are sure to carry her even further. Already she’s undertaken computer training at the Sijwa Project’s Vocational Residency and joined other members of the management team in a leadership mentorship programme.
As she so eloquently says, “Working at African Monarch Lodges is more than just a job. It’s a journey. We are not just a team. We are a family. A family that believes in people and gives them space to grow. Today, I walk with pride. I am still learning, still growing, but I know who I am. I am a hotelier. I am a leader.”
“Working at African Monarch Lodges is more than just a job. It’s a journey. We are not just a team. We are a family that believes in people and gives them space to grow.”
Liseli
Join us on a journey to personal growth
We hope these stories not only make you excited to meet us all in person but also encourage you to embark on your own journey with us towards serenity, a restored sense of self and healing.
Discover our Retreats in the Wild, where transformation happens naturally.