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Lesley Cripps Thomson
Born in the United Kingdom, Lesley Cripps Thomson came to Africa at the age of thirteen, originally to Tanzania, where she developed her love of the continent while roaming the hil...view moreBorn in the United Kingdom, Lesley Cripps Thomson came to Africa at the age of thirteen, originally to Tanzania, where she developed her love of the continent while roaming the hills with her dog. Her first true experience of a wilderness area was the Ruaha National Park, where she was told that the only protection you needed from an elephant was a whistle! After being widowed at a young age with three small children to support, Lesley “fell into” ecotourism, setting up Zimbabwe’s first-ever safari consultancy, Safari Interlink, with a branch in the United Kingdom. She then established Wildlife Promotions, which specialized in marketing Africa to the rest of the world.
Lesley’s passion for conservation and responsible tourism has taken her to many different countries in Africa, and her articles about the experiences she had and the places she visited have been published in various media.
Refusing to travel without her children, Lesley “dragged them along” during their school holidays, often to very remote areas. Once her children had completed their education, Lesley decided it was time to go on a walkabout to Mozambique, South Africa, Australia, and the United States before she begun working in tourism in London. Not enjoying the close confines of such a huge city, she moved to a tiny cottage in a beautiful one-street village from where she started Talking Travel–Africa.
It was while Lesley was promoting tourism into Africa that she was offered the opportunity to return to Africa and work in a lodge
Lesley is currently living in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where, with her husband, Ina, who is a wildlife management consultant, they continue to promote conservation and responsible tourism.view less