About Mike Myers

I started working in Botswana in 1979, in the Linyanti region, in northern Botswana. At that time, tourism in Botswana was more focused on hunting than photographic safaris, and at the lodge where I was based, we had only one guest in four months.

Meanwhile, a friend was running mokoro safaris in the heart of the Okavango Delta, and I decided to do the same, leaving the camp behind to start my own adventure, running a mokoro safari business.

After completing my light aircraft conversion to a Cessna 210, I took my first safari in June 1980. It was an eye-opener for me. I had never been to the Okavango before, let alone guided there, and landing on unpaved dirt airstrips was certainly a challenge. Fortunately, I was accompanied by a group of local Bayei polers who were superb. They guided me, and in turn, I guided my guests. It was an incredible experience, working out of Xaxaba Camp in the Moremi Game Reserve on the fringe of Chief’s Island was both thrilling and rewarding.

I would load my plane with all the food and drinks needed for a week, while guests were restricted to minimal luggage. The flight from Lanseria, just outside Johannesburg, to Maun took about three hours, followed by another twenty-minute flight to Xaxaba. Upon arrival, my Bayei poling team would be waiting at the airstrip, ready to help load the mokoros with supplies and camping gear. By lunchtime, we would already be en route to our first campsite.

Those days were spectacular, descending from the heights where the Delta could be admired through the window of my Cessna 210, down to water level, gliding silently in a mokoro. The sounds of friends chatting or simply drifting in quiet contemplation through one of nature’s most unique wetland systems made it an unforgettable experience. The only disruptions were the splash of water birds, the croak of frogs, or the soft whoosh of the mokoro as it was propelled forward. These were the days when the Delta became a part of me, sinking deeply into my being. I captured as much as possible through my old Nikon Cameras and lenses, though it wasn’t always easy. Camping was rudimentary at best, perfectly suited to the spirit of the time.

After five of the most memorable and glorious years running my own business and truly immersing myself in the essence and soul of the Delta, I felt the need for a new challenge. This led me to rejoin Gametrackers, this time as General Manager, to help grow the business. While I succeeded in building it, after three years, the call of the waterways, the channels, islands, and vast open landscapes, along with my deep-seated love for exploration and photography, pulled me away from the desk and back into the wild.

In 1990, I joined Chobe Game Lodge as both a Guide Trainer and the resident Pilot. This was another pivotal time in my journey, as Botswana was still in the early stages of developing its safari tourism industry. Despite its magnificent wildlife, expansive landscapes, and breathtaking big-sky sunsets, the country had few local guides at the time. My role involved training local guides, equipping them with skills not only for leading safaris but also for hosting photographers. This work deepened my connection to the people of Botswana and their families, adding a new dimension to my relationship with the country.

Flying, guiding, and photography became the core of my life, and my journey expanded further in 1995 when I joined Wilderness Safaris. Over the next 23 years, I grew alongside the company, which, when I joined, had just three camps in Botswana but expanded to over 50 camps across six countries by the time I left. It was an extraordinary experience. I started as a pilot-guide, then helped establish the private guiding division, began the conversion to digital photography, and later transitioned into marketing and sales. Eventually, in 2012, I returned home to Zimbabwe, where my wife, Marian, and I based ourselves in Victoria Falls.

My years with Wilderness carried me across every country where we had camps, weaving a deep knowledge of these landscapes into my being and forging friendships that would last a lifetime, including, most importantly, meeting Marian. Those years were extraordinary, filled with adventure, discovery, and the shared joy of a life immersed in the wild. But as much as they shaped us, a new opportunity called, one that would allow us to take everything we had learned and pour it into something of our own. Together, we embarked on our greatest project yet, building Verney’s Camp in Hwange National Park for Machaba Safaris.

Countless hours on the road, in the air, and around campfires had given Marian and me endless opportunities to debate, dream, and define what a tented camp should truly be. Verney’s Camp became the embodiment of those conversations—our vision brought to life. We poured our passion, love, and knowledge into every detail, crafting a camp that felt both timeless and deeply rooted in place. In just seven months, from bare earth to beautifully understated elegance, Verney’s rose, opening its canvas doors in June 2018. Today, it stands as a testament to our shared journey, a classic tented safari camp that captures the essence of Hwange and proudly serves as the flagship of Machaba’s Zimbabwe portfolio.

But that was not the end, in fact, it was just the beginning. During the build of Verney’s Camp, a very dear and special friend of mine, who had been the major shareholder of Wilderness Safaris since the mid-’90s, acquired the Xigera Safari Lodge site in the Okavango Delta. He entrusted Marian and me to take on what became one of the most privileged camp builds we had ever led. Having been his personal guide for over 25 years, sharing my love and passion for the wilderness, and combining that with Marian’s experiences, we built his dream and brought it to life before he sadly passed. It was a massive project, and Xigera is undoubtedly the most prestigious lodge in the Okavango Delta. Both of us are immensely proud of the role we played in its creation.