destinations

explore wild territories with a francophone guide

Every destination is a promise.

AFRICA AND BEYOND, BY VALENTIN LAVIS

Not a standard itinerary, not a lodge catalogue. These destinations I have covered on foot, by 4×4, by dugout canoe, taking the time to truly understand them. Every country I offer, I know from having guided it across all seasons, having learned its rhythms, its wildlife, its light. From Kenya to Zambia, from Botswana to India, these are living territories I invite you to discover differently, far from packaged tours and overcrowded groups.

Are you with me?

A F R I c a

South Africa

the rainbow nation

South Africa is where it all began, in Kruger National Park at the age of five. Today I guide in the Greater Kruger, within private reserves that offer an intimate and uncompromising experience. Big Five, night drives, bush tracking: South African safari at its finest.

Botswana

the jewel of africa

Botswana fiercely protects its wildlife and limits the number of visitors. The Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert and the Mashatu reserve together compose a landscape of rare diversity. A country for travellers who value quality over quantity.

Kenya

out of africa

Kenya is the flagship safari destination in East Africa. Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Laikipia, Samburu: each region offers distinct wildlife and radically different landscapes. This is where I photographed Giza, the black leopard of Laikipia, and where I return every year with the same intensity.

Namibia

the land of the brave

Namibia is an extraordinary destination for photography. Deadvlei and its dead trees set against ochre dunes, Etosha and its lions, the wind-swept Skeleton Coast: every landscape is a composition. A country that rewards curious and patient travellers.

Tanzania

the kingdom of the great migrations

Tanzania is home to some of the most spectacular ecosystems on the continent. The Serengeti and its Great Migration, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Ndutu plains during calving season: unmissable wildlife encounters that I guide with the same exacting standards every time.

wild africa

Zambia is the country of authentic safari, far from the crowds. South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi, Busanga Plains: three ecosystems of exceptional richness, accessible on foot, by canoe or by 4×4. A destination for those who want to experience the bush in its rawest form.

world

Brazil

jaguar country

The Brazilian Pantanal is the most biodiverse wetland on earth. This is where the jaguar is observed in its natural habitat, along rivers lined with caimans and capybaras. An experience that rivals the greatest African safaris.

India

land of the big cats

India is a destination that surprises those who discover it on safari. Bengal tigers in Satpura, leopards on the granite rocks of Jawai, snow leopards in Ladakh: three distinct worlds, three rare species. A continent unto itself.

Every destination has its own rhythms, its own light, its own wildlife.

What never changes is the approach: a small group, total immersion, and an attention to the details that make the difference between an ordinary safari and an experience that stays with you.

Travel solo,
journey together

Travel in a small group, at the best time of year, across terrain I know intimately