On safari in Tanzania
 

Hunting days in the seventies

Ruth de Villiers

Les de Villiers grew up in a farming district in the Great Karoo region of South Africa where he learned to appreciate nature. Horse riding, hunting and playing rugby were rites of passage.

His hunting days came to an abrupt end in the seventies when he found his trigger finger trembling with a huge kudu bull in the sight. He fired a shot in the air, sold his rifles and bought a good camera. He has been shooting many meters of film before the advent of digital photography and now enjoys the luxury of picking through gigabytes of material gathered during safari trips.

After a diplomatic career that involved negotiations with decision makers and heads of state in Africa, Europe and the United States he moved to New York in the late seventies to become vice-chairman  of a management consulting firm and subsequently established his own company.

He has a doctorate in economic history and has written a number of books on economics, politics, conservation and one on travel in South Africa (with golfer Gary Player and the late heart-transplant pioneer Dr Chris Barnard). His Africa Yearbook series, produced together with the prestigious Washington-based Corporate Council on Africa, is in its eleventh edition. Still popular is The Third Eye and Other Animal Riddles, a quiz book written a few years ago with his then eight year old son, Andries. He has also authored Safari Guide.

A self-declared safari addict, De Villiers travels to wildlife sanctuaries in Africa several times year for his fix. His Boston-born wife Ruth accompanies him whenever she can break away from her real estate business. They live in New Canaan, Connecticut. They have two children, Lauren and Andries.

For several years he has been arranging customized upscale safaris for clients in the United States together with a team of carefully selected experts in Africa. It is his policy only to include destinations approved by himself on a first-hand basis in accordance with high standards developed through years of experience.

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