You could say that Liam was born into the hospitality industry. His father worked for one of Africa’s leading hospitality groups, so the Bascombe family moved around a lot. Liam was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, but soon moved to the Sun City Resort, which, as fate would have it, is close to the entrance to Pilanesberg National Park.
With nature right on his doorstep, Liam spent a lot of time in the Pilanesberg and fell in love with Africa’s wilderness at an early age. Family holidays were spent on safari in South Africa, as well as Botswana’s picturesque Okavango Delta, and Liam decided early on that guiding was the greatest job in the world.
When Liam was eight, he and his family moved to the United Kingdom. Upon completing high school, Liam studied both Media and Travel and Tourism, in the hopes of eventually moving back to South Africa to pursue a career in both specialties. With a diploma in Art and Design, Liam started his own business in construction, which was in operation for several years, however, his dream to return home to African soil persisted.
By chance, Liam spoke to one of our regional ranger trainers and it was a conversation that ultimately changed his life. He closed down his business in 2018, moved back to South Africa and enrolled at &Beyond‘s Inkwazi Ranger Training School at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve and has been guiding on Phinda ever since.
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