“Africa rewards travellers who slow down, trust local expertise and leave room for the unexpected”
Wayne Nupen
&Beyond Regional Touring Director, Africa
Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Top Travel Specialist
At a glance
GROUNDED. THOUGHTFUL. TRUSTED.
Leads touring operations across 15+ African countries
Specialist knowledge of South Africa, Tanzania and Rwanda
Recognised by Condé Nast Traveler: Top Travel Specialist
Former safari guide with deep operational experience
Creates complex, multi-country journeys that feel effortless
HELLO, I’M WAYNE
I did not set out to build a career in African travel; while studying I thought the corporate world was waiting for me. As a Condé Nast Traveler 2026 Top Travel Specialist, it turns out the bush had other plans.
A guiding course became a year in the wilderness, then another, and eventually a life spent connecting people to Africa’s landscapes, wildlife and communities. Along the way, I moved from safari guiding into lodge management and later into the operational side of travel, where the magic happens long before a guest arrives.
As Regional Touring Director of &Beyond Africa, based in Johannesburg, I lead touring operations across the continent, working with our regional teams, guides, aviation partners, lodges and ground handlers to make complex journeys feel seamless. My background is grounded in real-world experience. I have tracked wildlife on foot, managed lodges in remote areas, worked through the realities of ground logistics in East Africa and seen first-hand how much care it takes to deliver a journey that feels effortless.
For me, travel is ultimately about time. Guests give us something they can never get back, and that responsibility shapes every decision. The smallest detail matters: the right routing, the right pace, the right guide, the right moment to pause and simply take it all in.
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Africa is not a destination that should be cobbled together from a distance. Its beauty lies in its scale, diversity and unpredictability, and that is exactly why trusted expertise matters. A journey might move from South Africa to Tanzania, Rwanda, Botswana, Namibia, Uganda or Madagascar, but it should never feel like a series of handovers. It should feel like one continuous story.
What I enjoy most is the invisible architecture of that story: aligning flights, lodges, transfers, contingencies and people so guests can be fully present in the experience. When it works, families reconnect, milestone celebrations come to life and travellers leave with a deeper understanding of the continent.
Wayne Nupen is Regional Touring Director of &Beyond Africa. Based in Johannesburg, he leads the company’s touring operations across the continent, bringing together his background in finance, safari guiding, lodge management and ground logistics to design and deliver seamless African journeys.
From finance to fieldcraft. From guiding to ground operations.
My work is shaped by a simple idea: guests have trusted us with their time.
1. What inspired you to leave finance and pursue a career in tourism?
After completing my Bachelor of Business Science with Honours in Finance at the University of Cape Town, I realised I was not quite ready for a world of spreadsheets, budgets and forecasts.
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I had always loved nature, and I wanted to spend real time in it while I was young enough to say yes to the unknown. I joined a guiding course, thinking I would guide for a year before returning to a more conventional path. One year became another. Before long, I was managing the lodge where I had started as a guide, using what I had learnt at university in some of the most extraordinary places on the continent. In the end, finance gave me discipline and analytical thinking. Guiding gave me people. The wilderness gave me perspective. Somehow, those three things came together to create a career that feels far more purposeful than the one I thought I was heading towards.
2. How did your early years as a safari guide shape the way you work today?
Guiding remains the best job I have ever had. Being in the bush every day, tracking animals, reading the landscape and interpreting the natural world for guests taught me the value of time.
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A guest’s time is finite and deeply personal. They have chosen to spend it with us, often for a once-in-a-lifetime journey, and that focuses the mind. Nothing should be careless. Small details matter. Creativity and effort can turn something ordinary into a moment that stays with someone for years. That foundation still guides me. Whether I am thinking about a game drive, a transfer, a contingency plan or a multi-country itinerary, the question is the same: how do we show care in a way guests can feel, even if they never see the work behind it?
3. Which African destinations have shaped you most deeply?
It is almost impossible to choose just one. South Africa shaped me first. It is where I was born and raised, and it gave me my earliest understanding of what travel can reveal: extraordinary wildlife, layered cultures, vibrant cities and complex history.
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Not to mention the many landscapes that stop you in your tracks. Guiding in South Africa shaped my belief that travel should do more than impress. It should connect guests to the land and help protect it. East Africa shaped me in a different way. Living and working across Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda gave me a deeper appreciation for generosity, hospitality and the power of place. The wildlife and landscapes are breathtaking, but the people are what stay with me most. Their care is not performed. It is part of the way things are done, and that example continues to influence how I work.
4. What do you enjoy most about working behind the scenes in travel operations?
I love the invisible architecture of a seamless journey. Behind the scenes, we are solving complex, constantly changing puzzles: aligning flights, lodges, road transfers, private charters, guides, border crossings and contingencies across multiple countries.
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The best operations are almost invisible to guests. They should not have to think about what happens next. They should be free to make memories, connect with each other and be fully present in Africa. There is deep satisfaction in knowing that our work creates the space for a family to slow down together, for honeymooners to begin their lives with a shared adventure, or for a celebration to become something far more meaningful than an itinerary.
5. What keeps your passion for Africa alive after many years in the industry?
The impact. Tourism remains one of the strongest tools we have for conservation and community upliftment in Africa when it is done properly. Every well-run journey can help support protected habitats, local livelihoods and long-standing partnerships such as Wild Impact.
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That matters. It gives travel a practical purpose beyond enjoyment, and it gives travellers a way to contribute to the places that have moved them. I am also energised by the way the industry keeps evolving. Travellers are asking better questions. They want deeper connection, more meaningful experiences and journeys that support the land, wildlife and people they have come to see. Africa still surprises me, and new generations of travellers continue to fall in love with it. I want to be part of that.
FAVOURITE JOURNEYS
Adventures formed by place, people and purpose.
WHAT TO DO
Experiences worth travelling further for.
Begin your adventure
Craft an African journey that moves seamlessly from idea to arrival, with every detail considered and every moment made personal.
Where detail meets discovery.
I believe Africa is at its best when deep destination knowledge, reliable operations and genuine care come together.
1. What makes Africa such a compelling destination for luxury travel?
Africa offers a rare combination of scale, wilderness, warmth and variety. You can track gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda, follow the Great Migration across Tanzania and Kenya, explore South Africa’s private reserves, move through the Okavango Delta, fly over Namibia’s desert landscapes or end a safari beside the Indian Ocean.
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But the true power of African travel is not only what guests see. It is what they feel. The continent has a way of pulling people into the present. Wildlife is unscripted. Landscapes are vast. Human connection is immediate. For luxury travellers, the best African journeys combine that raw sense of wonder with complete care behind the scenes. Comfort matters, but it should never flatten the experience. The aim is to create journeys that feel personal, grounded and deeply connected to place.
2. What makes touring logistics in Africa uniquely complex?
Africa’s diversity is its greatest strength, and without the right expertise, it can also be its greatest challenge. We work across many countries with different regulations, visa requirements, infrastructure levels, weather patterns and seasonal realities. Distances are often underestimated.
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Remote wilderness areas are not places where you can simply change hotels, call a taxi or rebook everything on the fly. A journey might involve commercial flights, light aircraft, road transfers, boats, helicopters or private charters. The art lies in knowing which combination is right for a particular guest and a particular journey. Then there is Africa’s famous unpredictability. Weather changes. Wildlife moves. Schedules shift. The best operators are not surprised by this; they plan for it. Success depends on experienced teams, robust systems, trusted partners and people on the ground who can adapt quickly without letting the guest experience unravel.
3. How can travel operators deliver seamless experiences across multiple countries?
That feeling of continuity comes from treating the entire journey as one story, not a chain of handovers. That means real-time communication, trusted local partners, 24-hour concierge support, flexible operating procedures and empowered teams who can make decisions on the ground.
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It also means understanding the emotional rhythm of a trip: where guests need momentum, where they need rest, and where a pause will make the journey more meaningful. At &Beyond, the guest should feel in our hands from beginning to end. Whether they are moving from South Africa to Botswana, Rwanda to Tanzania, or Uganda’s Bwindi Forest to Madagascar’s Mitsio Archipelago, the experience should feel effortless. The work can be complex. The guest should feel cared for.
4. What trends are shaping the future of African travel?
Regenerative and purpose-driven travel continues to grow. Guests increasingly want experiences that connect them to the destination and each other while supporting conservation and communities in a meaningful way.
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We are also seeing longer, slower journeys and more multi-generational travel, especially for milestone birthdays, anniversaries and long-awaited family gatherings. There is growing interest in special-interest travel too: rare species, birding, conservation experiences, wellness, culture and destinations that sit beyond the classic safari circuit. Improved air connectivity is opening up combinations that were once difficult to imagine. Travellers still want iconic places, but they are more willing to travel further and stay longer to reach the places that feel truly different. Trust remains the deciding factor. People want to know that the team planning their journey understands Africa properly.
5. How can touring operations support conservation and community initiatives?
Tourism is one of the most effective tools for protecting Africa’s wild places when the benefits reach the land, wildlife and surrounding communities. For operators, that starts with partner choice.
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We need to work with lodges, guides and experiences that employ locally, reduce environmental impact, support nearby suppliers and contribute honestly to conservation and community development. Through long-standing partnerships such as Wild Impact, well-planned travel can support education, healthcare, enterprise development and habitat protection. Operations also play a role in how guests travel. Guides and ground teams can help guests understand how to watch wildlife respectfully, travel lightly and appreciate the communities and ecosystems that make each destination possible. When the planning is strong, the guest experience feels special, and the benefits flow back into the places and people that need them. That is the model that keeps Africa’s wild places viable for the future.
“The most meaningful luxury in Africa is the freedom to be fully present because every detail has already been cared for.”
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