Africa, experienced from the inside.

Reading people as carefully as landscapes

Expedition leader • Photographer • Storyteller
National Geographic Storyteller & Photographic Expert 2027

More than thirty years leading journeys across Africa. Over 30 departures for National Geographic Expeditions across a 17-year partnership, and 25 years with Bushtracks Expeditions, from VIP Boeing 737 circumnavigations of the Sahara to a 50-bed tented camp built in the Niger desert.

Title: Zebra - Description: Black-and-white photograph of a zebra in profile in tall grass

VIVIENNE GUNNING

Senior Expedition Leader · Documentary Photographer · Writer · Speaker

National Geographic Expedition Expert, 2027 · Accessible & Assisted Travel Specialist · Advisory Board, Accessible Travel Press

30+

years in the field

African countries

100+

expeditions led and co-led

years of accessible travel work

“My feet on the earth. My eyes on the horizon.”

gunningvivienne@gmail.com · +27 82 795 0411 (WhatsApp)

viviennegunning.com · viviennegunning.substack.com · Instagram @VivieGunning

Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

Available to lead 2027 departures

BIOGRAPHY

Title: Vivienne Gunning - Description: Black-and-white portrait of Vivienne Gunning in a headscarf, desert behind her

High-resolution press photographs available on request.

Vivienne Gunning is a Senior Expedition Leader, documentary photographer, painter and travel writer based in Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town. She has more than thirty years of field experience across 36 African countries and has led or co-led over one hundred expeditions for National Geographic Expeditions, WWF and Bushtracks Expeditions. For two decades she led National Geographic Expeditions’ Southern Africa private air safaris, including Casablanca to the Cape, Cape to Cairo, Sahara by Air and Jerusalem to Cape Town.

Her working life began with thirteen years at South African Airways. She later co-owned Africa Air Charter, spent two years developing and managing Doli Lodge in the Dzanga-Sangha forest of the Central African Republic, and worked as an expedition chef in remote camps in Mali and the Central African Republic. She trained in fine art at the University of Pretoria and is a qualified teacher.

Her connection to the continent began on her grandparents’ farm on the Limpopo River, on the Botswana border, where her grandmother read National Geographic aloud to her. She leads by judgement rather than checklists: careful pacing, close attention to each guest, and local relationships built over decades. That is what makes ambitious journeys safe and rewarding without taking the wild out of them.

From January 2027 she joins National Geographic’s Victoria Falls and Chobe departures with G Adventures as Expedition Expert, teaching photography and storytelling in the field.

EXPEDITION LEADERSHIP

• Scale. Over one hundred high-end expeditions led and co-led across 36 African countries over three decades, including three full Cape to Cairo journeys and the Source of the Nile journey from Uganda through Ethiopia and Sudan to Egypt.

• Flagship programmes. Two decades leading National Geographic Expeditions’ Southern Africa private air safaris: Casablanca to the Cape, Cape to Cairo, Sahara by Air and Jerusalem to Cape Town.

• Operators and partners. National Geographic Expeditions, WWF, Bushtracks Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions, Zegrahm Expeditions, Stanford University Illimani, California Academy of Sciences, American Museum of Natural History.

• Aviation and remote logistics. Co-owner of Africa Air Charter (1998–2006). Earlier work with South African Historic Flight on the DC-4s Lebombo and Outeniqua and the DC-3 Klapperkop. Working knowledge of light-aircraft operations, payload limits, strip conditions and charter scheduling across Southern and East Africa.

• Deep field. Two years developing and managing Doli Lodge in Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic. Expedition chef in remote camps, including Dogon Country, Mali.

• Safety. Medical evacuation arrangements, nearest reliable clinics, equipment handling on light aircraft, and back-up plans for vehicle, power and border-post failure, prepared so that guests never have to think about them.

• Crisis response. Emergency response team member with Blake Emergency Services (UK) since 2010, including international deployments after the MH17 and ET302 accidents, and forensic and documentary photography for the response to the Mombasa Air Safari Flight 203 accident in Kwale County, Kenya (November 2025).

• Alongside. Has worked with National Geographic experts including Dr Steve Boys, Dr Bill Branch and Sergio Pitamitz.

“Vivienne is our most experienced Expedition Leader, having completed more journeys, served more guests and operated across more destinations than any other leader in our organisation. She combines operational rigour with empathy, leadership and consistent accountability.”

— David Tett, Founder & CEO, Bushtracks Expeditions

Qualifications

• BA Fine Art (Ed), University of Pretoria — qualified teacher.

• Digital Photography (100 hours) and Forensic Photography, University of Cape Town, 2025.

• Train the Trainer (Facilitate, Coach & Mentor Programme), Pro-Active College, 2014 — six unit standards at NQF Levels 4–5, 41 credits.

• 120-hour TESOL/TEFL certificate, World TESOL Academy, 2023, accredited by ACCREDITAT and the CPD Certification Service. Taught English as a volunteer in Fort Kochi, Kerala, India, for three months in 2023.

• FGASA Nature Site Guide (NQF2): theory exam passed, October 2026; practical assessment to follow. SATOUR registered tourist guide. First Aid Level 1, current.

Available on request: wilderness first responder certification, driver’s and PDP licences.

ACCESSIBLE & ASSISTED TRAVEL

Accessible travel is where her expedition experience and her writing meet. It is also where accuracy matters most: a traveller who is wrongly informed about terrain, transfers or distances is not just disappointed but put at risk. Her work here grows out of twenty years of leading older guests and guests with access needs, so that long-standing travellers can keep travelling as their circumstances change.

Principle. Vivienne does not write about, recommend or put her name to a journey she has not undertaken herself. Every recommendation rests on information she has checked in person: vehicles, aircraft, camps, distances and terrain.

• Accessible Travel Press. Advisory Board member and contributing author for the Amsterdam-based international platform for accessible and inclusive travel (6,777 subscribers and over 1.15 million website views, September 2026). ATP received two 2026 industry awards, including Best Global Accessible Travel Information Platform.

• Recognition. Nominated for Accessible Favourite by Public Vote 2026, Accessible Travel Press Awards of Excellence.

• Featured. Ten pages in Accessible Journeys (Mélange Media, Canada), July 2026.

• Films. Short practical accessibility films showing what a traveller with access needs actually meets on the ground, for example at Cape Town International Airport and Table Mountain.

• In development. An assessment of accessible gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, with Africa Wizzy Safaris. Accessible Travel Press has confirmed it will publish the report. Dates to be confirmed.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Documentary and fine art photography of wildlife, landscape and the quiet human moments in between — across Southern Africa, East Africa (Lamu, Mombasa), Egypt, West and Central Africa, Morocco, India and the Mediterranean.

Photographs © Vivienne Gunning

• Signature. High-contrast black and white. Shot in RAW on the Sony RX10 IV and converted to black and white by hand.

• Integrity. No AI. Ever. Every frame is made in the field.

• Published. “NIKE Sponsorship” in AROUND, Issue 1, October 2026 — an independent international magazine for literature, photography and visual art. A second photograph has been selected for a forthcoming issue. Three photographs in the Seeing Happy “Images of Peace” collection, October 2026.

• Current project. Carpe Diem – Pluk die Dag: an ongoing black-and-white series on everyday life and joy in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town.

• Prints and stock. Fine art prints through Vanta Studio, Cape Town. Contributing photographer, Alamy. Member, SANAVA.

• Painting. Also paints in mixed media. A separate artist portfolio is available on request.

WRITING AND PUBLICATIONS

• Glow Talks Magazine, November 2025. Cover feature: From Cape to Cairo.

• Accessible Journeys, July 2026. Feature interview, “Vivienne Gunning shows how Africa restores body, mind and spirit” (Mélange Media, pages 22–31).

• Accessible Travel Press, 2026. Six articles, each based on places checked in person:

– Accessible Travel in Africa: Why Honest Communication Matters More Than Perfect Infrastructure (March)

– Dreaming Beyond the Ramp: Accessible Travel and the Right to Difficult Places (June)

– Africa’s Hidden Places Belong to Them Too (August)

– Accessibility at Cape Town International: What I Found on the Ground (August)

– Table Mountain: How Accessible Is It Really? (October)

– Rolling Through the Mother City: A Wheelchair & Mobility Guide to Cape Town (October)

• Substack. Long-form travel writing, including The Secrets of the Okavango Delta (eleven articles, 2026), Lamu Stories, and a new series on Chobe and Victoria Falls.

SPEAKING

Illustrated talks, given in person and led by photographs and stories rather than slides of text. Flagship talk: “Walking the Okavango Delta – Stories from Africa’s Last Great Wilderness”. Other subjects include wildlife and birdlife, photography, history, conservation, African cultures, accessible travel, and resilience and curiosity for women’s groups and corporate events.

Recent audiences include Rotary Club am Kap and the Rotary Club of Constantia (September 2026).

CURRENT AND UPCOMING

• National Geographic Expedition Expert, from January 2027. Victoria Falls and Chobe departures with G Adventures: photographic instruction, field interpretation and storytelling.

• Women Walking the Delta, March 2027. A women-only walking and mokoro expedition into Botswana’s Okavango Delta, for solo women travellers, with no single supplement.

• Uganda. Gorillas, communities and conservation — a storytelling and expedition project in development with the Justice Tourism Foundation.

GUESTS AND READERS

“A miracle.”

— Esther Murray (USA), on her journey to the Great Sphinx, Giza. Published in Accessible Journeys, July 2026.

Her audience is not an influencer following. It is the guests who travel with her in small, specialised groups, her readers on Substack and her website, and the readership of Accessible Travel Press. Most are over fifty: retired and semi-retired professionals with time, means and a long interest in Africa. They read at length, plan carefully, and act on recommendations they trust — many research and buy serious camera equipment for the journey.

Open to work with: expedition companies and safari operators · conservation organisations · tourism boards · wildlife and research projects · community tourism · accessible and inclusive travel operators · photography and equipment brands · media and publishing

“Every journey has a story. My work is to tell it with honesty, respect and authenticity.”This is my digital campfire — stories shaped by dust, silence, colour, chaos, heartbreak and wonder.

You won’t find glossy perfection here. You will find stories shaped by dust, silence, colour, chaos, heartbreak and wonder—shared through photographs and words gathered over a lifetime in motion.

To travel is not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.
This space isn’t about travel tips. It’s about what travel does to you.

For more than three decades, my life has unfolded in the field—leading expeditions across Africa, photographing extraordinary places, working in remote lodges and airstrips, and learning that calm judgement is often the most valuable skill a traveller can possess.

Africa has taught me patience, humility and perspective. The greatest journeys are rarely measured by distance travelled, but by the moments that quietly change us.

Over the years, my work has taken many forms: expedition leadership, hospitality, aviation operations, guest care, crisis coordination, accessible travel and photography.

Each has shaped the way I lead, the way I observe, and the way I connect with people. Sometimes colour is the story. This collection sets documentation aside and simply celebrates it — the saturated, joyful, unruly palette of a life spent in motion.

Extraordinary photographs are rarely planned. They are found in ordinary moments — a glance, a gesture, a conversation, a shaft of light.

Whether you’re looking for an experienced expedition leader, an accessible travel companion, or simply wish to experience Africa through my photographs and writing, I hope you’ll find something here that inspires you.

If something here resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you.
Email: gunningvivienne@gmail.com

Follow my journey
Instagram:
@viviegunning
Facebook:
Vivienne Gunning: https://www.facebook.com/vivienne.gunning.96/
LinkedIn 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivienne-gunning-587a98b
Substack 
https://viviennegunning.substack.com

Vivienne Gunning PHOTOGRAPHER

Vivienne Gunning is a South African fine art and documentary photographer whose work is driven by a lifelong fascination with light and its ability to transform an ordinary moment into something timeless.

For her, photography is a way of preserving fleeting encounters—capturing the interplay of light, atmosphere, and emotion so that a moment can endure long after it has passed.She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Pretoria and a Professional Digital Photography certification from the University of Cape Town, completed in 2025.

Known particularly for her black-and-white photography, Gunning creates images rich in texture, contrast, and narrative. Her photographs reflect a patient observational style developed through years of living and working within the environments she documents rather than simply passing through them.Based in Cape Town, she has spent much of her professional life leading expeditions across 34 African countries, travelling far beyond conventional tourist routes.

This extensive experience has shaped her photography, which is a natural extension of a life spent exploring diverse landscapes, cultures, and communities.Working across Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Mediterranean, her images range from intimate portraits and street scenes to wildlife encounters and evocative landscapes. Whether photographing a Maasai elder in East Africa, a fisherman along the Swahili Coast, an elephant emerging from the dust of the Kalahari, or a quiet moment in a Sicilian village, her work seeks authenticity, atmosphere, and emotional depth.

Through these subjects, she explores the connections between people, place, culture, wildlife, and the environments they inhabit.Her growing archive represents a lifetime of exploration and storytelling, capturing both the grandeur and the intimacy of the natural and human worlds.

Through fine art prints, she aims to share not only what she has seen, but what she has felt while travelling through these remarkable places.

Vivienne Gunning lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

Vivienne Gunning — Photographer
viviennegunning.com Instagram: @viviegunning

Thirty years in the field have taught me that wildlife photography is an act of patience, not pursuit. These images were made waiting — for the light to soften, for the herd to turn, for the moment an animal forgets you are there. From the Okavango to the Mara, this is Africa’s wild heart, photographed on its own terms. Selected photographs are available as museum-quality fine art prints through Vanta Studio, Cape Town: vantastudio.co.za/collections/vivienne-gunning

Every face tells a story. Some speak of resilience, others of joy, wisdom or quiet dignity. These portraits are moments of connection—brief encounters that remind me that, wherever we travel, it is people who leave the deepest impression.

Travel has taught me that extraordinary photographs are rarely planned. They are found in ordinary moments—a glance, a gesture, a conversation, a shaft of light. The soul of a place is rarely found in its monuments, but in its markets, alleyways, cafés and the quiet moments shared between strangers.

Africa taught me that a landscape is never empty — it is simply patient. Deserts, deltas, mountains and coastlines, photographed in the hours when the light does the storytelling and the land is allowed to speak for itself.

Birds bring rhythm, colour and grace to every landscape. These photographs celebrate moments of flight, stillness and song, revealing the remarkable diversity of avian life encountered during expeditions across Africa.

Sometimes colour is the story. This collection sets documentation aside and simply celebrates it — the saturated, joyful, unruly palette of a life spent in motion.

Travel with me on personally led, small-group journeys created for curious travellers seeking a deeper, more authentic experience of Africa. Alongside my own expeditions, I am proud to be featured as a National Geographic Signature Expert with G Adventures. View my official National Geographic Signature Expert profile - https://www.gadventures.com/travel-styles/national-geographic-expeditions/signature/experts/vivienne-gunning/

National Geographic Signature Expert

Okavango Delta Women’s Expedition. Water, wilderness and quiet courage- November 2026

Lamu Island and Old Town Photography Journey. Old Town light, dhows and doorways on the Swahili coast.

Namibia Desert Exploration — Coming Soon

🇪🇬 Egypt Beyond the Pyramids, Eternity, ingenuity and everyday Cairo- no aliens required.

Saffron & Salt Mountains, Medinas & the Atlantic Coast

WHAT CLIENTS SAY TRUST BUILT OVER A LIFETIME IN MOTION

Esther Murray: Bbakamemaw@aol.com

Accessible Egypt & Africa itineraries (Age 86)

Vivienne has been Godsend to me. She has helped me accomplish things that I never could have done without her and her expert help. She worked a miracle when it came to me going to Egypt to see the pyramids. That was the last thing on my bucket list and at 86 years old, I thought it was impossible. Not so. Vivi made it possible and in the most wonderful way. She organized and planned every single detail to perfection. Her company and cherry uplifting spirit made it a trip of a lifetime. I have been around the world and in all seven continents and traveled with many people, but if I had my choice to do it over again, Vivi is the one I’d want to do it with. She never lets anything stop her. If something went wrong, I never knew about it. She handled it with grace and knowledge. I’ve taken three trips with her and there was never one minute I felt worried or concerned. Just knowing her has enriched my life.

Suzette Nieuwoudt

Former Interim Executive Director, SADC Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation / Project Coordinator ICAO COSCAP-SADC

Vivienne is a specialist in her field with decades of experience in aviation ranging from finding the best-suited aircraft for “flying safaris”, leading expeditions and managing logistics. Tending to every detail of the tour group’s needs in an artistic manner comes naturally, whilst topping it by sharing her positive energy to round off every expedition and every adventure as a “once in a lifetime experience”! Bravo Vivienne, you lead by example!

David Tett

Founder and CEO, Bushtracks Expeditions

January 30, 2026 Vivienne Gunning Cape Town, South Africa gunningvivienne@gmail.com Dear Sir or Madam, It is a pleasure to recommend Vivienne Gunning, whose outstanding performance and long-standing contribution to Bushtracks Expeditions have consistently exceeded expectations and earned the trust of our most discerning travelers. Over a period of 25 years, Vivienne has demonstrated exceptional versatility, developing management capabilities across a wide range of complex operational, aviation, expedition, and project-based roles within our organization. She initially supported Bushtracks with highly complex ACMI, long-haul, multi-stop airliner charters across Africa, including routes from Johannesburg to Addis Ababa, Cape Town to Casablanca, and a circumnavigation of North Africa and the Sahara aboard a private VIP Boeing 737. Her responsibilities included end-to-end flight planning, securing overflight and landing permits, contracting airport ground handlers, coordinating onboard catering and cabin crew, managing fueling logistics, and maintaining high passenger service standards throughout. Building on her success in aviation charter management, Vivienne progressed to become our most experienced Expedition Leader, completing more journeys, serving more guests, and operating across more destinations than any other leader in our organization. In parallel, she developed strong project management expertise, most notably leading the establishment of a 50-bed Moroccan Caidal tented camp in the Sahara Desert in Niger. This included designing, setting up, and managing a highly successful remote field kitchen capable of delivering high-quality meals to private jet guests in an extremely challenging environment. Vivienne later managed another demanding remote assignment: our contract with Doli (Elephant) Lodge in the Central African Republic. This project required her to plan and source fittings and soft furnishings in South Africa and the CAR, oversee transport into a remote rainforest location, creatively refurbish the lodge and its landscaping within a strict budget, train and uniform staff, and train the chef and kitchen team while implementing a structured weekly menu system. In subsequent years, Vivienne led numerous Southern Africa Private Air Safaris for National Geographic Expeditions, contributing significantly to a highly successful 17-year partnership that concluded in 2024. Most recently, she personally escorted a mature Bushtracks guest with restricted mobility through Egypt, demonstrating exceptional care, sensitivity, and attention to detail—qualities that continue to distinguish Vivienne in the delivery of bespoke, high-touch travel experiences. In summary, I recommend Vivienne Gunning without reservation for a suitable role within the tourism, expedition, or luxury travel industry. She is a deeply committed professional who combines operational rigor with empathy, leadership, and consistent accountability. Sincerely, David Tett Founder & CEO Bushtracks Expeditions

Senior Expedition Leadership (Africa)

With over 30 years of experience across 33 African countries, I bring unmatched depth of knowledge, cultural understanding, and on-the-ground expertise to every journey.

Accessible & Assisted Travel Companion

Private, realistic itineraries — and optional personal accompaniment — for travellers who need more time, assistance, or reassurance. Travel at your pace, with calm support and on-the-ground experience. Message me on WhatsApp to start.

Learn More

Bespoke African Journeys | Vivienne Gunning

Every journey should tell a story — yours. Whether you seek stillness or thrill, solitude or celebration, I design journeys that mirror your rhythm — handcrafted, considered, and deeply personal. Each itinerary blends discovery with detail, art with logistics, and authenticity with comfort — because travel should feel like it was made for you.

Photography, Talks & Storytelling

Alongside expedition and travel work, I offer travel and wildlife photography, speaking engagements, and field-based storytelling, shaped by decades of lived experience across Africa and beyond. Selected photographs are available as museum-quality fine art prints through Vanta Studio, Cape Town — printed, framed and shipped worldwide. https://vantastudio.co.za/collections/vivienne-gunning My talks are motivational and experience-led, with a particular focus on encouraging women to discover their own strength, confidence, and independence through travel and life exploration. Drawing on real journeys, challenges, reinvention, and resilience, I speak honestly about fear, courage, self-trust, and the quiet power of stepping beyond what feels familiar. These sessions are not theoretical or scripted. They are grounded in real situations — navigating unfamiliar cultures, remote environments, personal transitions, and the moments that test self-belief. Talks and presentations are suited to: • Women’s groups and clubs • Travel and cultural forums • Corporate or organisational events • Educational institutions and workshops Photography and storytelling elements can be woven into presentations, creating a visual and emotional narrative that connects experience with insight.

Buy Fine Art Prints

SUBSTACK ARTICLES

SHARE THE THRILLS! Tales of travel, light, and humanity — shared from a lifetime on the road.

Rolling Through the Mother City — A Wheelchair & Mobility Guide to Cape Town Wheelchair & Mobility

An honest, first-hand wheelchair and mobility guide to Cape Town, updated October 2026 — airport, transport, Table Mountain, Vergelegen and where to stay

KENYA, LAMU — THE GIRL WHO WALKED INTO THE SEA

On the island of Lamu, where narrow streets carry whispers faster than footsteps, there is a story they tell quietly. A girl. A wedding that never happened. And footprints in the sand at Shela Beach that only go one way.

Cape Town — Sir Lowry’s Pass Village — Where Childhood Still Plays Outside

An intimate photo essay from Sir Lowry’s Pass Village in the Western Cape, exploring community life, street art, and childhood play just outside Cape Town.

This is My Story - Our World

In a crowded world where personal space becomes luxury and cities pulse with chaos, Vivie reflects on overpopulation, fading rural rhythms, inequality along Cape Town’s N2, and what true simplicity—space, silence, soil—really means today. A gentle pause from travel to stillness.

Accessible Travel in Africa Is not a Checklist — It is a Way of Being with People

Discover why accessible travel in Africa goes beyond checklists—it’s about real human capacity, dignity, and adapting on the ground for older travelers and invisible needs. Field-grounded insights from Cape Town.

Why Kenya Keeps Calling Me Back

Kenya through my eyes — places I’ve returned to, moments that linger, and why this country keeps drawing me back.

Accessible Travel in Africa: Why It is Different — and Why It Requires Human Judgment

Accessible travel in Africa isn’t about checklists or ramps—it’s about presence, pace, and real human judgment. From hidden needs like fatigue and anxiety to remote bush realities, discover why a calm companion often makes the biggest difference. A gentle reflection on dignity, adaptability, and making Africa’s wild corners truly reachable

The Pyramids of Giza — No aliens required. Just human ingenuity at its finest

The Pyramids of Giza — forget the alien theories. This is a story about human brilliance, effort, and belief.

Cairo International Airport (CAI): First Impressions, Visas & Vital Tips for South Africans and Others

I share what I’ve learned arriving in Cairo — not as a first-timer, but as a traveller who knows to observe before moving.

From Cape to Cairo — Featured in Glow Talks Magazine

I’m honoured to be featured on the cover of Glow Talks Magazine (November 2025 issue). This feature traces my journey from Cape Town to Cairo — through photography, people, and places that leave their mark long after monuments fade. The story is about courage, curiosity, and moving forward with a camera in hand.

"Little" Tut – He Was No Legend

A boy-king, not a legend in gold. Travel writer Vivie unpacks Tutankhamun’s real story – inbreeding, pain, politics and power – from GEM to the Valley of the Kings.

Travelling Light Is a Mindset

Travelling light is more than a packing list – it’s a mindset. Somewhere between Africa, India and Europe I traded bulky suitcases for one 42L backpack that carries everything I need for two months on the road. In this blog I share exactly what I pack, how I stay comfortable and presentable, and why “less” has quietly become “more than enough”.