Meet
fanny hackl
I believe you never truly come back from a safari.
I organize and guide bespoke safaris in in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Tanzania. Whether you're a couple, a family, or a group of friends, we'll go at the african nature pace.
chapter i - the instinct
I didn't choose Africa. It just happened.
As a child, I grew up with Corsica. It taught me how to observe: the mountains, the maquis, the scents after the rain. A wilderness that cannot be easily tamed—and one that instilled in me a love for places that must be earned.
Before it became my stomping ground, I took a detour. A long one.
chapter ii - the detour
Before moving to Africa, I spent ten years in the luxury hospitality industry, working with discerning guests in environments where attention to detail is everything.
That's where I learned to listen before suggesting, to anticipate before building.
It was also during those years that I began photographing the places where I worked. Capturing an identity, telling a story about a place through images, choosing what’s worth showing. These are instincts that have stayed with me ever since.
I take those years with me on every safari.
chapter iii - the turning point
Namibia changed everything.
Several weeks of immersion in this almost hostile territory to photograph and observe.
For the first time, simply exploring was no longer enough for me. I needed to know how to interpret what the land was telling me.
I was trained in the field, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Not from an office, but on the trails of the reserve, early in the morning, reading the signs the night had left behind.
It was in that silence that I found my calling: that of a safari guide.
chapter iV - THE VISION
What drives me goes beyond just a perfect itinerary on paper.
I believe you can only truly understand a place by taking the time to really look at it. We only protect what we've learned to love. That's why every safari I design includes a conservation aspect, not as a selling point, but as something completely natural.
Photography is part of that same slowness. To photograph an animal is to learn to observe it before pressing the shutter button.
What you bring back is personal. Sometimes it's a small habit that changes. A conversation you wouldn't have had before. The desire to return, differently, with an impact this time. To feel connected to something bigger than yourself.
They say Africa gets to your gut. I think it's more like it reminds you of something essential you'd forgotten.
The Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) certifies and represents professional guides in Southern Africa. They set the industry standards for things like technical skills, ethics in the field, and how to behave in nature reserves.
Formerly known as “Level 1,” this is the certification I earned after completing my training in KwaZulu-Natal. Ecology, wildlife, animal behavior, and safety in the reserve. Everything is learned in the field, under real-world conditions. This is the required level to work as a guide in Southern Africa.
In a nature reserve, help can be a long way off. This training taught me how to assess a situation and respond effectively when no medical support is available.
Knowing how to read tracks, identify a path, and understand what an animal did during the night. That’s what turns a field trip into a true exploration of the terrain. I learned tracking from the best experts at the Tracker Academy.
A safari with me isn't about ticking off a checklist of animals. I take all the time we need to observe, understand, and truly appreciate what's around us. Sometimes that means twenty minutes watching an elephant drink. Sometimes it's just quiet. Those are the moments you'll really remember.
I work exclusively with small, committed lodges that are mindful of the reserves where they operate. No mass-market safaris. Every destination I offer directly contributes to the conservation of what you’ve come to see.
Before I suggest any itinerary, I take the time to listen. We'll talk about your pace, what you're hoping for, and what you want to take away from this trip. I guide in both French and English — whichever feels natural to you. I'm with you at every stage, from our first conversation to your last day in the field, with the same level of attention throughout.
That's why I guide.
People who come back from a safari with me never stop talking about the animals they saw. They come back with a new perspective on what they thought they knew.
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