Vikki Jackson
37 posts
Writing by Vikki Jackson
Dietary
Eating vegan in South Africa: a practical guide
Plant-based travel in South Africa is easier than most people expect. Here's the real picture.
About Us
From Manchester to Marula Hill: how Vikki Jackson built a safari business in South Africa
How a childhood holiday to South Africa, a mistaken olive, and a corporate career led to Marula Hill Travel.
Food
What dinner at a safari lodge is really like
Bush breakfasts, boma fires, gourmet meals in the wild: what food at a safari lodge actually looks like.
Stories
Lion Sands Ivory Lodge. What their redesign gets right
I visited Lion Sands Ivory Lodge in the Sabi Sand. The redesigned spaces are quiet, bold, and rare. Here is what they got right.
Conservation
The plight of the African wild dog
Around 6,600 painted dogs are left in the wild, and they are the most endangered carnivore on the continent. Here is what is actually happening to them, and what we do about it
Guides
Solo women on safari
How to plan a safe, well-organised solo safari in southern Africa as a woman
Guides
Honeymoon safaris in South Africa
Where to go, what to expect, and how to pair bush with beach
Zambia
Zambia by birdsong
A field journal on birding in South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi. Carmine bee-eater season, African skimmers, Pel's fishing owl, and what birds do to a safari when you let them.
Guides
How we plan a vegan safari in South Africa
A working guide to building a fifteen-night plant-based safari, from Cape Town's Atlantic coast to two private reserves in the Greater Kruger
Guides
Multi-generational safaris in Africa: the rise of private villas
Multi-generational safaris are the fastest-growing way families travel to Africa. Private villas and exclusive-use lodges, planned around different ages. The how, the why, and what they cost.
Guides
Kosher safaris in South Africa: how a bush kitchen actually works
The honest guide to keeping kosher on safari in South Africa. Three tiers of catering, real pricing, Shabbat in the bush, and how we put one together.
Guides
What's actually changing in safari travel in 2026
We do not love the trend pieces either. But after twenty years of designing safaris, the real shifts in 2026 are worth naming. Here are the four we are seeing in our own bookings, and the two we think are oversold.