The Safari Drive UK team

Everyone at Safari Drive has lived and worked in Africa and each one of us is passionate about Africa! Safari Drive is owned and managed by Meregan Turner and Charles Norwood, both of whom have a wealth of experience and excellent knowledge of Africa. They got married in Kenya in March 2004. They also share a true sense of adventure!

Meregan Turner

Meregan has lived in South Africa and Saudi Arabia and has driven Land Rovers the length and breadth of Africa which gives her a greater understanding of the geography and location of lodges than most travel professionals.

She is an ex-professional show jumper and motor racing driver. Being based in Lambourn, she rides out racehorses early every morning before coming to the Safari Drive office.

She is an experienced safari organiser arranging self drive and lodge-to-lodge safaris as well as African weddings and honeymoons. Meregan and Charles got married in Kenya in 2004.

Charles Norwood

Charles is a highly experienced expedition organiser and has participated in major expeditions all over the world, including crossing the whole of Africa by road several times – once in a fire engine!

He has driven between London and Kathmandu more times than he cares to remember and once escorted a black cab between London and Sydney.

He is Managing Director of Safari Drive and looks after Safari Drive logistics and uses his wealth of expedition experience to advise on the more adventurous trips.

His interests include paragliding (obsessively) and rock climbing.

Clare Luck

Clare Luck joined the team as a sales consultant at the beginning of 2006 having returned from Zambia where she worked for three years managing a safari camp in the Lower Zambezi.

Clare is passionate about travel and has visited Africa numerous times with particular interest in Namibia, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa.

Clare is another member of the team who rides and has ridden competitively and has a very young event horse.

She has recently become a director of Safari Drive.

Carly Robb

Carly Robb joined Safari Drive to assist with general administration.

Carly has an invaluable experience of Africa having lived in South Africa for nine years, something that helps her enormously in dealing with our vast network of African contacts.

Carly also spent three years in the Middle East. Having previously worked in an extremely demanding administrative role in the office of a top racehorse trainer, she is fantastically efficient and is a godsend to our increasingly busy office. She once famously rafted the Coruh river in Turkey and survived!

Sue Cooper

Sue has a wealth of knowledge in the business world and is our financial controller and consequently one of the most important members of the team as she pays the bills.

 

 

 

 

Emma Hanlon

When Emma returned from working in Botswana for 10 months she
took the slow way home, driving the overland route with Niels her
fiancee. Now back behind a desk she is responsible for the marketing at Safari Drive.

 

 

 

Duncan Barber
Duncan, a professional off roader, 4x4 driver trainer and
expedition planner has lead an impressive number of
excursions throughout Africa and the rest of the world.
Three-time Camel Trophy driver, Duncan has planned
award-winning events with an impeccable safety record. Duncan has extensive experience of driving in all conditions and consequently is ideally positioned to impart his vast knowledge to Safari Drive’s clients.

 

Becx Whitefield

Becx is our wildlife and birding expert, having studdied Animal Behaviour & Welfare and Ecology at university. She has just returned from five years living and working in Livingstone, Zambia running busy activities and safaris office. She is a riding instructor and keen polocrosse player. She helped establish horse trails in Thyolo tea estates in Malawi. Her favourit animal is the Madagascan Fossa.

 

Ollie Blackwell

Ollie is the newest recruit in the Safari Drive office, he has spent the last 4 years planning trips in the world of adventure television. He will now be helping run the Safari Drive fleet and making sure all the Land Rovers are in tip top condition.