I first moved to South Africa in 2002 to research white rhinos for the San Diego Zoological Society in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. I have a bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution and a master’s degree in Biological Anthropology. Since working with white rhinos, I has been involved with research projects studying the behaviour of African wild dogs and the population dynamics of leopards. Once our son, Wyatt, was born in 2014 I decided to stay closer to home and am now helping run the family business. My husband, Dale, knew he was destined to be a game ranger from a young age. As a child, he developed a love for animals, wild spaces, and the game reserves of Zululand. He obtained a diploma in Conservation and began his career in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in 1999. During his years there he worked as a student ranger, lion and elephant monitor, trails guide, and rhino monitor. He then began monitoring black rhinos in reserves throughout the country and was involved in the release and monitoring of black rhinos through the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion project. That's how we found out about Mayoni Private Game Reserve and the rest is history!

We've been in the ecotourism safari business for the last 10 years, and Rhino Sands is a culmination of everything we've learned and everything we thought a Zululand safari should be. We kept the camp intimate and small, with a focus on outstanding service and engaging guests in a connected experience with both the environment, our team, and one another. First and foremost, we are conservationists and lovers of nature and we hope that we have instilled that into every inch of the camp.

Zululand is pretty much the greatest spot on earth! In 2004, 17 private properties in the northern Zululand area dropped their fences forming what is today known as Manyoni Private Game Reserve. The impetus for forming the reserve was to provide a home to a population of black rhinos as part of the WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project. The joining of the properties created a 23,000-hectare private game reserve in the heart of Zululand, in one of the most animal-rich and species-diverse areas of South Africa. In addition to the black rhinos, the reserve is now home to all of the big five (rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion) and has seen the re-introduction of two endangered carnivore species, cheetahs and African wild dogs. We have become one of the premier wildlife-viewing destinations in Kwa-Zulu Natal and we are one of the most beautiful reserves in the area with varied landscapes from acacia thornveld to open savannah to riverine forest.