Lucinda has always been an avid fan of the outdoors, ever since being old enough to toddle after any willing creature at her family farm in Melrose, Scottish Borders – ranging from pet lambs to dogs, chickens, geese, cows, with a particular love for horses, and even a pet parrot at one point. She was educated in Edinburgh, but any spare moment was spent competing in the sport of Eventing, travelling to Belgium, Ireland, France, and all over the UK with her horses and juggling this passion whilst studying for an International Business Management degree at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.

After graduating from University in 2022, Lucinda worked in real estate in Edinburgh before heading off to explore New Zealand and Australia to dodge the Scottish winter. The trip generated many memories and a travel bug to last a lifetime, and her highlights included diving the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with dolphins in Kaikoura, skydiving over the Whitsundays and immersing herself into traditional Kiwi/Aussie life whilst meeting people from all walks of life on the way. After returning from the southern hemisphere, Lucinda worked with racehorses to fuel her outdoorsy fix until the end of the National Hunt calendar. The ‘real world’ then took hold and she returned to work in real estate for another Edinburgh Festival season.

During this time, it became apparent that her travel bug wasn’t satiated, and joining the Aardvark Safaris team in their Musselburgh office in 2023 was an irresistible opportunity to twin travel with planning others’ ever-lasting holiday memories.

Favourite African Experiences

An African riding safari has always been near the top of Lucinda’s bucket list, so the chance to specialise in curating riding safari holidays is a dream come true. Highlights include cantering across the Masai Mara with Offbeat Riding Safaris, riding through thick bush with Wait a Little in South Africa, and jumping every fallen log that could be found with Horizon Horseback Safaris on their Mashatu Tuli ride in Botswana.

Favourite Animal

Whilst I love seeing any animal, no matter how great or small, on safari, two favourites would have to be the Grevy’s zebra found in northern Kenya, due to their slightly bigger stature, which makes them more horse-like, and their even bigger ears! The second is a leopard due to their stealthiness and therefore, the thrill when you finally see one and can appreciate their beauty up close, normally after an immense shift from your guide.

Three Favourite Camps

Ol Malo Lodge – Laikipia, Kenya

The views are simply just magical, the hospitality is second-to-none, and the rooms are exquisitely tasteful and built into the rockface on the hill where the lodge is situated so it really blends in with the surroundings.

Ol Malo Lodge, Kenya

Tanda Tula – Timbavati, South Africa

The most amazing wildlife, guiding and magnificent rooms. A very luxury, upmarket camp but tasteful, and the emphasis still firmly remains on the wildlife.

Tanda Tula, South Africa

Offbeat Riding Safaris – Masai Mara, Kenya

A thrill and experience of a lifetime. Cantering across the renowned Masai Mara plains, getting up-close to lions with their hippo kill on horseback and the array of landscapes you traverse due to the nature of the mobile tented camp, makes the ride a true bucket-list trip.

Riding among wildebeest with Offbeat Riding Safaris

Riding experience

Wait A Little, Horizon Horseback Safaris, Horizon’s Mashatu Tuli Ride, Ants Hill / Nest, Borana Lodge, Offbeat Riding Safaris, Sosian Lodge, Ol Malo Lodge

African Countries Visited

Kenya, South Africa, Botswana

On Arranging Holidays

The tailormade element of the trips we curate is so unique, and it means we can deliver exactly what the client wishes to get out of their African adventure. It is always magical when clients come back and share their experience, as we get to travel to the same places, it is so special when you can share their excitement. Whilst African travel is a real perk of the job, it also enables us to recommend the most well-suited holiday to our clients. I love getting to know a client, and then establishing what would work best to ensure we achieve, and hopefully emulate, their expectations, which usually leaves with the safari bug and an infatuation with Africa.