Byron Ross

Byron’s ability to work with guides from diverse cultures stems from working with his tracker mentor Judas Ngomane who saved him from a honey badger (a story for a later). Byron first met Steve and Nicky twenty-four years ago when they were his guests on his first assessment drive at Ngala at andBeyond (formerly CC Africa). Byron was nervous, especially when Steve asked to see his favourite animal, a cheetah, in the most densely lion populated area of Kruger. Steve must have given Byron the nod of approval as he went on to guide at Ngala and became Head Guide at Londolozi where he met his wife, Val. Byron and Val then managed Sandibe and Nxabega in the Okavango Delta for andBeyond before leaving Botswana at the turn down of tourism in the wake of 9/11. Five years later, Steve and Nicky welcomed Byron back to Phinda where he ran the Inkwazi Ranger training school for seven years, training guides for Southern Africa and East Africa. Byron is a partner in Essential Guiding with Alastair Kilpin and Gavin Lautenbach and trains guides all across Africa and Madagascar. Byron lives in White River, Mpumalanga with Val and their two boys Nicholas and Duncan.