Chris McIntyre went to Africa in 1987, after reading physics at Queen's College, Oxford. He taught with VSO in Zimbabwe for almost three years and travelled around extensively, mostly with a backpack. He first visited Namibia, driving from the far tip of the Caprivi to the Orange River, in 1989. There was too little time for the vast distances covered, but he was captivated by the country.
In 1990 he returned to cover the ground in more detail, attending the country's independence ceremony in the process, before returning to the UK. There he co-authored the UK's first guidebook to Namibia and Botswana, published by Bradt, before spending three years as a shipbroker in London.
Since then, Chris has concentrated on what he enjoys most: Africa. He wrote the first editions of Bradt's guides to Zambia in 1996 and Botswana in 2003, and since has co-authored several guides to Tanzania and Zanzibar, whilst regularly returning to Namibia, and continuing to ensure that it's up to date.
Meanwhile Chris's day job is managing director of Expert Africa - a specialist tour operator which organises high-quality trips throughout Africa for individual travellers from around the world, including a very wide range of trips to Namibia. This also includes the Wild about Africa programme of trips guided by top professional guides.
In his spare time, Chris maintains a keen interest in development and conservation issues, acting as advisor to various NGOs and projects associated with Africa. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and contributes photographs and articles to various publications. Now based in Dockenfield, Surrey, Chris and his wife, Susan, still regularly travel and research in Africa.
