Warren Smith

My safari career began in the mid-1990s, working for an African overland company in London. It was the very opposite end of the scale from what I do today — but it was the start of everything, and Africa got under my skin from the beginning.

I joined The Classic Safari Company in 2016, and I won’t pretend there isn’t something satisfying about being at the pointy end of the industry. The move from budget overland travel to crafting genuinely bespoke, luxury experiences represents a full arc — and I feel fortunate to be where I am.

My expertise spans Africa, the Middle East and India, destinations I’ve been travelling to and focusing on for a very long time. Egypt, Jordan, Türkiye, Morocco — these are places I know well and care about deeply. Türkiye is perhaps my personal favourite, though honestly, any destination I’ve spent real time in has something extraordinary to offer. And safari, wherever in the world it takes you, never disappoints. Any day in the bush is a good day.

What allows me to create the right itinerary for a client isn’t just my depth of experience — it’s the conversation that comes first. Understanding exactly what someone is looking for, and then tailoring something specifically to that, is far more valuable than anything taken off a shelf.

What drives me, ultimately, is simple: when clients return having had the time of their lives. That’s what it’s all about.

My fondest travel memories are too many to choose between, and I have no intention of stopping. What I keep coming back to is the feeling of space and true wilderness. That quality — expansive, unhurried, humbling — is something I find as readily in Wadi Rum or rural Rajasthan as anywhere in Africa. The bush, in its widest sense, is where I feel most alive.