This is Africa Podcast

In this season finale, Andy sits down for a wild, story-packed episode of This Is Africa Podcast with brothers Guav Johnson and Courteney Johnson of Classic African Hunting. From a childhood straight out of an adventure novel— trapping quail, building wire cars, living outdoors, and keeping unusual pets—the Johnsons share how the bush shaped who they are today.

Courteney’s journey takes a sharp turn from aviation into 26 years at the top of the photographic safari world, managing elite camps across Africa and running complex charter logistics as an operations director. Meanwhile, Guav dives into hard-hitting hunting stories—from facing problem lions at just 17 to taking on massive elephant bulls in Matetsi Unit 2 and the remote Kazuma Forest, plus the realities of crocodile hunting and strict daytime-only cat regulations in national parks.

The conversation goes beyond hunting, unpacking their work in Matetsi Unit 2 and Kazuma, and a powerful community-driven re-wilding project in Wilberforce—restoring land through water systems, fencing, wildlife reintroductions, and sustainable community gardens.

It’s raw, real Africa—full of grit, humor, and the kind of stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

That's all for Season 2 folks! Until next year 🙌

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

🔗 Learn more:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisisAfricaTVshow
Rumble: https://www.rumble.com/ThisIsAfricaTV
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisisafrica
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisafrica_tv/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisafricatvshow/
TIA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/tiafive/subscribe-to-this-is-africa-newsletter
TIA Merch: https://tiafive.com/tia-store/

🤝 Supported by:
We partner with organizations and brands that support conservation, outdoor heritage, and African storytelling.

THIS IS AFRICA PODCAST SPONSORS
Swift Bullet Company
https://www.swiftbullets.com

Dallas Safari Club
https://www.biggame.org/

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com

Jim Green Footwear
https://linktr.ee/jimgreenfootwear

PWP Travel
https://pwptravel.com/

From catching snakes to following wounded lions, Ross Johnston has made a career out of running toward the things most people run away from. In this episode of This Is Africa Podcast, Andy sits down with one of Zimbabwe's most fascinating bushmen—a professional hunter, snake expert, and K9 handler who's spent a lifetime working where things can go wrong in a heartbeat.

Ross tells the story of how he left photographic safaris behind in pursuit of dangerous game, explaining why life behind a camera is a world away from following wounded animals through thick African bush. The conversation slithers into Ross's lifelong obsession with snakes—including his once-famous collection of nearly 280 indigenous species—and the truth about black mambas, boomslangs, puff adders, and the snake myths that refuse to die.

Then the stories get even wilder. Ross shares the brutal lessons learned as a young apprentice, tense problem-animal control operations, buffalo encounters that nearly went sideways, tracking lions with dogs, elephant charges that get the heart racing, and the leopard follow-up that no one in the hunting party will ever forget.

Packed with bush wisdom, dark humour, unforgettable close calls, and a healthy respect for Africa's most dangerous wildlife, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

🔗 Learn more:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisisAfricaTVshow
Rumble: https://www.rumble.com/ThisIsAfricaTV
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisisafrica
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisafrica_tv/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisafricatvshow/
TIA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/tiafive/subscribe-to-this-is-africa-newsletter
TIA Merch: https://tiafive.com/tia-store/

🤝 Supported by:
We partner with organizations and brands that support conservation, outdoor heritage, and African storytelling.

THIS IS AFRICA PODCAST SPONSORS
Swift Bullet Company
https://www.swiftbullets.com

Dallas Safari Club
https://www.biggame.org/

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com

Jim Green Footwear
https://linktr.ee/jimgreenfootwear

PWP Travel
https://pwptravel.com/

This week, Andy sits down with Zimbabwean professional hunter Tanya Blake, one of the country’s few qualified female PHs, to talk leopard charges, brutal exams, bush pressure, and earning respect in one of Africa’s toughest industries. Tanya shares how she went from a hunting-family upbringing and guiding canoes in Mana Pools to chasing dangerous game through the rocks of West Nick, proving herself in a profession that doesn’t hand out favours. From wounded buffalo and close-quarter leopard follow-ups to the realities of clients, cameras, and camp life, this episode is packed with grit, sharp stories, and plenty of laughs along the way.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

🔗 Learn more:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisisAfricaTVshow
Rumble: https://www.rumble.com/ThisIsAfricaTV
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisisafrica
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisafrica_tv/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisafricatvshow/
TIA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/tiafive/subscribe-to-this-is-africa-newsletter
TIA Merch: https://tiafive.com/tia-store/

🤝 Supported by:
We partner with organizations and brands that support conservation, outdoor heritage, and African storytelling.

THIS IS AFRICA PODCAST SPONSORS
Swift Bullet Company
https://www.swiftbullets.com

Dallas Safari Club
https://www.biggame.org/

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com

Jim Green Footwear
https://linktr.ee/jimgreenfootwear

PWP Travel
https://pwptravel.com/

Andy sits down with Zimbabwean entrepreneur, explorer, and 'African Plant Hunter' Gus Le Breton for a fascinating dive into Africa’s wild plants, ancient knowledge, and untold stories from the bush. Best known for helping launch baobab as the world-famous 'African superfruit,' Gus shares how a lifelong obsession with Africa’s biodiversity took him from a mission hospital in Kenya to solo overland adventures across the Sahara and Congo, studying at Cambridge and Yale, and eventually building businesses around the continent’s remarkable trees and plants.

From marula oil myths and medicinal plants to the incredible survival strategies of Africa’s toughest trees, Gus explains why the continent’s botanical world is far stranger, more useful, and more important than most people realise. Along the way, Andy and Gus swap stories about African culture, wilderness experiences, and the hidden connections between people, plants, and conservation.

Insightful, entertaining, and packed with wild stories, this episode will completely change the way you look at the African bush.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

🔗 Learn more:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisisAfricaTVshow
Rumble: https://www.rumble.com/ThisIsAfricaTV
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisisafrica
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisafrica_tv/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisafricatvshow/
TIA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/tiafive/subscribe-to-this-is-africa-newsletter
TIA Merch: https://tiafive.com/tia-store/

🤝 Supported by:
We partner with organizations and brands that support conservation, outdoor heritage, and African storytelling.

THIS IS AFRICA PODCAST SPONSORS
Swift Bullet Company
https://www.swiftbullets.com

Dallas Safari Club
https://www.biggame.org/

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com

Jim Green Footwear
https://linktr.ee/jimgreenfootwear

PWP Travel
https://pwptravel.com/

This week, Andy sits down with veteran Zimbabwean PH Rob Oostindien for a hard-hitting conversation straight out of the African bush. From late-season crocodile hunts in Mozambique to real-world problem animal control after fatal attacks, Rob shares what life in Africa really looks like.

He traces his journey from a farm upbringing and wartime Rhodesia to earning his PH license the hard way, cutting his teeth in Mateke Hills, and eventually building fly camps and opening untouched country along the Zambezi. Along the way, Rob reveals why leopard and big elephant tracking keep him coming back, how he handles clients under pressure, and which animals he truly respects as the most dangerous.

Backed by intense, close-range encounters with lions and wounded leopards in thick grass and around vehicles, this episode is packed with raw African bush stories, practical gear insights, and the kind of hard-earned wisdom you only get after decades in the field.

For expert advice/help from Andy on booking your safari visit https://www.tiafive.com

🔗 Learn more:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisisAfricaTVshow
Rumble: https://www.rumble.com/ThisisAfricaTV
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisafrica_tv/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisafricatvshow/
TIA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/tiafive/subscribe-to-this-is-africa-newsletter
TIA Merch: https://tiafive.com/tia-store/

🤝 Supported by:
We partner with organizations and brands that support conservation, outdoor heritage, and African storytelling.

THIS IS AFRICA PODCAST SPONSORS
Swift Bullet Company
https://www.swiftbullets.com/

Dallas Safari Club
https://www.biggame.org

Boyds Hardwood Gunstocks
https://www.boydsgunstocks.com

Jim Green Footwear
https://linktr.ee/jimgreenfootwear

PWP Travel
https://pwptravel.com/