Safari Life with Bobby-Jo

G'day Honey Badgers! I'm still in Ladakh in northern India at 3,500 metres above sea level, and I've officially kicked off our snow leopard expedition. Karen Jenkins is here with me, and we're diving straight into the deep end. Yesterday we spent the day exploring the monasteries, learning about Buddhism and the Wheel of Life from our guide Dorje (I've nicknamed him Dorje Cat f...

G'day Honey Badgers! I'm checking in from Ladakh in northern India at 3,500 metres above sea level, and we've officially kicked off our snow leopard expedition. Yesterday, we spent the day exploring monasteries in Hamath, learning about Buddhism and the Wheel of Life with our guide Dorje (the cat man of Ladakh). My mate Karen even helped an elderly lady down a massive set of stairs, wh...

G'day legends! I'm sitting down on the edge of rural India, fresh off a red-eye from Kilimanjaro with about zero sleep under my belt. Maxine's here with me, and we've just wrapped four incredible safaris in Velavadar Black Buck National Park. This episode is all about what we found there, and mate, it was nothing short of extraordinary. We saw huge herds of blackbuck, watched them...

I'm sitting down at Ingela's house on the spectacular rim of the Ngorongoro Crater after an absolutely epic week in the African bush. In the episode, you'll meet the ultimate conservation badass, Dr Dickson Wambura, the lead wildlife veterinarian for this incredible landscape, alongside the legendary Kimani from KopeLion. Dickson's journey is one of pure grit, spanning seven years...

I’m back in one of my favourite places on the planet, the Ngorongoro and Ndutu landscape, catching up with Kimani and the brilliant KopeLion team for a few days of bomas, lion monitoring, dust, rain, roaring males and proper bush nerves. We start by visiting a Maasai boma that was built to help protect livestock from predators, and I get to hear first-hand how it has changed life for the family us...

This one is a little different! We’re out in the eastern Serengeti at Serenity Camp, with dust on our boots and the plains stretched out around us, and for once I'm the one being interviewed. Tim has pinched the mic, which means you’re getting a behind-the-scenes chat straight from the bush about guiding, photography, conservation, and what safari life really looks like once the engine’s off....

For this episode, I’m back in the dust and magic of Tanzania (Kilimanjaro to be exact) and buzzing to be back for the start of safari season! I’ve just reunited with my absolute badass of a guide, Firoz, along with a group of Honey Badgers who are fresh off the flight from Australia. It’s a butterfly-inducing moment being back in the bush (especially with the short rains finally starting to stir t...

I’m sitting down on the edge of the Luangwa River at the iconic Flatdogs Camp , catching up with the absolute legends behind the operation, Jess and Ade. These two are total safari royalty who've spent over three decades dedicated to this wild corner of Zambia. I first met them back in 2017 while working for Conservation South Luangwa, and returning here always feels like coming home. We’re ch...

I’m sitting by the Luangwa River at the Flatdogs Camp for a conversation that has been years in the making. Today, I’m joined by a true MVP of the valley, Rachel McRobb. Rachel is the CEO and founder of Conservation South Luangwa (CSL), and she’s someone I’ve looked up to for many years. She’s a phenomenal human being who has dedicated the last 25 years to protecting this landscape, and I’m so hon...

In this episode, I'm connecting with you from South Luangwa National Park. I'm heading up in a two-seater 1959 Super Cub to see the valley from a completely different perspective. I sit down with Gareth and Jeremiah from Conservation South Luangwa to talk about the vital role of aerial patrols in protecting this landscape. I haven't seen wild dogs for two years, and spotting a pack wit...

In Part 2 of my chat with Dr. Matt Becker from @zcp_zambia , we're looking at the management challenges, political pressures, and funding hurdles that come with leading a team of 100 people across Zambia's national parks. Matt shares the exclusive details of his five year collaboration with the BBC on a series that tracks the intersecting lives of dogs, lions, hyenas, and leopards. We'...

I'm coming to you from the stunning South Luangwa in Zambia, where I've spent the last two weeks with my good friend, Dr. Matthew Becker. Matt is the Director of the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), and he's spent the last 17 years dedicated to the conservation of Africa’s most iconic predators. We're sitting down to talk about the vital work being done across eight Zambian national parks to pro...

Well Honey Badgers, I'm connecting with you from my lounge room for a very special start to the year. My nieces Layla, Amirah, and Luna have just finished a day at the zoo, but now they're turning the tables to interview me about my life behind the lens. You'll hear their unfiltered questions about my favourite safaris, the time I got stranded in South Africa, and the reality of fear i...

I'm in South Luangwa, Zambia, specifically in Mfuwe. I've joined forces with Conservation South Luangwa (CSL) and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW). We're racing against the clock because an elephant calf has been stuck in the mud for hours, and its mother is pacing nearby, agitated and protective. You'll hear the raw audio from the back of the Land Cruiser as th...

We're drifting through the dense channels of the Mabamba Swamp in Uganda. It's the final leg of our journey and the stakes are high. We're searching for one of the most elusive and prehistoric-looking birds on the planet. We're talking about the Shoebill Stork. You'll hear the raw audio from the boat as we search for one (hoping for a glimpse) only to have the most incredible e...

I am back in Uganda, and cannot wait to share this adventure with you. We are starting in Queen Elizabeth National Park and heading straight for the water. In this episode, I take you aboard the best boat cruise I have ever experienced on the Kazinga Channel. We're talking elephants getting uncomfortably close, a hippo with a rare pigmentation condition, and a mongoose with a very questionable...

I've just landed in Uganda and I am absolutely buzzing! This country is pure magic (they call it the Pearl of Africa for a reason) and this trip is already one for the books. We're on a private safari, and our first major stop is the incredible Kibale National Park. It’s home to my absolute favourite species: the chimpanzee. Before we even got to the chimps, we went on a primate walk throu...

This is it. This is the moment we waited over 20 hours for. My heart was pounding, my guests had tears in their eyes, and I was just trying to take it all in. After days of waiting by the river in the Northern Serengeti, we were rewarded with the biggest, most chaotic, and most emotional wildebeest crossing I have ever seen in my life. We're talking tens of thousands of animals plunging into t...

What does it really take to witness the great wildebeest crossing? It's not just about luck (though you do need a lot of that). It’s about patience, ethics, and managing high-stakes pressure. This episode, I'm taking you right into the safari vehicle with me and my incredible guide, Firoz, as we drive to the Northern Serengeti. The pressure is on! We talk about the high hopes (and the serious stre...

After waiting for 24 hours over three full days in the Northern Serengeti, my guests and I were starting to lose hope. Then, on our very last day, we took a chance, drove 45 minutes to a remote crossing point, and were met with the most incredible sight I have ever seen. It was so emotional, my guests were crying, and I definitely shed a tear or two! In this episode, I'm back in Australia catc...

Imagine sitting under a tree in the middle of the Tanzanian bush, surrounded by Maasai elders and young warriors. They've just slaughtered a goat, and as the only woman there, I'm trying to absorb the weight of the moment. This isn't just any meeting; they are debating the future of lions in their homeland, and an elder has just asked the most direct question possible: "Do you guy...

In this episode, I’m on the ground in Ngorongoro with the KopeLion team, and I walk into a situation that just completely blows my mind. I was heading into a Maasai Boma to take a portrait of one of the Ilchokuti (the lion guardians), when I was told I couldn't go in because his wife had literally just given birth inside their tiny home moments before! No doctors, no hospital, just the traditional...

It’s a brutal catch-22 in conservation: what happens when lion numbers start to grow? The conflict with the local community often grows with them. Tragically, in Ngorongoro, a recent increase in lions attacking livestock has led to more retaliation killings, and it’s an incredibly challenging time on the ground. In this episode, I’m back at Mama Simba’s and I get to introduce you to someone very s...

OK, before I get to how I just got chased by a lion ... I've gotta say, I was so angry and sad when I saw some footage online recently. Dozens of tourists had gotten out of their vehicles at the Mara River crossing on the Serengeti side, some standing on the roofs of their cars, others sitting right on the riverbank. This is completely illegal and incredibly dangerous, and it was all happening as...

Well, being completely on my own in a tiny, doorless vehicle when a heavily pregnant leopard decides to walk right past is a feeling I’ll never forget! I finally tracked down my first leopard of the trip, the incredible Ndoto, and the experience was sensational. She was so confident, parading between the cars, and the thrill (and slight heebie-jeebies) of having her so close while I was in a compl...