Colin Bell

Colin Bell is an inspirational wildlife conservationist, one of the early initiators of the ‘Green Safari’ model in Africa. After completing his economic studies, instead of choosing the world of finance he started a safari guide in Botswana in 1977. In 1983 Colin co-founded Wilderness Safaris which went on to become one of the most successful specialist safari companies in Africa. For over 30 years Colin has founded camps and lodges across seven countries and managed millions of acres of prime wildlife reserve, creating sustainable tourism in his native Africa in partnership with rural communities. He pioneered the necessity of working with the local communities and fought for them to be stakeholders in the tourism and wildlife industries. One of Colin's great career successes was to initiate the process to reintroduce of both black and white rhino back into the wilds of the Okavango Delta. Colin sold his shares in Wilderness in 2005 and went on to co-found Great Plains Conservation and then Natural Selection Safaris. In between he co-authored two books - Africa’s Finest and The Last Elephants? Colin’s belief that wildlife enriches our lives and makes us caring, nurturing human beings drives his need to offer the next generation the same pristine environments we have enjoyed.