Safari operator and explorer Ruben Lambrechts (25) decided that city life was not for him. He prefers to be surrounded by animals on a farm, where he gets to appreciate nature in the comfort of his home.
He uses the opportunity to network with tourists and show them Namibia’s wildlife.
Lambrechts owns a travel agency, called I Dream Namibia, which aims to take visitors and tourists on the finest safaris and to connect them to the wildest places in Namibia.
He lives on a family farm – about 60km west of Windhoek – in the Khomas Hochland region.
“I am a part-time cattle farmer and safari operator. The wildlife seen in my videos on social media are orphaned animals. Farmers and people who find them without their mothers give them to us,” said the passionate conservationist.
Some different animals that are usually seen in his clips include meerkats, mongooses, warthogs, black wallabies and baboons.
“We don’t keep any of them in cages, so they are free to roam on the farm and come back to our home. Most of them choose to stay with us because they see us as family.”
He shared: “We take care of them since infancy. While some return to the wild, some stay with us. Passion for nature and animals came from childhood because I grew up close to nature on the farm; it’s just a part of who I am.”
A few years ago, he worked in the capital, but he realised that the set-up was not for him.
“It was just too much out of my comfort zone, plus I was just so used to the farm, nature, sound and interacting with the animals that I felt out of place in the city.”
He said making that decision was easy because it is his passion.
Lambrechts wanted to do something that he loved, and which gave him flexibility.
“I looked into it, and I knew I love animals. I love our country as beautiful as it is, and I am fascinated with helping and working with guests and people in general. I love showing them our beautiful country.”
He added: “My main goal is to show the world how beautiful our country is; the amazing different landscapes, tribes and cultural experiences for people to explore. I believe we are in one of the most diverse countries in the world”.
Lambrechts feels the need for the next generations to be able to see wildlife like rhinos and cheetahs that are endangered by preserving them so that more value can be created out of this precious resource to ultimately contribute greatly to the economy.
“There’s a need to create a value and put a value on this country that animals and the people are in. And that’s my goal – to just preserve our beautiful country through sustainable travel,” he pointed out.
He said the travel and tourism industry is viable.
“It depends on how well you run the business. Like all other businesses, you should do it, and will succeed when you have a business mind to it.”
Lambrechts has a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Business Management from Stellenbosch University, and he believes that qualification comes in handy.
-psiririka@nepc.com.na