I was born and raised in the UK. In 1980, at the age of 17, I joined the Royal Navy as a mechanic. After my navy stint, I backpacked across Asia and Australasia, eventually landing a job in Australia as a truck driver. On returning to the UK, I bought and converted an old military Landrover and drove it overland to Morocco and back. After that trip, I came across a guy in the UK modifying a 4x4 army truck to take clients across the Sahara to West Africa. I helped him build the truck and off we went with 16 clients on a camping adventure through the Sahara! At the end of the trip, I stayed with the truck in Abidjan and then drove to Accra to pick up another group of clients for a 3 month jaunt around West Africa. We attempted to cross the Sahel to Timbuktu, but mechanical issues and a distinct lack of water forced us to turn around. Finally back in the UK, I built another truck and took 26 clients on a 8-month overland trip from London to Harare. Two trans-Africa expeditions and several trips through East and Southern Africa eventually lead me to a position in Uganda managing a safari company (that was 1995). In 2000, Phil and I founded Classic Africa Safaris. I’ve lived in Entebbe since the 1990s and raised two sons there. I enjoy lakeside barbeques and taking my vintage military jeep out into the bush for long weekends.
Mel Gormley
- Co-Founder & Director