Between us, this team has guided overland trucks across dozens of borders, raised chimpanzees, kept elephants, paraded at the Rio Carnival, swum with whale sharks, slept under the Saharan stars with a Touareg family, and lost teeth on a waterslide.
We have also spent a combined 85 plus years building relationships across Africa, with guides, conservancies, lodge owners, community leaders and conservationists so that when you travel with us, every detail of your journey is held by someone who genuinely knows what they’re doing.
We are based in Brisbane and Sydney. We are founders, specialists, creative thinkers, writers, logisticians, and the person who makes sure the finances work. We are a small team by design, because depth of care is not scalable.
Here we are.
Jonathon Wilson
Founder | MD | Africa Specialist
- Guiding in Africa since 2000
- Founded Encompass Africa with Danica in 2009
- Brisbane, Berlin, Chicago and London marathon finisher
What do you do at Encompass Africa?
In a team like ours, no day looks the same. One moment I’m designing a safari for a guest celebrating a milestone anniversary, the next I’m reviewing a new conservancy partnership or balancing the books. At the heart of it, I lead. I draw on everything I’ve learned across more than two decades in the field to make sure every journey we deliver is genuinely extraordinary. That responsibility never gets old.
What’s a fun fact about you most people don’t know?
In 2023 I had a near-death experience that changed everything, the way I see risk, time, and what matters. I came out of it with a renewed drive to push harder and live with more intention. A mate and I started a running club not long after, and I’ve since completed the Brisbane, Berlin and Chicago marathons. I also met my wife and business partner, Danica, on safari which is perhaps the best argument for travelling with an open heart that I know.
In three emojis
👨👩👧👦🏕️🏃♂️
The one place in Africa you haven’t been but need to?
Mali. The landscapes, the history, the music, it all draws me. My specific dream: a night under the Saharan stars with one of my favourite bands, Tinariwen, drinking mint tea by the fire. One day.
Best packing tip?
Dental floss. You eat a lot of good meat and biltong in Africa.
What’s the best thing about working at Encompass Africa?
The people. Our team, our guests, our partners. In an industry that has gone increasingly corporate and automated, I genuinely value the friendships and shared passion that still define African travel at its best.
To be a master of this craft takes a lifetime. We surround ourselves with people who understand that.
Your African spirit animal?
The lion. Strength, resilience, and an unshakeable commitment to family. Those are the things that carried me through the hardest times.
Danica Wilson
Co-Founder | Africa Specialist | Marketing & Guest Services
- Co-founded Encompass Africa 2009
- Former marketing and international business career, Brisbane
- Sold her house and bought a one-way ticket to Africa in 2003
What do you do at Encompass Africa?
Like Jono, I wear many hats which is honestly how I like it. I work directly with guests to design their safaris, lead our marketing efforts, and oversee guest services so that every person who travels with us feels looked after from first conversation to final landing.
I also manage our internal processes because none of the magic happens without solid foundations.
And somewhere in between all of that, I’m raising two kids who love Africa as much as we do.
What’s a fun fact about you most people don’t know?
I once lost my front teeth on a waterslide. It turns out keeping your mouth open on adventure rides is not the best strategy.
Lesson thoroughly learned.
In three emojis
💯 📷 ✈️
The one place in Africa you haven’t been but need to?
Madagascar is high on the list. The marine environments, the lemurs, the sheer biological strangeness of the place. But Ethiopia pulls at me too, especially the southern regions with their vibrant cultures and living traditions. I’ll get to both some day soon.
Best packing tip?
Pack by outfit, not by item. It sounds small but it prevents overpacking completely, you only bring what you’ll actually wear. (But don’t listen to me, I’m an overpacker)
What’s the best thing about working at Encompass Africa?
The passion. For conservation, for Africa, for making a genuine difference, and for working with a team who cares as much as I do. This has never felt like a job. It feels like a purpose.
Your African spirit animal?
A chimpanzee. Social, easygoing, happiest with my people, always up for a good time, and deeply appreciative of excellent food. I think that’s a fair portrait.
Jono and Danica’s story became Encompass Africa →Patrick Clementson
Africa Specialist | Sales Director
- Visited 6 of 7 continents — the missing one may surprise you
- Has been to Timbuktu. Genuinely.
- Maintains a gin collection of more than 50 bottles
What do you do at Encompass Africa?
I work with guests as an Africa specialist and am working closely with Danica and Jono to set up our sales team. What I love most about this role is the obsession it demands. I am constantly learning about new camps, unexplored regions, and what’s happening on the ground right now. Africa changes, and I want to know exactly how and where.
What’s a fun fact about you most people don’t know?
I’ve visited six of the seven continents. The one I haven’t reached is Europe, which consistently surprises people. I’ve also slept in the Sahara Desert on the sand with a Touareg family, and I collect gin wherever I travel. Fifty-plus bottles and counting!
In three emoji (and Pho is a food group)
✈️ 🌍 🍜
The one place in Africa you haven’t been but need to?
Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania, specifically Greystoke Mahale, which offers what I believe is the finest chimpanzee viewing in Africa. The fact that it sits beside a gin-clear lake may also have influenced my interest.
What’s the best thing about working at Encompass Africa?
I’ve known Jono and Danica for years through the industry and always admired what they were building, not just the travel, but the ethos behind it. The opportunity to be part of that properly was not something I was going to pass up.
Your African spirit animal?
The leopard. Watching one stalk its prey, the patience, the precision, the absolute commitment to getting the detail right taught me more about my own working style than I realised at the time.
It’s all in the detail.
Faye Hubbard
Guest Services Officer
- Former pachyderm keeper, South Africa
- Builder of itineraries, preparer of travel packs
- Everybody’s favourite maker of coffee
What do you do at Encompass Africa?
I’m part of the behind-the-scenes team that makes sure every Encompass Africa journey runs without a hitch.
I build detailed itineraries, prepare travel packs, and handle the operational detail that means guests can travel with complete peace of mind.
And yes, I also make the coffees, someone has to.
What’s a fun fact about you most people don’t know?
I used to be a pachyderm keeper in South Africa. Elephants, up close, every day. It gives you a particular kind of perspective on scale. Oh and I hand reared a chimpanzee.
In three emojis
👨👩👧👦 🐾 🌊
The one place in Africa you haven’t been but need to?
Tanzania. The Ngorongoro Crater, the Great Migration! I want to see all of it and ideally in the same trip!
Your African spirit animal?
A lioness. Fiercely protective, gets things done, feeds the family, and genuinely enjoys an afternoon nap. I see myself in all of that.
Romi Scarcelli
Finance Officer
- Has swum with a whale shark
- Is afraid of magpies
- These two facts exist in the same person
What do you do at Encompass Africa?
I manage the company’s cash flow, processing payments to Africa, sending invoices to clients wherever they are in the world, and making sure everything is financially in order so that guests can focus entirely on the adventure ahead.
What’s a fun fact about you most people don’t know?
I swam with whale sharks, one of the largest animals on the planet and without hesitation. I am, however, genuinely afraid of magpies.
And yes, I’ve made peace with this contradiction.
In three emojis
🧐 🙋♀️ 🧮
The one place in Africa you haven’t been but need to?
Literally Africa is the one continent I’m yet to visit, so the list is considerable. I’d start in Kenya for the Masai Mara during the migration, continue to Amboseli for the view of Kilimanjaro, and finish in Egypt for its fascinating history. That seems like a reasonable beginning don’t you think?
What’s the best thing about working at Encompass Africa?
The team, and the genuine dedication everyone brings to what they do. The passion here is real, you feel it in every conversation.
Your African spirit animal?
The elephant. Independent but deeply loyal to their family. Brave, especially when it comes to protecting what matters. It really resonates.