Read the blog article 'Getting to Know our Guides - Dylan Vasapolli'
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Senior Tour Leader and South African Office Manager
Dylan Vasapolli grew up in the suburbs of Johannesburg and was fortunate enough to experience the joys of the then largely still-wild surroundings on a regular basis. From a young age the beauty of nature, and in particular of birds, was instilled in Dylan, and it would go on to shape his life. Turning annual ‘family holidays’ into pure birding adventures was one way how he and his family went about this. Knowing that he wanted to bird for the rest of his life, Dylan came into the bird-guiding world straight after high school and has been at home leading a wide array of tours ever since. Dylan has traveled and guided extensively throughout the southern half of Africa, along with eastern Europe, central America, the Caribbean, parts of South America, North America, and most recently in parts of Asia.
An impressive repertoire comprised of experience beyond his years, a well-valued persona centered on compassion, a figurative ‘golden’ ear when it comes to picking up the faintest of bird calls, a raw skill when getting clients onto tough species, and a strong sense of perseverance rivaled only by a select few all add up to his highly credible reputation as one of southern Africa’s most respected birders, one of the region’s best guides, and an invaluable part of the Birding Ecotours team. Popular with clients, Dylan is regularly booked up far in advance.
When Dylan isn’t busy guiding all around the world, he manages our South African office and oversees a wide array of tasks and projects but can also be found serving on the South African Rarities committee and, more frequently, birding the greater Johannesburg region and in particular his local patch – a vibrant wetland in montane grassland a short hop away from his home.
