Hi, I’m your Field Guide, and my name is Massimo Dioli.
I was born in Italy in 1964 and my great passion for animals and photography led me to Africa in the late 80s.

I first went to Kenya, relying on an Italian tour operator. I was fascinated by the wild beauty that only this continent possesses, but at the same time I realised that the standardised holiday, the one which doesn’t give you any freedom to dispose of your own time, didn’t suit me.

I decided afterwards to go back, but this time I relied on a Field Guide. I very soon began arranging my tours myself. In this way I discovered the relish of the long evenings spent organising my trip, choosing legs, itineraries and the most suitable means of transport…the possibility of lying for hours or days in wait for a lioness hunting or for taking a picture of a shy bird…these are the paces of real Africa: Africa is no fleeting holiday destination, where tourists cannot enjoy any single moment because they immediately have to move to reach another place.

The “African sickness” exists, indeed. It is a strong emotion which sticks in your soul and kindles desire to be there, breath such scents, listen to those magic sounds, sweep with your mind over those boundless stretches of land. It is an emotion impossible to explain to somebody who has never been there!

Journey after journey, as time went by, I realised that I belong to that land from a spiritual point of view. Thus I decided to attend the first Field Guide Course in South Africa in the year 2000, organised by the National Association of F.G.A.S.A. During this course I learnt all the basic and necessary techniques besides strengthening my experience. Refresher and specialization courses followed. At the same time I got a first aid licence issued by the Italian Red Cross, for which I volunteer. Finally, I received theoretical and practical training for Park Guard.

Facing an unplanned tour in such a wide and mysterious continent is no joke. Not only do you need a broad knowledge of places, animals, vegetation and their balance in the ecosystem, but also some experience and the knowledge of basic safety procedures.
This is the best way to experience Africa, a journey which takes shape day by day, while the land itself modifies even the most meticulous of all plans through its own paces of life. Plunging into this world, letting myself go and living according to the course of events are probably the most extraordinary facts that have ever happened to me. And this is what anyone approaching this continent with a “taste” for discovery and the will to be seduced can feel.