The Story Behind Wanderlust Escapes Africa

🌍 Heather Perkins | Founder & Adventure Travel Designer, Wanderlust Escapes Africa

Wanderlust Escapes Africa is more than a travel company. It’s my love letter to Southern Africa and an invitation for you to experience travel the way I do. 

Some stories begin with a single spark…a yearning to reconnect with something real—something soulful and alive. I’m Heather Perkins and I’ve always been someone on the move. As a lifelong elite athlete…adventurous activities have always fueled me. My professional path began in sports public relations & social events with club and provincial rugby in South Africa. Then over the last decade, evolving into a global career in professional tennis in PR, marketing, and VIP event management. Simultaneously, specializing in pro tennis travel tours and luxury hospitality, creating unforgettable experiences. 

My career was fast-paced and rooted in a variety of international cultures. And I thrived in it. But a few years ago, life shifted. Severe health issues disrupted my body’s ability to thrive. The strong, high-functioning version of me shut down…and in the quiet that followed, something within me evolved. 

Travel became my lifeline. My healing. My way back home to myself. 

Not just any travel though—immersive, off-the-beaten-path experiences that helped me reconnect to who I truly was. That’s when the vision for Wanderlust Escapes Africa was born. 

But my connection to South Africa goes much deeper. In the early 1990s, I lived in Durban, igniting my love of travel around Southern African countries, and later raising my children between Colorado and South Africa for over 20 years. Those formative years left an indelible mark on me. South Africa was never just a place…it was an anchor of family, lifelong friendships, and raw natural beauty. 

Now, decades later, Wanderlust Escapes Africa is a full-circle return. Curated travel experiences for those seeking reconnection, awe, and deeper meaning in their adventures. I want to inspire others to travel uniquely and see Africa through my eyes. Whether you’re tracking wildlife on a sunrise safari, yoga in the Kruger National Park, sipping Pinotage in the Cape wine country, playing tennis under the African skies, golfing in the Drakensberg mountains, blue water fishing in the Seychelles, surfing the Cape St Francis coastline, or finding stillness beneath an acacia tree…this is travel that moves you. Travel that excites you. 

I’ve combined three decades of global sports, hospitality, and an active lifestyle with my love for Southern Africa to create travel escapes that are beyond ordinary. Come experience the magic.

Because when Africa calls… It awakens your soul..