About us

Leon is the author and photographer of four travel books on the region. His widely acclaimed travel book “The Garden Route and Little Karoo” (published in 2003) was selected as book of the month in Yorkshire, England in January 2004, while hundreds of his photographs have been published mainly through one of South Africa’s most prestigious publishing houses.

Being a registered tourist guide with three years experience as a tourist officer, fourteen years as a nature conservator (also selected conservator of the Year in 1994) and an ardent nature photographer, he has travelled hundreds of thousands of kilometres in the western Cape.

Wife Tilla was with Leon every step of the way and also worked as a tourist officer and later for nature conservation. She continuously helped with research on the travel books and visitor’s guides, and was largely instrumental in the discovery of a new flower species Cyrtanthus aureolinus at the foot of the Swartberg on 9 January 2005.

The couple have spent more than ten years and travelled more than 200 000 kilometres in the southern Cape and Karoo, researching the area extensively. Back roads were travelled, hiking trails were covered and many nights were spent on desolate farms, in caves and in the forests, taking photographs and discovering secrets and dying myths from days of yore.

Visit www.struik.co.za for more information on some of Leon's books.