The art of human tailor-making

By Laurent Guillot
Founder of Étendues Sauvages

The Étendues Sauvages adventure was born from a journey.
For more than fifteen years, I worked at an IT engineering company specialised in advertising and media. On a more personal note, I dreamed of going to Africa to photograph animals and nature. But not just any way, not just anywhere.
My dream took me to Zimbabwe, in 1998.

I fell completely under the spell of this authentic Africa. Other journeys followed in quick succession: South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya… then Latin America and Asia.
Travel took its full place in my daily life, and this passion grew increasingly present and insistent. It was the late 1990s, and the internet was becoming a reality… I changed professional direction. The Étendues Sauvages adventure began.

25 years later, Étendues Sauvages is a team of a dozen specialists, based in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Geneva. We move forward with consistency, guided by the values that form the soul of Étendues Sauvages: creating unique and authentic journeys, where emotion finds its place at every moment; offering our travellers a rare and impeccable quality of service; honouring nature with the humility and respect it deserves.

WE BELIEVE TRAVEL HAS THE POWER TO TRANSFORM LIVES

For 25 years, this conviction has guided every step we take.
Travel transforms the one who leaves, but also the one who welcomes.
It brightens outlooks, opens hearts and weaves invisible bonds between travellers and local people.

But for this encounter to be truly meaningful, it must be lived with respect.
Respect for nature, fragile and precious.
Respect for local communities, guardians of their lands and their traditions.

This is why we carefully choose each location, each local partner.
For it is these everyday actors who, through the actions they carry out or support, allow wildlife to survive, villages to thrive and cultures to flourish.

We believe in a form of tourism that nurtures balance.
A delicate balance, which requires travelling differently: spreading our footsteps across time as well as space.
So that the wild world remains alive.

THE EXPERTISE OF ÉTENDUES SAUVAGES

Étendues Sauvages builds its expertise through direct contact with nature and with local players.
While it was in southern Africa that the agency first forged ties with passionate guides and local partners chosen for their professionalism, authenticity and commitment, this know-how has gradually extended to other continents, thanks to the arrival of new experts and a regular on-the-ground presence.

Each Travel Designer regularly explores their destinations to test accommodations, immerse themselves in the places, live experiences they will later share with you, meet our guides, our hosts, and also those who live where you will be travelling — ensuring an always up-to-date perspective.

Far more than simple collaborations, these trusted relationships with our partners open the way to rare and confidential experiences. It is this rigour, combined with an attention to detail, that gives Étendues Sauvages journeys their unique and deeply authentic character.

A TAILOR-MADE EXPERIENCE

A journey designed by Étendues Sauvages always begins with a meeting. A voice, an exchange, a look during a meeting at our offices, at your home, or through a screen during a video call. Never just an exchange of emails. This privileged moment allows us to understand your personality, your expectations and constraints, your wishes of the moment.

From this listening emerges a sketch, a first travel scenario shaped together: duration, atmosphere, activities, accommodations… A creative dialogue then opens, in which suggestions and original ideas give rise to a unique itinerary.

Once the outline is defined, we contact our local partners to check availability and costs. We add our own inspired touches, a few surprises, our secret detours!
This meticulous coordination transforms what could be a simple trip into a vivid adventure, where anticipated moments blend with unexpected discoveries, and where emotion becomes your travelling companion.