Exceptional Hotels
All of the hotels that we use are carefully researched and we always stay in them before they become part of an adventure
About Us
How it all came to be…
Impala: a boyhood dream realised
It all started when I was thirteen years old. It had snowed and I was on my way home by train from boarding school for Christmas, the journeys end was a station in the Welsh hills near Chepstow. When I arrived it was dark and the snow was deep so my father had borrowed a Royal Navy Land Rover Series 2 to get us from the station to home. The journey in this Land Rover started the spark that became a bush fire.
One of my presents that Christmas was Larens Van der Post’s The Lost World of The Kalahari. In this book he travelled the Kalahari in Series 1 Land Rovers, my imagination was filled with his adventures, so from then on my dream was to travel the deserts of the world.
Let us introduce ourselves
A few words about us
All of the Impala Support Teams started as clients who have become great friends. There are no tests or special requirements and we are all different, complimenting each other’s skills. The most important criteria is to react and sort out any problems quickly and with our client’s interests at heart, without waiting for a more senior support member to arrive at the scene to make the decision.
Together we have amassed an enviable amount of experience in and knowledge of the countries where we run adventures, so you can rest assured that you and your family are safe in our hands.
Neil Hopkinson – Expedition Leader
Neil has been running off road adventures for over twenty five years building up a wealth of knowledge and experience second to none. Neil uses these skills to ensure that you will have an exciting and unforgettable adventure with Impala. He has also driven off-road vehicles since he was 15 years old and in the eighties was a Land Rover test driver, he also set up one of the first Off Road Driving schools in England, training over 500 off road drivers. As well as leading Impala expeditions, Neil is also a Porsche Driving Consultant and is an ADI (Approved Driving Instructor). Impala Adventures is the embodiment of his dream from childhood to travel the deserts of the World.
Manley Hopkinson – Expedition Leader
Ex-Naval Weapons Engineering officer Manley Hopkinson has been with Neil from the beginning of Impala Adventures. It was while they were racing their Series 2a Land Rover in Morocco that a decision was made to start Impala as soon as they got home, which they duly did. Manley has led expeditions to Morocco, England and Wales for Impala. His leadership and navigation skills are immense and over the last few years he has had an insatiable appetite for adventure. Manley skippered the yacht Olympic Group around the World on the BT Global Challenge in 2000. He was also one of the team to win the first Walking Race to the North Pole in 2003. All of his exploits are heard by many as he is an after dinner speaker of excellence. www.manleytalks.com
Louise Hopkinson – Impala Support
Louise has guided and cajoled Neil during the development of Impala Adventures as she is able to channel his exuberance for life and adventure in the right direction. Her business and interpersonal relationship skills are second to none and she is often the “Agony Aunt” for our clients if they have any concerns both before and during their adventure. Louise is a very competent off-road driver in her own right, having crossed Lac Iriki by herself once or twice! Her cooking and camp organisation skills are very welcome by all of the support because she will always have a ready meal and our tents prepared for us after a hard day in the desert.
Steve Pitt – Impala Support
Steve joined Impala 20 years ago after he and his wife Kirstie came as clients on one of our Moroccan Adventures. His quiet confident, and strong manner has calmed many a client when they have got themselves stuck in the sand or are facing a daunting river crossing ahead. He has become a great friend and an indispensable member of our support team, especially in the Ice Forest where his nickname “The Bear” fits perfectly.
James Whitford – Impala Support
James is the newest member of the Impala Support Team, who joined us after his first Moroccan Adventure. He and his wife Cat have become good friends. James is a geologist and Land Rovers have been a part of his life and he takes them to places that you would think impossible, this gives him the skills and experience that keeps our clients safe and secure in the sands of the Sahara and Kalahari. Around the camp fires he imparts some of his incredible knowledge of how the landscapes that we travel through have evolved, which delights us all. He is ably supported by his wife Cat, just as I am by Louise.
Johnny Dover – Impala Support
Johnny is one of our best friends who has become one of the irreplaceable members of the Impala support team. Johnny completed his training in the soft sand of the Plage Blanche on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast. He comes from a flying background and the discipline and quick thinking needed in the air is put to good effect as Impala Support. Johnny is always smiling and would do so to the ends of the Earth.
Robin Dalton – Impala Support
I first met Robin in Namibia at the Cardboard Box backpackers lodge whilst I was running a reconnaissance for our first Namibian Adventure. He asked if he could join us and quite frankly has never looked back. He has a quiet strength which clients find very comforting when the dunes are difficult or the day is long. His driving skills are far above his own perception.
Mark Birch – Impala Support
I met Mark in the eighties while I was instructing at Palmersport when he had just left school. He competes very successfully in Off Road Competitions all over the world. Mark has built up immense skill and knowledge in off road driving and is exceptional at extracting a stuck car with a sympathy and understanding that has to be seen to be believed. His many skills include navigation, a deep understanding and respect of the wildlife in the desert and forests as well as being an inseparable companion in the depths of the Russian forest.
Richard Parkes – Impala Support
Richard has been on many of our adventures in Morocco, Russia and closer to home in England and Wales. He has exceptional skill with computers and he is the brains behind our website and has an input in any computer related concerns. He and his wife Michele are always unofficial support on any adventure that he and his wife join us on, as they know exactly how I and Louise would like things done.
Alec Stoner – Impala Support
Alec joined Impala in the summer of 2001 after enjoying two adventures with us to Morocco and Libya. He has become a great friend and he provides excellent support. His expertise lies in his leadership, navigation and search and rescue skills, Alec is a trained cartographer so reading maps is second nature. His caring support, motivation and enthusiasm are skills which enhance every adventure. Alec can always be relied upon to make the right decisions when confronted with a problem En route. Alec is supported by Mel in very much the same way as Louise supports Neil.
A great agency
What we can offer you
GPS Tracking
We offer GPS tracking that can be temporally attached to your 4×4 so that we can come to assistance quickly and effectively
Flights Advice
Although we are not able to book your flights directly we can put you in touch with our flight contacts so that you can benifit from our special rates.
Credit Cards accepted
We use the i-zettle credit card system
24/7 Support
As soon as you have booked with us we are avaliable to answer any questions. If you ask the same question more than once, then we did not answer it correctly the first time
Great Tours
All of our routes are carefully researhed and suported by a comprehensive “rally style” roadbook which allows you to travel at your own pace, individually but never alone.