Murray Gardiner

Murray’s passion for the travel industry started when his father, Adrian Gardiner, purchased some drought-damaged farmland in the Eastern Cape and transformed it into the award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve. His family was living in nearby Port Elizabeth, where he completed his BCom Accounting Degree before travelling to the United Kingdom.

After working for an internet company in London, Murray moved into the publishing world and helped launch the first edition of Giltedge Magazine. In 1999, he returned to South Africa and focused the magazine on travel in Southern Africa, East Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. He then joined Sean Kritzinger in 2001 as a founding partner of the Giltedge Group, and together they have developed a business that covers all aspects of the tourism industry.

Ten years later, Murray moved to the United States to set up our office in Austin, Texas. He now spends most of his time back in Cape Town, which allows him to go out and experience some of the amazing properties that we offer. In Murray’s words: “There’s nothing better than being out in the bush away from the rat-race, city life, school and work, and having that quality time with your family in a beautiful, remote location on the African continent.”