About Wildlife Dreams

Our team have over 100 years’ experience combined, in guiding, photography and conservation. We live our dreams every day, so by sharing our dreams with you you’ll be sure to have a very special time when you’re with us.

Getting that shot or experience isn’t always as easy as you may think, people often see award winning pictures and see so many various images spread across social media, but in  nature things happen in their own time.  We will show you how knowing your subject and having patience will reap its rewards.

Phil Gould - Wildlife Dreams
Phil Gould, wildlife photographer

Phil Gould

  • International wildlife photographer.
  • Author of 365 Photography Days – the book that started a world craze of a photo a day.
  • Designed Jessop’s Wildlife Academy for Peter Jones.
  • Has sold his images all over the world, inspiring others.
  • Working with Estonia Tourism to save Estonian wildlife.
  • Worked for Falkland Tourist Board, creating images to promote the islands.
  • Worked as a Panasonic wildlife ambassador.
  • Worked in conservation for the RSPB and the Cat Survival Trust.
  • Published photographer in magazines from all over the world.
  • #LearnConserve is Phil’s brainchild for saving wildlife through photography.
  • 2019 Nature Club Wildlife Landscape Photography “Photographer of the Year”.
Linda Smit - wildlife photographer

Linda Smit

Linda Smit is an award-winning wildlife and conservation photographer and videographer with a deep-rooted passion for carnivores and the stories they carry.

Her work goes beyond capturing beautiful images, it is about connection, awareness, and impact. Through both photography and film, Linda tells visual stories that highlight the fragile balance between wildlife and the natural world, with a strong focus on conservation.

Driven by curiosity and dedication, Linda spent 10 months traveling solo through South Africa, immersing herself in the wild and gaining hands-on experience in conservation. She contributed to multiple projects, including cheetah relocation initiatives and lion surveys in Kruger National Park. She also volunteered as a caretaker at a big cat sanctuary, working closely with some of Africa’s most iconic predators.

These experiences shaped her perspective and strengthened her mission: to use visual storytelling as a tool for conservation and education.

Linda’s work has been recognized in international photo competitions and she is proud to represent Sony as an ambassador. Whether behind the lens or in the field, she brings authenticity, patience and a deep respect for wildlife into everything she creates.

Fluent in English, Dutch, French, and German, Linda connects with a global audience, sharing stories that inspire people to care and to act.

Tõnis Tamme

Tõnis Tamme

My name is Tõnis, I have studied biology in the University of Tartu and have a wide range of interests in the surrounding nature – the deepest passion I possess is for plants, birds and mammals. I have been working as a nature tour guide for over 4 years now, but the love for the wildlife has already accompanied me since my birth, as I spent most of my childhood summers in the Soomaa National Park, searching for the tracks of the wolves, bears and lynxes. My life mission is to help people reconnect with the wildlife around us, to make people feel fascinated about what nature offers us to experience.

Sigita Matuleviciene

Sigita Matuleviciene

  • I have been working as a guide and tour leader for more than 10 years. My work region is the Baltic States, with a special interest in Estonia’s nature, history and culture.
  • I am a licensed guide in Lithuania, as well as in Tartu, Viljandi, Setomaa, Soomaa, and several other smaller places in Estonia. I am also a licensed guide at the Estonian National Museum, the Tartu University History Museum, the Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn, and the Tallinn Town Hall. I have the right to accompany my groups and guide myself at Alatskivi Castle, Palmse Manor, and Lahemaa National Park.
  • I attended several courses and seminars about nature guiding, and I’m falling for this more and more.
  • I love learning new things, and I am interested in a wide range of topics. I’m constantly learning about guiding, tourism, nature, Estonia, the Baltic States, psychology, history, art, business management, marketing, ethnography, and other related topics.
  • I enjoy learning languages and discovering different cultures. Usually, I learn a new language every 2-3 years. My working languages are Lithuanian, English, German, French, Spanish, Estonian and Russian. I know Latvian on a conversational level. In the past, I learned Norwegian and Dutch; I’m currently learning Polish and maintaining the languages I know.
  • I enjoy creating travel itineraries in Estonia for groups and individual guests, and then being their guide and tour leader. I aim to showcase the diversity of Estonia, taking into account guests’ wishes and interests, and curating a blend of culture, history, and nature.
  • In the cities, I’m a culture guide with a strong interest in the nature around us, as well as in the forests and bogs – a nature guide who also incorporates local cultural history into the story.
  • I have a master’s degree in Business Informatics; my master’s thesis was about mobile payments (the idea was too scary in Lithuania in 2004 and was implemented much later).
David Luetchford

David Luetchford

  • I’m self-taught, but after 40 years I have a “vague” idea of what’s going on! I go to South Africa as often as I can and pursue my wildlife dreams here in the UK.
  • My love affair with wildlife photography started when I lived in South Africa.
  • My first trip to a game lodge – Londolozi in The Sabi Sands reserve just outside the Kruger National Park.
  •  It was here that I met some brilliant wildlife photographers, including John Varty, Warren Samuels who now works for the BBC and does a lot with David Attenborough. Londolozi was world renowned for its leopards and I cut my photographic teeth shooting in varied situations. 
  • I’m the only Nikon user in the team. 
  • My bucket list- Wildlife Dream trip is to Antarctica. (Which I’m now doing in Nov 23)
Liina Steinberg

Liina Steinberg

  • Head of Education and Conservation projects in Estonia.

  • Bachelor’s degree in German, Finnish and teaching.

  • Master’s degree in interpreting.

  • Worked as interpreter for EU institutions since 2004.

  • Worked as German and English teacher.

  • Hobby photographer.

  • Founded forest advocacy NGO Save Estonia’s Forests (Päästame Eesti Metsad) in 2020.

  • Member of the Tallinn Guide Association, former president.

  • Member of board of the Estonian Nature Tourism Association.

  • Member of BirdLife Estonia.

Paulo Barreiros

Paulo Barreiros

Naturalist, ornithologist, author, eco-tourism pioneer, and conservation advocate with more than three decades dedicated to wildlife, sustainable travel, and environmental education.

After studying Zoology and Anthropology, he helped establish the foundations of eco-tourism in Portugal and later spent years conducting ornithological research for the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Portugal.

His career has taken him across four continents guiding wildlife expeditions, from the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco to India and Brazil.

For the past 17 years, Brazil’s Pantanal has been both home and inspiration. Recognised as one of the pioneers of jaguar tourism in the region, he is known for his deep field knowledge, conservation commitment, and ability to help travellers and photographers experience extraordinary wildlife encounters.

A passionate wildlife photographer and author of books, articles and papers on eco-tourism, he believes responsible nature tourism is one of the strongest tools for conservation and has reinvested tourism revenue into ecological corridor projects and environmental NGOs.

His mission is simple: inspire people through nature while helping protect the wild places that make those experiences possible.

Surbhi Goel

  •  Wildlife Dreams International  tour leader.
  • Developing  tours in Indian, Sri Lanka  and Africa especially Kenya.
  • Specialist wildlife photographer for 12 years.
  • Speaks two languages – Hindi and English.
  • Wildlife Dreams bucket list trip to Alaska and Antarctica.
  • Wildlife photography is not just a passion or a profession for me but a way of life.
  • Key member of Wildlife Dreams.
Surbhi Goel

Marko Poolamets

  • Photographed wildlife all over Europe.
  • Internationally published wildlife photographer.
  • Leads Wildlife Dreams’ personalised tours in Estonia.
  • International guide for Wildlife Dreams.
  • Speaks four languages – Estonian, Finnish, German and English.
Marko Poolamets Photographer
Helen Potgieter

Helen Potgieter

  • Born in South Africa. 
  • Holds Bushveld Mosiac Certificate. 
  • She is most happy in the bush showing you nature’s wonders. 
  • You will be carried away by her enthusiasm and passion for wildlife. 
  • A trained chef whose dream job would be the running of Wildlife Dreams’ Wildlife Lodge.
  • Speaks three languages – Afrikaans, English, and German.

Mati Kose

  • Photographed wildlife all over Europe.
  • Internationally published author on wildlife conservation.
  • Estonian biologist and conservationist.
  • Master’s degree in Ornithology.
  • Member of the Biodiversity Action Party.
  • Sold images all over the world, inspiring others.
  • Winner of “Bird Photographer of the Year” in 2000.
  • Works as a wildlife researcher and natural guide in Estonia.
  • Developed and saved the Luitemaa Nature Reserve in Estonia.
  • Designed wildlife hides for Wildlife Dreams in conjunction with Phil Gould.
  • Drone photographer.
  • Speaks three languages – Estonian, Finnish and English.
Elaine Macaulay

Elaine Macaulay

  • Development Manager. 
  • Background in international human resources management.
  • Published photographer . 
  • Passionate about conservation in wildlife .
  • Excellent admin and  communication skills.
  • Favourite country is South Africa.
Arne Ader

Arne Ader

  • Nature photographer (published over 20,000 nature photographs)
  • Freelance naturalist – public speaker and writer on nature topics, nature conservation advocate
  • Creator of the Loodusemees photo archive (about 2,000 Estonian species, tagged with over 8,000 keywords
  • Author or co-author of nature books and a nature photography handbook
  • Biologist by education, specialised in animal ecology
  • Speaks Estonian and English, and reads Russian