Jacques Marais is a professional photographer and author, who regularly contributes to a range of premium travel, adventure and outdoor magazines, both in South Africa and abroad.
Over the years, he has authored 14 books, including successful outdoor titles on Adventure Racing, Trekking and Mountain Biking – all for a range of respected publishers – and with a more recent focus on adventure travel and the environment. As an internationally acclaimed photojournalist, Marais covers global extreme sporting events, shooting activities as diverse as rock climbing, trail running, slack-lining, adventure racing, downhill mountain biking, surfing, snowboarding and off-road expeditions.
Jacques is an accredited GETTY and former RED BULL photographer, and therefore has had the opportunity to shoot global extreme sports commissioned for respected outdoor brands and agencies. In 2007, he was selected as a global finalist in the acclaimed Red Bull ILLUME International Sports Photography Competition, joining top action shooters from 22 countries, and he has also been awarded GOLD and SILVER Certificates in the Sports Category of the SONY ProFoto Awards (2010).
Adventure travel is a huge passion, and Africa has featured big on Marais’ radar, with backpacking, mountaineering, rafting and kayaking trips to countries as diverse as Morocco, Malawi, Ghana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Botswana, Uganda, Seychelles, Egypt, Mauritius and Madagascar. International destinations include continental Europe and Scandinavia, Argentina, Bolivia, Borneo, Brazil, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, Iceland, USA, Mongolia, Russia and Greenland.
As part of Marais’s BEYOND EXPEDITIONS Collaboration with Peter Van Kets, he joined Van Kets on a Fat-Bike and MTB Ride from Angola to Swakopmund in Namibia, crossing the Skeleton Coast, Damaraland, Kaokoland and Dorob National park by bicycle during their BEYOND THE DESERT EDGE Expedition. Next on the cards is an amazing adventure into central-east Africa, where the duo will set off on an ‘Adventure Hunter’ quest as part of their BEYOND THE RIFT VALLEY Expedition.
The second edition of Jacques’ 'Guide to MOER & GONE Places' has just been published, featuring more than 300 pages on off-the-grid outdoor destinations throughout southern Africa. He is also currently working on two new titles, including an SA TRAILS BIBLE as well as an extensive travel guide highlighting southern Africa's Peace Parks & Transfrontier Conservation Areas.