Learn how to be a safari guide, discover how to survive in the South African bush, master the art of tracking wildlife, drive a 4x4, camp out in the wilds, shoot a rifle, see the ‘big five’, witness a variety of birds, identify a plethora of plant species, successfully qualify as having the knowledge of a field guide and have a fantastic adventure!
- South Africa
Weeks 1-4: Learn the skills to be a Safari Field Guide, including how to track animals, identify different species, shoot a rifle, and drive a 4x4.
The Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) is a non-profit organization that was established as a representative for individual trackers, guides, and organizations involved in offering professional field guiding services to members of the public. FGASA sets the standards for field guides throughout Southern Africa in the form of a training syllabus, a strict code of ethics which must be adhered, and field guide assessments on both theoretical and skills levels. By ensuring field guide courses meet the standards set by FGASA, trainers can assure their students a guaranteed top quality education experience that will prepare them fully to pass the highly regarded FGASA exam. During this four week course you will cover all the topics required for a FGASA Level One qualification, which comprises of practical and theoretical programmes that will grant you a broad understanding of guiding and tracking in South Africa’s beautiful wilderness.
The comprehensive field guiding training is specifically intended for people who are passionate about nature and wish to gain an ethical, professional, and endorsed understanding the South African bush. As well as being particularly appealing to anyone intending to pursue a career in ecotourism, the knowledge you will gain during your time as a field guide will give you amazingly transferable skills to bring a whole new depth and understanding to any future adventures you will have in the wilderness.
Developed in 1993 and the first of it’s kind in the safari industry, this safari school special is a reputable and respected course that is recognized by leading safari game lodges, and is fully endorsed by the FGASA. Spending 28 days at out wilderness camps will provide you with the practical and theoretical knowledge to live and thrive in natural environments, with a qualification that proves you are capable of analyzing and interpreting the wilderness around you, and conducting game drives. The field guide course is comprised of walks, daily lectures in our bush classrooms, game drives, and sleep outs in the bush. Every day and at every place our highly experienced and friendly instructors will be there to offer advice, knowledge, safety, and a unique access into their world of the field guide. Every minute of the day will be brimming with new experiences and inspiring things to learn, as you cover a range of subjects that include:
* Animal tracks and tracking
* Bush navigation and orientation
* Planning game drives and safari walks
* Ecotourism, guiding, and the local community
* Bush skills and survival
* Conservation management
* 4x4 driving
* Basic rifle handling
* Radio procedures
* Ecology
* Geology
* Taxonomy
* Meteorology
* Astronomy
* Spotlighting
* Plant identification and medicinal uses
* Botany and grasses
* Analyzing and interpreting animal behavior
* Approaching dangerous game
* Identification and ecology of invertebrates
* Bird identification and behavior
* Amphibians
* Reptiles
* Soils
* Bush habitat management principles
* Sustainable development and the wise use of natural resources
* The field guiding profession and industry
* The attributes, skills and duties of a field guide
* Career opportunities
* Working in the industry
* Presentation skills
* Communication and facilitation skills
* Creating photographic opportunities
* Using binoculars
* Setting up a bush camp
* Sleeping out in the bush
* Tests and evaluations
- Course Itinerary
The course is structured with a focus on maximizing the time you will spend in the bush actively and practically interpreting the ecology of the area and gaining a hands on experience of field guiding. To make the most of our time here we will rise most mornings with the sun and a hot cup of coffee, before embarking on walks or game drives into the reserve. Our time may be spent game viewing and grasping a broad knowledge of the ecology of the area, or may focus on specific topics such as identifying the traits of bird and animal behavior.
Encountering more dangerous game (such as lions or elephants) will provide you with vital exposure to the animals that play such a major role in the career of a field guider, and are guaranteed to be unforgettable sightings. After a late brunch of fruit, cereal, porridge, toast, or a fry up, we will have some study time which will involve a topical discussion covering the day’s focal subject. After some further reading and feedback by students, the two hours in the hot early afternoon are dedicated to siestas and relaxing, before being revived with some tea, coffee, and sandwiches mid-afternoon.
The daily programme is flexible and allows for the unexpected wonders that crop up in the unpredictable Southern African wilds, which may range from encountering unimaginably amazing scenery to spotting a rare servile cat feeding. Every experience will be new, exciting, and extremely valuable to aspiring guide and bush enthusiasts, and will get you to think like a Southern African animal that is at home in the spectacular wilderness.
- Example of the First Week’s Itinerary
The following information provides an outline of the itinerary for the first week of the course (see further course information for details of other areas covered on the course):
Day 1: Students are welcomed to the camp, given a tour, and advised of the camp rules, before being given an outline of the subsequent 28 day programme including what parts of the course they will be covering in the first fortnight. Students will be instructed how the course will be conducted and how they will be evaluated and assessed. There will also be an introductory lecture covering the basics of ecotourism and guiding, field guiding as a profession, and the skills and duties that are required of a field guider.
Day 2: Analyzing an aerial photo and 1:50 000 map will provide students with an introduction to the area, to see the boundaries, major landmarks, and give an indication of how they will orientate their way outside the camp. Our inaugural outing will introduce us to the area in an afternoon bush walk that will see us learning basic ecology, geology, soil types, meteorology, and plant community identification.
Day 3: Our flora identification continues with an early morning and late afternoon walk to learn how to identify some of the 20,000 different plant species that grow in South Africa, and the variety of uses each plant contains. Each student will then be given an animal (one of the ‘flagship’ species) that they will have to study and give a formal presentation on at the end of the first two weeks. In addition, students will be expected to research the animals they encounter throughout the course and present their findings to the class when we have informal roundtable discussions.
Day 4: An early morning walk will take out green fingers to discover the reserve plants many medicinal uses, before taking brunch to discuss the art of tracking and how to spot animal tracks. We will then undertake a variety of tracking exercises that range form following animal footprints to analyzing the amount of flies that surround animal dung. Further literature searches and informal discussions will then precede an afternoon exploring the reserve looking for animal tracks.
Day 5: We utilize our tracking expertise and plant identification knowledge in an early morning walk to looking at plants and tracks. After brunch we will cover the basics of bird identification before continuing our literature searches and informal discussions. The afternoon walk will concentrate on spotting birds, and identifying some of the over 500 species of bird that live in South Africa.
Day 6: On the morning outing we will further concentrate on spotting birds to identify more species, which will hopefully include beautiful red hornbills and fish eagles. After brunch we will cover the basics of animal behavior, from how animals communicate to the caution that must be exercised when approaching dangerous animals. Our afternoon walk will take us looking and learning about the ecosystem of a South African area which is a global biodiversity hotspot.
Day 7: Waking to another spectacular sunrise, our early morning walk will take us looking at all aspects of the ecosystem and provide some revision for the first test we will take after brunch. In the afternoon we will discuss building a basic bush camp, before testing our theorizing by setting up a camp that we will spend the night out in. Basic bush and survival skills will complete what will have been an opening week packed full of learning and adventure, and concludes with students falling to sleep beneath the stars.
Note: Students must be in possession of a valid driver’s license to take part in the full range of activities the course offers. If you do not have a driver’s license you will be able to take part in the other activities but will only obtain a certificate of attendance at the end of the course.
- Side Trips / Other Opportunities
Students have a day off on the fourteenth day of the course, giving them the opportunity to explore the many beautiful spots in the area, including visiting the Kruger National Park to see it’s amazing flora, fauna, and monuments, traveling to see the incredible view named ‘God’s Window’ at Graskop, tubing down the river at Sabie seeing the spectacular waterfalls, or exploring Pilgrim’s Rest to see it’s beautiful buildings and historic sites. All within driving distance of the camp, these highly rated destinations have previously often been visited by students who have hired a vehicle for the day and set out on their own mini adventure.
- Qualifications
Students who successfully complete the course are issued with a certificate. Any student who does not complete all aspects of the course (tests, presentations, practical evaluations) will be given a certificate of attendance. The course is accredited by The Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA), The Hospitality, Sports, Education and Training Authority (THETA), and is recognized by many of the safari lodges in the industry. By registering with FGASA prior to the course it is possible to take the FGASA Level 1 Exam at the end of training at the students own expense.
- Location
Training takes place on the Karongwe Game Reserve, a 9000 hectare privately owned game reserve situated in the Limpopo Province between four beautiful meandering rivers. The reserve is situated approximately 500km northeast of Johannesburg and just north of the Olifants River. The highest mountains in South Africa, the Drakensberg Mountains (Afrikaans for ‘Dragons Mountains’), sit magnificently on the edge of the reserve and provide a stunning backdrop to your home. The area is teeming with game, birdlife, and dense vegetation which makes it an extremely popular habitat for leopards who you can frequently hear call as you fall to sleep at night. This big five territory within the famous Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve truly reveals the bush at it’s very best and will allow you to experience the full range of wildlife South Africa has to offer as well as some spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
- The Camp
The Karongwe game reserve provides rustic but comfortable accommodation in Meru style tents. There is no electricity in the camp, so we use paraffin lanterns for light, and cook and heat water on a gas stove. The camp staff provide delicious meals using local recipes, and will also do laundry (at extra cost).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Costs £1360 / $2788 (US) / €1958
Price Includes:
* Pre-departure support
* 24 hour emergency phone line in the UK
* All food and accommodation
* Camp staff to cook meals
* Professional instructor throughout the 4 weeks
* All training material
* Ammunition for firearms training
* 4 weeks of intensive training from South Africa’s top Safari Guide training company
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Hunting
Ecotourism
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