What to bring | Course details

Giant Sable Conservation Efforts

Found only in central Angola, the giant sable is one of the most impressive but also one of the most critically endangered African antelopes. It was unprotected during the civil war that began in 1975 and only ended in 2002. Government and rebel armies alternately occupied the 8,280 sq km Luando Integral Reserve of the Giant Sable and the 630 sq km Cangandala National Park, 50 km from Malange, the provincial capital. Without a giant sable bull, the sable in Cangandala were doomed to extinction, hybrids or no hybrids.
To read his article further and see the slide show of the operation, go here.

Breaking News - Giraffe kills Impala

Fresh scarlet brain-blood had flowed from the baby imapal's nostrils to pool thickly in the footprint of a bull giraffe Read further...

How can we help you!

With holidays, career breaks or future employment opportunities taking a back-seat, many people are looking towards doing something constructive, affordable and above all for themselves. EcoTraining offers a wide variety of courses to suit many individual needs for now and the future!

Why Choose EcoTraining?

•We’ve been training since 1993 - one of the first organisations to conduct formal training.
•We train in great wilderness areas including the Kruger National Park.
•Our students train while living in the middle of the African wilderness, with wild animals potentially right outside their tents as our canvas tented camps are unfenced.
•We have trained Field Guides for top tourism operators such as Wilderness Safaris, Tanzania Wildlife Safaris, KZN Wildlife, Heritage Group and various privately-owned game lodges in southern Africa.
•and more reasons to choose us…

Join the Butterfly Survey at Makuleke

Let us know if you encounter these butterflies at Makuleke in the Kruger National Park. 79 species were recorded during the last survey, a couple of species that were of interest eluded the team. We need your help in documenting the species below.

It would be great if the presence of the following species can be confirmed for the area, as the current records are either very old, doubtful or based on single records only, which could indicate that the specimens recorded were onlymigrants into the area. The species that would be really great to record again are:

• Acraea acrita ( Fiery Acraea)

• Charaxes bohemani (Large Blue Emperor)

• Euxanthe wakefieldi (Forest Queen)

• Cyrestis camillus (African Map Butterfly)

• Dixeia doxo (Black‐veined white)

• Andronymus caesar philander (White Dart)

• Andronymus neander (Common dart or Nomad Dart)

Home

What to bring

This list of what to bring will vary slightly depending on which course you attend, however for most of the courses, you would need to bring the following.

Please see the specific information for the Birding and Wildlife Photography courses for extra items to bring.

Appropriate walking shoes (hiking boots). Thorns go straight through takkies or sport shoes!
Sandals for around the camp
Khaki (or neutral coloured) clothing for the bush
Warm Jacket and jersey (gloves and scarf as it can get very chilly in the mornings and evenings in winter)
Hat for protecting both the head and neck
Sunscreen
Bath soap and towel
Torch – very important (a headlamp is very handy as well as a standing lamp for in the tent)
Extra batteries
Pen / pencil and small notebooks
A4 Notebooks / Notepads
Small field note books
Bedding is only supplied at Makuleke and Karongwe Camps, at Selati camp you need to bring!
Please bring sleeping bag and small pillow for sleep outs.
Raincoat / Poncho
Insect / tic repellent
Water bottles, at least 2 litres. We recommend a camelback, MTB or walking water pouch.
Any small snacks / cigarettes etc you would like as there are no shops in the area!
Any reference / field guide books you may have
Binoculars and camera are essential
Rucksack / daypack Battery operated alarm clock!
Any personal medication
CASH (in ZAR Rands only) - sufficient cash for 4 weeks if you intend to purchase from the camp shop. The camps do not have easy access to the closest towns which have ATMs but the ATMs may not always work.

Cell Phone: There is little or no cell phone reception in the camps. Please ensure that you have enough 'cell time' as there is no access to venues providing 'cell time.'

If you have a musical instrument that you would like to bring along, you're most welcome.

Please note: radios and C.D. players are NOT allowed. Personal mp3s and Ipods with earphones can be used, although they are to be used in your tent only and with sensitivity to fellow course participants and the environment. If you bring an Ipod, please bring your own charging equipment for it, that is, a laptop.

We highly recommend that you bring additional power sources for your laptop, such as an extra charged battery or a car charger. A protective surge charger is a MUST! EcoTraining takes no responsibility for damaged equipment. There is limited power use through a generator -3 hours a day and needs to run the camp and student requests and current fluctuates. The Instructor has full authority on power supply.

For international students, please bring adaptors to suit your own plugs and South African plugs

Extra requirements for those attending the Trails Guide Course:

The focus is on walking so bring 6 litre capacity water bottles or bladder bags.
You need a good sized backpack for the walks as you will be carrying full first aid kits, water, snacks.