We’ve all been there: you’ve signed up for a field guide course, and a few days in, you suddenly fall in love with the bush. Then, your instructor informs you, “From tomorrow on, it’s your turn to guide.”
Yes, this is happening, and yes, you will be okay. Here are five key things to know before guiding for the first time to help you embark on your guiding journey.
Once seen as a quirky hobby for nature nerds, bird watching has had a major rebrand. Today’s “birders” can be found everywhere—from New York to Cape Town—finding joy in spotting and logging new species. Curious where to start? Here’s your guide to becoming a birder.
There are so many options to work in the bush after your training with EcoTraining! Discover how Nicole transitioned from student to camp coordinator.
Before starting my field guide course with EcoTraining, I expected to encounter wildlife, experience adventure, and encounter some discomfort. I got all that—but also much more. From deep connections with people to unexpected joys (hello, birds!) and the reality of serious study, here are four things I wish I’d known before heading into the wild.
The elephant bull looks at us. Neither surprised nor scared. But still, he watches every subtle move while we are sitting on the edge of the river bed in the forest, surrounded by ana trees, nyala berries and fever trees. The colours, the sounds and the presence of three gigantic elephants make this feel like a scene from a movie.
Sleeping under the stars for a couple of nights, carrying everything you need on your back, immersing yourself with nature without any interruptions: A primitive trail is not only a big adventure but also the perfect opportunity to experience the bush on a deeper level. But what about water, food and basic hygiene? We answer all your questions.
What can you expect from a day in the bush as a field guide student with EcoTraining? You will LOVE your stay at our camps because every day looks the same. Sounds boring? We can promise you that it is not. NEVER. Because the bush is full of surprises every day at every time. Structure is a lovely way to focus on what is really important here.
Have you ever been on a bush walk in Selati? What’s so great about going out on foot? Everything! You can focus on the little things. Walk on animal paths, see what they see, smell what they smell.
Have you ever asked yourself if animals get emotional? It sure seems so when you watch a lioness gently cleansing het cubs. When a leopard gets wildly frustrated by a hyena who tries to steal a kill. Or when a group of elephants mourns a lost family member, gently touching the body of a deceased one with its trunk, standing around it in silence. There is something very intimate going on there.
The elephant is getting close to the little ‘koppie’ we are sitting on; all of us are sitting incredibly still. We have yet to since our instructor shooed us up there when he realized the big bull—that we quietly observed only a few minutes before—was heading in our direction.
Study wildlife conservation and accredited field guide courses at any of our pioneering African training camps.
Located on the banks of the Mara river,
the camp is nestled between communities
and wildlife conservancies.
Explore the untamed wilderness of Kruger
National Park’s Makuleke Concession
with EcoTraining.
Located at the confluence of the Limpopo
and Shashe Rivers, in the eastern
corner of Botswana.
A natural wonderland with free-roaming
elephants located in the Limpopo
Province of South Africa.
A unique safari destination that offers
visitors an immersive and unforgettable
experience.
Offering a diverse and rewarding
learning environment, teeming with life
and rich in ecological variety.
Want to become a field or nature guide? Explore our immersive courses and training programmes for professional safari guides and guardians of nature, taught and led by experts in the industry.
EcoTraining offers career and accredited courses, wildlife enthusiast courses, gap year programmes and customised group travel courses.
Join our nature-loving community.
We are excited to announce the launch of EcoTraining’s most exclusive learning experience, located in the Selinda Spillway.
What makes it special?
This is your chance to learn in one of Africa’s most untouched ecosystems without giving up comfort.
