The best guided experience
We have put together a few tips and techniques to ensure your guests have the best-guided experience imaginable. Apart from being knowledgeable about all things’ bush’, these basic skills will assist greatly.
Expectations
To provide the ultimate wilderness experience, take some time to get to know your guests by discovering what excites them the most and what their expectations are. I remember all my times visiting the Kruger National Park – I went with a specific wish list and always left with more excitement than when I had arrived! My sightings and experiences were far better each time than I imagined or wished for.
Conversations
Keep your guests engaged. Silence is great for guests to appreciate nature, but don’t be too quiet. Keep them involved by telling personal stories of your experiences in the bush. A guided experience should be a learning experience, a mutual journey of discovery. Finding things together with your guests makes it unique and personal. And if you don’t know the answer to something, don’t be afraid to admit it, and look it up in your field guidebooks.
Use your senses
Teach your guests how to connect with all their senses to have an immersive experience and absorb the sensations of nature on a deeper level. Allow them to get intimate with nature’s sounds, sights and smells. It’s all part of the adventure. Make them close their eyes and listen to the hippos wallowing, grunting and splashing in the dam, the jackals yapping and howling, the birds singing and the fish eagle’s distinct shrilling.
When I remember my first time at Karongwe camp, our guide broke the silence by loudly and flawlessly mimicking the local bird calls. Within seconds, flocks of birds came dashing in from all directions to perch in the bushes all around us! He gave us an enchanting, unforgettable experience by doing something so simple. It left a genuine impression on me – that’s what your guests want, too.
Make it personal
Call guests by name and try to remember each person’s safari wish list. It makes them feel included and special. Refer back to their expectations on your way back to camp. Did you leave them with embellished stories of their wilderness experience and an everlasting appreciation for nature?
A guided experience goes beyond showcasing the spectacular wildlife. It’s about understanding your guests’ expectations creating an atmosphere of engagement and discovery.
The guide others aspire to be
Take the first step towards becoming a skilled and passionate guide, mastering the art of delivering unforgettable experiences by joining EcoTraining’s One-year Professional Field Guide course. Join us on a year-long adventure that not only shapes your career but also instils a deep appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the natural world. Don’t just aspire to guide; become the guide others aspire to be.
A FGASA and CATHSSETA-qualified professional field guide course.
Immerse yourself in the African wilderness, expand your knowledge, and embark on a transformative learning experience with EcoTraining.
Sign up for the 1-year Professional Field Guide Course today!
For more information on the 1-year Professional Field Guide Course, contact [email protected] or call +27 (0)13 7522532
Why I wanted to be a Professional Field Guide
Erik Beusse began his Professional Field Guide Course this February where he started his journey by connecting with the wilderness around him. Erik tells us about his passion for the African bush and why he wanted to be a guide and what it means to be a Back-up in one of the EcoTraining Camps.
