Programmes and Courses

EcoTraining offers a variety of educational wilderness immersion courses for anyone one who wants to learn more about guiding and the natural world around us. Choose from the various courses we have to offer, whether it be a specialist career course or a shorter wildlife course, all our programmes will help improve your knowledge and leave you feeling reawakened and reconnected.

Career Courses

EcoTraining Professional Field Guide course

If you love the idea of taking safari lodge guests from all over the world out on walking and game drive safaris into Africa’s wild places, finding wildlife for them, and teaching them fascinating facts about the animals and ecosystems, then EcoTraining’s Professional Field Guide course is for you.

Online Field Guide Course

Receive a comprehensive introduction to Field Guiding (FGASA endorsed) from the comfort of your own home on this FGASA online course. Get lectures from a diverse range of highly experienced EcoTraining Instructors who are specialists in various fields within nature and wildlife.
Next Starting Date
August 24, 2022Online Learning

Online Nature Enthusiast Course

Evolve your love for nature on this FGASA Online Nature Enthusiast course. Get lectures from a diverse range of highly experienced EcoTraining Instructors who are specialists in various fields within nature and wildlife.
Next Starting Date
August 31, 2022Online Learning

Online Trails Guide Course

EcoTraining brings you an exciting new learning opportunity – a first in Trails Guiding. A chance to learn how to interact safely with wild animals from the comfort of your home.
Next Starting Date
November 1, 2022Online Learning

EcoTraining Field Guide 35-day Practical Course (FGASA & CATHSSETA)

After the successful completion of the FGASA Field Guide Theory section, the next step is to complete the practical section of the course. Spend 35-days immersed in nature with EcoTraining. Learn through hands-on experiences in the African wilderness for the duration of your course.
Next Starting Date
October 6, 2022Pridelands

EcoTraining Field Guide (FGASA & CATHSSETA)

Every minute of your 55 days on this course will be a learning experience, as you are constantly exposed to the bush. It covers a broad spectrum of subjects, using a mix of formal lectures as well as time out in the field.
Next Starting Date
October 12, 2022Botswana

EcoTraining Trails Guide (FGASA)

Explore the wilderness of the majestic Makuleke Concession in the famed Kruger National Park or Mashatu in the Northern Tuli Reserve in Botswana on foot, on a 28-day Trails Guide course (FGASA-accredited), where the majority of your time will be spent conducting bush walks in big game country.
Next Starting Date
September 15, 2022Botswana & Makuleke

EcoTraining Kenya Field Guide (FGASA & CATHSSETA)

Every minute of your 55 days on this course will be a learning experience, as you are constantly exposed to the bush. It covers a broad spectrum of subjects, using a mix of formal lectures as well as time out in the field.
Next Starting Date
September 8, 2022Mara Training Centre

Kenya Safari Guide

EcoTraining’s signature Kenya Safari Guide course consists of 28 adventure-packed days living in and learning about nature and ecology at our wilderness camps in Kenya. You will take part in a variety of learning activities, while driving and walking in some of the most stunning areas of Africa.
Next Starting Date
November 2, 2022Mara Training Centre

Wildlife Courses

Safari Guide

This course is aimed at those wishing to experience a bush holiday while also learning about the surrounding environment. A month of living and learning in nature at our wilderness camps will provide you with excellent practical and theoretical knowledge of the natural environment, as well as a glimpse into the life of a field guide.
Next Starting Date
September 2, 2022Botswana

EcoQuest

The EcoQuest course (seven or 14 days) is designed to provide a learning experience, and incorporates certain aspects of our Safari Guide course. It is aimed at those who are looking for a more in-depth bush experience, but who do not necessarily have four weeks to break away from work obligations.
Next Starting Date
October 8, 2022Makuleke & Tuli Trails

EcoTracker Course: Animal Monitoring

The course is a comprehensive 28-day, animal tracking course that thoroughly introduces animal tracking and its conservation management applications, immersing participants in actual animal tracking projects.
Next Starting Date
April 4, 2023Pridelands & Karongwe

EcoTracker Course: Animal tracks and tracking

EcoTracker offers you the ultimate wilderness immersion. Through the ancient art and science of animal tracking – possibly the world’s oldest – you will connect with the iconic places and wildlife of Africa on foot.
Next Starting Date
March 8, 2023Makuleke Concession

Family EcoQuest

he Family EcoQuest is an educational bush program designed to immerse people of all ages into the African wilderness. By providing an inspirational adventurous experience, hearts and minds of both young and old are awakened and slowly yet steadily an army of green warriors is created.

Birding in the Bush

Birding as a hobby has grown tremendously in popularity in the past decade, and these days visitors to the African wilderness areas want to do more than simply spot large game. Owing to this development on the ecotourism front, we have developed our seven-day Birding in the Bush course.
Next Starting Date
March 2, 2023Makuleke Concession

Wilderness Photography Course

Taking great photos of nature and wildlife is not as easy as it looks. Not only does one need creativity and technical knowledge, but also knowledge and understanding of one’s subject matter. This short course will teach all these skills, which also has ample opportunity to put your newfound knowledge into practice.
Next Starting Date
March 21, 2023Makuleke Concession

Wilderness Trails Skills

This unique six-day course provides a perfect platform for aspirant or qualified guides or nature lovers to discover and reconnect with meaningful wilderness encounters. We firmly believe that the wilderness experience can be an inspiring cornerstone in the lives and careers of all those with a passion for nature and its inhabitants, developing a lifelong culture of conservation.
Next Starting Date
October 16, 2022Makuleke Concession

EcoTraining Customised Programmes

EcoTraining offers customised courses for agents and tour operators to assist them with the planning of educational safari itineraries catered for small group departures, alumni travel, private celebrity travel, summer schools, and university study abroad programmes.

Online Courses

Online Field Guide Course

Receive a comprehensive introduction to Field Guiding (FGASA endorsed) from the comfort of your own home on this FGASA online course. Get lectures from a diverse range of highly experienced EcoTraining Instructors who are specialists in various fields within nature and wildlife.
Next Starting Date
August 24, 2022Online Learning

Online Nature Enthusiast Course

Evolve your love for nature on this FGASA Online Nature Enthusiast course. Get lectures from a diverse range of highly experienced EcoTraining Instructors who are specialists in various fields within nature and wildlife.
Next Starting Date
August 31, 2022Online Learning

Online Birding Enthusiast Course

To become a birder, you don’t need fancy, expensive equipment. You just need your eyes, hearing, and a reasonable understanding of their behaviour. As part of this course, EcoTraining will lay the foundation for a proper understanding of Birds and Bird Behaviour.
Next Starting Date
February 7, 2023Online Learning

Online Tracking Enthusiast Course

Animal tracking is more complex than most people might think. All aspects of tracking may take years to master but with the correct guidance, you can learn to identify several species’ tracks in a surprisingly short space of time.
Next Starting Date
September 27, 2022Online Learning

Online Trails Enthusiast Course

Discover how to walk safely in the presence of wild animals – from the comfort of your home. For five weeks we will take you on a virtual adventure with live lectures from expert instructors as part of the Trails Enthusiast course.
Next Starting Date
November 1, 2022Online Learning

Online Trails Guide Course

EcoTraining brings you an exciting new learning opportunity – a first in Trails Guiding. A chance to learn how to interact safely with wild animals from the comfort of your home.
Next Starting Date
November 1, 2022Online Learning

Online Courses

Different Wildlife Guide & Guardiancourses on offer

We offer various career courses, shorter wildlife courses, and online courses. Really, there’s something for everyone who has a passion for nature and wildlife. With every EcoTraining course, your knowledge will be enhanced and your enthusiasm nurtured. 

 

The advantages of taking an EcoTraining course

On every EcoTraining course or programme, the adventure of a safari is combined with appropriate environmental education to offer a truly immersive wilderness experience. Even the online courses offer field experience.

  • enjoy experiential training with twice-daily wildlife activities
  • receive guidance and training from expert trainers
  • live in unfenced camps on big game reserves
  • experience hands-on practical learning

Who should consider taking an EcoTraining course?

Anyone with a passion for nature and wildlife and a thirst for adventure should sign up for one of EcoTraining’s courses. No prior knowledge is necessary.

How to find out more about EcoTraining courses and programmes?

 

Get in touch via email at [email protected] or enquire here

What are EcoTraining courses and programmes about?

Our courses offer you the chance to be truly connected with nature and explore your passions, while being part of a community of nature lovers that spans the globe. By sharing nature’s processes, its ecosystems, and the importance of wilderness areas, we aim to equip students with the necessary skills to create positive change in the world.

How to find the right EcoTraining course or programme?

First, decide on the path you wish to follow. Are you looking for a career course or do you simply want to expand your knowledge of nature? If you want to learn more about the bush, you could complete an EcoQuest course or focus on tracking, birding, wildlife photography or wilderness trails skills. The EcoTraining online courses offer a convenient way to expand your knowledge ahead of time in the field, and the Field Guide course is the perfect option for a career in the tourism industry.

 

What to expect from an EcoTraining course or programme?

We aim to provide an experience that incorporates knowledge and practical learning for students, so they can reach their full potential. Our unfenced camps in large dangerous game areas also offer complete immersion with nature, and there’s practical experience on offer 24/7. With two activities daily – like game drives and game walks – there’s never be a dull moment on a course.

How many EcoTraining courses are available?

Currently we offer 22 different EcoTraining courses, ranging from short wildlife courses to Field Guide career courses and online courses. Course costs vary accordingly.

How long is an EcoTraining course?

EcoTraining’s career courses range from 28 days to a one-year-long Professional Field Guide qualification course. The shorter courses are between six and 28 days long and are ideal for those wanting to expand their knowledge and understanding of the bush.