Guides
The Rugged Profile of a Safari Guide
What is your ideal image of a guide? Do safari guides need more than just a dark tan, a khaki shirt and a hat like Crocodile Dundee? Could there be more to being a guide than telling gripping fireside tales and downing hearty swigs of Jack Daniels?
There is, and you can bet your life on it. Serious safaris demand guides with a bold character and the following rugged profile:
Firstly, where has he lived his life?
Has he actually had first hand experience on the ground in Africa? Was his grandfather a warden? The best guide I ever had was a third generation professional guide operating throughout Botswana. He was born in Tanzania and, together with his grandfather - who was a warden - they migrated to the Kalahari Desert and started their own safari operation. This is how he lived his life; he grew up in the bush.
What is his area of expertise?
A knowledgeable guide should possess a wealth of knowledge including the cultures and traditions of the area. Can your guide take you to very remote villages that are rarely visited by travellers?
To ensure your guide has knowledge on a broad range of diverse subjects, it pays to ask specific questions about his or her credentials. Questions like:
How would you track the elusive desert lion of the Kalahari? How much do you know about Ornithology? Can you ride a donkey, operate a boat, fly microlight aircraft, transport tag and track lions and conduct tours via bicycle, canoe and 4X4?
Your guide must have ? The Instinct?
A first-class guide, when on a walking safari, goes out in front of the group in search of big game. The guide must have a combination of well honed instincts that include cunning, stealth, and a good sense of smell, coupled with pinpoint-accurate eyesight. Not to mention being quiet and unassuming.
His instincts should be as close to an animal's as a human can get, while at the same time being very professional.
A relaxed nature
More specifically, can he or she relax in nature? A nervous guide cannot focus on the task at hand. Your guide should have a friendly, relaxed demeanor and enjoy taking guests walking in the bush.
Also, an excellent relationship with a local Bushmen tribe and the ability to act as an interpreter are all signs that your guide is regarded as being charming and cordial.
Lastly, is your guide a real leader?
A safari guide should be a born leader with a tour leader qualification, combining experience in leading expeditions with a wealth of knowledge and excellent organisational skills. These are the prerequisites for leading varied itineraries in Southern Africa and surrounding countries. Make sure your guides fits the rugged profile.
African Outposts provide Southern African Safari Package Tours for the discerning traveller. From the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro to the riverbanks of the Zambezi River, the Okavango Delta and Namibian deserts, our safari package tours offer it all. Our senior guide has been the winner of the Southern African guide of the year award for the last two years. |
Gregory Hudson
Similar articles
Romantic City Guide: San Jose and Silicon Valley
Part 1: Spots to visit while in San JoseSan Jose is on of the largest cities in California and is located in the heart of the Silicon Valley (hence, the city is appropriately nicknamed the ? Read more →Singapore Guide
Singapore is a country on the crossroad of all main international trade routes. Along with Bangkok, Singapore is one of the most important trans-shipment points both for travelers and for goods. Read more →Travel Guide - Canada
Canada - my chosen home country. Canada is the second largest country on the planet and its dimensions are truly huge, it spans nearly 7700 km from east to west. Read more →Travelling To Spain - The Spanish Regional Travel Guide
Up to 60 million visitors travel to Spain every year to delight in the country?s 315 sunny days and its rich and diverse history and culture. As a result the Spanish government spend millions of Euros per year on the travel and transport infrastructure to service the country? Read more →Aphorism
Tourism, human circulation considered as consumption is fundamentally nothing more than the leisure of going to see what has become banal.