Our Professional Field Guide course in South Africa and Botswana applies to all those who are interested in a combination of active environmental protection, personal challenges and acquiring valuable nature knowledge as part of an officially recognized training course.

 

Course Details

Your training as a Professional Field Guide will take place in four different camps – Selati, Karongwe, Makuleke and Mashatu – in South Africa and Botswana. The sequence of the camp stays varies according to the course date. While being based in the different reserves, you will broaden your knowledge and learn all necessary skills a field guide needs to have.

Theoretical units will teach you about subjects like geology, ecology, botany and zoology. Hands-on lessons include survival strategies in the wild, rifle handling methods, off-road vehicle driving as well as plant use and medical aspects. Your training will focus on the extensive and fascinating animal and plant kingdoms of South Africa. Encounters with intriguing birds, fish, reptiles and mammals will be part of your daily routine. You will learn how to read their tracks, how to approach them and study their behaviour. As time passes you will become more and more familiar with your natural surroundings, sharpening all of your senses.

After you have spent six months in the practical and theoretical training, you will have the opportunity to implement your newly acquired knowledge as a field guide for a further six months as an intern in an African lodge. After you have successfully completed the course, you will be given the official FGASA recognized Professional Field Guide certificate which enables you to work as a field guide in specific wildlife areas of Southern Africa.

Enjoy an unforgettable year, surrounded by breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, and become a skilled nature guide able to lead guests safely through the African wilderness!

 

Accommodation

During your time in the course you will either stay in a shared wooden stilt house with its own toilet (Makuleke), or in a tent with shared washing facilities (Selati, Karongwe, Mashatu). There are common rooms for lessons, daily meals and friendly get-togethers. The camps are not fenced and not accessible to tourists.

Electricity comes from generators and mobile phone reception is generally very poor – phone calls can be made as part of a weekly excursion, though. Tea and coffee are available anytime, whereas fruit juice is served at mealtimes. The camps’ tap water is safe to drink, and you can also buy drinks on site. You will receive three to four meals per day. A laundry service is available for a small fee.

 

Services and Cost

Services

  • Placement in the course
  • Assistance with travel arrangements
  • Assistance with selecting travel insurance
  • Assistance with booking flights
  • Pre-departure information pack
  • Pick up/drop off at Emerald Guesthouse
  • Accommodation during the course
  • All meals during the course
  • Drinking water
  • 3x sets of uniforms (3x shirt, 3x short)
  • Transport between campsites
  • Game walks
  • Game drives
  • Classroom hours
  • Entrance to Kruger National Park
  • FGASA registration, exam fees and workbooks
  • SASSETA Competency Certification
  • DEAT registration
  • English speaking support by long-term experienced staff
  • Certificate
  • 24/7 support throughout the course

 

Fees

335 – 348 days: starting from 19050 EUR

The price listed above is calculated on the basis of a 17 Rand exchange rate (1 EUR = 17 ZAR).

The price stated in euros are approximate values. Due to sharp fluctuations in the exchange rate of the rand, all prices will be calculated at the time of enquiry.