Professional Field Guide – 1 year course 

Professional Field Guide Courses are a one year course for:

• those who want to pursue a career as a Field Guide in the safari business or in conservation projects
• those taking a year out, who love the great outdoors, appreciate nature and want to have a completely different experience.  This is an opportunity to get away from it all, do something completely different, meet new and interesting people and be at one with nature.

Successful candidates will have a FGASA (Field Guide Association of South Africa) qualification at the end.

Out in the bush on a trek

Candidates need to be 18+ and,  in reality,  those attending this course will be from all walks of life, countries from around the world and aged anything up to 70!  Participants need to be fit, able to walk out on the treks and able to climb into the Landrover for the game drives.

Beautiful gorge near one of the camps

Whilst on this year course, participants will experience at least 4 different pristine and private reserves across Southern Africa with different biomes, camp conditions, animals and birdlife.  Camps are unfenced and are very much part of the bush in keeping with the ethos of the organisation and animals do pass through the camps!

Unfenced bush camps are part of the ethos of the organisation

Aspects of this course include:

• Learning how to become a Field Guide – theory and practice – FGASA accreditation
• Learning how to become a Back Up Guide – theory and practice – FGASA accreditation
• Firearm Proficiency  (FGASA accreditation)
• Animal Tracks and Tracking (FGASA accreditation)
• Basic knowledge of the unique and numerous birds in the area
• Advanced birding – FGASA accreditation
• Wilderness Medicine – Levels 1 & 2
• Navigation and Orientation including at night by the stars
• Lodge Placement program

A hyena arrives a little late to the carcass of a giraffe

The course is made up with 4-5 months intense theory and practice in field guiding at the remote bush camps in both South Africa and Botswana and then the participant is sent on a lodge placement which can be in South Africa, or neighbouring countries for 5-6 months to put into practice all they have learnt.

At the end of the year, candidates return to camp finish off their exams, advanced rifle handling, advanced birding and complete their course.

There are a maximum of 20 candidates starting at any one time and start times are staggered throughout the year.  Regular breaks allow candidates to return home for a holiday or take some out away from camp.

For Foreign & Commonwealth information on South Africa, click here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa

For Foreign & Commonwealth information on Botswana, click here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/botswana

For Foreign & Commonwealth information on Kenya, click here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya