The Role of Guide and Tracker on Safari

Let me dive into this partnership of two individuals, usually from different backgrounds and cultures, and the link between the natural world and our guests. Their relationship is built on a trust not many people know - the kind that brings people together from different walks of life to become brothers and sisters of the African Bush. Many guiding/ tracking teams have stories of encounters together that will be told over a lifetime – some fun and some harrowing. This is where their bonds are formed.

Trackers have a ‘sixth sense’, and an uncanny ability to see the smallest details in nature - like the track of a leopard while driving at 30 km/h; the ability to hear an alarm call from far distances over the laughter and chatter on the vehicle; all while still able to connect with their guests. They are seasoned storytellers, sharing information and experiences of their culture, the medicinal uses of the plants we find on safari, or the detail in an animal track in the sand.

True Trackers are born, and not bred. Their intrinsic ‘sixth sense’ of the environment and its many animals is passed down through generations through the wisdom of masters and elders. With the natural world under such threat, it’s now more important than ever that we retain these human gifts for the ultimate connection with, and preservation of, Mother Nature.

But tradition alone is not enough to qualify a professional tracker. They undergo extensive training, from a Level1 qualification, all the way through to the ultimate Master Tracker status (there are only a handful of individuals in the industry who have achieved this).

A tracking qualification includes modules in Track and Sign (where specific signs of the bush need to be identified, such as spoor and dung), and Trailing (which entails finding tracks of a specific animal, and then following them until the animal is located). Passing these modules will result in a tracker qualification, with the level of achievement (levels being 1-4) depending on specific assessment results. Once Tracker level 4 is achieved (a score of 100%), candidates are invited to be assessed for a Senior Tracker qualification. If this is achieved, the next and final step is Master Tracker.

Guides, on the other hand, are born entertainers with an absolute love for the bush. For most, bush knowledge is learned and then honed over time with experience. The ability to connect with guests on a personal level, while at the same time connecting them with nature, is an incredible and invaluable skill which takes the safari experience to a completely new level.

For guides in southern Africa to become legally accredited, they have to go through numerous qualifications that can up to 6 years to achieve. The first qualification is known as the Apprentice Field Guide qualification. This comprises a theoretical component (75% pass rate required), and a practical component. Having attained this first level qualification, candidates have to then actively guide for 270 days before becoming eligible to write their Field Guide theory exam. Only then can they be practically assessed – this takes place over two days, while hosting guests. They can then start logging the 520 days required to write the Professional Field Guide exam, followed by another practical assessment over 3 days with guests. They must be able to demonstrate more in-depth knowledge, and be able to host, entertain and guide guests at a very high level.

We always strive to make our guests feel and understand nature in a different way, and have set incredibly high standards when it comes to our Guides and Trackers (many of whom who have graduated with distinction from our professional independent training academy, NJ MORE Field Guide College). We are fortunate to have 3 FGASA Assessors and Trails Guide mentors - led by our Group Safari Manager, Gawie Grobler (who has 20 years’ worth of experience in the field). We believe in continuously developing our guides to become worthy ambassadors of our brand, as well as within the guiding fraternity in Africa.

A walk in the wild is much more than you may think…

Our Field Guides have spent countless hours in the bush, training to achieve the ultimate Trails Guide qualification. This takes years to acquire! A qualified guide needs to have recorded the following hours and animal encounters:

• 10 mentored hours (by a FGASA Trails Guide mentor)
• 50 mentored hours and 10 encounters, as a participant
• 50 mentored hours as 2nd rifle and 40 encounters (not in the workplace)
• 50 Hours as 1st rifle and 40 encounters (not in the workplace)
• 50 mentored hours as 1st rifle and 10 encounters (in the workplace with guests)

Only then may they be assessed for a 1st rifle Trails Guide.

Within the MORE Family Collection, we have 25 qualified Lead Trails Guides.

We take your dreams, your comfort and your safety seriously, and ticking off your bucket list safari is as important to us as it is to you!

Words by: Francois Fourie