‘Why I’ll never forget becoming a Field Guide at Marataba’

I have always been a very active and ‘outdoorsy’ type of person, and so I chose to study a degree in Sports science (with honours in Biokinetics) straight out of school. After realising that my true passion in life lay elsewhere, I went in search of it. Almost a year later I discovered guiding – which proved to be the perfect choice once I had qualified and started practicing. What a feeling to have found my vocation!

I was fortunate enough to do some training in the Sabi Sand Reserve before getting a job on Nambiti, where I guided for a year before the onset of COVID-19. Unfortunately I was one of the unlucky ones to lose my job when lockdown started, so I chose to rather use my time to better my guiding qualifications. In 2021 I had a lucky break with the nature training college I studied at, as they needed instructors for a new batch of students. I worked there for the year while I waited for the industry to pick up again. At the end of my tenure as instructor, I sent my CV out – taking a chance with MORE Family Collection. That chance paid off more than I ever could have imagined!

When I was offered a job as a trails guide at Marataba, it felt like a dream come true, and was a moment I had been waiting for since the day I qualified.

The Arrival Day

"Just want to check and see how well equipped your bakkie is, 4x4 all in good working order?" said Scott (now head guide). "All good" was my reply. We were at the main entrance gate, and it turns out that I was being escorted to safety in very rainy weather.

We made it to within 2km of the lodge when we came upon our largest obstacle – a flooding river! In the short time it had taken Scott to come and meet me at the gate, the river had risen – and continued to rise - making what was previously a manageable crossing an exponentially bigger challenge. What was even more unfortunate was the fact that this only came to light when Scott attempted to cross the water, and his Landcruiser got stuck in an invisible ditch. Help was now needed, which – as it turned out - was on the other side. The only hope was an hour-long drive around to the north of the reserve where a higher bridge was accessible. Help was eventually on hand from a lodge (also dealing with its own chaos from the flood), and all we could do was wait and watch the sun go down. Once help had arrived, we retrieved the cruiser and made our own way back around and through the reserve, which was a feat on its own (and really did put my car to a good test). There was relief all around when we finally got to the lodge, around 10pm, and the flood had started to subside. This was a ‘first day on the job’ that I will never forget!

The next few days were a mixture of dealing with the aftermath of the flood, settling in to my room, more vehicle recovery in deep mud, and orientation of the lodge workings. The lay of the land on the reserve proved to be a challenge in itself due to road closures. Thankfully I'm always up for a challenge - and a good thing that is, as my first guests were arriving in just a week.

Through all of the chaos and difficulties that mother nature seemed to throw at us that week, I saw a team come together. From general staff to general managers, everyone helped in any way they could - and all with a smile on the face and humour in abundance. I felt like I belonged from day 1.

Guiding

With a mixture of nerves and excitement, I set off on my first safari. It is safe to say that it went very well – in fact, so much so that the one of my guests asked to extend their stay by another night. The reserve showed off in true fashion, with some amazing sightings of elephants swimming, lions walking past the vehicle and so many other animals too. Since then I have been blown away every single game drive, and continue to fall in love with this magical place AND my guests every day.

If I were to single out one day in particular, this one would have to be it.

We were on an afternoon drive, followed by a water safari on Ms. Mara on the Matlabas River. During the first half of the drive, we watched a small pride of lions wake up from a sleepy afternoon nap, before attempting to hunt on a herd of zebra. We moved on to the launch point for Ms Mara, and were treated to the resident pod of hippo. As the sun started to set, a leopard was spotted on the banks of the river. AND THEN – suddenly - a second leopard appeared! A male and a female came to the water’s edge for a drink, and then walked along the banks into a small thicket. Such a special sighting!

After the high of this moment, we docked the boat and started the vehicle to make our way back to the Lodge. The words that came over the radio left me speechless. A pangolin had been found next to the road, and it was on the very road we now drove. My first ever pangolin! I think I was more excited about this than the leopard!

Just when we thought the drive could get no better, it did! On the short strip of road between the pangolin sighting and the lodge, I found a small chameleon and a lesser bush baby - another first for me - hopping around in a dead tree.

Marataba is a hidden gem, and I awake everyday happy and privileged to be able to explore and live in this very special space on this earth. I now know why it has earned the name ‘Magical Marataba’!

Words by Lauren Humphreys