Wildlife Conservation Course (One Year Field Guide) Detail

You will gain the in-depth knowledge about nature, ecology and wildlife that is required to become a Field Guide but that is only one aspect of the course. Our course is about absorbing nature, learning how to interact with the environment and tune into the ecosystems.  It's about becoming intertwined with the natural environment that sustains us. The bush is powerful and on course, you start to realize that the clutter of modern societys trappings becomes less relevant.

There is a mental, emotional and spiritual shift to respect, consideration and sensitivity towards nature and your peers. Along with learning about wildlife and guiding; it is also a cultural interchange for our students.The inter-human benefit of living and learning together in the outdoors for 6 months days tests ones social and emotional intelligence skills and provides you with a holistic life experience. It is a bonding experience - in 6 months participants learn about to be a professional field guide, learn about the natural environment, themselves and each other.You will live and walk amidst the spectacular wildlife of the African bush for one year - for the first half of the year you will live and learn at our camps and for the remainder of the year you will work at a Safari Lodge as a trainee. Training at all 3 camps presents a constantly stimulating environment to learn in; you will be exposed to diverse ecological and geological terrains; landscapes; wildlife species; climates and more.

Our two instructors with many years of guide training experience and time in the bush will also provide different ways of training and guiding which enhances your overall training experience. For parts of the course you will train in our Kruger Camp in the Makuleke concession which is a highlight for all our students. The Makuleke concession is not accessible to the ordinary tourist visiting the park. This area is certainly the wildest and most remote part of the Kruger National Park and offers varied vegetation, great wildlife viewing, the best birding in all of the Kruger National Park and is filled with folklore of the early explorers and ancient civilizations. Please note that it is very important that you have a valid drivers license when you attend the course, as driving makes up a large component of the course. EcoTraining reserves the right to stop a student from driving if the instructor feels that he/she is endangering the lives of the other passengers.