What makes a great safari guide An exceptional guide can make all the difference

Courtesy of Great Migration

When embarking on a safari adventure, several people will add to your experience in a big way.

One of these is the humble African safari guide. Like anything in life, you get people who are better at what they do than others. That said, most of the safari guides are great. Some guides, however, are exceptional. What makes an exceptional guide? This is a difficult question to answer because the difference between a good guide and an exceptional guide often lies in the unnoticed subtleties of a gifted hand. The key characteristics are not necessarily skills, as most guides possess these, but rather personal traits of the individual.

What many guides and even guests do not realize, is that going on safari is not only about facts regarding animals or the bush – books and the internet offer ample information. While the odd fact or figure on a game drive is interesting, what everyone is after is what you cannot experience in a book or online – a genuinely wild African adventure. Enter the priceless nature of a trip to the great unknown depths of the ‘Dark Continent’, a place estranged from the monotony of western civilization, balanced with the contrasting comforts of five-star cuisine, and accommodation that panders to every creature's comfort. On such an expedition, your guide will be the difference between a good trip to the bush and an extraordinary bush adventure.

The importance of your guide to your experience cannot be stressed enough. All guides, as a minimum requirement, should communicate well, be polite, approachable, knowledgeable, professional, attentive and respectful of the environment. These basic qualities are essential to any decent safari experience.

What makes a guide truly exceptional is their attention to detail, sense of humour, story-telling ability and total infatuation with the bush and Africa as a whole. Their enthusiasm should be contagious, infecting all within ear-shot, and their deep respect for the animals should be evident in everything they do. These qualities elevate an experience from the enjoyable to the unforgettable. A field guide with these qualities will lead you through the wilderness with complete confidence, not lecturing but creating an interactive experience focused on your specific goals and wishes. This will ensure total comfort and enthralment as you delve into the many mysteries of the African bush.

Here are some aspects we consider essential for a good safari guide.

A good safari guide is knowledgeable

A good safari guide will provide you with a wealth of information. There is a lot to learn, especially if it is your first safari. A knowledgeable guide will be able to answer all of your questions. A great safari guide will also be able to acknowledge when they do not know the answer to a question. From there, they will then research the answer and come back to you later that day, or before you depart. This thirst for knowledge is an important aspect of being a great safari guide.

A good safari guide can relate to their guests

Like a great host or anyone in the hospitality industry, a good safari guide will be able to read their guests and adjust accordingly. If guests are fatigued after a long journey, for example, a guide will know not to overwhelm them on their first drive, instead easing them into bush life. If guests are frightened, the guide should make them feel at ease and safe; similarly, if a guest has been on a hundred safaris before, a guide will be able to keep the experience enjoyable for them. Communication is the key. The best guides make sure they understand what their visitors want out of their safari, whether it’s to see their first lions, be interested in plants, or be keen birders.

A good safari guide is a good conversationalist

It is generally up to the guide to keep the conversation going, whether it is at sundowners or dinner. A competent guide will be aware of which themes to pursue based on the personalities, ages, cultures, nations, and other characteristics of the guests.

A good safari guide ensures your safety

A good guide will be able to keep people safe by understanding animal signals. This is very vital when on a walking safari. Your safari guide will also know how to drive safely and responsibly, lowering the chances of getting stuck – though even the best drivers can get stranded at times! When it does, they’ll at least know how to rapidly resolve the issue and not cause alarm among visitors.

A good safari guide keeps you entertained

No animal sightings? What happens if things don’t go as planned? When you can’t find any of the large, famous animals or it’s raining? That’s when having a fantastic safari guide comes in handy. They’ll shift gears and concentrate on the details, such as how trees signal elephants when it’s time to stop browsing, and what goes on within the worlds of termites, birds, chameleons, and dung beetles. When the renowned faces miss their cue, guides can keep the bush exciting.

The good news is that poor guides are very rare.  The tourism industry in each country has their own wildlife qualifications and certification.  Sadly, average guides are more common.  Exceptional guides are few and far between.