This blog was written by Sabra al-Qatil, a Bushwise Practical Wildlife Tourism Course 6/12 month student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is part of the experience. When I arrived at Bushwise in South Africa, I knew I was about to start an exciting new chapter in my life. […]
If your child loves wildlife and wants to become a field guide, you’re probably looking at different courses and trying to work out which one is right for them. You’ll want to know how long training takes, what qualifications they’ll get, whether they’ll have the opportunity to do a work placement and what happens when […]
Before you start a career as a safari guide, you usually picture the big stuff. Elephants in the road, lions stalking through tall grass, real dramatic movie-poster moments. Then you step out into the bush on day one, and someone hands you a pair of binoculars and points at a small, nondescript brown creature sitting […]
On a late-summer morning in the lowveld, you might spot a patch of delicate white flowers curling along sandy paths, almost like a string of tiny stars. Stop and look closely – this is the common string-of-stars, Heliotropium steudneri, a modest but fascinating plant that often goes unnoticed! The common string-of-stars is a perennial herb […]
This blog was written by Benjamin Loon, a Bushwise Professional Safari Guide student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is part of the experience. All images accompanying this blog were captured by Benjamin. Cuckoo wasps are small, mostly solitary wasps best known for their bright metallic, iridescent body colours, […]
Red-billed oxpeckers are small, striking birds that are easy to spot on the backs of large herbivores across southern and eastern Africa. Their bright red bills and sharp yellow eyes make them stand out, but their importance goes far beyond their colourful appearance. These birds play a crucial role in maintaining the health of both […]
Let’s be honest: field guiding is one of the most rewarding careers in the world. But building a successful long-term career in the industry hasn’t always been straightforward. For most guides, there hasn’t been a clear way to track their professional growth, showcase experience, or stand out in an increasingly competitive job market. While guides […]
Few careers make you feel as alive as field guiding. It’s a job where your office changes with the sunrise, your meetings happen around a fire under the stars, and your “daily routine” might include tracking elephants, listening to lions calling in the distance, and sharing stories with guests who are experiencing the African bush […]
African Wild Dogs: Lessons from a hunt that didn’t succeed This blog was written by Theodore Sfiso Mathonsi, a Bushwise Professional Safari Guide student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is part of the experience. There are moments in the bush that stay with you long after the dust […]
A guide to canine anti-poaching units Canine anti-poaching units are working dog teams used in conservation areas to support law enforcement and wildlife protection operations. They are deployed in anti-poaching, tracking, and detection roles to help rangers locate suspects, recover illegal items, and secure protected areas more efficiently than human teams alone. These units […]
How to identify birds using the GISS method Birdwatching is one of those skills that becomes more rewarding the longer you do it. At first, all the fluttering wings and quick movements can feel overwhelming, but once you know what to look for, patterns start to appear. The GISS method is one of the best […]
This blog was written by Koketso Barongwa Sekome, a Bushwise Professional Safari Guide student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is part of the experience. Across Africa’s open plains, the sound of a spotted hyena’s call cuts through the night. These animals are clever, complex, and highly adaptable, but even the most resourceful creatures need one thing to survive: water. In the bush, where dry seasons can stretch for months, water plays a surprisingly big role…
Every so often, someone spots a bright green snake sliding across a wall or sunning itself in a tree and immediately sounds the alarm — “Boomslang!” It’s an understandable reaction, but more often than not, what they’ve actually seen is the spotted bush snake. And despite the confusion, this sleek little reptile couldn’t be more different from its venomous lookalike. The spotted bush snake (Philothamnus semivariegatus) is one of the most commonly seen snakes in southern Africa, and one of the…
Spend a little time around safari chatter and you’ll hear people use the words African buffalo and Cape buffalo like they mean the same thing. It’s an easy mix-up – after all, they look pretty similar, they’re both part of Africa’s famous Big Five, and they both have that same “don’t mess with me” stare. But there is a difference. Let’s start with the basics. The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is the umbrella species – the big picture term. Within that species, there are a few recognised…
The Lowveld is the low-lying, subtropical region of north-eastern South Africa, mostly below 1 000 metres. It is known for its warm climate, open bushveld, and rich wildlife. Many people think of this area as the “classic African landscape” because of its broad valleys, rivers, and variety of plants and animals. The climate of the Lowveld is a key factor in shaping its vegetation and wildlife. Summers are hot and wet, with most rain falling between October and April. The rest of the year is…
This blog was written by Tia Bell, a Bushwise Professional Safari Guide student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is part of the experience. The leopard is one of Africa’s most mysterious and graceful creatures. Powerful, stealthy, and beautifully patterned, it’s an apex predator and one of the Big Five, a true sign of a healthy ecosystem. But despite being such a master of survival, leopards are facing more threats than ever. Human activity is shrinking their…
Wondering what to pack for your Bushwise course? Student Emma Dalmeijer, an IFGA Professional Safari Guide student , shares her…
This blog was written by Allison Sponder, a Bushwise alumna. Allison reflects on her time at Bushwise and shares how her experiences…
This blog was written by Brandon Huxtable, a IFGA Safari Guide student. Each student takes a turn as camp manager, and writing a blog is…
Cheetahs are often lumped in with other big cats, but the reality is that they have very little in common with lions, leopards, and…
