How to make sure you get a great African safari guide
23/01/14 18:41 Filed in: African Safari Holiday
On your game drives you will share a safari vehicle with other guests and a driver/guide (on many private game reserves in South Africa will also be a tracker) unless you have a private vehicle, but there will still be a guide.
It is crucial for your African safari tour that you have a good guide. A good guide finds the wildlife for you, knows the area and knows how to position the vehicle for the best photo. A great guide makes sure you get your perfect African photographic safari. But how to make sure you will have a great guide?
Most of the guides in the different safari countries are trained by an official institution and qualified through an exam. This is one criterion that makes sure there is a certain quality standard. Another important factor is experience and not to forget the personalities should match when you are on bush adventure trip.
You can ask people who were on safari to recommend a game reserve or even guide they were very happy with. In general private game reserves have well-trained and experienced guides, but still it can be a wrong match and you suffer during every game drive. Don’t let it get that far. When you feel this is not going well, talk to your guide first and try to improve the situation. If this is not working talk to the head ranger or manager to either get a different guide or join others on a different vehicle.
Try to work together with your guide and learn from him/her about the bush and let them know what your expectations are. This is a good foundation for a successful safari and great wildlife photography.
Happy safari snapping!