“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
It was in 1993 when EcoTraining took the first steps on the mission to up the standards of guiding throughout Africa, when the first courses were held in the Sabi Sands Reserve. And nearly 20 years later, the company has stayed on the dedicated path with scores of prospective field guides and nature lovers unearthing vast amounts of interesting facts about all things wild and wonderful.
From Mpumalanga training grounds have since been established throughout the rest of South Africa (Selati, Karongwe, Makuleke, Pongola), Botswana (Mashatu) and Kenya (Lewa Wildlife Conservancy).
And now EcoTraining has joined the Wilderness Collection (Wilderness Safaris) to give guests at Segera in Laikipia, Kenya the best possible guided experience.
For the last couple of weeks, six local guides have been undergoing training in all aspects of field guiding under the tutelage of EcoTraining’s highly experienced instructors. This process is on-going.
Instructor Mark Gunn found some time in between the theoretical lectures and practical exercises and used the bush telegraph to send through the following update:
“The training of the guides here at Segera is going on as per the schedule. The daily rain at about 13h00 is doing its best to put a damper on us, but we just adjust and get on with it. The normal daily schedule is therefore not always applicable. The roads are black cotton soil, so we cannot use them for fear of destroying it. A normal day begins with a drive and then a lecture. If rain threatens, then the lecture goes to the late afternoon slot and the drives are done in the early and late morning. The wind seems to have died down a bit; it is not cold but irritating. Even though Segera is home to a vast array of animal, bird and plant life, game is a bit scarce at the moment. However, that which we do see is utilized to the utmost.”