Apprentice Trails Guide Week 3

The first few weeks of the Apprentice Trails Guide Course has been mind-blowing.
We have learned so much about everything from large land roaming elephants to tiny termites, who are more fascinating than you would think!
We also walked with some of the big 5 such as lions and buffalo. Our goal for each sighting was to find the safest routes to walk around and approach the animals without disturbing them or putting ourselves in danger.
We got close enough to experience how it feels to be in their presence, all while using the wind and slopes to our advantage and the sightings were all amazing.
We have been looking at new plants and birds and expanding our knowledge with each day we spend out on foot. The most amazing part of nature walks is being able to appreciate everything you see or hear from small to big. The one day we even spent an entire 20 minutes discussing a spider web, something you would probably never have even noticed on a game drive vehicle. Throughout the course we have had continuous discussions on all sorts of small animals that some of us have never even seen before, this is a great way to learn and really helps put things into perspective!

This past week we completed our Advanced Rifle Handling assessment which has personally been one of the highlights of my life! Learning how to deal with the rifles and knowing that I am capable of handling with a dangerous situation if it were to occur was very reassuring of the fact that I definitely want to make a successful career in this industry as a guide.
~Cam & Klaus

“Don’t confuse the hike with the destination. The hike is about the sounds, the smells, the sights. It’s a complete sensory experience… But yes, that waterfall is also pretty freaking awesome.”– We Dream of Travel

Week 5

This past week at Ulovane has gone by in the blink of an eye! To start off the week, we had a very special sighting of the cheetah, with him walking straight in front of the vehicle as we entered the reserve.
Our main focus this week was dangerous animals, which we learned a lot about. We learned how to identify, how to act around them, how to approach them as well as how to deal with the situation if something had to go wrong.

A moment that stood out for me this week and most likely for the whole course was being in the Grand Canyon, a walking trail on Amakhala Game Reserve that not many people can go as it is a very steep, slightly dangerous walk. Vehicles also do not have access to this area due to the large thicket around the ditch. It was amazing being in the deep valley carved out by years of erosion!
I’m loving the Apprentice Trials Guide course this far. With just two more weeks of the course left, we are so close to the end, luckily, in this case, the end is just the beginning!

• Braydon

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” – Frank Herbert