Raising professional standards.
We have a passion for growing people and our multifaceted backgrounds allow us to do this well. We are committed to high standards and our client references reflect this.
We are a FGASA accredited specialist training provider.
Within the conservation and guiding industries we offer:
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trails guide mentorship [accredited] that includes logging hours and encounters, working in remote areas, wilderness experience, bush craft, leaving-no-trace and conservation. Choose between backpacking safaris, from a trails camp or as sleep outs with watch.
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wilderness backpacking mentorship that includes preparation, planning, skill, principles and ethics.
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working safely in areas with potentially dangerous wildlife workshop. Combining theory and practical, we build capability.
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introduction to conservation practice and challenges workshop.
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guiding skill development workshops for teams building their capability.
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FGASA and CATHSSETA accredited guide assessments.
Lutz Otto, our founding director, understands the process of learning. He is a highly experienced facilitator, coach and a registered assessor. Across various disciplines, he has worked with teams and individuals for a large chunk of his professional life.
Walking/ trails guides.
Guiding is a profession and it should be dealt with as such. Particularly with regards leading walking safaris, we cannot reiterate enough that there should be no short-cut to gaining experience. Within this context:
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passing the initial trails guide examinations sets the base platform to start of the journey towards building capability [knowledge + skill] and experience [capability and experience are not the same].
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newly qualified back-up guides enter a very important apprenticeship period prior their been assessed for the full qualification.
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you should spend time walking in different environments, with different lead guides and in different situations.
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walking with clients, is different on many levels, to training constructs.
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mentorship plays a crucial part in professional growth - Who you work with is very important in your development.
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leading trails is different to vehicle based guiding. It requires additional skills, different exposure and a different mindset.
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until properly tested, under stress, in a real situation, guides can be blase' about the associated responsibilities. A deeper respect builds, when the environment has uncomfortably challenged us.
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time in exposure does not necessarily equate to an equal amount of experience - Experience is an outcome of a conscious facilitation process. 6 years of exposure could equal 2 years of experience.
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there is a marked difference between undertaking short walks with close at hand lodge support versus been comfortable in multi-day unassisted wilderness experiences.
Aspirant trails guides will find value in this article written by our founding director. Published by the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa.





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