Ingrid Ackerman

Ingrid is an active qualified licensed field and trails guide. She is one of only a few female guides who leads wilderness backpacking trails. She is absolutely passionate about the natural world as well as it’s holistic conservation, and keenly shares her knowledge and experience with those she works with.

Ingrid started her career in the legal field. She completed an LLB law degree at the University of Pretoria, and then spent time working for the High Court of South Africa. After practicing law for a number of years, she was presented an opportunity to work for an Australian Construction company in Ghana. This period of her life afforded her the opportunity to explore some amazing wild spaces, and through this, her love for nature and wilderness deepened.

At the end of her expatriate contract, Ingrid spent some time travelling, and upon returning to South Africa, she had made the decision to follow her heart and start a career in nature guiding. She choose guiding based on the principle that it combines her love for both nature and interacting with people. This shift presented some real challenges, besides moving out of a space she had established herself in, she was also stepping into a field largely occupied by males. Not a stranger to challenge, she threw herself into her studies and then subsequently building her experience.

After Ingrid had qualified, she worked in the Western Cape as a Camp Manager and Volunteer Coordinator for an NPO involved with applied conservation research. She honed her skills, and completed her guide apprenticeship, whilst working with international students and volunteers. Following this she was offered to manage a camp, and thereafter a lodge, in the Dinokeng Game Reserve. During this period, she qualified as a full lead trails guide whilst working with some first-class mentors.

Ingrid is professional, enthusiastic, positive, organized, hardworking and empathetic. She loves “out of the box” thinking and processes that involve continuous improvement. She has a big space in her heart for dogs of all types, grew up in Gauteng, and today lives in the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve, north of Pretoria, where she is establishing her freelance guiding business.