Safari-Guides are not Rangers

Rangers do not guide guests on game-drives or walks. Safari guides do the guiding while Rangers are responsible for the security, maintenance, and ecological work in a reserve. That is why ‘Safari-guide of the year” is not called ‘Ranger of the year.” Kruger National Park still have the correct titles for these types of positions. Before game lodges became so commercial the guests did indeed go on safari with Rangers for obvious reasons but as guest numbers increased a new position was created spesifically for the visitors. Rangers can not guide guests every day and perform all the other duties required for managing a game reserve at the same time. Guides are sometimes requested or invited to assist or evem participate in certain Wildlife management activities but that does not make them Rangers.  The theoretical qualifications are also different in that a conservation diploma or equivalent is required for Rangers whereas Guides have other qaulifications pertaining to their field. Some lodges say that they call their guides rangers for the sake of the guests, how rediculous!

Warning!! Illegal Safari Guides

Shockingly and in disregard of the Law there are still unregistered and unqualified persons allowed, by certain ignorant or willful ignorant game lodge owners and managers, to guide paying international guests. In the worst cases there are people allowed to guide visitors on foot with rifles, amongst dangerous animals, who completely lack the legal competency and accreditation. Some of these illegal guides have not even been assesed on rifle handling and have no relevant certification. We advise visitors to enquire whether their guide is actually legal.

A five star lodge with an impressive website does not automatically mean that the guides are registered, qualified and competent. Neither does a statement of “highly knowlegdeable guides” on a website confirm that guides are legal. The real culprits are the owners or managers who allow these guides to work.  It is very sad because most game lodges ensure that their guides are compliant before they take guests on dangerous activities. There is no shortage of qualified guides either, it often comes down to the abuse of the high unemployment situation in the country.

Driving Guides

For guides to legally drive in a game reserve containing dangerous animals with paying tourists they must have to following certification:

• Be registered at the National Department of Tourism and have an identification Card.
• The NDT card confirms the area, type and competencies of a guide. (back of card)
• The Card must state “Nature” as the type of guide.

Walking Guides

For guides to legally take paying tourists on walks in game reserves with dangerous animals the guides must have the following certification.

• Be registered at the National Department of Tourism and have an identification Card.
• If Trails Guide or NQF4+VPDA or Dangerous Game Site Guide or Dangerous Game Areas is not stated under the “Specialities” designation on the card then the guide may not legally guide tourists on foot as a Lead (First Rifle) guide.
• By industry standards it is strongly recommended that a second armed guide assist the Lead guide when there are more than 4 tourists on the walk. The back-up (2nd Rifle) guide has to have a minimum qualification of “Apprentice trails guide” NQF2+VPDA, Dangerous game Areas

Consequences of going with illegal guides on walks:

• Visitor safety is compromised.
• If incidents occur where visitors get injured or die, the Liability Insurance will be void.
• Visitors are likely provided with incorrect information which affects the International Image of South Africa negatively.
• Visitors are supporting companies who are quilty of criminal offences and corporate fraud.

More info to follow…

Other concerns and misperceptions on Guides (General)

• Many junior guides do not tell the guests that they are inexperienced guides. Those guides quote some information they read and appear knowledgeable to uninformed visitors but are completely inexperienced and unknowledgeable. Lodges stating that their guides are highly knowledgeable or experienced when this is the case are guilty of false advertising. Why don’t they just write on their website that they have guides who are new to the industry and busy learning? It also has a negative impact on the guides as they start living in a dreamworld.
• Guiding in the same small reserve for many years does not necessarily make a particular guide highly experienced. Local knowledge has a limit which does not require years to accumelate. An experienced and highly qualified guide can be and is usually way better than the local guides who have worked there for years. Knowing the local road names and local info does not automatically make a great guide.
• Long term experience is not a requirement for employment of safari guides, illustrated by the minimum required years of experience on the job-vacancies advertised. Compare the ratio between older more experienced guides versus young less experienced ones.
• The information which safari-guides provide to guests is mostly unchecked, unless senior guides check up regularly, and often contains the most ridiculous and false information. Only well informed and well travelled guests would know.
• Sometimes guides are pressured to lie to guests. For example: if the guide tells guests that there are no Leopards on a particular reserve while the reserve markets itself as a ‘big five’ reserve he/ she will likely end up without work. Wonder if this is why some lodges employ young. inexperienced and desperate people to do the guiding?
• Reviews written by guests who are not well travelled in game lodges are by no means a measurement of how good a guide is. Some guides share false information, blatantly lie, behave unprofessional and even endanger the lives of the guests and sadly still get top ratings and tips from uninformed or first time visitors.
• Too many safari guides pretend to be ambassadors for nature and lap up the credit from the guests while their lives are self-centered and in complete disorder. Some alcoholics, some drug addicts and animal abusers. Many spend all their money to enrich themselves without ever doing anything substantial for nature.  The word Conservation is not synonymous with the word Safari-guide. Driving visitors around in a 4×4 vehicle and talking about wild animals does not mean that the guide is protecting wild animals. The reserve is already protected without guides.
• The Code of Ethics, which is signed by safari guides during National registration, requires that guides may not guide paying guests while under the influance of drugs or alcohol, yet there are still safari owners or managers who knowingly employ guides that ignore the Law. And of course there are some guides who hide the fact that they are under the influence.

Tips/Gratuities

Sadly, many guests throw money at inexperienced, unknowledgeable, and unprofessional safari-guides who lie, pretend, and even endanger the guests lives. Observations of thousands of tips show that guests mainly tip out of courtesy or because tipping is advised somewhere. Guests who have not been on safari with many safari guides have no reference to what a good guide is.

Some guests tip because they had great sightings. The great animal sightings are mainly attributed to luck, good fortune, blessings and the inter-vehicle radio system not necessarily due to the guide’s ability to find and interpret animal behaviour. A guide cannot make a sleeping Lion jump up and chase something, meaning that when guests view incredible action the luck is on their part.

A very friendly guide is not necessarily a very knowledgeable or good guide.

The amount of the gratuity correlates with the accommodation price meaning that tips are much higher at the more expensive lodges. The wealthier visitors generally visit the more expensive lodges. A guide who is less experienced, knowledgeable and  skilled working in an expensive lodge receives way more tips than a great guide working at a  less expensive lodge.

Tipping and the amount thereof is also affected by the country of origin of the visitors. In some countries tipping is more common than others. That probably explains why the safari guides love the Americans so much. Tip expectations is often measured by the country from where guests come from.

Be carefull of guides who solicit tipping! Proper guides do not solicit tipping. Many guides tell the guests long sad stories about how tough life is and how they have been disadvantaged by history, or how expensive it is to raise their kids etc etc. And the naive fall for it! Maybe first go see how they live and calculate how much money they have already recieved from guests before simply throwing money. A good guide should be tipped for his/her ability to provide a great and memorable experience to the guests.