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Course: Trails Guide Course

Prior qualifications:

No prior experience is required for enrichment and BQA qualification. For back-up trails guide a Nature Guide Course is a needed.

Duration:

28 Days (can be done in two-weeks modules)

Group size:

Minimum 4, maximum 8 participants

Locations:

NGS private camp in Khwai community concession

Who is it for?

People come to our courses for many reasons. Some are drawn by the need to pause, reset, and reconnect with themselves through a simple, back-to-basics bush experience.
Others are seasoned safari travelers who now seek a deeper, more grounded encounter with the African wilderness. For university graduates, it can be a meaningful life changing journey—immersive, demanding, and transformative. Adventurous souls often join to go beyond the usual trail backpacking route, stepping into a more authentic way of exploring. Professional guides attend to refine their vehicle-based guiding skills or to advance their careers, while experienced trails guides come to gain more mentored walking time and meaningful encounters with wildlife on foot.

Course description

There’s no more profound way to experience the African bush than by walking through it. On foot, every sound, track, and scent comes alive—details that often go unnoticed from a vehicle. It’s an experience that awakens the senses and connects you to nature’s rhythm, where the ancient art of tracking and moving among Africa’s great wildlife becomes both humbling and deeply rewarding.

This course trains students to lead walking safaris safely and confidently, with the necessary knowledge and competence to carry a rifle responsibly. It develops the practical skills required to approach, interpret, and manage encounters with potentially dangerous wildlife on foot.

Course Components

1. Walking Safari Techniques & Navigation

Conducting safe and effective walking safaris
Terrain navigation, tracking, and route planning
Reading animal signs and understanding habitat use

2. Rifle Handling

Safe handling, maintenance, and operation of rifles
Firearm marksmanship and controlled practice scenarios
Approaching dangerous wildlife with minimal risk

3. Wildlife Behavior & Risk Management

Interpreting the behavior of dangerous animals
Risk assessment and decision-making in the field
Emergency response procedures for walking safaris

4. Conservation & Ethical Guiding

Responsible interaction with wildlife
Environmental awareness and sustainable guiding practices

5. Client Safety & Interpretation

Managing clients on foot safaris
Storytelling, natural history interpretation, and immersive experiences

6. Field Practical Sessions

Real-life walking safari scenarios
Supervised live rifle handling exercises
Tracking, observation, and situational assessments

Qualifications

Graduates are qualified to operate as professional walking guides, proficient in carrying and handling a rifle safely while leading guests on foot through wildlife areas. They are trained to interpret the natural environment, create meaningful educational experiences, and manage risks with confidence and responsibility in areas of high wildlife activity.

BQA back-up and lead guide qualifications are offered.

The full trails guide qualification requires that you pass your nature guiding exam, your ARH (advanced rifle handling), your VPDA (view potentially dangerous animals on foot), your trails assessment and your trails guide theory exam.