A Day in the Life of an Expert Safari Guide

In last week’s post, I wrote about the importance of having an expert guide on your African Safari.  Makhosi Ncube, from Somalisa Camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, was our expert guide, and I decided to follow-up and ask him some burning questions about what his daily life is like. Mak, kindly agreed to answer them.

1). Is it romantic? (if so, how?)

• The romance for me is in the bonds you form with the different people you meet. At the end of their stay, they are not guests for me, but they are like family; it feels like we’ve known each other for ages. It’s amazing how spending time with someone over the course of three days can create amazing long lasting bonds and friendships.

2). Is it dangerous? (Please give examples of a dangerous event and how you overcame it. Were you alone or with guests?)

• It’s safe to say while it’s one of the most amazing jobs, it’s also one of the most dangerous. You come across all sorts of situations dealing with wild animals. While some behavior can be predicted, at times, things happen differently. An example is while on a training exercise with fellow guides, we were tracking some lions, unbeknownst to us, they decided to make a turn and come back. So there we were face to face with Cecil’s pride of 11 lions. They stopped and looked at us; we held our ground and stood facing them with about 20 meters between us. They saw us and branched off, while maintaining a watchful eye on us.  So if it wasn’t for our proper training things could have easily gone wrong if we had panicked and started running.

3). Is it a job? ( Please explain so those who think it’s not a job, but just a fun life, get what is involved.)

• Yes it’s a job, the training we undergo is intense and very hard because it’s not just our lives that depend on it, but also the lives of the people with us. You start off with theoretical exams which test your knowledge of animals, birds, trees, the law, firearms safety and handling, as well as knowledge on current world events. You must pass this in order to be even allowed to start the practical side of guiding; then you undergo training for years till you’re competent enough to be able to take people on safaris. Learning does not stop. Once qualified, you have to keep studying as there is no limit to what is being discovered about these amazing animals we have surrounding us.

4). The best part of your job.

• The best part of my job is meeting new people from all over the world, seeing the smiles on their faces as they encounter their first elephant in the wild, and hearing the excitement in their voices as they ask questions about what they’re seeing. The look on their face as they are overwhelmed when a lion comes close to the car or passes by roaring. For me this job allows me to showcase the best of Zimbabwe from its amazing wildlife to its diverse culture. The best part is it allows me to travel the world through the stories and conversations held with so many diverse people from all over, as they describe their countries and homes.

5). The worst part of your job. (be honest!)

• For me the worst part would have to be getting judged by my age and years in the industry rather than the quality of my work. It’s an unfortunate thing that being a young guide can give some people the impression that you’re not a good guide which, while l understand they would think so, is still biased.

6). Please explain the training you went through and what’s involved.

• For me it’s been a long road in this industry, from taking theoretical lessons, to getting ready for the exams, studying night and day to master what the law requires of me as a guide as well as learning about the different animals and their characteristics. After passing my exams, I did some practical studies under the supervision of different guides from all walks of life. I had to learn everything from tracking, identification of birds by sight, nests, as well as their calls. Most importantly I was privileged to be part of the African Bush Camps team with a combined guiding knowledge of over 120 years. As a result, I’ve been learning from Africa’s best and most experienced guides such as Lewis Mangaba and Calvet Nkomo just to mention a few. While I’m now a professionally qualified guide, my journey is far from over, still have so much more to learn on my way to conquering Africa as a guide 7.

I had no idea how much training the guides have to go through. It often takes 7 years of studying and practical work in order to reach the level of expertise that is required to become an expert guide, and I am so lucky to have experienced this with our guide in Zimbabwe, Makhosi Ncube. When Mak told me he blogged, I was fascinated and said that I had to interview him. Please check out some of his beautiful photos on his website and blog.

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All photos in this post are from Mak’s site: wildlifediaries.weebly.com

When I joined Holden Safaris in June 2017, I did not really understand what Jim Holden, President of Holden Safaris, meant about the “luxury of the experience.” Now I understand the importance of having an expert guide who can enhance the overall safari experience.

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Makhosi Ncube-Guide in Zimbabwe

On my recent site inspection trip to Zambia and Zimbabwe with Jim Holden, President of Holden Safaris, I had the pleasure of experiencing, first-hand, how an expert guide, makes all the difference in your safari experience.

Jim Holden and I were on our way to inspect Somalisa Camp, a small luxury camp in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. We flew in from Mana Pools on a nine-passenger, Cessna Caravan, and landed on the hardened-dirt, Manga 3 runway.

A young man dressed in classic safari, stone-colored shirt and shorts, greeted us at the bottom of the small ladder as we exited the plane.

“You must be Jim and Sonia,” he said with his charming smile. “I’m Mak, your guide, from Somalisa Camp.”

Mak hoisted our bags onto his shoulders, and as we reached his jeep, he handed us a much-appreciated, bottle of ice cold water. Leaning over the edge of his vehicle, he asked if he would you like to go straight to Somalisa Camp to rest after our three-hour flight, or if we would prefer to go on an afternoon game drive on our way back to the camp.

“We want to go on a game drive,” Jim said.

I gulped down the water and asked Mak, “What’s that horrible loud noise?”

“It’s the Heartbeat of Hwange” he said.

Sensing my confusion, Mak continued. “We have only one diesel water pump left in the park, and it’s right there.” He pointed towards the waterhole. “All the rest of our 50 boreholes are now solar powered. The elephants are used to the sound of the diesel pump and know that it means water; that’s why they come here in the hundreds, to drink and bathe. Shall we wait to see them?”

“Of course,” Jim said. I worried that we might sit in the jeep for several hours before they appeared, but Mak was right. It only took 5-minutes, and sure enough, hundreds of elephants approached the water-hole for their sundowner.

Elephants drinking in the “noisy” water hole

We watched in awe, as the elephants, and the babies drank, and then strolled over to cover themselves with mud, in the second, nearby waterhole. It was a daily ritual, and Mak explained that we were only 40 kilometers from Botswana, and that the elephants traipse back and forth between Zimbabwe and Botswana, in search of water.

After this unique experience, Mak drove us along the sandy road, and pointed out every bird, even the ones my eyes had a hard time finding. He was interesting, sharp and entertaining, and knew the answers to each and every question Jim and I had.

“What’s that tree?” I asked.

“That’s the lead tree,” Mak said. “It sinks and looks dead. When you burn it, you get a white ash which can be made into a paste to relieve tooth ache. The white ash can also be turned into white paint which the villagers use to paint their houses.

Now I was impressed, and felt a rapport with our guide. He was professional and informative, and I soon realized how special it was to have our own private guide who had gone through the rigorous training required to become an expert on nature and wildlife.  I started quizzing Mak on everything.

“What’s that bird?” I asked.

“It’s the red-crested Korhaan, or the “suicide” bird as it’s commonly called.” Mak proceeds to pull out his book and points to the page with photos of this bird.

Mak told us that during the mating season. the male will fly up high, and at full throttle, dive straight towards the ground in suicide mode. The female picks her potential mate based on how impressive she perceives his close call to death.

Here is an eleven-second video demonstrating a suicide fall.

Equally crazy is the way the red-crested Korhaan dances and clicks during the mating season to catch the interest of a female.

Mak then drove us to Somalisa Camp, where we arrived just in time to see eleven wild-dogs drinking from the waterhole next to the lodge.  It was a long and exciting day, and I looked forward to freshening up before our evening sundowner and dinner.

Wild dogs in front of Somalisa Camp

At the entrance to Somalisa Camp, we were greeted by three super-friendly staff members, including Yvonne, whom I shall never forget. She was a burst of energy and her enthusiasm was contagious.

The staff greeting us at Somalisa Camp in Hwange, Zimbabwe

This was just the start of our safari in Hwange National Park, and having Mak as our guide, exemplified Jim Holden’s definition of the: “luxury of experience.” Most of our travelers at Holden Safaris are looking for the superior safari experience, and one of the key components to an outstanding safari, is a well-qualified, professional guide. I’m so happy I had that experience with Mak. Don’t miss next week’s blog post where I interview Mak about his daily life as a guide.

Next weeks’s blog post: An Interview with Mak. “A Day in the Life of a Safari Guide.”

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My wife, two friends and I just returned from a magical African safari that exceeded our expectations, and then some!  On this wildlife adventure, we visited Zimbabwe and Namibia in southern Africa.  The trip was arranged for us by Holden Safaris of Newport Beach, and was customized to our specific timing, our desires, and our budget.  First of all, we are not novices at African safaris, as this was our 11^th trip to the “dark continent!”  But this would be our first venture into Namibia.

Our trip started as we flew from LA to London, spent a night to catch our breath, then headed down to Johannesburg, South Africa.  We then flew to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe to start our adventure, where we were met by a representative from Wilderness Safaris, in whose camps we would be staying.   We were transferred by air to our first stop at Mana Pools National Park, located in the northern part of the country, nearby Zambia.

Friendly staff at Ruckomechi preparing our meal in the bush

We stayed two nights at the “Ruckomechi Camp,” located on the banks of the Zambezi River.  While there, we were out for early morning and late afternoon game drives to explore the area and to photograph the amazing African wildlife.

See how close we got to the elephants at Ruckomechi, Zimbabwe

We saw elephants, giraffe, hippos, baboons, lion, impala, zebra, kudu, jackals, and a wide array of birds.   Each morning we awakened to loud grunts and noise from the hippos in the nearby Zambesi River!   The tent accommodations at the camp were terrific and the staff was gracious and helpful in all ways.  Our ranger/driver for the game drives was superb and added an extra dimension with his knowledge of the land and animals.

Next, we were flown to the western part of Zimbabwe, to Hwange (Wan-gay) National Park, to stay three nights at “Linkwasha Camp.” 

Lion pair at Linkwasha, Zimbabwe

This was another luxury tent camp experience, along with great wildlife viewing, including a close-up time watching four cheetahs!  What a sight!  After this stay at Linkwasha, we were off to see Namibia, flying to the capital of Windhoek (Vind-hook).  Flying on Wilderness Air, we headed to our first camp – “Hoanib (Wah-nib) Skeleton Coast Camp” – located in the desert area of northwest Namibia.

Angry Elephant Bull at Skeleton Coast, Namibia

This was a totally different wildlife experience from Zimbabwe, although many of the animals were the same.  One difference is that this wildlife is “desert-adapted,” used to living in the often-harsh conditions, with limited water.

Giraffes at Skeleton Coast have adapted to the desert landscape

While there for three nights, we had a chance to spend a day on the Skeleton Coast, so named for the numerous skeletons of wrecked ships that have occurred over the years.  We also viewed many huge colonies of Cape Fur Seals, lounging on the beach and swimming in the surf.  Nearby, we hiked on the massive sand dunes, and some of us braved sliding down the steep sand slopes, which was a fantastic experience!

Dried Clay at Skeleton Coast

The next area that we flew to was the “Damaraland Camp.” This huge area is untamed and ruggedly beautiful, with exceptional scenic landscapes of open plains and spectacular rock formations.  We drove and hiked around this beautiful desert environment, and enjoyed the brilliant nighttime sky, which we felt like we could almost touch the Milky Way, the Southern Cross and the blaze of planets and stars.

Rhinos at Ongava Game Reserve, Namibia

Next, we flew to the “Ongava Game Reserve,” which is adjacent to the huge Etosha National Park.  Here we encountered some rare white rhino, and were able to get close to them on foot, with our armed tracker.  Another amazing African experience!

We next flew to “Okanjima Private Game Reserve” for one night (not enough).

Leopard cub at Okonjima, Namibia

This is the home of the “AfriCat Foundation.”   There we had an up close and personal encounter with a mother leopard that was hunting, and by chance we also saw one of her beautiful young cubs.  What a thrill!  The next day our guide tracked two cheetah, and we followed them on foot through the bush, which was an exciting and fantastic experience! This was Africa on a wholly different level than on past trips!

Red sand dunes at Sossusvlei, Namibia

Our last camp in Namibia was the “Sossusvlei (So-sus-flay) Desert Lodge.”  This is where we found the iconic red sand dunes of the Namib Desert.  The clear blue skies contrast with the giant red sand dunes to make this one of the natural wonders of Africa and a photographer’s heaven!  We were up early to be at the dunes before sunrise to catch the spectacular colors as the morning sun lit up the dunes. WOW!  We hiked through the dunes and had a marvelous time – one of life’s great experiences!

Then it was time to fly home – back to reality!  We flew from Windhoek back to Johannesburg, then north to London.  We played tourist in London for two days, then made our way back to LA, ending a memorable and fantastic African safari experience.  We thank Jim Holden of Holden Safaris, and his staff, for arranging such a fantastic adventure, for thoroughly briefing us and ensuring that all aspects of our safari were considered and arranged.  From start to finish it was an amazing travel experience!  If you haven’t been to Africa, you need to go!

Paul Alwine- Traveler with Holden Safaris, July 2017

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