OVERVIEW
Course Duration: 1st - 14th November 2024
Group size: 9 Maximum
Age Range: 18+
Join us for complete immersion into the African bush, led by one of South Africa's top game rangers and guide. Learn what it takes to be A Game Ranger in the home of the traditional African Safari, from anti poaching, fire arms handling, track and sign, trailing, species ID and safe movement in the bush. This course is unlike anything you will have experienced before.
Completely unique to Woodland Ways this course also combines Game Ranger Training with a CyberTracker based training system on Track & Sign, the worldwide benchmark for Track and Sign learning. Here you will learn the intricate details of tracking in the South African Biome, and for those that wish to you can undertake the cyber tracker assessment (not compulsory but price is included, dont be put off by the term assessment, it is one of the worlds leading and acknowledged advanced learning processes and as Loius Leibenburg argues... the origins of science!)
"In 2014 I had the most wonderful privilege to join one of South Africa's highest qualified rangers, Colin Patrick, on a CyberTracker Course and Assessment in South Africa. I was immediately blown away by his extensive knowledge of not just tracking, but also the African bush. It is no wonder that we immediately partnered up with Colin and his team, and have returned each year since. Colin was able to bring to life the sign of the bush that most persons would not have even registered... including myself. He has an amazing ability to interpret track and sign and we believe can offer a truly life enriching experience to those interested in tracking. Colin is a real expert in his field and we are very proud to link up with him to offer a wonderful opportunity to our friends and customers to join us again as we venture out to learn about the incredibly rich Flora and Fauna of the African Bush" - Jason Ingamells, Company Director
£1,695pp or book with a £339 Deposit
Arrival
On arrival at Johannesburg Airport you will met by our South African team and we will spend the day journeying through some of South Africa's most stunning scenery to our first base in Limpopo. The accommodation here is in shared (2-3 berth) cabins with thatched roofs and surrounded by wildlife. Our initial reserve is a luxury education centre dedicated to teaching about the bush. Although there is no fixed itinerary, we work with what the bush throws our way, you can expect to be spending your days on foot, learning about the flora and fauna of the bush. With detailed track and sign sessions you will soon know your Rhino from your Hippo. We will also discover how to safely operate in the bush, with fire arms training and plenty of foot and vehicle safari's. We use specialists in reptiles, snake handling, anti poaching, flora and fauna and walking guides. You will get the opportunity to shoot down on the range and learn what it takes to guide people and to be guided in this environment.
Duration of the course
Days are made up of early starts with either morning game drives or foot safaris followed by a mid morning brunch.
Whilst the animal life is quiet in the middle of the day, we will learn about the wildlife species we have been seeing. We will also be studying their tracks, learning to identify the trees, plants and birds.
We will head back out in the late afternoon as animal activity begins to pick up again.
After our evening meals we will undertake some night walks and drives to pick up some of the Bushveld's nocturnal wildlife as well as looking at the southern hemisphere constellations.
About half way through the experience we will transfer you to a local wildlife rehabilitation centre where we have exclusive behind the scenes access to quite often rare and endangered wildlife that has been bought in to be looked after. With talks from experts in their respective fields you can expect to have the public tour and then return to help with the feeding, nursing or whatever tasks are required for the day. It may be feeding the hippos or massaging a rhino!
In the second part of your experience we depart the luxury of our reserve and head into the completely wild Balule reserve, which forms part of the wider Kruger unfenced area. Here we will base ourselves from a tented camp (2 to a traditional African safari tent complete with beds and bush showers). From this wonderful vantage point you can expect close encounters with Lions, Elephants, Rhino as well as the smaller game. We will be out on foot each day patrolling, learning, and undertaking conservation tasks such as monitoring or trailing. The course concludes with the world renowned cyber tracker assessment for those that wish to take it, it's an incredible fun learning experience and puts some of your learning into practice.
What to expect
No course is exactly the same but you can expect close encounters of wildlife, not just sitting in a tour bus. Over the years we have moved numerous Lion kills away in full view of the pride, experienced wild dog packs feeding, slept surrounded by Hyenas and Leopards calling, experience Elephant charges, seen Rhino poaching first hand, been in live operational theatres as crime scenes are secured, we have witnessed so much it's too numerous to cover enough here.
As a special bonus our on site team are also trained dog handlers who are renowned throughout South Africa for their skills. We are privileged to work alongside these dogs throughout our time and will witness their incredible capabilities.
The family of Colin Patrick are some of the most respected wildlife guides in South Africa. Colin himself needs no introduction, a Master Tracker who has contributed to the development of tracking and anti poaching, as well as game ranger training, and recognised widely in his field for this. His wider family, Becky, Samantha are all trackers in their own right and we should be privileged to spend time with them also.
You will be focused on getting intimate with the tracks and signs of the wildlife from the smallest to the largest, as we undertake the CyberTracker training course.