Living out a great experience in the African bush has been one of my biggest dreams since the first time I came to South Africa in 2017. At that time, I really fell in love with this country, with its mind-blowing landscapes and wildlife. I think there are few places in the world where you can experience the same rich diversity of nature and culture. I knew at that time, that I would come back – as it turns out I have returned several times, the current stay being to attend the 2-month, FGASA endorsed, Apprentice Field Guide Course at Limpopo Field Guiding Academy (LFGA).
Rewind three years – a friend of mine told me about the Field Guide course he was attending in South Africa: living the bush 24 hours a day for two months, learning everything possible about the environment and it’s inhabitants… this was what I was looking for and I started to plan to come and join Limpopo Field Guiding Academy! Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I had to postpone by two years, but finally I made it – now it’s more than a month that I’ve been at LFGA’s Tau Camp, in the heart of the private concession areas of Dinokeng North and I can say out loud that has been a great decision! With all of the Big 5 species, including both white and black rhino, as well as cheetah, spotted hyaena and more, this reserve straddles the boundary of the grassland and savanna biomes – which makes for great biodiversity.
Limpopo Field Guiding Academy is the right place if you are looking for a school that can give you all the information needed to have a broad understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of the African bush. It’s the perfect place if you love living outdoors, if you enjoy waking up early in the morning and listening to bird calls, if you crave the thrill of spotting animals and discovering all the intricacies of their behaviour.
I cannot deny that life here is not easy – you have to give up many of the comforts you have at home and there are a lot of subjects to study, with testing each week… so don’t expect to go on vacation when coming here!
You really need to push outside of your limits and comfort zone, both physically and mentally, but if do so, you will rewarded with the greatest gift: the ability to “read” the bush. You will finally understand which animal walked along a path simply by checking its track and sign, you will finally recognise which grass and trees are growing in a certain area and comprehend which animals could feed on them, you will identify birds simply by listening to their calls.
These were the things I was looking for when I joined LFGA and I’m so glad that I actually found them!
If you would like to know more about courses at Limpopo Field Guiding Academy, contact Linky on:
+27(0)72 625 4709
+27(0)14 007 0621