The topic of the quality of Safari Guides has been raised a number of times.
Having just returned from Zimbabwe this is what we found.

It is a four year apprenticeship to become a guide in Zimbabwe with written, oral & practical exams.
the guides are known to each other & have great respect to become a guide is a major career move such as dentist, doctor etc.
It is possible for unskilled guides to operate but they are soon reported by the professional guides or park rangers.

We employed a professional guide for our trip & our sightings & the information given were amazing.
Birds of prey were immediately identified a very difficult task, along with the ID of insects & their meaning in life.
If all countries adopted this level of training & skill the poor guiding problem would disappear.
The Zimbabwe guides work through out Africa, our next trip we will surely employ a Zimbabwe qualified guide.

We also met a number of Zim qualified hunters, who also have a long high quality apprenticeship & a number of guides are cross qualified to take tourist or hunters into the bush.

Good example - Kenya are you reading this.....

There is a guide rating in Kenya, [URL=http://www.safariguides.org/index.html]website here[/URL] , but most of my guides have been amazingly incompetent. Though I\'d go on safari with any of them again in a heartbeat.

Nyamera:

Thanks for posting the KPSGA website. I should have thought of posting it long ago, but forgot.

It too requires a lot of study before taking the written and oral exams. The gold level hasn't yet been posted.
I've had several SXS drivers who have been silver guides for a few years now. While in Samburu several years ago my driver and Samburu guide asked if I would mind if they asked each other questions about the animals they spotted preparatory for their exam and they reviewed all they could remember about each animal or species. Of course I didn't mind, I would also learn from them!

The problem arises when a lot of start-up safari companies, or those trying to make a quick buck, hire driver/
"guides" who have no interest or intention of becoming a real professional (I think of a lot of the "jockeys" that drive daily from Mombasa, zoom through the park, depend on other guides to tell them where to find the animals, and then rush back home to Mombasa (and there are plenty of these). Many of the real "pros" don't bother to use their radios any more (of if they do they use codes so the "jockeys" don't understand what animal and where they can be found).

I personally feel that for a first-time safari goer, if you can afford it, look up the KPSGA list and deal with one of the companies that hire these men. You are more apt to have a real educated trip.

Thanks again.

It would be a good idea if Bushdrums listed all such associations as the KPSGA in our efforts to promote sensible tourism.

I fail to understand your reasoning that you would willingly go on safari with an incompetent guide!
Incompetent guides can put your life in danger, upset the animals you went to see & because of their incompetence you could even miss the animals you wanted!

The cost of a registered competent guide adds little to the overall cost of the trip compared to lodges, air fares etc but the rewards are amazing

Kipper, if I was offered to go on safari for free right now I’d accept even if the guide were a dangerous psychopath.

I haven’t had any guides that don’t follow park rules or don’t care about anything; they’ve just lacked some very basic knowledge about wildlife, like not recognizing a serval (I’d understood if it had been a little grey bird or something). I always start by telling that I want to know everything about animal behaviour and that I’m bad at birds and plants and need to learn everything. After a while, when I noticed that I know many things that they don’t, I just stop asking to avoid embarrassment, and I’m very far from an expert. If safaris were reasonably priced, or I were rich I’d definitely pay more for a competent guide, but as things are I’m already spending more than I can afford to, and I’m better at finding good offers than most people. An idea I’ve had is to stay at guiding school that was going to open a camp this year, but it was delayed. I hope to be able to do it next year.
http://www.koiyaki.com/