Delivery Partners

About FGASA

Since 1990, the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) has set the industry standards for professionalism, ethics, safety, and guiding excellence.

As an accredited and leading Training Provider, authorised by the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA – Reg. no: 613/P/000004/2004), we deliver high-quality training and education for careers in guiding, hospitality, and tourism.

FGASA also authorises approved third-party organisations, known as Training Delivery Partners, to use our learning materials and practical training guidelines.

Approved Delivery Partners

FGASA approves training Delivery Partners that meet our professional and ethical standards for facilitated guiding skills training. These facilitators adhere to FGASA’s guidelines, offering high-quality training through a variety of courses and programs.

These courses range from online learning and short practical courses to extended practical courses, providing both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience, including workplace experience for on-the-job training.

Only the Training Delivery Partners listed below are FGASA-endorsed. If a training institution is not listed, it does not meet FGASA’s minimum standards.

FGASA has numerous endorsed Training Delivery Partners across Southern Africa, each offering a unique training experience, all aimed at developing guides to the highest standard.

Delivery Partners by Region

  • FGASA has many approved Delivery Partners throughout Southern Africa. Have a look below at the regions where our approved Delivery Partners operate:
    • South Africa
    • Botswana
    • Namibia
    • Zimbabwe

FGASA Approved Training Delivery Partners

The Training Area

The learning experience is influenced by the natural beauty of the area and the habitat diversity. Kwapa has a combination of river channels, floodplains, lagoons as well as riparian woodland, savannah, mopane scrub, climax mopane woodland and grasslands.

Our safari guide training camp on the Kwapa River is situated in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. The Okavango is one of the most scenically spectacular wildlife areas anywhere in the world. The myriad of crystal clear channels and wildlife rich islands is a habitat unlike any other.

Possibly the most amazing thing about the area is the fact that it is part of a wilderness that stretches unfenced for hundreds of thousands of square kilometres through Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe National Park, the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, southern Angola and southern Zambia.

Biodiversity

In order to learn the skills of being a guide you need to be immersed in an environment where there is a good diversity of the prominent and flagship species.

Kwapa Guide Training Camp has good numbers of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, kudu, impala, reedbuck and other herbivores. Rhinoceros are making a come-back in the Okavango due to some phenomenal conservation programs. Predators include lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, serval, caracal, african wildcat, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, spotted hyaena and other smaller predators. In short there is pretty much everything the savannah biome has to offer with regards to wildlife.

The area has over 300 species of birds and the list is still growing. Some of the highlight birds are wattled crane, lesser jacana, long-crested eagle, saddlebill stork, green-capped eremomela, greater painted snipe, coppery-tailed coucal, luapula cisticola to mention but a few.

Activities

In addition to the typical game drives and walks offered by guide training institutions during the floods we are able to offer boating and mokoro activities. The size of the wilderness in which we operate allows us to do incredible wilderness sleep-outs and multi-day trails.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling

Telephone:  +267 6800 115
Email:  info@guidetrainingcourses.com
Website: https://www.africanbushtraining.com

Private Bag 206 Maun
Area: Okavango Delta
Country/Region: Botswana

Bushveld Experience Skills & Training offers a variety of nature training courses which cover all aspects of South Africa’s beautiful & diverse natural heritage and wildlife, and which afford the curious nature lover with the unique opportunity to acquire hands-on identification & interpretive skills and knowledge in a practical and stimulating learning environment.

We concentrate on the savannah and grassland biomes and explore the different elements, both living and non-living, which contribute to these habitats and ecosystems. Subjects covered range from Geology and Ecology to Grasses, Trees, Birds, Mammals, Insects, Reptiles and many more.

Getting to grips with the sights, signs & sounds of the bush is one of the most rewarding outcomes which our courses offer.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)

Telephone: +27 (0) 11 943 2219 / +27 (0) 82 413 0367
Email: angela@bushveldtraining.co.za
Website: http://www.bushnaturecourses.co.za/

Street: No 1 Broome Manor, 133 Curzon Road
Area: Bryanston
Province: Gauteng
Country/Region: South Africa

Recognising the need for accredited nature guide training providers in Northern KwaZulu Natal, Bhejane Nature Training was started in 2009 by Dylan and Christa. uBhejane is the Zulu name for the African Black Rhino, a flagship species for northern KwaZulu Natal.

At Bhejane we embrace the many opportunities that our rapidly changing world offer young people to change the attitudes and views of people toward natural systems and wildlife. We train our students to become forward thinking conservation entrepreneurs, not merely “jeep-jockeys” as guides are often referred to. To achieve this we focus on the amazing diversity around us, to seek out specialist and niche areas of guiding such as Frogging, Butterflying, Spider Safaris, Specialist Birding, Walking trails and Marine Guiding.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Nature Site Guide (Marine) (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advance Rifle Handling

Telephone: +27 (0) 83 726 3826 / +27 (0) 79 887 0419
Email: info@bhejanenaturetraining.com
Website: http://www.bhejanenaturetraining.com/

Street: P.O.Box 693
Postcode: 3960
Area: Hluhluwe – KwaZulu Natal
Country: South Africa

The current Bushveld Mosaic course was developed in 1995 by Honorary Officer, Prof. Peter Fripp (Zoologist at Medunsa) in conjunction with requirements prescribed by the North West Parks & Tourism Board (NWP&TB).

Bushveld Mosaic Environmental Course has further developed and enhanced the course in conjunction with North West Parks, the Field Guide Association of South Africa (FGASA) syllabus and assessments criteria, as well as changing industry standards requirements set by the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Sports, Sector Education Training Authority (CATHSSETA).

Although Bushveld Mosaic course consists of a different module each month, the entire course programme is structured around ecological principles that build upon each other.

Our students are encouraged to assimilate and integrate what they have learned in one module with what has been learned in the previous modules, in order to develop a holistic view of the environmental conservation picture.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)

Telephone: +27 (0) 11 462 7577 / +27 (0) 76 045 5330
Email: bushveldmosaic14@gmail.com
Website: http://www.bushveld-mosaic.org.za

Country/Region: South Africa – North West Province

Bushveld Training Adventures, a nationally recognized academic institution in the field of nature studies, offers a comprehensive range of professional field guiding and environmentalist courses. Whether it is a career in field guiding in order to obtain the FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa) and national qualifications accredited by CATHSSETA, or a wonderful learning experience, the opportunity to make great friends, are all great reasons to enroll in a BTA guide or environmentalist course.

The courses are a fantastic experience. Not only do they comprise lectures with highly qualified instructors, but also field outings where the classroom is the open bush and textbooks turn into life animals, plants, rocks, clouds and the whole universe. Each one of these challenges you with questions: Who am I, how did I get here, why am I here, what threatens my existence? Each one of them becomes a testimony to the story of the evolutionary processes of our planet. The evenings by the campfire shared with kindred spirits are the memories that embroider the fabric of our lives… And the mornings hold the promise of a new adventure.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advance Rifle Handling
  • Nature Guide Courses
  • Short Specialist Courses

Telephone: +27 (0) 11 679 2298 / +27 (0) 82 337 1355
Fax: +27 (0) 86 672 1205
Email: info@bushveldta.co.za
Website: http://bushveldtrainingadventures.co.za

Country/Region: South Africa – various provinces

Operating from Tehillah Eco Village in the Greater Kruger National Park, we provide mentored training in smaller groups to develop your individual strengths and interests.

Our principal trainer, Laetitia Cronjé (BSc Zoology & Botany) is a Professional Lead Trails Guide, Specialist Birding Guide, accredited Assessor and holds a specialist teaching qualification. She is assisted by fellow conservationists with diverse qualifications and experience.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling
  • Exam Preparation Courses (NQF2, NQF4, Professional Field Guide)
  • Practical Preparation Courses (NQF2 and NQF4)

Telephone: +27 (0)82 372 8751
Email: info@campfireacademy.co.za
Website: https://web.facebook.com/CampfireAcademy

Street: Balule Nature Reserve,
Postcode: 1380
Area: Hoedspruit
Province: Limpopo
Country: South Africa

We offer a selection of courses in order to prepare our students for a career in the guiding industry as well as for the enthusiast to further their knowledge.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advanced Astronomy

Telephone: Cell: +27 71 194 3284 (Darran) / +2783 695 8624 (Carol)
Email: dhumukwags@gmail.com / carol.h@mweb.co.za
Website: http://www.dhumukwagt.com

Country/Region: South Africa – various provinces

EcoTraining is a passionate environmentally-conscious company specialising in the training of nature-guides and those with a deep appreciation of the natural world. However, we do more than just train; we provide participants on our courses with amazing life-changing experiences which open up their minds to the fragility of the planet on which we live.

Courses are run in simple unfenced bush camps in the middle of great wilderness areas where participants get to truly experience what it is like to live in wild places. Our mission is to educate people on the importance of wilderness and especially the processes which drive the natural ecosystems of the world. Our hope is that participants, armed with this knowledge, leave our courses and go out and make a difference to the way we look after our planet in their day-to-day lives.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide Mentorship Programme (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling
  • Tracking
  • Nature Enthusiast (Online Course – non-guiding)

Telephone: +27 (0)13 752 2532
Fax: +27 (0)13 752 4753
Email: enquiries@ecotraining.co.za
Website: http://www.ecotraining.co.za/

Street: Cnr Ehmke and Van der Merwe Street, The Outpost Centre
Area: Nelspruit

Country/Region: South Africa and Botswana – Lowveld region

Grootbos Professional Guide Academy provides students with a life changing experience in the quest to become Nature, Marine and Fynbos professional guides. Join us for a 6-month Nature Site Guide (NQF2), Nature Site Guide (Marine) (NQF2) and Fynbos Biome Guide course.

The Grootbos Guide Programs also provide specialist courses including Cave Guiding, Regional Fynbos Bird Guiding, Wildflower guiding, Entomology certificate, Wine course, Sommelier training, Cooking course and a Beekeeping course.

Grootbos Professional Guide Academy trains and develops learners into all-round professional Nature Guides in the Coastal-marine and Fynbos environment.

*Note: Grootbos Professional Guide Academy will only be delivering training to students currently enroled for courses until further notice.*

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2 – inhouse training only)
  • Marine Nature Site Guide (NQF2 – inhouse training only)
  • Culture Guide (NQF4 – inhouse training only)

Telephone: +27 82 215 7793

Email: zenguiding@outlook.com

Website: www.grootbos.com

Country/Region: South Africa – Western Cape Province

The Kambaku Wildlife College was founded in 2015. We are situated in central Namibia and are an approved FGASA training Delivery Partner and fully accredited with the Namibian Government for vocational education in field guide training and hospitality. We aim to promote nature awareness and conservation.

Our courses provide education and skills training for those wishing to pursue a professional career in guiding and for those who want to learn more about nature. At our college, you will be able to earn the FGASA Nature Site Guide (NQF2) qualification – a great start for your career in the African bush.

Our courses and experiences are aimed at all nature lovers who have a passion for wildlife, we have a diverse selection of courses to suit your needs. Our training facility is nestled within the Kambaku Wildlife Reserve, 8000 hectares of pristine savanna where you will be able to have a fantastic experience surrounded by animals in perfect safety. With us, you will discover the secret of the Namibian wildlife and gain knowledge about a wide range of topics such as biomes, ecology, conservation, mammals, animal behaviour, birds, vegetation and the history of human habitation in the country.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Nature Enthusiast (non-guiding)

Telephone: +264 67306292
Email: wildlifecollege@kambaku.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KambakuWildlifeCollegeNamibia

Website: https://www.kambaku.com/en/about-kambaku/about-us/kambaku-college/

Area: Otjiwarongo/Otavi
Country: Namibia

Kwantu Game Reserve offers you a feast for the imagination catering from a Big 5 African adventure to five star hospitality. The Kwantu Academy is an academy of training aspiring hopefuls into becoming vibrant game rangers and field guides. The Field Guide course is an 8-week course and is approved by FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa).

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)

Telephone: +27 42 203 1400

Field Guide Course: Field Guide Course – 8 Weeks

Website: https://volunteer.kwantu.co.za/

Country/Region: South Africa – Eastern Cape Province

Becoming a Safari Guide in Africa gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, while gaining a qualification approved by FGASA and accredited by CATHSSETA. A career as a Field Guide, or as a Game Ranger, allows you  to share your passion for the outdoors with others while conducting game drives, guided walks and conservation related activities.

Our vast experience in environmental training at Limpopo Field Guiding Academy positions us as leaders in the industry, ensuring you leave fully equipped with the relevant certification. Situated in South Africa, just 90 minutes from OR Tambo International Airport on a Malaria free, Big 5 game reserve means that we are easily accessible. Our courses are designed to suit every nature enthusiast, wanting to learn more. Our nature training will enable you to grow your knowledge of fauna & flora, with our FGASA and CATHSSETA (National Qualification) accredited training programmes.

No day in field guiding is the same and each day your experience with us will present a new learning opportunity for you.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Tracking
  • Advanced Rifle Handling
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • SKS/Birding

Telephone: Office: +27(0) 72 625 4709 / +27(0) 14 007 0621

Email: info@limpopotraining.co.za

Website: https://limpopotraining.co.za/

Country/Region: South Africa – Limpopo

Our goal is to train Guides that adhere to the highest standards – and to make your dream in the African wilderness come true.

The NJ More Field Guide College affords aspirant Field Guides a true career opportunity within the 5-star context of the MORE Family Collection (Lion Sands Sabi Sand, Lion Sands Kruger National Park, Marataba Safari Lodge).

For those who wish to spend a quality gap time, we offer tailor made courses – contact us for details.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide Mentorship Programme (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling
  • Wilderness First Aid II
  • Photography
  • Specialist Birding
  • Snake Handling
  • Cyber Tracker Track and Sign

Telephone: +27 (0)11 880 9992

Email: francois@more.co.za

Website: http://www.njmorefieldguidecollege.co.za/

Country: South Africa – Limpopo

MOTSUMI BUSH COURSES has been an assessment and delivery partner since 1997. Many of our ex-students are now holding senior positions in lodges, safari companies and other Guide Training Facilities. What makes MOTSUMI different, is our personal approach. Founder of MOTSUMI, and Trainer Principal, Bennet de Klerk, is intimately involved in every step of the course. Most of your training will, in fact, be done by him personally, with the occasional relief of a subject matter expert being called in for some change of scenery! This makes our excellent training product more affordable. And – very importantly – to ensure you get personal attention, we only take 8 learners per course!

MOTSUMI has always – and always will continue to do so – catered for the individual who wants the best possible training, without paying a huge premium for unnecessary add-ons like air-conditioning and 5-star rooms! The MOTSUMI mantra is really simple: “the only way to get to know The Bush, is to leave your footprints there”.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)

Telephone: +27 (0)82 926 7830
Email: motsumi@iafrica.com
Website: http://www.motsumibush.co.za

Street: Mooihoek 291 JQ
Postcode: 0299
Area: Rustenburg – North West Province
Country: South Africa

Naankuse is the perfect outdoor classroom. Except with us you won’t just be facing a chalk board. We welcome student groups from all over the world and entice them into a realm of riveting conservation, humanitarian and wildlife wonders. Student groups can either hop aboard our everyday volunteer activities, or we can tailor-make a program just for you. The opportunities are endless, and we’d love to work with you in designing a program that fits best. We know how important your students are to you.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2 – inhouse training only)

Telephone: +264 (0)81 261 2709

Email: bookings@naankuse.com.

Website: https://www.naankuse.com/

Address:

Naankuse Foundation 

277 Farm Frauenstein, District Windhoek 

Khomas Region, Namibia

Nature Guide Training has been an established Assessment and Delivery Partner for over 20 years. The school is owned and run by the wildlife author and tracker-guide Lee Gutteridge.  Lee is a FGASA Scout, with over 30 years of bush experience, and personally conducts the bulk of the training.

We operate primarily in the Greater Kruger Park Region and focus on the smaller details of nature and tracking, whilst living and learning in the heart of African big game country. There are few Nature Site Guide training Schools with our level of experience and dedication, or attention to detail. We only take small groups of students during our programs to maximise the personalised learning opportunities.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advance Rifle Handling
  • Tracking
  • SKS and Specialist (wildflowers)

Telephone: +27 (0)73 468 9267

Email: lee@natureguidetraining.com

Website: http://www.natureguidetraining.com

Country: South Africa – Limpopo

Welcome to the World’s first multi destination Nature Site Guide (NQF2) Training Programme. Covering more than 2000km over the 60-day course, you will not only get to explore four of Zimbabwe’s most iconic destinations, but also experience multiple biomes, each with their own wildlife and ecologies. This gives you a more diverse knowledge base of practical Field Guiding experience. Successful graduation will earn you a FGASA Nature Site Guide (NQF2) qualification – an essential tool for starting or furthering your exciting career in the African bush.

For those who have a love, passion and interest in wildlife but aren’t wanting to become career guides, we also off a 14-day FGASA Nature Enthusiast Course (non-guiding certificate).

Training:

  • Nature Enthusiast (non-guiding)

Telephone: +263 771294237

Email: rosa@pathfindersafrica.com

Website: https://pathfindersafrica.com

Country/Region: Zimbabwe

75 Day Nature Site Guide (NQF2) and Trails Guide (NQF2) course held at the Southern African Wildlife College near Orpen gate

Established in 1996 to address the needs of the conservation and tourism sector, the Southern African Wildlife College welcomes aspiring guides to be trained by some of the most experienced assessors in southern Africa.

As a SADC recognised and accredited training and skills development provider, based within the Greater Kruger National Park, the College offers courses developed against the highest standards required. Comprehensive training and assessment for a number of CATHSSETA accredited FGASA and nature guiding qualifications are provided, with the focus on field and Trails Guides qualifications, plus Advanced Rifle Handling (ARH), local and regional bird guiding as well as two tracking qualifications.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling

Telephone: Richard Fergusson 071 377 2372 / Ashwell Glasson 072 030 0237

Email: rfergusson@sawc.org.za or aglasson@sawc.org.za

Website: https://www.wildlifecollege.org.za

Area: Timbavati – Limpopo
Country/Region: South Africa

In the context of the field guiding sector, the FGASA Nature Site Guide (NQF2) qualification will enable the creation of innovative and exciting guided experiences. The successful student will be able to contribute positively towards the guiding sector as part of Southern Africa’s tourism industry.

A Student who has achieved this qualification will be capable of combining a range of life-long learning skills and knowledge of South African tourism issues, integrating these within a context to produce multi-skilled guiding practices.

In addition they will be positioned to further their learning, practice and career within the guiding sector – either at levels or in other areas of practice. Expansion into other sectors of tourism is also possible.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)

Telephone: +27 (0) 14 736 8860

Email: info@sondelaacademy.net

Website: https://sondela-academy.co.za/conservation-studies/fgasa-nature-site-guide-2/

Country/Region: South Africa – Limpopo

Welcome to the home of Exceptional Guide Training, in the heart of the Eastern Cape.

Our Mission: At Ulovane, we’re driven by a mission that goes beyond education. Our purpose is to ignite a passion for conservation that transcends boundaries. We believe that by nurturing a deep connection between people, wildlife, and the environment, we can safeguard our planet’s future.

Our Values:

Passion for the Wild: Our love for the wild runs through every fiber of our being. We’re devoted to sharing this passion with others, inspiring them to recognize the beauty and vulnerability of our natural world.

Excellence in Education: We hold ourselves to the highest standards of education. Our dedicated instructors are not just teachers but mentors, guides, and advocates for conservation.

Community of Changemakers: Ulovane is more than a training institution; it’s a community of like-minded individuals who believe in the power of collective action. We empower our students, alumni, and partners to become true ambassadors for positive change.

Training:

  • Nature Site Guide (NQF2)
  • Trails Guide (NQF2)
  • Advanced Rifle Handling
  • Tracking and Trailing
  • FGASA Online Nature Enthusiast
  • Regional Bird Guide Qualification
  • Marine Guide (NQF2) Qualification

Email: candice@ulovane.co.za

Phone: +27 83 295 3206

Website: www.ulovane.co.za

Area: Eastern Cape
Country: South Africa