Kwapa camp

Imagine this: an area with crystal clear water, endless fields of water lilies, reed and papyrus interspersed with grasslands that are covered with termite hills in incredible sizes and shapes. Then imagine the occasional grazing herds of hundreds of buffaloes and zebras, groups of elephants and a huge variety of antelope. That’s the area we’re talking about.

The next 7 days presents you with the incredible opportunity to increase your knowledge of the bush and “bushcraft”…. Do not be put off by any aspect of tourism, this is the real deal and you will be attending a course which may have people just like you – like minded, passionate, wildlife people, training right alongside people hoping to become professional guides in the safari industry.

Your trainers will be some of the most qualified guides and guide trainers in Africa boasting degrees in wildlife.

Every morning you wake-up early and have breakfast and head out into the wilderness. The route you will take and the transport used is based on the movement of the wildlife and the specific targets for the day. Wilderness excursions are done on foot, by vehicle, by boat and dug-out canoe. Return to camp by late morning for a short lecture on one of the days topics. Lecture topics include “wildlife and ecology of the Okavango”, “hydrology of the Okavango”, “fascinating birds”, “mammal behavior”, “African conservation issues” and more. A hearty lunch is served in camp followed by time for shower, siesta and personal study time. Tea is served in the mid-afternoon and followed by an afternoon excursion.

During the week at Kwapa you will do a sleep-out where we load the bare minimum and head out by boat or mokoro to a remote island and set up a sleep-out fly-camp where you sleep under the stars for the night. Return to camp before lunch the following day.

Your tent is a 3×3 meter high-wall wilderness style tent with a 2×3 meter en-suite shower and bush toilet and a similar sized verandah. Each tent is furnished with a camp bed, sheets, pillows, duvet and towels. An LED bedside light is provided on a small bed side table. There is a wash basin with a relaxing chair on the verandah.

This wildlife and ecology course is ideal for those who want to learn the practical aspects of being a guide and to learn some of the key and most interesting facts regarding the wildlife and ecology of the Okavango. It focuses on covering all the practical aspects of nature guiding. This includes conducting game drives, boat excursions, mokoro (dug-out canoe) expeditions, walking safaris, bush sleep-outs and weapon handling. During this we learn the skills of tracking, bush survival, bird and mammal identification and much more.