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Wander the World: Safari Guide of the Year is crowned · Wander the World with Pippa Hudson

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is Tuesday, which means we travel the world today
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: and in wonder the world, we are wanting to take
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: a closer look at the people who make Game Drive
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  Speaker 1: and Safari in the African Bush what it is now.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: If you've ever been on Safari, you'll know that a
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  Speaker 1: great guide can turn a simple game drive into really
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  Speaker 1: an unforgettable experience. They're not just spotting animals, They're reading
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  Speaker 1: the bush, They're sharing incredible stories. They just have a
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  Speaker 1: wealth of knowledge, keeping guests safe as well and bringing
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  Speaker 1: the wilderness to life. And every year South Africa's very
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  Speaker 1: best guides compete for the title of Safari Guide of
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  Speaker 1: the Year. It's a competition that's become the gold standard
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  Speaker 1: for excellence in the industry and this year's winner has
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  Speaker 1: just been crowned. Joining us today, Ore Michal Duplici is
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  Speaker 1: the managing director of the Field Guides Association of Southern
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  Speaker 1: Africa and Sarah Barrett, the newly crowned Safari Guide of
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  Speaker 1: the Year twenty twenty six and only the second woman
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  Speaker 1: to ever win the title. Welcome both to Cape Talk.
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  Speaker 1: I think Michelle, I'd like to start with you. For
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  Speaker 1: people who've never heard of Safari Guide of the year before.
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  Speaker 1: What exactly is this competition? How long has it been
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  Speaker 1: going and why was it created?
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  Speaker 2: Hello, and thank you for the opportunity. The event was created,
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  Speaker 2: number one, to really showcase the best of the best
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  Speaker 2: and what skills are involved in delivering you know, an exceptional,
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  Speaker 2: world class experience. It's also recognizing GUIDs at this level,
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  Speaker 2: to show them that we see them and we acknowledge
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  Speaker 2: them and we appreciate the level of skill that they have,
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  Speaker 2: you know, to conduct the best possible experiences for guests
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  Speaker 2: from all over the world.
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  Speaker 1: And how long it's been has it been going now.
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  Speaker 2: It's been going on for fifteen years. We celebrated our
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  Speaker 2: fifteenth year this year.
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  Speaker 1: Congratulations on that, Oh, thank you. Over this time, you
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  Speaker 1: really must have seen the competition evolve quite a bit.
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  Speaker 1: Why do you think it's become such a respected benchmark
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  Speaker 1: in the safari industry?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think you know every year, the level of
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  Speaker 2: candidate certainly plays a part guiding guides being able to
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  Speaker 2: get their skills, acquire their skills and have experience. In
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  Speaker 2: a book, bush takes time, So time is always the
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  Speaker 2: one factor to consider, so that you know, determines the
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  Speaker 2: level of skill and the level of guiding that is needed,
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  Speaker 2: and so we've also been able to have it on
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  Speaker 2: various parts of the country, which has brought it to
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  Speaker 2: a new level. But at the end of the day,
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  Speaker 2: it's about the level of guide and the guides that
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  Speaker 2: are being nominated, because this is a nomination process. So
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  Speaker 2: that's really amazing because that level has just increased every
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  Speaker 2: single year, and so the benchmark increases.
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  Speaker 1: And I mean when people think of safari guides, they
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  Speaker 1: often imagine someone driving a vehicle and then just pointing
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  Speaker 1: out animals. But I mean, this judging goes far beyond that.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I can already think that they're at the
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  Speaker 1: core part naturalist, part storyteller, safety officer, psychologist, someone who
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  Speaker 1: so knows where the blankets are when it's very very gold.
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  Speaker 1: What are the judges actually looking for, Michelle when they're judging,
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  Speaker 1: Because I mean, I'm sure you must get an incredible
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  Speaker 1: amount of guides nominated.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, you've touched on most of the categories that the
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  Speaker 2: judges look for and are involved in, but most of all,
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  Speaker 2: safety is the most important. But the overarching criteria is
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  Speaker 2: the level of professionalism and authenticity and level of experience
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  Speaker 2: because that pulls it all together when it comes down
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  Speaker 2: to the finer details. You know, a lot of the
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  Speaker 2: guards and the nominees that are posed as finalists do
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  Speaker 2: so well at the level of skill. But skill is
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  Speaker 2: one thing, having the skill and the safety, etc. But
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  Speaker 2: the determinating factor is what do they bring to the
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  Speaker 2: table that is authentic, because you want them to immerse
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  Speaker 2: their guests into their world and how they interpret the
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  Speaker 2: environment so that it's memorable.
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  Speaker 1: And Sarah has only become the second woman to win
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  Speaker 1: the title, I mean, what does that actually say about
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  Speaker 1: how the profession is changing. I mean, have you over
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  Speaker 1: the past fifteen years seen more and more women entering
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  Speaker 1: the field and being nominated.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, we definitely have. We're very proud of the fact
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  Speaker 2: that that has increased over the years. But you know,
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  Speaker 2: at the end of the day, it's not about gender
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  Speaker 2: at all. It's about what that experience is and the
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  Speaker 2: level of skill and experience. And it's just shown though
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  Speaker 2: that women are capable in that environment. It is a
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  Speaker 2: dangerous environment. You know, you're also considering the fact that
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  Speaker 2: sometimes finalists are married, might have children that sort of
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  Speaker 2: thing that are operating in the wild, and so that
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  Speaker 2: brings another whole dimension to their level of skill that
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  Speaker 2: they need to keep a balanced liass But we're very
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  Speaker 2: proud of the fact that more and more women are
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  Speaker 2: coming into this industry, and primarily because it's actually a
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  Speaker 2: legitimate profession. It is something that FORGASA has put on
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  Speaker 2: the table is to recognize guiding as a profession. So
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  Speaker 2: we're very proud of that fact, and he's very proud
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  Speaker 2: of Sarah of her achievement.
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  Speaker 1: If you aren't just joining us, we're inside of our
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  Speaker 1: wonder the World feature at the moment. And if you've
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  Speaker 1: ever been on safari and you'll know that a great
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  Speaker 1: guide makes all the difference. Joining us on the line
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  Speaker 1: as Michelle duplessis the managing director of the Field Guides
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  Speaker 1: Association of Southern Africa. But I want to turn our
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  Speaker 1: attention now to the newly crowned Safari Guide of the
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  Speaker 1: Year twenty twenty six, Sarah Barrett. Congratulations, Sarah, you must
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  Speaker 1: be quite schaffed.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you so much. Thank you for having me now.
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  Speaker 1: You're a guide at Thorny Bush with fifteen years of
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  Speaker 1: experience across the country. What went through your mind when
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  Speaker 1: your name was actually announced as the Safari Guide of
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  Speaker 1: the year.
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  Speaker 3: Gos I was seriously taken Aback. I genuinely couldn't believe
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  Speaker 3: it when they call my name. But yeah, now that
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  Speaker 3: it's starting to sink in, it just feels like an
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  Speaker 3: incredible honor.
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  Speaker 1: I'd like to start at the beginning with you, Sarah,
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  Speaker 1: what actually drew you into this line of work? Did
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  Speaker 1: you always know that you wanted to be a Safari guide?
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  Speaker 3: I didn't know it was possible. I come from England
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  Speaker 3: originally and always obsessed with African wildlife and conservation. Growing
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  Speaker 3: up in the UK, we're not told that being a
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  Speaker 3: Safari guide in South Africa is an option. So I was,
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  Speaker 3: I mean more the political route of conservation, studied government
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  Speaker 3: and politics, and then after my studies I came out
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  Speaker 3: to South Africa for what was supposed to be a
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  Speaker 3: short temporary volunteer program and realized I can be a
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  Speaker 3: field guide.
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  Speaker 1: And what was that journey?
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  Speaker 2: Like?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, would you say that it's an incredibly challenging
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  Speaker 1: and demanding.
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  Speaker 3: It was. It was a different world really. So many
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  Speaker 3: of the skills we used as a field guide were
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  Speaker 3: not something I'd been exposed to in England before, you know,
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  Speaker 3: firearm handling, off road driving, things like that handling dangerous
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  Speaker 3: game on foot, of course, but it's a challenge that
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  Speaker 3: is well worth taking.
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  Speaker 1: With Chatting to Sarah Barrett is the newly crowned Safari
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  Speaker 1: Guide of the Year twenty twenty six, only the second
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  Speaker 1: woman ever to win the title. When you hear that,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, what goes through your mind when you're you're
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  Speaker 1: only the second woman to win the title.
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  Speaker 3: It feels like and honor but also a big responsibility
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  Speaker 3: the show other women that they can do the same
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  Speaker 3: we are. Of course, men and women are capable of
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  Speaker 3: being exceptional guides.
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  Speaker 1: And people often think of guiding as you know kind
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  Speaker 1: of You know the names of the animals, you can drive,
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  Speaker 1: you know how to track. But what do you think, Sarah,
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  Speaker 1: are the skills that separate a good guide from an
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  Speaker 1: exceptional one. I mean, when you are greeting your guests
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  Speaker 1: to take them out on a drive, what is it
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  Speaker 1: that's going through your mind in terms of that experience
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  Speaker 1: that you want to leave them.
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  Speaker 3: With the most important thing, by far is the feeling
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  Speaker 3: you can create for the guests. You know, with a
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  Speaker 3: good game drive, you'll see a lot of nature, but
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  Speaker 3: with an unforgettable game drive, you don't just see nature,
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  Speaker 3: you leave feeling connected to it. So it's the feelings
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  Speaker 3: you can really create for and leave with your guests.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, one of the things that I think also,
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  Speaker 1: you must be equally good at reading people as reading animals,
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  Speaker 1: because I'm sure not every not every drive is the
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  Speaker 1: same because your people change all the.
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  Speaker 3: Time, definitely, and everybody's got a different point of connection.
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  Speaker 3: So you have to you do have to have that
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  Speaker 3: emotional intelligence. You have to be able to read your guests,
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  Speaker 3: and you have to be able to adjust your guiding
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  Speaker 3: tactics so that you can reach people and you can
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  Speaker 3: find their own point of connection.
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  Speaker 1: I often think as safari guides also as conservationists because
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  Speaker 1: I think that you have this incredible respect and patience
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  Speaker 1: for being in nature, but then because you're dealing with people,
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  Speaker 1: you have this ability to pass that on. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: is that something that you think about, you know that
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  Speaker 1: your love of wildlife and nature and preser serving those environments.
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  Speaker 1: Is it something that you think that you hope that
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  Speaker 1: you pass on to the people that you take on
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  Speaker 1: the drives with you.
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  Speaker 3: Definitely, definitely, And one of the most rewarding parts of
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  Speaker 3: our job is yes, we educate people. But once people
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  Speaker 3: learn about the natural world, they start to love it.
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  Speaker 3: And then when we love it, we want to protect it,
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  Speaker 3: and that is such a filling thing to be able
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  Speaker 3: to do.
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  Speaker 1: We are inside of our wonder the World feature today
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  Speaker 1: and joining us on the line our Michelle du pac,
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  Speaker 1: Managing director of the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa,
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  Speaker 1: and Sarah Barrett, the newly crowned Safari Guide of the
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  Speaker 1: Year twenty six I want to come back to you, Michelle,
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  Speaker 1: if anyone's listening at the moment and thinking, my goodness,
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  Speaker 1: I know somebody that I would like to nominate. How
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  Speaker 1: does the process actually work every year?
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  Speaker 2: The process is pretty pretty simple. On our website, there
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  Speaker 2: is a Safari Guide of the Year section and there
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  Speaker 2: is a nomination form, so we appeal. You know, guards
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  Speaker 2: are nominated through guests, they nominated through their peers, they
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  Speaker 2: nominated through the establishments that they work at, so it's
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  Speaker 2: a very organic way of being nominated. So there's a
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  Speaker 2: form they fall in and towards the end of the year,
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  Speaker 2: we'll open those nominations up to start getting ready for
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  Speaker 2: next year, and they just simply send them through and
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  Speaker 2: then we follow a quite a rigorous selection process of
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  Speaker 2: all the nominations that we've received.
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  Speaker 1: Are the judges going on all the drives with all
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  Speaker 1: the different nominated guides, how do they I'm thinking that
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  Speaker 1: would be a lovely job.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, it would be if we had, you know, if
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  Speaker 2: we had. We've been very fortunate. You know, every year
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  Speaker 2: there might be an opportunity where we need to if
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  Speaker 2: it's really tough to decide, you know, who those five are.
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  Speaker 2: We do like to go into the workplace just to
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  Speaker 2: get a little bit of extra exposure to the guides.
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  Speaker 2: But fortunately in the last couple of years we haven't
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  Speaker 2: had to do that the level of the interview because
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  Speaker 2: we run a series of interviews with the judges and
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  Speaker 2: that gives us a good feel and generally we've been
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  Speaker 2: so fortunate to have such an exceptional level, So.
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  Speaker 1: Michelle, for someone like me who's been on a few
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  Speaker 1: drives and really sometimes I'm thinking, this has been such
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  Speaker 1: an exceptional guide tour. I can then just go over
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  Speaker 1: to the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa website and
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  Speaker 1: I will find the nomination form live there.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely it's downloadable and it can just be emailed to
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  Speaker 2: myself and the details are on that form or that
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  Speaker 2: could give us a call as well, and the details
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  Speaker 2: are on the website.
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  Speaker 1: Now I want to come back to you, Sarah, who
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  Speaker 1: is the current newly crowned Safari Guide of the Year
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  Speaker 1: twenty six. You spend so much time observing nature, and
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  Speaker 1: I would imagine cultivating patients because you don't always get
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  Speaker 1: to see what your guests are hoping to see. What's
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: the biggest Listen that the bush has kind of taught
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  Speaker 1: you about this patients and this life.
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  Speaker 3: Did It's not just about the big things. Of course,
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  Speaker 3: our guests come, especially from overseas, and want to see
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  Speaker 3: the typical big five and the bigger game. But a
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: lovely part of the experience is being able to infuse
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: them about all of it big and small. If you
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: don't see big game, there'll be plants, they'll be birds,
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  Speaker 3: they'll be insects, you can talk about the ecosystem as
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  Speaker 3: a whole. It's all fascinating and it's all connected.
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure that every guide has countless of stories to
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  Speaker 1: tell about encounters that give them goosebumps on the any
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  Speaker 1: that you would like to share with us, just maybe
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  Speaker 1: one that you found was a really standout moment.
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  Speaker 3: In your career. God, there's so many, but the moments
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  Speaker 3: that always give me the biggest goofsbumps and always the
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  Speaker 3: most moving for me when you can see that moment
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  Speaker 3: within your guests where they realize that we are a
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  Speaker 3: part of nature, we're not separate from it. That moment
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  Speaker 3: it is life changing for anybody who experiences it. So
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  Speaker 3: to be able to create that and share in it
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  Speaker 3: with the guests of the guide is always so precious.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. And I always imagine as well that this thing
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  Speaker 1: about being a great storyteller, I mean, do you see
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  Speaker 1: yourself as a storyteller as well, Sarah? Is this a
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: skill that you had to cultivate over time or you're
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: just natural at that as you were growing up.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: I I'm sure my parents would sell as good at
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: selling a story.
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: As a kid.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: But it's of course a skill you've got to learn.
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  Speaker 3: You've got to you've got to develop mal matter how
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: naturally it might come to you in the beginning. It's
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: a skill that you definitely develop over the years and
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: you change how you tell stories to different people.
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  Speaker 1: The other thing that I would imagine that you also
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: as a skill that you need to have as a
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: guide is kind of having spidy sensors almost because you're
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: a safety officer, You're you're tracking, you're trying to look
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: for the big game as well as tell that beautiful
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: story having patience and timing. Do you guys have spidy sensors?
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: I mean, is that the correct way to put it?
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: I would imagine that there's like all these things happening
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: at the same time, even though most guides that I've
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: ever met look very calm.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, it is again a trained skill, your observational skills,
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: your observational awareness. There is a lot of things going
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  Speaker 3: on all at once. You're on the radio, you're working
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: with your tracker, You're looking for signs of animals, animals themselves,
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: managing them and their behavior, keeping an eye on your guests,
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: interacting with your guests, and over time, you just get
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: used to juggling all these different aspects of the job.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: It becomes like second nature. Then to you, Yeah, would
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  Speaker 1: you encourage would you encourage young people, particularly young women,
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  Speaker 1: to pursue this as a professional career.
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  Speaker 3: If this is what you love, If wildlife conservation and
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: sharing that enthusiasm with others is what you love, and
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: definitely definitely, it's an incredibly fulfilling role.
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: Well, I want to say congratulations again Sarah Barrett, the
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: winning guide for the Fari Guide of the Year twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty six, and thank you so much to you and
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: to Michelle so much. It's a pleasure. Thank you so
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: much to you and to Michelle Duplessi is the Managing
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: director of Field Guides Association of Southern Africa. Sarah is
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: a guide at Thorny Bush. But there are so many
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: wonderful I mean, we just live in a country where
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: so many wonderful guided safari drives that you can take.
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: And if you've had a spectacular a safari drive or
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: a guide, you welcome to share that with us as well.
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: Would love to know your experience. Yes, anecdotes stories, particularly
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: about spotting things. I've been on one recently and for
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: me what was so fascinating is it's the first time
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: that I paid attention, like Sarah was saying, to the
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: entire ecosystem. You know, you get into the drive and
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: you're thinking, oh, I just want to see those animals.
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: But actually the last US drive that I was on,
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: the guide really painted such a beautiful picture of the
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: entire ecosystem that I wasn't looking at for the pig
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: animals anymore. I was actually looking at the plants trying
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: to see what was flowering, because it was actually in
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: the Rhinostobos region, which is sadly an ecosystem that's shrinking,
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: if I can put it that way. But what a
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: wonderful initiative from the Field Guide's Association of Southern Africa.
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: And we say congratulations again to Sarah Barrett is the
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: newly crowned Safari Guide of the Year twenty twenty six.
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  Speaker 1: I want to encourage you to head over to the
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: Field Guide's Association of Southern Africa's website. If you've done
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: a drive and want to nominate a guide, please do