Becci at home in the bush

I have been at Black Leopard Campus now for nearly 2 months now, in that time I have had lots of small adventures, seen some amazing birds and animals, and learned more than I ever thought I could in such a relatively short time. I am on the Field Guide course, and cannot imagine anywhere better to do this course. There is no distraction of the “Big 5”, so more focus can be put on learning about the trees, birds and smaller mammals. This is a place where you really learn how to guide!

Tara is a fantastic teacher, very patient, and helps find the best ways for you to learn (mine is repetition apparently! )

I have been fortunate enough to see a genet only metres away, been run into by a sengi (elephant shrew) and sat and watched an adult male giraffe teach a young male how to fight admittedly they were aiming for the wrong end, but I'm sure they will work it out eventually!

Life here is never dull, every other week we go to a local school to help out, which is so much fun! If there is a leopard sighting or heard calling, we rush to the area, we help fight fires (and build our own for cooking!).

When work is done, there are lots of options, but my favourite is to spend time in the hammocks! It is amazing how easy it is to fall asleep there.

I was amazed when I got here to find tap water you can drink, electricity to charge phones and laptops, and even a fridge!! If you have never been to the bush before you may not realize how luxurious that is! And also hot water for the shower (once you have lit the fire for it). All this in the middle of the African bush! It is certainly a place like no other.