On 7 June, Kimberlee Le Hanie from Lion Sands made history as the first woman to win Safari Guide of the Year in the history of the competition.
Kimberlee has been guiding for nearly six years since qualifying as a guide through the MORE Field Guide College in 2017. Kimberlee now guides at Lion Sands Private Game Reserve in Greater Kruger. Picture: Armadillo Media
An initiative of the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA), the competition highlights the best in the guiding industry each year, by putting Southern African guides through a series of tough events to test critical guiding skills.
Over the past six days, five contestants from game reserves across South Africa have been put through their paces in numerous challenging events.
Hosted by Kapama Private Game Reserve, this year’s Safari Guide of the Year saw the contestants, judges, media and sponsors wined, dined and hosted in style.
Judged by the industry’s most esteemed guides and experts, Pioneer Moyo from Bushwise, Jan Dykema from Shamwari, Warren Deyzel from Imbali Safari Lodge, Ruan Coetzee from Kapama and an invitational candidate, Francois du Plessis from N/a’an ku sê Collection in Namibia joined Kimberlee in the competition to be named 2023’s Safari Guide of the Year.
The contestants were dressed by Ruggedwear, a generous sponsor of the competition and leading safari outfitter in South Africa. Picture: Armadillo Media
The first event was track and sign, where the finalists were tested on their abilities to identify spoor and other signs of the bush, from caterpillar trails to dung to bird and insect tracks. Pioneer took first prize in this event, while Kimberlee was the runner-up.
The finalists were all tested on their bird identification skills in a slide and calls test, with fifty images and fifty calls to identify. Kimberlee scored the highest in the birding event, followed by Pioneer.
Tricky tracks included squirrel spoor, dung beetle tracks and a track left by hundreds of processionary caterpillars. Picture: Armadillo Media
Each of the finalists was then judged on their individual abilities to lead a guided walk, guide a photographic drive and guide a regular game drive, some of the most important skills to have as a safari guide.
They were assessed on everything from their awareness of their environment, to their interaction with their guests, their knowledge out in the bush and their hosting and hospitality skills. On the photographic drive, they had to take light and angles into consideration and position the vehicle to give photographers the best chance at getting the shots they needed, all the while reading and anticipating animal behaviour.
Sponsored by Canon, the photographic event saw contestants having to anticipate and deliver good photographic opportunities for their guests in the back. Picture: Armadillo Media
Ruan Cotzee, with home-ground advantage, took first prize for the guided walk, followed by Jan Dykema. Warren Deyzel scored highest for the guided photographic drive, followed by Ruan, while Kimberlee scored highest for the game drive category followed by Warren.
On Kimberlee’s drive, she was able to deliver a leopard sighting which made for happy guests. Picture: Armadillo Media
In the evenings, the finalists’ skills were put to the test around the campfire as they each had a night to captivate their guests with a story. Some hilarious and heartwarming tales were shared around campfires within Kapama River Lodge’s various dining areas, including an exclusive dinner out in the bush, but ultimately Kimberlee’s story won her first prize, followed by Jan.
Fireside storytelling at Kapama was a highlight each night, with finalists regaling guests and judges with their most humorous and heartwarming stories from guiding in the bush. Picture: Armadillo Media
On the final day of the competition, the finalists’ advanced rifle-handling skills were put to the test, with Jan taking first prize and Kimberlee taking second.
Throughout the week, the finalists’ hosting and hospitality skills were observed. It’s one of the most important, yet underrated skills as a guide and extends far beyond the end-of-game-drive time. Ultimately, Jan won this category with Kimberlee coming in second.
Kimberlee’s accumulated scores made her the clear winner, and the FGASA team was thrilled to announce her as the first woman to ever win the competition.
‘Not only are you the first ever woman to win Safari Guide of the year but you truly showcased the essence of the competition, represented everything that it stands for and we could not be more pleased to hand the title to such a beautiful soul. You truly deserve this accolade and we hope that this will inspire you to continually develop, push the boundaries of guiding excellence and be an inspiration to all women and guides in the safari tourism industry. Keep being exactly who you are, that is what makes you one of a kind and that is exactly what the winner of Safari Guide of the Year should be!’ said Michelle Du Plessis, managing director of FGASA.
The prizes
Birding event: Canon Binoculars
Hospitality event: R5 000 cash prize
Game drive event: R8 000 from FreeGo Canvas
Bush walk event: R8 000 from Sapmok
Storytelling event: Book selection plus R5 000 from Kruger2Canyon News
Track and sign event: R8 000 from FGASA
Advanced rifle handling event: R8 000 from Ruggedwear
Photographic experience event: Camera and lens to the value of R40 000
Overall runner-up: R15 000 from WISE (Women in Safari Excellence) received by Jan Dykema.
Winner: R25 000 from Canon, a $1000 cash prize, and a two-night stay at Ongava in Namibia, received by Kimberlee. She also gets to choose a previously disadvantaged candidate to go on a three-month guiding course at the NJ More College Marataba, to the value of R88 000.
Photography and videography by Armadillo Media
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