January 22, 2013

LIFE OF A FIELD GUIDE: JOIN ECOTRAINING IN LEWA IN FEBRUARY!



The vast open plains of East Africa have an allure all of their own... For as far as the eye can see there are open grasslands, dotted with wooden giants reaching for the skies and in the distance a mountain rising from the valley floor. Participants on an EcoTraining 28 day Safari Guide course in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya will get to view just this.

The next one starts on 10 February (until 9 March) and there is still some places left. Visit www.ecotraining.co.za or send an email to enquiries@ecotraining.co.za  to make sure you join in this remarkable experience!

A better camp and classroom setting one could hardly asked for – surrounded by fever trees on the edge of the swamp area, impalas and Grevy’s zebras make their way to greener pastures in the early morning, buffalo and rhino saunter past in the late afternoon, and as the sun is setting, the unmistakable call of a male lion. Priceless!
    
Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife
And with encounters like these experienced on the last course there, Lewa is certainly adhering to the notion that Africa just has its way with people, something that can’t be explained unless experienced, the ‘TIA’-feeling (This Is Africa):  “Had six elephant encounters, one rhino encounter (with three rhinos), and one lion encounter, all on their first afternoon game walk!”; “Two rhino encounters, also saw two sets of elephants and buffalo in the distance”; “Three elephant sightings with buffalo and rhinos in the distance and good birds along the swamp”; “29 reticulated giraffe together”. And so the lists just grow and grow, with sightings galore of mammals and birds all kinds of other big and small creatures!

With over 70 mammal species, including the endangered black rhino en Grevy’s Zebra, and more than 350 bird species, as well as glimpses of Mount Kenya, it is indeed the perfect setting for acquiring knowledge.

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife

Lewa wildlife
 The Safaricom campsite is the base of EcoTraining’s operations in Lewa and it is here that the students wake up every morning.  Returning to camp just as the sun is setting every day, with the lanterns lit and a scrumptious meal waiting, it really feels like home.  In between the early starts and the afternoon activities, the days are filled with lectures on a wide range of subjects, including ecology, geology, astronomy, mammals, reptiles, animal behavior to tracks and tracking.

Safaricom campsite

Safaricom campsite

Safaricom campsite

It is EcoTraining’s aim to give those, which are attracted by the lure of these wild and wonderful places, an experience to learn about the environment in an exciting way. We want to put the bush back into Africa for all those that are searching for the most authentic wildlife training and safari experiences. The combination of the lectures and the method of teaching, reinforced by practical experience out in the field and all under the watchful eye of our experienced instructors, make for an unforgettable experience with memories to last a life time.

Mount Kenya

Visit www.ecotraining.co.za for more or send an email to enquiries@ecotraining.co.za.

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