Fifteen women in Botswana have joined the elite ranks of safari guides, the first cohort of women to do so. They are graduates of a training program run by African Bush Camps Foundation, a non-profit sponsored by African Bush Camps, which runs a network of 17 luxury tented safarei camps across three African countries.
ABCF’s Female Guide Program is an intensive, two-year curriculum of theory, practical, and on-the-job training in African Bush Camps camps, designed to boost confidence, build companionship, and sharpen critical skills, from wildlife and conservation to photography and tracking. The graduates play a key role in paving the way for more balanced gender representation in the safari industry and offer strong support for women pursuing guiding careers. Their success will help more women enter this traditionally male-dominated field.
The women in the first cohort, all from villages in Botswana near the areas where the camps operate. Three additional cohorts are in training in Botswana and three in Zambia. The foundation plans to start a similar program this year in Zimbabwe, the other country in which ABC operates.
