Bushwise Field Guides

I experienced the Bushwise Adventure Safari program, as part of Go Overseas' On the GO trips, an annual site visit perk offered to full time GO employees to join a partner program on GO, just like our community of travelers! I was lucky enough to go on a safari with Bushwise for 7 days and it was an experience i'll never forget!

As a first time safari goer, I didn't know what to expect, but this was better than I could imagine! Seeing elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, baby hyenas, a lion, rhinos, and plenty of more animals in their natural habitat is something I'll cherish forever.

Our field guide, Darryn truly made this experience immersive and customizable, and I left with a TON of new animal knowledge! Beyond just the game drives, Darryn showed us how to read animal trackings, thoroughly explained EVERYTHING we saw/answered every single question we asked LOL, and taught lectures at the camp about various topics like rhino poaching, medicinal plants, and more.

Plus, the camp was gorgeous! It's a quiet glamping experience literally in the bush! With it being a small group experience, I was worried about what the social life would be like but everyone was so friendly and we ate each meal together, hung out after/during drives, etc!

I highly recommend this safari program to anyone who wants to go beyond the typical safari experience and get a real, immersive understanding of the bush. I'd love to come back one day with my partner and family!! Thank you so much to Bushwise for the amazing experience.

As a 26-year-old, I always believed that going on a safari was something I would experience in my retirement years. I pictured fancy game lodges and long drives with a lot of animal sightings, but a LOT of money spent, too. I never could have expected the sort of experience Bushwise provides, which is an immersive, high-quality, and incredibly memorable trip in the bush at a price point my family, friends, and I could afford.

Now for the specifics—Something I really loved about Bushwise is the educational element woven throughout the entire experience. It's also flexible! If you want to join the group for a presentation on animal tracking, you can, but if you prefer a nap, you can do that too. The staff is 100 percent there to ensure you get the most out of your experience, however you want that to look. We were also served 3 meals a day and snacks, freshly prepared by our wonderful camp chefs. Our beautiful glamping site with not-so-occasional views of baboons, monkeys, and birds was very comfortable. We enjoyed lots of laughs with the other safari goers in our group, and loads of cool animal sightings, including sightings of 4 of the Big 5! Last but certainly not least, our group was very lucky to have a warm, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable guide, Darryn, who went above and beyond to make our experience the best it possibly could be.

Thanks to Darryn and his team, my experience with Bushwise is one I will never forget. I am telling everyone I know about their programs, regardless of age or travel experience, and I can only hope to come back myself one day!

I enjoyed the 60-day experience very much. It is difficult but definitely worth it.
Difficult because of the amount of information that we had to learn in a short period of time. As well as the early mornings (I'm not a morning person).
I loved the game drives as practical practice (practical drives), it definitely helped me learn better as I was seeing what we were learning about.
I also liked the trips out to the Hoedspruit Reptile Center and to Mariepskop.

This was a great and fun experience.
Thank you for everything Bushwise.

I had a wonderful time at Bushwise academy. I got to meet people from different countries and all were excited about nature.
It really felt like paradise.
The memories I collected are too exciting and I can’t wait to tell stories to my people back home.
The training I received was as expected.
I was not experienced in anything having to do with wildlife, but now I am feeling super confident with the knowledge I gained. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking to explore nature. This is the best place to be!

The Bushwise 60 day course is a fun filled, challenging and extremely rewarding experiance. As someone who didn't really know what to expect when joining my expectations have been met and fulfilled beyond my expectations. The instructors are extremely well qualified and insure you learn and grow to become the best possible guide you can be. The Mahlahla campus is a fantastic environment and the staff are so friendly and make delicious food. The all round experiance has been something I would highly recommend for someone looking to connect with the bush and nature.