Silence. A crunch. A rustle. A grumble. A snarl. A growl. A bark. A snort. A splash. A yelp. A laugh. A call. Silence
How many of these sounds did you hear while on safari? And how many of these sounds did you recognize as the possible presence of one of the fantastic animals you came to see?
There are many ways for you to enhance your safari experience. One of them is learning what to listen out for. So let’s look into that!
One of the most important aspects when considering how to enhance your experience on safari is understanding and appreciating the important roles every member of the team at the lodge plays while on your safari. Today we are focusing on the guides who will be the custodians of your wildlife experiences.
Guiding is one of the most well-respected jobs in the tourism industry. It is an art, that to be mastered requires patience, understanding, awareness, and personality. The guides in your Desert & Delta Safaris lodges have spent years in the bush, having grown up in remote and wild regions of Botswana where they have learnt about nature and wildlife from generations before them. They have all obtained guiding qualifications from some of Botswana’s many respected guiding institutes before joining Desert & Delta Safaris, where they furthered their skills through our advanced guide training program managed by our experienced team of trainers and assessors. This is important to keep in mind when out on activities to make sure you are appreciating and understanding these professionals and what they are listening out for.
A male lion in the Moremi Game Reserve
So, let’s look at what some of these sounds may mean.
The silence before a cheetah bursts out on the hunt to create the element of surprise; the grumble of an elephant communicating with herd members kilometers away; the crunch of a hippo walking over dead leaves; the snort of a buffalo in the bushes; the growl of a weary lion; the bark of an alarmed impala; the splash of a retreating crocodile; the rustle of a hornbill feeding; the snarl of a leopard protecting its a meal; the laugh of a spotted hyena; the call of the eerie trumpeter hornbill; the yelp of a baby baboon; the silence of the guides as they listen out for all of the above.
Now that you are ready to listen to all the telltale signs of something interesting, be sure to apply your newfound knowledge on your next Desert & Delta safari!