Mwagusi Camp believes strongly in the in-house and on-site training of its safari guides. A full-time guide instructor is employed at the camp and an intensive guide training programme is in place with new recruits being taken in every year.  It is a multi-faceted learning approach with the aim of equipping its trainees with a variety of skills that will make them well suited to various facets of the tourism and hospitality industry in Tanzania.

The core objective is to improve a trainee’s wildlife and bush knowledge and nurture a better understanding of the land and the wildlife that surrounds them. These studies usually take at least 3 years to complete before a trainee has the experience and wildlife knowledge to work as a Mwagusi Safari Guide. The approach to learning is varied and interactive in the form of daily walks and classroom lessons.

Two walks occur daily in the early morning and late afternoon. During these walks’ students cover a broad number of topics including tracks, birding, insects, trees, animals and guiding etiquette. The walks are predominantly a means to question and answer and practice conveying information in an accessible and interesting manner. Not only students, but full-time experienced guides attend walks and assist students with explanations and understanding.

Classroom lessons run periodically throughout the day and are taken by our guide instructor and interspersed with examples and region-specific information from the experienced guides. Topics include mammals, insects, geology, ecology, animal behaviour and plants. Class is open to all members of staff and attended mainly by all guides and students. Students are challenged in their understanding and forced to substantiate their claims thereby enhancing their understanding. The class is interactive and encourages its members to research answers to their own questions using the material available in camp and consolidate this knowledge with our guide instructor as well as use practicing guide’s experience to corroborate new information.

English is also taught daily and class is open to all members of staff regardless of the extent of their command of the language. English is taught through grammar, reading, vocabulary and conversational practise. Recently this has been expanded to include digital facilities with tools such as Rosetta Stone which simultaneously increases its student’s computer skill base while providing new and captivating ways to learn.

In between a busy day of learning with classroom lessons and walks, trainees experience the alternative part of their training programme which includes mentorship and skills training in various departments within the camp. This ensures that all employees are rewarded with an extensive skill set. Trainee guides assist in areas such as waitering, bar tendering, housekeeping, butlery, cooking, and camp maintenance which includes masonry, carpentry, building, thatching and plumbing.

All staff is cross-trained in various trades awarding them with a diverse and varied skill set. A permanent camp-employed instructor trains guides through an intensive, ongoing bush guiding programme. Guests can also help the local communities by offering support and donations to the Foxes Community and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

At Mwagusi Camp, we are committed to the training and upliftment of the people of Tanzania. Most of the members of our staff come from rural communities and during employment with us find themselves not only making a living but also learning an array of useful skills.

We believe in the importance of cross-training to ensure our staff have the various skills needed to survive under any circumstance. All staff get regular exposure and on-the-job training in various activities and departments. Through on-the-job training, employees rotate through various departments, shadowing more experienced staff members and learning new trades and skills.

All members of staff are encouraged to learn and attend the classes of our grass-roots wildlife training programme. Here all members of staff can learn more about the environment in which they work and live and gain a better understanding of animal behaviour and bush wildlife. English classes are also conducted on a daily basis where all members of staff are encouraged to attend to improve their ability to converse in English.