Guide training · For lodges & safari operators
Guide training from someone who still guides
John Ekalale has guided guests across Kenya for more than seventeen years, on foot, by vehicle and on horseback. He now also trains guiding teams for lodges, camps and riding operations, and comes to wherever your guides work.
Why John
Why train with John
He’s still out there. John guides most weeks in the Maasai Mara. What he teaches is what works in the field this season, not what worked in a classroom years ago.
Lodges already trust him. Over the years, John has trained guides at several lodges across Kenya.
He knows the country. Raised in Laikipia and based in the Mara, he knows both landscapes, their wildlife and the way guests move through them.
Training happens at your place. Your land, your horses, your vehicles, your routes. Guides learn in the conditions they’ll actually work in, and your operation keeps running.
The programmes
What John teaches
Two programmes, run separately or together, and shaped around your team’s level.
Horseback guiding
For riding guides, or guides moving into horseback work.
- Reading horses and riders, and matching the right horse to each guest
- Briefing guests before a ride and managing mixed abilities
- Group position, pace and spacing in open country and thick bush
- Approaching wildlife on horseback: distances, when to hold, when to move away
- Handling the unexpected: a fall, a spooked horse, an encounter with dangerous game
Guiding
For walking and game-drive guides at any stage.
- Wildlife behaviour, tracking and reading the bush
- Safety on foot and in vehicles
- Interpretation: turning a sighting into a story guests remember
- Guest care, from the first welcome to the last sundowner
- Conservation and community, explained with honesty and context
Formats: a one-day refresher, a multi-day course, or a start-of-season programme for new teams.
How it works
Three simple steps
1
Tell us about your team
How many guides, what they do now, and what you’d like to improve.
2
John sends a proposal
A programme built for your property, with dates and a price.
3
He trains on site
John travels to you anywhere in Kenya and works with your guides where they guide.
Enquire
Let’s talk about your team
Every programme is priced for the property and the team. Send us a few details and John will come back to you personally, usually within a few days.
Prefer to talk? Message John on WhatsApp or send an email.
