Yes, girls can be Safari Guides too
What springs to mind when you picture a safari guide? A strong, middle-aged man with a beard and a gun slung across his shoulder? I bet you wouldn’t expect a petite, British woman sitting in the driver’s seat of a land cruiser…
In an informal chat with Kenya-based safari guide Lauren Noakes, we gained insight into what it’s really like training and working in the bush as a young female, and how her experiences shaped her journey as a guide.
When asked what inspired Lauren to become a safari guide, she remarked that ironically it was never her end goal. Following her love for animals and passion to aid the conservation effort, she studied undergraduate Zoology at Exeter University in 2019. After succeeding in her degree, an opportunity arose to train to be a safari guide in South Africa.
Whilst it may seem like living in the African bush and learning about animals with fellow students seems idyllic, Lauren alluded to some of the realities of training to be a guide; the training environment is highly competitive, in the sense that there are many students all vying to be the best student with the best grades, and ultimately be referred by the trainers for the best placements and jobs. “(it was) very much an ‘eat or be eaten’ type of situation, so proving yourself at the same time as keeping friendships within the group was certainly a balancing act”. Not only did she face these challenges, however being the only female trainee safari guide added to the mountain of difficulties. “I found that it was much harder to be credited for my successes as a female when I was training, which became increasingly frustrating.”
Once Lauren gained her credentials and became a qualified safari guide, it seems that this male bias and unequal treatment that she had previously experienced was to also infiltrate into her career. “To be completely honest, being a white person of privilege coming into a world where locals desperately need jobs was uncomfortable to say the least — while there was no outward discrimination, I would notice the small acts of exclusion… like when sightings (of animals) were called in on the radio, I was often one of the last to know about it, purely because I was an outsider, and so other native guides were informed of animals locations before I was”. When asked if this eventually improved and local guides became more accepting of her knowledge and experience as a guide, she did acknowledge that over time, local guides became gradually more respectful of her as she proved herself as worthy and accomplished. “Respect is a massive thing in the African bush. Whilst it’s important to not come across as arrogant, proving yourself as competent is necessary to establish your place in the guiding hierarchy.”
“Respect is a massive thing in the African bush”
While it seems apparent that being a white female became her trademark as a safari guide, we asked Lauren if she felt any pre-misconceptions from a guest perspective in her role as lodge manager in Kenya. “The reaction from some of the guests when I introduce myself as one of the guides is always amusing — a mixture of confusion and concern is often pasted across their faces. But ultimately, when you’re in the driver’s seat of the vehicle and being charged at by a 12-foot bull (male elephant), it’s irrelevant if you’re a big tough man or a small blonde woman. You simply need the confidence to de-escalate the situation.” Lauren told us about one of her more difficult guests, who demanded that he would only guided by a man, as he didn’t feel as though a women had the “expertise or strength that a male guide would have.” Despite these strongly rooted reservations regarding her capabilities, he changed his mind after a hair-raising lion encounter, proving herself as a capable and competent guide. With the safari industry being heavily male dominated, it’s no surprise that female safari guides are met with some degree of hesitation and uncertainty. But female guides are gradually becoming more accepted and appreciated in the industry, its now much less common to be shocked to see a woman in the front seat in the bush!
Empowering and inspiring other women to step into male dominated realms is one of the Lauren’s biggest motivations. “Don’t ever let being female stop you from doing anything — whether that be lighting the barbecue at home or becoming a safari guide in Africa!” Lauren’s living her dream, and perhaps after reading her story, others will be inspired to pursue their passions, regardless of gendered social constructs.
