Looking for a Career Change – Speak to Marie

Q: How long have you been a guide?

I only started training as a Field Guide in August 2020 and did my Apprentice Trails Guide course shortly thereafter.

In my previous life I did something completely different. I studied Media Management and worked as a Marketing Manager in Germany.

Q: What made you want to become a guide? 

Since I first set foot in South Africa in 2010, I have always felt at home here. I love how much more connected to nature I am here and whenever I had to go back to Germany it felt like something was missing.

I knew I wanted to become more involved in wildlife and the bush but for a long time I had no idea that it was even possible for me to train as a guide.

Eventually I got to a point in my life, where it felt like nothing made sense anymore and I felt quite lost. I remembered my desire of being more connected with nature.

Long story short, and a lot of internet research later, my husband and I moved to South Africa, and I signed up for a Field Guide course.

 Q: How many trails do you do on average a year? (COVID aside!) 

I’m still at the very beginning of my guiding career. I have been extremely lucky to be able to work as a back-up guide with the training provider I trained with after I finished my Apprentice Trails Guide course.

After that I wanted to introduce my friends to the walking safari business and now I’m just back from my first trail where all the guests were friends which made it even more fun. I guess that’s how it starts, right?

Q: Which is your favourite trail in SA/in the world? 

Definitely the Otter Trail. But I’m keen on doing a trail in the Drakensberg Mountains soon and I’m sure this will be awesome too.

Q: Which is your favourite trail elsewhere in the world?

Coming from Germany there is a trail I love called “Westweg”, a well-known trail through the Black Forest in the south of Germany.

It starts in the Northern Black Forest and ends 288 km later in Basel, Switzerland. Totally different to South Africa obviously but the scenery along rivers in the dense forest is amazing!

In general, I love hiking in the mountains.

Q. Which trail in SA is on your bucket list?

Definitely a trail in the Drakensberg Mountains and the Whale Trail.

Q. What has been your most scary/exciting encounter with an animal on trail? 

It happened during a coffee break in the morning in Makuleke. Everyone was relaxed, chitchatting and not 100% focusing on the surroundings when suddenly a Buffalo bull ran towards our group.

He must have been spooked by something and was obviously running away from it and then almost bumped into us. You could see that he wasn’t in an aggressive mood, but rather just unsure about what he should do now.

Luckily after a lot of grunting and snorting he decided to turn around and run away from us and we could all calm down again.

Q: Which is your favourite trail food meal? 

My favourite Trail food meal is the Mushroom Risotto….Honestly, if my friends read this they will all burst out laughing because everyone knows that I absolutely hate mushrooms.

I think I mixed up an order and therefore had the mushroom risotto and now it’s my absolute favourite! So well done for convincing me to eat a mushroom risotto 😉