Fewer than 10 percent of safari guides in Africa are women—for now, that is. The safari company African Bush Camps (ABC), which has 18 lodges across Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, is working to change that. “We want to make sure that this is a normal thing,” says, the company’s founder, Beks Ndlovu. “My ambition or aspiration is that by 2030, 50 percent of our workforce as guides are actually females.”
In 2021, ABC launched its Female Guides Program, a fully funded, intensive, three-year curriculum in Botswana and Zambia where women learn the ins and outs of guiding, including ecology, tracking, and first aid. Since the start of the project, 24 women have been accepted, but not all of them stuck with it; there are currently 12 in the program: 8 trainees, and 4 qualified guides. Three more women have graduated and taken jobs at other companies since ABC, critically, doesn’t require them to stay.
“It’s not just about giving capacity to my organization,” says Ndlovu. “This is actually giving capacity to our industry. So whether people stay with us or we train people and they go to other organizations, that’s up to them. As long as we are making an impact in the landscape of tourism and changing mindsets, that’s what’s important.”
ABC isn’t the first company to hire female guides—Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana has an all-female guiding team and Dunia Camp in Tanzania is completely run by women—but ABC’s focus is broader, making sure women are fully integrated into the tightly knit guide cadre rather than siloed into “all-girl” groups.
Ndlovu admires what the Chobe Game Lodge has done, but, he says, “I think impact is only realized when these things are normalized throughout society, throughout our industry, and not necessarily to create a bubble where they exist.”
This past fall, I traveled to two of ABC’s Botswana camps—Khwai Lediba and its newest, Atzaró Okavango—to meet some of the company’s female guides: Baemule “Bae” Siethuka, who became the first graduate of the Female Guide Program in 2025; Tshidi Phalaagae, who was then just a few weeks shy of graduating; and Jessica Motshegwa, who began training in 2025.
While I expected a certain level of knowledge and proficiency, what struck me most was how different—and inspiring—it was to be guided by these passionate women. I’ve been on safari before, but this time the experience felt more intentional—in how the guides drove (more slowly, carefully avoiding potholes), in how they planned out which animals we’d try to see (every morning we’d set goals), and even in how they gave guests ample time to take photos (and ensure we got the right angle).
Siethuka, Phalaagae, and Motshegwa came to guiding on a whim but each woman quickly discovered it was her calling and now hopes to encourage more women to follow in their footsteps. “I want to be a trigger,” Siethuka told me. “I want to show ladies that challenges should not stop us. I want to let ladies know that we have potential. We can do this.”
Here, the three women share their journeys to becoming safari guides.
Jessica Motshegwa, 26, a trainee guide from Mmadinare, Botswana
Trainee guide Jessica Motshegwa joined the program in 2025.
Photos by Ellen Carpenter
“My cousin sent me a link to the African Bush Camps opportunity post on Facebook and said, ‘You should try your luck,’ because I had been to Kasane [the gateway town to Botswana’s Chobe National Park] once, when we went on game drives with my family. I told my cousin that I want to be like those people—they’re driving, teaching people all about our nature, all about wild animals.
“Before I went for my interview, I didn’t tell anybody, not even my mom. At first, she didn’t really approve. She was like, ‘It’s too dangerous.’ But as time went by, she was like, ‘OK, if you really love it and it’s from deep down in your heart, then go for it.’ Now, she’s very proud of me. Every time I see something—lions, cheetahs—I’ll send her pictures.
“I have been scared, especially when I first started. One time, when we were in Mashatu [Game Reserve, in eastern Botswana], where we did our schooling, I was the guide of the day. While we were having our tea break, a very big herd of elephants came, surrounding our car. It was a breeding herd, so they had their babies. Our instructor said, ‘Get into the vehicle, just stay calm.’ As they passed, one elephant was shaking his ears, his head. I was terrified. But they just went on their way. We did not disturb them.
“Now, I’m used to elephants; I love them. As a guide, what I’ve learned is that before approaching them, you have to study their behavior. Do they look stressed? Are they OK? Are they relaxed? That’s when you can make a decision whether to approach.
“Birds are my favorite right now. The craziest thing I’ve learned is about the African jacana [bird]. The female will mate with the male, then it will leave the male with the eggs, and go mate with another male. She just lays the eggs, then boom—she goes to find another mate. Crazy.”
Baemule “Bae” Siethuka, 32, a junior guide from Tutume, Botswana
Baemule “Bae” Siethuka was the first graduate of the program and currently works at Atzaró Okavango camp in Botswana.
Photos by Ellen Carpenter
“Ladies do things differently—differently in the sense that they have that heart. Ladies are always gentle. But you have to be strong, too. We have to take power, show power. Guiding is for strong people. If something happens, you can be there to say, I’m in charge. And you have to be physically strong.
“As part of your training, you have to be able to change a tire. Imagine you go out with elderly people who cannot help you do it. What are you going to do? Are you going to spend hours waiting for help? These people are here to enjoy nature. They’re here to see animals. The moment you take 20 minutes trying to change a tire, the animals are gone. You have to ensure you make it quick, save that time, and keep going.
“I tell the other ladies that people have never thought we can do this. We have to stand up and have an I-can-do attitude. If we stick to the I-can-do attitude, nobody can stop us, no matter the challenges. Take those challenges as stepping stones; make them opportunities. Believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, you are unstoppable.”
Tshidi Phalaagae, 28, a trainee guide from Gaborone, Botswana
Tshidi Phalaagae was born and raised in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.
Photos by Ellen Carpenter
“One of the most exciting times was when I first spotted a leopard. I was with a gentleman called Double O, and he goes, ‘Wow, how did you spot that?’ Later that day, I spotted a leopard again. The guests ended up calling me a leopard queen! The following day, I was so motivated to go out on a game drive. If you spot something first, the other guides will drop a high five. They want to know: How did you do it? I look at the bushes and look for something that is not supposed to be there, something that looks like it’s moving. Then I know: That’s the one. Because when you look, you need to look down, up, and straight. We call it checking the newspaper for details.
“I came [to ABC] with zero knowledge of nature. When I started, they asked me if I’ve ever worked in the wilderness. ‘No.’ They asked, ‘Do you know anything about nature? ‘No.’ ‘OK, where are you coming from? Where’s home?’ I said I’m from the southeastern part of the capital city of Botswana. They were like, ‘What? More than 1,000 kilometers away from here? How did you get here?’ I said, ‘Passion got me here.’
“My favorite animal is an elephant. As much as people think it destroys things, it also helps us. It creates pathways for us, the same pathways that we drive on. Where we cross the water, we check first with elephants for the depth of the water. That’s how we know that it’s safe for us to drive through.
“[Elephants] are very strategic. They break down trees to cater to their young ones. Once those trees start to grow back their leaves, it is easy for the young ones to access [them].
“Also, elephants give a lot to the ecosystem. An elephant only digests about 40 percent of the food that they eat, and the rest comes out as it is, which is a source of food to other animals. It helps with seed dispersal and seed germination. And the elephant’s ear on its own tells us so much about Africa—the shape of the ear is the shape of the African continent.”
These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
