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Elephants take a break from the heat with a drink and a splash at the Hapoor Dam in the Addo Elephant National Park
Elephants take a break from the heat with a drink and a splash at the Hapoor Dam in the Addo Elephant National ParkPicture: Fredlin Adriaan

Reader's View: Appreciating Nature's Hidden Wonders at Addo

The true value of an experienced tourist guide

1 min read

In a reflective letter responding to Jaco J C Ras's insights on guiding from Addo to Storms River, reader Gabriel Booysen highlights the often-overlooked value of professional tourist guides. The safari experience is about far more than just ticking off the 'Big Five' and snapping photos; it is about interpreting the full landscape of nature.

SummaryOpen the quick read
  • A response to Jaco J C Ras's article commends his focus on the vital role of skilled tourist guides.
  • Visiting national parks involves far more than merely tracking the famous 'Big Five' for photographs.
  • Skilled guides bring attention to smaller wonders like bird calls, plants, tracks, and the unique Addo flightless dung beetle.
  • Interpretation and storytelling transform simple sightings into memorable educational experiences.
  • A professional guide helps tourists truly understand what they are seeing rather than merely spotting wildlife.

I read with great interest Jaco J C Ras's article “A Guide's perspective from Addo to Storms River”.

I would like to congratulate him on an excellent article and more importantly on highlighting the often underestimated value of a knowledgeable tourist guide.

One of the greatest misconceptions about visiting a national park is that the experience is simply about finding the “Big Five” and taking photographs.

Of course, these encounters are exciting but there is much more to discover.

A good guide can make visitors aware of the smaller and often overlooked wonders of the natural environment — a particular bird call, an unusual plant, animal tracks, insects, or the behaviour of a herd.

As Ras so aptly demonstrates with the example of the Addo flightless dung beetle , knowing what you are looking at can completely change your experience of a place.

A guide also brings knowledge, history and interpretation to what visitors see.

You cannot make elephants appear on demand but you can help visitors understand the landscape and appreciate what nature chooses to reveal that day.

The most memorable experiences for visitors have not necessarily included the largest or most spectacular animals.

Sometimes, it is the unexpected sighting, an interesting story or a small detail that they would have otherwise driven past.

That is the real value of a professional guide: They do not merely show visitors what is there: They help them understand what they are seeing.

I therefore thank Ras for putting this important aspect of tourism into words.

Gabriel Booysen, Colchester