4X4 TRAILS AND OVERLAND (ADVENTURE) TOURIST GUIDE TRAINING

MASAZANE EXPEDITIONS were granted SATOUR accreditation as a training institution in June 2000 to present the 4x4 Trails and Overland Tourist Guide Course. We obtained THETA Accreditation (Interim) in July 2001 and are awaiting the appropriate Unit Standards to be registered before full THETA accreditation can be issued.

The course is designed to further train and register existing 4x4 trail operators, to train new candidates and to educate any enthusiast who wishes to do the course for interest. The course enables all participants to share their personal experiences and add to the contents of the course. The course manual is updated on a regular basis to ensure that the information is up to date with the new developments in the industry.

The course is presently only offered in Cape Town and Pretoria but we will present the course elsewhere if requested and if there are enough candidates, e.g. the course has been presented for the De Beers Group at Kleinzee for a group of twelve (12) candidates.

course outline

The course is very comprehensive and it focuses on the safety and satisfaction of the client. It includes, amongst others, the following subjects:

· General Tourist Guide Attributes

· 4x4 Driver Training Theory

· 4x4 Vehicle Recovery Theory

· Bush Mechanics

· Cooking in the Bush

· First Aid with respect to African diseases

· Basic Survival

· Expedition Planning and Organisation

· Marketing

· Navigational Techniques

· Communications

· Environmental Aspects

· Photography

· Geology

· Weather Patterns

· etc. …

The course is presented with the help of other specialists. Candidates in Pretoria can expect (depending on their time table) lectures from Ulrich Oberprieler, Prof. Braam van Wyk, Prof. Derck Smits, etc. and those in Cape Town from John Spencer, etc. Candidates are taken to either the Pretoria Zoological Gardens or the Tygerberg Zoological Gardens near Paarl where a lecture on animal behaviour, reptiles, etc. is presented. A visit to Botanical Gardens also forms part of the training.

All participants have to complete three project questions that assess the candidate's ability in applying knowledge and experience in real life situations. At the end of the training period, a closed book written examination is also completed to test their recollection and understanding of the course. The questions are designed to evaluate their understanding and competence of the requirements in the Unit Standards. Each candidate is also assessed on a practical basis to determine their suitability and competence as Tourist Guides.

All participants have to complete a number of assignments that assess the candidate's ability in applying knowledge and experience in real life situations. The National Certificate has been registered for Level II and Level IV. Level II is basically relevant to site guides and Level IV to Provincial and Adventure Tourist Guides. Unfortunately the Elective Unit Standards for ALL Adventure Tourist Guides have not been registered yet. These Unit Standards are all still on the waiting list or are in process of being studied by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

This means that all candidates that have attended this course will not presently be able to be assessed IN FULL and placed on the national framework, i.e. they will not be in possession of a national qualification as yet. The good news is however that they can still be registered with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) in order to operate as Tourist Guides legally under the newly gazetted system. Once registered with DEAT each candidate has eighteen (18) months from 01 April 2002 to comply with the new regulations and be registered with THETA as a Tourist Guide with a national qualification. We are sure that within this time THETA would have registered all relevant Elective Unit Standards.

Anyone wanting more detailed information on the 4x4 Trails and Overland Tourist Guide Course should contact us as soon as possible to reserve their place on the next planned course.

DATES FOR 2006 :

Based on many requests, we have decided to try dates that fall over weekends… Let us know what you think!! The following dates are planned for this course:

Klerksdorp 18 to 21 March 2006

Cape Region 27 April to 01 May 2006

26 to 30 October 2006

Louis Trichardt (Makhado) 15 to 19 June 2006

12 to 16 October 2006

Please remember that if six (6) or more persons get together then the Course can be presented at a town / city of your choice.