African-based safari company with luxury camps and lodges in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe currently trains 15 female guides, aiming to make the safari industry more accessible and inclusive for women

African Bush Camps Foundation (ABCF) welcomes its first female Safari Guides, the cream of a cohort of motivated women from communities in Botswana who have been trained in the ins and outs of guiding travelers safely and rewardingly through the bush.

ABCF’s Female Guide Program is an intensive, two-year curriculum of theory, practical, and on-the-job training in African Bush Camps (ABC) camps, designed to boost confidence, build companionship, and sharpen critical skills, from wildlife and conservation to photography and tracking. The graduates play a key role in paving the way for more balanced gender representation in the safari industry and offer strong support for women pursuing guiding careers. Their success is helping to break barriers and create opportunities for more women to enter this traditionally male-dominated field.

Among them, Baemule “Bae” Siethuka has become the first female guide to be promoted to trainee guide at ABC. Hailing from the village of Tutume in the country’s northeast, Bae dreamt of being a pilot but instead studied law and public administration before being inspired by a female guide and answering ABCF’s call for trainees. The Female Guide Program ignited her passion for nature and conservation, “things I’ve been interested in for as long as I can remember,” noting that her guiding combines her love of the wild and practiced communication skills.

“As a woman, there were challenges to being in such a male-dominated field, but that made me even more determined.” Now working at Atzaró Okavango Camp, ABC’s wildly luxurious oasis tucked amid winding waterways and grasslands in the vibrant and diverse Okavango Delta, Bae enlivens time on safari by sharing fascinating details of what waits in the bush and reassuring guests with her knowledge and preparedness. Confidence and professionalism quickly earn trust, she says. “By the end of the day, the guests and I have great connections that go beyond everyone’s expectations.”

Expanding the Female Guide Project

With the success of its first cohort of trainees, ABCF has expanded the Female Guide Project with three additional cohorts in Botswana and three in Zambia. The foundation plans to launch the Zimbabwe program in 2025, completing its vision of having female guides in the three countries in which it operates.