About us

Ecotourism is currently one of the fastest growing sectors in South Africa. Landowners are now changing their land into private nature reserves, game farms, lodges and bush camps. This leads to job-creation and the huge need for trained and passionate field guides, game rangers and game farm managers.

At Impala we can certainly say that we are probably the foremost leader in experience concerning training and training techniques. We are taking the lead in the training industry and our training and success are well known and appreciated.  

We guarantee you the best possible training and value for money (and of course an unforgettable experience in the bush!!) You will be able to work as a game ranger as well as other nature related areas. The standards that we set for our selves as well as our students are very high and we suspect that for this reason our students do not have too much difficulty finding jobs quickly.

One of the main advantages of these courses are the fact that in a relative short period of time you can be trained efficiently enough for you to be able to walk out of here and find a job without too much difficulty. It is definitely not necessary to study for 3 or 5 years to be able to do the work.  We have many contacts in the industry and gladly refer our students who have finished, passed and have the correct qualities for this kind of work. We also go the extra extra mile for our students who have completed all the courses, since these students have acquired many skills and valuable experience and knowledge and we are confident in their training and knowledge once they have completed and passed all the courses.

We have recently bought our own game farm where the training is being done as opposed to the camps that we used to rent in the past. The farm is 60 km’s from Warmbaths and called Impala Adventure Lodge and Game Farm. Students are also taken to other reserves and lodges during the different course for outings and training. Large and smaller game species are found on the different game farms we use for training.  We have an extremely wide range of books and videos available for the students and that form part of the training programme and some of the lodges used for outings include De Wild Cheetah and Wild Dog Breeding Centre, Mabula Game Lodge, Zebula Country Lodge, Mountain View Nature Reserve, Noveni - Balule Nature Reserve, Kruger Park, Masebe Nature Reserve, Marakele, The Elephant Sanctury, Khamai Reptile Centre and others. Clean, neat facilities, exquisite nature and good food make every day on this course a privilege and an unforgettable experience!

Students usually spend early mornings in the veld with practical, during the day busy with lectures, pop quizzes and studying and the evenings, making dinner, studying and (when time permits) around the camp fire. Meals include braai's, potbreads, salads and pasta’s.

Your head instructor and also sole owner of Impala, Lizel,  is well trained in the relevant area and has a Diploma in Tourism and Public Relations, FGASA Level 3, Cyber Tracker (Tracks and Signs) Level 3 and is also trained as a THETA assessor. She is a dedicated naturalist and her dedication to nature found it’s roots partly in growing up in the bush and her unusual way with animals.
We are dedicated and passionate about training and our success lies in that we strive to put great guides in the industry, not to just train them with the correct information but also how to cope with their working environment.

The course fees include meals, accommodation, activities and training. Courses are conducted in both English and Afrikaans.

Why choose Impala?

• Well trained, dedicated and carefully selected instructors.
• Professional, practical, theoretical and enjoyable training.
• High standards, well known in the industry, which is an added advantage when applying for work.
• Impala has been running for 11 years and as a result has many contacts in the industry.
• We help with placements. We charge no additional fees for this service and only place students with lodges that have a good reputation and high standards themselves.
• Field guiding Course two-in-one.
• Wonderful training facility. (Impala recently acquired its own game farm!!!)
• Research material – a book and video collection that would be difficult to beat.
• Impala’s good name and excellent reputation.
• Good food, well organized set-up and good moral values and systems.
• OUR STUDENTS FIND JOBS EASILY

Remember that you can get training anywhere, anyplace and anytime, but quality and the amazing friendships forged on course and the entire experience is absolutely unique to Impala.