African Private Guides Network expands to over 50 guides across 21 countries
The African Private Guides Network (APGN) brings together the best, brightest and most up-and-coming private safari guides on the continent; now, more than 50 members, drawn from 21 African countries. And, to narrow it down even more: our guides have daily rates from $100-2000 NETT, cover 10 speciality subjects (ornithology, herpetology, primates and great apes and photography safaris, etc.) and guide in eight foreign languages (including English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Mandarin and more).
For the travel industry, APGN offers a single point of access to vetted and quality private guides - removing the need to source, verify and negotiate with individual guides market by market. Guides can be added into an itinerary you are already planning, along side your DMC. Every member guides in the region they come from, which means the knowledge your client receives is lived rather than learned, and it is your trip that carries the credit.
Founded in 2023, APGN was created to empower African private safari guides and offer them direct access to quality bookings while championing indigenous-led, sustainable-focus safaris. Each guide is selected for skill and qualification, and equally for their personal connection to the region they guide in.
Alongside private guiding, the network also provides safari nannies for family and multi-generational travel.
Get to know three guides recently joined the network:
Schadrack Ivonguele from Congo-Brazaville, specializing in rainforest walking safaris
Lynette Bosshoff from South Africa, specializing in ornithology, bird photography and stargazing
Get to know your guides
Get to know some of our best private safari guides:
Tendekayi Guni: Tanzania, Scuba, Exceptional Guide
He moves between two worlds: based at Makubi Camp in Nyerere National Park, he guides across the African savanna and beneath the waters of the Indian Ocean with equal command. Walking safaris, wildlife photography and scuba diving are his passion. It is a rare combination, and it makes him one of the few guides on our roster who can carry a client from the bush to the reef without handing them over. He guides in Mozambique, Réunion and Mauritius and Madagascar and can speak English and conversational Portuguese.
Zarek Cockar: Kenya, Unusual Destinations, Exceptional Guide
A Gold Level guide holding FGASA Level 2 and a Cybertracker Level 3 Track & Sign qualification, Zarek guides across the continent, including two of Africa's least-travelled corners, Gabon and Chad - both among his favourite places to visit. He specialises in ornithology and has expert levels of knowledge when it comes to lesser known insects, trees and smaller animals.
Tim Leperes: Kenya, VIP/HNWI trips, Exceptional Guide
Born in Samburu, in the heart of the East African savannah, Tim has mastered the art of safari guiding. He is a multitalented guide, equally at home leading photographic safaris, walking safaris and off-the-beaten-track journeys, and a trusted choice for VIP and high-net-worth groups. He has also guided walking safaris across Africa, with some of his most memorable trips taking him through Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Botswana.
Jeannette Rugero: Rwanda, Female Guide, Exceptional Guide
Named the Best Guide in Rwanda in 2024, Rugero is especially passionate about off-the-beaten-path destinations, including the DRC, South Sudan, and other hidden gems of East Africa. She specializes in crafting cross-border road trips that combine wild adventure with rich cultural encounters, transforming every journey into a bucket-list experience, and is a quality Great Apes guide.
David Githu: Kenya, Spanish speaking guide, Exceptional Guide
Known as GG, David has more than twenty years in the field and over 500 safaris behind him. He is a multilingual guide, with the ability to guide in English and Spanish. Since 2018, he has presented live broadcast safaris for SafariLive and WildEarth, and he now films with the BBC Natural History Unit alongside his private guiding. He serves as an alternate director of the Kenyan-guide training institute, the KPSGA as is a Gold Standard guide. He guides across the continent, including in Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt and South Africa.
Yankuba Jammeh: The Gambia, Ornithology
A professional bird guide based at Kotu Creek in The Gambia, Yankuba has led specialist birding tours since 2008, He joined the Gambia Bird Guide Association in 2009 and has since served as its Secretary General, working alongside national tourism stakeholders and hosting visiting wildlife journalists and editorial teams. His finest moment in the field came while guiding two Dutch photographers: a falcon he identified as Red-necked proved on review of the images to be an Amur Falcon, a species never previously recorded in The Gambia. He guides in The Gambia and Senegal.
Working with APGN
Travel industry professionals looking to place a private guide into a trip they are planning anywhere in Africa can enquire directly through the network.
