Ranger looking over Luvuvhu River

Commemorate World Ranger Day

Celebrated around the planet, World Ranger Day honours the men and women who look after our wild spaces. Help us pay tribute to South Africa’s guides and rangers for the chance to win a 7-day experience from EcoTraining.

Every year, on 31 July, we stand still to reflect on the work of nature’s champions. Not only do they protect wildlife and look after nature – many of them put their life on the line to do so. If not for these committed guides and rangers, we would not know the pleasure of seeing elephants browse placidly or camping in an unspoilt spot.

How you can support rangers

  • Raise awareness of the work they do by sharing your experiences with friends and family. Whether it’s the ranger who showed you your first leopard or the one who pointed out a leopard orchid in the fork of a tree, tell others about their good work.
  • Post on social media to pay tribute to these conservation heroes – use the hashtags #WorldRangerDay and #StandWithRangers.
  • Honour the game rangers injured or killed in the line of duty with a moment of silence on 31 July.
  • Support parks and reserves by making them part of your travels and overnight stays, so they can continue to do their vital work.
  • If you can, make a contribution to organisations that support rangers. The Game Rangers Association of Africa and Ranger Protect have specific projects that you can get involved with to volunteer or make a donation.

Nominate a guide/ranger and win

A large part of what makes overlanding in Africa so special is the wild places. Eco-tourism is the lifeblood of our protected areas and during the pandemic it has come under considerable pressure. On this World Ranger Day we want to give a shout-out to the men and women working in South Africa’s game parks and nature reserves. The rangers, trails guides and field guides who look after our protected areas and help us appreciate it.

Nominate a South Africa-based ranger/guide who has impressed you and we could reward both of you with prizes, compliments of Tracks4Africa and EcoTraining. Simply send the name of the ranger/guide and your own to be entered into the lucky draw.

The lucky ranger will win: a Garmin GPS preloaded with Tracks4Africa GPS maps.

The nominator will win: a 7-day EcoQuest course by EcoTraining, educator for the safari industry.

Enter the competition

Send the full name of your nominated ranger and their protected area, along with your own details to competition@tracks4africa.co.za (subject line: Guardians of Nature). Closing date: 16 August 2020.

The competition has closed and we’d like to congratulate the winners:

Ranger: Henvik Visser, Section Ranger Addo Elephant National Park
Nominator: Louis Raath

Terms and conditions

  1. This competition is open to South African citizens and residents above the age of 18 only. Employees of Tracks4Africa, EcoTraining and their marketing agencies are not permitted to participate.
  2. The winner will be randomly selected and notified by email, as well as published on this site.
  3. The prizes are not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.
  4. The EcoQuest prize is valid for 2021 for any set departure on an EcoQuest course.
  5. The EcoQuest prize excludes travel to and from the specific camp where the course is held, beverages (beers, ciders, soft drinks) consumed during the stay, and third-party fees (entry to Kruger Park for Makuleke courses, cable car at Botswana border crossing).

Read more about rangers

It’s thanks to the work of rangers and conservation organisations that we get a glimpse of untouched Africa. Delve into these blogs for an inside look at protected areas and the unstinting efforts of nature’s guardians.

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