Amazing experience, which I would highly recommend: only wish my son and I did the 14 day tracking and trailing course. Makuleke camp fabulous, the guides & staff amazing, and the food 👌 could not fa... See more
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The caring that went in because there was problems in the beginning but Bianca made sure to fix the problems asap and made sure everything was working smoothly for everyone she helped us alot. And R... See more
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Rene and Nathan were excellent guides. Not only with finding the birds on our wish-list but also providing us with information regarding habitat, movement, calls and visual identification. The locatio... See more
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I liked then online presentation and engagement from the Lecturer . The Whats app group for online birding enthusiasts was very helpfull and engaging . What I did not like was the user friendli... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Training guides and guardians since 1993 EcoTraining leads the way in safari guide and wildlife training in Africa. We’re respected for our excellent nature guide courses and training the next generation of guides. Our courses are held in unobtrusive wilderness camps in prime wildlife areas in South Africa, Botswana and Kenya.
Contact info
Corner van der Merwe and Ehmke Streets, Nelspruit, 1201, Mbombela, South Africa
- 0137522532
- marketing@ecotraining.co.za
- ecotraining.co.za
4.6
Excellent
29 reviews
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Amazing experience
Amazing experience, which I would highly recommend: only wish my son and I did the 14 day tracking and trailing course. Makuleke camp fabulous, the guides & staff amazing, and the food 👌 could not fault it. I travel extensively in Southern Africa and this takes some beating
August 8, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! 🌿
We’re thrilled to hear that you had such an amazing experience at Makuleke and that the camp, guides, staff, and food all exceeded your expectations. It’s especially wonderful to hear this from someone who has travelled extensively throughout Southern Africa, your kind words mean a great deal to our team!
And we completely understand the feeling about wishing you had done the full 14-day Tracking & Trailing Course! 😊 Perhaps that just gives you and your son another adventure to look forward to.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We hope to welcome you both back to Makuleke for another unforgettable wilderness experience!
An amazing experience at Makuleke
Our guides were amazing - Rene and Nathan for a birding perspective and they were well supported by Alex and Lily. The location is absolutely amazing, and we were privileged to have access to this part of Kruger with the amazing baobabs and fever tree forrest.
Our accommodation was neat and very clean with everything working, the breakfast's very special in the bush, the other meals were really nice, and we specifically enjoyed the fruit for lunch.
Overall, a great experience that we most definitely would be doing again i.e. we have booked with Rene for 2028.
August 4, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌿
We’re delighted to hear that you had such an amazing experience at Makuleke. It’s fantastic to know that Rene and Nathan made your birding experience so special, with Alex and Lily providing such great support along the way.
Makuleke truly is a remarkable part of the Kruger, and we’re so pleased that you enjoyed the incredible baobabs, fever tree forests, and the privilege of exploring this beautiful and unique wilderness area. 🐾🌳
We’re also thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the accommodation, bush breakfasts, meals, and those little touches like the fresh fruit at lunch!
And booking with Rene again for 2028 - now that’s a wonderful compliment! 😄 We look forward to welcoming you back for another unforgettable Makuleke adventure.
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining and for sharing your experience with us!
An experience that exceeded our expectations.
Rene and Nathan were excellent guides. Not only with finding the birds on our wish-list but also providing us with information regarding habitat, movement, calls and visual identification. The locations where we stopped for breakfasts and sundowners were special. They also showed us rare mammals like civet, aardvark, sengi and yellow-spotted rock hyrax . The camp facilities and meals were great and all the staff friendly and helpful. Melissa deserve special mention for her assistance and advice.
August 1, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful and detailed review! 🌿🦅
We’re thrilled to hear that your experience exceeded your expectations and that Rene and Nathan helped make your birding adventure so memorable. It’s fantastic to know that they not only helped you find birds on your wish-list, but also shared their knowledge of habitats, movements, calls, and visual identification along the way.
What a special experience to have encountered such incredible and elusive species as civet, aardvark, sengi, and yellow-spotted rock hyrax! 🐾
We’re also delighted that you enjoyed the beautiful breakfast and sundowner locations, as well as the camp facilities, meals, and warm hospitality from our team. Thank you especially for recognising Melissa and her assistance and advice — we’ll be sure to share your kind words with her.
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining. We hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable wildlife and birding experience soon!
Exclusive experience in the Makuleke Concervancy
Eco Training gave us a wonderful and exclusive experience to be able to explore the Makuleke conservancy. The camp has ten recently refurbished tents with private bathrooms that sleep two persons each. The staff are very friendly and the food is nice. We are planning to return to the camp for another awesome wildlife experience.
August 6, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌿
We’re delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful and exclusive experience exploring the Makuleke Conservancy. It’s fantastic to know that you enjoyed the recently refurbished accommodation, friendly hospitality, and delicious meals.
Makuleke is such a special and biodiverse part of the African wilderness, and we’re thrilled that your time there left you wanting to return. 🐾
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Makuleke for another unforgettable wildlife experience!
Exceeded all my expectations
The caring that went in because there was problems in the beginning but Bianca made sure to fix the problems asap and made sure everything was working smoothly for everyone she helped us alot. And Richard 10/10 for his efforts in every class and teaching and made sure to come back with an answer when he didn't have one at the moment
Would recommend Ecotraining to everyone that's interested in nature
July 28, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌿
We’re thrilled to hear that your experience exceeded your expectations. We’re especially grateful for your kind words about Bianca and Richard. It’s wonderful to know that Bianca’s dedication and care helped resolve the initial challenges and ensure everything ran smoothly, while Richard’s passion, knowledge, and commitment made such a positive impact on your learning experience.
We’ll be sure to share your 10/10 feedback with them both! ⭐
Thank you for recommending EcoTraining to fellow nature lovers. We truly appreciate your support and hope to welcome you back for another exciting learning adventure in the future!
Unmatched experience
Excellent guides, such a beautiful and bio diverse area,
exclusivity, friendly staff.
Would suggest putting numbers on the tents, very easy to wander into the wrong tent in the dark😱
August 1, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌿
We’re delighted to hear that you had an unmatched experience in Makuleke and enjoyed the beautiful biodiversity, exclusivity, and warm hospitality from our team. It’s fantastic to know that our guides helped make your stay so memorable.
And thank you for the helpful suggestion about numbering the tents! We can certainly understand how easy it could be to take a wrong turn in the dark.🌙 We appreciate you sharing this feedback with us as we continue looking for ways to improve our guests’ experience.
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining, and we hope to welcome you back to Makuleke for another unforgettable bush experience!
I highly recommend Eco Training to all
I highly recommend Eco Training to all nature lovers as a bird lover I thoroughly enjoyed the Online Birding Enthusiast Course. A huge thank you to Richard for presenting and to Bianca for administering and coordinating the course.
I would also like to thank the entire EcoTraining Team for all the time and effort put in - from creating the Dashboard to the online presentations. So much dedication and care went into developing this amazing course. Every part added value, and I truly appreciate the effort. I am very excited to have enrolled in the “Eyes Above the Bush – Raptors Course.”
Thank you all and may Joe Grosel’s legacy live forever.
Jen Botes
August 19, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much, Jen, for your wonderful and heartfelt review! 🌿
We are delighted to hear how much you enjoyed the Online Birding Enthusiast Course and that every aspect of the experience added value to your learning journey. We will be sure to share your kind words with Richard, Bianca, and the entire EcoTraining team.
It is incredibly rewarding to know that the dedication and care that went into creating the course, from the Dashboard to the online presentations, made such a positive impact.
We are also thrilled to have you joining us for the Eyes Above the Bush – Raptors Course! We look forward to continuing your learning journey with us and sharing your passion for birds and the incredible world of raptors.
Thank you once again for choosing EcoTraining. 🦅🌿
Excellent instructor
The instructor Richard Davis from Ecotraining was wonderfully enthusiastic and knowledgeable - a real treat to listen to and learn from
June 24, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌿
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed learning with Richard. His enthusiasm and knowledge are truly valued, and we’ll be sure to share your kind words with him.
It’s always rewarding to know that our instructors make the learning experience enjoyable and inspiring. Thank you for choosing EcoTraining, and we hope to welcome you back for another course in the future
I thoroughly enjoyed the course
I thoroughly enjoyed the course
The level of detail was sufficient to make the lectures investing and highly informative.
I was able to follow up with 10 days in Mabalingwe straight afterwards and really want to do the course at Makuleke in the near future.
August 18, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌿
We’re thrilled to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed the course and found the lectures both informative and engaging. It’s fantastic to know that you were able to put your learning into practice during your 10 days at Mabalingwe!
We would absolutely love to welcome you to Makuleke in the near future and continue being part of your journey into the incredible world of the African bush. 🐾
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
Well designed, full of information course!
It was just the right length, with very detailed, helpful, well-organized presentations!
The presenter was world-class. (So much patience with questions and his knowledge about birds were incredible. Total value for money.
August 18, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! 🌿🦅
We’re delighted to hear that you found the course well-designed, informative, and just the right length. It’s wonderful to know that the detailed and well-organized presentations added real value to your learning experience.
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining and for sharing your experience with us. We truly appreciate your support and hope to welcome you back for another adventure in the future!
Informative, interactive course
The course was well presented, informative and interesting. The support from the team was great, especially when we experienced a glitch, or had a question.
I certainly learnt a lot, and increased my admiration for the Avian world.
June 23, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌿🦅
We’re thrilled to hear that you found the course informative, interesting, and well presented. It’s especially rewarding to know that the experience helped deepen your appreciation and admiration for the incredible avian world.
We’re also glad that our team was able to provide the support you needed whenever questions or technical glitches arose. Ensuring that our students feel supported throughout their learning journey is very important to us.
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining and for sharing your experience. We hope to welcome you back for another course and adventure with us in the future!
I liked then online presentation and…
I liked then online presentation and engagement from the Lecturer .
The Whats app group for online birding enthusiasts was very helpfull and engaging .
What I did not like was the user friendliness of the process especially for those of us that are not great with IT .
Permission had to be sought to share power point presentations when students were struggling with the site .
Then there were recordings of of lessons where slides did not appear , just an image of Richard .
So then there were technical issues and lots of confusion actually navigating the lectures efficiently
June 16, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback with us. 🌿
We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed the online presentations, Richard’s engagement, and found the WhatsApp group helpful and engaging. It’s wonderful to know that you gained value from connecting with fellow Birding Enthusiasts throughout the course.
We’re also sorry to hear about the technical difficulties and challenges you experienced when navigating the online platform. We understand how frustrating this can be, particularly when you are trying to focus on learning. Your feedback regarding access to presentations, recordings, and the overall user-friendliness of the platform is valuable to us, and we will certainly take it into consideration as we continue improving the online learning experience.
Thank you again for your honest feedback. We appreciate you choosing EcoTraining and hope we have the opportunity to provide you with an even smoother experience in the future.
It was money well spent
It was money well spent, the course was super fun and very knowledgeable and the EcoTraining team were absolutely fantastic, especially with all the help with technical issues.
June 23, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! 🌿
We’re thrilled to hear that you felt the course was money well spent and that you found it both fun and informative. It’s wonderful to know that our EcoTraining team was able to support you, especially when it came to navigating any technical challenges.
We truly appreciate your kind words and are so glad you enjoyed your learning experience with us. Thank you for choosing EcoTraining, and we hope to welcome you back for another course in the future!
Exceptional time in the Makuleke
It was truly wonderful to return back the Makuleke again. The accommodation has been beautifully upgraded yet still keeping such a natural feel. Our two days were magical. The trainers were exceptionally professional and the students were mirror images of this too. Well done on another successful group of nature guardians!
July 17, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your beautiful review! 🌿
We’re delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful time returning to Makuleke and enjoyed the upgrades to the accommodation while still experiencing the natural character of the area.
It’s fantastic to know that your two days were so memorable and that our trainers made such a positive impression. We’re incredibly proud of the dedication and professionalism of our trainers and students, and your kind words mean a great deal to the entire EcoTraining team.
Thank you for recognizing another successful group of nature guardians! We hope to welcome you back to Makuleke again in the future for many more magical moments in the bush. 🐾🌿
My experience in eco-training was…
My experience in eco-training was wonderful, like becoming small again and fulfilling a dream I had pending. I simply wanted to thank you for the opportunity to share a different and immersive and at the same time exciting way of learning. Thank you so much for everything, I will always carry you in my heart. Eduardo.
July 18, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much, Eduardo, for sharing such heartfelt words! It means the world to us to know that your EcoTraining experience allowed you to reconnect with a childhood dream and discover a new, immersive way of learning.
It was an absolute pleasure to have you with us, and we’re so happy that the experience will stay with you for years to come. Thank you for being part of the EcoTraining family—we’ll carry your kind words in our hearts too! 🌿🐾
We hope to welcome you back into the wilderness again someday.
This course was definitely value for…money
This course was definitely value for money.
The course material was great.
I have learnt so much and more.
July 28, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you found the course to be great value for money and that you gained so much from the course material. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we wish you all the best on your journey ahead! 🌿🐾
Educational and entertaining
My first contact with EcoTraining was last year at Mauleke Camp. During my one-week stay in 2025, I was impressed by the staff's extensive knowledge of the local flora and fauna.
Consequently, I decided to enroll in EcoTraining's online courses. An 11-lesson online course on birds concluded on July 28, 2026.
Richard shared his comprehensive knowledge of birds in a way that was both easy to understand and entertaining.
I wish there were teachers like him in schools.
July 28, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful review. We are delighted that your time at Makuleke Camp inspired you to continue your learning journey with EcoTraining through our online courses.
Richard has an incredible ability to share his extensive knowledge in a way that is both accessible and entertaining, and we know he will greatly appreciate your kind words.
We hope your new birding knowledge adds even more enjoyment to your future adventures in nature, and we look forward to welcoming you back to EcoTraining.
Wildlife Photography session with Ecotraining
I recently had the privilege of participating in the Wildlife Photography Course conducted by EcoTraining in the Greater Kruger region of South Africa, and it was an exceptional learning experience from start to finish.
The course successfully combined wildlife photography techniques, fieldcraft, and an in-depth understanding of animal behavior in one of Africa's most remarkable wildlife destinations. The Greater Kruger ecosystem provided outstanding photographic opportunities, from breathtaking sunrise and sunset landscapes to memorable encounters with iconic African wildlife.
What truly distinguished this program was the professionalism and dedication of the EcoTraining team. The organizers demonstrated excellent planning, seamless logistics, and a genuine commitment to ensuring that every participant gained both practical skills and meaningful wildlife experiences. Their attention to detail allowed participants to focus entirely on learning, observing, and photographing wildlife in a safe and supportive environment.
The instructors Andrew Aveley and guides Tee shared their extensive knowledge generously, offering valuable guidance on camera settings, composition, light management, storytelling through images, and ethical wildlife photography practices. Their patience and willingness to help photographers of varying skill levels created a positive and collaborative learning atmosphere.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the entire EcoTraining team for delivering such a well-organized, educational, and inspiring program. Their passion for wildlife, conservation, and photography was evident throughout the course and greatly enriched the experience for all participants.
July 2, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you for this thoughtful and detailed review. We are delighted that the Wildlife Photography Course offered such a rewarding combination of practical photography skills, fieldcraft and wildlife experiences in the Greater Kruger.
Your kind words about Andrew Aveley, Tee and the wider EcoTraining team are greatly appreciated. We are especially pleased that their knowledge, patience and guidance created a supportive learning environment for photographers of all experience levels.
Thank you for choosing EcoTraining and for sharing your journey with us. We hope the skills and memories gained during the course continue to inspire your wildlife photography for many years to come.
Extras can help
As a ex-lecturer myself, there could be additional pictures explaining what is spoken of & bird sounds of some of them being discussed.
Especially when focusing on how a bird sings. Give examples.
Pictures of nests & or eggs.
Learning is very much hear, see & do to remember more.
Some of Richard's vast trips, show a picture or 2 when talking about them.
It was an excellent start and can only get better.
I do not agree with the evolution lecture, but do believe God is the create of all things. Even to the programing of birds to navigate the skies from north to south & back.
Share both side to give the participants a choice to choice.
Thank you.
June 23, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughtful feedback with us. We truly appreciate your input and value the opportunity to improve the course experience.
You should have access to the bird calls available on the e-learning platform. Our e-learning provider will contact you directly to confirm your access and offer any assistance you may need.
We sincerely respect and value everyone’s individual beliefs and perspectives, and we hope each participant will take from the course what feels most meaningful, valuable, and fulfilling to them.
Amazing Ecotraining Guides
Jacques and Jolande made us feel so welcomed and so full of knowledge. Their passion for conservation and teaching was evident and made the experience unforgettable.
June 17, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from EcoTraining
Thank you, Bianca, for the lovely feedback!
We look forward to having you on course again soon.
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