It’s a Wild Life for Head Guide,
Said Kotoku
You would think that being chased as a young boy by an irate mother Elephant to your front door would put you off a career involving wildlife. Not so for Entara’s Head Guide, Said Kotoku, who now at the age of 43, cannot imagine a life without the wilderness – nor the enriching connection with guests who come on safari.
Taking Life Lessons from Guests
“I learn so much about guests’ cultures, and they learn about wild Tanzania and our diverse people from me,” says this father of four. “In fact, watching how families behaved with each other on safari and how parents listened to their children shaped how I chose to raise my boys!”
His sons live as “city boys” in Dar-es-salaam but at the end of each work cycle, he heads home to southern Tanzania and whisks his family off for quality time in a game reserve. Yes, he even spends his time off in the bush!
“Watching visiting families has changed how I father my sons – I am no longer a traditional head of the household, and I am happy for my boys to choose their own path … but I do have some hope that at least one of them will follow me into Guiding.”
Raised by a Ranger During the Anti-poaching Wars
It was very different for Said growing up in the Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania where his father worked as a Ranger and expected his young son to follow in his path – even taking him on a 21-day patrol when he was just 14 years of age.
“At that time there were 60 000 elephants and I saw first-hand how they were killed by poachers – about five or six each day! Many Rangers also died. But I loved being in the bush with him, learning everything about the wilderness, as well as our life in the wilds with the outside washroom and store that would often be overtaken by Elephants and other animals,” he recalls.
One incident that cemented his respect for wildlife (and his mother) was as a young boy when he and friends thought it would be fun to “play” with a large Elephant cow. “She turned on us and we ran screaming. My friends threw themselves into the bushes but she kept chasing me right to my front door where thankfully my mother stepped in to send her away… I was a very naughty (and very lucky) boy!”
Choosing to Guide and Blazing his Own Trail
After school, Said decided he did not have the stomach for being a Ranger – a member of the professional anti-poaching and environment-policing force employed by the State to protect the wilderness and to resolve conflicts between humans and animals … an often unpopular and dangerous task. Instead, he settled on Guiding, but his journey to Head Guide with Entara has not been easy. “When I started, companies mostly used foreign Guides, so I began work in the industry in administration – which, although it was not what I wanted to do, I learned so much about the operational side of things. But after years and no option to become a Guide, I left for another company where I spent three years training in guest relations, game drives and bush skills. Finally, in 2014 I got my big break … but it turned out to be an 8-day ‘interview’. I was thrown in the deep end to guide French guests while being observed!”
Thankfully, he passed with flying colours, refined his skills and finally headed north to join Entara in 2022! “I’m now where I want to be and very proud to be here,” he says.
Safaris and Fly Camping are Life-changing
“Entara is like no other safari operation I know. It is run by highly experienced former Guides, so they really understand the wilderness, have a real love for northern Tanzania and know what will give guests a unique and intimate experience with a personal touch,” he says.
Said is mainly based at Olmara Camp in the eastern Serengeti’s remote Ngare Nayuki River Valley which is known for its big cats, as a haven for wildlife photographers, and for fly camping experiences.
“I urge everyone to come on safari with Entara to get to know our world, to stay in our beautiful camps and to enjoy our excellent hospitality – and I further recommend that guests test themselves by going on a guided fly camp where you spend a night with the absolute basics in the wilderness as a part of the wilderness. Nothing beats seeing the sunrise through the Acacia woodland, or falling asleep under the stars – it is life-changing!”
