Sharing his love of the Manyeleti is what keeps him going...

When Pungwe guide Isaac Baloyi jumps out of his safari vehicle and says "Come, let's walk for a while" you know you are going to learn something mind-blowing about the African wilderness. Sure enough, after a few short paces he's found something fascinating to show everyone - a piece of discarded water pipe thrown apparently randomly into a dense thicket. Pollution? No. The answer to the pipe is much more interesting...

"An elephant threw it here," Isaac announces. "Elephants love digging up water pipes and picking up things that have been put in place by humans and taking them away, far into the bush, where they leave them," he explains. No one knows why they do it, but they often carry the things they find for kilometres before discarding them in places where they are hard to find. 

Isaac laughs along with his guests, thoroughly enjoying telling the tale and the amazement that greets it. 

The 49-year-old Isaac has come a long way since he left school in the local village of Thorndale, where he was born and raised, and decided to go into guiding. 

"My father was a guide and worked in the Kruger National Park from 1972 to his death a few years ago," says Isaac. "It's from him that I learned to love the wilderness and nature and discovered how to live in harmony with wildlife," he says wistfully. The road to becoming a professional guide was long and winding in Isaac's case, but in 2001 he came to Pungwe as part of his training and has never looked back. 

"When I got my guiding license in 2004, I was offered a permanent job here. So it's the only place I have ever worked and has become a second home to me, here with my second family - my Pungwe family," he explains.

Isaac loves every day of his job and still enjoys guiding as much as he did as a young trainee, all those years ago. "Walking is my favourite thing," he says. "It's when you walk that you really connect with nature and I am very passionate about exploring the Manyeleti on foot," he adds. 

While he loves all of the inhabitants of the Manyeleti, whether long in tooth and claw or small and with hooves, his favourite is, curiously, the humble impala.

"They are like friends to me," he explains. "I love seeing my friends every day which is why I love impala, because they are always around. The other animals are friends that I don't see so often, which makes me sad! But impala always cheer me up because they always show up!"

A father to four sons aged 23, 16, seven and 18 months (his self-confessed "lockdown baby"!) Isaac is very much a role model for his family and his community. "I like to share my love of the wilderness and teach people about the importance of conservation and tourism," says Isaac. 

"Towards the end of last year I started going to a local primary school to teach children about how they can become guides and learn about nature. My wife works with a local creche, supported by Pungwe, and they are learning all about the rhino and the importance of protecting this amazing creature. 

"By sharing my experience as a guide, I can make a difference. My children have learned to pick up rubbish and put it in the dustbin and are sharing this with their friends. So, I am trying to lead by example," he says.

"The pandemic has been very difficult for our community, but they understand just how important tourism is and the critical role conservation plays. My community wants to help protect the wilderness so that more tourists come to visit us. And that is my hope for the future. I want to continue to be a good guide and share my knowledge and passion with guests from all over the world and with my community. That way I am helping to secure the future of this place for my children and their children."