Always wondered about the life of a Game Ranger? Well we've got you covered, LUXE speaks to Sipps Maswanganyi from Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve to get more insight into the life of a Game Ranger and Safari Guide.

Please give us a short introduction about you and your journey to becoming a Game Ranger at Cheetah Plains.

My name is Sipps Maswanganyi, a professional Field Guide who was brought up in the Klaserie Private Game Reserve. Being surrounded by such an abundance of interesting wildlife, I gradually fell in love with nature. Nature became part of my life, which was also an inspiration to academically achieve to the best of my abilities. I have been a professional guide for about 20 years at the most elite game lodges in South Africa.

I have read so many books from reputable researchers and yet I have found a joy in watching animals myself, connecting with nature and noting everything that I've seen and heard and at last, I couldn't tell any story better than I could tell my own proven stories. Which makes me one of the most unique guides, I live by pure knowledge of nature. Being in the industry for so long, I keep my focus on growth and learning more from nature, meeting more people and being able to share my knowledge with guests.

I believe being so passionate about nature gave me this great opportunity to work at Cheetah Plains for the past three years. Cheetah Plains attracts quite a unique clientele who arrive as guests and leave as family. Having the same guests for quite some time allows me to share a vast amount of knowledge and stories over a period of time.

Can you give us some insight into a typical day for you?

Always a fun-filled day, waking up in the morning, birds already singing melodious songs at dawn before a ray of light, nothing ahead of you but just nature unfolding those incredible moments for you. I wake up prepared, leaving my room and walking down to the car park and meeting the team. Checking our game viewers and double-checking to make sure everything is right. We then drive down to the houses, to meet our guests over a cup of coffee. I always plan my drive with guests, they are part of the plan. We know for sure that without a proper plan there is nothing that can be accomplished. After morning pre-breakfast snacks we leave the houses for a beautiful experience to search for the animals. We drive twice a day, in the morning and in the late afternoon, with the latter being quite different from the former as it extends into the night.

What is special about working at Cheetah Plains?

Apart from the beauty attached to its architectural essence it’s the people we work with, a very excellent team all sharing one common goal, to be the best of the best in the world, doing more every time. Our guests are also special, great families always make us feel part of their experience. Another great thing about Cheetah Plains are the electric game viewers, it is pretty special to drive one of them.

What is your favorite part about being a Game Ranger?

It's meeting people from around the world as my guests and taking them out on a game drive, sharing my knowledge of nature and people of Africa. It always works both ways, I do get to learn a lot from them too so it's a win win situation. The most interesting part is that everything you see is always new, nothing ever to be repeated, so everything is quite entertaining to watch! Nature is beautiful, and it is always a privilege to be part of it, so I continue to try and make a difference and it really inspires me a lot.

We are fascinated by Cheetah Plains 4x4 electric game vehicles. Can you tell us about them?

Yes, game viewers are pretty unique, they are amazing vehicles and it's always a pleasure to ride one. They come with amazing features like USB ports that guests use to charge their devices. They also came standard with Heated seats, for those freezing winter mornings. A rear-view camera and led strip lights are also some of the additions. The drive train is also adjusted with the chassis lifted and suspension softened making them less bumpy and adaptive to the rugged terrain out there. They are also powered with a 104kw motor, a 127V pack and a battery pack, ensuring that we have enough power to cover the distances we need! The vehicles are solar charged when parked, directly from solar panels into the car or from our 1-megawatt power bank installed on the premises. What I think stands out is that they’re silent, enabling us to explore nature so peacefully without disruption.

Have you had any dangerous encounters with wildlife during your career?

Well, I have had a lot of confrontations with animals, whilst on a vehicle and on foot too. What I know from my 20 years of guiding in the big five reserves and in my early childhood life, animals have got their way of communication, so if you learn that and master it, you will never have a problem dealing with them. Most of the encounters are always avoidable if you follow their commands during confrontation. Some animals will expect to change route because they are in the roads themselves, some will expect you to avoid them, keep a distance or even completely be out of their sight, all of this comes with a lot of experience as a guide, it's not always knowledge that speaks for a guide, experience is needed in the field. I have been charged by the most dangerous animals in my career, including black mambas, lions, hippos, rhinos, elephants, lions and leopards.

Can you offer our LUXE readers some top tips before going on safari?

Before going out on Safari, one should always get to know what nature expects from you as a person and what equipment you may need in order to make a safari trip memorable. The common items that are usually appreciated are: correct clothing, neutral coloured clothing with a round hat to protect yourself from the sun, a comfortable pair of walking shoes, sunglasses, a camera, sunscreen lotion, bug spray and binoculars. Here at Cheetah Plains, we offer our guests most of the items required like Binoculars, bird books and professional cameras.

What three essentials are important for any South Africa safari?

Binoculars, Camera, Walking boots and an enquiring mind, open to the appreciation, respect for and wonder of nature.

What motto do you live by in life?

Everything is possible in life until you know what you don't know - life is all about that, learning more every time!