Most people would feel a little grumpy if their office did not have a roof or even a door, but this suits Johannes Munkuli perfectly because he considers the vast protected areas of northern Zimbabwe as his “office” – no walls needed.
Having grown up in Hwange National Park and surrounding areas, with wild animals forming an everyday part of his life, now that he is a professional wildlife guide at Seolo Africa’s Chundu Island Lodge, Johannes loves that fact that he does not have to sit at a desk all day.
The bush is my office– the mighty Zambezi River, wildlife, meeting people from all parts of the world, Johannes said in a recent interview. Birds, animals, trees, even fish in the river, they are all part of my office - it has all the departments, and they offer a lot!
Johannes, 35, grew up with his mother at the Main Camp in Hwange N.P. where she worked for Zimbabwe National Parks. Wild animals and tourism were a way of life for everyone at Main Camp, but even when he began going to a school in a small village just outside the park, wildlife remained important.
As small boys out herding cattle we would sometimes see elephants, hyenas or lions and you learned that even if you are 500m away from them, you don’t stop and take chances, Johannes recalled. When you are in the bush you learn a lot about the birds, animal tracks and other things too and it all became part of my journey.
Although many of his childhood friends aspired to being doctors or pilots, Johannes, who has two sisters and two brothers, soon realised that he wanted to drive a game vehicle.
After leaving school a friend introduced him to people at a nearby lodge where he was given a job working as a porter and helper in the kitchen. Over the years his managers encouraged Johannes to learn the ins-and-outs of tourism hospitality and he helped prepare meals, worked in housekeeping, maintenance and eventually as a waiter.
You have to show you enjoy what you are doing, you have to love it, and I kept gaining confidence in what I was doing, Johannes says. The director kept encouraging me to do things and so one day I asked the head guide if I could go out in the vehicle when it was empty after transferring guests to and from the airstrip. I had zero knowledge about guiding but I asked questions about everything, and I decided that in my spare time I should go to college to learn guiding.
After two years study I went out with different guides and built up my knowledge, he said in a recent interview after having taken guests canoeing on the Zambezi. I had to learn what guests talk about and what they want too.
Eventually he was offered a job as a guide and in 2018 was appointed at Chundu Island.
His “office” he says, offers him new challenges and pleasure every day.
Some days if there are not a lot of animals around, I talk to the guests about the birds, the trees, or animal tracks. If you know how to look there is always something happening in the bush, Johannes says, adding that when he goes home to the village where he grew up, he explains to children and others what his work entails and why wildlife conservation and tourism are important.
My wife Sikhangele and I have two children, Cassandra and Alexandre, and it is important that their generation will still be able to enjoy the environment as we do. I am a conservationist as well as a guide and I have a duty to share what I have learnt. He says. My journey to becoming a guide is all part of my love story with the bush and guiding – I’m living my dreams.
(This article first appeared on Seolo Africa's website HERE.)
Guests visiting Chundu Island can benefit from the experience of Johannes Munkuli and his fellow guides while enjoying the following outdoor activities. These are offered from the lodge on the island itself, on the Zambezi River, or in the Zambezi National Park.
- Sundowner & River Cruises
- Canoeing on the Zambezi River
- Game Drives & Walking Safaris in the Zambezi NP
- Island Walks
- Fun Fishing (Specialist fishing on request)
- Birding on and around the island
