Broadcasting from the banks of the Chobe River in Botswana, I sit down with Lebo, one of the inspiring “Chobe Angels” at Chobe Game Lodge — home to Africa’s first all-female safari guiding team.

We talk about her journey from a village near Gaborone to guiding in Chobe National Park, the realities of working in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Lebo shares honest stories about:

The pressure guides face when guests expect “all the Big Five by tomorrow morning”, and the serious impact of off-roading and why protecting the ecosystem matters more than getting the perfect photo. She reminisces about guests cheering on a giraffe to outrun a lion, and the difficult but necessary reality of the “cycle of life” in the bush.

This episode explores conservation, empowerment, guest expectations, and why protecting the ecosystem matters more than the perfect photo. It’s a powerful reminder that safari is not just about the animals — it’s about the people who dedicate their lives to protecting them.

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Chobe Game Lodge has been a favourite of mine for many years, and in particular because they have an all-female guiding team; that is very unusual in an industry where guides and rangers are mostly men. So, I find it inspiring that the guiding team here is only women, and they call themselves The Chobe Angels.

Let me introduce you to one of the Angels, Malebogo Mangwegape, or Lebo for short, who has spent these three days guiding us in and around Chobe.

Dumelang Lebo! Hello and welcome to my podcast.

[00:00:52] André: Let's start with something fun. Tell me about your first game drive. How did it go and how nervous were you?

[00:01:10] André: Okay.

At first, I was so scared about the wildlife, because where I come from, I come from the big village, which is Ramotswa.

[00:01:28] Lebo: It's near Gaborone, yes. And uh, I didn't know much about, wildlife, being the big animals, especially elephants, buffalo, lions. So I have to learn and, at first, I was a bit, scared, but, because I used to be going out with other guys uh, they train us well, and with the basics that we did, get from the Botswana Wildlife Training Institute, because that's where I did my study for guiding. Yeah. And it was going well.

[00:02:02] Lebo: Yes, I feel very comfortable. More especially here in the Chobe National Park. I found that, the animals are so relaxed, are so calm. We have to always give them that respect.

[00:02:19] Lebo: Yes.

[00:02:23] Lebo: Um, I found the advert on the Botswana Wildlife Training Institute and uh, when they advertised that will be looking for the trainee guides, tour guides, I was like, okay, maybe I'll end up being a wildlife officer. Then I did apply, only to get to do the interview, because before going to the interview, they had some points, what is, uh, to be a guide. So, I had to make a little research on that.

I asked one of my cousins, she was studying in the University of Botswana. And, uh, I have to google some of the things about wildlife.

And fortunately, I did pass my, verbal interview and, the written interview.

I had to go to class Monday to Friday, and that's when my eyes and my brain opened more, because I have the study books, I have my lectures, so it became easy. Then on the way, I was like, "this is an interesting course", and the modules that we did, vegetation, plants, mammals, birds, everything. Then it was so interesting.

[00:03:39] Lebo: Yes.

[00:03:48] Lebo: Yes, not totally. Yes.

[00:04:05] Lebo: Um, Chobe Game Lodge Management, decided to take the Ladies team, like the lady guides and, uh, we're named the Chobe Angels.

But at first, by my time when I started here there were some male guides and, more thanks to them too, because they were giving a hand to us. They were there with us, they are encouraging us as, uh, this used to be taken as the man's job.

[00:04:30] Lebo: So, Chobe Game Lodge found, that once the time goes on they realize "oh, we having two or three ladies so far, but they're doing so very well".

[00:04:41] Lebo: So, the male guides who were here, they were taken to other camps, but, uh, with their interest.

They were asked first, "are you interested in a transfer to a camp"? Then they said yes. And that's when, uh, now Chobe Game Lodge, employ more lady guides. So, for lady empowerment.

[00:05:05] Lebo: As ladies, we're smart. Like, we are taking good care of our equipment.

[00:05:11] Lebo: And um, at the same time, we, before you do something, it's like you think first, "is it, is it safe"? We don't uh, like, I am a man, "I'll do this and I know I'll win it".

Before you do something, you think, "is it worth it? Is it safe"? And even with our equipment, we'll find that we take care of our equipment- being the boats, so the vehicles- as our own babies. Because we know that this is what we need to use every day and it should be safe.

[00:05:45] Lebo: I always hear the men maybe driving, they'll rev the vehicle, boom, boom, boom. I'll be like, "is it necessary to do that?"

[00:05:54] Lebo: It's fun, but to them, then I'll be like, well, no, but it's not that much, uh, necessary to do that, yeah.

And I don't find any difference for being a male guide and a female guide, as long as you know the behaviour of the animals, the rules, uh, you are set.

[00:06:19] Lebo: I don't find anything so far.

You said that they were sent to other lodges, or they were given other jobs within the group that belongs to Chobe Game Lodge. Did they give you a hard time or were they supportive?

[00:07:00] André: Okay. So, they, they were jealous because they had hoped that they could get a job here.

[00:07:09] André: Fantastic. So, you didn't make any enemies of your ex-colleagues?

[00:07:15] André: I've got a two-part question: what do you love about being a guide? And what frustrates you? Because there's always good sides and bad sides to every job.

And, sometimes, I know the guests are coming from different, countries. I'll be like, "I'm the boss. I have to take everything in hand". And the guest will be like, "why don't you do this? Why don't you do this?"

First time guests being here, but he or she wants you to do what he wants. Sometimes it frustrates a bit, but as a guide, I have to put myself into their shoes.

I have to sit down with them, or we talk, I tell them the rules that, okay, this is how it goes. Just be patient and, yeah, to make your stay happy here. And just enjoy being here to the nature. Then, yeah, some of them, they listen very well.

[00:08:31] Lebo: Yes. I've realized, at first because even the guests, they were like, "are you going to be our guide, lady guide? First time being guided by a lady"?

But, if you have that passion as a lady guide, and if you know what you're doing and, at the end of their trip, they're all smiles on their faces. And they'll be like, "thank you so much".

I mean, you're not the first lady guide that I've had, and obviously, I have no problem with lady guides. I feel very safe with you, we've seen great animals, we've got a lot of information from you. So, you're a guide, like I would expect a guide to be.

[00:09:06] André: What are some of the things about guiding that people get wrong?

But, with the locals, sometimes it's a challenge. They will tell you very scary, stories about the animals and, the myths about the wildlife. Like, okay, "that's a man's job, you can't do it".

They sometimes made some stories, but most of the time it's just, scary stories about the animals, maybe because of their lack of the knowledge, that they've been not into the bush before.

Do you sometimes have that, that it takes a while for people to understand that these really are wild animals that we are visiting?

What if you can't see them? Because they are in their natural habitat, doing their own thing, at their own time. So that's the pressure on the guides.

Like I want to see, sometimes I'll be like, "okay, if we were in the zoo, I'll be taking you straight there. We have to look for them". They'll be there if they... just depends.

Each and every day is a new day. So yeah, there's sometimes that pressure from the guests because they'll be like, only my two nights and I've been, waiting to come here for so many years. And yes, it does happen that some of the guests, because we didn't show them what they wanted to see, they'll be like, "it's not a good guide". Yeah.

And they're like, "yeah, yeah, yeah". And then they, they still expect to see all the Big Five in one go.

And, uh, the best thing is to communicate with your guest, always communicate.

Uh, make them try to understand, if somebody maybe is here for the cats or the elephant and they're not there, you can end up as an interpreter, as a guide. You can end up showing them something fascinating.

You'll find that they'll be like, "uh oh, the bush is not all about the cats. There's something interesting here, the Dung Beetle".

Then they started to, um, you become friends, and it becomes very beautiful. The best thing is to communicate, yeah.

Lebo, you and your team of colleagues, are role models for young women in Botswana, and for young women around the world.

What message do you hope that the Chobe Angels sends out to the next generation of guides, in particular young women?

It should be starting from the small age; I think they can understand it much better.

[00:13:12] Lebo: Yeah. They have some clubs in the schools, like wildlife clubs in the schools. Some of them, they join that if they're interested in doing more with wildlife and so interesting.

[00:13:32] Lebo: Yeah, funny stories. Um, when I see, the interaction of different species of animals.

Like I once saw the, the leopard up on the tree. Uh, with its meal, the Impala. And there was a male lion there waiting for the carcass to fall down. And also, there was the hyena there, and you'll find that okay, everyone here, the three of them, has a way of living around, uh, the bush. They have, uh, that, interaction on the bush.

And the other, the story that I don't, uh, like very well, is when the animals, especially the lions, being the kings of the jungle, start to kill other animals, and maybe the leopard cubs.

[00:14:19] Lebo: Because you can see those evil eyes of the lion. I'll be like, "no, but we need the leopards in our environment. Why is the lion doing this?"

Sometimes, uh, funny stories where the guests, they'll be like, "I want to see a kill."

"Okay. We'll see where we'll see the kill, but it might happen".

Uh, there's some lions, maybe trying to hunt.

Like, I once, um, found the lion, taking the giraffe, and there was this one female, yes. She was like, "giraffe, run, run, please". And she didn't take any picture. She was like, "oh no, the giraffe, please run", until the giraffes went into the bush.

We didn't know what happened, because it went deep in the bush there.

So, you find that sometimes the guests would be like, "I want to see this". Once it's there, they also starting to cry like, "no, this is not good".

[00:15:17] Lebo: Yeah.

[00:15:23] Lebo: Cycle of life. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

I just want to touch on a topic that we saw this on game drive this morning where we were looking for the lions and we saw banded, uh, what did we see? Banded? Mongo. Yeah. banded mongoose, yeah. And we saw dung beetles, and the jackal babies.

Now we're here in December and it's, it's a great time to see the babies, so many babies.

Anyway, we were looking for the lions, and then we did see the lions. And in Chobe National Park, like in most national parks, you're not allowed to drive off road, you have to stick on the roads, which is what you and your colleagues were doing.

But we saw a different operator, their guides drove the clients off the road, so that they could be right next to the lions that were still busy having breakfast?

[00:16:18] André: What is your feeling on that? Because I was very angry, because obviously they were breaking the rules.

But it goes much deeper than that. What is your opinion on guides that do that?

Once you step or drive over them, you're killing the ecosystem. So, off-roading, I say to my colleagues, uh, to stay away from it because, uh, can end up damaging the whole ecosystem. I think each and every life on earth has a role to do.

This is our only one national park on this side of the country, we can imagine when it's open from 05h30, it's open for everyone the whole day. Imagine if maybe 20 vehicles do off-roading every day, what will happen to the ecosystem? It can end up dying, which is not good at all.

[00:17:34] Lebo: Yeah, and uh, normally, for me, when we start, the game drives first time guests, we have to stop for briefing.

This is the things that we talk about, so that the guests will know that there's no off-roading in Chobe. Um, it should be everywhere, to save the wildlife at large and uh, I can't contract, uh, contract myself like saying, no off-roading, then the next time I see the lion on the bush, I do that.

What picture am I giving to my guests?

And then we had to explain to the guests that no, that's actually not allowed. And I mean, you saw as well, she was disappointed.

You have to explain to the guests, "ah, no, it's not a road". Which means it doesn't sound well. It doesn't, um, give you a good picture.

But, if it's an understanding guest, they will see, then they will applaud you for taking care of your environment.

[00:19:03] Lebo: Yeah.

What is your favourite place in Botswana, and why?

I left to join Mokolodi Nature Reserve. I left Mokolodi Nature Reserve, joined Disneyland in Orlando, Florida. Then I rejoined Chobe Game Lodge, back again and my continuous 11 years here. So, I still love it here.

And, at first, I'll tell you, the ladies who used to work here as lady guides, they were coming from outside the Chobe region. And, I think, uh, we made, the ladies on the Chobe region to become interested to join the ladies team.

[00:20:07] Lebo: I go for the leopard.

[00:20:09] Lebo: I go for the leopard.

It's so clean, the skin and the way it's solitary, but the way it walks, you'll be like, ah, this is the queen walking there, or the king walking there. So yeah, I love the leopard.

[00:20:24] Lebo: Thank you so much for visiting us here and talking about my country, and I guess this is also the way of selling the country at large that, uh, there's something to see in Botswana.

[00:20:49] Lebo: One nice thing with the Chobe, you come all the seasons, there's always something for you to see.

Today we spoke about the passions of a guide for the bush and bringing the animal world closer to her guests. We chatted with Lebo, why she became a guide, and the challenges she faced in a male dominated world, and who supported her and her colleagues. Let me know what you loved about this episode on podcast at Africa with andre dot com or on Instagram. Till the next time!