OUR TEAM
Gill Louw
Gill Louw
Ralph Louw
Owner - Guide
Being avid wildlife enthusiasts Ralph & Gill both studied Nature Conservation in the 1980’s and both Ralph & Gill have recently added Field Guiding to their skill set.
Background
Gill, one of your guides, is of Irish decent and has had a keen interest in food and cooking from a very early age. Assisting her mother preparing mouthwatering traditional Irish and South African meals for large family groups, weddings, celebrations and other events. Gill, your guide – started with the River Club Golf Course The River Club one of the most prestigious clubs in South Africa in 1996, and was soon promoted to Food and Beverage manager. Gill your guide, was with the club for 18 years, where she was required to fill the role of F&B manager and Head Chef for many years during her time at the club. It was because of her impeccable attention to detail and her ability to marry different flavours and cuisines that the restaurant opened at the River Club and was an immediate success.
Gill also completed numerous cooking courses to broaden her experience, knowledge base and flair and has once again added to her resume of culinary genius with 3 Michelin Star restaurant experiences in Spain as recently as September 2014. Martin Berasategui in San Sebastian, El Portal’s Echaurren Restaurant in Rioja and hands on experience in Fernando Canales kitchen at Etxanobe in Bilbao.
Nature Conservation
Being avid wildlife enthusiasts Ralph & Gill both studied Nature Conservation in the 1980’s and both Ralph & Gill have recently added Field Guiding to their skill set. More recently Gill has expanded her field of interest to include Tour Guiding in the Cape and is also a South African National Tour Guide.
Qualifications
Gilly Louw SA Tourist Guide GP 5425 FGASA 20920
Background
Ralph has been involved with 4X4 adventures and the bush-veld since owning his first “Landy” in 1986, from remote Kosi Bay fishing adventures to the Okavango, Central Kalahari and Kgalagadi. Ralph has been guiding since 1992 and he has completed 4X4 advanced driving and vehicle recovery courses, and is a registered FGASA field and marine guide. He has led numerous trips to the Okavango, Central Kalahari, Mabuasehube, Zimbabwe, Kgalagadi, and the Drakensberg, so he is a very capable tour leader and will ensure that things run smoothly.
Qualifications
NATURE & MARINE GUIDE
FGASA 21160 FGASA
Carien Schutte Smit
Background
Carien Schutte Smit grew up in a family where all their holidays were spent either camping or hiking. She developed a love for nature and an insatiable desire to learn more about it. This desire was boosted through her exposure to yearly nature and environment specific courses she attended over her twelve years at school through the Voortrekkers (similar to the Scouts). Through their guidance she became an enthusiastic bird watcher and did over the years courses about outdoor survival, first aid training, astronomy, navigation, plants of the field, bird identification, tracking, conservation, cordage, etc.
This passion which was bred into her through her ancestors, who were all farmers and loved the land, stayed with her during university. She studied journalism and intercultural communication and embarked on a career in the media and film industry over the past thirty years. Her passion for various cultures, stories, history of places and people has taken her all over the world backpacking and travelling.
Lately Carien, now a mother of three daughters, has made the choice to make a career of her hobby. She has taken various groups on hikes including the Otter, the Fishriver, Cape Point and the Cederberg. Finally after already being in the role of taking adults and kids on hikes and teaching them, she has taken the next step and enrolled to do her official FAGASA field guide training.
Carien, is to be mentored by Gill and Ralph to guide the beautiful Whale Trail from 2026.
Qualifications
Carien studied journalism and intercultural communication and embarked on a career in the media and film industry over the past thirty years. Her passion for various cultures, stories, history of places and people has taken her all over the world backpacking and travelling.
Finally after already being in the role of taking adults and kids on hikes and teaching them, she has taken the next step and enrolled to do her official FAGASA field guide training.