Earth Sanctuary Adventure Guides

Part of running and being an award winning successful Education, Events Operator has nothing to do with business at all, but is all about the people involved. 

A hugely important aspect of running a business in the tourism sector is having people on your team who will inspire travelers , students and locals to come back and tell their friends.

Thanks to both our fantastic Operations Team in charge of Risk Management and Logistics and our Adventure guides at Earth Sanctuary, we’ve been able to do just that. Because it takes the right kind of person to be part of this industry we’ve made note of some of the qualities as to why we have selected our team members and particularly our guides

1. STRONG COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Being a guide is all about having strong communication skills. It’s ok to be a quiet person, but if you have to communicate with new people on a daily basis, you just have to be able to do it well. On a basic level our guides need to be great at projecting their voices across a group, and be able to do so in a clear and easy to understand way. On an interpersonal level, being great at knowing how to communicate well with people is a huge asset. This leads us to skill #2…

2. PERSONABLE & OUTGOING

This skill takes communication to the next level. Guides shouldn’t just be able to communicate well, they have to be great conversationalists with outgoing personalities; what we call the “Star of the Show” quality, which isn’t something you can teach. There can be a bit of social awkwardness when a new group of strangers show up, and a guide should be able to break that immediately to help people feel comfortable talking to each other and their guide. This ensures later on they feel open to add comments or add questions along the way.

3. A MEMORY LIKE A STEAL TRAP

Our Tour guides don’t just need to retain a lot of stats and facts when walking people around Central Australia- they also need to be a great story-tellers. Their memory should be so good, that it seems as if they’ve just always known these facts when they recite them. But most of all, our Guides tell their own story and it’s this personal experience which ultimately resonates with all groups.

4. IMPROVISATIONAL SKILLS

We don’t demand our guides put on an improv show, but the ability to change things up on the fly and play off the energy of the group is important. Attendees will likely have additional questions or comments along the way. These things shouldn’t throw our guides of track, they should be able to adjust their script as needed. We know from years of experience that by sticking too closely to it, could end up making our guests feel like there’s no room for them to say anything at all.

5. JUST ENOUGH ENTHUSIASM

Just as guides will often play off the energy of the group, we know that that our guests/ attendees will likely feed off the energy of their guide. Our guides are enthusiastic about the thing they’re talking about, but not so enthusiastic that they fail to sound genuine.

6. HUMOR

Just like being outgoing and enthusiastic, humor can be the perfect tool to cut any tensions and as always add an extra layer of entertainment for guests. At Earth Sanctuary, we know that laughter and humor is that greatest skill of any guide to assist in the participation of learning.

7. PUNCTUALITY

Punctuality is a can’t do without quality for tour guides. Our guides are strictly informed to be on time to meet arriving attendees at the meet up location so as to avoid any confusion, frustration and unhappy tour goers.

8. A KEEN SENSE OF DIRECTION

Outside of the fact that our guides should know where they’re going, they should also be able to help direct guests. At least on our tours at Earth Sanctuary, we start and end in different locations. Often guides have to be prepared to give some general directions to help people get to where they need to be when the tour is complete.

9. THE KNOWLEDGE OF A LOCAL

Anyone can memorize and recite facts. Though it’s not a requirement, some of the best guides are locals themselves. What’s great about this quality is that in addition to the planned facts and statistics, they can bring their own knowledge, experience and personal anecdotes to the tour. This can make a tour feel particularly special for guests who are looking for a genuine experience outside the typical tourist attractions.

10. PASSION FOR THEIR LOCATION

Last but certainly not least, true passion and interest can take a tour from typical to outstanding. Anyone can point and recite facts, but those who really love what they do can pass that passion onto tourists and locals to make them feel it too. Plus those with passion for their region, bring their own experience to the tours they give.

Our Team at Earth Sanctuary are committed to the highest standard of Safety, Education, Sustainability and of course enjoyment. We have 2 decades of building a successful family brand and our vast network of partners and sponsors in Central Australia ultimately shows a commitment by the NT government and Multi National Tour Operators of the trust developed. 

Finally, Earth Sanctuary are committed to a sustainable future and are 100% Co2 neutral. further to this we pay our enduring respect to the Arrentte People for which our programs and tours are run.