Date: 16 June 2026

​

First-of-its-kind app launched to elevate the global guiding industry

​

The International Field Guide Association (IFGA) has officially launched a pioneering, completely free mobile app to radically modernise the global guiding sector.

Built in direct response to industry feedback over limited career opportunities, restrictive costs, and outdated, paper-heavy bureaucracy, the new digital ecosystem removes the barriers that have historically hindered growth for guides and complicated daily operations for lodges.

“For years, keeping track of qualifications and logging hours has been a logistical headache that we’ve really struggled with - often slowing down our career progression,” says Nico Brits, IFGA Council Member, experienced field guide, and former Safari Guide of the Year category winner. "We built this app to be the solution. It provides a user-friendly digital ecosystem that simplifies compliance, instantly digitises experience, and opens doors to broader career opportunities without costing the user a cent."

​

A digital overhaul for all guides and lodges
By digitising the entire professional lifecycle of a field guide, the IFGA app acts as a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind platform for the wildlife and safari industry:

 

• For all field guides: The app empowers guides to stand out to the industry's best employers. Earning an IFGA score places them on the global leaderboard, while digital profiles unlock active vacancies, private guiding opportunities, and the specialised Head Guide Certificate. It also replaces paper logbooks with real-time digital tracking for hours, licences, and species.
   

• For head guides and lodge managers: A world-first, this free specialist tool streamlines daily operations for Head Guides and General Managers. It replaces manual spreadsheets with a centralised digital dashboard to effortlessly manage team compliance, track licences, and handle logistics like guest and vehicle allocations.
   

• For the industry at large: The app revolutionises recruitment by granting safari lodges and hospitality recruiters direct, transparent access to top guiding talent.

To champion a genuinely inclusive and accessible guiding community, IFGA has made both its membership and the new app entirely free of charge, ensuring that every guide has the tools required to succeed.

A new, collaborative vision for the future

For years, there has been confusion regarding the legal requirements to operate as a field guide. IFGA is committed to providing clarity and choice. While foundational credentials like CATHSSETA remain the legal standard for guiding in South Africa, voluntary associations exist to elevate the craft.

"IFGA was established to raise the global benchmark for field guiding by moving the industry toward a more professional, ethical, and guest-centric future," says Byron Ross, Chairperson of the IFGA Board. "Through our focus on soft skills and ethical practices, we provide a modern, voluntary certification that complements legal foundational credentials. Our new app is a perfect example of how we intend to make things effortless for guides, unify the sector, and drive this vision forward."

Downloading the app

The IFGA app is now available to download exclusively at: https://app.ifga.pro/ (It will also be available on all major iOS and Android stores soon). All field guides, from students to veterans, as well as lodge owners and IFGA assessors, are invited to download and start using the platform for free today.

​

Media contacts

 

media@ifga.pro | www.ifga.pro | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

​