Extraordinary | Field notes
Life & Growth.
Meet the people behind a stay, follow a guide into the field, and explore the work of keeping a lodge running.
Extraordinary field journal · Moving image
Out in the field.
Two short films from the air. A closer look at the people and wildlife at the heart of conservation.
Photo essay · A conservation visit
A day on the ground.
From the lodge welcome to a pupil’s view of the lion team, three moments from a school visit show how hospitality and fieldwork meet.
Mabula · Conservation notebook
Who does the work?
Keeping watch over a species
A ground-hornbill chick’s journey can involve hand-rearing, release and years of field observation. The Mabula Ground Hornbill Project also develops young African conservation biologists and educators. Following one bird’s story opens a window onto all of those jobs.
Meet the Mabula Ground Hornbill ProjectLearning conservation close to home
Through its partnership with Mabula Endangered Wildlife Conservation NPC (MEWC), Extraordinary connects wildlife programmes with local employment and skills development. Wildlife management, tourism and research offer different ways into the work at Mabula.
Read Extraordinary’s conservation philosophyConservation
A second chance for the thunderbird: careers in ground hornbill conservation
At Mabula, ground hornbill conservation brings together careful chick-rearing, field research, nest support and public education. Here is what this work can teach future conservation practitioners.
Conservation
Cheetah conservation is a network: the work behind a metapopulation
Mabula’s cheetah story connects reserve-level monitoring with a wider conservation network. Tracking, observation and collaboration help turn individual movements into shared learning.
Conservation
Wild dog conservation depends on teamwork beyond the reserve
Mabula’s African wild dog story spans careful introductions, pack monitoring and regional cooperation. It is a useful window into the people and partnerships behind conservation careers.
Conservation
A field guide pathway rooted in Bela-Bela
Mabula’s community field guide programme combines practical safari experience, conservation learning and hospitality skills, opening a local route into wildlife and tourism work.
Conservation
The value of patient observation: reading giraffe behaviour in the field
A Mabula field report describes a giraffe female moving with three calves. For aspiring guides and field researchers, the moment shows how patient observation can reveal social behaviour without overclaiming.
Work Life
Ruvé van der Merwe: shaping a food story across the lodge collection
Food trainer Ruvé van der Merwe helped Extraordinary teams bring local ideas, practical skills and thoughtful presentation into lodge kitchens.
Work Life
Mamazana Kekana: growing confidence through kitchen craft
Clifftop chef Mamazana Kekana describes the value of mentorship, inspiration and raising the standard of a guest’s dining experience.
Work Life
Kate Davidson and the work behind hospitality’s business teams
Kate Davidson’s work connects sales, marketing and central reservations with the guest journey.
Work Life
Ivan Killian: the careful work behind a lion’s tracking collar
In 2022, Ivan Killian and the Mabula team worked with a wildlife veterinarian to replace a lion’s tracking collar.
Work Life
Isaiah Banda’s field notes: turning a month in the bush into a story
Isaiah Banda follows the light, the weather and the wildlife through a month in the Mabula bush.
Working in Hospitality
The culinary craft behind a memorable stay
A hospitality kitchen joins careful technique with a sense of place. Here is what candidates can explore when building a career in culinary work across Extraordinary’s collection.
Working in Hospitality
Housekeeping: the details guests feel
Step inside the housekeeping work that makes a guest room feel ready on arrival.
Working in Hospitality
Sales connects remarkable places with the right guests
Discover how knowing a property helps sales teams match travellers with the right stay.
Working in Hospitality
Marketing hospitality stories rooted in place
Every destination has its own character. Marketing work helps travellers understand those differences through clear, accurate stories about the places they might visit.
Working in Hospitality
Reservations: the first welcome begins before arrival
See how reservations turns dates, questions and guest preferences into a welcome.
From our Facebook pages · October edition
Behind the posts.
From a trade show in Zanzibar to a dinner table in the bush. Meet the people and explore the work behind these moments.
Extraordinary
Sales · Zanzibar
Where travel partnerships begin
At Essence of Africa in Zanzibar, tourism professionals met over three days. Extraordinary’s photographs show a side of lodge sales that guests rarely see.
View on Facebook · Where travel partnerships begin Explore hospitality sales
Sales · Hamburg
Barbara’s final stop on the road
The Africa Showcase Mitteleuropa roadshow ended in Hamburg. Extraordinary’s post catches up with Barbara after the meetings and makes a simple point about her work. Keeping in touch matters long after the roadshow ends.
View on Facebook · Barbara’s final stop on the road Meet the head-office teamMabula Game Lodge
Guiding · Wildlife behaviour
Playtime with the cheetah cubs
Mabula’s reel catches a mother cheetah with her cubs. Watching a family interact is one way into a guide’s craft. First you notice the behaviour, then you help a guest see it too.
View on Facebook · Playtime with the cheetah cubs Read Isaiah’s field notes
Housekeeping · Guest rooms
Coming back from safari
Mabula’s suite photographs show the room guests return to after a drive. For someone considering housekeeping, they offer a guest’s-eye view of what the team prepares.
View on Facebook · Coming back from safari Inside housekeeping
Culinary · Outdoor service
Dinner under an African sky
Mabula shared a table set for dinner outdoors. Behind that moment are the kitchen and service teams, whose work has to come together by the time guests sit down.
View on Facebook · Dinner under an African sky Explore culinary careers