Biography: Faith Moutloatse – Wilderness Little Duma Tau Camp Manager

With numerous hospitality experience and an infectious love of the bush, Faith Moutloatse was appointed Little DumaTau’s Camp Manager in April 2021. She is a natural story teller, and looks forward to creating many beautiful memories with Wilderness  guests.

 

 

Faith was born far from the tourism circuits of Botswana in the small town of Lobatse, south-west of Gaborone. She began her working life in the capital city as an insurance clerk, never imaging herself working in the wilderness until she met her husband, Peter Moutloatse, a knowledgeable and dedicated Wilderness guide.

 

Their union took her to Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa where she worked as a PA for a General Manager at The Palace of the Lost City at the Sun City Resort. This soft landing into “bush life” worked well for her as she was still surrounded by the hubbub of human activity. However it was her experiences, and stories shared while working in this environment, which piqued her attention.

 

 

In her pursuit to work in the travel and tourism industry, Faith was noticed early on when she received a scholarship from Legacy Hotels and Resorts to study at The Swiss Hotel School for three years. The organisation then offered her the position of Guest Relations Manager for Bakubung Bush Lodge.

 

In 2017 – having been away from Botswana for 10 years – the couple decided it was time to go home and work in the Okavango Delta. While successfully applying for a management post at Jao Camp, the move was initially a reluctant one for Faith as it was her first experience away from the bright lights. What she had not anticipated was the luxury, the incredible scenery and the allure of nature.

 

 

Faith has also worked at Mombo as Executive Housekeeping Manager, and her initial move to the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve took her to Savuti as Camp Manager and Relief General Manager. During her time with Wilderness, she has established a deep love for the wide-open wilderness. She is now proud to call the bush her home. “This is where I connect instinctively with who I am supposed to be, where I can bond with nature and wildlife. In this place my five senses are at their best, without any distraction of civilisation”.

 

Faith loves hosting and “creating beautiful memories with strangers, who at the end of their journeys become family”. She also enjoys learning about new cultures from guests, as well as sharing her own. She is a natural storyteller, often relating tales passed down by her late grandmother.

 

 

“When I was young, my grandmother used to tell me stories of the long distances she travelled in her youth. They would stop for the night, make big fires and sleep on the road. She would tell me about the sounds of wild beasts at night, one being a ‘bera’. Later as a teenager I realised she meant a bear, and that we don’t even have bears in our country, let alone our continent. Now I get to listen to those amazing bush noises every night, and I get to share her stories with our guests”.

 

 

Faith truly believes that Wilderness has changed her life. “Not only have I swopped my high heels and suits for khakis and boots, but I have learnt to appreciate, preserve and protect our wilderness”.