- Mark, a 22-year-old field guide from the Garden Route, turned a game drive into an animal sound quiz for a group of tourists
- The safari guide identified sounds from hippos, zebras, buffaloes, jackals and more, impressing everyone on the vehicle
- Tourists praised Mark's passion and knowledge, with the video quickly gaining attention on Instagram
Source: Instagram
A 22-year-old South African safari guide has won the internet over after turning an ordinary game drive into a wildly entertaining animal sound quiz for a group of tourists.
Mark Heystek, a full-time field guide at Brandwacht Game Reserve on the Garden Route, was filmed on 18 October 2026 seated on a safari vehicle parked beside a river, surrounded by green bushland. The clip was shared by Instagram user @foregolfthailand and quickly caught the attention of nature lovers and South Africans alike.
In the video, Mark runs his group through a series of animal calls, from the grunt of a hippo to the slow, deep bellow of a buffalo bull. He pauses to explain that buffalo do not sound anything like domestic cows, describing their call as "a bit more African." When a jackal call plays, he explains that black-backed jackals begin a distinctive howling sound, which he calls "chunking," whenever they hear lions roar nearby. It is a communication call, he tells the group, heard echoing from all directions across the bush.
The tourists on the vehicle guess most of the calls correctly, clearly enjoying every moment of the informal lesson. The final call stumps the group, with guesses ranging from a hyena to a monkey, leaving viewers in the comments equally curious.
Mark's passion for the bush
Mark, who goes by @barefoot_bushwacking.za on Instagram, grew up in George after being born in Durban. He spent much of his youth exploring the fynbos slopes, forests and mountain trails of the Outeniqua. Today, he guides visitors through the same kind of slow, attentive safari experience: spotting proteas in bloom, reading animal tracks and listening to dawn bird calls.
The tourist who posted the video described the two-day experience as unforgettable, writing that Mark's
"passion was infectious, and he brought the African bush to life for our entire group."
View the Instagram video below:
South Africans react to the clip
Viewers flooded the comments on the page with praise:
@jason_steyn said:
"So accurate! Brilliant 👌🏼"
@teddychief_ wrote:
"He is easy to love, very articulate ❤"
@faye_swan_ commented:
"Bless you Mark! So glad I found this 🤍 sending big hugs from London!"
@wilmalombaard added:
"Wish we can get you as guide next time"
@raine_brailey_ said:
"He's incredible!"
@kooscoetzee noted:
"This guy is good"
More Briefly News stories on safaris
- A leopard calmly strolls through an open-air lodge seating area in a viral TikTok clip, leaving South Africans divided between awe and panic at close range.
- A South African wildlife photographer yelled “voetsek” at a charging rhino, leaving Mzansi in stitches and prompting jokes comparing the viral clip to Leon Schuster.
- William Chapman’s family remember the young man killed in a tiger attack at a UK wildlife park as tributes urge compassion and sensitivity around mental health.
Source: Briefly News
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