Deeply suntanned, dressed in shorts and a faded green bush shirt, the modern safari guide cuts a romantic figure. In what is almost exclusively a male profession, he is a true outdoors man, who can track a lion, fly a six-seater Cessna, extract a bogged-down Land Cruiser with a Tanganyika jack and, if needs be, drop a charging elephant to protect his clients. In Africa, he is the king of the new frontier and, like the old-time professional hunter he has largely replaced, he is often the cause of the malady known as khaki fever that sets female hearts aflutter.

Well, maybe. Possibly, there are still one or two guides who fit the khaki image; but the vast majority are a credit to their profession — men whose only desire is to share their passion for Africa, and the wild world that made them.

The best are worthy of a place at anyone’s top table. Some, such as Calvin Cottar in Kenya, or Robin Pope and Grant Cumings in Zambia, operate their own safari camps. Others, such as Mike Penman in Botswana, work with private mobile-camping safaris.

Not so long ago, if you wanted a top guide, he would invariably be a white man. Now black African guides are breaking into the profession, and making it to the very top, such as Jackson Ole Looseyia at Rekero in the Masai Mara.

So, what makes a good safari guide? First, he must be someone to whom you are happy to entrust your life. Last week, New Scientist published claims that a generation of disgruntled elephants is attacking humans to avenge decades of poaching. True or not, it is a reminder that the African bush can be a dangerous place.

Years ago, as I walked with a veteran guide called Cecil Evans, the two of us were confronted by a bull elephant that bore down on us with a terrible, strident scream. I was rooted to the spot, but Cecil, who was carrying a rifle, did not shoot. Instead, he waved his hat and yelled “Bugger off” at the top of his voice.

The elephant skidded to a halt metres from where we stood, then crashed off into the bush. It was Cecil’s knowledge that saved the day. He had a split second in which to judge that, for all its terrifying realism, this was a mock charge. Otherwise, we might have had a dead elephant on our hands.

Most of the time, though, your guide is there to interpret the natural world in which he grew up, to spot the game and name the birds and to be an inspirational source of knowledge on everything from elephant behaviour to the secret life of a termite mound. Added to which, he will be the perfect host, a born raconteur with an inexhaustible fund of stories to keep his clients entertained at dinner.

Where do these paragons exist? Here is a guide to some of the best guides in the business and their particular expertise.

WALKING SAFARI GUIDE

Rod Tether

Rod is a protégé of the famous guide and camp-owner Robin Pope, and his passion for the remotest corners of Africa led him to North Luangwa National Park, which has only one road and a couple of small bush camps. One is Kutandala, run by Rod and Guz, his wife. With room for only six guests in camp, what you get with Tether is the full-on experience of walking in serious big-game country with a man who really knows his business.
Contact: Tim Best Travel (020 7591 0300).

Times recommends

• The world's 10 weirdest things to eat
• Correspondents: hoteliers revenge for Tripadvisor
• A slow, ponderous journey up the Mekong