See
some of South Africa’s most beautiful reserves
and work hand in hand with local communities
to remove alien invasive plant species, set up
indigenous nurseries and plant indigenous saplings
in deforested areas. This is a truly satisfying
way to travel from Cape Town to Kruger!
Necessary Skills:
Relatively physically fit as there is manual
labour involved. Applicants must have an interest
in new cultures & the environment as well
as working with communities in a third world
country.
Useful Skills:
Plant knowledge useful but not necessary as we
have a qualified guide as part of our team.
Itinerary:
Day 1-3
CAPE TOWN: Volunteers will be met at a central
place in Cape Town to be advised.
(Volunteers may wish to spend a couple of days
exploring Cape Town before the pick up date.
This beautiful city is developed around a 1073m
tall mountain and surrounded by some of the most
beautiful beaches and vineyards in the world.
It is culturally and historically diverse and
really is one of the most colourful and attractive
cities in the world!)
SALDHANA BAY: After pick up, we will travel approximately
120km to our first site: The West Coast National
Park (WCNP) in Saldhana Bay. This area is characterized
by the clear blue waters, of the Langebaan Lagoon
and is home to an enormous number of migratory
wading birds, including flamingos, the curlew
sandpiper and the Jackass Penguin. The National
Park is famous for its wildflower display between
August and September.
Day 3-10
KNYSNA: During Arbor week we will be working
in the Jewel of the Garden Route, the town
of Knysna. This is about a 650km drive from
Saldhana. It is surrounded by the indigenous
forests, interlocking lakes, turquoise lagoons
and the Outeniqua Mountains! Its origins lie
in the timber industry and with increased development
the ancient forests are becoming more threatened.
Day 10-12
MOUNTAIN ZEBRA NATIONAL PARK (MZNP): About 550km
from Knysna this unique national park protects
one of the rarest animals in the world: The
Mountain Zebra. With its superb mountain views
this National Park provides a perfect stop
to recuperate from the work we do in Arbor
week and to experience silence and space that
the Karoo Semi-Desert is famous for.
Day 12-17
DWESA & CWEBE NATURE RESERVE: 680km from
MZNP these adjoining reserves encompass about
6000ha of coastal forest, impressive beaches
and hiking trails. They are separated by the
Mbashe river and wildlife include white rhino,
buffalo and you may see a herd of eland come
down to the beach to drink from the river.
Day 17-21
ST LUCIA: Declared a world heritage site in 1999,
the St LuciaGreat Wetland Park is a kaleidoscope
of lake, marshland, forested coastal dunes
and grasslands. A drive of 670km will bring
us to St Lucia which is also one of Africa's
oldest conservation areas. It is home to over
350 bird species including pelicans, loggerhead
turtles use coastal regions as breeding grounds
and hippo and crocodiles inhabit the lakes.
Day 21-25
HULHULWE-UMFALOZI NATIONAL PARK: A mere 50km
drive brings us to this reserve famed for its
role in saving the white rhino from extinction.
The park covers 96000ha of deep wooded valleys,
grassy hillsides and thornveld and is home
to lion, elephant, black and white rhinos,
leopards, giraffe and wild dog.
Day 25-28
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK: Kruger National Park is
bordered by Mozambique, and averages about
65km across and 350km long. This park is famed
for its excellent game viewing. We will be
staying in the Lower Sabie camp which is set
in a prime wildlife spotting region, overlooking
a dam on the Sabie River. This area is frequented
by elephants, cheetah, rhino and buffalo.
Day 28-29
JOHANNESBURG: 530km from Kruger, our last stop
is the capital of South Africa. We will spend
our last night in Johannesburg, and can drop
off volunteers at the Johannesburg International
Airport at 10am the next day.
Accommodation:
The accommodation will vary with each stop over.
We will be completely self contained and will
be camping at some stops, at others we will
be staying in lodges, or in the case of our
Kruger National Park in a beautiful rest camp
on the banks of a dam.
We work as a team and from the first day everyone
will be required to contribute to setting up
tents, washing up and general camp maintenance.
We will however have a cook traveling with us
and someone to help with the packing up and moving.
Work Hours:
Our mission at every site is different as are
the people we will be working with. In general,
our day will be as follows:
07:00
Breakfast & Morning Meeting
08:00
Organize the equipment we will need for the day
and leave camp for the project
08:30
Work on the Project, for example planting trees,
removing alien invasive plants, rehabilitating
sand dunes.
10:00
Tea
10:30
Work on the Project
12:00
Lunch
14:00
Work on the Project
17:00
Time off, prepare for dinner
18:00
Dinner and Free Time
We will work hard, but we will also play hard,
with work days interspersed with rest days and
free days where you can do other activities.
There will be local bars, backpackers and other
nightlife options for those night owls- so come
prepared with some smart-casual clothes.
Optional Extras:
All along our route, travelers will have the
option of doing extra activities such as snorkeling,
black water tubing, bungee jumping, horse riding
and many more. You can book these activities
at various centers along route and no previous
booking is necessary.
Cost: £1400
This includes:
Pickup from and drop at an arranged point
All transport to sites
Three meals a day, vegetarians and vegans catered
for
Accommodation (as well as accommodation in Johannesburg
on the last night)
Entrance fees into the National Parks
Game Drives in the National Parks
It does not include:
Flights
Travel Insurance
Visas for South Africa
Alcoholic beverages
Curios
Any costs associated with extra activities
such as white water rafting, bungee jumping etc.
|
