Last weekend the volunteers enjoyed a 2 day Malolotja Zipline Adventure Tour. Visiting some of Swaziland’s most iconic landmarks: Sibebe Rock – the second largest exposed rock in the world, Swaziland’s man-made Maguga Dam, the scenic and extremely beautiful Malolotja Nature Reserve where they enjoyed zip lining through and above Malolotja’s evergreen Tree Canopy, the oldest mine in the world – Ngwenya Mine, and a visit to Ngwenya Glass where they got to see glass blowing first hand, visit many of the crafts shops as well as indulge in some of the goodies at the Ngwenya Chocolate Factory.

Last week Monday (20/01/14) the volunteers went on the Swazi Cultural Village Tour. They got the chance to view Swazi traditional homes known as huts, enjoy watching and listening to the Swazi traditional dancing and singing, as well has having the privilege to partake in the Traditional dance. Moreover, if its warm enough (even if not) the volunteers always a good dip in the waters at the Mantenga Falls which is a lovely cascading waterfall within the Mantenga Cultural Village.

Here are some of the comments received from the tours:
“Saturday afternoon we went on the Malolotja Zipline Adventure Tour. We went to the second biggest exposedrock in the world, visited the old mine, the all important Maguga Dam, and of course did the ziplining. It was definitely worth it – the zip lining was great and the landscape at Malolotja Nature Reserve was beautiful.” – Katie Kraan

“The Malolotja Zipline Adventure Tour was definitely worth doing. It was a great way f experiencing Swaziland’s landscape and wild nature. One of the mpst memorable parts was having a cold drink and a traditional Swazi barbeque wit the view of the beautiful sunset.” – Silja Arnadottir
“On Monday we did the Swazi Cultural Village Tour. I was chosen to dance with the local people – yaaay! =) After the traditional singing and dancing we went to the waterfall for a swim.” – Katie Kraan

“The Swazi Cultural Village Tour was great. The dance at the end (where some of the volunteers were asked to join) was the highlight of the tour. Afterwards we had a nice swim by the beautiful waterfall.” Silja Arnadottir

On Sunday the lovely volunteers left for Tofo, Mozambique on the Mozambique Beach and Whale Shark Experience: white sands, sunshine, and waves – they will definitely be spending their week in paradise! Hopefully I’ll be sending you photos of their Mozambique Beach and Whale Shark Experience next week when the volunteers return.

The post Updates from the field Swaziland appeared first on Xtreme Gap Year Blog.

Last week Tuesday the volunteers enjoyed their first tour, a Lobamba Walking Village Tour. This tour gives the volunteers and introduction to Swaziland – they visit the National Museum and King Sobhuza II Memorial Park, and learn about the history of Swaziland, Its previous King and Swaziland’s people. They then walkt through on of Swaziland’s largest villages, the Lobamba Village to see how the people of Swaziland traditionally live – whilst in the village they get to try our local brew known as umcombotsi as well as visit the village’s local art gallery. The tour ends off with a spectacular traditional Swazi feast, a BRAAII (barbeque).

On Wednesday, the volunteers embarked on a journey to South Africa for the 5 Day Kruger Big Game Camping Safari. During this five day trip, the volunteers were treated to a lot of game sightings – Leopards, Lions, Elephants, Buffalos, Rhinos but the mot special sighting was an albino giraffe because they are so rare to see.. The volunteers especially enjoyed the Sunset Drive as well as the Morning Walk – it gave them such a thrill to be in an open safari vehicle at night with a spot light searching for those eyes that shone through the bush in the night as well as walking out in the open searching for animals with armed park guides!

This weekend the volunteers are going to enjoy the Malolotja Zip Line Adventure tour – viewing many of Swaziland’s highlight destinations as well as partaking in the adrenaline rush of zip lining from mountain to mountain through Malolotja’s gorgeous tree canopy.

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Here you find some more information on the accommodation options for the Namibia Wildlife programme.

We have two options of accommodation; volunteer rooms with up to three people (same gender) sharing each room, or large tents with a living and bedroom area to be shared by two volunteers (same gender or a couple). The rooms are basic but our single beds are comfortable with bedding provided (duvets and pillows). Showers and toilet facilities are communal and hot water is supplied by solar energy therefore sometimes restricted. Electricity is freely available, however please be aware that sometimes it has been known to cut off during storms. Power sockets for electrical items are available in communal areas.

Three meals are provided on a help yourself basis – Breakfast includes toast and cereal; Lunch includes pasta, wraps, burgers or stir fry; and Evening Dinners include meat, fish and vegetables with rice, potatoes and pasta. On weekends we often have a braai (barbecue). Tea and coffee are freely available throughout the day and other drinks (soft and alcoholic) and snacks can be bought on the farm. Please advise us of any special dietary requirements prior to arrival at the project, including vegetarianism, allergies etc.

Facilities

• Internet: It’s time to get away from it all! Due to the costs incurred, internet is only available for emergency use only. If you are based at the Wildlife Sanctuary we do regular transfers into Windhoek on Sundays where you can visit an internet cafe.
• Telephone: We suggest that you take your mobile phone with you – you will need to activate roaming on your phone. It is also a good idea to unlock your phone in case you get the opportunity to buy a local Namibian SIM card for about N$10, which will allow you to call and text home cheaply and easily. Due to the rural location of the Wildlife Sanctuary, the mobile phone signal is quite weak but there are a few spots around camp where you can get reception.
• Laundry: There is a free laundry service at the Sanctuary for all volunteers to use. However, it’s always a good idea to bring travel wash with you for emergencies!
• Electricity: The plugs used in Namibia are three large round pins (the same as the South African style) and you will need to bring an adapter in order to charge electronic items such as phones and camera batteries. Please be sensible when using electricity, as it is much more of a luxury in Africa than it is in your home country. Also please be prepared as power cuts are common and you will need to be flexible about charging your items and bring spare batteries!

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Renske from the Netherlands wrote us her review.

From half December 2012 till half January 2013 I was in Namibia Is was really great and they do a great thing there. You really get involved in the daily care of the wild animals. There are a lot of leopards, lions, cheetahs, monkeys and some other tame and wild animals even zebra’s and giraffes.
You prepare the meat or food for them and then you feed them. With the monkeys and caracals you take a walk. You can even walk with cheetahs. The lions, leopards and cheetahs you feed by throwing the meat to them. Most of the time they pick it out of the air before it even reach the ground.

I did travel with Xtreme Gap and that is the best you can do because they organised everything very well for you. The information you get from Xtreme Gap before you leave is up to date and good. At the wildlife camp I slept in a tent in the wilderness and in the beginning it was a little bit scary because of the wild animals at night and the sound of the roar lions. You meet a lot of new people from all over the world. There are young and older people and the food is good.
There is a swimming pool and a bar and a little shop to buy some things. The pick up from and to the airport is also well organised. I had a really great experience and I will go back some day.

Hope to see you then.  Greetings, Renske from Holland.

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On your surf instructor course there will be some days you wont be able to surf. The waves can be either to high and dangerous (starting the course you will not be an expert yet!) or there might be a day with what we call baby waves. Also no good.

On these days we take you on excursions. And when in Morocco you have to visit Marrakesh. A hectic city, once in the souks (small and windy shopping streets where you will get lost) you find yourself in a different world. It reminded me of the middle ages, not that I was around then, but I can imagine it would have been like that. Donkeys to carry the goods, all little stalls with food, fruit, spices, goats, lizzards. The only way you know you are in the now is because you have to jump on the side of the small streets every now and then when a motorbike wants to pass you, and because everything is expensive.

Despite what you might think, Morocco´s number one tourist attraction is certainly not cheap!
So keep your money in your pocket, or try to haggle (Oliver of xtreme gap is a master in this and wrote a guide book on how to haggle, if you are interested just follow this link).
Your senses will be treated though! I am sure you will love it. Very impressive too is the big square. Jamaa el Fna it is called. During the day you find men in dresses showing of their snakes and charging you to go on a photo with the long and scary creatures, and you will find lost of stalls with delicious fresh orange juice and fresh Moroccan spices, and in the evening it turns in to a fairy tail with lost of lights and great food stalls.

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There’s something amazing about coming face-to-face with a crocodile, literally face-to-face with them, none of this thick protective glass that you get in zoos in Europe, but  really being sat a couple of metres away from these awesome and scary predators.

Is something definitely a little bit surreal  seeing them on land, where actually they are not that dangerous unless you step on them (please don’t step on them) but in the water is a whole different story.

During the African wildlife conservation adventure one of the highlights of the trip will be visiting a crocodile and snake farm. Africa houses lots of dangerous species of snakes,  so it’s much better to meet them in a controlled environment, rather than sitting on the toilet finding a cobra having a shady nap whilst waiting to bite you in the bottom.

During the trip you will go on a crocodile and snake course, learning all about these creatures, which can be actually quite useful in Africa (I know this personally because I once had a boomslang snake trapped in my car on a visit to South Africa).

The crocodile and snake Park is just one of the highlights there are plenty of awesome activities along the way to keep you on your toes. Like a visit to the big cat conservation project a rehabilitation centre for lots of Africa’s big cats, and game drives searching for the big five.

The post Crocodiles and Snakes: Not Your Typical House Pet. appeared first on Xtreme Gap Year Blog.

During one of our exciting South Africa gap year projects, you can take a visit to Cat Rehabilitation Centre. This is just part of one of the many exciting wildlife observation activities that you get involved in on the African Wildlife Gap Year Adventure. Working on a game farm, getting to know the methods and techniques of wildlife conservation to help preserve some of Africa’s most vulnerable species you will do lots of other day trips as well like trips to private game reserves where you can do a Game drive in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve.

The cat rehabilitation centre is a great opportunity to meet and greet some of South Africa’s most spectacular big cats, not just big ones as well, there are lots of other cool feline friends can’t wait to eat you (sorry meat you, erm we mean MEET you.)  Phew, think we got away with that one.

All joking aside do not worry, you’ll be put in the hands of expert South Africans, so it is very unlikely that you will get eaten during the visit, although we do usually lose a few gap year students during the visit to the crocodile farm.

So please make sure that your travel insurance covers you for being eaten by large scaly reptiles, hopefully you won’t but hey that’s what adrenaline travels all about. Doing really cool things you can’t home. Hanging out with some of these guys is definitely one of those things.

If you want to find out more about this program check out the African wildlife gap year adventure programme.

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You can’t go to South Africa on your gap year and not do a big five-game drive, fortunately there are plenty of opportunities to do so on our African wildlife conservation trips, one of our favourites is the African wildlife gap year adventure.

Set in South Africa stunning Eastern Cape, you can spend two or three weeks engaged in wildlife conservation efforts, doing a variety of different wildlife conservation projects whilst getting to know the real Africa. Projects range from visiting a crocodile farm and snake centre, and a Visit to Cat Rehabilitation Centre as well as undertaking plenty of wildlife conservation efforts in a private game reserve.

As part of the African wildlife Your adventure you will get to do a game drive in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, a stunning private game reserve boasting plenty of Africa’s most spectacular animals. Have a look at some of the pictures below taken from the reserve.

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Disclaimer. Always seek medical advice before you travel. We are not medics and can not give you up to date accurate advice on health matters.

Malaria is a disease that you have to take into account when planning a gap year trip or adventure. It’s a parasite spread by mosquitos. A single bite is enough to infect you, and it can be deadly.

The plasmodium parasites responsible for causing malaria are injected into the blood stream when a mosquito carrying them bites the skin. From there the parasites travel to the liver where they multiply before spreading out into the blood vessels where they invade red blood cells. Every so often a red blood cell will burst releasing more parasites and a cloud of toxins into the bloodstream. It’s when these infected blood cells burst that the person infected will feel the symptoms of malaria; a high fever and bouts of chills and sweating.

Malaria kills by destroying too many red blood cells, inhibiting the body’s ability to transport oxygen to vital organs, which eventually leads to organ failure. Or, in rare cases, the disease can cause the small blood vessels in the brain to become blocked, resulting in strokes, seizures, brain damage and death.

Even a relatively mild case of malaria which doesn’t kill you, it has the potential to ruin your trip, leaving you weak, ill and bed bound for a long time.

Theoretically, wherever you find mosquitos there is a risk of malaria, but in reality you’re only really indanger in tropical areas where the species of mosquito that carry the parasites are prevalent; Latin America, Africa, and areas of southern Asia.Be aware of the risk level in the region you’re travelling in.

If you are planning on visiting a danger zone be sure to consider the available malaria prevention drugs. They’re tablets that can be prescribed by a doctor, to be taken before, during & after your visit to a danger zone.

It’s also essential to take other measures to protect yourself in these regions. You should use insect repellent on any exposed areas of skin, and sleep under a chemically treated mosquito net (without any holes in it!).

It’s also worth asking about vaccinations that you may need to travel to certain regions while you’re discussing anti-malarial drugs with a doctor, and while you’re getting all of that sorted, consider purchasing some over-the counter medications that you may need (such as painkillers, motion sickness medication, pills to stop diarrhoea and laxatives to deal with constipation) which may be difficult to procure while you’re travelling.

Speaking as someone who’s done my fair share of travelling, at some point you will almost certainly find yourself in a situation where you’re glad that you thought to pack a variety of medicines!

If you notice any malaria-like symptoms, such as a headache, fever, muscle pains, sweats, chills or vomiting, at any time up to a year after you return from your trip, you should seek immediate medical attention, and be sure to inform your doctor that you’ve been out of the country.

The post Malaria –What gap year travellers need to know appeared first on Xtreme Gap Year Blog.

Swaziland is Africa’s last remaining true monarchy and in it’s unique laid-back way is
steeped in Swazi culture and tradition. The Ezulwini Valley of Swaziland is known as the
valley of heaven and is both home to the King and royal family and most of the countries
tourism facilities and attractions. It is a scenic hilly Kingdom with a friendly age-old way
of life that endears anyone who takes the time to experience it.
On the Kruger to Coast programme you spend 10 days on a cultural exchange programme,  working at a community sport facility in a small settlement called Lobamba.

The focus of the Sports Development Project is to improve the well being of disadvantaged children within rural Swazi communities, through sport. This project focuses on the following sports – football (soccer), tennis, netball, athletics and table “working together for wildlife & people” tennis and incorporates both genders between the ages of 7 and 18.
The project is borne out of a need in this tiny but beautiful Kingdom: Approximately 30% of children in Swaziland cannot afford to go to school. Without the structure of an educational institution children are denied the stimulation they need to keep them busy and developing in their formative years. In some cases this lack of structure and resultant boredom can lead children into petty criminal activity at an early age. Sport can be used as a method of improving and uplifting the lives of disadvantaged children keeping them stimulated, focused, fit and healthy.
The Sport Project is based in the heart of the traditional capital of Swaziland, Lobamba and operates from here through to Manzini, which is Swaziland’s biggest town. Lobamba is surrounded by symbolic national monuments such as the Houses of Parliament, eLudzidzini Royal Residence, the National Church, the National Museum, the late King Sobhuza ll memorial and the national stadium, Somhlolo.
As a volunteer you will be involved in helping with the day to day co–ordination of this project. There are sports practice sessions each week day which you would help coordinate.
The aim is encourage youths to participate, arrange training and sports activities, to develop sports teams, organise mini competitions and once at the right level, facilitate them to compete in local sports leagues. You will also be involved in the organising of matches between other teams in the area and fund raising for the development of the sports facilities.

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