Xtreme gap wildlife conservation experience: the difference.
Plenty of gap year companies offer wildlife conservation programmes. On the face of it they seem the same, but how do you tell them apart? Without visiting the reserves, and checking out the projects it’s hard to know what you’re getting.
Well we have, and we have selected an exclusive partner in South Africa to run a wildlife conservation programme.
This Experience You Are Not Just Getting a Conservation Programme, You Are Getting a Completely Immersive Experience.
The Volunteer House is located smack bang in the middle of a big five game reserve. As you enjoy a cold beer, by the swimming pool as the smells of the barbecue carries off into the bush, it’s not uncommon for lions to come right up to the fence in your garden.
From the moment you leave the sanctuary of your accommodation you are in it and it is on!
While other companies will station you off the reserve, you will be located in a stunning region. We purposefully run small groups (there is a maximum of 10 participants at one time) whereas other companies can run 60 to 80 volunteers. This means you will get an intimate and personalised experience. You will learn all about the animals and gain a deeper understanding of African nature.
The work you do will genuinely make a difference, with rhino conservation at the forefront of your activities.
So what will you do?
There is no set schedule as such but your itinerary will be filled with some incredible moments. From game drives, game walks and hikes to waterfalls, you can expect plenty of interaction with African wildlife.
You will be working alongside leading African conservationists, and have your own mentor Throughout. On arrival you will be given a full introduction, and your programme will be laid out in full. You will be given some essential do’s and don’ts, and it is obviously important that you stick to these as you will be living with potentially dangerous animals all around you.
Game drives
As the name suggests game drives are where you go out looking for the animals. Our wildlife volunteers have at their disposal one specially modified land cruiser that can take up to 10 people. These land cruisers are virtually indestructible, and you will not believe the terrain we can cover with them. Steep rock paths get devoured by the 4×4 which means you will be taken to some quite inaccessible places on a quest to discover the wildlife.
The activities you partake in each week will have a genuine benefit. From collecting scientific data on animal populations, kills and any other areas of interest that affect the wildlife population.
There are other activities that you can partake in as well. It’s a fairly close-knit social experience, with other volunteers from all over the world. You are sure to make friends very quickly. We take you on excursions, the local town canton on Sea is only 15 minutes away and has some of the best beaches in South Africa.
The reserve has a sea view, not only does this make it an already impressive location even better, it serves to bring in the cool winds from the sea, meaning you are not so roasting when you are out in the field.
Safety and guidance
Bear in mind you will be staying surrounded by the wildlife, it’s good to note that there is a fully trained conservation guide stationed with you. Should you have any questions, needs or issues during your stay help is at hand. Not only that our team is young, dynamic and impassioned about wildlife conservation. This will no doubt rub off on you as you work closely with our highly experienced team.
