Africa Explorer with Gapforce

One part of the trip that really made an impact on me was spending time in Outshoorn working at St. Luigi's center with the kids from the township. It was a life changing experience spending time with those kids. Even though some of them didn't understand english it didn't make much of a difference, all they wanted from us was attention and a little bit of love. It's hard to comprehend what they go through and the point of us being there is to give them a little bit of a break from whatever their situation may be, and to allow them to have some fun with us. I had so much fun chasing the kids around, getting my hair braided, listening to them sing, and just being in the company of some really amazing kids was definitely a highlight for me on my trip.

This trip was a very well balanced combination of volunteering, camping and exploring South Africa. It was absolutely amazing, we saw tropical forests, savannahs and beautiful deserts, we got to interact with lion cubs and meet amazing people along the way.
Our leader Leo was everything and more than we could have asked for. He gave us support, made us feel safe and pushed us out of our comfort zone when we needed it.

This trip was something I will never forget; each aspect offered something different, from volunteer work, leisure and camping.

My personal highlights included camping under the stars at Spitzkoppe and bush camping in Chobe National Park as well as many of the activities during our time in Kwantu Game Reserve.

Our leader, Leo, was what every leader should be; relaxed, authoritative yet understanding. I always felt safe, but never forced to do activities I didn't want to or like I was a child on a school trip.

As amazing as the trip was there were a few difficulties, not with the trip itself however. Gapforce did not inform us that we would be travelling with another company, ATC, before our departure. This meant that we did not have their itinerary so could not budget effectively, this meant the trip came out far more expensive. This however did not change how amazing the trip was for me personally.

This program allowed us as gapforce students to experience all aspects of Southern Africa. We touched on nature, history, and culture. It was the right amount of time in each place for a brief understanding of the region.

Volunteering at kwantu for the first month was a worthwhile experience. There are a lot of young people from all over the world who i got to socialise with. The work was never tedious since the game rangers gave us different tasks to do during the day, like cutting down trees or attempting a game capture. I enjoyed visiting Port Elizabeth during the weekends, and especially the bungee jump which was a memorable day out.

When travelling on the garden route I particularly loved oudtshoorn and the amount it offers. The 56k cycle ride was a particular highlight.
Travelling up to vic falls was very full on with early mornings and long drives but the scenery and activities each place had to offer en route was worth all the travelling.

Our group leader was very helpful, friendly and accommodating and it was reassuring to travel with someone who is always willing to help us out whenever needed.

Highlights included: thé garden route, especially oudshtoorn. The accomodation was mostly always nice and Léo our leader was always friendly, informative and réassuring.
However, communication bêtween staff In office and leader could hâve been better and We Were not properly informed on a lot of thé trip détails. This made budgeting à lot harder.