Warriors Academy Gap Year

Warriors Academy

Why choose Warriors Academy?

Warriors Academy is an internationally accredited Gap Year program that has been running in South Africa for the past 17 years.
The Warriors Gap Year program is made up of four seasonal Quests. Each Quest is structured and has unique features and activities. These are focused on equipping young adults with emotional intelligence skills, time, stress and conflict management, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving while exploring and experiencing the best that South Africa has to offer. Students are able to choose to do any of our Quests or all 4 as part of the full Gap Year experience.
Our Gap Year involves adventure activities, personal coaching and self-mastery workshops aimed at building emotional fitness and strengthening both the body and mind. Some of these activities include hiking, kloofing, water rafting, bungee jumping, scuba diving, sailing, cycle safari’s, animal encounters and so much more.

Founded
2004

Reviews

Default avatar
Tristan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Warriors Academy

The Warriors Gap year academy program second quest also known as autumn quest has been an amazing experience, I’ve been exposed to many different activities and adventures. Ever since scuba diving in Sodwana Bay, scuba diving has become one of my favorite hobbies which I will continue to pursue after warriors. The management team and those involved with planning, organizing, driving, facilitating and instructing made this whole adventure possible and for that I am extremely grateful for everyone involved.

What was your funniest moment?
Every moment with me an my roommates
Pros
  • The exposure to different activities
  • Mental growth
  • Physical transformations
Cons
  • Very early mornings
Default avatar
Axel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Ce que la Warriors Academy ma apporté/What the Warriors Academy brought me

Avant de venir a la Warriors Academy j’ai été déscolarisée pour certaines raison, mais je voulais pas perdre mon temp et je voulais renforcer mon physique et mon mental car je suis quelqu’un qui a peur de parler devant des gens, et partir dans un autre pays avec des personnes que tu ne connais pas avec une langue que tu connais a peine, c’est un défi que je me suis lancer. Alors si j’ai un conseil, c’est de quitter votre zone de confort et venais nous rejoindre et ca vous aidera probablement comme ca ma aider.

In English:
Before coming to the Warriors Academy I was dropped out of school for some reason, but I didn't want to waste my time and I wanted to strengthen my physical and mental strength because I am someone who is afraid to speak in front of people, and going to another country with people you don't know with a language you barely know, it's a challenge that I set myself. So if I have one piece of advice, it's to leave your comfort zone and come join us and it will probably help you like it helped me.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
N’ayez pas peur de cous rapprocher et d’avoir des discussions avec les autre, ici il sont tous très compréhensible et essaye de vous aider
Pros
  • Très bon pour le physique
  • Très bon pour le Mental
  • Et surtout l’ambiance général qui est exceptionnel (vraiment exceptionnel)
Cons
  • Des fois trop enchaîné avec les activités, c’est épuisant
  • Parle français, des fois, c’est un peux compliqué
Default avatar
Madison
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My Warriors Autumn Quest 2025

I came to Warriors as part of my gap year and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is not 100% sure on what to do during their gap year. The amount of different things you do, including hiking the Num-num trail, horse riding, climbing and a lot of cycling and the many different people you meet and form relationships with, gives you a different perspective on life. I have so much more motivation and self-confidence after this quest.

I now push myself past my comfort levels and do things I never thought I would do, including a 120km cycle through the mountains and scuba diving with sharks. I loved my time here and can't wait to come back!!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
I am terrified of cows and at Warriors I over came my fear of touching them and touched a mom and her calf, I was very scared but I managed with the support of my fellow Warriors and I am very proud of myself.
Pros
  • Derrek, Thomas and Dylan (the facilitators
  • All the different experiences, including caving and climbing
  • The food
Cons
  • Early mornings
  • Power outages due to being in the middle
  • Being out of contact with mom
Default avatar
Brett
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Warriors Quest 2

Every second of the Warriors was a blast. The amount of things I learnt this quest was unbelievable, and I will be forever grateful for the lessons I’ve learned. Having MAI and Facilitators who know everything and teach us new things every day makes us all feel equal. All the adventures we did taught us something,g and I personally learnt the most in the scuba diving trip to Sodwana Bay, the place we all fell in love with scuba diving and snorkeling. Experiencing Sodwana with this group made it a million times better.

I’ll never forget the moments with Warriors

What was your funniest moment?
My very good friend crying in pain after applying Arnica Ice rub to a chafe mark
Pros
  • Behind every negative there is a positive
  • Don’t stop keep going even if it hurts
  • The relationships with my friends grew stronger
Cons
  • Mold in our rooms
  • Body pain
  • Being tired
Default avatar
Remy
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Warriors academy

The program is a very nice experience because you get very close to people all around the world. And you're working on yourself and your growth, so you grow as a person along the way. You're challenging yourself, things you might think you are not capable of, but once you do it, you realize you are very much capable. And you don’t need to be fit when you come at the beginning, the program helps with people who are athletic and non-athletic, and you do everything together at the end of the day. I very much recommend!!

Pros
  • Traveling
  • Getting fit
  • Meeting new people
Cons
  • Wake up is early

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

Both my older brother and cousin have done this programme prior to me. Hearing what an amazing experience this was for them and seeing the change in them, made coming to this programme a very easy choice for me to make.

I've always liked to challenge myself, but never actually got out of my comfort zone in doing so.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

Because my older brother already did the programme prior to me, there were a few things he could pass on to me - which was great.

Other than that, the Warriors Academy helped me out with stuff I couldn't get/bring myself since I live overseas and it ended up being a lot easier just getting it on site. These were mainly things for outside activities, such as biking gear, hiking gear, and a tent.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Just go in and participate in every way possible. Don't think about it, be open to experience everything. There will most definitely be things you won't like, but you'll be surprised finding out there are actually quite a few things you really do like, just never had the opportunity to pursue it.

Also, as long as you put your mind to it, you're capable of doing everything and anything.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Okay, so it's quite valuable to know that literally every single day is different, let alone the weeks.
But generally, you start your day off with some lovely morning exercise after which you return to your rooms to shower and get ready for the day. After breakfast (if you're lucky, there are oats), you go and do whatever activity is planned for that day!

Somewhere around noon, you'll have lunch and somewhere beginning of the evening, dinner. That's pretty much all I can say about an average day. Food is great there.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I don't think there was a specific fear? I was lucky enough to have met most of the people who are in the organisation of this programme prior to me actually joining it. So I guess that already made me feel a lot more comfortable going to the other side of the world by myself.

Other than that, I would recommend being open-minded and not being afraid to talk to people whenever you're struggling with something.

If you could do this trip again, what would you change?

Looking back at my experience, I wouldn't change a thing. There were a few times I was very much set on not doing something, but I'm extremely happy I did end up doing these things/trying it out.

The thing is, during this incredible programme, there are a lot of opportunities that are thrown at you and most of these you won't get a chance of experiencing ever again. You don't want to look back regretting things you didn't do.

Be grateful, cause it's a chance in a lifetime!

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Tumi

Job Title
Senior Facilitator
Tumi is every energetic passionate being! She loves to laugh and make a difference in other people’s lives!
Tumi

What is your favorite travel memory?

Traveling to Mozambique on a scuba diving trip! Just exploring another part of Africa made it so special to share with our international students!

Every day presented a new opportunity where a new diving skill was taught to the students. The importance of respecting nature. This was a trip with lots of stories and memories!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Working at Warriors has allowed me to learn to give back without expecting anything in return. It’s allowed me to see students grow into amazing young adults.

I’ve learned to do everything with passion and always give it my all. It’s been truly rewarding having to be able to work with youngsters from around the world!

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

One of the students had a really tough time in school and just not fitting in on a social level! Warriors has taught him to embrace who he is and express himself the way he chooses to.

He learned to accept himself and has picked up the courage to face people on a social level! Allowing others to appreciate his uniqueness.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

The Toltec workshop! It’s a week where our students are given the opportunity to learn about themselves emotionally and learn to accept who they are!

This is a week where we also offer an opportunity to detox and learn a little bit more about a healthy lifestyle. We teach the importance of health is wealth!

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

What makes us unique is the fact that we are a melting pot of different cultures, races, and nationalities!

The best proud moment will always be at the end of a program where you see a transformation and the excitement within the students! This is the start of their journey into the big world and we’ve just equipped them with tools to take it on!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

The biggest factor in being a successful company consists of multiple attributes.

Passion
Energy
Hard work
Focus
Dedication
Integrity
And most importantly, teamwork! It takes a team to put together a successful project! Yet we should all share a common vision in order for it to work!

#Fortheadventuresofbeingalive

Professional Associations

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