Warriors Academy

About

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.

Website

www.warriors.co.za

Founded

2004

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Community Photos

3... 2... 1.... weeeeeee !!! ;) what an experience. will do this again.

Everyone having a chill session after a long day of hiking.

Enjoying the open air and mountains from the Drakensburg

Practicing for our Walking group leader.

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Reviews

My 7 weeks at Warriors were one of the best weeks of my life. I am very happy and greatfull to be part of such an amazing group of people. The activities we did were insane! Survival was my favorite trip because it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience which gave me a lot of gratefullness. I have never done so many activities in only 7 weeks. Everyday you get the chance to learn something or experience new things. I never thought it was possible to become so close with a group of strangers you have only met 7 weeks ago, but I am very gratefull I now know you can. The rafting and hiking was amazing, but doing it with the Warriors made it even better. I would recommend every student who likes outdoor activities to take part in the gap-year program. I am very happy I made the decision to go and I will take it with me forever.

Pros

extraordinary experiences
surounded by amazing people
the ambiance at Warriors

Cons

limit in alcohol use and eat-outs
not much privacy
long bus rides

Warriors was the experience of a lifetime for me. The people I met and the experiences I had were completely out of this world and honestly I wish I could go back and do it all over again. It was hard but the feeling of accomplishment I had after all the activities was unmatched. The staff and my fellow warriors were so fun and I truly felt like I could be myself around them. The food was really good. Everything was well organized and I felt truly taken care of. I got to see all around south Africa and do amazing things like shy diving and bungee jumping. Base camp is also a really beautiful place that I feel is like my second home.

Pros

Amazing people
Great support from staff
Large variety of activities

Cons

Expensive

Thank you Warriors academy for this life changing experience. What I did and learned her in only 7 weeks(only did 1 of the 4 Quests) was far behind my expectations. I would do it over and over again, and still not get tired from it, it was so good.

Pros

Life lessons
Become the best version of yourself

Cons

6 o’clock wake up👎🏻

Amazing experience I will remember for the rest of my life. This program is an opportunity to grow as an individual. You get to experience life in all it's living colours. You meet people that you will remember fondly forever and you get to cross of some of those bucket list experiences before your adult life has even fully begun. For example in only seven weeks, I got my deck hand's license. I climbed some of the most beautiful cliff faces in South Africa. I learned to cook, and dance and live.

Pros

Traveling
Adventure
Powerful life lessons inspiring growth

At warriors I had the best time of my life . I learned so much from it it’s hard to describe how much benefit warriors will bring to your life and how much value you can add my participating in this program. The variety of the activities which you do is very special and you won’t find this anywhere else. The people with who you surrounded with are amazing and so helpful in every way. I really really enjoyed my time here and I won’t forget this for the rest of my life. I am very sure that I will remember the things that I learned and experienced and adjust this to my daily life. Thank
You warriors for this incredible experience !

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Warriors Academy

Warriors Academy Gap Year Program in South Africa

South Africa

4.90 •226 reviews

Warriors Academy is an internationally accredited Gap Year program...

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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.

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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!

James Baring

Vittorio Contaldi

Lindy Odendaal

2016 Alum

Somane Julian Neil Andersson

2016 Alum

Tabi Morison

Aidan John Pitt

2016 Alum

Matthew Wilkinson

2019 Alum

Brad Askew

2019 Alum

Kim Maritz

2016 Alum

Staff Interviews

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

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!

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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

Website

Founded

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Community Awards

Alumni Interviews

Tam

Why did you choose this program?

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

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

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

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

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

Staff Interviews

Tumi

What is your favorite travel memory?

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

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

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

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

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