Program Reviews

I am not a morning person. Yet I had no trouble getting up at 5:30 in the morning because I knew I was going to be able to see the sun rise over the South African countryside from the back of a pick-up truck. I remember one of the first mornings we went out, a fog hung low over the grass and the sun was just breaking through the trees, then suddenly I saw a dozen zebras and a family of giraffes who were silhouetted against the sun. It was breath taking. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait to go back!

I went to Indonesia with a group of year 12s and 13s and 2 biology teachers from my school and it was an unforgettable experience. Indonesia is the furthest I have ever travelled but the excitement made it less nerve-wracking, when we reached Indonesia we then had a series of travel and accomodation until we reached the remote island of Buton, our group was based in the South forest camp, Bala, which required us to boat over to the forest and walk for 4 hours to our secluded camp. Although this was hard especially due to prior rain making it muddy our guides helped us immensely, including taking people's bags. Over the week at the forest camp we participated in many surveys, including listening to birds and measuring amphibians as well as short lectures on the biodiversity of the forest. The facilities were amazing considering we were miles into a forest and the equipment would have had to be carried into camp. The toilets were westernised but we used the traditional Indonesian mandis (a large tub of water with a scoop) to shower, which was a lot easier, more efficient and fun to use than anticipated. Also the huge river running through the forest was helpful, we washed our clothes, occasionally bathed and had a river party there on our last day...But by far the most important and special asset to this camp was the amazing volunteers and locals. Firstly, the volunteers are all so fun, interesting and friendly, they have so many stories to tell and are great at their jobs. They are so enthusiastic about what they do as well, when I was about to do my tree canopy access (which I 100% recommend, it is beautiful) Jesse, the amphibian and reptile expert, got a call from camp telling him 'a python has eaten a pig' just next to camp. This was exciting for everyone but Jesse was giddily running back down to camp, I think that is the most important thing Opwall offers; professionals who are great to work with and love their job. Next, the Indonesians that stayed with us, many of them live in Buton and travelled over with us, they are the loveliest and funniest people you could meet. Our cooks were amazing, our guides cared for our safety and knew the forest so well and our medic had a cure for everything (if you get spiked by a caterpillar rub some ash on it). The atmosphere in the camp was great and everyone had fun.

Our next stop was the marine site of Hoga and another set of boats, cars and hotels to get there, when we arrived there the views were amazing. At this site we spent the week doing 2 sessions of either snorkelling or diving a day. I snorkelled and it was really cool and fun however as this was all we were doing (we could not collect data due to no training) it got boring at times. Reflecting back on this I would now chose the dive training. The atmosphere was also very different than the forest, in the forest the group was a lot smaller and more intimate - our school, a few university students and the staff - whereas at the marine staff it was crowded with university students. At times, I felt these students would look down on us and frequently I noticed many of the girls went against the dress code and showed a little too much flesh than appropriate for a muslim country, this included wearing short shorts or even walking around in just a rash vest pulled over their bum. I hope Opwall will use this feedback to enforce the dress code more as I felt it unfair on the locals. Another problem was the littering, I understand that it is in the Indonesian's culture to throw their rubbish in the water, however due to the site's purpose I felt that the amount of litter covering the coral holes around the island was too much. Maybe a couple of bins around the walkways would encourage less littering? We also visited the close Bajau village called Sampela (village built in the sea), this was one of the most extraordinary places I have been and the kids were fascinating and fearless. All in all the site and island was beautiful and offered some great opportunities, I only picked up on these faults due to comparison.

Thank you Opwall for an amazing experience, the work and dedication that goes into ensuring everyone has fun, from the head of the Indonesian sites down to a diving instructor, attention was given to all our needs and speaking on behalf of my school we had an unforgettable trip that was worth all of the money. I would recommend this to everyone who wants to explore the world and different cultures, the good thing about going with the school is you get the opportunity without needing to study biology at university. The 2 week trip crams so much into it and some of my experiences mentioned are just a few, you will do things that you thought exceeded your abilities, you will become more humble and most of all you will create memories that will stay with you and adapt you as a person. My advice to those doing a similar trip as I have done is;
- Say 'Hey Mr!' or wave to everyone in the small villages that you drive past in Buton, you will never see strangers so happy to see you
- Buy a traditional Buton sarong
- Learn their language
- Take a pack of cards
- Take tons of photos (any photos you take with locals, show them)
- Have fun!!!

I went to Indonesia with Opwall as an undergrad research assistant for 8 weeks: 2 weeks on Kabaena looking for insects, 2 weeks on Buton helping with biodiversity surveys and looking for insects, and 4 week diving on Hoga and looking for insects. As you can see, I am an entomology student, and my primary interest was finding as many strange invertebrates as I could, which was especially important because I was the only one significantly interested in doing so. (As a result, I am/was possibly the world's expert on the terrestrial invertebrate diversity of Kabaena island - which is not saying much, really) Opwall mainly served as a means for me to explore tropical biodiversity uninhibited (for the first time) and expose myself to foreign places and ways of doing things, which I say was a success. Everything was a fascinating new experience! Especially being able to learn to dive in the coral reefs there.

I seem to have constructed a very long review (I discuss each of the rating items (Impact, Support, etc.) in detail), so to save space on this webpage and spare your scrollbar, I have uploaded the rest of it to Dropbox as a .txt file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/deio5ou4q5tl4pj/Opwall%20review.t…

My experience was amazing - this was my second expedition with OpWall and I spent 6 weeks in Indonesia; 4 of which were in the jungle and 2 which were on the marine site. I met the coolest people ever, especially those who were OpWall staff, and every person had something great to contribute to the group. Even in the marine site (although the staff were slightly less kind), everybody worked towards a common goal of conservation research and adventure. I will be back soon!

My month spent in Indonesia was simply unforgettable.
We had the best scientists, doctor and fellow research assistants to keep us company during our crazy jungle adventure.
Between catching bats and measuring snakes there'd always be card games at our rough and ready jungle table.
I learnt so much about bats, birds, snakes and frogs from how to handle them to where they live and their ecology. Sitting here writing this in cold, grey England i miss the jungle and our mobile team very much!

I have been fortunate enough to go to Indonesia with Operation Wallacea three times (so far). Once for my BSc dissertation (2014), and twice for my MSc (2016). They must be doing something right because every time I leave I know I'll be going back eventually.

When you first get there it can be a little daunting, Hoga is literally paradise but with that comes the distance and the likelihood of not knowing anyone there. This is soon overcome with the staff, both local and and international (dive staff, science staff, and of course, Pip) always being incredibly friendly and helpful.. The locals, too, will make you feel so welcome, whether its walking along the paths and having all the kids asking what your name is so they can greet you in future, or if its the boat boys playing (and beating) everyone at takraw. The huts are crazy basic but it all adds to the experience, and the landlords are alway accommodating to your needs. Be prepared to share your hut with the local wildlife though, the huntsman's like to pay a visit when it's been raining heavily.

Whether you're experienced in diving or just starting out the reefs will bow your mind and even after two months you're guaranteed to see something different. Whether its turtles, big pelagics or nudibranchs.

The friends you make here are friends for life and the experiences you'll have will stick with you forever.

I went on the South African 2-week experience to Dinokeng. It was one of my best experiences in my life!

I won't ever forgot my first early morning drive. It was very very cold and in the back of the moving truck it was even colder. But when the sun started to rise and the full splendour of the area was revealed, you forgot about the cold. It was amazing! There was a stretch of land, densely populated with Zebras, Giraffes, Kudos and Impala and they were peacefully grazing while looking at us driving past. This site moved me so much, I teared up. I loved this trip, I learnt so much and it has increased my passionate for animal conservation. If I got the chance, I would love to go back.

Thank you Opwall and everyone on their team, you made my trip amazing! It was well worth the money!

From the moment I arrived at jungle base camp in Honduras, I knew I was on track to have a great week. There are so many reasons to recommend it. The first thing I noticed upon arriving was the set of stalls that the locals had set up to sell visitors snacks and keepsakes. I visited these stalls often throughout the week and I still treasure the hand-carved, hand-painted bird statuette that I bought, which I chose to remind me of the real bright-yellow bird I saw.
The thing I enjoyed most about the jungle base camp was the light trapping - using a bright floodlight shone on a sheet to attract moths and other insects. They were mesmerising and beautiful to look at, I could have stared for hours.
Another notable experience was seeing the species of bird that dances along tree branches to attract a mate. Where else can you see that? I was so fascinated by the birds that the bird expert staff member took me on an extra bird-watching hike. This is a good example of how friendly the staff are!
Finally, the educational part of the experience is not boring or pointless, but actually quite fun. As well as gaining an insight into which species were endemic to Honduras (only found there), I have learned how to classify species and even have been shown a live wild vampire bat up close!
There are so many reasons why this trip is more than worth doing, don't miss out on this excellent opportunity!

A story not many have heard about or even experienced.
My very first minutes after I arrived at San Pedro Sula International Airport after a very long and exhausting flight from the other part of the world were full of enthusiasm as well as anxiety! Miles away from where I meant to be in less than 12 hours a place full of adventures and cool stuff, I was stuck at the very last stage of leaving the airport. The border control had some kind of an issue regarding my passport/nationality. So they had to do their routine check, of course, without providing me with any details on whatsoever. Therefore, I had to wait for more than 40 long minutes which were the longest forty minutes in my whole life! As I am sure most of us hate to wait, just imagine how nervous I was while being in this clueless position...
However, at the end everything was good. Obviously, I wasn't a criminal smuggling anything into their beautiful, lush country. But a young backpacker ready to enter the virgin cloud forest of Cusuco National Park as soon as possible.

P.S. Tip when travelling to a non-English speaking country is that you make sure you know at least the basic, essentials of the language of the country you are visiting.

We had a fantastic week at Struwig camp. Toby is an amazing character and the students will never forget his enthusiasm and goodwill. The game drives surpassed expectations and the elephants were out in force. All participants were so terribly sad to leave the camp.

So...what are the abiding stories that keep being reflected on back at school. The time we followed a hyena? The elephant that threatened to charge? The manta rays at Sodwana Bay? Strangely enough, its the small things! Yep, the really small things - insects in fact. It seems that setting up insect traps and delving through dung are as abiding positive memories as the big game and marine megafauna. I'd never have guessed.

Thank you Opwall.