Program Reviews

I had a great time in South Africa with Gapforce. Both of my leaders, Sean and Rich, were well prepared, responsible, and overall very fun to be around while maintaining a professional attitude in regards to their responsibilities. Their efforts, along with the fun and exciting nature of the trip itself, resulted in an experience that went above and beyond my expectations. I would recommend Gapforce, specifically this South Africa trip, to any prospective traveler and would hope that they get group leaders like the ones I was fortunate to be with.

A great trip of great value organized fantastically. 9/10

I have just completed four weeks in Australia with gap force and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Our leader Jamii was amazing and made the trip. She looked after us all so well and found lots of fun activities for us to do. Throughout the four weeks we had so many incredible experiences including sky diving, going to frazer island and sailing the whitsundays to name but a few. The other people on the trip were amazing and we have made friends for life with people all over the world.

Just been on the April gapforce tour for 4 weeks, it was absolutely amazing had so much fun and did so many actitivies and made friends for life. The leader jamii was amazing and more like a big sister and she had really good ideas and suggestions of activities to do, she really made the trip even better! I loved exploring the east coast and doing a wide range of activities and amazing things like stargazing on the overnight cruise and swimming in tea tree lakes in Fraser Island. It was such a good trip I'd recommend it though anyone who was interested.

Amazing trip, definitely worth it. Trip leaders were awesome. However we had a really big group, so we couldn't do the home stay which I was really looking forward to. The office should be careful as to how many people they allow on the trips so it doesn't interfere with the trip's schedule. Also, it would have been beneficial if Gapforce emphasized that its best to be fit for the trek, as I was told its suitable for all fitness levels. It is, but it would really really really help to get as fit as you can. It might be better if Gapforce extends an additional week on the EBC trek so people can take it easy, considering the amount of people that got sick. Overall, amazing trip. Need to come back!

This is a diverse course that will push you both mentally and physically. The course aims to train you in all sorts of skills such as orienteering, survival and leadership theory. River crossings and wilderness medicine were the 2 parts of the course I enjoyed the most. Whilst these 'hard' skills are very expedition orientated, I have found a lot of the leadership theory and training to be transferable. It's been very useful since returning to my job managing a small team. With such a range of topics covered, there is something in this course for everyone. Living as part of a small group of people can also give you some insight into how you fit into a group. Regular feedback sessions from both your peers and instructors make for valuable learning experiences as the course progresses.

One thing that that was discussed at great length throughout the course was the food. Before signing up to this course it's important to realise that you will be spending up to two weeks at a time in the jungle. As such, don't be expecting five star dining, it's an expedition! That said, meals are sufficient and I'd recommend people view meal planning and rations shopping as a challenge. This aspect, like so much else on the course, comes down to what you make of it yourself

I'd like to give the team of instructors a special mention in this review. Jade and Colin have been doing this for a long time, and it shows. They're extremely inspiring people with a wealth of experience and knowledge ready to pass on. Elliot isn't such a dinosaur. He's fairly new to the team but being a graduate of the course himself, he knows the content inside out and is a natural in his role.

Since completing the course I have been in contact with Gapforce and look forward to working for them in the summer. It's an excellent way to break in to a notoriously difficult industry and would recommend this program to anyone looking to do this.

The gapforce expedition leader training course is a fantastic experience. You spend some time in Wales completing the first part of the mountain leader course, before heading to Costa Rica. There you'll spend the best part of 3 and a half months in and out of the jungle, learning how to survive in such a challenging environment. Once you have the basic jungle skills mastered you begin to get opportunities to teach other groups. This experience is invaluable for those looking to make this a career and I think it's one of the best parts of the course. Another part of the course I really enjoyed was our Recce in Nicaragua. We were sent out in small groups to find interesting and fun experiences and then to write up all our findings and create an itinerary. Another part of the course which I really liked was the river crossings. We spent a lot of time learning how to cross rivers safely and to rescue casualties (it's also a good excuse to cool off in the heat and have a bit of a play!). The course includes a lot of medical and incident management training, both of which I found to be very enjoyable. Scenarios range from a snake bite casualty on the other side of a river, to a machete wielding maniac in camp, to a casualty with a spinal injury that needs to be stretchered out of the jungle, so there's a real mix of mental and physical challenges. Our leaders Colin and Jade were also great, very knowledgable and always had a good laugh with us which made the lessons more enjoyable. All in all the whilst the course is expensive you recieve a lot of valuable training, you'll meet lots of cool like minded people and it's a great opportunity to learn new skillls and challenge yourself. It's also a really good fast track into the industry, as those who do well on the course have the chance to work with gapforce afterwards.

I've just returned from the four week Australian Adventure, and have had the most fantastic month of my life! Having arrived in Sydney a couple weeks prior to the beginning of the trip I was able to settle down before meeting my group and jumping straight into activities and adventures. All of the activities made available to me were of fantastic quality and excitement and I couldn't have asked for a more exciting programme itinerary. My group leader, Felicity, was also such a fantastic and helpful character who was willing to help in any way possible to ensure we had the most amazing adventure. Overall, I had such a fantastic time and would highly recommend this to anybody else who is not sure if travelling alone is something they'd be interested in or feel comfortable with, or just fancies being in a group of amazing travellers!

It's always much harder to express how incredibly unforgettable a trip is, and yet that is the task I am faced with. Before I left, I was continuously told I was 'going to have the best time of my life' and consequently the flight was filled with a fear of potential disappoint. However instead of disappoint, I was met at the airport by my group leader Frank, who grew to be our hilarious, inspirational and genuinely caring 'uncle' figure. Time when you travel is a peculiar concept and looking back I don't know how the organisation managed to fit in so many amazing experiences to 7 weeks. Eating guinea pig, swimming in mountain lakes, paragliding, and even swimming with turtles seem to only touch the surface of the activities that were offered. My favourite part, however, remains the amazing people I met; hostel stayers, trekers, tribe members, every welcoming South American, and my loveable group (shoutout to Shay, Quinn, Kelly, Marv, Ellie, Val and our honorary mum Julie) will never be forgotten. In short, I LOVED IT. Thank you infinitely Frank and GapForce.

The trip was amazing and one that I will never forget.

Throughout the trip you get to see so many amazing sites such as Table Mountain and semonkong in Lesotho, as well as learning about the history and culture of these amazing country's. Throughout the trip everyone we met so so kind and welcoming it really made the trip something special.

For me the highlights of the trip was volunteering at St Luigi's in Outshoorn and at Shamwari game reserve.

My time on Andros with GapForce was surely the best time of my life. Not only did I learn a lot about the local fish and coral species, the oceanic environment in general, taught by the very passionate marine biologist Elyssa, I also had the best dive instructor zara, who made me always feel safe and showed me the underwater world. Both of them were precious to the camp and people I would not want to miss. Apart from the learning I had the incredible opportunity to live in one of the most amazing places I've ever been, seconds away from the beach. I saw loads of sharks, turtles, interesting fish and dolphins. And I experienced everything with amazing people I met through this program and who became my friends for a life time.
Also the program around our scientific training was great fun and especially the legendary quiz-nights. The time here was definitely life changing, thanks to the amazing staff people and also all the volunteers.