Program Reviews

I went into this program for a part of my gap year. It was important for me to be with people my age & in the same mind set as I was. I got there & all the people traveling with me were great! Everyone became friends & a team in just a week or so. Volunteering is Siem Reap was so rewarding. The toilet we build will help the family in huge ways & the kids in the family were so happy & fun to be around & teach in the afternoon. I really felt I was part of their community! The villa was beautiful, there was a pool, so unexpected. On the coast the volunteering was so well run & the people were inspiring. If you go to shihanoukville on the program, or in general, going to the island of Koh Rong is a must. Elephant Valley was my favorite part of the whole journey. Volunteering there really made me feel like I was helping & the difference was obvious. The volunteer coordinator was great and encouraging. All the staff was incredible! They made you feel so welcome and appreciated. All awesome people who love their jobs & the animals (elephants, pigs etc.). Accommodations were great for being in the middle of the jungle. I felt super comfortable the whole time. Of course the elephants were the best part. Observing them everyday was a huge highlight. They are magnificent animals and it was a life changing experience. Overall phenomenal organization and people who run it. I'd love to go back as soon as possible. As to the leap program, not great reviews on the guide/program leader we had in Cambodia was not great. Rude, forgetful, not very knowledgeable about the projects, unappreciative, always tired. BUT he may have changed for the program now, after our group wasn't too pleased. Besides that, the program was wonderful. Even with the bad guide I would recommend the trip. It was better than I had expected & I've made memories & friends that I'll have forever. If I could relive it I 100% would.

One of the best moments in this programme was when we finished building a kitchen and a proper shower room/toilet for a family in Mentu, Sarawak. When our project leader told us that it would be the first time that the only child in the family took his FIRST EVER proper shower, we were so touched. It is doing these things,even if it was for a week that enabled us to forever change the life of one family.That's why I chose the Leap, that is not only for personal impact but having an impact in other people's lives as well.

One of my favorite memories from my trip to Costa Rica was the first time I released a baby turtle into the ocean. I was immediately lucky because most baby turtles crawl out of their nests in the dead of night, so you don't get to enjoy the sight of seeing them walk to the water when it's so dark out. When I saw my first baby turtle it was just before the sun went down, so it was still incredibly bright out! Watching all the babies push their little flippers against the sand as they fight to get to the water is something else. They are so excited to be alive! It's something so wonderfully inspiring that I will always remember.

Later when I got back to camp after all the babies were swimming away, one of my new Costa Rican friends asked me if I was a mom yet. I knew what he meant right away and proudly exclaimed, "Why yes I am!" I'm a big fan of Game Of Thrones, so now I feel at one with the "Mother of Dragons" herself, Daenerys Targaryen - now I am the "Mother of Turtles."

I traveled to Kwa Madwala in April 2015 for six weeks, I truly adored every second of my time spent there. We got to ride horses, go back n safari almost daily, learn how to track animals, camp in the Kruger, watch animals trotting through your back garden and learn how to cook authenitic South African food and most importantly Braii!
During my six weeks I made some of the best friends I could wish for and learned some amazing skills that I will use for life.
I cannot recommend The Leap, and in particular the South Africa trip enough.
It was perfect! Don't hesitate, you will love it too!

An amzing experience that i would do again in a heart beat. The place was amazing, we had amazing people looking after us and I made friend with amazing people while i was there. The projects were great most of the time. A few were too short and so we didn't get much done. Also we had a small group and that wasn't taken into consideration when doing manual work. But the teaching and free time were excellent. the people of Tanzania are so warm and friendly.

Daily work was challenging but rewarding with weekends off so plenty of time for day trips to waterfalls, hot springs etc. All project staff were so friendly and you feel like part of a family while you are there.

My name is Max and I was one of the 14 person team that went on the Cambodia 'Leap' adventure this April. The placement lasted for 10 weeks and I loved every moment of it. The first 6 weeks helping local villages around the ancient town of Siem Reap really showed how much we as volunteers could give. We built pumping wells, toilet facilities and renovated their houses, plus the children always needed a game of football to finish the days work! For the next 2 weeks we were positioned on the Cambodia-Vietnam border in a jungle town called Mondulkuri. Here, we helped the Elephant Valley Project team in rehabilitating hurt or abused elephants, an absolutely wonderful experience. We were allowed to feed and wash the elephants and get extremely close to these majestic animals. The final 2 weeks was spent on the coast in a town called SIhnoukville, where, in conjunction with the Let Us Create painting project, we helped getting homeless children off the street and getting them involved in arts and crafts, something they would never normally have the opportunity to do. Overall ever single member of the 14 person team was very sad to leave this wonderful place after the 10 weeks and I can confidently say that I have made friends for life. A massive thank you must of course go to team on the ground in Cambodia but also to Guy and Milly Whitehead, who are the husband and wife team who run the amazing Leap Gap Year Company. in my opinion there is no better way to spend your year out from school than this. Incredible!

The Leap took all the responsibility and stress out of the gap year experience. Would advise that all teenagers do this part of their gap year before they 'free' travel. The Leap are highly professional and inclusive of parents. An experience not to be missed!

This experience was life changing.
Although this is from a personal point of view, i wanted to share the great personal development this trip gave me. I believe travel and unknown/unusual environments affects and shapes any individual.

It altered my being in a way i find hard to articulate, it changes you and challenges you that no 9-5 working existence ever could.

The diverse range of places, people and environments your in, call on your skills and coping mechanisms you never realised you even had. Whilst trying to deal with emotional and physical hardship, you experience an empathy and love for others that you're living with, the bond you develop with these people is incredibly strong, and your adaptation to group dynamics is incredible.

You uncover sides of your personality that you are obligated to work through, being away from home it just makes you realise how strong you are able to coup. Humans are incredible, and we adapt easily, no matter how great the strain.
The Leap were fantastic at paring people to certain groups, and i believe it is a real merit to their skills to be able to understand one's personality through conversation, and trust their instinct in placing that person with the right people.
You experience such beauty and wonder in some of the most stunningly exotic places on earth. Your senses and feelings begin to alter and appreciate the worlds beauty. Its incredible as your sharing this with people who you truly develop love for. It a heartwarming, adventure, where true freedom is at its best. exploring and discovering the earth and yourself. What better way to spend a year out of education.
Do it. Its magic!

This was an incredible experience providing me with oppurtunities that i could never have had without the help of The Leap.

I chose Ecuador mainly because 3 of my friends were also going too- I wasn't going to University and I didnt know what else to do. I worked really hard to save the money and absolutely everything i did proved worth it once I arrived there.

The families we stayed with, the rest of my group and the Leap leaders were all incredible people.

Every day was different, with different challenges and things to do. Every day was fun and every day was a memory I wont forget.

I have made life long friends!

The volunteering was totally rewarding- seeing a whole water irrigation system put into place in the Andes, planting hundreds of Cacao plants in the Jungle(I caught a bad chest infection whilst in the jungle and the family and leaders couldnt have been more helpful), being in the Galapogos was incredible in itself but being able to work with the Hacienda also was really great!

I would recommend the Galapogos to any one that goes to Ecuador- it is an unforgettable experience and one that you probably wont ever do again!

This was truly the best experience i have ever had- it was hard work but very rewarding. Of course it wasnt all just work- there were the trips we were able to do also- Zip lining over the Cloud Forest, visiting Banos and qaud biking across the town and Mindo in the Bio-Hostel, and of course the endless partying and tanning in Montanita!

Most of all the people in my group made my trip too- All from different backgrounds but we all gelled together and have truly made life long friends.

Everyone is usally sceptical about an organised trip like these- no need to be when it comes to The Leap.