Safari to Coast Conservation Volunteer Project

The week I spent with All Out Africa in Swaziland was truly an eye-opening experience. I hadn't even heard of The Kingdom of Swaziland before 2018, let alone what day-to-day life there is like, or the challenges the country faces. I had no idea what to expect, but that turned out to be completely OK. All Out ushered me through a week of adventuring (camping in Kruger National Park was one for the books), volunteering (learning the role of volunteers and how much the community benefits from the work reminded me of the impact of community-based programs), and expanding my horizons. While the volunteer group was comprised almost entirely of 17-20 year old Dutch and German girls, talking to them about why they were there revealed an investment in their work and a deep caring for the kids they saw each morning. And it was instantaneously clear how much the kids (mostly 5 and 6 year olds) loved the time they spent with the volunteers, too.

My takeaways from the trip include, but are definitely not limited to:
- Volunteering with a group that's lead by a community-based program is the best way to both understand the culture, and make a difference
- International travel is so, so important
- The mountains of Swaziland are highly underrated
- I must go back

We had a lovely time in Mozambique. It was good to get away for a week. We went surfing, kayaking and on the ocean safari. It was crazy to do those things because in Holland you could never do something like that. But it's a shame that you don't always see things on the ocean safari. It was also really good that besides the activity's All Out planned for you, you can do activity's on your own like quad biking and scuba diving. Mozambique is besides a beautiful country with an amazing landscape. And we had a wonderful time.

Every morning when we traveled to our NCP Bethany we went on a little adventure. We had to travel from Lidwala to Machlania Markets with a combi. In there we always had good african music. The drive would be just 15 minutes but we always had around 30 minutes because we were stopping at every stop for a long time and watched our drivers persuading people to come into our combi which was great fun. At Mahlanya Markets we had to wait again for "The President". The president is a small bus which looks like it would breakdown every minute but still a very remarcable vehicle. At Mahlanya markets we always had a nice chat with local people. We could never be sure that the president would actually arrive so everytime it did we were really relived. The drive with the president is on a very bumpy road. The ride not very comfortable but the view you got on it was breathtaking. You see little houses, lots of mountains and landscapes. When we arrived at Emagonini where we had a little hike to do our adventure was nearly finished. The hike up to Bethany was quite exhausting because it was most of the time very hot. Once we bumped into a herd of cows which was also an experience you only make in Africa. When we arrived at Bethany NCP we always had a new story to laugh about. Thanks to our long and slightly complicated way we have the feeling to have seen a bit of real Swaziland and not just the big cities.

Actually I didn't know what to expect exactly when I was planning this trip to Swaziland. Afterwards i'm glad I chose this exciting trip, because of the great combination of volunteering and activities. I saw the big 5 in Kruger Park, did zip-lining through the amazing nature of Swaziland, did snorkeling in the beautiful seas of Mozambique and on the other hand we can mean something to the sweet children at the NCP's. We helped with teaching, cooking and playing with the kids.

All Out is a great organisation and the staff is very kind. They want help you to make it your best experience and they do that very well! The main accommodation 'Lidwala Lodge' is really nice and feels like home within a week. I would recommend All Out to travel or volunteer with, and especially the trip that includes this combination.

Kruger to coast adventure was outstanding. The week in Kruger to start off the trip couldn't have been more interesting. The wildlife was as amazing as expected. The volunteering after Kruger was rewarding. With the first week building and the second week doing the sports days, it was varied which was necessary to keep everyone entertained, especially in the heat. And Mozambique, was super fun and real chilled out. It was a shame we didn't see anything on the ocean safari but it's part of the risk, we knew that could happen. Quad biking was mad, had to do it twice, couldn't get enough. But the holiday as a whole was serious fun. I would definitely either recommend on do it again myself.

What I love about All Out Africa, that what I did was a wonderful experience for myself but it was also so good for the local communities. I build a variety of things in Swaziland: a platform for a water tank, swings, fixed a roof and much more.

It was a very nice program. A very beautiful environment. The only disadvantage was the price. It was expensive. Ok I could knew that when I booked, that was okay. But when we did the volunteering, we where expected to buy food and others stuff for the kids. So the costs where much higher. I didn't expect to pay for food for the kids. I wasn't wrong, but I would be nice to get informed before the program started. Not all western people are millionaire!

Although it was a very educational program. We did such nice things, like zip lining and visiting hospitals! I would recommend it, but you have to be aware of the costs!

O, and one note for the organisation. I gathered money for educational stuff for the kids. So I bought books, paper, pencils etc. I gave it to the All out Africa staff to give to one of the NCP's. When I was at home I asked for it: wether the stuff for the kids received the NCP or not, but I did never get an answer from the All out Africa staff. Maybe you could communicate better the next time. Because it is very important for the kids that there are volunteers who are donating stuff. So maybe you could thank them more for the fact that they gathered money and keep them up to date.. That would be more thankful, because next time I am not going to donate any stuff to the kids anymore..

My experience was beyond fantastic, I loved Swaziland and the people there very much. My volunteer programme proved very formative and has influenced my career path. I made some incredible memories and although it was challenging, the challenges grew me in a wildly cliche way. The greatest thing was making completely new friends and having a great group to experience Swaziland with. I left with great memories and a lust for life. Highly recommend