Wildlife Research Expedition in South Africa

I’ll start with just a brief history of myself I’m 31 years old, left school at 18, decided against going to university and since then worked within the retail sector as a floor manager.
I have no previous education in relation to wildlife or wildlife conservation but I have always had a keen interest, just never really knew where to begin.
The decision to quit my job and try something new was slightly daunting, but I can happily say that I made the right decision. My experience with GVI has given me the direction and inspiration I’ve always lacked to get more involved and hopefully have a career doing something I feel so passionate about.

The day to day life on base involves going out on drive each morning (5am) and afternoon (3pm) with the main focus of tracking the animals using telemetry and collecting data. This is where you will get up close with an array of animals including the big 5 (lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, rhino) so be sure to bring a camera you will definitely need it. Twenty minutes into my very first drive we encountered a mother cheetah and her four beautiful eight week old cubs about 50 meters away feeding on a freshly killed Impala.

The impact of the program on the ground was a privilege to be a part of, waking up at 4.30am for morning drive and not knowing what you might see is a great feeling to wake up to. Everything you do on a day to day basis is a learning experience, but its done in a such a way that you don’t realise its happening. No classroom or website could have taught me in a month what I learnt during my time on Karongwe and not just the surrounding wildlife, but conservation, culture and history.
The staff were all phenomenal and went above and beyond to make everyone feel at home and within two days it was. Facilities on base are basic, depending on the weather you could go without power for a couple of days and the elephants love to play with the water pump which meant we had no showers for 24 hours. I personally dont look back on these as negatives and just the reality of being where you are and becoming fully immersed in the experience.
Saturday night is braai (bbq) and an opportunity to enjoy a few drinks, sit around a huge fire and take in the nights sky, seeing the Milky Way spread across the sky is something you to experience yourself. Sunday is your day off with the opportunity to take a day trip out (Kruger national park) or simply relax on the veranda, nothing more surreal than reading a book and noticing two giraffes walk into your yard.

To anybody taking a gap year or looking for a career break or simply wanting to try something new I cannot recommend GVI enough, you will meet some incredible people and get to be apart of something truly worthwhile and rewarding.