The trip of a lifetime!!

In January 2012 I travelled with International Student Volunteer to South Africa to be involved in a 2 week conservation volunteer project followed by a 2 week adventure tour around South Africa. I’ve always been very passionate about animals and working with them (as I am a vet student) and ISV the perfect opportunity for this. For our project we were working and living in Lapalala Game Reserve, an environment fill with wild exotic animals such as zebra, wilder beast, giraffes, rhino, leopards and impala just to name a few. Our mission was to carry out field work in the reserve, which the reserve’s scientists could then use to assess whether elephants and lions could be re-introduced into the area. Working amongst these animals and seeing them wild in their natural environment was truly amazing and an experience I will never forget. Knowing that wild rhinos walked around the camp at night and coming out of your cabin in the morning to see a family of warthogs at your door was surreal. We also had the experience to meet the critically endangered black rhinos that were to be released in the park, it was spectacular. This volunteer work left me with such a feeling of pride and accomplishment and further sparked my passion for wildlife. ISV projects were amazing as I could have confidence that the volunteer projects were sustainable and of great importance to South Africa. Not only did the experience benefit South Africa’s conservation programs but also changed my life and perspective of the world. I loved this project so much that I didn’t want to leave!! Then however we were off on our 2 week adventure tour of South Africa!!!! This was another truly unforgettable experience and we were lucky enough to do activities such as kloofing in the middle of the largest green canyon in the world, a night drive in Kruger National Park where we came face to face with wild lions, tree-top canopy tours in famous yellow-wood forests and dolphin and fur-seal watching. My favourite day however was when we got to abseil of Table Mountain in Cape Town!!! Crazy experience. I met the most amazing people on my trip who I will keep as lifetime friends. This was the most amazing experience of my life and it has truly changed me forever.