Opportunity of a summer..experience of a lifetime!

I spent 4 weeks in Limpopo on a private game reserve researching the cheetah, big five, birds of prey and tree species. I wanted to make an impact with my summer away from university and so just jumped on this trip! I study environmental science at university so wildlife is always on my mind, but I don't know much about it - especially the African bush. I came away having extended my knowledge to depths that I thought I never could achieve. It was honestly one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I love sharing my experience with others now and getting others motivated to take their trip of a life time too! The whole trip was well organised by GVI, from information for my parents to airport pick ups and daily meetings once there if we needed. There is a weekly timetable on base which gives details about; your two drives a day to research the animals on the reserve, reserve work which includes maintenance of the reserve, extra lunchtime activities which includes usually a short drive to somewhere within the reserve to learn about something new. For example one day I went and learnt how to find water (it was my summer time in England so very dry in Africa at this time). We can also choose to go into the local school for a community day every other week - on my day we went in and worked with the children to make either a poster or play to increase awareness of rhino dehorning and its importance. I cannot express to you how incredible the children's attitudes are and their positive outlook on life, it is thoroughly up-lifting.

What I often tell people is that when I first drove into the reserve I thought all I could see was dead trees that all looked the same..By the time I came away after 4 weeks I could name every single different tree and tell you all about their characteristics- they certainly weren't dead but thriving! The GVI research team have an incredible breadth of knowledge about the reserve and on every single drive you learn an amazing amount of information and it is fun to test each other and learn from other volunteers about the reserve! The atmosphere is very chilled, there are a few hours in the day where you can get on with what you like to do, whether that's to read a book, enjoy the sunshine or chit chat and play cards with the others. I have made lifelong friends from volunteering in South Africa and now I am looking for more projects where I can make a difference! Bring it on!