Departing 6th May 2011
“I can easily say it has been the best experience of my life and I wish it could have lasted forever” – Tess, 17
Itinerary
Your journey begins with an evening flight on 6th May departing the UK for Johannesburg. You arrive on 7th May and will be met by a local representative who will assist the group with their flight to Durban, home of the Wilderness Leadership School, for your overnight stay. The group will stay the night at the Wilderness Leadership School with a BBQ under the stars, time to become acquainted with their guides and settle into South Africa after a long flight.
On the 8th May you will repack into our backpacks and then start your journey after breakfast to the St Lucia Wetlands, a World Heritage Site, which was the home of one of the greatest battles to save wild nature from mining in the 1970s. St Lucia is home to a wide range of game, crocodiles, large pods of Hippo and some of the best bird life in Africa.
Two nights will be spent here, camping in this remote wilderness, preparing for the next stage of the journey to the Umfolozi Game Reserve, where the group will spend five days without mirrors, daily pressures or watches.
On the 10th May the group will transfer to the Imfolozi Game Reserve, home of our first wilderness trails programme and the first area to have declared wilderness in Southern Africa. Here they will spend four nights and five days living close to wild nature, exploring the wilderness on animal game paths, keeping watch at night and having the opportunity to understand the ancient links between people and wild nature.
All that is needed is carried in packs, water is collected from the rivers and purified, and we practice leave no trace ethics.
Leaving Imfolozi on the 14th May, the group will travel to the Drakensberg Mountain Wilderness, another World Heritage Site, now known as the Ukhulahamba –Drakensberg National Park, an area with rich mountain climbs and one of the best places to see San-Bushman rock art. This is the tougher part of the trip with magnificent paths leading into the mountains, and three nights will be spent living in caves, sheltering in tents or sleeping in the open.
On the 17th May, the group will overnight at a comfortable guest lodge where they have time to wash, sort out their clothing and equipment, say goodbye to their wilderness guides and prepare for their Zulu Homestay at the Mabandla Community.
On the 18th May, after breakfast the group is collected by African Insight, and will travel to Mabandla in the Southern Drakensberg for their home stay. They will be there for four nights, living in pairs or in triples with a Zulu family. They will work on a local project linked to the community. This is often agreed nearer the time of departure, depending on what projects are needed and current.
Click here to download our full brochure for this opportunity.
Programme Information
This is a youth programme and is open to young people aged up to 21 years old. You must be aged 15 years or older to participate in a wilderness trail.
Price £1360 per person excluding flights, which must be arranged independently.
A non-refundable deposit of £250.00 is payable at time of booking. Our standard booking terms and conditions apply.
