Overview
The ultimate African safari! Experience thrilling wildlife encounters combined with life changing conservation and community projects.
Live at Kwa Madwala, a private Big 4 (leopard, lion, elephant and rhino) 4000 hectare game reserve, just south of the Kruger National Park, between Swaziland and Mozambique. In the middle of the reserve you'll find the renowned safari lodge called Manyatta, cleverly built into the sides of local kopjes, popular for offering elephant and horse safaris.
Your time will be split between helping run this safari lodge and their elephant safaris while assisting rangers with animal management and making a real difference to the lives of local people. This diversity will ensure you leave Africa both fulfilled and exhilarated, having made an enormous contribution to some of Africa’s most valued wildlife and their fast-disappearing tribes.
The reserve is soon to be jointly owned 50/50 with the community and local South African shareholders, with a percentage of the income going directly to the community.
New for 2010 if you have horse riding skills up your sleeve and a secret desire to gallop alongside Africa's great game... KWA Horse safari, conservation and community placement could be for you!
How you help
Helping Who
Kwa’s Park Rangers, Lodge Managers, Local Swazi population.
Helping How
Conservation
- Assist rangers and trackers in all aspects of their duties.
- Head out on morning or evening game drives (helping with the spotlight at night) and walking safaris.
- Reserve management initiatives – fencing and bush clearing.
- Construction of bird hides and viewing decks to help monitor animal movements.
- Assist with the elephant back safari programme. Learn to ride the elephants and help look after their diet, enclosures and general welfare.
- Practise your riffle shooting.
- Be introduced to 4 x 4 driving - a course will be conducted covering the basic skills required.
- Microlight over the reserve.
Community
- Help dig a seedling garden to improve the diets of local people.
- Help in a nearby children’s orphanage, Thembalethu School, a centre for victims of AIDS. This is an amazing place where you can teach and play with the kids, who are all very energetic and fun. In the past we have painted murals, carried out general maintenance and even built a stage for the budding actors amoungst them! Community leaders help direct us with the projects and help manage the income generated from the micro enterprises such as making gifts and cards from recycled paper.
- Various township community visits with possible activities including: building wells and water holes, teaching English and playing football matches in local Swazi secondary and primary schools.
Eco-tourism
- Assist with the general management of the lodge. This includes helping with: the bar, waitering, cleaning, housekeeping, maintenance, kitchens.
Your base
Your Team
The maximum size of the team is 30 and minimum is 4, aged from18-27 years.
However during the day you’ll be split into smaller groups of approximately 10 volunteers to one leader/adult guide.
Accommodation and Meals at Bush House
Accommodation is at Bush house, which is comfortable and simple but for added comfort there is a pool table, table tennis table, darts and TV/DVD. It also has a swimming pool. You will share an en-suite room with up to six other volunteers. There are indoor and outdoor showers, baths, basins with hot and cold water and loos. You will need a sleeping bag for sleeping out on the reserve and optional excursions.
Meals will be cooked at the house and volunteers will be required to assist with meal preparation on a rotation basis both in the kitchen and when cooked on an open fire. Vegetarians will easily be accommodated. A fridge is available and volunteers will have to buy their own beers, soft drinks etc. Fruit juice is available at meals, and tea/coffee is available at all times and will not be charged for. The water is safe to drink but has a mineral taste to it so volunteers often prefer to buy bottled water. Breakfast is usually fruit, cereals and toast, with a cooked breakfast usually once a week. Lunch is salads or sandwiches, and dinner, the main meal, is usually meat, pasta, salads etc. Bush House is exclusively for ‘Leapers’ but all vacant accommodation not utilized by Leapers at Bush House is made available for other clients where necessary.
Wildlife
There is an abundance of plains game like impala, zebra and so on, which you will see on a daily basis. You will also have the chance to see the Big 4: leopard, lion, elephant (both wild and tame) and rhino, as well as hippos, crocodiles and lots of beautiful birdlife. You'll get the rare opportunity to walk, as well as, drive on safari and whenever a sick or injured animal is found in the reserve you may observe the care given by the vets.
Seasons and Weather
Sept – April: Summer, hot (30 – 40 degrees) and fairly wet – i.e. you are likely to get the traditional African thunder storm lasting about an hour which clears the air and then you may not get rain again for a few days. It is lush, green and verdant at this time of year.
May – Aug: Winter, warm, dry and mild like a summer’s day in UK but can get very cold at night. You'll want to take a woolly hat, gloves and a thick fleece jacket for the nights/morning.
Time In/Out
Time In
You will fly out as a team and be met at Nelspruit (KMIA) airport and driven to the reserve. There will be an induction and orientation course on arrival.
6 week or 10 week programmes: approximately 10% on lodge phase, 40% on community projects and 50% on conservation projects.
Activities will take place Monday to Friday for 6 - 8 hours per day, but please remain flexible as every day is different on the reserve.
Time Out
The weekends are your time to explore the local area and have fun! The project team will happily help you arrange transport at weekends to visit local areas of interest.
Top Trips
Take a flight in a microlight over the reserve (insurance permitting), safari in search of the ‘Big 4’ in Kwa Madwala and Kruger National Park, meet 'Jessica' the famously friendly hippo, head out on porcupine watching camp-outs in the reserve, try your hand at 4x4 driving, rifle shooting, adrenaline sports in Sabi outdoor centre (paintballing, rafting, canoeing, rock climbing, canyon swings etc), visits to neighbouring Swaziland and the beautiful palm fringed beaches of Mozambique, whale watching, scuba diving, horseback safaris.
NB One free microlight flight is included (insurance permitting).
* If for some reason the micro-light is unavailable (servicing) or it is unsafe to fly (weather etc) and you are not able to fly, then you will not be offered a refund for the flight but offered instead some compensatory game drives and or bush walks of an equivalent value.
Costs/Dates
Dates
2012 for 10 or 6 weeks
January 4th, April 2nd, July 2nd (6 weeks only), September 3rd
2013 for 10 or 6 weeks
January 3rd, April 1st , July 1st (6 weeks only), September 2nd
Once on the placement it is possible to switch from the 6 to the 10 week option, on receipt of the extra payment
Enjoy these extra benefits only available if you stay 10 weeks (Jan, Apr, Sept)
We appreciate that many choose the six week option for financial or other reasons but would highly encourage leapers, if they can, to stay for the full ten weeks – most do.
We are also very flexible and allow people the choice to extend from six weeks to ten weeks either pre departure, when you know how your fundraising is going or once overseas. The flights booked through STA travel are deliberately flexible to allow you to change your plans.
- improve your chances of incredible safari experiences, such as seeing animal births, hunts and kills with many more game drives.
- a higher possibility of seeing vets treating wildlife.
- hone your essential ranger skills with shooting practice and 4X4 driving.
- longer time to experience the culture and have fun overseas.
- maximise the value of the international flight, especially if you tag on some independent travel to nearby countries.
Costs
Up until 31st August 2012
6 weeks £2050
10 Weeks £3112
Up until 31st August 2013
6 weeks £2050
10 Weeks £3112
Includes:
Donation to sustainability of the reserve of £80
Selection and briefing on all aspects of the scheme.
24 hour emergency back-up, management and support by UK team and in-country Placement Manager, with reliable communications and infrastructure.
Safety and induction course on arrival.
Elephant interaction and ride. Game drives on reserve.
*1 escorted microlight flight above the reserve (Insurance permitting - Both Kwa Madwala and Global Travel Insurance have appropriate insurance to cover this activity).
KMIA Airport pick up and transfer to and from the placement.
Food and accommodation throughout.
Not included:
International flights, internal flights to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) Nelspruit, visas, travel insurance, 'top trip' excursions (optional), bush uniforms:1 pr of trousers, 1 fleece and two shirts (500 Rand approx £35), travel insurance, medical expenses (reclaimable through travel insurance), soft drinks/beers etc.
