Expedition members must understand that the expedition has specific long term aims in conjunction with its partner organizations, and they will contribute to these aims by collecting and analyzing data and taking part in community projects. All expedition members must be team players and assist each other and the staff in daily tasks.
This expedition takes you to:
- Live on a game reserve in the heart of the African bush, where you can be woken by a dawn chorus and sent to sleep by the roar of lions
- Both bases have a satellite camp located in the mountains, in which the fresh mountain scenery, varied flora and fauna, and panoramic views provide a refreshing break from the heat of the bush. The diverse range of habitats in the reserves also supports a wide range of plant and animal life, including elephant, giraffe, rhino and various antelope species
- Increase your personal knowledge of the South African environment, its importance and the threats to it, and help to increase both local and global knowledge and awareness
- Develop a baseline and holistic understanding of all aspects of the bush
- Undergo training to carry out extensive radio tracking and monitoring of all the collared predators on the reserve
- Learn a variety of new skills, including mammal and bird identification, tracking, ecology and bush first aid
- Participate in educational days with the local communities, teaching schoolchildren the importance of conservation
- Have a chance to enjoy the surrounding areas and activities, including visits to local reptile parks and animal sanctuaries, as well as mountain trails
- Get to know animals on the reserve individually and follow their progress / monitor their behavior
- Witness nature in its simplest form, having the opportunities to watch a lion kill, a newborn cheetah cub play or a stand-off between two elephants. In the African bush you can never tell what you will find just around the corner!
- Help with a biodiversity research program in montane environments. This may include daily small mammal surveys using Sherman traps, invertebrate or reptile trapping along pit fall lines, or assisting with hands-on habitat management on the Venetia mountain satellite camp, such as anti-erosion work and bush encroachment control. Use the afternoons for a relaxing walk while on the lookout for mountain mammals such as bushbuck, red duiker and bushpig
- Enjoy regular contact with our partners, the reserve managers and other members of the broader conservation and research community
