SOUTH AFRICA

SAFARI & CONSERVATION EXPEDITION

Work on the front lines of wildlife conservation and learn to track, monitor and protect South Africa's most majestic animals.

Highlights

FOR THE SOUTH AFRICA: SAFARI & CONSERVATION EXPEDITION™ PROGRAM

  • Assist with ongoing rhino, giraffe, and African elephant conservation projects
  • Track and monitor wildlife movement on a renowned reserve
  • Spot Africa’s “Big Five” wild animals
  • Enjoy a bonfire as you camp under the stars
  • Experience tribal culture and traditional storytelling
  • Support the reserve’s local community projects
  • Journey to iSimangaliso Wetland Park to support hippo and crocodile conservation efforts (21-day program only)

SOUTH AFRICA

SAFARI & CONSERVATION EXPEDITION

Program Overview

On this program you will experience life in a quintessential South African reserve and learn about conservation on the front lines. You might spot Africa’s “Big Five” in the region — lions, leopards, elephants, Cape buffalo and rhino. By night, you’ll live at a rustic Home Base on the reserve, hearing traditional stories and learning about tribal culture. By day, shadow wildlife conservationists in the South African bush, go on game drives to observe animals and learn about sustainably preserving the region’s endangered species. Your animal conservation efforts will be hands-on and incredibly immersive: support local giraffe populations through identification projects and assist an anti-poaching unit with wildlife predator monitoring.

Students on the 21-day program will volunteer to support conservation projects at the KwaZulu-Natal Crocodile Center, head to the seas to watch humpback whales migrate North to more tropical waters for the winter and observe a K9 anti rhino poaching dog unit patrol service. Students will spend this remaining time on one of the outstanding natural wetland and coastal sites of Africa, St Lucia Wetlands Park and Cape Vidal Game Reserve.

SOUTH AFRICA

SAFARI & CONSERVATION EXPEDITION

Community Service

Join professional conservationists in the field, assisting with giraffe identification, habitat restoration efforts and wildlife predator monitoring. During your first major service project, you will work alongside conservationists to create and construct Giraffe Identity Kits. These kits will be logged into a research data system that the reserve will then use to monitor the population. You will work in groups with your peers, be assigned a camera, and take photos of the giraffes in the wild. You will walk alongside a conservationist to track and find nearby giraffe populations, and then come back and create the profile for the giraffes you find.  For your second project, you will be assisting the Anti Poaching Unit with predator monitoring in the mornings and evenings. Collect camera trap cards and replace batteries, help with snare sweeps, and track cheetahs and lions that are collared for their protection on the reserve to make sure all animals are accounted for. One group a day will also join the rhino patrol and do telemetry!

Immersive Learning

Your time in South Africa will be rich with hands-on learning as you collaborate with your peers, conservationists and local leaders to preserve natural habitat and protect native animal populations. Hear from experts in the field about the challenges facing preservation of various species such as elephants, giraffes, rhinos and major wild predators in the region. Learn to spot fresh prints, identify wildlife tracks, discuss endangered species and more. Discover the biodiversity within the bush ecosystem and find out how nature and animal reserves play an incomparable role in the conservation of threatened and endangered species. Expand your knowledge of estuary ecology and the role that the hippopotamus and crocodile play in this delicate coastal ecosystem on the 21-day program only: Lake St. Lucia is a UNESCO World Heritage site and hidden gem that is home to the largest population of hippos in South Africa (around 800).

Adventure

No GLA program is complete without adventure! While your day-to-day experience will be adventurous by nature, there is more fun to be had away from Home Base. Discover all the wonders of South Africa and life on the bush. Go on a safari and sleep under the stars accompanied by professional field guides. This overnight camping expedition is a major highlight, especially under the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. Kayak down the Tugela River, all the way to Warthog Island, where you will camp overnight, learn survival skills and participate in a fire watch. Students on the 21-day program will take an additional excursion east to iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Cape Vidal to enjoy an afternoon of whale watching off the coast.

Lodging

You will have two primary Home Bases on this program: the first at Zingela Reserve, and the second at Nambiti Reserve. And your time on the Zingela Reserve will be a true highlight, as this reserve is home to what is probably the largest free range population of giraffe in South Africa, with over 120 giraffe you’ll be sharing the land with. Students will get up close (as is safe) to giraffes as part of your service project. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, the group will stay in a guest lodge. Students will share accommodations with roommates and have access to bathrooms, and enjoy communal meals as a group.

SOUTH AFRICA

SAFARI & CONSERVATION EXPEDITION

Dates & Tuition

Everything you need to know before you apply.

21-Day Program
2024 Dates
JUN 20 – JUL 10, 2024
Duration: 21 days
Tuition: $5,999
Student/Staff Ratio: 6 to 1
Community Service Hours: 60
Language Hours: N/A
For Ages: 14-18
Lodging: Enclosed Compound
14-Day Program
2024 Dates
JUL 14 – JUL 27, 2024
Duration: 14 days
Tuition: $4,599
Student/Staff Ratio: 6 to 1
Community Service Hours: 40
Language Hours: N/A
For Ages: 14-18
Lodging: Enclosed Compound

Tuition Includes All In-Country Expenses

  • Airport pick-up/drop-off
  • In-country transportation
  • Lodging
  • 3 meals per day
  • Professional full-time staff and experts
  • 24/7 parent support hotline during the program
  • Secondary medical and evacuation insurance
  • Cultural activities, lectures and excursions
  • Pre-departure materials and support
  • Educational materials

To save your spot, an application fee and $600 deposit are required.

Backed by our 5-Point Safety System™

GLA HOME BASE:
SAFE & SECURE LODGING
CARING SUPERVISION &
EXPERT LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
SAFE
TRANSPORTATION
HEALTHY FOOD
& PURE WATER
24/7 SUPPORT &
EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Speak with the GLA Admissions Team

Admissions
Phone Number

1-858-771-0645

USA Toll-Free
Phone Number

1-888-358-4321

Admissions
Email Address

info@experienceGLA.com

SOUTH AFRICA

SAFARI & CONSERVATION EXPEDITION

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