Our next activity will lead us to Marloth Park, another wildlife sanctuary home to dozens of animal species found only in South Africa! We will spend the morning biking and learning more about the land and animals that exist there. In the afternoon, we’ll kick it up a notch with a trip down class III rapids on the Sabie River!

Accommodation: Chalets

Our next adventure takes us south to Swaziland, a heart center of our trip for over 20 years! Over the next two days we will stay in the local village engaging in service learning with the local community. We will share in local food, dance, and of course play a local favorite game of soccer with the children! Once we have finished weaving, and building sustainable projects within the village we will make our way to Hlane National Park-one of the most famous safaris in the South Africa region! We will have a sunset safari to search for nocturnal predators on the move and wake up for a morning bike ride to see the difference in life in the park.  

Accommodation: Camping

We’ll spend the next few days in St. Lucia, our first real glimpse at the South African Ocean! While here we will explore Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, the oldest nature reserve in the country. Known for its wildlife protection efforts, it’s likely we’ll see more of the Big Five here, especially the white rhino. You may also pass by the jackal, common warthog, baboon, and kudu. While here, we will learn about the specific Rhino conservation efforts through darting and dehorning and the impact this has had on population growth. The group will get up and personal with Rhino horns and depending on rehabilitation, perhaps even in the Rhino itself! On the second day, we’ll spend some time in the Emdoneni Cheetah Project, a rehabilitation center for cheetahs, serval cats, African wildcats, and, caracal (lynx). Not only will we learn more about the conservation of big cats, but we’ll get up close and personal with a few of their residents! While in St. Lucia we will enjoy some time at the beach, and an evening sunset cruise along the river. 

Accommodation: Glamping

Our next adventure takes us to Ballito where we will be working with a local organization to spread awareness about single-use plastics and its effects on marine wildlife. This will include beach clean-ups and other wildlife protection services. The following day, we will spend time enjoying the ocean we are working to protect! The Ballito coast, famous for its bottle-nose dolphins, will become our ocean safari playground as we head out to sea in search of marine wildlife spottings! Afterward, we get our first taste of what it’s like to ride the waves with our first of several surf lessons. We will have the opportunity to snorkel on the Ballito beaches, in hopes of catching glimpses of the nine-striped cardinalfish, emperor angelfish, or honeycomb eel.

Accommodation: Camping

For the next few days we get fully immersed in a traditional Zulu community. We will travel onto sacred Zulu land and stay in a local village to get an up close view of what a day in the life of these ancient people looks like. We will enjoy a spectacular view of the valley with a sunrise hike, after which we will join a local school for a cultural exchange of singing, dancing, playing traditional games, and helping in the school. 

Accommodation: Camping

For the next few days, we have a range of adventure in and around Lesotho, a neighboring country to South Africa. We will soar through the mountains on a zip-lining adventure, hike to the world famous Bushman painting sites, and take in the breath taking views of the mountains as we climb through a new country to enjoy the views! 

Accommodation: Camping

Our last full days in this beautiful country will be spent surfing and SUP Boarding in Durban. This sleepy coastal village is South Africa’s best-kept secret for surfing, great for beginners and experts alike. We’ll embark on a tour of the bay by Stand Up Paddle Boarding. We’ll glide through the calm waters of the Indian Ocean, above dolphins, exotic fish, and limestone reefs.

Accommodation: Camping

*Listed above is Bold Earth’s intended itinerary for this trip. All itineraries are subject to change in order to provide the best possible program quality.