Wildlife holiday in South Africa

country:	South Africa
trip type:	A small group adventure
departures:	2009: 14 Nov
price:	From £2095 (9 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

read 1 travellers review

Wildlife conservation trips

the amazing things you'll be doing

This safari offers you the chance to come face to face with the fascinating African wild dog, the majestic cheetah, the African elephant, some of the smaller and lesser known cats of Africa, the misunderstood vulture, and the rest of the Big Five. Further you will be given the opportunity to experience the conservation aspects of wildlife, some ranger and bush skills, and much more.

Whilst on safari the focus will be to provide you with a comprehensive and balanced look into the problems facing some of Africa's greatest species.

We will visit the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre and the Elephant Sanctuary near Pretoria before heading to Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve where various research projects are being undertaken. Finally, we explore privately owned game land in Botswana in search of wildlife and species that we have not yet come across.

Throughout the tour our specialist guide, who is a wildlife veterinarian and registered tourist guide, will accompany you. You will also be joined by researchers, and various local guides to give you a unique and rare insight into the world of wildlife in Southern Africa and Botswana.

Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime safari, while helping to conserve Africa's wildlife through your participation. Beside income generated from the safari, every departure also secures a donation to the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre as well as the Venetia Limpopo research projects and the predator and elephant research projects in Botswana.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	(Sat) Arrive in Johannesburg and transfer to hotel.
Day 2:	Travel to De Wildt Cheetah & Wildlife Centre. Private guided tour of facility.
Day 3:	Morning work with resident vets on cheetah/wild dog immobilisation (or similar). Afternoon hands-on guided tour of Elephant Sanctuary.
Day 4:	Witness cheetahs exercising at full speed! Travel to Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve in the far north-west of the country.
Day 5:	Morning spent with researchers on the African wild dog program. Afternoon game drive followed by bush sundowners.
Day 6:	Morning spent tracking wildlife before departing to Botswana and our remote tented camp. Evening game drive in private reserve.
Day 7:	Game drive with resident elephant researcher. Afternoon game drive focusing on the elusive leopard.
Day 8:	Morning walk to experience the African bush on foot. Final afternoon game drive.
Day 9:	Travel to Johannesburg, where our trip ends this afternoon (Sun).

travellers' tales

The most memorable part - it's difficult to choose just one aspect, but I think tracking the cheetah on foot at Edeni. (more)

highly commended

This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.

Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.

how this holiday makes a difference

This special hands-on experience ensures that travellers become acutely aware of the importance of conservation so that future generations can continue to appreciate Africa and its myriad wildlife. Having done this trip most clients become vocal ambassadors for the sustained protection of wildlife and wilderness the world over. The focus of this special adventure is animal management, giving clients an insight into the vital work being done in this field and where practical and safe, helping to carry out routine procedures on animals such as rhino, lion, elephant or leopard. You are accompanied throughout by your own vet/guide, so you are kept fully informed of the work being undertaken and the objectives in mind.

Using accommodation with a distinct focus on conservation this trip supports a number of innovative responsible travel projects. For example the Jane Goodall Institute is committed to conserving the primates, which are estimated to become extinct within their natural habitats in as little as 10 years. The goal of the sanctuary is to rescue some of the Chimpanzees that have survived the various threats to their existence, including the ‘bush meat’ trade and illegal pet trade practices. Besides being provided with a home to live out their lives, they are also provided with the necessary attention to recover from the trauma that they have experienced. We will have the unique opportunity to see Chimpanzees in semi-wild surroundings with normal social interaction and behavioural patterns under group members.

Our lodge is situated within the 1000 hectare nature reserve with breathtaking views over the picturesque de Kaap Valley Mountains. Each of the 13 rooms is individually designed to reflect a unique African ambience. Buffet breakfasts and candlelit dinners are served in the restaurant or on the deck overlooking the reserve. Other projects visited on this trip include the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre where we take a private tour of the work being done here, escorted by a guide from the centre. The Centre is a non-profit organization, relying completely on the support of the public and exposes a different facet of wildlife work and conservation. Here a wide variety of birds and animals (lion, leopard, serval, lynx and honey badger) can be seen, being nursed and nurtured after being orphaned or injured, for release back into the wild. Some animals cannot be released and are kept for breeding and educational purposes.

This operator has made the conscious decision to exclusively employ local tour leaders in the belief that by offering a steady income through employment, tourism can ultimately make a real positive difference to local communities. Regular training is provided to all local tour leaders on a variety of issues, from environmental awareness to First Aid. This is not only important to the overall conduct of the tour but also provides local people with important life skills.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.