Gap Year and career breaks to East Africa
| country: | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda |
| departures: | 2008: 25 Sep, 23 Oct 2009: 8 Jan, 29 Jan, 26 Feb, 19 Mar, 26 Mar |
| price: | From £4705 (12 weeks) excluding flights, from £5330 (12 weeks) including flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
From the Plains of Serengeti to the deserts in the north and the snow-capped peaks on the Equator, East Africa has a greater variety of wildlife habitats than anywhere else in the world. The diversity of animal species and tribes who share these lands is simply staggering. The “Big Five”, two 5,000m peaks and five magnificent habitats, you’re hard-pressed to find more diversity in such a compact area anywhere else on Earth.
Learn Swahili, take part in a number of volunteer projects including working with a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda. Come face to face with natures big five in the Serengeti, white water raft the mighty Nile and experience a desert camel trek. Finally climb Mt Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa before thinking about onward travel to Zanzibar.
Trip highlights
Learn basic Swahili Join our ebony conservation project on the foothills of Kilimanjaro Come face-to-face with nature’s “Big 5” in the Serengeti Make a valuable contribution to our orphanage project in Tanzania Help establish a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda Raft the mighty rapids of the Nile Experience a desert camel trek Climb Africa’s highest peaks: Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya Onward travel options include PADI dive school on Zanzibar
This is an all-inclusive trip, with full support and a range of services provided before, during and after the trip.
Included in the price is a UK travel safety course, all food & accommodation, cultural orientation, transport, development project funding through our Trust and activities (including safari, National Park visit, rafting, camel trek and Mt Kenya & Kilimanjaro climbs).
The “with flights” option includes return flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) or “open jaw” flights (London - KIA & Dar es Salam - London)
Not included are visas, inoculations, personal items, tips, drinks & evenings out and travel insurance. Our insurance is GB £183 (US $371) (3 months). The “with flights” price does not include taxes (approx £146), which are subject to change. These will be confirmed at your safety course, about 10 weeks before departure.
Learn Swahili, take part in a number of volunteer projects including working with a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda. Come face to face with natures big five in the Serengeti, white water raft the mighty Nile and experience a desert camel trek. Finally climb Mt Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa before thinking about onward travel to Zanzibar.
Trip highlights
This is an all-inclusive trip, with full support and a range of services provided before, during and after the trip. Included in the price is a UK travel safety course, all food & accommodation, cultural orientation, transport, development project funding through our Trust and activities (including safari, National Park visit, rafting, camel trek and Mt Kenya & Kilimanjaro climbs).
The “with flights” option includes return flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) or “open jaw” flights (London - KIA & Dar es Salam - London)
Not included are visas, inoculations, personal items, tips, drinks & evenings out and travel insurance. Our insurance is GB £183 (US $371) (3 months). The “with flights” price does not include taxes (approx £146), which are subject to change. These will be confirmed at your safety course, about 10 weeks before departure.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Mpingo Volunteer Project: Through out the day you will be working with schools and the Malehai Roots and Shoots Clubs. This is hands on work that includes Mpingo planting, producing environmental awareness posters, refurbishing school classrooms and distributing and planting seedlings to the local community. All the work involves plenty of interaction with the local community and great opportunities to exchange skills with the locals, especially the children. The Mpingo tree is essential to the local community and this project aims to help at the local Mpingo communities at grass root level. day-by-day itinerary
| Week 1-2: | Cultural Orientation: Swahili Community Development Project. Mpingo project, Tanzania Ebony hardwood conservation project on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Environmental education programme in local primary schools. Informal lessons in conservational Swahili. Weekend spent on expedition training in foothills of Kilimanjaro. |
| Week 3: | Expedition Tanzania: Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Safari. Trek through the Maasai heartlands to Olduvai Gorge. Explore Ngorongoro Crater and track big game in the Serengeti. |
| Week 4-5: | Community Development Project: HISANI project, Tanzania. Support an orphanage with a variety of construction projects in villages around Mwanza. Weekend activities in Mwanza. |
| Week 6: | Expedition Uganda: Exploring Murchison Falls National Park. Take ferry across Lake Victoria and enter Uganda. Visit the capital Kampala and explore the spectacular Murchison Falls National Park. |
| Week 7-8: | Conservation Project: Jinja Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Uganda. Constructing visitor facilities for the island sanctuary. Working with communities who supply feed for the chimps. 2-day rafting expedition on the Nile, with overnight island camp. |
| Week 9: | Expedition Kenya: The Rift Valley and the northern desert. Explore the Great Rift Valley, Lake Baringo and enter the northern desert for a camel trek with Samburu guides. |
| Week 10: | Expedition Kenya: Climb Mt Kenya (5199m). Climb Mt Kenya, Africa’s second highest peak and acclimatisation for Kili. Explore Nairobi. |
| Week 11-12: | Expedition Tanzania: Climb Mt Kilimanjaro (5895 m). “Kili” is the big one, our trek to the “Roof of Africa” is via the Machame route. The Venture ends in Moshi, gateway to Zanzibar and southern Africa. |
gap year & career breaks
Gap Year ventures are for school leavers, aged 17-20, taking time off before entering University or employment. Career Gap ventures will appeal to those taking a career break or sabbatical. There is no upper age limit although the majority of participants are aged between 21 and 35 years old.
how this holiday makes a difference
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This venture supports the Mpingo Volunteer Project, Hisani Project and the Jinja Chimpanzee Sanctuary. As well as our guides you are also accompanied by local guides and project partners. Groups are kept to a maximum of sixteen people, big enough to help the local communities, but not big enough to have a negative affect themselves. Back in the UK we also have our own environmental policy and we believe this is where responsible travel should start, prior to departure. It is simple things that help and perhaps the biggest impact in the office comes from recycling paper, as a rule where possible we print on both sides of paper and it is not until it is completely beyond use that we then send it to be recycled.
All our development projects have been carefully chosen to satisfy several criteria. They are of definable and sustainable benefit to the indigenous community and allow us the opportunity to work in tandem with the host community. Funding for the projects comes directly from the our Trust. For each person that joins the us, we, as a company, give at least US $400 (GB £215) to the Trust. 100% of the money the Trust receives is spent on the projects. All development projects are over-seen by a resident Project Manager whose role is to co-ordinate the adventures, the funding and the project's objectives. We are committed to direct patronage within the local economies of the countries in which we operate. We pay local tutors to teach languages; accommodation throughout the adventure is in locally owned hostels or based in the project locations; and the entire expedition budget will be spent by the team at local "grass roots" level. |
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. |