Zambia
| country: | Zambia |
| location: | South Luangwa |
| departures: | Departure dates year round. Please enquire for further details. |
| price: | From £1838 (3 weeks) - £2450 (4 weeks) excluding flights. Price includes accommodation & all meals. Group size 6-16 persons. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
If you’ve always wanted to contribute to the conservation of wilderness areas in Africa, then our three to four week experience in eastern Zambia is for you!
You will receive the chance of a lifetime to participate in conservation and ecotourism projects that benefit both local communities and wildlife habitats. The expedition will give you the chance to visit the remote Kakumbi and Luangwa area and to help ecologists in protecting the region's elephant, hippo, puku, impala, Thorncroft's giraffe (endemic to the area) and predator populations.
By assisting in the counting, aging and sexing of the animals you will play a role in preserving these magnificent creatures for the next generation. As a volunteer you contribute essential funds that help to cover the cost of conservation projects and the uplifting of communities. We provide all the training, you need no previous experience or qualifications. What's more - you may stand a change to be selected as an assistant trainer for future projects. You will also participate in community projects about the use of the natural resources in the area.
The first week will be spent introducing you to the African ecosystem and giving you an understanding of it's functioning. This will consists of exploring the natural area by yourself through practical, enjoyable fieldwork and group discussions. You will have the opportunity to study, discuss and express your views on some contentious (and sensitive) aspects such as elephant management.
We give you the knowledge, but we need your motivation to lend a helping hand to Africa and its people.
What can you expect?
The aim of the experience is to expose the participant to as large a part of wildlife as possible, thus providing a learning experience as well as entertainment. Apart from being shown the principles of wildlife planning and management a tourist will participate in amongst others in projects such as:
This is a joint eco-tourism venture between a distinguished ecologist, Dr. Piet de Villiers, and the Kakumbe Community Resource Board in Zambia. Piet de Villiers has many years experience in wildlife research and management in internationally renowned parks, government controlled game reserves and game farming in various parts of Southern Africa. The wildlife learning experience was compiled by him in his capacity as a (now former) trainer at the South African Wildlife Management College near the Kruger National Park.
Qualifications
No qualifications are needed. The wildlife learning experience is for novices in the field of wildlife and ecology. A curious spirit and a keen interest in all natural occurrences is a prerequisite. A fair amount of fitness is required as the days are long and a lot of walking will be done.
Accommodation
We use a tented camp with all facilities (e-mail, pool, bar, laundry facilities), as base from where expeditions take place. Owner Dora Jaschke and her team offer guests a relaxing and comfortable environment to enjoy nature from. Tents (2-4 persons) are equipped with mosquito gauze and nets, beds and bedding. Meals cooked on open fires are the specialty of Dora and her team and are included, while soft drinks are on sale.
The camp is on the banks of the Luangwa river (Eastern Zambia), amongst mopane trees. The view on the river is panoramic and one of the best in the valley. Large herds of buffalo coming down to the water are a daily sight.
You will receive the chance of a lifetime to participate in conservation and ecotourism projects that benefit both local communities and wildlife habitats. The expedition will give you the chance to visit the remote Kakumbi and Luangwa area and to help ecologists in protecting the region's elephant, hippo, puku, impala, Thorncroft's giraffe (endemic to the area) and predator populations.
By assisting in the counting, aging and sexing of the animals you will play a role in preserving these magnificent creatures for the next generation. As a volunteer you contribute essential funds that help to cover the cost of conservation projects and the uplifting of communities. We provide all the training, you need no previous experience or qualifications. What's more - you may stand a change to be selected as an assistant trainer for future projects. You will also participate in community projects about the use of the natural resources in the area.
The first week will be spent introducing you to the African ecosystem and giving you an understanding of it's functioning. This will consists of exploring the natural area by yourself through practical, enjoyable fieldwork and group discussions. You will have the opportunity to study, discuss and express your views on some contentious (and sensitive) aspects such as elephant management.
We give you the knowledge, but we need your motivation to lend a helping hand to Africa and its people.
What can you expect?
The aim of the experience is to expose the participant to as large a part of wildlife as possible, thus providing a learning experience as well as entertainment. Apart from being shown the principles of wildlife planning and management a tourist will participate in amongst others in projects such as:
Determining the number of elephant bulls in the area by using features like tusk shape and size, ear scars and other noticeable properties to identify individuals. - Do vegetation surveys to determine the effect of elephants on the trees in the area.
- Night observations of predators, amongst others lion call stations to get an idea of lion numbers.
- A hippo census.
- Determining the number of Thorncroft’s giraffe present in the area.
- Observation of animal behaviour in the veldt.
- Being shown in the veldt how to identify and prepare traditional veldt food by a local Zambian expert.
- Having the opportunity to visit a local village.
- Animal distribution by constant observation during the expedition and plotting on a map produced by the Global Information System using a GPS (global positioning system).
- Finally, participating in drafting a management plan for the area.
This is a joint eco-tourism venture between a distinguished ecologist, Dr. Piet de Villiers, and the Kakumbe Community Resource Board in Zambia. Piet de Villiers has many years experience in wildlife research and management in internationally renowned parks, government controlled game reserves and game farming in various parts of Southern Africa. The wildlife learning experience was compiled by him in his capacity as a (now former) trainer at the South African Wildlife Management College near the Kruger National Park.
Qualifications
No qualifications are needed. The wildlife learning experience is for novices in the field of wildlife and ecology. A curious spirit and a keen interest in all natural occurrences is a prerequisite. A fair amount of fitness is required as the days are long and a lot of walking will be done.
Accommodation
We use a tented camp with all facilities (e-mail, pool, bar, laundry facilities), as base from where expeditions take place. Owner Dora Jaschke and her team offer guests a relaxing and comfortable environment to enjoy nature from. Tents (2-4 persons) are equipped with mosquito gauze and nets, beds and bedding. Meals cooked on open fires are the specialty of Dora and her team and are included, while soft drinks are on sale.
The camp is on the banks of the Luangwa river (Eastern Zambia), amongst mopane trees. The view on the river is panoramic and one of the best in the valley. Large herds of buffalo coming down to the water are a daily sight.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The Kakumbi CRB (Community Resource Board) in Zambia is in the process of developing several projects for the uplifting of their people and we have been asked to make a contribution. It was decided to concentrate on a wildlife experience for which the area is ideal, but after many discussions and surfing on the Internet we decided that we could make a contribution in more ways than just the wildlife!
To help, utilize and improve conservation in Africa, the first step would be to try and understand the functioning of the ecosystem. To this regard we follow a holistic approach, therefore people are included in our ecosystem model as they are as much part of the system as the trees, the elephants and the fish. For this reason you will be interacting with the local community by visiting a traditional village, where you will have the opportunity to sample their traditional food and maybe sleep over for the night. Furthermore an expert on traditional veldt food who has recently retired from ZAWA (Zambian Wildlife Authority) will take you on a veldt trip where his African cuisine can be sampled. Discussions with the CRB, who is responsible for the administration of the Kakumbi area, will be held where ideas will be exchanged and more about the problems of Africa will be learned. Opportunities exist whereby you could contribute to the uplifting of the local people as well as to conservation in the area by using the knowledge and experience gained during your stay. Our policy is that the Zambian people must benefit, financially and otherwise. We stick to this policy by hiring tented accommodation at a Lodge owned by Dora, a Zambian lady. Dora and her staff use open fire cooking and they are experts in traditional food preparing, in this way you will also learn more about Zambia’s tradition. The larger part of your money goes directly to the local community; the rest is used to keep the project going. One of our aims is to help the CRB and ZAWA to manage the natural environment and wildlife in a way that will ensure long term sustainable utilization. A large part of your time will thus be spent on several projects:
 We are committed to helping the Nyamaluma Wildlife School in their efforts to establish training facilities for wildlife officers in Zambia and also from other African countries. You are welcome to bring along any books or publications on wildlife and wildlife management to enlarge their library which will be handed over to the Principal during a visit to the school, situated on the banks of the Luangwa River in another CRB area. We need your ideas and other contributions to make the Kakumbi area a major attraction in the Luangwa valley. |
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. |