Safari and Building Adventure in South Africa and Swaziland

  South Africa

Kruger Park

  Swaziland

Rural Areas

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks

Description: When is the best time to have a life changing experience?
Right now! Book this incredible two week adventure and you could be trekking through the African bush in no time. Your first week will be dedicated to spotting amazing wildlife and sleeping out in the bush under the stars in Kruger National Park. Then you are off to get your hands dirty helping to build homes for orphans and disadvantaged children in Swaziland. After a few tough days on the building site you will have plenty of time to take in all that Swaziland has to offer including amazing hiking, caving, paragliding or white water rafting.

*Day 1: Arrival
Welcome to Africa! After arriving at Manzini International Airport you will be met by a friendly Swazi who will take you to your cozy guest house.

*Day 2: Orientation
Today you will have a complete orientation to learn about your new surroundings and what you will be doing for the next couple weeks. You will meet your tour guide and have a chance to get to know your fellow tour mates.

*Day 3 to 7: Kruger National Park, South Africa
Kruger National Park is one of Africa's most famous conservation areas. Spanning nearly 20,000 km2 it covers a vast array of habitats. It has an aura of ancient times and offers some of the best opportunities in the world to view Africa's big game. You will venture on a five day tour into the heart of Kruger Park and an expert wildlife guide will take you on game drives to explore the vast wilderness. With luck you will see lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos, leopards, wild dogs and a variety of other wildlife. You will also go on either a guided bush walk in search of big game or a night drive to look for nocturnal wildlife, the choice is yours! On your last day, you will leave the Kruger and head to the beautiful Kingdom of Swaziland with its green rolling mountains and friendly people.

*Day 8 to 12: Building Project in Ezulwini, Swaziland
Swaziland is Africa's last remaining true monarchy and is steeped in Swazi culture and tradition. The Ezulwini valley of Swaziland is known as the 'valley of heaven' and is home to the royal family. You will spend five days working on the building project which aims to build basic but safe houses for children who are classified as orphaned and vulnerable children. These children do not have access to a safe shelter, reliable food source, education or health care. You will work along side experienced builders making blocks, laying foundations, building walls, and fitting roofs and doors to finish off the much needed structures for the children to move into. As a group you will be able to make a lasting difference to these children's lives.

*Day 13 to 14: Swaziland
Use this free weekend however you please. You can go white water rafting on the Great Usutu River, take a cultural quad bike tour (!) to visit rural Swazi villages, go river tubing, paragliding, mountain biking, caving, hiking, horse back riding amongst wildlife in a game reserve or even just indulge in a bit of craft shopping. That should be enough to keep you busy!

*Day 15: Departure
Sadly the adventure is coming to a close. You will be taken to Manzini airport in time to catch your flight.

Highlights:
* Camping in the vast wilderness of the world famous Kruger National Park
* Trekking through the bush to see wildlife
* Going on night drives through the park
* Building homes for children in Swaziland
* Bonding with families in the heart of the beautiful Swazi Kingdom

Qualifications: Skills required:
General fitness for building and a love for wildlife.

Cost in US$: USD 2635.00 for 2 weeks

* Accommodation: Shared dorm room in guest house and shared dome tent
* Food: All meals
* Airport Pickup: Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if you're arriving early!
* Training: In-country orientation
* Support: Pre-departure helpdesk, Local in-country team and 24hr emergency support

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 17-80

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel Independently

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994