Arriving ..
Although this happened over 2 years ago it is still one of the best things I have done and often think about.
I went completely on my own but instantly made friends for life!
I flew into Cape Town and stayed with a friend of a friend for a few days, he took me to all the non-touristy places in Cape Town which was awesome.
I then got a 10 hour bus to Port Elizabeth where I was greeted by an 'i to i' representative who took me straight to Kwantu Game Reserve.
I arrived in the evening so all the other volunteers were chilling, I immediately felt welcome and at home.
The accommodation reminded me of the Big Brother house, there were 2 large bedrooms, with about 20 beds in each room and one large communal living area.
I went completely on my own but instantly made friends for life!
I flew into Cape Town and stayed with a friend of a friend for a few days, he took me to all the non-touristy places in Cape Town which was awesome.
I then got a 10 hour bus to Port Elizabeth where I was greeted by an 'i to i' representative who took me straight to Kwantu Game Reserve.
I arrived in the evening so all the other volunteers were chilling, I immediately felt welcome and at home.
The accommodation reminded me of the Big Brother house, there were 2 large bedrooms, with about 20 beds in each room and one large communal living area.
Volunteers and 'work' ..
All the volunteers were put into 4 groups to do different jobs throughout the week. On my first morning we were al put into groups. My group gelled straight away. We started work at 7.30am every day and finished around 4.30pm.
There were about 30 volunteers, most of us from the UK, but there were a couple from Canada, America, Australia and Europe.
My first job was to look after and play with the Lion and Tiger Cubs! This was an insane way to start off my experience. I lay on the floor to take a picture of a girl with the Tiger Cubs, the cubs saw me on the floor and came running over, at 3 months old they were so tiny, sweet and cuddly and loved playing with my hair. The Lion Cubs were 8 months old and not so tiny, one of them nipped me and gave me a mahoosive bruise.
Our afternoon job was to track down the Elephants in the Elephant sanctuary and bring them back to the barn for dinner and bedtime. These aren't wild but they have 100s of acres to roam around in, they were rescued from other reserves. We went on a mission through the bushes to find them, our cool African guide showed us how we could survive if we got stranded in the wild .. by drinking the juice from the Elephants poo .. not my initial idea, but hey. He picked up a massive chunk of Elephant poo, squeezed it to show us it's just watery grass and safe to drink. Awesome! I'm now fully prepared to get lost in the wild! When we got back we were able to ride them. I love Elephants, they're so smart, some can understand upto 200 demands. As I was sat on her back I could hear her belly rummble, so we gave them some hay and left them too it. Day one DONE!
There were about 30 volunteers, most of us from the UK, but there were a couple from Canada, America, Australia and Europe.
My first job was to look after and play with the Lion and Tiger Cubs! This was an insane way to start off my experience. I lay on the floor to take a picture of a girl with the Tiger Cubs, the cubs saw me on the floor and came running over, at 3 months old they were so tiny, sweet and cuddly and loved playing with my hair. The Lion Cubs were 8 months old and not so tiny, one of them nipped me and gave me a mahoosive bruise.
Our afternoon job was to track down the Elephants in the Elephant sanctuary and bring them back to the barn for dinner and bedtime. These aren't wild but they have 100s of acres to roam around in, they were rescued from other reserves. We went on a mission through the bushes to find them, our cool African guide showed us how we could survive if we got stranded in the wild .. by drinking the juice from the Elephants poo .. not my initial idea, but hey. He picked up a massive chunk of Elephant poo, squeezed it to show us it's just watery grass and safe to drink. Awesome! I'm now fully prepared to get lost in the wild! When we got back we were able to ride them. I love Elephants, they're so smart, some can understand upto 200 demands. As I was sat on her back I could hear her belly rummble, so we gave them some hay and left them too it. Day one DONE!
Hard at 'work'
One of my favourite "jobs" was the nature walk; It was about a 20k trek through the wilderness. We had to make sure the perimeters on the reserve were secure and the fences were still live, preventing any poachers getting in, or the animals out. Our guide had a massive stick with him that he used to scare off the Ostridges. They are known for chasing people; they’re massive and bite pretty hard, so we felt safe with the Gandolf stick. There were parts of the trek that were pretty gnarly, one bit was up a real steep and loose ridge, a lot of people opted to go round and meet us on the other side, not moi.. I stayed right behind the guide on the way up, when he turned round he was impressed that I was right behind him, then said we should wait for the others.. I looked back and saw how far away everyone was, it was hilarious, they were all on their hands and knees making it look very hard indeed.. this is where I got my nickname as ‘adventure girl’ haha!
Another job I was particularly good at was chopping trees with a machete. I got out my Popeye arms and beat the bark out of the trees.. The trees needed cutting as they were alien and using up a lot of the water supply for the bigger trees valuable trees. The wood was used to make posts etc. Most people worked in pairs, but I trucked on on my own, I chopped down 6 trees in the same time that 2 of my friends, Robbie and Sian cut down 1 between them, oh how I chuckled. I didn’t wear gloves so I got a firmer grip on the machete, but that gave me one hell of a blister.. totally worth it.
Another job I was particularly good at was chopping trees with a machete. I got out my Popeye arms and beat the bark out of the trees.. The trees needed cutting as they were alien and using up a lot of the water supply for the bigger trees valuable trees. The wood was used to make posts etc. Most people worked in pairs, but I trucked on on my own, I chopped down 6 trees in the same time that 2 of my friends, Robbie and Sian cut down 1 between them, oh how I chuckled. I didn’t wear gloves so I got a firmer grip on the machete, but that gave me one hell of a blister.. totally worth it.
Weekends..
During the week we all worked pretty hard, and no alcohol was aloud on the premises. So at the weekend we were all taken to a nearby town where we stayed in a hostel. It was our chance to shop, drink, surf and do all the touristy things. We were warned about certain areas we needed to stay clear of, and certain taxis that are a definite no go.
When we went to Jeffries Bay I did the World’s Biggest Bridge Bungee Jump, it was awesome. The bridge is 709 ft high, with a bird eye view of the Bloukrans River. For some reason I wasn’t scared at all, there was no hesitation and I jump out as far as I could. Everyone else crapped themselves and one girl backed out when she was on the edge, so the guys pushed her off, it was hilarious. We found a karaoke bar and rocked it, we actually got thrown out in the end, the locals didn’t really appreciate are groups rendition of ‘The Circle of Life’ along with loooads of other songs.
When we went to Jeffries Bay I did the World’s Biggest Bridge Bungee Jump, it was awesome. The bridge is 709 ft high, with a bird eye view of the Bloukrans River. For some reason I wasn’t scared at all, there was no hesitation and I jump out as far as I could. Everyone else crapped themselves and one girl backed out when she was on the edge, so the guys pushed her off, it was hilarious. We found a karaoke bar and rocked it, we actually got thrown out in the end, the locals didn’t really appreciate are groups rendition of ‘The Circle of Life’ along with loooads of other songs.