South Africa: Big 5, Big Fun!

So... I went to South Africa in March! I haven't blogged about it on here yet, but I will most definitely be doing so a lot from now on... and here's part one :)


My first few days in South Africa were spent at a game reserve near Port Elizabeth where Real Gap Experience sends travellers for their South Africa Experience and Big 5 Wildlife and Community programmes. My friends and I were guests of the owner Shakir, and he very generously ensured we had an amazing time!

We arrived around 3pm and after settling into our rooms we headed straight off to the Predator Camp, where we were to be shown around by ranger Patrick. The Predator Camp is home to younger cats, who live there until they are big enough and old enough to be released into the wild reserve. Patrick was very friendly and knowledgeable, and told us all about the animals as he showed us around. First stop was the Bengal Tiger enclosure, which I was surprised about as tigers are not native to Africa. However, Patrick explained that the first tigers to come to the project were rescued from an illegal and cruel owner in Johannesburg and since then the staff at the project have built up a breeding programme with the tigers, to help preserve this rare and beautiful species. So far, two tigers have been sent to live safely in their native India already, and more will hopefully follow them soon. Also living in the Predator Camp are cheetahs, African lions and the very rare (and stunningly beautiful!) Namibian White Lions.

 Awww, tiger kisses!

That evening we were visited by Simon, who looks after the museum at the reserve. As well as information about the history of the reserve and the village it’s in, the museum is home to several snakes and spiders, and Simon is very enthusiastic about them! He brought one of his favourite (and one of the biggest!) snakes along, and I was able to hold her. Not so much fun for my friend Honor who is terrified of snakes, but it was cool to learn about them, and Simon also spoke to us about the plight of rhinos in South Africa, and the challenges facing environmentalists as poaching for their valuable horns is unfortunately rife.


The next morning I got up early and along with my friend Jen, headed to the herb garden and “Touch Farm” where we were able to play with the rabbits and guinea pigs who live there. As well as the small furries, there are also some ostriches, a wildebeest (who trod on my toe – ouch!) and some impala living on site, and also some horses which volunteers can take for rides if they wish.

 Some of the many rabbits who live at the Touch Farm

Next up it was the part of our stay that me and my friends had been looking forward to the most – game drive time! Patrick picked us up in one of the reserve four-by-fours and we were off... driving through the reserve trying to spot the Big 5 with expert help from Patrick. It was a great experience and we were lucky enough to see loads of animals, including zebra, elephants, buffalo, springbok, giraffes, antelopes, numerous species of birds and more. We also stumbled upon some volunteers working hard removing alien vegetation, and they told us what a great time they were having at the project, which was lovely to hear.

There's an elephant in the background of this pic, honest!

That afternoon, I was shown around the whole project site, and got to see the luxury hotel and lodge accommodation as well as the two volunteer quarters, which were amazing! The volunteers have lovely shared areas with comfortable sofas, television and DVD players and kitchen facilities where they can make drinks and store snacks. They also have their own lockable storage space near their beds in the dorm rooms, and the bathrooms are sparkling clean with modern facilities. Shakir also showed me the “cinema room” where films are sometimes shown on a big screen for volunteers in the evenings, the swimming pool, tennis courts, cricket field, playground and gym (all of which are available for volunteers to use as well as the hotel guests) and the dining area where meals are served. The volunteers have their own catering team and I can personally vouch for how delicious the food is! They cater fantastically for vegetarians (my friend Honor doesn’t eat meat and thoroughly enjoyed all her meals) and all meat is Halal.

After a good night’s sleep we were up early and excited to head to the elephant camp, which is around a five minute drive from the main reserve. The camp is home to four female elephants who were all rescued from being culled in the Kruger Park, and welcomes visitors who come along to learn about elephants and get up close and personal with these beautiful girls! The elephants have been trained to put on shows for visitors, but they are trained in a caring and non-violent way (they learn using a reward based method) and only “work” for a few hours a day, being free to roam as they please for the remainder of their time.

As the elephants came out of their wooden shelter, they were accompanied by their handlers, who were riding on their backs. They then showed us their skills – walking together in a circle, lining up, kneeling down in unison and raising their trunks. Next up, we were allowed a ride! I hopped on and joined handler Cuthbert, who introduced me to his elephant Mujamba, and we strolled around the camp, walking past grazing zebra and impala. Cuthbert was really enthusiastic and informative about elephants, and you could tell he really loved Mujamba! After our ride we were able to help feed the elephants their vegetable pellets, which are a treat for them and act as a thank you for the ride. I gave Mujamba pellets into her trunk and also into her mouth (which was a bit messy and gross if I’m honest, but fun too!)

 Feeding Mujamba

My time at the Big 5 reserve was all too brief, but it was great to get a taster of the project and it’s work, and see firsthand what Real Gap volunteers get up to. My friends and I all had a fantastic time, and would recommend a stay to anyone :)

www.realgap.com