SOUTH AFRICA

White Rhino Conservation Project

This spotlight project is a unique hands-on opportunity for students to work with a local conservation organization to help protect white rhinoceros, a critically endangered animal. The group spend time accompanying guides in a private game reserve, where elephants, lions, hippos, impalas, rhinos, and many other species live and interact. This project will not only give students the chance to make a positive impact on the environment, but also educate them about ongoing wildlife conservation efforts in the region. Through this project, students have the chance to learn about the challenges facing endangered species and the efforts to protect them. Whether it’s helping to maintain habitats, tracking and monitoring the movements of rhinos, or participating in educational interactive workshops, this project is sure to be an enriching and memorable experience for everyone involved!

Due to the requirements of our spotlight project, all students must be 16 or older.

Cape Town Exploration

Known as the “Mother City”, Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa, with a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years. Tour its diverse townships and bustling markets and sample delicious local dishes like vetkoek (fried donuts), biltong, and braai, a traditional South African barbeque. Visit the lively waterfront area, walk through beautiful lush gardens, and soak in the vibrant cosmopolitan energy that attracts visitors from around the world!

Table Mountain National Park

This dynamic flat-topped mountain towers above Cape Town, providing an iconic backdrop to the city. One of the most spectacular landmarks in the world and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is home to a diverse array of endemic plants and animals found nowhere else in the world! After a memorable hike to the top, a scenic cable car ride allows us to smoothly ride down, while enjoying 360° degrees views of the city, Lion’s Head and Devil’s Peak, and the surrounding coastline. Table Mountain is a “must-do” on the list of places to visit in South Africa!

White Rhino Conservation & Wildlife Safari

Join a local conservation organization as they work to help protect the critically endangered white rhinoceros. Travel into the wilds of a local private game reserve alongside researchers to assist with collecting vital wildlife data that will be used to create protection plans in an effort to help save this iconic African species. Along with rhinos, we may spot other iconic African wildlife such as elephants, lions, hippos, Cape buffalo, or impalas.

Robben Island Tour

Visit the historical Robben Island prison, where South African icon Nelson Mandela was held as a political prisoner. Learn more about the painful and complicated apartheid history of South Africa and how it has impacted the country’s past and present culture through an interactive tour led by former prisoners turned interpretive guides. Robben Island is an inspirational national treasure and World Heritage Site that symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit over extreme adversity and injustice

Scenic Garden Route & Surfing

Travel the scenic Garden Route along South Africa’s southern coast and visit quirky surf towns like Wilderness and Mossel Bay. Visit Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point in Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. Learn to surf the rolling waves at Muizenberg Bay, and watch for migrating Southern right whales and their newborn calves as they play in the surf in the whale-watching town of Hermanis.

Cape of Good Hope & Lion’s Head Sunrise Hike

Head south from Cape Town along the mountains to the rocky Cape Peninsula. Here we can spot wild ostriches, zebras, and baboons, and watch African penguins swim in the surf on the beachside penguin colony. On our last morning, we wake early and don headlamps for a memorable hike up the iconic Lion’s Head mountain, to watch the sunrise over Table Mountain and illuminate the city below. Touring the Cape of Good Hope and hiking up Lion’s Head is a must-do activity for any nature lover visiting the Cape Town area.