Adventure & Conservation Project
The Adventure & Conservation Project is located in a huge game reserve of about 45 000 hectares in the south of Namibia, in a semi-desertic environment. The main objective of this project is to ecologically restore and rewild this land which used to be a farming/hunting area.
For the volunteers, the programme is a combination of conservation, research, adventure, community and relaxation. The project can accomodate up to 16 volunteers, often divided into small groups for activities.
Note: this project is ideal for nature lovers who don’t expect to meet many animals on a daily basis.
Arrivals
The project works with specific dates (check “period/cost”), volunteers need to fly to Upington airport (SA) before 12h30 and depart after 15h30. A shuttle collects the volunteers to drive them to the project, crossing Namibian border, the drive is about 4h-5h.
At the Adventure & Conservation Project, team spirit is essential and everyone works hard to achieve the conservation goals. Activities can be divided into three categories: conservation, community and adventure.
Conservation
The programme combines several aspects: habitat management, reintroduction and translocation of wildlife and research about specific subjects, all of this with the aim of rewilding the area. The objective here is to provide a safe and big enough lan with minimum human impact.
In 2020, ostriches will be reintroduced and in the futur, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, girafes and black rhinos. At the moment, species that can be found are antelopes, leopards, brown hyenas, small mammals and lots of birds and reptiles.
Activites you may take part in:
- sand dam construction
- cameras traps
- biodiversity surveys
- alien plant control
- research on leopards, brown hyenas, small mammals, etc.
- game counts
- mega fauna tracking on a neighbour game reserve (one night on site)
- etc
Community
In order to achieve its goals in terms of conservation, the project needs to be supported by local communities. But aside from that, the coordinators wish to improve the lives of the locals by carrying out several actions with the help of the volunteers:
- outdoor school to trach kids about wildlife
- school for older kids to teach them skills to find a job
- soup kitchen
- etc.
Adventure
This project is perfect for the intrepid explorers who are happy to live in the middle of nowhere and go on adventures:
- Two or three days hiking and camping under the stars in the wilderness
- 4 days rafting (extra, £275)
- mountain biking
- etc.
A typical daily schedule (please note that this schedule may vary according to the season and activities undertaken.):
7h30 : breakfast
8h30 – 10h : 1st activity
10h : morning break
10h30 – 13h : 2nd activity
13h – 15h : lunch
15h – 18h : 3rd activity
19h : diner and briefing
Days off
Sundays are off. Volunteers stay at base camp and are encouraged to rest after their long week. The bravest ones can hike one of the many hills around.
Volunteers are accomodated in a tented camp, in the middle of the desert. Base camp is very basic yet comfortable: big tents (with 2 or 5 people in it depending on the number of volunteers), bathrooms, flush toilets and electricity.
A big communal tent is settled in the middle of the camp. There, volunteers can have their meals and relax on the sofas.
Wifi is available but extremely limited.
Possible activities at base camp:
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Slack line
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Beach Volley Ball
-
Arts & crafts
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Yoga & Meditation
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Traditional Bread making & cooking classes on open fire
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Bead-making workshops
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Open air wild cinema
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Chilling/reading
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Enjoying a ice cold beverage after a long day in the field
The programmes is based on 4 weeks expeditions with set dates:
22 May – 19 June 2020
8 July – 5 August 2020
21 October – 18 November 2020
The rate is $2 260 and includes: airport transfer (Upington), accomodation, 3 meals per day, supervision.
