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Day 1: Arrival
Welcome to South Africa. You will be met at the airport and
taken to the lion education center. You will have a brief
orientation and meet our i-to-i team leader who is stationed at
the center. Our team leader will help you get settled in and
will be there to support you throughout your time at the center.
Day 2 to 10: Work at lion education center
For the next nine days you will be working with some truly
adorable creatures. Your main role is to help the lion education
center staff with the daily running of the center. This could
mean preparing bottles for feeding baby lions, playing with the
clumsy little lion cubs and manning the various stations around
the center.
Day 11: Travel to Pretoria
After working hard for 9 days straight at the center, you will
have a much needed rest in Pretoria. Spend the rest of today
catching up on sleep and emails, visiting some locals bars and
shops or just simply relaxing by the poolside. Tomorrow you go
on safari to see the big 5 so be sure to get plenty of rest.
Day 12: Safari and craft market
Today you will visit the Chameleon Craft Market, the biggest
craft center in Africa, and a great place to pick up some
African handicrafts. After the market you will drive through
rural South Africa to Pilanesburg National Center where you will
enjoy a picnic and afternoon safari looking for the Big 5 in the
wild, taking photos and watching hippos take their late
afternoon baths!
Day 13: Pretoria
Today is free to explore Pretoria and pick up any last minute
souvenirs. You may want to shop in town or even go on a tour of
Soweto to get a real insight into the ‘new’ South Africa.
Day 14: Departure
It’s time to say goodbye. Pack your bags and head home or onto
your next adventure.
What the project does and why it needs you!
The lion education center was created to educate the public
about the conservation of predators in the wild, mainly the
lion. They also work to breed endangered white lions in
captivity and to train certain animals for use in movies and
adverts. The center is open to the public and visitors can play
with baby lion cubs as well as drive through the adult lion
enclosures. The center also keeps various other predators such
as hyena, wild dog, and jackal to increase public awareness and
also to train some of them for use in films and adverts.The
centre is approximately 208 hectares; with so many animals and
land, the center requires a lot of maintenance and management.
Lion cubs alone are demanding and need to be fed every few hours
in their first few months. The center is often understaffed and
needs volunteers to assist staff with their daily tasks.
Volunteers are also appreciated for their passion and enthusiasm
which brightens up the center atmosphere.
Who is it for?
This project is perfect for anyone with a passion for animals
and people since a lot of the work involves interacting with the
public. The more enthusiastic and motivated you are, the more
you will get out of your experience. Patience and flexibility
are essential.
What you’ll be
doing
You will be working daily with the center staff to assist in all
tasks associated with the running of the center. This includes
cleaning out enclosures, preparing bottles of milk for feeding
the cubs, preparing food, interacting with the public and
selling food to feed the giraffes. You will work from 8am to 5pm
Monday through Friday and 8am to 6pm on weekends. You will have
some down time throughout the day to relax or if you prefer, to
get involved with other lion education center activities. You
will probably split your time between working in the nursery and
working in the lion cub enclosures but the exact schedule will
depend on how many volunteers are at the center. You may also do
shifts at the giraffe feeding station, the gate to the game
drive and at the entrance to cub world.
Where you’ll be
staying:
Lion education center: The project is located in Gauteng and is
a 10 minute drive from shopping malls, super markets, and
restaurants. Your accommodation at the center will be in semi
luxury tents with brand new mattresses. Each tent has 4 proper
beds inside, with good mattresses and electricity. Linen is
washed and changed by the cleaning staff. The tents have windows
and a small porch in front where you can sit and watch the wild
game enjoy their dinner. There are bedside tables, a lamp and a
small heater for the cold nights. The tents are very spacious.
The bathrooms are located a few meters away and have powerful,
hot water showers. The kitchen is fully equipped and spacious
and even has a washing machine. There is also a fire pit and BBQ
area where you can relax in the evenings.
Pretoria: you will stay
in a shared dorm room in Pretoria Backpackers, a comfy hostel a
few minutes walk to Hatfield and a 5 min walk to the University
of Pretoria. There is also a swimming pool where you can go to
cool down and relax after your long, hot day on safari!
What you’ll be
eating:
No meals are included. You will go grocery shopping at the
beginning of your stay and there are kitchen facilities on site
at the center. Food is also available at the center restaurant
(until 5pm) if you aren’t in the mood to cook. You will even get
a staff discount on the food at the restaurant. You can also go
out for dinner in the evenings - restaurants are just a short
taxi ride away. You should budget $60 US for the 9 days at the
camp.
Advice and what
to bring:
All the necessary materials will be provided, including two
volunteer T-shirts that should be worn at all times when working
at the centre. Take clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty –
comfortable khaki is ideal. Comfortable walking shoes or
sneakers, a raincoat, insect repellent, flash light, towel and
some sun block are essentials.
On your free time there
is plenty to do. You can visit the Lesedi Cultural Village one
afternoon where you will get a guided tour of 5 South African
tribal villages. There is also a 20 minute video presentation
and an ‘all you can eat’ buffet dinner, where you can try
various different meats including ostrich and even crocodile!
The Montecasino, built like a real Italian village, is close by
and filled with a casino, bars, shops and restaurants, which
make it a great place to spend an evening.
When you arrive
i-to-i orientation will take place on your arrival day at the
tented camp. This will be given by our i-to-i team leader who
lives at the center. The lion education center specific
orientation will take place on your first work morning, the day
after you arrive, usually around 8.30am, in the restaurant area.
Things that you will
need to organize yourself
• Flights to South Africa: i-to-i can secure preferential rates,
please ask us
• Travel insurance: i-to-i can secure preferential rates, please
ask us
• Visa
• In-country transport (except your airport pickup on arrival
date)
• Tours, trips and add-ons: i-to-i can secure preferential
rates, please ask us
• Food (approximately US$50 or GBP£25 per week)
• Return transfer to the airport from Pretoria
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