As I mentioned a few weeks back in one of our previous blog posts, a trip to Africa has to be one of the most rewarding and inspirational graduation gifts you could give to your son, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, or anyone else close to you who’s graduating in 2013!
And although there are hundreds upon hundreds of ways you can spend a gifted trip to Africa, here are some of our suggested types of itineraries for a graduation gift safari vacation (NOTE: All of our itineraries are customized to fit our clients’ exact needs and desires. The itinerary spotlights mentioned below are just examples of what past clients did for their graduation trips to Africa):
Cultural & Historic Explorations: Africa, as a whole, has some of the richest history out of any other continent in the world. To have the opportunity to touch this history and learn about it first hand is an exceptionally rare experience that few are lucky enough to go through.
Itineraries that focus on cultural and historic explorations are perfect for graduating students who studied art history, anthropology, African history, civil rights, etc.
Below is just a mere taste of some of the activities to include on a South Africa safari vacation itinerary that is focused around culture and history:
Soweto Township Tour: Situated in Johannesburg, South Africa is the Soweto Township, which is home to over 4 million people. During your private tour of Soweto (which you may choose to take via bicycle), you’ll explore how apartheid has affected the area and its people, and develop a greater understanding of the struggles these locals face each day as the result of a now fallen apartheid government. This tour will also include a visit to the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum, which was named after a 12 year-old boy who was shot and killed during an apartheid uprising in 1976. Hector, along with 19 other children were killed that day during the uprising, and so this museum was erected to remember those children affected by this massacre.
In addition to the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum, you will also have the opportunity to visit The Mandela Museum, which is an extraordinary experience that takes visitors through the fascinating life of a man who helped change the fate of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. During the tour you will also visit The Apartheid Museum (which houses artifacts and other accounts from the days of Apartheid), Freedom Square (where the Congress of the People adopted The Freedom Charter to abolish apartheid), and The Regina Mundi Church, where police raided and fired upon Soweto citizens during apartheid uprisings.
Cape Town Tour: During a Cape Town Peninsula Tour, you’ll have the opportunity to soak in the colorful culture of one of the world’s most celebrated cities, Cape Town! You’ll first start out with a visit to Cape Point, which was first discovered by Bartholomew Diaz when he was searching for a way to travel to the East and ended up having a large significance in the Spice Routes for Europeans. During the Cape Town tour, you’ll also have the opportunity to explore craft shops and markets to look through locally made arts and crafts. And, one of my favorite parts of this tour, you’ll visit a penguin colony on Boulders Beach! These precious critters are a real treat to see in the wild and are always up to entertain visitors.
Cape Malay Cooking Class: A fantastic way to spend an evening in Cape Town, a Cape Malay Cooking Class will bring you into the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town, where you’ll learn about traditional Malay-style cooking before getting some hands-on experience with a local family in their kitchen. This is one of our most requested tours and travelers absolutely love it because they have the opportunity to taste delectable cuisine, learn new cooking styles, and interact with locals for an evening.
Philanthropic Efforts: With some of the world’s most devastating economic and social climates, parts of South Africa are in dire need of volunteers to lend a hand. From half-day philanthropic initiatives (such as playing with local school children) to week-long philanthropic trips (such as volunteering at a local orphanage to teach arts and crafts), there are so many different ways you, as a traveler, can lend a hand in helping the people of Africa become more self-sustainable.
Below is just a mere taste of some of the activities to include on a South Africa safari vacation itinerary that focus around philanthropic efforts:
Volunteer at Red Hill Community: Situated just a 45-minute drive from the Cape Town City Center, the Red Hill Community is a town home to approximately 2,500 individuals of a variety of African nationalities, including Xhosa and Afrikaans. During your volunteer time at Red Hill, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in afternoon activities with the kids, assist in teaching at preschools, help with arts and crafts, organize special needs classes, assist in handing out meals, work in the gardens, help paint / upkeep buildings, and more.
Greenpop: In an effort to add a splash of green to Cape Town, the Uthando organization has launched its Greenpop project, which works to plant both indigenous and fruit trees around the Cape Town community. There are currently many areas throughout Cape Town that completely lack greenery—something that Greenpop is determined to change.
Aside from the trees’ aesthetic beauty, the Greenpop team believes that adding shrubbery to the urban areas of Cape Town will facilitate community upliftment and urban and school rejuvenation. They also hope that the project will facilitate environmental awareness and education, as well as create jobs for individuals in the community. When locals come together in these community projects and are paid fair wages, they can feel a sense of unity and visualize their efforts in building a better community for all. They can feel a part of the transformation of the community that they live in, which, in turn, sparks personal fulfillment.
Volunteers can assist in planting trees for a day, help manage nurseries, and even help with school rejuvenation through Greenpop!
Image above taken from GreenPop.org
Conservation Initiatives for the Environment: Celebrated for its diverse and endemic wildlife, South Africa is the ultimate nature-lover’s destination. But due to human influences (such as agriculture, infrastructure development, poaching, etc.) the wildlife of South Africa—and all across the southern and central part of the continent, for that matter—faces struggles on a continual basis. In an effort to educate locals about their impact on the environment, setup security reinforcements in game reserves and parks to prevent poaching, reduce deforestation, and adopt and rehabilitate orphaned animals, hundreds of conservation programs have been established around southern Africa. Many of these conservation programs offer tours and volunteer opportunities. See below for some of our favorite environmental conservation tours and volunteer opportunities.
Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center: Helping to rehabilitate and provide a temporary home for abandoned, injured, and poisoned wildlife, the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center offers tours and volunteer opportunities for individuals interested in lending a hand to wildlife conservation. Some of the animals that Moholoholo brings in include hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah, serval, eagles, vultures, and various baby animals. The center even has a highly successful Serval Breeding Project, which has helped to breed more than 160 serval and release them back into the wild.
Elephant & Rhino Research & Conservation Project: Situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the Elephant & Rhino Research & Conservation Project allows volunteers to participate in a 2-week program (they may also choose to stay longer, should they wish) that allows them to monitor behavior, feeding patterns, and herd movement of elephants. They will also be responsible for monitoring the rhino population to support data recorded by the anti-poaching team, as well as help capture data requested by the reserve management team.
