Click here to view example itinerary

ENQUIRE NOW

Is your school group up to the Challenge?

An experience of a lifetime, to make a difference within an African community and contribute towards the conservation efforts of Shamwari Game reserve located in the malaria free Eastern Cape of South Africa. The aim of this program is to promote a sense of adventure, leadership, responsibility and international understanding, preparing young people to meet challenges of the future with confidence and compassion.

With the emphasis on "making a difference" the challenge is based around conservation and community work with the added extras of Adventure and R&R.

The challenge is completely flexible and can be tailored to suit each individual group depending on what achievements are required.

Location: Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Here is a perfect base to complete all key areas of Conservation, community, adventure and R&R.

The itinerary for the challenge can be pieced together from the following activities:

Community Challenge
A community challenge is a task that your school decides to achieve. Challenges are carefully arranged to suit your schools needs and requirements. The objective is to the raise the funds needed before the group travels, the challeneg element is the to to implement the funds raised within the local community. With some projects, the work can even begin before the group arrives!

Examples of challenges that school can choose to support according to their interests:

Library Challenge

A challenge ideal for younger students, involving an update of Alicedale School Library's completely outdated literature and library system. Previous to departure we ask you to raise funds as a school for new curriculum books.

During the challenge students may:

• Organise the system
  
• Build shelves and Storage
  
• The school has a brand new IT suite but lack IT knowledge. UK students can hold IT classes to teach children how to use Internet and other software. The intenet could be used as a great souce of information to help replace some of the outdated literature.

Active Challenge

The playground located within the community opposing CARE community centre is run down and unpainted. Funding is required for anticorrosive, anti-rust paints and waterproof paints.

Students involved in the challenge may:

• Interact with the schools environmental group making educational material about litter control.
  
• Clean up with the environmental group of the playground area
  
• Choose colour schemes and paint the apparatus
  

Funding need to be raised a few weeks before departure so basic maintenance can be achieved before UK students arrive.

Sports Challenge

A great challenge to undertake if you are a keen sports school or college! Sport is a great way of exercise and keeping children busy after school. Alicedale is lacking in its facilities, through Eco School Challeneg we hope to enhance the communities sporting facilities. 

During the challenge students may:

• Line the tarmac for various pitches
  
• Fundraise to to supply kit, balls, nets etc
  
• Arrange after school sporting activities and tournaments.

Any donations are gladly accepted and items such as stationary, sports equipment etc are very helpful. The challenge can start even before arriving by collections and fundraising for the community schools.

Conservation Challenge

The Eco School Challenge will see each group out in the "Wild" of Africa on Shamwari Game Reserve. Various activities are available, including:

• Game Counts
  
• Predator ID
  
• Elephant ID
  
• Rhino ID
  
• Tracking using Telemetry
  
• Erosion Control
  
• Wetland Rehabilitation
  
• General Rehabilitation
  
• Herbarium
  
• Alien Plant Control
  
• Removal of Wire and Rubbish
  
• Road Maintenance
  
• Born Free Foundation enclosure maintenance
  
• Veld Rehabilitation
  
• Bushmans River Ecology
  
• Bushman Paintings
  
• Leopard Bone Mount and others
  
• Weather Monitoring
  
• Indigenous Plant Propagation
  
• Fence Patrol
  
• Survival Sleep out
  
• Born Free Big Cat Sanctuary
  

With groups over the age of 17, students will be able to walk through the reserve and thus pursue active conservation activities such as viewing the vet with darted animals, fence clearing and road maintanance.

Adventure

The activity projects are based at the neighbouring Bushman Sands Game Reserve. The adventure projects bring that added spice and enjoyment to the challenge. Incorporating team work and courageousness it's a perfect way to help gel the group together. Activities available include:

• Quad biking
  
• Abseiling
  
• Mountain biking
  
• Clay Pigeon shooting
  
• Canoeing
  
• Gorge Gliding
  
• Bungee Jumping
  

Wilderness walk

If desired and weather permitting, a wilderness trail can be arranged including a days hike on the reserve and camping under the stars over night. This is a unique oportunity to venture where vehicles cannot go and sleep under the African stars. Students will learn about bush craft, astronomy and the animal inhabitatnts.

• Students under 17 will perform this walk on a neighbouring reserve with no predators.
  
• Students over 17 will perform this walk within Shamwari with trained game rangers.

Why undertake the Eco School Challenge?

This challenge will enable children to interact with children of other cultures, learn how they live and develop and understanding and appreciation for the African way of life in comparison to their own.
The aim is to promote a sense of adventure, leadership, responsibility and international understanding, preparing our young generation to meet challenges of the future with confidence and compassion.

R&R

The Eco School Challenge also gives challengers the chance to experience South Africa by incorporating elements of Rest and Relaxation. With some of the worlds most beautiful beaches and scenery at your finger tips why let an opportunity like this pass. Several options for weekend trips are available to be incorporated within the challenge. These include:

• Addo Elephant national park
  
• Horse Riding
  
• Port Elizabeth
  
• Jeffrey's Bay
  
• Plettenberg bay
  
• Grahamstown