Going to Africa and seeing all the amazing wildlife was something I had always dreamed about doing.
So when I came across International Working Holidays website and saw that they offered a project doing just that, it didn’t take me long to book it. I really wanted to do a project that allowed me to see the animals in their natural habitat along with helping out. After speaking to Shelby from International Working Holidays on the phone, this seemed to be the perfect project for me.
Before boarding the plane I was definitely nervous. It was my first time traveling completely alone and I didn’t really know what to expect. However these nerves went away almost instantly once I arrived in South Africa.
The first three days were spent in Johannesburg on a tour, getting to see different parts of the city. It was a great first few days learning about the different culture and history.
The cheetah was one of the three young orphaned cheetahs that we fed an impala to
On arriving at Welgevonden, my breath was taken away by the beautiful landscape I was surrounded by.
It is so hard to choose a favourite part because all of it was so incredible, being able to participate in different projects and ongoing research was definitely a highlight as you really got to get involved and felt like you were actually making a difference.
Along with this, just being able to see the wildlife in their natural habitat, seeing the herds of elephants was incredible and will forever take my breath away. But just being able to see lions, cheetahs, rhinos and so much more was unbelievable too. Also the knowledgeable and welcoming people I got to meet there who made the experience and amazing things we got to see and participate in so much more memorable.
The elephant swimming was a herd of elephants we came across on one of our drives cooling off in the dam
My experiences in Africa gave me a lot of direction towards what I want to study next year at University. I now plan on studying zoology and being at Welgevonden was just the encouragement I needed to be inspired to do this.
To others thinking of doing this project, I would say just go for it. It was such a fantastic experience. You get to see and participate in some incredible things that would be hard to do anywhere else and make some amazing friends and memories.
You just need to get over those initial nerves because you’ll have the time of your life. I wouldn\’t change my experience for the world, leaving was probably the hardest part.
The rhino was a 2 week old baby that we went searching for.
by Charlotte Greenaway