Experience St Lucia, South Africa
St. Lucia is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a beautiful area that was declared South Africa's first Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO and which is called by many Africa's premier bush-and-beach destination. The area is home to the Zulu tribe; a group of people with a very lively and colourful culture. St. Lucia itself is a comfortable and charismatic town, within walking distance from the beach. In this stunning setting, we offer you the opportunity to support disadvantaged children in an orphan and child day care centre, as well as to get involved in educating the local community about the HIV virus or conservation education, building projects for local schools and much more. You will also visit the Drakensberg Mountains, with vistas of grandeur which will take your breath away and home to historic Anglo-Zulu memorials and battle grounds.
Itinerary in brief:
Participants to arrive in Durban on the first Sunday of the month.
| Day | Outline of activities | Location | Accommodation | Meals |
| 1 | Arrive at Durban Airport, transfer 2.5 hours to Drakensberg | Giants Castle Camp | Thatched lodges | D |
| 2-3 | Walking in the Drakensberg | Giants Castle | Thatched lodges | B, L, D |
| 4 | Cultural and historical Zulu day in Battlefields | Near Dundee | Guest house | B, L, D |
| 5-6 | Safari in Hluhlewe/Umfolozi National Parks including bush walk and overnight bush camping | Hluhluwe/Umfolozi NP | Tented camping | B, L, D |
| 7 | All Day Safari in iSimangaliso National Park including visit to Cape Vidal for snorkelling and Mission Rocks | St Lucia | Guest house | B, L, D |
| 8 | Ocean Adventure in search of whales and dolphins/Turtle & Hatchling tour | Indian Ocean, St Lucia | Guest house | B, L, D |
| 9 | Free day to explore St Lucia, optional scuba diving, kayaking, curio shopping etc. Evening Zulu dinner and stay in authentic Zulu hut | St Lucia | Zulu hut | B, L, D |
| 10-11 | Community Volunteering | St Lucia rural communities | Guest house | B, L, D |
| 12 | Depart Richards Bay Airport |
Note on community work:
"I loved every exquisite moment of my St. Lucia experience: beach sunrises, full-day game drives - I loved that the savannah was my workplace and the rhino and zebra my colleagues. I loved Africa and Africa and Africa. I truly loved this program... all I can really remember is being inordinately happy in Africa"
Janet Wu, USA.
Day 1: Arrive at Durban Airport (no later than 1300hrs). You will be transferred to the camp site at Giants Castle in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, a World Heritage Site which has exceptional natural beauty and many caves with the largest and most concentrated group of paintings in Africa south of the Sahara, made by the San people over a period of 4,000 years. After a general induction you will have a traditional South African Braai (barbeque) under the impressive shadow of the mountains before retiring to a comfortable cabin (rooms are on a twin basis) set within the park.
Day 2: After breakfast we will head off on a walk through the National Park. On the way we will have frequent stops to enjoy the scenery, wildlife and history in the area the San people lived from the Stone Age to the 19th Century. We will visit a cave with superb rock art and a fascinating insight into the past lifestyle of the San people. We will take lunch in the mountains (please bring a day sack to carry food and water) and dinner will be taken at the restaurant back at the Giant's Castle Camp.
Day 3: Early rise and simple breakfast before we walk back to the Giants Castle camp for lunchtime. After lunch there will be a chance to rest before we head on a 2 hour journey to a guest house near to Dundee in the historic Battlefields area. Dinner will be at the Guest House
Day 4: Today we go on a historical tour of two key Battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal. You will be taken on a guided tour of some of the important sites that witnessed decisive events in the shaping of Zulu history.
Day 5-6: After a 2 hour drive you will arrive at the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks, where you may encounter animals such as elephants, rhino's, Leopards, wild dogs and lions during game drives, both during the day and at night. You will stay overnight in a tented camp in the middle of the park. You will be taken on bush walks and Game Drives during your stay. In the afternoon of Day 6 you will drive for 1 hour to St Lucia Town.
Day 7: The day will be spent in the iSimangaliso National Park, a World Heritage site. You will go on a game drive through the park to see the five different eco-systems it contains. You may also see Leopard, Rhino and Buffalo during the drive. You will also visit Cape Vidal, a pretty bay situated amongst the Dune Forest, here you will have the chance to snorkel in the Indian Ocean looking for some of the best marine life in the world.
Day 8: In the morning you will have the chance to learn some basic Zulu words during a language lesson from a local Zulu native. The afternoon\evening will be spent Whale Watching (June-Nov), Turtle Tour (Nov-Jan) or Marine Mammal Ocean adventure (Feb-June).
Day 9: Free day to rest or do any activities of your choice. You may choose to go deep sea fishing, to go on a horse ride, Kayaking on the estuary, Hippo & Crocs tour or to take a trip to the beach. In the evening you will be driven to a nearby cultural village for some traditional Zulu food and dancing. You will spend the night sleeping in a traditional style Zulu (but modern) hut.
Day 10-11: St Lucia Community Volunteering
You will spend the next two days participating in the St Lucia community volunteer projects, which are facilitated by our sister organisation, African Impact. During our stay we will have the chance to interact with children and other community members while assisting a range of activities from a local pre-school, building/refurbishment projects and local sports development initiatives.
Day 12: 1 hour transfer to Richard's Bay airport for your flight home.
Cost:
12 Day Experience St Lucia trip: GBP995 / US1940
Please contact our booking staff if you would like to extend the volunteer portion of this trip.
Cost Includes:
Cost Excludes:
Accommodation:
You will stay in comfortable 2 or 3 bedroom lodges or guesthouses and will share with one other person. In the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi National Park you will stay in a simple but comfortable east African style tented camp in the middle of the national park.
Meals:
Throughout the trip (except for lunch on free days) meals will be cooked for you.
Note:
Please advise us of any specific dietary requirements before you arrive!
www.happyafricafoundation.org
Regd UK Charity Number: 1123529
Pathfinders and The Happy Africa Foundation
Pathfinders is proud to have been instrumental in the establishment of The Happy Africa Foundation and continues to be one of the Foundations major supporters. Donations made to support our community and conservation initiatives by private donors as well as by Pathfinders as a voluntoursim company are managed and distributed on our behalf by The Happy Africa Foundation.
The mission of The Happy Africa Foundation is to empower the African people through the support of community and conservation based initiatives that operate at grass roots level.
Conservation Development:
The Happy Africa Foundation works together with local African communities to conserve and protect the environment, wildlife and cultures in areas where the Foundation is involved. Thus, the Foundation supports, financially or logistically (or both), local and international organizations that operate projects supporting conservation education and research at a grass roots level.
Community Development:
The Happy Africa Foundation strives to initiate, facilitate and support community development projects that are sustainable. As such, The Happy Africa Foundation makes every effort to ensure and takes relevant measures in assessing, planning and monitoring community development projects for the benefit of local African communities.
The Happy Africa Foundation provides travellers, volunteers and other donors with a chance to give back to the communities they visit or volunteer in on their African journeys, or that they wish to support remotely through donations.