“I can easily say it has been the best experience of my life and I wish it could have lasted forever” – Tess, 17

Itinerary

Your journey begins with an evening flight on 6^th May departing the UK for Johannesburg. You arrive on 7^th May and will be met by a local representative who will assist the group with their flight to Durban, home of the Wilderness Leadership School, for your overnight stay. The group will stay the night at the Wilderness Leadership School with a BBQ under the stars, time to become acquainted with their guides and settle into South Africa after a long flight.

On the 8^th May you will repack into our backpacks and then start your journey after breakfast to the St Lucia Wetlands, a World Heritage Site, which was the home of one of the greatest battles to save wild nature from mining in the 1970s. St Lucia is home to a wide range of game, crocodiles, large pods of Hippo and some of the best bird life in Africa.

Two nights will be spent here, camping in this remote wilderness, preparing for the next stage of the journey to the Umfolozi Game Reserve, where the group will spend five days without mirrors, daily pressures or watches.

On the 10^th May the group will transfer to the Imfolozi Game Reserve, home of our first wilderness trails programme and the first area to have declared wilderness in Southern Africa. Here they will spend four nights and five days living close to wild nature, exploring the wilderness on animal game paths, keeping watch at night and having the opportunity to understand the ancient links between people and wild nature.

All that is needed is carried in packs, water is collected from the rivers and purified, and we practice leave no trace ethics.

Leaving Imfolozi on the 14^th May, the group will travel to the Drakensberg Mountain Wilderness, another World Heritage Site, now known as the Ukhulahamba –Drakensberg National Park, an area with rich mountain climbs and one of the best places to see San-Bushman rock art. This is the tougher part of the trip with magnificent paths leading into the mountains, and three nights will be spent living in caves, sheltering in tents or sleeping in the open.

On the 17^th May, the group will overnight at a comfortable guest lodge where they have time to wash, sort out their clothing and equipment, say goodbye to their wilderness guides and prepare for their Zulu Homestay at the Mabandla Community.

On the 18^th May, after breakfast the group is collected by African Insight, and will travel to Mabandla in the Southern Drakensberg for their home stay. They will be there for four nights, living in pairs or in triples with a Zulu family. They will work on a local project linked to the community. This is often agreed nearer the time of departure, depending on what projects are needed and current.

Click here to download our full brochure for this opportunity.

Programme Information

This is a youth programme and is open to young people aged up to 21 years old. You must be aged 15 years or older to participate in a wilderness trail.

Price £1360 per person excluding flights, which must be arranged independently.

A non-refundable deposit of £250.00 is payable at time of booking. Our standard booking terms and conditions apply.

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Join our gap year programme in South Africa

Scotland

Wilderness Solo

16^th – 20^th September 2010

£475.53

Have you a desire to experience an extended period of true solitude in a wild place but feel apprehensive about venturing out alone?

Language… has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone. ~ Paul Johannes Tillich, The Eternal Now

The Wilderness Foundation UK is offering a group of up to ten individuals the opportunity to take this personal step, venturing right out of your usual comfort zone, whilst being supported by professional outdoor leaders and facilitators so that you can feel safe at the same time.

We will begin the five day wilderness solo with a day and a night together in a remote bothy in the Scottish Highlands. Here we can take the first steps to understanding ourselves more clearly, learning about what holds us back in life from doing things alone, and having time to prepare for the solo experience.

The next two days and nights will be spent camping solo at an agreed site some distance from the bothy.

The idea of the programme is that you would not mix with other members of the group, and spend time in and around your camping location. Personal time is your own but can be spent exploring your solo site, observing wild nature around you, writing in your journal, and enjoying the solitude. During the solo period you can return to the bothy where the staff will be based, at any time you wish. They are there to support you if you feel you need to step out of the solo experience.

Participants are encouraged to take what they want from this journey and to move at their own pace, spending as much time as they need alone and then returning for support at the bothy.

At the conclusion of the solo the fourth night will be spent together as a group sharing your experiences and your thoughts, making meaning of them, and preparing for the return home by ensuring that any new awareness will not be lost, and that the changes you may want to make as a result of this will be enduring.

The wilderness solo will be led by two of our respected and professional Wilderness Foundation staff, one a highly experienced outdoor guide, and the other a qualified psychotherapist. Throughout the week they will pay attention to your physical and emotional well being, as well as providing the information and knowledge you require to be comfortable and to enjoy this unique wilderness experience.

The location of the solo will be deep in the Scottish Highlands. Further details of this and other information will be sent to you on request.

The fee of £475.53 is inclusive of accommodation, full catering, and necessary equipment. On receipt of your booking a comprehensive list of what you need to bring, a health declaration for you to complete, and travel options and directions will be sent to you.

If this highly unique experience is of interest to you please do not hesitate to contact us to find out more and to make your booking.  Call 01245 443073 or email info@wildernessfoundation.org.uk

If you would like to secure your place by paying a deposit now, you may do so below using any major debit or credit card.

[wp_cart:Deposit for Solo Camping in Scotland, September 2010:price:250.00:end]

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Solo Camping Wilderness Journey

In May 2010 Tom and Andy will be starting the next leg of their journey – mountain biking across the breadth of Outer Mongolia, spending at least two months in the wilderness without any roads or facilities and carrying all their supplies in the best traditions and observing the ethics of our wilderness trails programmes.

Tom and Andy hope to raise at least £1,000 in support of the work of the Wilderness Foundation UK on their journey, which they aim to complete in August.

If you would like to sponsor Tom and Andy and in turn support the work of the Wilderness Foundation UK, please visit:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ride-earth

We wish Tom and Andy health and happiness on their journey and look forward to reading their journal entries.

For all the latest Ride Earth news and updates visit their website: http://www.ride-earth.org.uk

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Mountain Biking across Mongolia

YET provides a national scheme in which venture plans are evaluated and those that meet the high standard set by the Young Explorers’ Trust are awarded YET Approval status., which also may include compliance with BS8 8848.

YET Approval indicates that the venture plans adequately provide for the safety of the expedition members, risk analysis, the competence and experience of the leaders, the expedition budget, environmental concerns, and the value of the venture to participants in terms of personal development achieved through adventure and the proposed projects.

The Wilderness Foundation UK provides opportunities for a range of education and youth support programmes in Britain, South Africa and elsewhere which draw on the special benefits that wilderness can provide. These include leadership skills and personal development programmes.

Each trail offers a range of life training skills such as leadership, planning and organising, decision-making, outdoor skills, teamwork, self-esteem, social/group skills, communication and the interface between environmental and social issues.

In addition, time for personal reflection and solitude provides the opportunity to embark on a journey of self-discovery and connection with the earth, so that participants may return replenished and with fresh insights.

For further information on our wilderness trails programmes for schools and youth groups, please call Richard at the Wilderness Foundation UK on 01245 443073 or email info@wildernessfoundation.org.uk to request a brochure.

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WFUK joins Young Explorers Trust

Join a group of women on a wilderness trail that is guaranteed to give you time out, peace and quiet, a good laugh, adventure, and time to just be yourself…

Your journey begins with an evening flight on Friday 5^th March departing the UK for Johannesburg.  You arrive on 6^th March and will be met by a local representative who will assist you to your flight to Durban, home of the Wilderness Leadership School, for your overnight stay.  Sunday 7^th March after breakfast starts your journey to the Umfolozi Game Reserve for an unbelievable experience of true wilderness, spending 5 days without mirrors, daily pressures or watches.

Participating in wilderness trails highlights the need for wilderness protection through a visceral and felt understanding of why nature and the wild is so vital to our social, personal and spiritual survival.   Trails offer people a unique opportunity to experience wild nature in the simplest form – carrying everything you need in a backpack and sleeping under the stars.

Estimated cost:

£710 exluding flights

which should be in the region of £700

Add On Community Stay

For those who have more time to spare, there is an opportunity to continue your travels in South Africa and engage in a community project in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains for a further 4 nights. Living with Zulu families you will have an opportunity to really experience rural life, understand the issues that local women face and make a difference to the community.

Additional cost in the region of £450.00

A minimum group size of 4 and maximum of 8

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.”

Rachel Carson

For more information please

email info@wildernessfoundation.org.uk or telephone 01245 443073

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Women’s Umfolozi Wilderness Trail 2010

The expedition that we organised for the school last year was so popular that this year the number of participants for this trip has grown to 20, including three teachers from the school – David Marshall, Philip Nichols and Christian Derwent.  David Marshall was a leader last year too and is very much looking forward to the chance of spending more time in the Umfolozi in particular.

St. James have chosen to spend four nights in the Umfolozi and three nights in Drakensburg, before moving on to spend a period living with the Zulu people of the Mabandla Community.   Each year we organise stays at this remote village for a number of school groups, where they are able to complete their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award Residential.  The boys will be billeted in pairs in the homes of Zulu families and spend their days volunteering in projects ranging from rebuilding work at the local school to tending the vegetable gardens and caring for the goats.

The group will return to Durban on 3rd September and start to prepare for their journey home, but the history and culture of South Africa is not quite ready to be left behind – the group will stop off for a visit at the Apartheid Museumon 4th September, before touching down in the UK on 5th September.

Click here to view a slideshow of past wilderness trails that the Foundation has delivered

We’re delighted to be welcoming St. James Independent again this year.  Last year’s succesful trip with the Wilderness Foundation UK yielded such a positive response among staff and pupils alike that we were introduced to St. James Girls – the sister school to St. James Independent and we succesfully delivered an exciting wilderness based programme for them back in June.

For schools and youth groups who would like the opportunity to enjoy a completely different kind of expedition, to some of the most beautiful and unspoiled regions of South Africa (and beyond), the Wilderness Foundation UK is able to tailor-make wilderness journeys to meet your needs, plan the logistics of your trip and arrange all bookings with our partners in South Africa and additional we can deliver in school workshops developing cultural awareness, leadership and advocacy schools prior to departure.   All trail participants are invited to participate in our annual Wild Leaders Youth Conference in London and receive a one year subscription to our “Wilderness Reflections” newsletter charting progress with all area’s of the Foundation’s work.

For further information on our overseas expeditions please contact Richard or Jo on 01245 443073 or send an email to richard@wildernessfoundation.org.uk requesting a copy of our brochure.

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Destination Wilderness!

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Wild Leaders Youth Conference

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Pilanesberg & Kalahari Wilderness Trail

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Coast to Coast Charity Challenge

What a journey it has been and what amazing sights they have seen – a stark contrast to the Britain that we woke up to this morning, in the grip of an icy blast. The desert heat and sandscape has provided an amazing and beautiful backdrop to their adventure, more of which you can find out about by visit http://www.omandesertexpeditions.com/

Mark and John have been blogging as they went and have kept us all updated on a daily basis with emails and photographs of where they have been living.  Here’s a short extract from Day 26 of their journey:

Today has been one of the most enjoyable days of our journey so far; not so much for spectacular scenery, although the Sharqiya sands are beautiful enough, but for the people we have met, and what we have learned. As expected, we awoke about 0600 hrs to dew on the tents, and in the valley below a thin layer of fog had settled during the night. The Sharqiya sands are much greener than the Empty Quarter, and as such support more life. Singing wheatears and hoopoe larks kept us company over breakfast, and once again the sand was full of tracks telling the tales of what had gone on around us in the night.

and from Day 28, their final day in the desert:

Our day began at 0600 with us waking up at our campsite on top of the dunes to a dew so heavy that the tents were soaked; in the valley below us a thick fog had developed during the night, and was only just clearing when we had finished packing up three hours later. Things were pretty unpleasant; sand stuck to everything, wet sleeping bags and tents had to be wrapped in black rubbish bags and the wind made things chilly. In contrast, four hours later we have now set up camp at an altitude of 4,493 feet above sea level in the eastern Hajar mountains; below us we can see a beautifully calm sea, and 10 kilometres or so of white sandy beaches and rocky headlands where we intend to end our 28 day journey with an early morning swim tomorrow to clean up before heading to Muscat. En route to here we drove through green, acacia filled wadis and farms, admired spectacular rocky mountain scenery of an ever changing variety of colours, paused to photograph ancient mud brick watch towers, had lunch in the shade of one of ninety 4,500 year old beehive tombs and peered down into the depths of one of the largest limestone caverns in the world, the Majlis Al Jinn. There aren’t many places in the world where you can do and see all that in one day.

Before we left the sands this morning we spoke to one of the visiting desert tourists to gauge his thoughts. We expected, with the thick fog and dripping trees that he might be less than positive; not so. ‘An amazing country’ was the response to our question, ‘and last night was so wonderfully silent that I could hear the grass growing’. The silence of the Empty Quarter is what I think will remain with me the longest.

Congratulations to Mark and John on an epic journey undertaken and on sharing the adventure with us!

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Empty Quarter journey draws to a close