Real Gap Experience
As the 11th June draws ever closer South Africa is rapidly becoming the hottest travel destination of 2010. While many sports fans are heading to its sunny shores just to catch the FIFA World Cup action, more adventurous travellers are looking to combine their love of sports with a little intrepid exploration. This week leading gap year travel company, Real Gap, have launched a staggering total of 9 new South African travel options; ideal for explorers who want to make the most of their time in this amazing destination.
For those who don’t want to stray too far from the pitch, the Cape Town based South Africa Sports Volunteers and South Africa Surf and Community Volunteers programmes offer plenty of scope for active development. Both projects provide ample opportunity for budding coaches to enhance their abilities and work on their teaching style. Amateur surfers can hone their skills on the board and teach underprivileged children to ride the waves, while sports enthusiasts with a wider range of expertise can help to teach football, netball or athletics at a local school.
Volunteers in search of a more educational approach can choose between the South Africa Schools and Development and South Africa Literacy Volunteers projects. Focusing on improving children’s future prospects and standard of education, the programmes give participants the chance to help inside and outside the classroom with lessons, homework and extra curricula activities. Participants can give youngsters the tools they need to learn with sessions in reading and writing or provide one-to-one help for children in overcrowded and underfunded schools.
South Africa is also home to many orphaned, abused and neglected children in desperate need of care and attention. The South Africa Childcare Volunteers, South Africa Child Development and South Africa Children’s Hospital Volunteers programmes are entirely dedicated to providing a safe refuge and essential care to impoverished children. Volunteers can help out with daily tasks and unleash their creative side with painting, music, art and dance at the childcare projects, or assist with the daily running of the hospital, which can include lending a hand with play therapy and medical procedures depending on experience.
Animal lovers can also get up close to Africa’s most famous wildlife on the South Africa Rhino Lion and Elephant Research project and the South Africa Wildlife and Adventure Tour. Adventurers who set off on the tour can combine bungee jumping, quad biking and abseiling, with protecting and caring for endangered animals. Volunteers who want to get involved with more hands-on wildlife conservation can take part in data collection, animal tracking and behavioural observation, as well as getting up close big game at the research project.
Sport fanatics who want to combine their trip with any one of Real Gap’s fantastic new projects had better get booking; the company are offering the chance to win an incredible£500 flight voucher to all travellers who book before the 28th February, details of the prize draw can be viewed here http://www.realgap.co.uk/
For more information about these brilliant new South Africa travel options, explorers can go to the Real Gap website at http://www.realgap.co.uk/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
