Coastal Tropical Biological Research Course Highlights

The highlights

• Experience the biodiversity and ecology of 5 different ecosystems in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park
• Get up close to a large variety of wildlife, during the excursions your course includes
• Learn valuable knowledge and skills that will benefit your studies and future career
• Gain practical research experience by conducting your own research project
• Make friends for life with other international participants on the course

Optional activities and excursions

South Africa is a fantastic country to travel in, the roads are good, the car rentals very affordable, and the destinations superb!

Weekend Highlight suggestions:

• Game drives in the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks
• Visits to the beach, and snorkelling at Cape Vidal
• Whale, dolphin and sea turtle viewing (seasonal)
• Deep sea fishing
• Hippo and crocodile cruises on the St. Lucia Estuary
• Weekend trips to the stunning Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kosi Bay, Kruger National Park or Mozambique
• Cultural tour to a rural village, or a night of traditional Zulu dancing and food

(These are not included in your volunteering fee but can be can be paid for at the project)

We encourage you to do a bit of traveling before or after the course, to make the most of your visit to South Africa. Some suggestions:

• Staying in Kruger, Addo elephant, Tembe, Karoo or any other of South Africa’s 26 fantastic National Parks to experience the amazing wildlife
• Visits to the beach, snorkeling at Cape Vidal or Kosi Bay, scuba diving at Sodwana Bay
• Whale watching trips and sea turtle nesting / hatching
• Hiking in the impressive Drakensberg mountains

Some other ideas which you can arrange for yourself:

• Driving the renowned garden route
• Enjoying majestic Cape Town, Table mountain and the surrounding wineries
• Visit the Okavango Delta in Botswana

Where will I sleep?

During your project, you will stay at our large and comfortable African Impact project house situated in the middle of St. Lucia. It is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, barbeque area, garden, and a swimming pool. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry / cleaning ladies. All bedding is provided, so you will not need to bring a sleeping bag with you, although sometimes it is useful in the colder months (June – September). You will be sharing a bedroom with between one and four people. Members of our African Impact team will be staying on the same property, so that they are always available to you for any questions or issues you may have.

You will share the house with other African Impact volunteers who are joining us for other projects. For more information on these projects, please see:

• http://www.africanimpact.com/volunteers/hiv-aids-volunteer-south-africa/
• http://www.africanimpact.com/volunteers/education-photography-sa/
• http://www.africanimpact.com/volunteers/st-lucia-medical/

We find that course participants living together and working closely together with their tutors and project managers is the surest way of guaranteeing their safety and being able to attend to their most pressing needs. For this reason we expect all participants to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and do not allow participants to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages, unless they are away on pre-arranged sightseeing/tourism excursions.

And meals?

You will be provided with three meals a day except Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch. Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by our cook at the volunteer house.

Our cook has Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime off so we invite volunteers to try the local restaurants for dinner and there is a small supermarket and cafe available for lunch. Dinner costs around GB£ 5 - 7 so is very reasonably priced. Please allow for this in your budget.

How do I get there and travel around?

The nearest airport to St. Lucia is Richards Bay Airport, which is about a forty five minute drive from St. Lucia. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay and these can be booked online at www.flysaa.com.

You will be met at the airport by one of your project managers and transferred to your course accomodation.

Please note that you are required to arrive at Richard's Bay airport before 16:00 of the first day of the course.

What does the cost include?

• Airport pick up and drop off at Richards Bay Airport
• Full board and lodging, which includes 3 meals a day at our volunteer house for six days a week. On Sundays we will all eat out which is for your own expense. You will share a bedroom and bathroom with 2 to 4 people.
• Scheduled excursions and game drives
• Supervision on your projects
• All lectures & training sessions
• Use of available research material
• Laundry service during your stay

Project Fee Excludes the following:

• Personal travel insurance for the duration of your stay
• All transport by air or bus to Richards Bay
• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other)
• Email/Internet and telephone calls
• Soft drinks, wines and spirits
• All visas for border crossings
• Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in St. Lucia

Do I need experience, is there orientation?

Upon arrival in St. Lucia you will receive a comprehensive orientation program, which is included in your fee. This is facilitated by your course co-ordinator and will include an introduction to St Lucia and the surrounding area. You will also receive a detailed "welcome pack".

Throughout your placement you will have the support and guidance of our experienced project managers & researchers. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, which will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.

What's the age limit?

Most beneficial to High School leavers & Undergraduates but everyone welcome!

Anything extra I need to know?

Here is how a typical day in the life of a St Lucia tropical biological research course participant might take shape during the first two weeks of your stay here. (please note that the itineraries of the first two weeks and the second two weeks (independent research project) do differ).

• 07:00 Get up, eat breakfast, and start getting ready for your day
• 08:30 start of the morning session. You might attend a lecture on for example estuarine ecology and management, or go on a excursion to learn about the flora and fauna of the area.
• 12:15 Lunch break. You will return the project house where lunch is waiting for you.
• 14:00 start of the afternoon session. you may be working on preparing a research proposal, have a workshop on how to tackle problems or difficulties in the field, or being lectured about research techniques.
• 17:00 End of working day. We evaluate the day and discuss the schedule for the next day.
• 18:00 Dinner at the project house.
• 19:00 Evening. Yours to enjoy. you may wish to go for a few drinks in one of the local bars, or embark on an optional night drive in the park looking for leopards. On some occasions, there might be an evening lecture.

The second two weeks you will create your own itinerary whilst doing your own research

For a full overview of the course itinerary and the topics covered in lectures and field exercises, please refer to our downloadable pdf brochure (see top)