Overview

Want to see and do it all in Southern Africa?

Choosing which country to visit in Southern Africa is no easy task; do you go for the traditional cultures of Zambia, Botswana’s big game or Namibia’s river safaris? At last help is at hand on a tour which brings you everything. During the fun-packed 26 days you will enjoy camping in the bush, volunteering on local building and teaching projects, taking a game drive, white water rafting and visiting Victoria Falls. All of this makes the tour something worth writing home about. In Southern Africa everything seems multiplied; the animals are fiercer, the jeeps are tougher, the people are friendlier and distances are bigger. Taking a tour means not having to worry about arranging travel and the expert guides mean you don’t have to worry about getting eaten by the animals!

There are no minimum numbers for this tour, it is guaranteed to run.

Trip Highlights:

• Elephant Sands bush camp in Botswana
• See one of Africa's most spectacular sights - Victoria Falls
• Wildlife safari at Chobe National park, Namibia
• Opportunities for white water rafting, bungee jumping and other adventure activities
• Volunteering in a rural community in Zambia
• Experiencing the best of Southern Africa in 4 short weeks!

Itinerary & Details

Day 1 - Arrival into Livingstone (Zambia)

Fly into Livingstone International Airport transfer to Jollyboys Backpackers. Paula and Dan (the tour leaders) will meet volunteers at Jollyboys and over a welcoming drink brief the group. The rest of your day will be at leisure to tour Livingstone, take a swim or just sit around the comfortable conversation pit at Jollyboys and get to know each other. Overnight will be at Jollyboys.

Day 2 to Day 11 - Mwandi (Zambia)

Transfer to Mwandi Mission. Only 1 ½ hours from Livingstone. Volunteering at Mwandi Mission/Village - this is a very remote location with basic camping facilities. The main focus is in building African style houses for the most needy in the community. Volunteers can see and participate with qualified staff in the building of these homes. Building starts by placing poles in the ground, then binding the smaller wood to them and finally in “Mudding” in the walls and installing the door and window frames.

You will also assist the teachers in the pre-school, or the Basic school where (if you possess the necessary skills) you can help the qualified teacher in the classes. The grades at the basic school are from 1st to 9th grade. The Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s Center is also located here and volunteers are invited to observe the feeding program there. The program gives a healthy lunch to those children who qualify 6 days a week. After school hours you can go and play or read as needed with the children. And perhaps a little soccer game can be arranged. They love to play so it’s not hard to put the teams together!

Volunteers will also have the opportunity to volunteer in the Out-patient dept. If you are qualified you will be able to volunteer in the hospital. You’re given a guided tour of the village and the Hospital. Overnights will be at Mwandi Camp and Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner will be provided.

Day 12 - African Bush Camp (Botswana)

Depart early AM for Kazungula border Cross into Botswana on the car ferry over the Zambezi River see where the four countries Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia meet. Half day drive to 55 km north of Nata to an original African Bush Camp, you can have a hot mineral shower and gaze at the stars at the same time o/n Elephant Sands bush camp. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner is provided.

Day 13 - Elephant Sands Bush Camp (Botswana)

You will have a full day at the Elephant Sands Bush Camp, a 25,000 hector bush area with lots of game including elephants. You can sit on the balcony enjoying a cool one and watch the elephants having a drink less than 7 meters away. An optional 3 ½ hour game drive in an open safari vehicle and/or a bush walk with an experienced guide are available for small additional fees (approx US$15). Dinner is around the large fire pit with a roaring fire where we sit and listen to all the sounds of nature and maybe even an elephant in the bush. Overnight at Elephant Sands Bush Camp with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 14 - Kasane (Botswana)

Late morning departure for Kasane and the Chobe Waterfront where you can set up camp at Thebe River Safaris on the banks of the Chobe River. You have the rest of the day at your leisure to swin, watch sports, play darts in the lapa bar or just lie around and listen to the hippos. Overnight at Thebe Camp with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 15 - Kasane (Botswana)

Chobe National Park game drive at 9:00 AM with experienced guide in open safari vehicle. Chobe is known for its abundant and varied wildlife including nearly 200,000.00 elephants. After lunch back at camp we take you into town to check emails and/or to just have a look around Kasane. At 3pm you are taken on a Chobe River Safari in an open safari boat with an experienced guide. Overnight Thebe Camp with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 16 - Mwandi (Namibia and Zambia)

Depart early morning for drive through Namibia’s “Caprivi Strip” arriving back in Mwandi early afternoon. Overnight at Mwandi Mission with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 17 to Day 22 - Mwandi (Zambia)

Volunteering at Mwandi Mission as detailed above with overnights at Mwandi Mission with Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner provided.

Day 23 to Day 25 - Livingstone (Zambia)

Depart early morning for Livingstone where you can enjoy all Livingstone has to offer from White water rafting to shopping and everything in between and don’t forget a visit to one of the World’s 7 Natural Wonders - Victoria Falls. Overnight at Jollyboy’s Backpackers; Dinner is provided whilst Breakfast and Lunch are self-catering.

Day 26 - Return home

Say your goodbyes and make your own way to the airport or on to your next adventure.  

What you'll gain from the experience

With seventy ethnic groups and a strong desire to preserve its ancient traditions, Zambia offers a cultural experience like no other. You'll find yourself surrounded by a whole array of colourful local cultures and friendly people as you journey through one of Africa's most intriguing nations. This poverty-stricken country may lack financial resources but it is certainly rich in other areas. It boasts breathtaking country scenes, thriving native wildlife and an unconquerable spirit that will make every visit unforgettable.

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you fora the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching project then a 60-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time - especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects every year through a grant scheme for tangible long-term initiatives. In the last 3 years we have distributed over US$250,000 to our most needy projects to help them in the great work they do. 

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

Next Steps

What we will do after you've booked:

Orientation Information

You will spend the first night in Livingstone at Jollyboys Backpackers. Paula and Dan, the tour leaders will meet you at Jollyboys and over a welcoming drink will brief you on the trip ahead. You will spend the rest of the day at leisure in Livingstone, take a swim or just sit around the comfortable conversation pit at Jollyboys and get to know each other. The tour will then start as described on Day 2.

Flights & Insurance

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

EU Customers – find out more here >>

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Early Airport Pick-up

If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to the orientation accommodation. Accommodation payment f

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is €30.00