About i-to-i What i-to-i trips and TEFL are, how and why we do what we do!
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About i-to-i What i-to-i trips and TEFL are, how and why we do what we do!
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Today you will be met at the airport and taken to our backpacker’s hostel in Pretoria. You’ll need to arrive in before 4.15pm so that you’re all ready for the orientation which kicks off at 5pm. The journey from the airport to Pretoria should take around 45 minutes. The orientation is a crucial part of settling in to life in South Africa and will take you through what it’s going to be like at your project, do’s and don’ts, how to stay safe and it’s your prime opportunity to ask any burning questions that you haven’t yet had answered. After the orientation you’ll have some time to relax and prepare before your first day at the project tomorrow.
If you aren’t able to arrange a flight to get you into Johannesburg before 4.15pm then we’d recommend you fly in a day early. We can arrange an early airport pick-up for you including one night’s accommodation. Please give us a call for more information.
You’ll be up early this morning to take the bus, which takes around three hours, from Pretoria to Kroonstad. Here you'll be met by the lion center team who'll take you the short trip to your new home! The project and accommodation are on the same site so you'll never be late for work! Take time to settle in, because this is home for you for the next few weeks.
Your first day will be all about settling in, getting to know the staff and how things work. The team at the project will be on hand for you to ask any questions so ask away!
Once you’ve had a day to learn the ropes you will act as an extra pair of hands at the project assisting in whatever is needed. There’ll always be someone there to help you but the more pro-active you are the more you’ll get out of the experience. If you think something needs doing, get in there and do it! From cleaning cages to feeding meat to the lions, it’s all done with the lion’s welfare in mind. Surely the toughest job of all is Cub Duty; hand feeding the lion and tiger cubs twice a day, playing with them and giving them that all important one on one attention. You will also need to be prepared to work some night shifts too to feed these little cuties through the night! This will be on a rotational basis.
Working hours are flexible and night shifts will be included on a rotational basis.
The weekends are your valuable free time to rest and explore. You probably won’t want to move away from the swimming pool at your accommodation, however, if you can drag yourself away, there are plenty of places of interest worth visiting in the nearby area. The team on site can help you with ideas and logistics. You will be able to arrange trips over the weekend into the nearest town (about 20 minutes drive) to catch up on e-mails and so on.
There are also fantastic views from the verandah of the animal enclosures, so relax and soak up the sights and sounds of rural South Africa. From time to time you will also be able to go to local bars and restaurants or have a traditional South African braai (BBQ). The team has close links with reputable tour companies so there will always be something going on!
Mondays to Fridays you will be working hard with the lions and tigers at the project, with your weekends free to fill with whatever you fancy! The more you put in, the more you get out of this project so get stuck in!
The time to leave has come around already and you can expect to leave Kroonstad on the bus at around 9.30am and arrive back in Pretoria at around 1pm. The team will take you to the bus stop and your return bus ticket to Pretoria is included in the project fee. Your return transfer from Pretoria to the airport is not included, but our team will be able to advise you of the best route depending on your onward travel after the project.
This project is a breeding park for lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards and other carnivores. The owner started the breeding program from her love of 'big cats' and her desire to give people the opportunity to come face to face with these amazing creatures. Many of the species of cat at the project are close to extinction so breeding centers are key to their survival. All the cats need attention but the cubs especially need more than the limited staff can provide. You are needed to help raise the cubs to ensure they grow up happy and healthy.
This project is in a fairly rural location on the outskirts of Kroonstad. At night you will be able to listen to the sounds of the wildlife on a beautiful verandah and enjoy the feeling of being completely immersed in South African life – what are you waiting for?
The project is run by a small number of permanent staff but volunteers are really needed to help give extra attention to all the cats. At such a crucial stage of their development, the staff need all the help they can get to ensure the cubs wellbeing. You'll also be lending a hand with maintenance and repairs, feeding cleaning, enclosure inspections, even tour guiding! Someone has to get involved in the rough, tumble and scratching, it might as well be you.
Your working hours on this project will be flexible and according to the requirements of the project.
You’ll be working very closely with these majestic animals on a daily basis by feeding and caring for them, raising the cubs and being involved in all the day to day activities of the lion center. You will be working alongside lion experts who have years of experience in the field. You can also help give tours to visitors to the project. This isn’t where it stops though! There are a variety of tasks to get involved in, including:
This project is based in Kroonstad, around four hours south of Johannesburg. Your accommodation lies on the same site as the project so forget all about commuting!
You will find all resources that you need at this project so there’s no need to bring anything along from home. If you do have a specific interest in a field that you’d like to get involved in at the project please let us know.
Please make sure you bring durable clothing - jeans / khakis / combat trousers - as you will be getting dirty and even lion cubs do have claws!
Please don't wear brightly colored clothing. The project does not allow facial piercings or large visible tattoos - if you have them please take them out / cover them up.
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….
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
You will be sharing a room with up to three others in a beautiful chalet lodge on site at the center. The chalets are well equipped and have modern amenities such are hot running water, showers and western style toilets. There is even a swimming pool on site! There is also a stunning verandah with views over the project, the animal enclosures and some friendly monkeys! In the evenings feel free to relax, listen to the wildlife and savour the experience of being in South Africa.
Your time in Kroonstad is on a self-catering basis so you will be responsible for preparing your own meals and there will be a weekly shopping trip where you can stock up on all the essentials. You should budget roughly $50 per week for food. The kitchen at the lodge is fully equipped with a fridge, utensils and anything else you might need to prepare delicious meals. While in the lodge you will be responsible for keeping the place clean, so please tidy up after yourself, especially in the kitchen. You don’t need to bring bedding with you as this is provided at your accommodation. There is a laundry nearby where you can get your washing done, too.
If you are travelling to the project between May and September please ensure that you bring some warm clothes. Although the days are usually bright and sunny, nights and early mornings can get very cold. Finally, don't forget some books and other entertainment for relaxing in the evenings.
Right on site! No need to walk far or get up any earlier than you absolutely have to.
Stone-throwing distance. You’ll be able to hear the wildlife from your accommodation or as you relax in the pool or on the verandah, the choice is yours.
A journey into South Africa’s history is to haul through periods of racial tension, oppression and hope. Its multicultural mix originates from the earliest settlers, the San (also known as Bushmen) and Khoi-Khoi tribes, followed by Bantu-speaking groups, and through to the swarm of European traders. The Dutch were among the first European settlers and arrived in the 17th century, establishing their presence through their own dialect, Afrikaan, and religion in the form of the Dutch Reformed Church. By the end of the 18th century, the British began to push their presence forward into the country’s towns. It was a period of flared tensions with Zulu chief Shaka renouncing war on neighbouring tribes. Meanwhile, the Boers (Dutch Afrikaner farmers) and the British became locked in conflict; the Anglo-Boer War lasted from 1899 to 1902, ending with the British taking control of the Boer republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State (OFS) and consequently ruling the country.
By 1910, the Union of South Africa was created and gave political power to whites, while blacks set up political parties in protest, the African National Congress (ANC) the best known. It ushered in the beginnings of apartheid, which became widely ingrained after the Afrikaner National Party came to power in 1948. Violence against protests from blacks was enforced and the black population were evicted to so-called Homelands. In the 1960s, leaders of the ANC were imprisoned, notably Nelson Mandela, and the country became isolated having left the Commonwealth and declaring its republic status. After a long period of racial divide and conflict, in 1989 FW de Klerk came to power with the aim to rid the country of apartheid and instil democracy. The following year, Mandela was released from prison and in 1994 became president after the ANC won the country’s first non-racial general elections; the country also returned to the Commonwealth. The country’s democratic stance has steered it toward a more harmonious future, though economic inequalities between whites and blacks exist, but as the most developed economy on the continent it is in a good position to reconcile with its past.
Naturally, South Africa’s seasons are the reverse of the northern hemisphere with summer heat burning from November to March and cooler winter temperatures from June to August. Temperature wise, spring (September to October) and autumn (April to May) provide a happy medium. Certain must-do activities are restricted to specific times of year: safari is best from June to September and the whale watching season is June to December. The busiest time, hence the most expensive, is during the summer months, while the major school holidays are during December and Easter.
Given the distances involved, flying is the most convenient way to travel between the main destinations, while land transportation can efficiently pick up the rest of the mileage for exploration in and around. There are an assortment of domestic carriers to choose from that fly the main routes, with most running from Johannesburg or Cape Town; these include South African Airways, Nationwide Airlines, Kulula and 1Time. Booking early is advisable to secure discounted rates.
There country also boasts a comprehensive bus network that covers the main cities; the road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town is around 20 hours (compared to a 2 hour in a plane). The main bus companies are Translux, Greyhound and Intercape. Baz Bus is aimed at the backpacker crowd and provides a hop-on, hop-off service and also travels to remote areas. It’s a good way to discover the picturesque patch of coastline that is the Garden Route, which it services en route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.
Train travel can work out longer than by bus, with the trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town edging toward almost 30 hours. If you’re after a little luxury, try the Blue Train or the Rovos Rail for a taste of stylish travel.
Car rental is an attractive option thanks to the good road conditions, great scenery and the flexibility driving allows. The big car rental companies like Avis and Budget have outlets and it’s essential to be fully insured and have a valid driver’s licence. It’s also a convenient way to get around cities as public transport can be unsafe.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s website provides up-to-date political news, travel advice and information on visas
The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA)
Bus company Baz Bus
Domestic airline 1Time
Bus company Greyhound
Bus company Intercape
Domestic airline Kulula
Nationwide Airlines
South African Airways
Bus company Translux
We work in partnership with hundreds of established projects that are run by local communities. The information on our website comes directly from the projects and we work with them to ensure this information is as accurate as possible. However, due to the very nature of the projects themselves the exact details of what happens on a daily basis can change with little or no notice. If you have travelled with us and have any updates to this information, please let us know.
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* We can be held responsible for any starry-eyed and amazing journeys of enlightenment, discovery and thorough enjoyment...
