Aino's first small group adventure in South Africa

Well to be honest, I didn't really know what to expect. I mean, the image of group travel is quite boring and stuffy. You walk in a line, follow a guide and get back on the bus after doing the typical touristy stuff. But as KILROY is known for travelling in a different way - more adventurous would be a good description - I was curious to see how travelling in a small group would be with them. I am so happy to say, it hasn't been boring for a single moment. Straight from our arrival into Cape Town, we had a jampacked programme full of activities. Of course, we did some of the highlights as well, like visiting Boulders Beach to see the penguins chilling there, but also some more authentic visits like the Sunshine Educare volunteer project outside of Cape Town and the camping & safari in Kruger national park. To hear the wildlife around you at night is such a special feeling that's hard to describe. 

I think it helps that the KILROY group trip was packed with activities that you would never really be able to do on your own, like volunteering, safari  and camping in the wild, making it feel like more of a shared experience than simply joining a tour of people travelling. I think it has been one of my most active vacations so far, so that says a lot. It's definitely not just sitting on a bus, following the program while lounging around - at the end of the day you will be tired. But even though I was tired from all the new impressions, the first few nights we're hard on me. The malaria pills gave me such vivid nightmares I had to stop taking them after a couple of days. My bad luck didn't end there, as I was the only one in our little group that got food poisoning from an ice cream bought at a local supermarket (of all things!). While things like these are never great, it's not the end of the world and they are however good stories to tell afterwards.

My group was super fun to travel with. We were a bunch of different characters, but a good mix all together. There's always people you vibe with more than others, but it certainly helped that everyone was really excited about travelling to South Africa and trying a lot of new things while abroad. It's a completely different setting compared to something like a classroom, where you're forced to spend time together doing something that's (probably) boring.

It's a valid point, but from what I've seen there's a lot of great work being done at the volunteering projects we visited. The projects and communities really rely on volunteers to be able to do their work, and luckily there are plenty of good people wanting to help out. Volunteers at KILROY projects work to increase self-sufficiency and the ability for people to actively improve their own lives. As a volunteer you aren't there to save anyone. For you it's just as much a learning process, so treat it as such and get to know the culture and strengths of the country you're visiting. Be open to the life lessons of the locals and you should be alright! 

Talking about the local organisation, I was impressed by how well things were run at the projects I visited. At the Sunshine Educare project the volunteers teach and look after children between 3 months and 6 years. You help out with a lot of different things and help the kids with math/counting and reading as well as regular preschool education. The preschool is also really important for the kids' health, as it provides proper meals that support growth and development. The communities here in the area are extremely poor and kids often have to survive on dry white rice, maize porridge or bread without anything on it. This means the project isn't only improving education, but also fighting malnutrition and all the effects that come with it. 

We also spent time at the Endangered Species Program. This project is something completely different, as volunteers help out to protect some of Africa's endangered animals like rhino's and cheetah's. It's located in Limpopo game reserve, about four hours driving from Johannesburg. In this reserve it's possible to spot the big five, so as volunteers on this project we had to learn basic bush survival skills to be able to approach and observe the animals. For some it could be boring, but if you know you love nature and animals, this is a really cool way to get up close with the really rare ones and help to protect them from poaching. Without volunteers this program wouldn't be able to cover as much ground as they do, and it wouldn't be as effective in protecting the animals. 

So to sum it up: volunteers are definitely needed to continue these important projects. Just make sure you're doing volunteer work for the right reasons and educate yourself before going and you should be fine.

It was my first time actually, so this adventure was one of many firsts! You can't really go to southern Africa and not do safari, and I think I got one of the best versions of it. While we were in South Africa, we heard a lot of talk about how Kruger is very under-appreciated and that many people only rave about the other southern African countries. While it's true some of the neighbouring countries might have more animals and seeing for instance leopards is easier somewhere else, South Africa is still a great destination for safari and Kruger is simply an amazing national park. It's also a safari destination that's quite a bit cheaper compared to most other African countries. Kruger is really big, and the amount of wildlife is staggering. But what makes it special is that you can actually stay and overnight in the park, which we did. We slept some nights in tents, and some nights in lodges depending on where around Kruger we were. Whether it's tents or lodges, the animal sounds at night are included so if you're a light sleeper, definitely bring earplugs. Other handy equipment: binoculars. Contrary to what you see on TV are real animals not always right next to the truck as you drive along.  

We had safari trips both during the day and in the evening, which were really different experiences. The animals really come to live at night, and there are so many sounds around you, making you feel like you're really in the wild out there. For these drives after sunset, I do wanna recommend anyone reading this to bring a hat and sunglasses or something else to cover your face. The guides are using lights trying to spot animals, in the process attracting shitloads of bugs flying you right in the face. The wildlife is all worth it though! During the safari's we saw so many animals like elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, lions, hyenas and zebras. Of course there's no guarantee you'll see anything since the savannahs of Kruger are enormous, but the thrill of exploring and spotting new animals is unlike anything else. I took many great pictures, but the lounging lions seen on this page are definitely my favourite - such majestic creatures. You have to be prepared for the long driving days though, there will be breaks too but on safari you do spent a lot of time in the truck sitting and looking around - it's not all thrill and action. 

Definitely! Since coming back from South Africa, I planned another big trip  to Indonesia to learn how to surf, and I'm sure this won't be the end of big adventures for me. Talking group trips specifically, I would also say just try it, as it's really fun to meet likeminded people to travel with and making friends while exploring a new country. I will probably remember this trip and all the cool things we did for the rest of my life! 

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