After breakfast we join Petronel and her team for 2 full days to get a true understanding into the effects of the rhino poaching crisis in Africa. We will learn about the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned calves, the rewilding and release processes. 

We will also meet their K9 Unit and hear about their ongoing monitoring, protection and conservation of the rhino species and their ecosystem and are really fortunate to get a behind the scenes look into the daily running of the rhino sanctuary and how it evolves over time as the needs and requirements change. 

The sanctuary runs a structured and timetabled programme that is designed to meet the needs of the rhinos under their care, however as they are a Rhino Sanctuary on call 24/7 the programme may be altered at any given time. Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary operates a ‘hands off’ approach to caregiving. Their sole purpose is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-wild rhinos so that they can be released successfully back into their natural ecosystems.

We will assist in milk preparation, bottle feeding and boma care, participating in behavioral observations and gain completely new insights into the world of rhino care, rehabilitation and conservation.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

After breakfast we will travel for 4 hours to Hoedspruit to our base Leopards Lair which will be our home for the next 6 days.  

This 645 ha Wildlife Estate is a beautiful, conserved part of the Lowveld bushveld which we will share with the gentler side of African fauna, impalas, giraffe, kudu and warthogs. 

On arrival we will be given a briefing, an orientation of the small lodge and a introduction to the staff.

In the afternoon we will be collected by Eco-Trainings head instructors who will escort us to the Pridelands conservancy on an Open Safari Vehicles.

In the late afternoon we will end the day off with a sundowner   under the African Night Sky. 

Return to Leopards Lair lodge for dinner..

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Up early to head out on a game drive and walk focusing on Tracks & Signs in the bush.

Our group will take part in a skillset not normally experienced.  

We will join EcoTraining in tracking leopards on foot (and in vehicles) as part of a predator habituation project in the Pridelands Conservancy. 

Under the guidance of our instructor, we will track leopards to establish their territorial dynamics and to build a relationship with these elusive cats.

This is done through the offering of respect. Respect of personal space. By allowing the leopards to do what they are doing without disturbing them, they begin to view us as just another part of their environment that poses no threat to them. If they are listening, we switch off the engine. If they are hunting, we give them space and silence. We will learn how to build a bond with these elusive cats in the wild.

On our drive back to Leopards Lair we can try and spot leopards lurking in the night.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Spend the day at Karongwe Nature Reserve, a private game reserve that overlooks the majestic Drakensberg range.

The reserve covers an area of 10000 hectares of African wilderness and has a great variety of wildlife with more than 60 mammal species and abundant birdlife.

Carnivores are one of the most charismatic yet threatened orders and require innovative strategies to ensure their survival. 

Today we will track and monitor Cheetahs and Lions in the wild.

Cheetahs are currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 

In the past 25 years Africa has lost half of its Lion population. 

We will spend the day learning the methodology behind the research being done.  How to track and trail and how to use telemetry. 

In the late afternoon transfer back to Leopards Lair to enjoy a  traditional South African braai AND celebrate our assistance with Karongwe’ s Nature Reserves research efforts.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Depart early and arrive at sunrise to meet a few members of an extraordinary family, the Jabulani Herd. We will delve deeper into the biology and physiology of these gentle giants while learning about each elephant’s unique personalities and remarkable stories. 

The respectful 90-minute experience takes place at the Jabulani elephant stables, which borders the HERD elephant orphanage.

After our morning activity we will focus on the Elephants of Pridelands.  Since dropping the fences that once  closed off Pridelands from the Greater Kruger National Park, there has been an influx of Elephants. 

We will gain insight into various physical barriers that animals, not only Elephants face such as rivers and roads which constrain the movement of animals, usually preventing access to various habitats and impeding on animal dispersal.

This in effect has an impact in animal traversing and such avoidance of fences can drive animals away from high-quality resources and reduce habitat use effectiveness.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included.

For two days our group will shadow carnivore expert Grant Beverley, a senior member of the EWT Carnivore Conservation Programme. 

We'll head out into different game reserves to track packs of collared Wild Dogs., which are one of the most Endangered carnivores in Africa second to the Ethiopian Wolf. 

Wild Dogs are regularly caught in snares, hit by cars, affected by disease outbreaks and face competition with other predators and are now the most endangered carnivore in South Africa, with just 350  left in the Kruger National Park and 600 in the whole of southern Africa. 

We will learn about their unique hunting and feeding behavior, how they share meals between the pack and even regurgitate their food for their pups!

After tracking Wild Dogs each day we will return to our lodge for a well earned dinner.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Today we get to be true wildlife guardians!

We will  be escorted to a rendezvous point within the Karongwe Concession to meet the Reserve Warden and a highly skilled Veterinarian. 

We will be given a brief introduction , share what we aim to achieve and how we will do it as a team. They will share the process of darting and  translocating the Rhino,  ensuring its safety with the least amount of stress to the animal.

After our briefing a  scout helicopter will head out and  scan the area for potential rhinos that are eligible for dehorning.  The veterinarian will then dart a Rhino and then radio through to us on the game viewer the location of the Rhino. We will then assist the veterinarian with microchipping, horn shaving and collecting  DNA samples.

After an action packed day we will head back to Leopards Liar to celebrate our trip and enjoy a farewell dinner together.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

After breakfast we will depart to Hoedspruit Airport (HDS) where you can fly directly to Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Airlink, CEM Air or Safair or onto your next adventure. 

Please book your flights for after 11h00 from Hoedspruit Airport.

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