Wild dog safari (for school trips)
Chimhavira have partnered with Painted Dog Conservation to bring you a Wild Dog Conservation Experience. Bring your class to the Painted Dog Conservation Project’s purpose-built environmental education camp for school groups.
SCHEDULING YOUR SCHOOL TRIP
To find out about camp costs, contact references in other schools, coordinate customized experiences or reserve a camp for your class, contact us at cheapflights@southafrica.to
THE LOCATIONS
About - Iganyana Bush Camp is surrounded by Sikumi National Forest, on the border of world-famous Hwange National Park, in Zimbabwe. It was carefully built into a beautiful teak woodlands community with as little disturbance as possible, so it is totally immersed in the woods. The area is part of an intact African savanna ecosystem, where elephant, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, painted dog, buffalo and over a dozen species of antelope roam free.
Falcon College & Quest-Africa is a programme that has been created to offer school leavers a well-rounded alternative to immediately pursuing a career or university education and is focused on character development, which has its roots in Aristotle's open air academy in Greece some 2400 years ago. Through its approach and focus on experiential learning, the Quest programme is designed to help young men build confidence and become hands-on entrepreneurs.
A no-holds-barred approach to education, Quest Africa is a life-changing experience that challenges students both mentally and physically.
THE FACILITY
Iganyana is the name for the painted dog in the local Sindebele language. Iganyana Bush Camp is a ring of student rondavels, rondavels have 2-3 beds. Two special teacher rondavels have 1-2 beds.
Over the dining room is a huge thatched activity deck which leads out to a platform and raised walkway into the adjacent 600 metre diameter painted dog enclosure, part of the nearby rehabilitation facility for injured and orphaned painted dogs. The bush camp office houses a 16 terminal computer lab and field guide library. An electric fence surrounds the bush camp and the Environmental Education Exclosure, a 200 by 300 metre area that allows students to safely investigate African ecology. Separate ablutions blocks provide running water, cold showers and pit toilets. Each rondavel, the dining room and the ring trail are lit with electric lights.
THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
PDC’s Children’s Bush Camp Programme is designed to allow students to directly experience the African bush. The philosophy behind the curriculum emphasizes exploration and discovery, with hands-on activities. Classes are divided into activity groups (or packs) of fifteen or less for all lessons. Although any environmental concepts can be covered to meet the needs of individual schools, the standard bush camp curriculum covers the following concepts:
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Species
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Adaptations
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Niche
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Habitat
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Natural Communities
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Ecological Relationships and
Interdependence
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Extinction
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Endangered Species
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Conservation Strategies
ACTIVITIES
Students are rotated through a series of specially designed activities in small groups. Each activity group is assigned to a specially trained professional guide for the length of the stay. Each student is provided with an activity logbook, in which they record their discoveries. Which activities are offered depends on length of stay and options chosen. Lessons and activities offered include:
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Teak Woodlands Studies: Through a series of scavenger hunts in the safety of the camp’s Environmental Education Exclosure (EEE), students learn about ecological relationships and adaptations for survival in one of the ecosystem’s most interesting natural communities.
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“Meet the Dogs”: Students use an interactive computer programme in the bush camp’s computer lab to learn about the natural history and threats to survival of painted dogs. They then hike a raised walkway through the 600-metre diameter Painted Dog Enclosure to search for painted dogs. In the Painted Dog Rehabilitation Facility, students meet orphaned painted dogs and learn about the techniques used to reintroduce painted dogs back into the wild.
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Radio Tracking Activity: Students learn how painted dog researchers use radio telemetry to find and monitor painted dog packs. They then use this equipment to play an advanced form of hide-and-seek in the bush camp grounds.
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“Game Drive”: Students learn about wildlife adaptations for survival, through this game drive in Hwange National Park.
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“Tree Search”: Students learn botanical terms using an interactive computer programme. They the use these terms to find and identify native trees by their characteristics, viewed as adaptations to their habitat and niche.
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Nature Art: Students learn and practice watercolour techniques to capture the beauty of nature in their own paintings at a nearby waterhole.
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Solo Activity: Students are spread out along a trail in the EEE, or along the walkway, to experience the solitude and sounds of the teak woodlands alone. Students use a “sound mapping” sensory awareness activity and poetry to attune to the beauty and complexity of the surrounding environment.
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“Campfire”: Students sing and play campfire games around a bonfire.
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Video Night: Students watch and discuss “Hunters in Twilight” to learn about the research and intervention procedures used by Painted Dog Conservation project to try to save Hwange’s painted dog population from extirpation.
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“Night Walk”: Having experienced the raised walkway by daylight, students now walk it in the dark to discover the nocturnal sounds of the teak woodlands.
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“Night Drive”: Students learn about behavioural adaptations to nocturnal niches on this exciting drive into adjacent Sikumi National Forest.*
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Research Techniques: Students shadow a scientist conducting research in the area to learn about darting, radio telemetry, data collection and ethological techniques. *
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“Game Walk”: Students are led into the bush by an armed and experienced guide to learn about animal behaviour and the ecology of different natural communities.*
*These activities may increase the cost of the programme.
ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS
Any school group wishing to participate in the environmental education programme may attend Iganyana Bush Camp. The facility is not available for tourists, conferences or types of groups other than school groups. Because one of the chief aims of the programme is to educate local communities about the factors threatening Hwange’s painted dogs, some local primary schools are eligible to come to Iganyana Bush Camp free of charge. So far, nineteen schools bordering Hwange National Park attend the programme each year.
Other Zimbabwean schools and international schools may attend the programme as “donor schools.” Donor schools not only cover the cost of their camp experience, they also sponsor one local school’s camp (US$2,750/camp for a class of 40 local students), thereby allowing the programme to expand to more local schools.
EIGHT DAYS/EIGHT NIGHTS ITINERARY
Day 1
Accommodation: Granite Ridge
Meals: B, L, D
Arrive into Bulawayo – Transport will be arranged from Bulawayo International Airport where necessary.
12:00 Arrival into Bulawayo, meeting point Hillside Dams Recreational Area
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Bulawayo Natural History Museum
18:30 Welcome and course overview at Granite Ridge
19:00 Dinner
21:30 Lights out
Day 2
Accommodation: Quiet Waters Private Game Reserve
Meals: B, L, D
07:00 Breakfast
08:00 Leave for Falcon College
09:00 Arrive at Falcon College
09:30 Tour around one of the Houses
10:00 Tea in the Todd Hall
11:30 Lecture(s) at Quest Africa
13:30 Lunch at the OldBoys Study Centre
15:00 Snake demonstration
17:00 Raptor demonstration
19:00 Dinner in Quiet Waters campsite
21:00 Lights out
Day 3
Accommodation: Granite Ridge
Meals: B, L, D
05:30 Wake up and breakfast
06:00 Leave for Bulawayo
07:00 Outing to Matopos National Park. We will drive 60km to Matopos National Park accompanied by a long-time resident of Bulawayo, who will give us a talk on Zimbabwean history with a focus on Matopos and will include a visit to Bushman caves.
19:30 Return to Granite Ridge for hearty braai
21:00 Lights out
Day 4
Accommodation: Iganyana Bush Camp
Meals: B, L, D
05:00 Drive to Hwange National Park
09:15 Welcome and Introductions
09:30 Arrival Snack
09:45 Break into 3 Packs for Student Orientation
10:30 Students move into their assigned huts
11:00 Hut checks
11:15 Ice Breaker Games in packs
12:00 Lunch
14:30 Afternoon Activity (Rotation 1)
Itemba Pack Abangane Pack Setule Pack
Teak woodland & solo Teak woodland & art Meet dogs (1)
(Campfire Area) (Dining Room) (Activity Deck)
18:00 Dinner
19:00 Video
20:30 To Rooms
21:00 Lights Out
Day 5
Accommodation: Iganyana Bush Camp
Meals: B, L, D
05:45 Wake Up
0630 Breakfast
07:00 Morning Activity (Rotation 2)
Itemba Pack Abangane Pack Setule Pack
Game Drive Meet dogs (1) Meet dogs (2)
(Dining Room) (Activity Deck) (Campfire Area)
12:00 Lunch
13:45 Icebreaker games
14:30 Afternoon Activity (Rotation 3)
Itemba Pack Abangane Pack Setule Pack
Meet dogs (1) Meet Dogs (2) Game Drive
(Activity Deck) (Dining Room) (Campfire Area)
18:00 Dinner
19:00 Traditional Campfire/Anti-poaching Play
20:30 To Rooms
21:00 Lights Out
Day 6
Accommodation: Iganyana Bush Camp
Meals: B, L, D
05:45 Wake Up
06:30 Breakfast
07:00 Morning Activity (Rotation 4)
Itemba Pack Abangane Pack Setule Pack
Meet dogs (2) Tree search Teak wood & art
(Activity Deck) (Campfire Area) (Dining Room)
12:00 Lunch
13:45 Ice breaker games
14:30 Afternoon Activity (Rotation 5)
Itemba Pack Abangane Pack Setule Pack
Tree search (Comp & Prac) Game drive Tree adapt & solo
(Dinning Room) (Campfire Area) (Activity Deck)
18:00 Traditional campfire/ Anti-poaching Play
20:30 To rooms
21:00 Lights out.
Day 7
Accommodation: Sprayview Hotel
Meals: B, L, D
05:45 Wake Up
06:30 breakfast
07:00 Morning Activity (Rotation 6)
Itemba Pack Abangane Pack Setule Pack
Tree Adaptation & art Tree Adapt & solo Tree search
(Campfire Area) (Activity Deck) (Dinning Room)
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Closure activity
13:30 Farewell and Departure
13:30 Drive to Victoria Falls
17:00 Walk around the Victoria Falls National Park
Day 8
Accommodation: Sprayview Hotel
Meals: B, L, D
06:00 Wake up and breakfast
07:00 Half Day White Water Rafting or Elephant back riding (Students have a choice of activity)
14:00 Lunch
15:00 Each student to give a presentation on what they have personally gained from the trip
16:40 Evening sundown cruise and dinner above the Falls
21:00 Lights out
Day 9
Accommodation: N/A
Meals: B
Day of departure
– End Of Services –
Spending money:
Clients are advised to bring enough money to cover the purchase of curios and personal items.
Meals:
All meals are organized by the guide and are prepared by our cook. Meals are nutritious and filling, drawing on fresh local produce where possible. We buy groceries along the way, so our clients have a say in what type of meals are eaten. Please advise us of any special dietary requirements before tour commencement.
First Aid:
Our guides are trained in basic first aid, Chimhavira Overland Safari cc guides are trained to level III St John’s or equivalent standards, our vehicles are equipped with a comprehensive medical aid kit. Preventative Malaria medication should be taken before the trip and throughout its duration, although it is advisable to consult a doctor prior to departure.
Luggage:
Maximum baggage allowance: 20kg. Chimhavira Overland Safaris cc stipulates this luggage allowance, as an overloaded vehicle is a danger to both the clients and the guide. This does not include photographic equipment and a small daypack. Please bring a backpack or soft barrel bag, not a suitcase. Please adhere to the allowance specified as space for luggage is limited.
Passport Visa Requirements:
It is the responsibility of the guests to ensure they have valid passports and visa’s for the countries that they will be travelling in. For this itinerary we will be travelling in Zimbabwe:
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Zimbabwe – Visas are generally required at the port of entry and are charged at USD55 per visa for European passport holders, there is no charge for South African passport holders.
This information is correct as of today’s date, please double check with the relevant embassy in your home country before you travel. Chimhavira cannot be held responsible to any changes to these requirements that are beyond our control.
White Water Rafting cannot be guaranteed as an activity due to water levels, safety is our main concern and if it is not safe this activity will not take place. A letter of consent will be required from a students parents prior to White Water Rafting.
