PLEASE NOTE: MINIMUM TWO PERSON REGISTRATION
You will be staying at a small town called Dete, which is 2 hours south of the magnificent Victoria Falls and on the edge of Hwange National Park. Hwange is by far the largest Park in Zimbabwe with a huge and varied quantity of animals and birds. The park is unfenced so animals particularly elephant, Cape Buffalo and impala do wander in to the town and occasionally the school grounds. Despite the wonderful wildlife experiences the area is uncrowded (Covid friendly!), compared with the Serengeti or similar park in East Africa. Yet, due to the disastrous economic situation in Zimbabwe the poaching of animals for subsistence meat, is a curse.
With the present mass unemployment, accentuated by the Covid pandemic, the rural community has suffered. Additionally, the small town of Dete, bordering the National Park, has been impacted by poachers. While killing wildlife for bushmeat and trading in elephant ivory are illegal in Zimbabwe, the limited means of survival has led to a rise in this activity . By offering alternative solutions we endeavor to create employment opportunities and encourage the general upliftment of locals thereby curtailing the poaching of precious wildlife, and offering a brighter future for all concerned.
Work Projects
All groups will work a variety of projects such as:
- Refurbishment and painting of walls and ceilings of classrooms.
- Planting, protection and watering of new saplings in the school premises.
- Building and maintaining roof water storage.
- Removing alien vegetation.
- Manually sinking a water borehole, subject to water diviner.
- Building a vegetable garden.
Larger groups will also be doing projects such as:
- Building of new classroom in an overcrowded school where the Entrance Foyer is used to house two classrooms which are open to the weather elements. We are unlikely to be able to tackle the entire new build within the time frame, but this will enable at least the level and pouring of the new foundation with volunteers.
- Erection of perimeter fencing.
Leisure Activities
Game Drives and Game Walks in the National Park available daily with armed Rangers, visit magnificent Victoria Falls - LEARN MORE – worlds largest waterfall, Water Rafting on River Zambezi, Bungee Jump, Sunset Cruise on River Zambezi
Accommodations
Depending on group size, groups will be staying one of two 3-star lodges, situated in under 8 miles from the project site which offers ensuite chalets, bungalows, camping, bar, restaurant, etc.
Arrival and Meetup
2. If you arrive and depart through Livingstone Airport (Zambia), you can obtain a single-entry visa when you cross over the bridge into Zimbabwe. This bridge offers views of the Falls on the Zambian side, through the river gorge.
Victoria Falls serves as the primary airport for this program, but Livingston in Zambia is also a viable option, located just 30 miles away. If you arrive at either airport by noon on the program start date, you will have enough time to visit Victoria Falls before we drive two hours to the program location in Dete. If you choose to participate, you will need to pay $30 directly to the park. On the program end date, we can have you back to Victoria Falls by 10 am, allowing time to see the Falls if you have a later afternoon flight. Some participants choose to arrive a day early or stay an extra day to ensure they have ample time to visit the Falls.
Please make sure to arrive by 11 am to allow sufficient time to see Victoria Falls on our way out of town. We will pick you up at [specific location], but, if necessary, we can also make an additional stop at Shearwater Explorers Village, Adam Stander Drive, VF - close to Elephants Walk Craft. This will provide us with approximately two hours to visit the Falls. From there, we will proceed to Victoria Falls Airport to pick up anyone arriving between 1:30 and 2:30 pm. The duration of the drive to our program location varies from 2.5 to 3.5 hours, depending mainly on the current road conditions. If you require different arrangements, please contact us, but kindly inform us at least a week in advance.
