INTO THE WILD GAP YEAR PROGRAM
Quick Facts
Greater Kruger Area, South Africa
Hoedspruit Airport
4 September 2022
8 weeks
Impact: Wildlife Conservation
INTO THE WILD GAP YEAR PROGRAM
Taking a gap year is a great idea. It’s an opportunity to gain perspective on your values and goals, to explore your strengths, and to grow in confidence and adaptability. Moreover, research shows that people who take a gap year before going to university end up performing better academically and finding a more fulfilling career. So plenty of reasons to get off the academic treadmill for a year, and have a purposeful adventure.
At African Impact, we believe there’s no better place for your journey of self-discovery than the African bush. Based in South Africa’s Greater Kruger Area, we offer an 8-week gap year program that combines experiential learning, self-discovery, and skill development. You’ll learn about wildlife conservation, African cultures, and broaden your horizons. You’ll gain survival skills, learn about advocacy, and support grassroots causes. More importantly, you’ll grow in confidence, self-awareness, and flexibility.
Build confidence, explore your unique talents, and get ready for a purposeful career. At African Impact, we firmly believe that taking a gap year offers you these opportunities, and provides you with a platform for self-exploration that will help guide you on the right life path.
Let us take you on this exciting life adventure!
Project Highlights






The Destination
The Greater Kruger Area encompasses over 20 private wildlife reserves on the west side of the world-renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa. These private reserves come together to create one big reserve. A significant contribution to wildlife conservation efforts, helping to protect and preserve one of the world’s last remaining wildlife strongholds.
The whole area comprises almost 5.5 million acres of unfenced land where animals roam freely across wild savannah. The Greater Kruger Area is a major hotspot for wildlife conservation and offers endless opportunities for wildlife encounters with iconic animals such as elephants, lions, rhinos, and wild dogs. Many of these animals are endangered or vulnerable.
Our Lodge will become your home away from home during your time with us, an exclusive, fully equipped volunteer house on land with open borders to the Kruger National Park. You will experience a safari-style lodge with everything you need for a comfortable stay, including a swimming pool, viewing deck, WiFi, hot showers, and an outdoor area for star gazing and socializing. We don’t know of a better place to sit around a camp-fire and admire the stars!
Accommodation
Meals
Communication
Climate
Project Impact Areas

Days 1 - 7: Welcome to the wild
What better place than the African bush to isolate with dedicated team members to ensure safety against Covid19. Enjoy game drives in reserves surrounded by wild African animals. Spend evenings at the lodge sitting around the fire sharing stories and building new relationships. This is the perfect opportunity to experience and develop skills around developing social connections. This is fundamental in life and business as a skill that is the basis for forming relationships and healthy boundaries to support and enhance your life experience.
Learning Outcomes
a. Teamwork
b. Friendships
c. Social Confidence
d. Healthy Barriers
e. Mutual Respect

Days 8 - 14: The Outer Edges
Build cultural awareness, adapting to your new surroundings. Reflecting on our lives, taking time to observe the world around us allows for us to gain perspective on immediate situations giving greater clarity with a sense of calm re-aligning to our greater purpose.
Learning outcomes
a. Stress & anxiety reduction
b. Situation/problem management
c. Greater focus
d. Calmer life experience

Days 15 - 24: Purpose
Find purpose and meaning in what life has to offer. Identify your own passion and advocacy and stand tall with new confidence. Learn about how conservation works and how you can contribute, spend time in the bush with conservation professionals learning about their lives and what life is like protecting animals in the wild. Through reflection consider your purpose in life. It is our driving force that leads to not only a satisfying future but greater motivation, passion and happiness in daily life. Often this is not found until later in life, if at all. Encouraging the exploration of purpose leads toward more dedicated and focused individuals who are more likely to succeed.
Learning Outcomes
a. Life direction
b. Decision confidence
c. Motivation & passion
d. Personal Prioritisation

Days 25 - 34: Trust
Identify individual strengths that contribute to a team goal. Get involved in healthy debates and learn to influence others. All the elements of working in a successful team. Here you experience exciting adventures where in teams you will find your courage to zip line through the treetops and together contribute toward impactful work on a collaborative project. Key critical thinking skills are, analysis, interpretation, inference, explanation, self-regulation, open-mindedness, and problem-solving. Gain a better understanding of how to manage situations as well as understanding ourselves and our abilities. Critical thinking provides different perspectives and promotes personal growth and overall happiness.
Learning outcomes
a. Creative problem solving
b. Psychological resilience
c. Self-belief

Days 35 - 42: Independence
Learn the importance of proudly standing on your own two feet. Being self-aware allows us to appreciate who we are as individuals. Strap on your hiking boots as you head out into nature to explore the area and yourself. Reflect on life as you visit a local community project that empowers local people to provide for themselves. We can objectively evaluate ourselves, manage our emotions, align behavior with our values, and understand correctly how others perceive us. This is an essential life skill to establish confidence and emotional resilience.
Learning outcomes
a. Communication skills
b. Self-confidence
c. Positive outlook
d. Optimism

Days 43 - 49: Ubuntu
Ubuntu meaning “humanity.” It is often translated as “I am because we are,” In a more philosophical sense to mean “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.” Working together you embark on a thrilling team survival course. You will be guided through reserve areas, sleeping under the stars, bonding with one another whilst listening to the African nature that surrounds oyu. Through our abilities to show compassion in life we gain greater emotional intelligence as well as an appreciation for the world around us and those within it. By appreciating the lives of others much of our life is positively impacted from relationship management, inter-personal respect to our presence and engagement in the moment.
Learning outcomes
a. Active listening
b. Greater patience
c. Gratitude

Days 50 – 56: Looking forward
Your time is coming to an end. This is your opportunity to reflect on your journey through this program and on your value, purpose and strengths. Here you embed positive change in your life and look forward with confidence. Learn to be intentional in using your natural strengths to propel yourself through your life. The culmination of all your personal development work, your impactful field work and experiences throughout this journey. Reflection on goals set in the initial weeks take this chance to work closely with the team and fellow gappers to share experiences and explore how everything learnt can be applied to life going forward.
Learning outcomes
a. Greater confidence and emotional resilience
b. Goal setting and achieving skills
c. The importance and strength of working together
d. Discover your purpose in life
e. Greater sense of self-awareness
f. Improved decision-making skills
Recent Reviews
My son has just returned from Kruger. He is under 18 and this was a big deal for him. The staff were amazing and he has had the most incredible experience. I couldn’t fault how he was supported and allowed to grow and develop. A wonderful experience made by the staff. I couldn't recommend it enough for a young person wanting experience and to challenge him/herself with just the right level of care and support. Thank you
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked Questions on Gap Years with African Impact
Why should i pay for my kid to do a Gap Year abroad?
How will my child benefit from a Gap Year Abroad?
Is it safe to do a gap year in Africa?
Why should i choose African Impact for my Gap Year program?
What are the benefits of doing a gap year abroad?
What personal benefits will I achieve from taking a gap year abroad?
What are some of the activities I can experience on a gap year program in Africa?
Other Activities
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
EXPLORE THE PANORAMA ROUTE
TAKE IT EASY
SURVIVE THE AFRICAN BUSH
Apply Now

Once you have submitted your application, a Destination Specialist will be in-touch to discuss the project with you.
Project Fee Includes
- Airport pickup and drop-off
- Shared Accommodation
- Personal development coaching & workshops
- All your daily program transport
- 3 meals a day, freshly cooked from our team of great chefs
- A full-time housekeeping service and 24-hour onsite support
- WiFi
Project Fee Excludes
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Visa-related costs
- Weekend trips or tours not on the itinerary
- Snacks, soft drinks, gifts, and souvenirs
- Camera and laptop
- Mandatory contribution of US$25 that is donated to the African Impact Sustainability Fund
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