EXPEDITION LIFE

This 3 month GAP trip sees you spend 6 weeks volunteering on the Malawi Wildlife Project followed by 6 weeks on our amazing Southern Africa Explorer. 

Accommodation
Food
A Day In The Life
Who Else Is Going?
Weather

Accommodation
Orientation Days:
On arrival in Malawi you will be taken to a gorgeous campsite on the outskirts of Lilongwe. We stay in a simple backpackers with a great garden and nice bar area for spare moments between orientation talks and activities. There are ample hot showers and loos with a restaurant area for evening meals. There is a telephone here and internet.

Project Site:
On project site accommodation will be in a tented camp in the heart of the sanctuary. Washing facilities are limited, with simple showers and toilets. Hot running water however, is available. Food is prepared for you, but you are welcome to join in with the preparations!

Weekends Off:
On Sundays we will generally return to Lilongwe to relax, e-mail home and grab a cool beer. We stay in a comfy backpackers which has its own bar and simple dorm rooms. It's close to town and some great markets as well for you to see some more of this fascinating city.

We include a long weekend off halfway through the project, which is a choice of visiting one of Malawi's spectacular Game Parks or relaxing on the white shores of Lake Malawi.

Explorer Phase:
The accommodation on the Explorer phase is varied from tents to backpackers to under the stars in the middle of the Salt Flats in Botswana!

Food
There are two types of food that you will be eating whilst in Africa.  Firstly food that you and your team will cook for each other and secondly traditional food that you will eat every now and then when invited to someone’s house or at the end of a project phase.

A typical daily meal might be:
Breakfast: Porridge with raisins, golden syrup or sugar. Tea/coffee.
Lunch: Local freshly cooked Malawian lunch – consisting of rice or pap with a vegetable stew, tomatoes and peas and beans.
Dinner: Large rice or potato based dish with vegetable stew and/or chicken.

Vegetarians
Don’t forget that most meat we eat is as organic as it comes – the term ‘freerange’ applies to almost all the meat you will be given up here.  Don't panic if you don't want to relax your eating habits though, as we can easily cater for vegetarians.

A Day In The Life
Project Phase:
There isn’t a daily routine for the whole period but rather a variety of daily routines that change as you change project work.
You will be involved with caring for injured animals, construction work, working with local communities, guiding visitors, fence patrols and much more. The usual day will begin early (when the sun rises) and end with dinner around the group campfire, listening to the sounds of Africa.
Weekends Off:
Halfway through the Project we include a long weekend off. Choose between relaxing on the white beaches of Lake Malawi, taking a trip to the highlands, or a safari in Liwonde National Park. All the costs for these weekends; activities, safari fees, food and accommodation are included.
Free Time:
Sundays are a day of rest in Malawi and the team usually take this opportunity to visit a local church, relax in town or browse one of the local curio stalls. Most evenings are also free time, where you can chat to your team, write diaries or simply soak up the Africa atmosphere.

Explorer Phase:
On the Expedition route you will be up early on most days getting ready for the next activity - scuba diving, trekking, safaris through the Botswanan Parks, bungi-jumping off Vic Falls.....the list goes on!

Who Else Is Going?
Your team will be between 8-16 people, plus your two Quest Leaders.

The age range varies from 18-24 but regardless of age, all volunteers have one thing in common – an enthusiasm to experience the real Malawi, spend time working with wildlife and then get to experience the real Africa on the adventure of a liftetime! 

Weather
The dry season in Africa is from April > September. During this time the weather tends to be cool and dry. It’s not unusual to experience a drizzle and clouds early in morning, which then gets burnt off as the sun rises higher in the sky. However, most of the time the weather will be hot, around 15-20 degrees, cooling down at night.