IN-HOUSE ACTIVITIES

BUSH CAMPING:
Camping on Amakhala is an experience in itself; setting up nothing but a sleeping bag and fire to cook on for the night. You can watch the beautiful night sky unravel above, hear the vibrant nocturnal life and maybe the lions roaring after a kill. The experience is exhilarating yet relaxing as you braai on an open fire and watch the stars above.

NAVIGATION AND COMPASS ORIENTATION:
This involves volunteers learning how to navigate during the day using signs of the bush and he stars by night. Compass skills are essential when lost in the bush and these useful skills are refined and adapted for the African Bush.

XHOSA BUSH TOUR:
Be guided through an area of Amakhala by one of our most experienced Xhosa guides. He will point out the different medicinal uses of plants, folklore and meanings behind the names of the flora and fauna, which you come across, and is guaranteed to make you laugh.

TARGET SHOOTING:
The majority of people are scared of firearms, and this is usually because they are unfamiliar with how to use them properly. At Amakhala we respect everyone’s fears, however we support and encourage volunteers to face their fears by understanding them. Live firearms are not used on the volunteer projects unless handled by an experienced guide. We do teach basic principles of firearm handling and shooting to volunteers through the use of air rifles within a very safe and controlled environment.

UPDATING PROJECT INFORMATION ON THE COMPUTER:
Volunteers are actively involved in conservation projects on Amakhala. Recent data which you will help collect is typed up into statistical programmes which enables the volunteers to keep up to date on the population trends which they have been actively been a part of.

CANOEING:
For the best and most accurate animal observations, we have to utilise all resources at our disposal. Volunteers therefore often canoe along the Bushmans River, which our animals use as their main water source. If carried out correctly, you can get up close and personal with all types of animals whilst they drink or take a mud bath.

BOATING:
Volunteers may have the opportunity to cruise along the Bushmans River in a boat, which forms part of the day safaris at Amakhala. Overhanging forest and luxuriant vegetation grace the embankments, which provide an abundance of habitats to a variety of frogs, reptiles, birds and mammal species.

FISHING:
The Bushmans River is abundant with different fish species. Often volunteers are called upon to catch fish for population and species diversity calculations. The alien species Carp is one of our least desired occupants. Fishing rods and hand-lines are used to catch this species in particular to aid overwhelming populations in the river. Fishing usually occurs alongside a leisurely paddle in the canoes.

4-STAR LODGE EXPERIENCE:
Volunteers are treated to a 5-star guest experience at the Safari Lodge. The Safari Lodge is tucked away in a valley of indigenous bush; its location is ideal for the best wildlife viewing. This intimate thatched lodge with its unique safari huts offers all the comforts of a graded 5-star lodge and is an undisturbed retreat where you can regenerate your soul and tune into the sounds of nature. In the evening the haunting sound of the kudu horn will summon you to the fireside to enjoy local cuisine under a magnificent canopy of stars.

DARTING AND RELOCATIONS:
Amakhala is a fully operations reserve, therefore there may be occasions where you are required to assist with work involving both the vet and the ecologist. Please note that darting and relocations only occur if it is necessary to do so or called upon by the vet.

VOLUNTEER DIARY AT OUR WEBSITE:
As part of the Volunteer Programme you may be asked to write a diary account of your week at Amakhala which will be publish on our website. This will show other interested travellers and potential volunteers just how involved and how diverse the work at the volunteer project can be, but most of all how much fun and experience you are having in the African Bush.

CONSERVATION

PREDATOR MONITORING:
Telemetry on the lions and cheetah are used in tracking their territorial ranges. This information is used by the Conservation Centre to make management decisions regarding the predators. The primary focus of the Hands-on Volunteers is to monitor and manage the lions and associated data capture. An upcoming project will be to translocate and habituate a leopard to increase the visible population of these elusive cats.

A new male and female lion are now located on the main reserve area of Amakhala. As lion introductions are a new venture on the main reserve, monitoring and data capture is important to ensure the animal’s welfare and work out the spacial as well as prey usage of the lions.

A new cheetah population has also recently been established. With the introduction of lions, the old population had to be replaced with ‘lion wise’ cheetah to ensure competition between the two species was limited.

Key Objectives in Predator Monitoring:
• To monitor the general well-being of the predators
• To log sightings
• To monitor kill ratios

HERBIVORE MONITORING:
Giraffe, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo are the main considerations for large herbivore monitoring as well as Blesbok, Impala, Springbok, Red hartebeest, Wildebeest and Duiker for small herbivore monitoring.

At present the decision is to retain these species but it is possible that Blesbok (Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi) could be replaced by Bontebok (Damaliscus dorcas dorcas) and Impala may be removed when numbers of Black Wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) and Kudu (Tragelaphus strepsicceros) increase.

The Rhodes University and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University are conducting research projects on Amakhala Game Reserve. These projects provide vital information on carrying capacities of the thicket biome and the relative impacts that certain animal species may be having on other species.

Key Objectives in Herbivore Monitoring:
• To identify individuals
• To create an age chart
• To create family tree listings
• To log sightings
• To monitor territorial ranges, breeding, health, feeding preferences
• To monitor competition between species
• Population counts, density per area and censuse

PLANT MONITORING:
The number of species within an ecosystem is an important characteristic of a community. Communities with higher species diversity are inclined to be more stable than communities with lower species diversity. The greater number of plant species within the thicket biome is able to sustain a larger diversification of primary consumers.

Key Objectives in Producer Monitoring:
• A herbarium of all known plant species is collected
• Indigenous plants are germinated within our nursery and planted on the reserve
• Key plant species within the herbivore diets are determined
• Browse carrying capacities are determined based on herbivore population numbers
• Exotic plants are removed and utilised in the form of wood collection
• Plants are used to stabilise soil eroded areas
• Transformed land and pioneer species management through succession and climax species

EROSION CONTROL:
South Africa loses 40 to 60 tons of topsoil per hectare of land per year due to erosion. This amounts to 500 million tons of topsoil per annum. Erosion occurs naturally due to wind, water, and drought. It can also be caused due to poor farming management – ploughing incorrectly and overgrazing.

WETLAND AND WATERING HOLE MANAGEMENT:
Watering holes are the heart and soul of an ecosystem providing life for all wildlife. This project ascertains that man-made wetlands and watering holes providing an essential source of water to a water deficient landscape is a stable self-supporting ecosystem.

ALIEN PLANT CONTROL:
All species of alien plants should be removed, for the following reasons: They often out-compete indigenous flora, thereby forming impenetrable thickets reducing available fodder to grazers and browsers. In addition to this impact on the environment, their presence in the area is unnatural and often not aesthetically pleasing.

GENERAL RESERVE MAINTENANCE:
General reserve maintenance is on going projects, which assist reserve management. They may include: fence patrols checking for snares or faults, filling holes created by aardvark or porcupines, brush-packing closed roads, seeding eroded areas, searching for permanent water sites, clearing old fences and alien vegetation control etc

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY UP-LIFTMENT PROJECTS

Three projects are currently running or are in the initiation of doing so, these include:
• Vulnerable Children and Isipho Safe-house
• Amakhala Craft Centre
• Vegetable gardening for children

ISIPHO SAFE-HOUSE and VULNERABLE CHILDREN PROJECT:

Part of Amakhala Hands-on Conservation programme is to assist and help the Isipho OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) Project by educating and playing with the children at the centre.

Most of the children at the Isipho centre either have no parents or little support from their parents in terms of love and affection. For the volunteers to visit them twice a week and form bonds with them, it offers the children affection and attention which they may not ever see at home. The role of the volunteers is crucial in their upbringing to show that love and compassion do exist and provide some hope to these children.

Amakhala is involved heavily in generating money and donating to the Isipho Centre. The Volunteers also help by assisting the children with their vegetable garden, which helps to provide a balanced diet. Nothing from the vegetable garden goes to waste, either by using cut-offs in soups for the children, or recycling peelings into compost to fertilise the plot.

AMAKHALA CRAFT CENTRE:

Amakhala Craft Centre is situated just outside Amakhala Game Reserve. Once the site of a sheep shearing shed, the building is now used as a craft centre creating and selling crafts made by occupants from the local township. Items include painting, bead-work jewelry, fabrics and clothes. The Amakhala Volunteers have been helping to convert the property into a sustainable business for local entrepreneurs and talented individuals. There are many ways in which volunteers can assist with this budding business, either by helping paint the property or teach a new skill or craft to those who attend the centre.

An allocated percentage of the sales revenue from the crafts made and sold from the centre is donated to the Amakhala Foundation, an umbrella charity under which educational bursaries and the Isipho Charity Trust fall under.

FUN and EXPLORING the area

Each week we will offer one of the following three excursions over a 3-week period.
1. Excursion to world-renowned Addo National Elephant Park.
2. Excursion to a Cheetah Sanctuary, Horse riding and a visit to a Penguin rehabilitation centre
3. Interaction and Feeding of elephants (Riding available for own account)
4. River cruise or canoes
These activities will be included in the price.