While in South Africa, students will have free time at the accommodations. There will be a few occasions where we will allow students to go shopping in certain safe areas of Cape Town and some rural markets. Students will not be able to leave the accommodations without one of our staff members. Our accommodations outside East London and in Kruger National Park will permit a comfortable amount of free time in between the service projects and between game drives. Our time in Johannesburg and Cape Town will be fairly regimented to maximize the activities we can enjoy during our time.
1-888-457-4534
1-888-457-4534
South Africa Community Service
Trip Details
Dates 6/29 - 7/15, 7/15 - 7/31
Sessions I, II
Duration 17 days
Grades 8 - 12
Tuition $4,485 + Airfare
Cities East London, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Skukuza
Group Flight Details
Start JFK to Johannesburg
End Johannesburg to JFK
- How much free time do the participants get on their trip?
- What's the food like in South Africa?
The food in South Africa is influenced heavily from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. South Africa attracts people from all over the world so there is a wide range of cuisine available. We will have the chance to enjoy a few ‘traditional’ South African meals in a buffet style so that participants can try a lot of different local foods found nowhere else but here.
- Do I need to bring anything special for the community service portion of this trip?
Participants will need to bring a pair of work gloves as well as a set of clothes that can get paint on them. All tools and materials will be provided to participants on site.
- Is there any chance of encountering dangerous animals on our wildlife safaris in Kruger National Park?
Participants will be able to see all of the Big 5 from a safe distance. On every safari/game drive, there will be guides in order to keep participants safe. Outside of the game parks, there is almost no chance of encountering any dangerous animals.
- I've heard that South Africa is a dangerous country. Is that true?
We only visit and stay in the safest places and hotels in South Africa. We have carefully avoided any areas which are prone to crime. Safety is our number one priority at all times.
- Do I need to buy flights or does TFT buy them for me? Where does the group depart from?
Travel for Teens organizes chaperoned group flights for every trip. You do not have to go on the group flight with us, although there are several advantages to doing so: the group flight is chaperoned by TFT staff, a lot of group bonding happens on the trip over, and we get great group flight prices. Parents are responsible for arranging for participants to get to the group flight airport. Travel for Teens staff are at the airport, greet arriving participants as they walk to baggage claim, and escort them to where the rest of the group has assembled.
Our group flight to South Africa departs from Washington Dulles (IAD) and arrives in Johannesburg (JNB) then we change planes en route to Cape Town (CPT). On the return we fly from Johannesburg (JNB) back to IAD. Please contact us for details regarding flight cost. Note – on the return the flight departs South Africa on July 21st and lands the morning of July 22nd. This means you can combine this trip with any trip in Europe and not miss a day!
- Who are the counselors on the trip?
The Trip Leader for every trip is a seasoned teen travel professional with extensive TFT experience. Trip Leaders often live or have lived and worked in the destination country. Extensive knowledge of the language and culture of the destination is crucial. Our Senior Counselors are experienced, responsible and fun-loving, so our participants enjoy sharing experiences with them. At Travel for Teens we pride ourselves on our rigorous staff application process and the professionalism of our full time and summer staff.
It is the job of the counselors to keep the fun clean and happening, the learning and the laughter in good balance, and to oversee the safety of the participants. Minimum ratios are one staff member to every seven participants. Trips may also include one or two Junior Counselors, who are college students with a history of TFT travel, and one or more Counselors in Training (CIT’s) with limited responsibility. CIT’s are not counted in staff-participant ratios.
- Where do we stay on the South Africa Community Service trip?
Our hotels and accommodations are specifically chosen to be in safe areas and to be generally well-suited to facilitating group supervision. This means we do not use large, impersonal hotels on the outskirts of cities. We stay away from large hotel chains, preferring to select small, family run places where we establish personal relationships with the owners.
We’ll start our trip in Cape Town at a locally owned 3 star hotel. Next during our service project, we will be staying in bungalows on a bluff overlooking a bay near Cinsta, outside East London on the Wild Coast. We will be staying in modern log cabins near Kruger National park for our game drive days and Last we will be staying in a 4 star hotel outside Pretoria for our last night.
Trip Highlights
- Volunteer for a week on Africa's Wild Coast helping improve playgrounds and schools in the townships (35 hrs community service credit)
- Spot the "Big 5" in South Africa's largest game reserve, Kruger National Park
- Get up close and personal with the biggest land and sea mammals
- Walk with the 'king of the jungle' and learn about helping orphaned cubs be reintroduced into the wild
- Try surfing in the gorgeous beaches of the Wild Coast
- Visit the Apartheid Museum and Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was locked up for 29 years
Trip Map
