One of the best things about being in Europe is how close countries are to each other and how easy and reasonable it can be to travel between each one! I found a $17 flight from Edinburgh to Prague and was very excited to explore the City of a Thousand Spires. 😀
Old Town Square
This town square dates back to the 12th century and started life as the central marketplace for Prague.
The building styles include Baroque, Romanesque and Gothic.
Astronomical Clock
Positioned on the Old Town Hall of Prague, this clock has special dials to display astronomical data, such as relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiac constellations and major planets.
Charles Bridge
Prague’s oldest bridge, finished in 1402, is made of sandstone blocks and flanked at each end by fortified towers. From 1683 to 1928, 30 statues of saints were carved to decorate the bridge. It connects Old Town and Lesser Town over the Vltava river.
John Lennon Wall
According to what I read online, this wall, originally called ‘The Crying Wall’, began as a place where people could come and express their frustrations with government and authority during the Communism era. Western artists, like The Beatles, were banned at the time. The music written by John Lennon about freedom encouraged and inspired Prague youth. After John Lennon’s death in 1980, the wall became a place to mourn and celebrate all that he stood for, and hence, the name became the Lennon Wall. It is still open to artists, so it is ever changing.
Prague Castle
This castle complex in Prague was built in the 9th century! It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic and is also home to St. Vitus Cathedral. The cathedral is the largest temple in Prague and is the place of burial of several patron saints, sovereigns, nobleman and archbishops. It holds religious services and is the site of coronations of Czech kings and queens. It also has a tower with over 280 steps to a panoramic view of the city.
This was a quick but really nice trip through a beautiful city. My SIM card from Scotland works in Prague somehow! And I successfully navigated a self check out in a Czech grocery store without having to ask for help, ha!
As some of you know, I had planned to do a work exchange for 2 weeks in a little village in Scotland upon first coming here. Volunteering in exchange for free room and board sounds pretty awesome right!? Especially if it’s in a peaceful and remote area in the woods with lots of access to hiking? Well, unfortunately, once I arrived to the location, I quickly realized that the site was not what was described and that it would not be a good fit. 🤦🏻♀️Thankfully, it took just under 24 hours to make my excuses and escape! 😂 I was disappointed, but the area I traveled to for the program was beautiful, so that was a nice experience. And I now have a heavy appreciation for Scotland’s efficient and extended rail system. 😉
Change of Plans: Edinburgh
I ended up spending 1 unexpected night in Glasgow and then took the train to Edinburgh. It was a relief to find a cute airbnb there at the last minute, and the city is really lovely! I took the train to the town center and walked the Royal Mile. I got to hike Arthur’s seat and then explore the Edinburgh Castle, all with sunny weather!
Royal Mile
Arthur’s Seat
This is the site of an ancient volcano that stands at the end of the Royal Mile in a park called Holyrood Park. There are several hiking trails up to a rocky summit with beautiful views of the city.
Edinburgh Castle
This historic castle has a long history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress. It sits in the middle of the city at the opposite end of the Royal Mile from Arthur’s Seat. It also has outstanding views of the city!
City Views
Inverness
This little city is on the northeast coast in an area called the Scottish Highlands. It’s near Loch Ness and is a bit quieter than Edinburgh. I definitely got a work out here as the airbnb was much further from the train station (and really everything) than I realized….in a nice neighborhood, up 2 really steep hills! On an early morning walk to meet a day tour, I was able to snap this pretty photo!
Loch Ness & Urquhart Castle
I couldn’t come all the way to Scotland and not see Loch Ness! It is 23 miles long and 755 feet deep, the perfect depth for a mysterious monster. 😉 Urquhart Castle sits on Loch Ness, and its ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries.
Eilean Donan Castle
Just 10 miles from the Isle of Skye, this castle dating back to the 13th century is situated on an island where 3 lochs meet. It rained for the majority of the time I was here, but luckily, the sun peaked out right at the end for a perfect sunny photo!
Isle of Skye
I took a lovely day trip around the Isle of Skye, which is the largest of the Inner Hebrides islands and famous for stunning views of the surrounding landscapes. The weather was rainy, windy and a bit brisk, so we got the full Scottish experience! This tour was made especially fun by the guide, Ray, who treated us to Scottish history and music throughout the day. If you’re ever in the area, I would highly recommend Timberbush tours.
It was very windy in the Isle of Skye! 😂 Next up, hopefully the Czech Republic!
Since Northern Ireland is part of the UK and not the EU, I was told that I would have to pay extra fees to drive the rental car in to that area. Being the savvy financial planner that I am 😉, I decided to drop the car off in Dublin and take a bus into Belfast. 🎉 In Northern Ireland, I was able to do a neat day tour to see the giants causeway and they also took us to several filming locations for Game of Thrones.
Giants Causeway
This area along the northern coast line contains 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that look man made, but are the result of an ancient volcanic issue eruption. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was really impressive to see in person!
Cushendun Caves and the Dark Hedges
A couple of the normal excursions included in the day tour to the giants causeway are closed due to covid, so instead, the coach took us to caves in Cushendun where several scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed. At the end of the tour, we also stopped by the Dark Hedges, which is a lane that used to be the entrance to a great estate where 150 trees were originally planted by the family when the house was built. Apparently it is the site of the King’s Road in GoT and was quite pretty.
Dark Hedges
Thanks again to everyone who is following along! I’m officially 2 months in to traveling and feel really lucky that it’s gone as smooth as it has so far! Next up, Scotland!
Since I first started daydreaming about doing a year long travel trip, Ireland was on the top of my list of places to visit. Leading up to leaving the US though, covid restrictions were fairly strict in Ireland for US citizens and I had sadly resigned myself to being unable to see it on this trip. Happily, getting into the EU in the last few weeks, I realized that I would be able to visit after all!
Dublin
I flew from Amsterdam to Dublin on a morning flight so I took advantage of having a free afternoon to stop at a bunch of neat touristy spots, including The Temple Bar, the Ha’penny Bridge, visiting Trinity College’s magnificent library, seeing the Book of Kells museum and I also stumbled upon several sand sculptures from an earlier competition while walking through the city.
I decided to stay in another hostel in Dublin, and to my happy surprise, they were only at half capacity due to covid precautions. I had just 1 roommate, a lovely woman named Sandra, from Spain. We decided to take the Guiness Storehouse tour together which was a 10 minute walk from where we were staying.
The tour was super impressive! It’s 5 floors describing the history and process of making their famous beer with interactive displays. It was presented in a way that reminded me of Disney Land! The tour ended on the 7th floor sky bar with a 360 degree view of the city where you can sip a Guinness and watch the sunset.
After the tour, we found an awesome pub that had live Irish music, sung by a man with red hair and a red beard! I ordered fish & chips, and it felt like the perfect Irish day!
Traveling by Car
I went back and forth on whether or not to rent a car to see Ireland. I read that it offered a lot more flexibility in seeing remote castles and exploring the southern coast….I also read about driving on the left side of the road, that most cars are manual transmission, and especially, how narrow and scary the roads were!
Not wanting to miss any of the beautiful coastal drives, I decided to brave it and go for the rental car option. They weren’t kidding about narrow roads with blind passes! 😂 Often, the roads are only 1 lane wide with large trees, brambles and shrubs, or stone walls on either side that make it very challenging to move to the side to allow another car to go through. Passing busses is especially unnerving. There are also lots of round abouts which felt so weird to go around on the left.
In the end though, I think renting a car was worth it, the coastal drives were amazingly beautiful! And now I can say that I managed to drive around Ireland, on the left, with a manual transmission, for a week, and did not die! 😉🎉
The Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey
On Day Two, I drove from Dublin to see The Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey on my way to Killarney. Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th Century and contains a fortress on the top of a green hill with a small cemetery beside it. Behind it is Hore Abbey, which is a ruined Cistercian monastery.
Between the two areas is a long green field, and while I was waiting for the tour at Cashel, I walked through the field to explore the Abbey. It was quiet and lovely to explore the ruins on my own, and to my surprise, the field I had used to get there was full of sheep on my way back!
Dingle Peninsula
This area is on the southwestern coast, called the Wild Atlantic Way, and about a 30 mile drive along the Atlantic Ocean. It has some beautiful stops including Inch Beach, the cute little town of Dingle, beehive huts, views of the Basket Islands and a film location for Star Wars: the Last Jedi.
The Cliffs of Moher
These sea cliffs are on the West side of the island, near a tiny town called Doolin, and run about 8.5 miles. I had planned to see this area the day after I arrived, but the weather was calling for rain, so instead, after checking into a cute bed & breakfast near Doolin, I decided to drive down before sunset to see if I could catch them without storms. Google routed me down a super scary, narrow coastal road on the way there, but I made it in time to see the sunset (and took the high way back)!
Kylemore Abbey
Located in Connemara on the west side of Ireland, this castle was built in the late 1800s by a wealthy business man and his wife. They lived in the castle until the early 1900s when it was bought by the Duke and Duchess of Manchester. Later, it became a Benedictine monastery and girls school. Today, it is a beautiful tourist attraction with restored rooms in the Abbey on the ground floor, a Neo-Gothic church on the grounds and a lovely walled garden.
Random fun
I kept seeing “Traditional Irish Breakfast” on menus and so I ordered one…it is very heavy on protein! 🥓
There was a cute pig who lives on the Kylemore Abbey grounds whose name is: Gloria Summer💕
Apparently it is Arts Week in Clifden. I kept hearing music outside my hotel room window and when I finally looked out to see what was happening, saw this! 😂
One of my awesome brothers lives in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and we hadn’t seen each other in almost 2 years because of Covid 19! 😓
I read online that Holland may restrict international visitors who had their 2nd covid vaccine over 270 days ago. Being lucky enough to have gotten my covid vaccines early in the process, I am getting pretty close to this number, so I knew I wanted to make a stop in Rotterdam now to avoid any conflicts in the future.
It has been SO lovely being able to visit family on this leg of the journey! I was able to explore Amsterdam, Rotterdam and a little town called Haarlem. I got to cycle in the designated bike lanes around Rotterdam, visit several really neat fresh produce markets, meet some of my brother’s friends, explore the green space around the city and bike/ride a water taxi to an area called Kinderdijk to see windmills.
Rotterdam
This city is a really interesting mix of unique architecture, biking lanes, fresh markets, canals and green space.
Amsterdam
We took a train to Amsterdam to tour the Anne Frank Museum. It was a somber visit, but very well done and definitely worth seeing.
We also had a chance to explore around the city center and check out the canals and narrowed streets. We made a stop at the Red Light District, but it was daytime, so no one was in the windows. 😉
Haarlem
Earlier this year, I read a book called The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom. It is about a Dutch Christian family who owned and ran a watch shop in Haarlem in the early 1900s. During the German occupation of Holland in WWII, the Ten Booms housed and protected Jewish people in an underground network around the Netherlands. They secretly constructed a false wall in Corrie’s bedroom to hide Jews. Eventually the family was outed and arrested. Six people were saved by hiding in the secret space behind the wall during the family’s arrest. Corrie’s father and sister died in Nazi camps, but she survived and went on to travel the world, sharing her story. When I realized that the Ten Boom Museum in Haarlem was only an hour train ride away from Rotterdam, I knew I wanted to visit.
The little town of Haarlem was quite pleasant to explore as well.
Netherlands Bike Culture
The infrastructure in the Netherlands is built around cycling and it is very impressive! Not only are there designated and protected bike lanes throughout the city, but everything seems to be built around encouraging residents to avoid car use. Streets are narrow and parking a car is expensive and can be challenging. I saw bikes with all manner of baskets and bags, children in different bike carriers and lots of motor scooters. It was fun but also a bit intimidating riding in these lanes at first.
Kinderdijk
This area of windmills is a bike and water taxi ride away from Rotterdam and a perfect way to spend my last day in Holland. It was beautiful weather and so much fun to explore!
Huge thanks to my brother, Tanner, for hosting me this last week! I had the best time exploring his home city and meeting his friends, eating delicious (and healthy) home cooked meals, sleeping in, watching old movies, laughing and feeling very happy!
This area of the world wasn’t on my initial itinerary, but I am so grateful that I ended up coming here! I wanted to head into Europe, but many European countries are requiring a quarantine after visiting Africa, so to avoid that, I flew into Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and then planned a week to see the region.
Sarajevo, Bosnia
After the heat and bustle in Zanzibar, Sarajevo felt like a calm after the storm. It was rainy and cool and felt mellow by comparison. The people here were incredibly friendly and kind. I stayed in an Airbnb and the host was warm, welcoming and accommodating. I loved my stay here, in large part because of him and his family. He picked me up from the airport, took me to an ATM and to get a SIM card, and then out to dinner (traditional Bosnian food is heavy on meat! I had a cevapi). His nieces helped me set up the Sim because the instructions were in Bosnian. He also woke up early with me on my last day to call a taxi to take me to the train station. If you’re ever looking for a great place to stay in Sarajevo, please let me know and I’ll pass along this family’s information, they were so great!!
I did a walking tour on my first day in the old town and saw where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, starting WWI. The old town was really neat with lots of tea and coffee sets for sale. The fountain in the center of Old Town has drinkable water that is free for anyone.
Traditional Bosnian coffee was a fun experience, a piece of Turkish delight is always included. Also, everyone smokes cigarettes that they mostly roll on their own.
On my second day, I took a war tour around the city. We learned about how Sarajevo was surrounded by Serbian forces in the 1990s conflict and how they built a secret tunnel beneath the city to move weapons and supplies. Part of the tunnel is open to tourists along with a small museum. We went to the Jewish cemetery which over looks the city, a site of Serbian occupation during the war, and the place where they set up snipers to shoot at local Sarajevans. All of the old grave stones showed remnants from the war.
Areas in the streets still show evidence of bombs and rather than repairing these areas, Sarajevans have framed these as a way to remember and honor those who died in the conflict.
Train to Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina
I took an early morning train to Mostar and utilized google translate for the first time when trying to communicate with the train station attendant (it worked great 🎉). The trip was really pretty through green mountains and it passed a lovely lake.
Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Mostar is best known for this beautiful bridge in the center of old town called Stari Most. It was built by the Ottomans in the 16th century but was destroyed in 1993 by Croat forces in the Croat-Bosnia War. It was rebuilt about 10 years later and opened in 2004. It crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city. It was quaint and peaceful.
I stayed in a hostel here for 2 nights and walking around the old town was like something out of a story book!
Unbeknownst to me, there was a Red Bull Cliff Diving competition off of the bridge the weekend that I stayed here!
I did a day tour to the surrounding areas and visited a Mosque in Blagaj called the Dervish House, a historic village called Pocitelj, and Kravica waterfalls, a national reserve in Studenci.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
I traveled to Croatia via bus from Mostar that had 3 stops to go through customs; once when entering Croatia, a second into Bosnia in the small sliver of Bosnia along the coast, then into Croatia again. This was my first country change without the need for a covid PCR test!
For those of you that watched Game of Thrones, a lot of it was filmed in the old city of Dubrovnik. There were GoT tours and merchandise all over, and you may recognize the infamous steps that Cersei had to do her walk of shame (below). I didn’t really watch the show, but it is still a really cool city. 😉
I read that prior to Covid 19, Dubrovnik was so busy and crowded with tourists that UNESCO was threatening to remove it as a heritage site! My walking tour guide told us that it could take up to 1-2 hours of standing in line just to get into the old city when a cruise ship docked near by. It definitely made me feel lucky to visit now because there were no lines at all!
Dubrovnik is also home to one of the coolest and most appealing candy stores that I have ever seen!
Kotor, Montenegro
I took a second bus into Montenegro for 2 nights and got to see the beautiful Kotor Bay on the way in. Like Dubrovnik, it has an old town surrounded by a wall, but on a much smaller scale.
I read that the hike up the wall was steeper and more strenuous than Dubrovnik. I also read that if you go early, you may miss the attendant at the gate and get to hike for free. I started at about 6:45 am and not only did I get in for free, but I hiked the entire wall on my own and it was gorgeous and serene. This was definitely the highlight of my stay here!
I also did a day tour around the bay, by speed boat, to see Our Lady of the Rocks, which is an artificial island created by old sunken ships stacked on top of one another, in addition to thousands of rocks added to the area over time. According to legend, this island was made over the centuries by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on a rock in the sea in 1452. Upon returning from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the bay and over time, this island gradually emerged.
We also swam in the Blue Cave, which is located on Lustica Peninsula. Its name comes from the way the light reflects off the sandy bottom and causes it to have an iridescent blue color. The Adriatic Sea is very salty!
Thanks again for following along, I hope everyone is doing well! 🙂
Religion: Muslim. The local mosques did a loud speaker call to prayer, or adhan, up to 5x a day (often before sunrise…and VERY loud).
Common phrases heard throughout the day: Jambo (hello), Pole Pole (slowly slowly), Hakuna Matata (no trouble)
Currency: Tanzanian shilling, $1 is ~ 2,318 shillings.
Coming to Zanzibar was initially inspired by a friend at Imire who mentioned that he had volunteered at a sea turtle conservatory on the island. I had heard of Zanzibar but wasn’t exactly sure where it was. I thought seeing sea turtles would be fun, so after some research, I decided to visit the island too.
This was my first experience staying in a hostel, and while I discovered that it is not my favorite, it was really valuable in connecting me with some very nice people who were also traveling through Zanzibar. We ended up mostly exploring the area together! =)
This was the first hostel….bunk beds in the sand, complete with mosquito netting!
Jambiani
I stayed in a small village called Jambiani on the Eastern side of the island for the first part of the trip. The hostels and hotels are along the water front. These are pictures of the little town.
I did a really neat Swahili Cooking Class that consisted of visiting the local market to buy food and then going to a local woman’s home to prepare a meal. Everything was done sitting on the floor and over a fire. We made fresh coconut milk by grating the coconut flesh on a metal tool with teeth that sits on the end of a wooden chair. We then ate the meal together along with the woman’s family. It was definitely a great reminder of the luxury of modern conveniences like running water, electricity, stoves, counter space, etc.
The finished product was spiced pilau rice with coconut vegetables and home made chapati! It was delicious!
Some highlights of my Jambiani stay included taking little boats to other islands in the area to snorkel, swim and eat lots of seafood. I tried octopus for the first time and the lobster was super tasty! I didn’t get any pictures, but they often also cut up a big platter of fresh fruits for us including pineapple, mango, water melon and fresh coconut.
Stone Town
For the last part of my stay here, I moved into Stone Town in Zanzibar City, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The heart of the area consists of a maze of narrow alleys lined by houses, shops and mosques. Freddy Mercury was born here. There are people everywhere trying to sell clothing, foods, necklaces, etc.
Former Slave Market/East African Slave Trade Museum
This was a somber but very well presented view of the East African Slave Trade from 1800 to 1909. East Africans were sold as slaves by Muslim Arabs to the Middle East and other places via the Sahara desert and Indian Ocean. Zanzibar was the center of this slave trade and the museum was a very eye opening and moving memorial.
Other Highlights:
There is a night market on the water front called the Forodhani Gardens where we tried Zanzibar ‘pizza’, soups with falafel and potatoes, savory and sweet crepes and samosas.
We visited Prison Island where multiple Aldabra Giant Tortoises live.
Unexpectedly finding a really cool rooftop restaurant for lunch where we were the only ones there. It over looked the city and we ate a vegetarian curry meal and had lovely views.
No one wore masks here except at the covid testing site (for my flight out), and when I asked, several people here told me that they believed that covid was a problem for the big cities and that if they willed it, they would not become ill.
Since I only had a day and a half in Cape Town on my way to Zimbabwe, I decided to come back for a proper visit this week. I found a cute Airbnb studio, in an area called Sea Point, that is 1 block from the ocean and within walking distance of bars, restaurants, a grocery store with the BEST bakery and is an easy spot to uber from. I had a small kitchen and Netflix in the studio, so the last 10 days have been a great mix of exploring the city and the surrounding area, and getting some mellow time to read, sleep in, watch movies and do some cooking. I’ve met some really nice people here and have never felt unsafe! The gentleman that I sat next to on my flight gave me his contact information just in case I needed anything and a woman on my ferry to Robben Island sat and chatted with me for 20 minutes after I offered to take a photo of her and her husband!
I took the cable car up to Table Mountain for some neat views of the city and there is a paved walk along the ocean front called the Promenade that was so close to my Airbnb, I was able to walk there nearly every day.
Some of the highlights were….
Boulders Beach (where penguins live)
I joined a day long tour of the southern peninsula with two others and a private guide. We drove the Chapmans Coast route along the Atlantic Ocean and made our way to False Bay on the way to The Cape of Good Hope.
The beaches where the penguins live and are protected are along False Bay where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean mix near the tip of the continent. It was quiet and lovely, our group being the only ones there that afternoon! There were many dassie rats hiding along the shore and on some of the boulders. 😂
The Cape of Good Hope
We were again, super lucky, to have this space almost completely to ourselves! There is a light house and a beautiful 45 minute hike from the visitors center to the official Cape of Good Hope, which is the south westerly most point of the continent of Africa. We also stopped at an ostrich farm at the end of the day and got to feed them!
Attempting to Cage Dive with Sharks
Unfortunately, there were no sharks on the day that I did this, but it was a fun boat ride and we saw lots of sea lions and hungry seagulls. I have a voucher to go again anytime in the next 3 years to try to see sharks again though! 😉
Robben Island
Robben Island in Table Bay is 5 miles from the mainland and takes its name from the Dutch word for seals. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he was imprisoned prior to the end of apartheid. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. I took a ferry to the island for a guided tour of the jail and the surrounding area.
Thanks to everyone who is following along! I can’t believe it’s already been almost 6 weeks since I left Denver! It’s gone by so quickly. My next stop is Zanzibar, Tanzania. More to come =)
Victoria Falls! Ive been so excited to visit this lovely place. I am happy to report that it’s just as beautiful as I’ve always read about, but also sad to see that the town here has really suffered under Covid 19. The residents have been hit especially hard given that 95% of its revenue comes from tourism. The main town is only about 3 blocks filled with travel guides and tourists shops. Whenever I walked near town, I was constantly approached by people trying to sell things or asking for money. Several people stopped in their cars while I was walking back to my lodge to ask if they could get my contact information so that I could send them money from home once I returned to the US. The town itself feels tired and weathered, though everyone is very friendly.
I was one of only two people staying at my lodge, and a day trip that I booked to go to Chobe National park in Botswana was canceled last minute because I was the only one who booked that day. Everyone I spoke to showed great hope that tourism would be picking up soon.
Sunset Dinner Cruise on the Zambezi River
On my first night here, I went on a sunset dinner cruise. There were only 6 of us on the boat and it felt very luxurious. There was a full place setting with candle and a soft blanket on the back of everyone’s chair. We had a delicious 4 course meal and unlimited drinks with excellent service.
We saw multiple pods of hippo while on the cruise! They are a bit difficult to see and my photos are somewhat blurry…it was tricky catching their heads above water. We were told that they can hold their breath for 5-7 minutes!
The Falls!!
I read a lot about the best time of day to visit the falls, but was so excited to see them that I went first thing in the morning 🙂 I was the only one in the park! It felt a little surreal to be exploring a national park completely by myself, but it was beautiful and peaceful and overwhelmingly grand. The falls are loud and misty, sometimes so much so that it was difficult to get clear pictures of the water…and I got drenched in several places along the walk! Happily though, I had a rain jacket 😉
There is a bridge at the end of the park that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia. It is not accessible from the park, but I walked to the border and was given a bridge pass so that I could walk into Zambia. If you stand on both sides, it is called ‘ZimZam’ because you’ll be standing in both countries.
I also decided to splurge on a helicopter ride over the falls! It felt very awe inspiring and we were lucky enough to see giraffe, elephants and buffalo in the park near the falls during the trip.
I just spent one of the neatest weeks of my life on a wild animal conservancy in Zimbabwe, about 2 hours outside of the capital city of Harare. It is home to three elephants, black and white rhinos, giraffe, zebra, baboons, wart hogs, a crocodile named Crispin and a lion, 2 cheetahs, antelope, monkeys, and on and on.
I volunteered through an organization called African Impact and stayed with 10 other volunteers in a lovely house on the sanctuary. During the week, we had a mix of activities that started at 6:30am and went until 5pm which included feeding and working with the animals, various projects on the conservancy like fixing fences, removing downed telephone polls, moving hay bales throughout the park, collecting stones for road improvements and chopping and removing small trees on a dam wall.
In the evenings, we enjoyed BBQs, watching the sunset from a rock formation in the middle of the park, wild life trivia games and movies. We were provided 3 delicious home made meals every day, made by staff that live on the conservancy. All of the animal handlers and park employees were incredibly friendly and knowledgable in regard to the animals who live there.
It’s winter in Southern Africa, so it was cold by comparison to the United States. It got as cold as 33 degrees in the morning and up to 70 in the afternoons. The house we stayed in did not have heat, so we sat around the fireplace often after meals and I used a hot water bottle at night to aid with sleeping.
Here are some the animals that we saw and worked with. Several days we met the elephants in the morning and fed them. They are allowed to roam and graze during the day but are kept in a safe space at night to help protect them from poachers.
Each day was a nice mix of work, interacting with the sanctuary animals, and getting to know the other volunteers.
I was lucky enough to spend a milestone birthday here and the volunteers and staff helped me celebrate with singing and a surprise cake at the end of the day!! Thanks to everyone who reached out while I was there, I didn’t have internet access, so I apologize for missing messages.
It was such a special week, I feel so grateful to have gotten here safely, to have had such a friendly and fun volunteer group for the week, and to have met so many incredible animals! If you’re thinking about volunteering at an animal conservancy, I would highly recommend Imire!!
The Adventure that Awaits 