• 18 Jan - 23 Feb 2009 (from £1980)

• 13 July - 15 Aug 2009 (from £1980)

The 5 week Pepper Experience will kick off in a private game reserve just north of Johannesburg. You will spend 6 days here living amongst some spectacular African wildlife and taking part in various modules with professional Game Rangers, which could include: tracking, survival, wildlife photography, dangerous animals and weapon handling.

From the Game Reserves we head down to the coastal city of Durban for some diving, surfing and a chance to help out at a local childrens shelter.

Durban is the second largest city in South Africa and its subtropical climate and warm ocean make it an exciting holiday destination.

Durban is known as the playground of South Africa for good reason. The laid back beach culture and great attractions ensure that you will never get bored. Aliwal Shoal, just south of the city centre is one of the top 10 dive spots in the world and Ballito, just north of the city, boasts world class surfing conditions.

The Pepper Experience gives you a chance to experience it all.

From Durban we spend 2 weeks travelling down through the Wild Coast and the famous Garden Route to Cape Town.

We will be staying in various backpackers along the way that have been chosen not only for their location but also for their energy. Various activities that are open for you to experience during these two weeks include sky-diving, bungee jumping, ocean safari trips, surfing, horseriding, paintballing, quad biking, hiking, kiteboarding, waterfall zip-line tours, canyoning, shark-cage diving and fishing.

We will also be visiting some amazing hidden spots. All accommodation and transport, as well as certain activities, are included. You will also have dedicated guides with you the entire way supplying inside information on each destination, and ensuring these two weeks are an incredible adventure.

A city on the tip of Africa, Cape Town is everyone’s paradise. It boasts phenomenal scenery and beaches, set in a relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere.

Both the board-riders and community project volunteers will be staying in central Cape Town with easy access to both the beaches and the city. If you choose the yachting course, you will be living on board yachts for the duration of the course in the Cape Town waterfront.

There is always too much to do in Cape Town and our time here will be packed with activities. Cape Town is an amzing city and a great place to finish off your time in South Africa.

- The secret spot surf camp is an idyllic hideaway among indigenous forests just north of Durban. It is designed for surfers to get away and learn or improve their surf skills on some world class waves

- Equipment and accommodation is included

- Professional coaching and theory instruction on all aspects of surfing including safety in the water, rips, tides, wave prediction and surfing etiquette and technique is all included

Learning to surf is one of the greatest experiences you may ever have and Durban and its surrounding coastline is the perfect place to learn.The water is warm, the waves are excellent and with the help of professional coaches you will be hooked on surfing in no time. Over three weeks, you will learn how to surf, handle yourself in the water and manage the power of the ocean. You will stay in a surf camp where you will learn at your own pace with experienced instructors who use the right equipment in the right conditions. Safety is always the foremost concern and you can rely on the experience and knowledge of your coaches. Techniques such as video analysis and ocean theory provide a solid grounding in surf culture.

No previous surfing experience is required at all. However, if you are already an experienced surfer, this is a chance to improve your skills and take your surfing to the next level. In between the surfing you will be given the opportunity to explore the surrounding area including cultural tours, safari outings, visiting Durban city or simply relaxing at the secret spot.

- You will work in a local childrens shelter just outside the city of Durban

- The shelter has up to 250 children come there everyday for lessons and after school care.

- Helping could involve a huge range of different things, depending on the needs of the shelter at the time. This could vary from helping with painting and DIY work to supervision of classes, to merely helping out on the playground.

Volunteers in Durban will stay with the rest of the group at the Secret Spot surf camp. You will go out every day to Gozololo shelter. It is a growing organisation that was set up to help out children in the Kwa Mashu area just outside Durban. They have up to 250 children everyday that need looking after and help with schooling. There is always help needed at Gozololo, which could mean repairs to the building or equipment, reorganising their library or helping out with the kids. This is an amazing place to experience a different side of South Africa and to give something back to the country. Pepper is proud to be involved at Gozololo and a portion of the cost of your experience gets donated to the shelter in the form of equipment, hardware or money.

- Receive the following internationally recognized PADI qualifications
o PADI Open Water certificate
o If you have these qualifications already you will be able to complete advanced courses such as rescue diver or merely do some diving on this amazing reef - please contact us for further information

- All PADI courses include lectures and pool sessions, ocean dives, log books, certifications, all equipment and transport

Diving has to be personally experienced to be fully understood.Aliwal Shoal, 30 minutes south of Durban, is one of the top 10 dive spots in the world. It is the perfect place to learn or improve your SCUBA diving skills. It boasts an abundance of marine life and several wrecks. Professional instructors will guide you through various levels of PADI certification, from beginner to instructor or dive master. Our programme is ideal for both experienced and novice divers. The basic programme allows you to obtain your PADI Open Water and Advanced certification, with other optional modules including, deep diving, nitrox, wrecks, navigation, night diving, and underwater photography.Should you already have any of these certifications; you have the chance to continue your training all the way up to becoming an instructor yourself. Working as a dive instructor or apprentice is another great way to earn money while travelling and it allows you to live in, and travel to, some truly amazing places.

- a week kite-surfing and surfing under the guidance of professional coaches around the Cape Peninsula

- All transport, equipment and coaching included

- Optional extras include: sandboarding, mountain biking, quad biking, abseiling, rock climbing, kloofing, paragliding and sea kayaking among others.

- The Pepper boardriding option is perfect for both beginners and experts because you are coached based on ability, allowing even the most experienced boarders to improve under expert coaching.

Cape Town is a boardriding paradise. It offers world class conditions for both surfing and kiteboarding. While staying in the city centre, you will go out with professional coaches daily to various spots around the peninsula. From sport theory to equipment management, you will learn a vast amount about boardriding, including technical information, practical experience and importantly, safety within your environment. The aim of the boardriders programme is to introduce you to these popular and exhilarating sports and the lifestyles that surround them.

- Live on a 38ft yacht in the Atlantic Ocean around the beautiful Cape Peninsula

- Receive the following qualifications, depending on time available:
o RYA competent crew
o RYA Day Skipper Theory
o RYA Day Skipper Practical
o STCW’95 - a 7 day course, necessary to work in the industry worldwide, which comprises of 3 modules (first aid, sea survival and marine fire fighting). This is an additional option – please contact us for further information

- All training materials and books, food, accommodation, necessary transport and tuition is included

Sailing is an amazing way to see the world and a great way to spend a summer abroad. The courses available provide you with internationally recognized, RYA certified qualifications allowing you to charter or work on yachts throughout the world, and through further study can be developed into a professional Yachtmaster qualification. The course is run by highly qualified and experienced instructors.You will be staying on board the yacht in the Cape Town Waterfront or out at sea. Days off can be spent experiencing the city or simply relaxing on the yacht.

- Work on projects run by SHAWCO, a highly respected and credible organization that has been running charity programmes throughout the Cape Town area for over 50 years

- These projects will depend on where SHAWCO needs help at the time.

- Programmes could vary from building houses, sports coaching or helping out at local centres in the area