• 18 Sept - 8 Dec 2008 (from £4270)
  

• 12 Jan - 6 Apr 2009 (from £4270)
• 17 Sept - 7 Dec 2009 (from £4490)
• 9 Jan - 4 April 2010 (from £4490)

After our Orientation week, the 3 Month Pepper Experience will move to our game reserves just north of Johannesburg. You will spend 2 weeks here living amongst some spectacular African wildlife and taking part in various modules with professional Game Rangers. The time in a game reserve is sure to be the highlight of many peoples trip to South Africa. Living amongst some of the most beautiful and powerful animals in the world is an experience you will never forget. You will have a truly African experience and possibly be inspired to pursue a career in wildlife and conservation. Many a Gap year student has gone on to become a full game ranger after experiencing this lifestyle. Should you wish to become a game ranger, this two week programme counts towards a FGASA 1 qualification. This is a Field Guiding qualification which will qualify you to work as a game ranger in reserves throughout the country.

- Live in 2 separate malaria-free game reserves in the Waterberg area in the north of the country

- Receive constant supervision and guidance from professional game rangers and qualified instructors

- The programme is split into 5 main modules over 15 days: Survival, Tracking, Dangerous Animals, Wildlife photography and Weapons handling

- These courses contribute to a FGASA 1 qualification (the course followed by anyone wanting to become a field guide/game ranger and work in wildlife reserves)

From the game reserves, it’s onto the Pepper bus for a road-trip through the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains. With crystal clear rivers and rock-pools in truly unbelievable scenery, you will feel worlds away from anything. You will be given the opportunity to try hiking and horseback safaris, or if you’re not a hiker, you couldn’t ask for a better place to fully relax for a few days.

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 climb back onto the Pepper bus and make our way down along the east coast of the country to Cape Town. This is 2 weeks road-triiping along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.

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.

Over weekends and on certain free days, the Pepper group will meet and enjoy various activities and excursions including the famous Cape Winelands. You cannot be bored in Cape Town!

- 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.

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 PADI Advanced Diver certificate
o If you have these qualifications already you will be able to complete advanced courses such as rescue diver - 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.

- 10 days kite-surfing and surfing under the guidance of professional coaches around the Cape Peninsula

- 5 days on a wakeboard camp with a professional coach at a beautiful dam 90 minutes outside the city

- 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.

The wakeboarding camp is at a dam 90 minutes outside the city and is a great opportunity to get away and take advantage of professional equipment and coaching for 5 days.

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.

Weekends will be open for you to join the rest of the Pepper group on various activities or just relax and fully experience Cape Town

The aim of the boardriders programme is to introduce you to three 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:
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. Our 17 day course gives you the qualifications necessary to work on yachts anywhere in the world.

The course provides you with internationally recognized, RYA certified, Competent Crew and Day Skipper 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 in a community center within the surrounding area with 7 - 13 year old pupils from local schools

- This programme is facilitated by SHAWCO, a highly respected and credible organization that has been running charity programmes throughout the Cape Town area for over 50 years

- Work with the children in schools and at the center

- Programmes include sports coaching, arts and crafts, music and life skills lessons

- This programme is set up and staffed entirely by Pepper and its volunteers. The cost of your trip includes a project donation in order to ensure the continued running of programmes such as the one you will be working in

Working closely with the University of Cape Town, SHAWCO is a well established non-profit organization with whom Pepper have set up a unique programme. Working in one of their community centers in the city, the programme involves working with 7-13 year old school children, in arts and crafts, sports coaching and life-skills classes.

These are children who might otherwise be drawn into the crime and drug culture that is common in this area. Programmes such as the Pepper after school programme gives these children an opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and structured environment.

This is a unique opportunity to not only help in the local communities but also gain valuable life skills and insight into the problems that many South Africans face on a daily basis. You will work with the children in their schools as well as after school hours at the community centre.

SHAWCO encourages volunteers to initiate their own programmes at the centre. If you would like to begin and lead your own programme please contact us for further details.