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As we walked, blinking, into the bright, South African sunlight, little could we have anticipated that momentous experience that lay ahead. For the next two and a half weeks, a group of twelve pupils and four teachers would explore the St Lucia and Imfolozi game reserves, and the Drakensberg mountains.
We spent our first night on mattresses round a camp fire in the relative civilisation of St Lucia. Here, we would get used to bushcraft, camping under the stars and having to use a spade to make our own facilities. As it happened, our departure, three days later was hastened by the timely approach of a gigantic hippo!
Stopping off en route to the Imfolozi game reserve, we stocked up on any junk food we could find and a few of us managed a quick shower in the sink! Barely minutes later, we would stumble across a herd of buffalo and, as the huge beasts lumbered away, crashing through the undergrowth in their startled surprise, we were reminded of the untamed and dangerous nature of our surroundings.
We divided into two groups, each consisting of six pupils, two teachers and two guides. Awe-inspiring views were a constant companion and there was even the occasional confrontation with a few rhinos for which the Imfolozi is famous. Following the river, we glimpsed the partially-submerged bodies of crocodiles and, as we made camp on our last night, several eight foot long shapes jutted menacingly out of the water only metres from our bedrolls: it made an ominous image to haunt us as we fell asleep.
A six hour journey took us to the Drakensburg mountains. We spent our first night in a lodge after a less than appetising supper of cold, mushy vegetarian sausages.
Once in the mountains, we realised that the casual strolls and short hikes of the game parks were just a warm-up compared with the wearying and gruelling ascents that we now faced. However, after every difficult hike there was a spectacular view at the summit. We rubbed shoulders with intricate bushmen paintings, thousands of years old, that had been daubed on the weathered rock. We also had to adapt to sleeping in caves rather than in the open and the temperature frequently dropped to below zero at night.
We returned to the lodge where we had spent our first night absolutely exhausted and, enjoy as we did, a return to the trappings of civilization, every one of us was sad to be leaving. We had experienced something special in the South African Wilderness, away from the rigours and complications of normal life and closer to nature than we had ever been before. We returned with a different perspective on life, with lots of amazing stories to tell, and with a new-found taste for biltong.
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