The information below has been provided for you by the supported placement organisation running the placement. You can contact the company for more information using the links at the bottom of this page.
| | | |
| |
This placement would suit... Those who want to gain some hands-on work experience in the hospitality and tourism sector.
 We have two excellent and quite unique Tourism Work Experience programmes available:
The beautiful Tsitsikamma National Park where you're supervised by Tsitsikamma's Tourism Manager to ensure you observe and experience all aspects of tourism in a Nature Reserve.
The Wilderness Nature Park - the excitement of a working in a popular tourist resort combined with the peace and tranquillity of Nature.
Tsitsikamma National Park
Visitors to Tsitsikamma Park are accommodated in log cabins and in well-kept camp sites, most with ocean views. The many facilities and activities include hiking, boating, sailing, scuba diving, and lots of other outdoor walks and pursuits. One of the attractions is the raft tethered in the middle of the river that you can swim to and sunbathe on. Days are ended with barbecues under the stars or in the indoor/outdoor restaurant in the main complex.
To do this placement you should be studying (or have studied) a tourism related course. If your course specialises in adventure tourism, we can arrange for you to participate in activities such as boating, sailing, hiking, abseiling, etc. You'll probably also spend at least one week in Nature's Valley, where you'll have lots of peace and quiet and will participate in rambling walks and hiking ventures. This is a very good area for whale and dolphin spotting as well.
 Who can apply?
Our tourism placements in the Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve are for volunteers who are studying or working in the Tourism sector. The programme is structured and tailored to your requirements, and we will discuss these in detail with you. This is a rare opportunity to learn about all aspects of running a Nature Reserve - a unique environment - and at the same time observing how tourism is managed and marketed in South Africa.
What you will be doing...
Your work will include helping in many different areas within the complex. This placement is very much customised around your requirements and preferences. When you arrive, the Tourism Manager will sit down with you and discuss what particular areas you want to gain most experience in and what you hope to gain out of the programme as a whole. Then he'll tailor your work accordingly.
Areas where you'll work may include:
Marketing
Reception
Maintenance and Room Service
Restaurant and catering
Customer relations
Park activities.
Accommodation
You'll stay in a house inside the Park, close to the main entrance. The house is set among trees and you'll share with other volunteers and eat your evening meal in the large, airy restaurant which overlooks the ocean. On warm evenings you can eat outside on the balcony under the stars.
Breakfast is make-your-own in the kitchen facilities in the house, because you will start work at 7.00 in the morning and won't have time to go to the restaurant! Lunch will be sandwiches which you take with you to be eaten wherever you happen to be that day - this could be on the river or even on a hike! You'll also be provided with uniforms to suit the work you're doing.
Wilderness Nature Park
In the Wilderness National Park (known as "The Wilderness"), the lakes harbour large numbers of a wide variety of waterbirds, and the evergreen temperate forest is home to the Knysna loerie. There is easy access to many of the country's most beautiful beaches and nature parks and you will find an abundance of flamboyant flora and fascinating fauna.
To qualify to do this placement, you will need to be able to speak either some Dutch or some Afrikaans.
The beach at Wilderness, the Touw River lagoon and the lakes provide ideal opportunities for bathing, rowing, fishing and boating, as well as water skiing on Island Lake and Swartvlei. Various nature trails traverse the lakes, the beach and the indigenous forest and a 1 km boardwalk alongside the Touw River offers an ideal opportunity for birdwatching.
 Often incompatible elsewhere, conservation and recreation enjoy a harmonious relationship at the park. Watersports are a major feature of the region. Rondevlei and Swartvlei are best for fishing, and on the Touw River and the Serpentine, canoeists can paddle for miles upstream.
All these facilities make it a very popular destination for tourists from around the country and around the world, most of whom come for the peace and tranquillity associated with "getting back to nature". You'll be a part of this community, but you'll have the unique opportunity to see it "from the inside", living and working behind the scenes. There is also safe swimming in the river to cool off at the end of your work day - sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
The Wilderness is 15 km from George and lies between the ocean and the mountains. Is is within easy reach of the airport at George and lies on the N2 Garden Route highway between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
The Outeniqua Mountains are impressive with river gorges cutting sharply through them - it is home to many species of flora and fauna. If you love nature and peace and tranquility then you will certain love The Wilderness!
What you will be doing...
Your work will include helping in many different areas within the complex, including reservations, information desk, shops, etc.
This placement is very much customised around your requirements and preferences. When you arrive, the Tourism Manager will sit down with you and discuss what particular areas you want to gain most experience in and what you hope to gain out of the programme as a whole. Then he'll tailor your work accordingly.
Areas where you'll work may include:
Marketing
Reception
Maintenance and Room Service
Restaurant and catering
Customer relations
Park activities.
To do this placement you should be studying (or have studied) a tourism related course. You will also need to be able to speak a little Dutch or Afrikaans, because a reasonable number of the tourists to the area have Afrikaans as their first language and they speak very little, if any, English.
 Accommodation
Your accommodation will depend on what is available at the time of your placement. You could stay on-site in the Wilderness National Park itself, or your could stay in a house in Rondvlei, which is about 20 or 25 km from the Wilderness. You may have a room to yourself or you may share with other volunteers. This accommodation is remote and previous volunteers have hired a car for periods of time in order to enable them to get into town to socialize and generally to have their independence.
Notes
Transport to and from the Wilderness Park will be provided daily.
Food is not provided in this placement so you will need to fend and cook for yourself; however, you will be a given a budget, i.e. money for pay for supplies. You will have regular opportunities to shop for food to replenish your stocks and you can experiment with the different South African brands and types of food that are available.
Quality of food in South Africa is extremely high and very varied and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the wide range of choice on the shelves.
Sitting around a barbecue in peace and quiet while eating, drinking wine and listening to music is a very typical South African pastime and will be one of the things you remember most about your time in South Africa.
Travellers' placements are very flexible & can be combined with any other Travellers placement & tailor made to your own requirements!
 |
0845 344 7585 |
 | Travellers Worldwide: Live and work abroad helping children, adults, animals and entire communities in less advantaged countries. Learn about their culture from the inside! Stay from as little as two weeks to as long as one year - you choose your dates and duration! |
| | | | | | |
The information in the gapyear.com placement database is provided by each individual company. Gapyear.com claims no responsibility for inaccurate, misleading or libellious information. Please ensure that you check all details with the specific organisation before booking or accepting placement.
