My Life science and geography camp experience.

January 31, 2019 | Girls’ College | Author: Aaliyah Linkov

My Life science and geography camp experience.


As I stepped off the bus, I inhaled the deepest breath of air as I took my first glimpse of Kwa Madwala Camp. The sun had set and it was humid, I was quite relieved to be out of the stuffy bus. We shuffled along with our bags like little, lost sheep, all exhausted from the long trip. That night we filled our stomachs with delicious food and were assigned into groups. The rest of the night seemed like a blur of laughs at the dinner table and some really big splashes at the pool. Excitement brewed in the hearts of all the Grade 10s that night. I had been waiting patiently and anticipating. We had finally arrived.

The next morning started off bright and early with the bang of a gong that rang in my ears. I bounced off my bed and grabbed a quick cup of tea. Before I knew it I was doing my very first activity with my group, the Koppie walk. We ventured through the fresh, green savanna and we saw the very first signs of life at camp. Indigenous birds sang from the highest tops of the trees and crocodiles snapped their jaws at the banks of the dam as we passed by.

We climbed up to a high point on the rocks where I was taken aback by the view that awaited us. I turned my head and looked out to the South African savanna in absolute awe. I had never seen it in such a dark shade of green, so luscious! Our facilitator gave us a lesson while we sat on the face of the rock itself. We listened to him attentively as he explained how soil erosion and how the formation of the rock took place. I felt that the information would come in handy a little later on. At that very moment I felt tiny droplets kiss the skin on my face. I turned out to the wilderness and spread my arms out on each side. I wished the cool breeze would carry me away to the unknown. I watched as the rain washed the leaves of all the trees. I felt exhilarated to be in the presence of the trees. I was thankful for the rain.

What followed next was a shooting activity with a rifle. I was extremely nervous at the beginning, my joints all tightened up and I felt rigid at the thought of it. When my turn arrived, I couldn’t believe I was holding a rifle, right there, in my hands! I shot two bulls eyes while I listened to Manzi’s powerful life lessons. I was so proud of my performance, I had never done that before. 

The next two days were eye opening. We definitely had some reflection time. I’d like to think of myself as Christopher Columbus ready to tackle each day, an unknown adventure waiting for me. We absorbed as much knowledge as we could through the activities and investigations held by our teachers. They were based on transpiration and indigenous insects such as the dung beetle.

A couple of highlights would be the horse and elephant interactions. The next activity my group and I encountered was based on a basic routine of horse grooming. I gently stroked and brushed the horses, they were surprisingly tame. We fed them and once we had finished we got an opportunity to ride the horses. I’d never been on the back of a horse before, never mind ride one! I was a little tense. I ended up on the back of a playful horse named Johnny Be Good, I laughed to myself as I thought about how ironic his name was in that situation. As soon as we were taught how to ride, I galloped away to my heart’s content. I loved every minute of it!

In no time at all, I saw myself looking up to the humongous face of an elephant. I was nose to nose with a member of the majestic Big 5. I’d never been so close to an elephant, in my life! They’re extremely enormous. Our elephant interaction was brilliant. We played soccer and intellectual games with them. The elephant guides gave us mind blowing facts on the intelligence of those wise creatures. After the safety briefing, we got to ride the elephants. The view was even more beautiful than I could’ve ever expected. I was quite sad when our ride ended, it seemed too short. I was happy.

What happened next on our exciting adventure was our trip to the prestigious Kruger National Park. Despite the hot African sun, we were fortunate to see the Big 5. Our game ranger shared loads of interesting facts on the surrounding vegetation, like the resurrection plant which I personally found interesting. We were also educated on the animals themselves. Later on in the evening, we had a star gazing session with a sky full of clouds. This I found quite peculiar, as I’d definitely not done this before. Luckily we had our trusty tablet devices with us, so we were able to plot the location of the stars above us. In no time at all, our heads hit our pillows and we were out.

On the last day of our adventure, we bid our farewells to everyone at the camp. We hopped onto the bus and headed to a geomorphology trail in a World Heritage Site. Our guide filled our heads with valuable facts based on rock formations and erosion and the history of the earth’s formation. We also saw the fossilised first signs of life on earth, which were single celled organisms. We visited one of the first gold mines that fuelled the gold rush in South Africa. We were given precious stones as souvenirs that I would’ve cherished for a long time, if I hadn’t lost them on the bus.

The biology and geography camp was jam packed with countless first time experiences for me. I am privileged and blessed to have been able to experience it.

Some wildlife and scenery photographs in the gallery below: