Itinerary

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Day 1 (Sunday)  Arrive into Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) on Sunday morning where you’ll be met by our team at 1pm and then we’ll drive directly to the reserve, a journey of around 90 minutes.  On arrival, you’ll settle in to your new surroundings and get to know the other participants and staff members before orientation and dinner.

An internationally renowned 22,000 hectare game reserve, Shamwari features five different fauna and flora habitats (biomes).  Facilities include an animal rehabilitation centre, an animal hospital and anti-poaching unit.  The reserve is also the host to the Born Free Foundation’s Big Cat Rescue and Education Centre for lions and leopards, which we visit.

The Big 5 Veterinary Experience runs for 10 days, Mondays through Fridays, with the weekend off in between.  Due to the nature of working with wildlife and other conditions out of our control plans may be adapted as we go, however the typical experience involves most or all of the following activities:

Practical Experience
  • Wildlife drives on reserve
  • Assistance with immobilisations
  • Health-checks and translocations
  • Visits to Shamwari Rehab Centre and Born Free Sanctuary
  • Basic veterinary care and treatment of community animals
  • Mass capture and translocation of antelope
  • Target shooting with dart gun – both on foot and from helicopter
  • Necropsies

Lectures & group discussions
  • Role of the veterinarian on game reserves
  • Wildlife management, monitoring and ecology
  • Species identification
  • Game capture techniques (mass capture, passive capture, chemical immobilisation)
  • Game translocation
  • Immobilising drugs, darting and translocation equipment
  • Husbandry of captured animals
  • Important infectious diseases of wildlife
  • Wildlife sanctuaries and wildlife rehabilitation
  • Community work at disadvantaged communities
  • Poaching and veterinary implications of survivors of poaching incidents
Lion Conservation
Saturdays and Sundays are free time, with no scheduled program activities.  You are most welcome to spend some or all of your downtime days relaxing on the reserve, but if you wish to explore the Eastern Cape then there are a range of excursions which you can book locally at short notice.  From a safari day at the wonderful Addo Elephant National park to exploring the forests, gorges and coastline of the Tsitsikamma National Park, skydiving, bungee jumping or a day in Port Elizabeth city ….. there’s lots to do if you so choose.

Last day (Saturday) Having said your goodbyes and packed your bags, we’ll whisk you off to the airport in plenty of time for your flight home.   Even better, extend your stay in Africa and join an amazing 1 week camping adventure from Johannesburg through Botswana to the mighty Victoria Falls, ticking off bucket-list item after item as you go (details below).
Accommodation and Meals  The comfortable twin/triple-shared rooms all have private bathrooms – if travelling solo you’ll be paired with another participant of the same gender. 

​Three meals a day are included so you’ll enjoy the luxury of having your breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared for you. Vegetarians and other dietary requirements can be catered for, provided we’re notified in advance.