Join Ray Mears and Woodlore for an amazing course and the adventure of a lifetime, experiencing the bush in a way that is offered nowhere else. This special course will take you to the oldest part of Africa and will allow you to interact with it in a very unique way. It is likely you will be following tracks through the very dust that the first human beings did, thousands of years previously.
Drawing on over 40 years of tracking experience, Ray will open your eyes to this fascinating and ancient art. Together you will locate and interpret the signs and traces left behind by wild creatures in the stunning African landscape.
After stepping off the aeroplane under the fierce African sun, we will move deep into the bush and travel to an extremely special game reserve, a place that offers the widest selection of species in the greatest numbers: the massive Erindi Game reserve. During your stay here, learning will be centered around deciphering the myriad of signs left by countless wild beasts roaming the bushland.
Before we venture off into the bush, Ray will teach you how to behave and remain safe, especially when on foot. He will also give you some photography advice, helping to ensure you take home some fantastic memories to show friends and family. There will also be lectures from various local experts, giving you the rare opportunity to learn firsthand about a range of topics.
After this introductory phase, we will take you on exciting game drives before dawn and dusk every day, where we can look for fresh animal sign, step out of the vehicles and take a close look. These drives will of course also give you an unparalleled opportunity to observe the lives of hundreds of species.
Throughout our time at Erindi, San Bushmen guides will accompany us and will offer their knowledge of the bush, helping us to locate animals. These amazing people have occupied Southern Africa for millennia, heavily relying on tracking to feed themselves, and in doing so have developed their ability to an extraordinary level. We will also be joined by experienced, local guides in order to gain the best knowledge about the area and wildlife. Woodlore will call upon its 20 years of experience in Africa, and so as much as possible we will leave the confines of the vehicle to explore further on foot.
Luxury lodge accommodation, superb food and true African hospitality, coupled with the astonishing wildlife, will make this special expedition an unforgettable experience.
Translated as 'a place of water', Erindi is also a pioneer in conservation programmes and eco-management models and contains many rare species. Some of the wildlife you may have the opportunity to see include:
- Black Rhino
- White Rhino
- Leopard
- Lion
- Elephant
- Cheetah
- Ostrich
- Giraffe
- Porcupine
- Eland
- Oryx
This list is just a drop in the ocean compared to the wide range of possible encounters during your stay.
You will be staying at the lodge in Erindi from 17th - 27th November. If you are travelling from the UK using our recommended flights, you will need to book flights departing on the evening of 16th November to arrive in time for the course. Your return flight will arrive in the UK early on 28th November. Our recommended flight details will be sent in due course.