Before leaving the training centre, you and your team will pack your kit and supplies together before you embark on your exciting 19 day adventure hiking. The Grand Traverse of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg is the definitive South African hike.
Your ability to work as a team and to support others will be tested whilst the ability to navigate, a strong mental aptitude, sense of humour and proper planning are all essential elements of completing this hike. Add the unspoilt natural beauty and majesty of the Drakensberg, and you have all the ingredients for a truly world-class adventure.
Getting to the Drakensburg
You will travel together by bus for a day through northern South Africa, skirting around Swaziland and heading towards the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. You will experience the ever changing and beautiful terrain, pass many rural villages as the excitement builds for the challenge ahead.
Real Adventure
Supported by our local experienced guide, medic and Raleigh leaders, your trek will allow you to explore a true wilderness, with no marked trails, facilities or shops along the way.
You will cover a mix of cattle trails and going off-trail cross country. The terrain is not technical: consisting of grass, shrubbery, a few rocky sections and easy river crossings. However, do not underestimate how taxing it will be to walk long distances with a heavy backpack on sloping terrain and climb, on average, 1000m a day!
The only people you are likely to encounter are some Basotho herdsmen and other hikers. At the end of each day, you and your team will set up camp out under the giant sky Africa is renowned for and cook outside together.
Everyone starts and finishes trek together.
The trek is designed to be challenging, but no matter your trekking experience, you will learn to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Come rain, sun or snow everyone does it together.
It requires courage to do something beyond your comfort zone, and there will be highs and lows. Supporting one another through these moments, not giving up and sharing your achievements will be some of the most memorable and defining moments of your Expedition.
The friendships formed on the trek, whether through laughter, sweat or tears, are often some of the strongest on Expedition because of all that you have shared and learnt together.
Leadership and experiential learning
With all our projects, you will all take it in turns to lead the group for a day. This is a chance to develop your leadership skills but most importantly, to learn about the power of team effort and the strength of working together to achieve your goals.
Throughout trek, volunteers will also take part in orienteering and navigations as well as develop planning and logistics skills. This is all part of your experiential learning experience and an opportunity to build your skills, confidence, and resilience outside of a classroom setting. Whether it’s scrambling up hills, lighting a fire or falling asleep in your tent after a long day of trekking under a beautiful starlit sky, these are some of the memories that will stay with you forever.
“On trek, you take turns to be day leader. It’s pretty indescribable, that feeling at the end of the day when everyone’s achieved something, and you had a role to play in that. I enjoyed that the most.” Freddy
“It forces you to step out of your comfort zone and develop as an individual, and your abilities to communicate and compromise.” Faith