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International Trips
Information Booklet
2015 - 2016
May 2015
Dear Parents
I am delighted to publish the Secondary International Trips offer for 2015 - 2016. Many of the trips next year will take place during the Spring Break holidays to ensure curriculum time is disrupted as little as possible. Next year we have international trips available to places as diverse as Brazil, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Spain and Japan. Not only is every continent represented but there are also a range of curriculum areas planning the trips: the Sciences, Geography and the Humanities, the Arts, and the PE Department. In the first instance and before paying a deposit parents should contact the staff organiser of the trip and read the Tour Company Brochure before making a decision and paying a deposit. Once the trips become viable the organiser will make contact with parents will hold a meeting with a representative of the tour company to give further details. We also hope to be able to offer the World Scholar’s Cup trips again this year for those students who perform well in the tournament (this last year the trips were to the USA and Malaysia) although this will obviously depend on the achievements of our students in the competition. In addition to our overseas trip there will be a number of local overnight trips: the Year 7 and 8 Camps, the ESS/Biology Field Trip for Year 12, and the local Geography Field trips for Years 12 and 10 to collect data for the students’ coursework. Parents should note the following about all international trips: All trips will become viable once 10 students have paid a deposit. These students are then guaranteed a place and the trip numbers are then capped at every further 10 deposits, with the maximum number on all trips being 40 students. All trips need to be paid in cash at the School Accounts Office. Should your chosen trip not become viable you will be given the option to transfer to another available trip. Parents are responsible for the administration and costs of all child visas and immunisations. Please email individual teachers to receive further information including the full terms and conditions and the specific payment schedule as these vary from trip to trip. Please do not pay your deposit until you have this information.
Yours faithfully,
Mr Richard McGrory
Director of Secondary Curriculum
GEMS Wellington International School Linkedin.com/company/gems-education
PO Box 37486, Dubai, United Arab Emirates @gemseducation
T +971 (0)4 348 4999 | F +971 (0)4 348 6595 gemseducation.com
International Trips Overview
Trip Destination &
Focus
Dates Costs &
Deposit
deadline date
Open to
Years
Contact for more
information
Spain: Sports Tour
Visit Madrid/Barcelona
and La Liga Match
27th November – 3rd
December 2015
10,300
Deposit 4000
By 18th June
7-10 & 12 Mr Weaver
Sri Lanka Biology –
Ecology & the
Environment. Kandy,
Kithugala, Rainforest
Reserve snorkelling
30th November – 5th
December 2015
8,000
Deposit 1500
By 24th June
7-9 Ms O’Keefe
Sri Lanka Geography
This trips directly
supports the Geography
coursework at GCSE and
IB level for Year 10 and
12 students
9th – 13th February 2016
This trip is not accepting
payments at the Accounts
Office until 10th September
2015
4, 000 plus
flights
Deposit 1500
By 30th
September
10 and 12
Geography
students
Ms Wright
Switzerland Geneva
Physics CERN
Visit the large Hadron
Collider
23rd – 28th March 2016 17,200
Deposit 1500
By 18th June
12 & 13 Mr Beaver
South Africa Media and
Visual Art.
Students will undertake
media / Art projects to
assist with BTEC?GCSE&
IB courses
24th March – 1st April 2016
When prices are finalised a
note will appear in the
Wellington Weekly and
deposits may be paid.
14,800 AED
Awaiting Final
price
Deposit date
to follow.
10
upwards
Ms Young
South America Brazil,
Argentina , Uruguay.
Geography focus: Eco
Systems sustainability
and Human Geography
March 25th – 1st April 2016 17,050
Deposit 1700
By 23rd June
7 Upwards Ms Wright
International Trips Overview
Japan- Business trip
Visiting Tokyo stock
exchange, Honda
Welcome Plaza,
Universal Studios and
Mount Fuji
31st March – 7th April 2016 14, 500
Deposit 1500
By 23rd June
7 upwards Mr Bishop
London Historic &
Performing Arts
West End Musicals,
Dance and Drama
workshops. Theatre
Tours
1st – 7th April 2016 11,500 AED
Deposit 1500
By 18th June
8
upwards
Mrs Bishop
South Africa -Biology
ESS, Nature of Science ,
CAS trip
Balule reserve Bush
Week
Indian Ocean Ecology
Sodwana bay week
June 25th – 8th July 2016 17,000 AED
Deposit 4,200
by 30th
September
11 & 12 Ms Dibble
H
Nov 27 – Dec 3 2015 10,300 Dhs For
More Info see Mr. Waver
Open to Boys, Girls, Footballers
& Non-Footballers in Years 7 – 10
27th Nov – 3rd Dec 2015
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: Spain
Tour Duration: 15 days, 14 nights
Dates of trip: 27th November – 3rd December 2015
Open to Years: Year 7-10 and 12
Trip Leader: Robert Weaver
Highlights of the Tour: Match tickets to see (at least) one LIVE LA LIGA MATCH Dedicated film-crew to document experience Comprehensive media training Evening entertainment Platinum Tour Kit Package
(WIS Match strip; Personalised TWS Tour shirt; Hoodie; Cap; Water bottle)
FULL BOARD
Tour price:
AED 10,300.00 per student
Deposit Due:
AED 4,000 18th June 2015
Payment Schedule:
AED 3.150 17th September 2015
AED 3.150 29th October 2015
The cost includes:
Return flights Luxury transport within Spain on Executive Team Coach 3*/4* Accommodation (Twin/Triple occupancy rooms) Meals (dietary requirements catered for) All sporting/tourist activities Match tickets to see (at least) one LIVE LA LIGA MATCH Dedicated film-crew to document experience Comprehensive media training Evening entertainment Platinum Tour Kit Package
(WIS Match strip; Personalised TWS Tour shirt; Hoodie; Cap; Water bottle) 2 TWS reps, who will accompany your group at all times Public liability insurance Individual travel insurance
MADRID - BARCELONA November 27 – December 3, 2015
DAY 1 12.30 Flight arrives in Madrid 15.00 Check-in to team hotel 17.00 LIGHT TRAINING SESSION & SMALL-SIDED MATCHES 19.30 Evening Meal & Welcome Meeting
Day 2 08.30 Breakfast 11.00 STADIUM TOUR OF CAMP NOU (FC BARCELONA) 13.30 Lunch 15.00 MATCH PREPARATION SESSION 16.00 CHALLENGE MATCH vs. LOCAL OPPOSITION 18.00 Depart for Team Hotel 19.00 SPANISH EVENING: CULTURE & FOOD-TASTING
Day 3 08.00 Breakfast 09.00 SPANISH SPEAKING LESSON 11.00 SIGHTSEEING - BARCELONA 13.00 Lunch 14.00 BEACH ACTIVITIES 17.00 Evening Meal 18.00 Depart for Camp Nou 19.30 FC BARCELONA vs. VALENCIA (example)
Day 4 07.00 Breakfast 08.00 Transfer to Madrid 12.00 TOUR OF SANTIAGO BERNABEU (REAL MADRID FC) 14.00 Lunch 15.30 CHALLENGE MATCH vs. LOCAL OPPOSITION 17.30 Evening Meal 19.00 BIG FOOTBALL QUIZ
Day 5 08.30 Breakfast 09.30 SIGHTSEEING – MADRID 13.00 Lunch 14.00 MATCH PREPARATION 15.30 CHALLENGE MATCH vs. LOCAL OPPOSITION 19.00 Evening meal 20.00 MEDIA SEMINAR: WIS PRESS CONFERENCE
Day 6 08.00 Breakfast 10.00 5-A-SIDE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOURNAMENT 12.00 WIS PLAYER AWARDS/FINAL SPEECHES 13.00 Lunch & check-out 15.00 Transfer to Madrid airport 18.30 Flight departs for DXB
Day 7 AM Flight returns to DXB
www.twsoccer.com
EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS This trip is designed to offer an immersive insight into the culture,
environment and history of Sri Lanka. Students can learn about the
biodiversity of Sri Lanka, and learn about conservation of species
such as Elephants and Turtles.
25TH June – 8th July 2016
30th November – 5th December 2015
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: Sri Lanka
Tour Duration: 6 days, 5 nights
Dates of trip: 30th November – 5th December
Open to Years: Year 7-9
Trip Leader: Leonie O’Keefe
Highlights of the Tour: Kandy – Elephant orphanage visit.
Sinnhara Rainforest reserve – explore the rainforest and biodiversity. Visit to a local school.
Galle and Unawatune – explore the coastal area, temples and museums, and visit to sea turtle rescue centre
FULL BOARD
Trip price:
AED 8,000 per student
Deposit Due:
AED 1,500 24th June 2015
Payment Schedule:
AED 3250 17th September 2015
AED 3250 31st October 2015
Controlled Assessment accounts for 25% of the final GCSE grade and 20% of the final IB grade
Students will carry out data collection and analyse this for their controlled assessment/ IA. We will also visit sites
which support other areas of the GCSE and IB curriculum.
IB and GCSE Geography Controlled Assessment field work data collection trip
to Sri Lanka.
Day 2—coastal environments
Site 1: Dadalla
Introduction to coastal processes and coastal management: Data collection on either side of the groyne/sea wall to compare and contrast the constructive/depositional landforms and processes. Data collection will include: Beach profiles using Break in Slope/ Particle distribution using systematic interrupted belt transect LSD measurements using float method/ Wave characteristics/ Field sketch/ Bi polar analysis Cost benefit analysis
Site 2 – Mihiripenna – Destructive Beach
This is an unmanaged but developed stretch of coastline, with a very narrow, steep destructive beach profile. Development sprawls almost to the high tide mark, and as a result, provides a good case study of the results of coastal erosion upon human development. Students will employ the above techniques to quantify coastal processes.
Site 3 – Koggala Beach – Constructive Beach
This is also an unmanaged stretch of coastline, but human development is more contained, and much wider margin/space exists between the high tide mark and the edge of the development. This results in a comparatively wide, constructive beach profile, which offers more protection to the residents of Koggala. Students will employ the above techniques to quantify coastal processes.
Evening activity: Turtle hatchery followed by group evening meal
Day 3 Urban and Rural Rebranding
Site 4: Galle Fort – Urban rebranding
Students will visit: Old fortifications and heritage buildings illustrating the various functions of the fort through periods of history (as a defensive fortification, as a prison, as a centre for trade, etc) . National Maritime Museum explaining and illustrating the history of coastal development and evolution of coastal management schemes over time in the southern territory of Sri Lanka. New Galle Fort market. Data collection: building transects, pedestrian & traffic count; bipolar analysis; place check; retail quality survey; field sketches.
Site 5: Galle old town
Students will visit: Old Dutch market, Galle fishermen’s harbour.
Data collection: building transects, pedestrian & traffic count; bipolar analysis; place check; retail quality survey; field sketches. Students will then compare and contrast Galle old town with and Galle Fort in order to quantify the extent and success of urban rebranding in Galle.
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: Sri Lanka
Dates of trip: 9th—13th February
Open to Years: Yr 10 and 12 Geography students
Trip Leader: Miss Candice Wright
This trip is not accepting payments at the Accounts Office until 10th September 2015.
Tour price: 5000aed
AED (flights will be added nearer the time).
Deposit Due;
1500aed —30th September 2015
Payment Schedule;
Will be released in September.
All payments must be made in CASH to the school cashier.
Site 6: Hikkaduwa – Rural Rebranding
Hikkaduwa is a coastal resort town on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. Historically, Hikkaduwa was one of many similar small coastal towns, primarily centered around the cultivation of coconuts, rice and cinnamon, plumbago mining, and the small-scale manufacture of lace and drum frames. It was a destination for foreign visitors from the late 1800s and in the late 1960s began to capitalize on the natural offshore reef, beaches and wave patterns to re-brand itself as a surfing, snorkelling and diving destination and beach resort town.
Data collection to include: housing survey, pedestrian & traffic count; bipolar analysis; place check; retail quality survey; environmental quality survey; field sketches
Evening Session – Summary of methods; Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient; formulating conclusions.
Day 4
Coastal Development and Human Pressures
Students will compare and contrast the pressure of development placed on the popular tourist destination of Unawatuna against the relatively undeveloped lagoon and islands of Koggala Lake.
Site 7: – Unawatuna
Data collection:
Conflict matrix, Pollution count, Environmental quality surveys, Bi polar analysis, Interview with a local
Site 8: Koggala Lake
Boat tour of Koggala Lake mangroves, which will include:
Discussion of the geographical and ecological importance of mangroves, Visiting spice islands and ‘fish’ island
Data collection: Conflict matix, Pollution count, Environmental quality surveys, Bi polar analysis
Discussion of soft engineering management techniques and conflicting stakeholder interests in coastal management strategies.
Daytime Recreational Activities – Snorkeling at Unawatuna beach; Koggala Spice Island and Ayurvedic Garden tour
Evening Session – Summary of methodologies; data analysis; Mann Whitney U test; formulating conclusions
Day 5
Breakfast and packing,
Souvenir shopping in Unawatuna
Group lunch in Galle Fort .
Depart Unawatuna; travel to Colombo Airport
Students who do not come to Sri Lanka will be offered a two day trip within the UAE.
Physics: CERN The Large Hadron Collider, Geneva
23rd March – 28th March 2016
Visit to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the largest most expensive
experiment in human history.
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: CERN, Geneva
Tour Duration: 6 Days, 5 Nights
Dates of trip: 23rd – 28th March 2016
Open to Years: Year 12 – 13
Trip Leader: Jonny Beaver
Highlights of the Tour: 2 Nights accommodation in Zurich
1 Nights accommodation in Lucerne
2 Nights accommodation in Geneva
CERN Visit and Orientation Tour of Geneva Visit to Mt Titlis Tours of Lucerne and Zurich Visit to Technorama Science Museum
Half board
Tour price:
AED 17,200.00 per student
Deposit Due:
AED 1500 18th June 2015
Payment Schedule:
AED 6000 10th September 2015
AED 5000 1st December 2015
AED 4700 1st February 2016
Day 1 - 2:
Zurich
Swiss science centre -
Technorama
Cheese Dairy
Chocolate Factory
Overnight Zurich
Day 3:
Travel to Lucern
Mt Pilatus
Overnight Lucern
Day 4:
Mount Titlis, then off to GENEVA
Overnight Geneva
Day 5:
Visit CERN particle lab and tour the Large
Hadron Collider, the largest, most
expensive experiment in human history.
Overnight Geneva
Day 6:
Transfer to Zurich airport for your
flight home.
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: South Africa – Cape Town
Tour Duration: 8 days, 7 nights (DoubleTree Hotel of similar)
Dates of trip: Friday 25th March 2016 – Friday 1st April 2016
Open to Years: Year 10 - 13
Trip Leader: Claire Young [email protected]
Lilian Mackey [email protected]
Highlights of the Tour:
*Subject to change
2 Day Safari
Boulders Beach & Penguin Colony
Tour of Cape Town inc. Table Mountain
Seal Island
Film Festival
Film Workshop
Rodden Island
Rock Art Sites
District 6 Museum
Open Air Cinema
Victoria & Albert Dock
Rock Art Sites
The Cape Gallery
Tour price:
AED 14,800 Approximately (TBC) per student
Deposit Due:
Deposit Date to be confirmed
Payment Schedule:
TBC
Geography Tour - Brazil, Argentina
& Uruguay.
25th March – 1st April 2016
Curriculum links KS3 and 4.
Tourism, Ecosystems, Coasts, Population, Development, Rivers, Ecology.
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay
Dates of trip: 25th March—1st April 2016
Open to Years: Year 9- 11
Trip Leader: Miss Candice Wright
Tour price:
AED 17,050
Deposit Due:
AED 1,700 by 23rd June 2015 (The maximum number of students is 40. Places are allocated
on a first come, first served basis. If spaces are filled the trip account will close to new pay-
ments before this date, any further students wishing to attend will be placed on a reserve list.
Payment Schedule:
AED 1,700 deposit be 23rd June 2015 AED 7,700 10th September 2015 AED 7,650 3rd December 2015
All payments must be made in CASH to the school cashier.
Day 2 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
After breakfast take a driving tour along the world famous Ipanema and Copacabana
beaches to arrive at Corcovado Mountain, home of one of the seven modern wonders
of the world, Christ the Redeemer.
In the afternoon we will tour Sugar Loaf Mountain, taking the cable car to the top
overlooking Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara bay.
Day 3 – Rio de Janeiro – Tijuca National Park
Tijuca National Park is a lush Atlantic rainforest. It is the world’s largest urban
forest covering 32km2. We will take a jeep tour of the forest up to the Vista
Chinesa, spotting monkey, exotic birds and sloths as we go.
Day 1
Depart DXB 07.10 on 25th March.
Arrive in Rio De Janiero at 14.30 25th March. Time in the city around the
hotel.
Day 4 Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Today we have time in Rio De Janeiro in the morning before our flight down to Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
Flight times—depart Rio 16.18, arrive Buenos Aires 19.45
Evening in hotel.
Day 5 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
After breakfast we will take a city tour of Buenos Aires. We will take the widest
avenue in the world down to the Colon theatre, visit the Playa de Mayo, The Presi-
dent’s Pink house, The Metropolitan Cathedral and the Cabido. We will then contin-
ue to the old district, La Boca and Cemetery of the Recoleta, burial site of Eva
Peron.
This evening we will attend a traditional Tango show
Day 6 Montevideo (Uruguay)
Today we visit our third country—Uruguay
We take the fast ferry (1hr) to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Upon arrival
we will have fantastic views of the coast and city before undertaking a city tour and
returning on the fast ferry in the evening.
Day 7 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Students will enjoy a cruise down the Tigre river today. Viewing the
impressive landscape and going through the main residential district of Vicente
Lopez
Tigre is a town in Buenos Aires and lies on the Parana Delta.
Day 8 Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Today we experience the life of the gauchos (cowboys).
We will watch traditional horseshows, dances and have a barbecue lunch be-
fore an evening transfer to the airport for our 21.30 flight back to Dubai.
Japan 2016
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: Japan
Tour Duration: 8 days, 7 nights
Dates of trip: 31st March – 7th April 2016
Open to Years: Year 17 upwards
Trip Leader: Richard Bishop
Highlights of the Tour: City tour of Tokyo
Suginami Animation Museum
Tokyo Stock Exchange
Make your own sushi experience
Honda Welcome Plaza
Sony Building
Mega Web
Universal Studio in Osaka
Mount Fuji
Owakudani Ropeway & Hot spring source
Tour price:
AED 14,500.00 per student
Deposit Due:
AED 1,500 23rd June 2015
Payment Schedule:
AED 6,500 10th September 2015
AED 6,500 11th December 2015
Initial Itinerary:
A full day sightseeing of Tokyo.
Honda Welcome Plaza
A visit to the Honda Welcome Plaza offers visitors’ the
chance to view the many new
car and motorcycle models on display along with a mini
theatre. The main attraction
however is "Asimo" the worlds’ first humanoid robot
developed by Honda
Sushi Making Class with lunch to follow (make your own sushi experience) Sony Building
A Ginza landmark, the Sony Building features a variety of
shops, showrooms and
restaurants. The Opus Communication Zone allows visitors
to experience video and audio entertainment of the highest
quality.
JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) for morning
presentation and discussions with Key Speakers (To Be
Confirmed).
Suginami Animation Museum
Suginami-ku, Tokyo, the location for many companies related to animation production,
is known as an 'anime town'. The Suginami Animation Museum, which opened in
March 2005, is a center that provides a fun and systemized way to learn, experience,
and understand anime.
Mega Web
Mega Web is one of the world's largest auto showrooms displaying over 150 vehicles
and is run by Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota Mega Web comprises of six exhibitions
such as the History Garage, Universal Design Showcase and City Showcase. Mega Web
amazes visitors with thrilling rides, racing simulators and even a 4D movie theatre so
you can get in on all the action! Panasonic Centre
Panasonic Center Tokyo is a Corporate Global Communications Hub for Panasonic.
With a vision to realize ‘A Better Life, A Better World’ for each individual customer, the
Center serves as a vehicle for communications, receiving opinions and requests directly
from customers while presenting actual products and solutions. Full day trip to see Mt Fuji and the Hakone region Owakudani Ropeway & Hot spring source
Owakudani is the area around a crater created during the
last eruption of Mount
Hakone some 3000 years ago. Today, much of the area
is an active volcanic zone where sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers can be
experienced. Lake Ashi Cruise
Lake Ashinoko was formed in the caldera of Mount
Hakone after the volcano's last
eruption 3000 years ago. Today, the lake with Mount Fuji
in the background is the
symbol of Hakone.
Tour of Kyoto and Nara
Golden Pavilion is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.
The garden complex is an
excellent example of Muromachi period garden design.
The Muromachi period is
considered to be a classical age of Japanese garden
design Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Shrine in Nara
Universal Studio Japan.
A theme park with a collection of world-class
entertainment
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: London
Tour Duration: 7 days, 6 nights
Dates of trip: 1st April – 7th April
Open to Years: Year 8 upwards
Trip Leader: Tracey Bishop
Highlights of the Tour: Highlights Include: 2 West End Musicals,
National Theatre Backstage tour, Pineapple
Dance Studios, London Eye, Westminster
Tours, Acting Workshops , Historic tours.
Tour price:
AED 11,500.00 per student
Deposit Due:
AED 1,500 18th June 2015
Payment Schedule:
AED 6,000 10th September 2015
AED 4,000 1st December 2015
Day 1 1
st April
AM Depart - Arrive 5pm PM London Eye ride
Day 2 AM Houses of Parliament Tour & London River Cruise PM London Bridge Night Experience
Day 3 AM Full Day Pineapple Dance Studios: Training Dance Acting Singing PM Thriller the Musical
Day 4 AM Full day National Theatre Tour , Acting , Directing, Set & Costume design, PM Convent Garden Market Street Performing Arts
Day 5 AM Hampton Court Palace PM Oxford Street Shopping ( Possible Phantom of the Opera/ Miss Saigon Show unable to secure tickets at this time additional charge may apply for ticket cost)
Day 6 AM Madame Tussauds PM Matinee Wicked the Musical
Day 7 AM Last morning for shopping PM Return Flight
OPERATION WALLACEA
SOUTH AFRICA 2015
WWW.OPWALL.COM
EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS Help with biodiversity surveys in either the Kruger National Park,
including performing surveys of large and small mammals, reptiles,
birds, and spiders. Then gain further experience in the marine
centre analysing marine ecology. Opportunities to complete both IA
and EE work for Biology/ESS/Nature of Science or as CAS work.
25TH June – 8th July 2016
GEMS Wellington International School
Destination: South Africa
Tour Duration: 15 days, 14 nights
Dates of trip: 24th June 2016
Open to Years: Year 11 - 13
Trip Leader: Rebecca Dibble
Highlights of the Tour: 7 nights Balule Reserve, Krugar National Park
Game Transects: monitoring large mammal populations in the Reserve.
Bird point counts: analysis of the birdlife in the reserve.
Elephant impact surveys: feed into international research on the impact of Elephants on the reserve.
7 nights Sodwana Bay
Indian Ocean reef ecology course: Explore the coral reef ecosystem including megafauna like the manta rays and whale sharks.
FULL BOARD
Tour price:
AED 17,000.00 per student
Deposit Due:
AED 4,200 30th September 2015
Payment Schedule:
AED 4,200 1st December 2015
AED 4.300 11th February 2016
AED 4,300 24th April 2016
Expedition structure
This is an opportunity for students to work alongside university professors and graduates in current scientific research areas. The techniques used as well as the knowledge gained links completely with their IB course content. The trip will also provide an opportunity for the students to complete either their Internal Assessment and/or their Extended Essay data collections for Biology, Environmental Systems and Societies and/or the Nature of Science courses. The instructors at each centre are IB trained to ensure students walk away from the trip will all the information to achieve top marks in their work.
The South African expeditions are run alongside a South African NGO, Wildlife and Ecological Investments (WEI), who are coordinating a large scale research programme on the impact of the expansion of elephant populations on vegetation and diversity. The research programme covers a series of reserves across the country, each using slightly different management strategies to tackle the problem of controlling their elephant populations. The majority of big game areas in South Africa are fenced in order to avoid conflicts between communities and dangerous animals. However, this restricts movement of species such as elephants, which can lead to excessive habitat damage within reserves where elephant feeding pressure is too high. The school teams are using identical monitoring methods to those being used by university teams in other reserves around South Africa and together these projects have the following objectives:
To quantify the impact of elephants around artificial and natural waterholes.
To utilise these data to calculate carrying capacity of reserves for elephants.
To assist with data collection on the distribution of large herbivores and predators.
To complete annual surveys of winter bird community structure and density in areas of habitat with differing levels of elephant impact.
At the end of the first week the groups will move to a marine training centre in Sodwana Bay, South Africa, located nearby the UNESCO World Heritage Site, iSimangaliso Wetlands Park. The day by day itinerary will be confirmed nearer the time of the expedition as it will depend on site conditions, locations of the elephants etc.
Bush week – Balule Reserve
During the first week the groups will spend half their time in the bush, either in game viewer vehicles or on foot with armed guards, and half their time in the large fenced camps learning about bush skills, African ecology and conservation. The bush skills teaches students about a number of different aspects of bush life, for example safe distances for viewing game, how to identify tracks and signs of large mammals, how to respond if a large herbivore or predator is encountered and how to use a GPS and compass for navigation. The lectures on ecology and conservation cover a diverse number of topics, mainly focused on savannah ecology: Africa’s biodiversity (formation of biomes in southern Africa), southern African birds (classification, sample techniques, conservation), herbivores of southern Africa (adaptation in rhinos, buffalo, impala, nyala, wildebeest, zebra), predators (niche separation in lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hyena), managing elephant populations (social structure, impact on habitat, methods of controlling elephant numbers), African conservation issues (fenced reserves, maintaining balanced herbivore and predator communities, fire management) and a conservation synthesis (calculating elephant carrying capacity).
The groups will also undertake a couple of days of practical sessions focusing on showing them the African bush, before starting field based surveys that include:
Game Transects: each group will have the opportunity to undertake monitoring of large mammal populations. Game transects are undertaken in a vehicle driving a pre-planned route marking all game sightings on a GPS.
Bird point counts: small groups together with an experienced ornithologist will trek to the start point of the count and then form an outward facing circle. All bird species seen or heard over a 10 minute period are identified.
Elephant impact surveys: each group will spend 2 half days completing habitat surveys on foot, in one hectare blocks. Items such as grass density, size and tree structure, and levels of elephant damage are all surveyed.
Marine week – Sodwana Bay
The students will spend their second week in Sodwana Bay in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa and will be completing the following:
Indian Ocean reef ecology course: This consists of lectures and in water practicals either by diving (if a qualified diver) or snorkelling. The lectures in Sodwana Bay cover an introduction to coral reef ecosystem (characteristics of a reef, distribution of reefs in east Africa), coral and algal species (growth forms and common species), megafauna (whales, sharks, manta rays), mangrove and seagrass ecology (importance of connective systems, threats to mangroves), economically important invertebrates (lobster fishery, aquarium trade), identification of coral reef fish (main reef fish
families), reef survey techniques (quadrats, transects, stereo video), threats to and conservation of reefs (protected marine areas in South Africa and Mozambique).
Facilities
During the terrestrial section of the expedition students will be staying in single-sex shared accommodation in either dormitory style rooms or large tents. Each site has access to hot running water and electricity, and camps within the reserves are surrounded by electric fences.
For the marine section of the expedition students will be living in a camp site just outside the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park. Each day they will transit to the ocean or the dive training centre on the back of 4×4 vehicles from the camp which is situated up on the sand dunes a few km from the beach. In the camp site students will stay in tents, with shared hot and cold shower facilities and there is a lecture room and communal eating area.
