Field Course Botswana: San survival skills and tracking
Are you dreaming about going back to the roots, being close to nature and experiencing one of the last wild places in Southern Africa? Then take part in this exceptional Wilderness Experience and gain some ancient knowledge from hunter-gatherers and survival skills in the unspoiled nature of the famous Okavango Delta!
Experienced field guides share their expert knowledge in theoretical and practical units about local plants, birds and mammals and track reading with you and your international team. The main focus lies on the topic of bushcraft: Your guides pass on essential and sound knowledge and survival skills to you that are essential for life in the bush.
Your adventure is topped off by the fact that this introductory course is accompanied by two San-men, indigenous peoples of Southern Africa. Find out first-hand about their survival, hunting and tracking skills, their extensive understanding of the flora and fauna of Southern Africa, and their rich cultural traditions.
Highlights
- Learn from the San people in person about their ancient survival practices
- Experience a real outdoor adventure in the world-famous Okavango Delta
- Find out about more about essential bushcraft
- Acquire valuable nature knowledge, instructed by experienced course leaders
- Go back to the roots and live in the rhythm of nature
- Get the chance to enjoy unique wildlife sightings
- Live and learn together with people from all over the world
Locations
Okavango Delta
Camp Kwapa
Plan your trip
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Included in the programme fee
- Placement in the programme
- Assistance with travel arrangements
- Assistance with selecting travel insurance
- Assistance with booking flights
- Risk coverage certificate
Daniel, your travel agent for Botswana
You would like to learn more about this trip? Don't hesitate to contact me! Our service doesn't end with your departure: I answer all of your questions and support you before, during and after your stay abroad.
Note: The price stated above is an approximate value. Due to sharp fluctuations in the exchange rate of the USD, the final price for this trip will be calculated at the time of enquiry based on the latest exchange rate.
Veld training by San people in Botswana
This course offers outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to learn traditional wilderness knowledge and survival practices such as hunting and fire making. Get an insight into the art of tracking in this authentic wildlife adventure!
Arrival and orientation in the Okavango Delta
After you arrive in Maun in Botswana, you will be picked up by a staff member who will take you to the camp in the Southern Okavango Delta. There, you have some time to make yourself comfortable in your tent and get to know the camp and your teammates.
Topics of your survival training in Southern Africa
During your 15-day wilderness training, you learn the basics of survival methods that are crucial in the African bush. Together with your team, receive essential information about the local plants and animals and learn how to identify their different tracks. Moreover, two San Bushmen will share their wisdom with you, as they have been doing for countless generations. Apart from a few game drives, you will mainly be on game walks. Broaden your knowledge about your environment and make unforgettable observations of animals in this stunning landscape.
Accommodation during the nature training
Together with your team, you will stay in camp Kwapa in the vicinity of the Qwapa river, south of the Okavango Delta. The area shows an impressive diversity in habitats and animals and is therefore well suited for wildlife-studies. In general, you share a safari tent with another participant of the tour that is furnished with a camp bed. There is also a bush-bathroom connected to each tent equipped with a small hand basin, toilet and bucket shower. On a porch, there is a seating area. Every day you will be served breakfast, lunch and dinner. Water, coffee, tea and snacks are also available at all times.
Leisure time as a bushcraft student in Africa
You can usually use the evening hours for own activities. Read a book, play games, spend time talking to other course participants or simply enjoy the nature that your camp is surrounded by.
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Arrival
Arrival in Botswana and first day in the course
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Course
Your time in the San survival skills and tracking course
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Departure
Last day in the Okavango Delta and departure
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1. Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is without doubt one of the most spectacular natural sites in Southern Africa, if not in the entire world. Covering more than 20,000 km², the fertile oasis in the northwestern part of the country is the largest inland delta of our planet. The mighty UNESCO World Heritage Site is fed by the Okavango River, which once a year floods down from the highlands of Angola into an endless labyrinth of river courses, islands and lagoons. With a visit to the Delta, one of the last natural paradises on earth awaits you, whose awe-inspiring biodiversity will amaze every visitor.
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2. Camp Kwapa
During your wilderness adventure you will enjoy Botswana’s stunning nature and experience the beauty of the private nature reserve south of the Okavango Delta that camp Kwapa is situated in. Every year the Okavango River floods wide areas of the Kalahari Desert and transforms the dry region into an oasis of lush vegetation and unique biodiversity. The region gives visitors the opportunity to observe the manifold fauna and to spot the “Big Five” as well as other animals like cheetahs, wild dogs, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras, wart hogs or impalas. On an area of about 20,000 km² the Okavango River transforms the desert into an exceptional landscape with several lagoons, lakes and swamps. Besides those aqueous habitats also savanna, mopane forests as well as grass-, swamp- and marshlands dominate the landscape of the region.
Background of the San outdoor training in Botswana
The San people of Africa
The San tribe, also known as 'Bushmen', were the earliest hunter-gatherers in Southern Africa. The term San refers to a diverse group of indigenous ethnic groups. Evidence of the San's first settlement in Southern Africa goes back at least 20,000 years.
The life of the African San people are characterised by their survival and hunting skills, a wealth of indigenous knowledge of the flora and fauna of Southern Africa, and their rich cultural traditions. Even today, they retain many aspects of ancient lifestyles.
Cave paintings are a part of the San culture. The San rock art is recognised as holding deep spiritual and religious meaning. Belief systems and rituals are strongly developed among the San people. One of the prime rituals in all San groups is the great 'medicine or healing dance' that serves to heal the group. Another dance, at the heart of San culture, is the rain dance, since rain is a life-giving necessity in this waterless region.
Who is the San survival skills course for?
The course is tailored for those who yearn for real adventure: Active bush enthusiasts experience two weeks full of action and learn to handle the daily challenges of the African bush. Straight from the source, you will be taught by the indigenous, intelligent trackers about their excellent San hunting methods. As part of the wilderness survival course, you acquire valuable outdoor skills, self-confidence and courage – at the same time, you get the chance, to immerse yourself into the Okavango Delta's breathtaking wilderness in an incomparable way.
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