From mock-charging elephants and curious crocodiles in camp to the roar of hippos at bedtime, YFC members on a South African safari had no shortage of unforgettable ‘highlights.’
The 18 members who experienced the 12-day conservation adventure in South Africa have all returned with qualifications and incredible memories.
Anna Morgan, a beef and sheep farmer from Radnor, said South Africa had always been on her list of countries she wanted to visit so she jumped at the chance to go with YFC.
“I have been on a few trips with Wales YFC before and going with a massive group of people, there’s no other experience like it, it’s very special. By the end of the 12 days everyone was so close, it was brilliant.
“We were incredibly lucky to see three of the big five animals in the first few days of being on the reserve, which set the bar high for the remainder of the trip. It was amazing how close you could get to the animals. We felt safe the whole time with our guides,” added Anna who said she most feared the hippos down on the river bank near to where the camped.
“You could hear the hippos roaring at night and they were just on the other side of the river to us. One girl left her tent to go to the toilet in the night and saw a crocodile sitting on the river bank in the early hours of the morning. We felt so safe though with the professionals close at hand.”
The group camped about four metres away from the river and guides had advised them that the crocodiles would only attack if they got within a metre of the river.
It didn’t stop a crocodile circling a few metres away from their tents one night though, as the group discovered their footprints in the morning. Identifying and tracking animal prints was part of the trip for the YFC explorers – who were all given hands-on field guide tracking and conservation training.
This involved practical training to learn how to identify an animal from their footprints or droppings.
“By the end of the two weeks we could not only say what species of animal it was but we could also tell which leg from looking at their footprints or droppings. It was incredible,” explained Anna. “It was amazing how far we had come in 12 days.”
All the YFC participants passed their level one FGASA qualification, which is the stepping stone to becoming a field guide. Anna was keen to stress though that despite the trip involving an assessment, the guides made it enjoyable and part of the adventure.
In fact, for some YFC members, the experience has prompted a complete career change. Bruce Gardiner from Northamptonshire is already looking into the possibility of completing the next level of field guide training with a view to working in South Africa.
“I have fallen in love with South Africa,” said Bruce about the trip. “It was an incredibly different feeling of knowing you are part of the food chain and very much not at the top of it. Some of the experiences we had, such as, we got mocked charged by an elephant on the first day and the whole group saw four white rhinos. This was one of my top moments from the trip as the whole group got to experience being so close to these creatures.
“The first three days of being in South Africa felt more natural than any job I’ve had. It was that weird disconnect of being completely in the wilderness and in the wild and just being part of everything that you can’t experience in an urban lifestyle. I thought we’d find it more terrifying than we did but seeing rhinos only 20-30 metres away from you made you look on in wonder rather than running away.”
NFYFC organised the trip with Flooglebinder, a travel company that specialises in educational conservation trips.
As well as the safari, the group also enjoyed a trip to Soweto, Johannesburg, where they cycled around some of the more deprived areas, had conversations about ongoing political tensions, and visited the museum of Hector Peterson which remembers the school children shot by police for protesting their right to learn and be taught in English in the mid 1970s.
Despite it being one of the more expensive travel opportunities last year, Anna felt it was value for money.
“I have seen South Africa trips advertised since I’ve been and they are more expensive and didn’t offer the amount of experiences we had. We weren’t general tourists – the amount we did and saw made the expense worth it. We did nighttime safaris where we saw a herd of giraffes and I got to take photos of a pride of cheetahs who came close to us,” said Anna who is surprised that more YFC members do not apply for YFC Travel.
“A lot of people don’t realise the benefit of these trips and the opportunities it gives you,” she added. “A big thank you must also go to Rob Wilson, from Flooglebinder, who helped organise this trip! We were fortunate to have him travel with us, and his knowledge and experience of everything we saw and got up to while out in South Africa only contributed more to our overall experience!'
Bruce, who is about to embark on a nine-month adventure to New Zealand to work on a dairy farm before he pursues his dream career in South Africa, agreed on the benefits of YFC Travel.
“Having it all organised for you is worth a lot financially. For me, the experience has been life changing.”
YFC Travel trips for 2026 will be advertised in early September.