Adventure Alternative

Adventures/Africamp

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In a Nutshell

Join Adventure Alternative for a month long adventure of a lifetime in Kenya, where you will join a very special and incredibly lively Kenyan team along with our experienced leaders, travelling away from the well-trodden tourist routes, and forging friendships across cultural divides through real challenges.
Work on long-term, relevant grassroots projects with a company that has genuine principles of investing in and promoting the lives of hundreds of young people and families. This includes building schools and clinics and orphanages, as well as running 'summer camps' for street kids. Then climb the second highest mountain in Africa, go on an amazing overland safari and finish by relaxing on the beach by the Indian Ocean, snorkelling and enjoying the tropical sun.

See the photo gallery here...!

Click here for an application form ! Print it off and post it in for a place on our trip in 2008.

In 2006 and 2007 we built a community hall, an orphanage, a clinic, a rescue centre and we ran camps for several hundred children in western and eastern Kenya. We built shower blocks, toilets, put in water facilities and renovated 4 schools in 2007.

Scroll down to see what projects we are doing in the summer of 2008 and the dates to help you decide which one you would like to join. Or click on any of the links to the right to find out more.

Africamp is a real hands-on expedition that will let you explore Kenya, see African life and meet many wonderful people along the way through working with street children, running proper community projects, climbing Mount Kenya and going on a real overland safari all the way to the Indian Ocean.

Africamp was voted as one of the Top 5 expedition experiences for young people in the national press, and for the past twelve years we have constantly improved and refined this expedition so it is an unforgettable month. We ask a lot of you, this is no hand-holding exercise, but we promise you much in return.
“When I got home I wanted to change my name, I had changed so much” remembers one Africamper.

Africamp will become an important part of your curriculum vitae, a reflection of your character and ability to be an effective member of a real expedition. For individuals or groups aged 16-22, interested in an all-round experience of a challenging and highly enjoyable expedition in East Africa, Adventure Alternative has a large complement of staff and vehicles and equipment in-country to ensure safety, professionalism and enjoyment. We welcome you to Africamp.

The Alternative Expedition Company in Africa –in the steps of Geldof and Bono.

Adventure Alternative has set up its own sister company in Kenya called Africampers, which is run entirely by ex-street kids, who are now all adults. All of them have been supported since childhood by the charity we set up called Moving Mountains, which has saved thousands of destitute kids in the country. You will see how Aid in Africa works firsthand, how a company is run which has such sensitivity towards local cultures and the future of so many people. This is a special chance to see it all with your own eyes, and play a part that will make a difference. This is not just an idle claim, it is the vision of Adventure Alternative MD Gavin Bate who has spent much of his life in the slums of Kenya setting up this unique system that is truly changing lives.

Aid in Africa is big news now thanks to celebrities like Bono and Bob Geldof and now the Commission for Africa. The word is to use business to support charity properly and we at AA have been doing this for years, and now you can be a part of it. A great adventure, helping people in Kenya but also helping the way we approach sustainable tourism, challenge poverty and try to make a difference for the future.

Teams

Around 25 people from ages 17-22 attend every year and we run up to five month-long camps every summer to fit in with school holidays. The expedition is extremely well organised and very well staffed and we comply with all the relevant legislation and demonstrate complete professionalism and responsibility.

See our specific policies on this website for details.

This expedition is perfect for school groups, youth groups, Scouts, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award (we are an Access Organisation) and individuals. We have been running Africamp since 1991.

Project and Camp - community work in Africa

This expedition will show you a new world and give you the chance to live and work with street children. Perhaps for the first time you will come face to face with poverty and you will see how hard people work just to get by. You will also wonder how people are so happy and friendly - it's a humbling and wonderful experience. You will run rehabilitation camps, build schools and clinics and orphanages and you will see first hand what it means to really tackle aid in Africa, do something positive and useful instead of just thinking about it. The reality is quite different to what you might think.

The Mountain - Mt Kenya

The next part of this adventure is a six-day trek on Mount Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa after Kilimanjaro. Hiking through mountainous jungle provides the perfect opportunity to experience wildlife in close-up. Elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, colobus monkey and strange rock hyrax are all common here. This guided non-technical climb to 16,350' is a fantastic goal that offers both beauty and a real challenge. Gorges and valleys, glacial lakes and unique high altitude vegetation along with the spectacular landscape make this a really memorable part of the expedition.

Safari

The third leg of the expedition is a safari, perhaps what people associate most with holidays in Africa. You will find yourself sitting on top of a special safari truck or in a safari vehicle driving through breathtaking scenery - far reaching savannah, fields of baobab trees, herds of roaming buffalo, lush green lakesides and red sunsets. We camp out in the bush, preparing food outdoors and going on game drives.

 

Coast

Finally, the team will make their way to the Kenyan coast, sometimes by overnight train through the incredible Tsavo National Park and enjoy the white sands and clear blue seas of the coast at either Malindi or Mombasa. There are various activities to fill the hot sunny days - snorkelling, diving and deep-sea fishing are all available. Africamp expeditions also incorporate traditional tribal evenings where you can join in with the customs of local tribes. Try sampling the blood of a freshly slaughtered goat at a local country hotel after having summitted Mt Kenya ! You will dine in a variety of places from shantytown dukas to the famous Carnivore restaurant.

 

The Staff

A really enthusiastic and experience complement of both UK and Kenyan staff, we employ fully and directly through Adventure Alternative and our own company Africampers based in Nairobi. This is the vision of Director Gavin Bate, who has spent more than 15 years developing an enviable infrastructure in Kenya and a track record which is unblemished. You can be guaranteed professional, polite and experienced guides on your trip who have been to Kenya for a minimum of 6 years running.

The Kenyan team is very large and wide-ranging. We have representatives and workers and supporters all over Kenya. All of them have had some involvement with Moving Mountains, either as a beneficiary when they were once on the streets, or teachers, social workers and doctors. Wherever you go in Kenya you will find someone who is linked to the charity and to the company. They are all incredibly enthusiastic, honest, decent and hardworking. They understand western ways very well and speak perfect English. Their whole life is dedicated now to promoting the principles of ethical tourism in their own Kenyan way.

The Expedition Options

Each of the Africamp Expeditions will concentrate on a different area and during the year we will publish exactly what each expedition will be doing and in which area. The overall design of the trip remains the same, but every year we identify the most interesting and relevant projects.

In Siaya in Western Kenya we are building a Moving Mountains village for destitute people and families; this includes an orphanage, a clinic, a school, a crèche and a vocational centre. It is a highly ambitious project, developed now over 5 years. We are also developing five schools in the region.

In Embu in Eastern Kenya we are slowly renovating a rescue centre for parents and their children and building up a strong medical link in the slums. We run camps and work with all sorts of local organisations to try and prevent the devastating effects of poverty and abuse in the family. We are also supporting a clinic and local school.

In Nyeri in Central Kenya we are running a programme of rehabilitation camps for children, who are living in the slums of this typically African market town on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Projects will include renovation of drop-in centres and clinics which exist to support a community that has almost no Government welfare.

In Nairobi we work in the biggest slum in Africa called Kibera where we have been building and renovating hospitals and schools for many years. The experience is very overwhelming but not in the way you expect. We are very well known in schools like Muthurwa Primary where we run a feeding programme for 650 children, and you will help with that and run camps, renovate classrooms, build hospitals and take the kids on weekend camps to the Rift Valley.

And we are starting a whole new project in Mombasa renovating a centre for about 80 children, where they will be taught aswell as where they can live safely. We already support it through Moving Mountains, but now Africamp will turn it into a big success.

Accommodation

Generally most of your time will be spent in tents. On the mountain we use high quality tents and at the camp or on safari you will sleep in larger walk in safari tents or sometimes in dormitories. On the coast it is very warm and tropical and we pitch our tents close to the sea. We have an excellent base in Nairobi and a very comprehensive office on a site with hot showers, rooms, computer and restaurant.

Food

Food is always plentiful and varied but not always the same as at home. You will have the opportunity to feast on Kenyan and Ethiopian delicacies, game meats, stews, roasted corn, sugar canes and fresh fruit. Lots of vegetables, potatoes, salads and good food is part of the success for a good expedition. For the mountain you get to choose your own food from the supermarkets and we provide pots, stoves and fuel.

Equipment

On this expedition you will experience all sorts of weather conditions from mild cloudy days in Nairobi to hot and sunny ones at the coast. On the mountain temperatures will drop to freezing and there is occasionally some snowfall. Clothing needs to be versatile and fulfil a number of functions. Layering is the key to keeping warm. Adventure Alternative will provide all tents, cooking equipment, transport, food and bottled water.

Vaccinations and Malaria

You should discuss vaccination procedure with your GP several months before departure. Recommended vaccinations include: tetanus, polio and hepatitis. A dental check is also recommended before departure. You will also need to purchase malaria tablets prior to the expedition.

Cost of the Africamp Expedition and what it includes and excludes:
Price includes all pre-expedition organisation and itineraries, all food for the whole month, all internal travel and transport, all project costs, safari equipment, accommodation, national park fees, activities and UK and Kenyan staff.

Price excludes: international air fares to Nairobi (estimate £600), your visa (£35), travel insurance (estimate £70), vaccinations (estimate £30) and malaria tablets (estimate £25) and personal spending money for souvenirs etc (estimate £100).

Adventure Alternative completely funds the overheads of the Moving Mountains charity, ensuring that all donations go to the children and the projects. The Africamp Expedition in particular pays for the rehabilitation camps for many street children and the actual projects you will be carrying out.

Useful web links for Kenya info

Africaguide.com - All you need to know about Kenya (including boring things like time zones, electrical supply details etc!)
CIA World Factbook - Definitive guide on all things political, socio-economic and geographical!
Lonley Planet - Kenya - Kenya section of this well-known guide book
Magical Kenya - Official tourism site for Kenya
Kenya Wildlife Service - Homepage of world renowned wildlife protection service
Foreign and Commonwealth Office - up to date travel news from the British Government

HIV and AIDs - The facts

Many of the most disadvantaged children in Africa are HIV infected. It is likely you will come in contact with children who have HIV - but this should be no reason to treat them any differently. If you have any concerns about the disease please feel free to contact us directly. Or you can check our policies on this website with advice for safe travelling.

To get more info on AIDs and HIV please download the following PDF file.

Notes on Duke of Edinburgh award

The process for using Mount Kenya for your Other Adventurous Project (OAP) has now changed. Below you will see three downloadable Word files - these are important!! To use the climb as an OAP candidates must seek authorisation from the Local Operating Authority who in turn forward your application to the Award office in Windsor. This should be done three months prior to departure ...

We have filled in the areas of the OAP form you may have difficulty with. The blank spaces are for your own details or your supervisor details. Other essential information and tips on how to complete the document is on the Additional Info for OAP application file. You will also find other important information on our LOA (Local Operating Authority) info pack. This can also be printed out for your supervisor / LOA.

If they or you have any questions you should contact the office.

OAP Application form (380Kb)
Additional info of OAP form (30Kb)
D of E LOA pack for Mt Kenya (230Kb)