FAMILY CAMP AT KOMDOMO, BAVIANSKLOOF
14TH, 15TH & 16TH OCTOBER 2011
Enjoy a fun-filled, interesting survival course structured to suit the whole family!
The course will touch on a few of the topics below:
- the steps to build shelters using your surroundings and natural matter such as branches, leaves, grass – we will touch on this only as families will sleep in their own tents or in the large group tent
- how to collect water
- fire making without matches or firelighters but with sticks, stones, flint and the correct natural fuel generating material
- orientation with and without compasses
- bush foods and what to eat and what not to eat when you are starving
- first aid situations and natural items to assist
- plant, tree and animal identification, what kills and what does not, what is useful and what should be avoided
These seem to be basic skills, which we have forgotten with the ‘creature comforts’ of life and the influences of the modern world. The course will assist you with the rediscovery of nature and to listen, hear and learn from it again.
There are many advantages of training families in wilderness survival skills:
· less likely to become lost while in wilderness areas. Think about a possible breakdown or emergency airplane landing?
- if they do become lost, they are much more likely to survive the experience
- knowing the skills and spending time out in the bush practicing them gives them a greatly enhanced appreciation of the natural world
- increased self-confidence from knowing they can take care of themselves and others
- it’s fun and so they are doing something that makes them happy
- it’s a fantastic way to spend time with your friends and family
The senior instructor on the course, from Alive Survival School is Rob McQueen. He has grown up around holistic people and has always had a deep appreciation for nature and all that it can offer. Agricultural college, Special Forces training and being a game ranger for 16 years with bush fire fighting during the winter seasons provided Rob the base to make a living out of his passion for the environment. His knowledge and practical application of all he has learnt from his sometimes extreme experiences have been appreciated by the many field rangers and fire fighting crews that have had the privilege of learning from him. During this period he realized people, even qualified staff, did not know where North was and that they had a limited knowledge of their surroundings and it was out of this realization and passion that Alive Survival School was born.
The Baviaanskloof Komdomo gate is a scenic 120km drive from Port Elizabeth through Hankey and Patensie and is suitable for sedan vehicles. Baviaanskloof (Valley of the Baboons) is one of eight protected areas of the Cape Floristic Region and boasts World Heritage Site status. Seven of South Africa’s eight biomes (major natural regions) are represented here – fynbos, forest, grassland, succulent Karoo, nama-karoo, sub-tropical thicket and savanna. Amongst an abundant wildlife the reserve boasts with three of the big five namely black rhino, Cape buffalo and the Cape leopard. The campsite has ablutions with flush toilets and running water which is needed for the smaller children.
Survival course participants will stay in their own tents or the large group tent. They should bring along a sleeping bag, warm jacket, hiking boots, thick socks, hat, sun block, long pants, shorts, swimming costume as well as any required medication, which needs to be reported to instructors. Optional items to bring along are leather gloves, folding knife, binoculars and a camera. They should bring along one canned food item per meal for their duration on the course as well as a potato for each dinner.
The usual cost is R600 per person for weekend course but for a family of 2 or more we can reduce the rate to R400 per person for the whole weekend which would include campsite fees too.
We urge you to join us for an interesting fun filled learning experience in the bush with the whole family!