Kent Scouts Expedition to South Africa

26th July - 18th August 2009

The original expedition to Republic of Congo was unfortunately cancelled due to the announcement of Presidential elections in the Congo 6 weeks before the expedition was due to arrive.

The expedition was advised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that it would be unsafe to travel to the Congo during July and August this year as civil unrest was likely to occur and the safety of the expedition members was paramount.

This was a great disappointment to us all as we had been fund raising and planning the expedition for the past 18 months. However, we managed to arrange an alternative expedition, at very short notice, to South Africa.

This destination provided a very suitable alternative providing an African experience, with enhanced wildlife exposure and conservation projects. It was achieved within the existing timescale and within the current budget, so no additional cost was incurred and the expedition management team remained fully committed to providing an incredible African experience for all participants.

The original business case, which had been agreed by Kent Scouts was rewritten for the South Africa trip and the risk assessment was adapted. A new application was submitted to the Young Explorer Trust and was given approval.

The kit list, risk assessment and vaccination programme were reviewed and altered as the expedition would be in a colder climate than the Republic of Congo and there was less chance of problems with heat, water borne diseases and malaria.

The expedition travelled around South Africa visiting 5 distinct areas:-