Be a Local Experiences

24/09/2020

On this day (24 September), South Africans are celebrating their culture and the diversity of their beliefs and traditions, in the wider context of a nation that belongs to all its people.

We Would Like to Wish All Our Friends and Communities a HAPPY HERITAGE DAY.

23/03/2020

❗️An important update for our travellers. Due to the continuing evolving COVID-19 global pandemic, Be a Local Experiences has made the difficult but necessary decision to suspend our tours for the whole year of 2020. The safety and security of our travellers, local staff and the communities is our top priority.

Any traveller booked on a tour with us will be contacted personally. If you have any questions, please contact us through our contact page .

🙏Stay home. Stay healthy. Stay virtually together.

19/03/2020

🌟“Africa changes you forever like nowhere else. Once you have been there you will never be the same.” - Brian Jackman🍯

🙏And we totally agree.

🌍First you are speechless, then full of stories. A trip to Africa will change you!

16/03/2020

A letter from the South African President...

We will keep you up to date what is happening with the Coronavirus and what we are going to do with our program.

Stay healthy 🙏🏼!

14/03/2020

🌟“Joining the African Community Immersion Program in South Africa has been one of the best experiences in my entire life. I got to learn about local cultures and have the opportunity to give back to the communities. I also had the opportunity to discover wildlife on safari and learn about Nature Conservation. Last but not least, all the activities were incredibly interesting and a lot of fun. Outstanding program!” - William, Australia🙏

👐Want to experience it yourself? Send us a message and we’re happy to get in contact with you!

12/03/2020

🌟Have you ever been on a safari?⭐

👐Our program is located in the amazing accommodation at Hunters Lodge which is located at the Kariega Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

👪Kariega Game Reserve is a family-owned and operated Big 5 private safari reserve located in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The reserve is situated along the Garden Route, making it the perfect South African safari destination to compliment a Cape Town visit and a trip along the country’s beautiful coast.

09/03/2020

🌟An Elephant never forgets…🐘

🚙like you will never forget a trip with us!

05/03/2020

⭐Have you ever built your own ceramic artwork?

🍯It might look super easy but it’s actually not. Learn from Meshack, who is a local entrepreneur that started a ceramic business.

🙌Fun guaranteed!

03/03/2020

✨Happy World Wildlife Day!✨

🌍World Wildlife Day has now become the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife.

👏🏼Today we are celebrating the special place of wild plants and animals in their many varied and beautiful forms of the world’s biological diversity!

02/03/2020

✨What’s the easiest way to connect with locals?✨

❗️Through sports!

⚽️Work together with sport coaches and play against local teams of Netball, Football and Soccer. Local teams are not able to travel much. Playing a game against another team is a very good practice for local teams.

👏🏼Sounds like fun, right?

26/02/2020

Today we are at The University of Queensland to talk about our amazing African Community Immersion Program 🥰

⚠️From now for the next 24 hours we offer $500 discount and only $99 to secure yout spot 🎉
Contact us for more information ✈️

23/02/2020

This Wednesday, the 26th of February, we will be at UQ Market day with some amazing deals 💥

We don't want anyone to miss out. So we decided to give access to one of our offers to everyone, even if you can't join us🦁

For only 24 hours we will give a $500 discount & you will be able to secure your spot with just $99 for two dates:

1. 29th of june - 13th of July
Only a few spots left

2. 7th of December - 21st of December
New dates, we just released them due to high demand

Contact us if you have any questions.

⚠️This offer will only be available this Wednesday⚠️

22/02/2020

Smile. It's Saturday and you're the king of the Savannah 😁

Picture thanks to Kariega Game Reserve field guide Keryn Nieuwoudt.

"Smile, it's the weekend!" Caption and photo thanks to field guide Keryn Nieuwoudt.

19/02/2020

Are you in Brisbane next week?
You should come to visit our stall at the UQ Market Day!
We will have games, discounts, offers and a chance to win a FREE TRIP + FLIGHTS with us! 💥

Date: 26th of February between 10am to 2pm
Location: Great Court, University of Queensland

See you there 🦏🐘🦓🦁🐃🐗

17/02/2020

We are very happy to announce the partnership with the Swiss Charity Inspower Community. The new partnership would allow you to actually experience the life in the communities that Inspower Community supports 🥰

Happy Monday everybody⁠ ✨
⁠
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴠɪꜱɪᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛꜱ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪɴ ꜱᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴀꜰʀɪᴄᴀ? Would you like to experience the local culture and the beautiful South African wildlife on safari? ⁠
⁠
We have a new partnership that would allow you to actually experience the life in the communities we support: the social enterprise Be a Local Experiences, in collaboration with the Kariega Foundation. Please head to its website to learn more at www.bealocalexperiences.com

11/02/2020

Would you like to know more about what we do?

Check Kariega's new blog article about our Innovative Travel Experience, we call it Travel with Purpose 💥

Link: http://bit.ly/BeALocalExperiencesBlog

Our Kariega Foundation recently completed the design of an innovative South African travel experience in collaboration with Australian social enterprise Be a Local Experiences. Guests access authentic local experiences including Xhosa culture, sport, wildlife & community development.

Find out more on our blog, including details of how to enquire and book: https://www.kariega.co.za/blog/go-local-innovative-south-african-travel-experience

Photos thanks to Sophie Smith.

06/02/2020

Can you guess what animals we encountered? 🦓🐃🦒🐘🦏🦉🐗

03/02/2020

Part 2 of the interview between our coordinator Luzuko with Siiya. Siiya is a young entrepreneur who runs a small business, the The Aloes Tour Company, in the community of Ekuphumleni.

This is an extraordinary story of commitment and drive to get out of poverty and unemployment.

Luzuko asked Siiya what advise would he give to other business owners and he suggested: "research, research and ask the right questions to the right people".
Do you agree with Siiya?

01/02/2020

We Need a Digital Strategist! 💥

Are you looking to join a Travel company? We are expanding and are looking for someone who wants to make a difference and wants a flexible work schedule.
Please tag any friend that might be interested and feel free to share this to help us find the right person. 🙌

You can find all the information in the picture. Don't hesitate to contact us, should you have any questions.

Deadline: 15th of February

Apply by sending your CV with a 1-page plan/strategy for Social Media and/or SEO.

01/02/2020

Good news for the animals in South Africa! 🥳

Hopefully by July 2020 there will be new guidelines that will ban all wildlife interaction, walking with predators or elephants, interacting with predators or riding wildlife activities in the country. Unnatural interactions with animals require harmful training techniques that leave lasting catastrophic effects.

The new criteria are strict, disqualifying a tourism company should they break the following rules:
1. No performance animals
2. No more touching
3. No more animals walking with and next to humans
4. No tactile interactions with predators or cetaceans
5. No more riding

More information can be found here:
https://m.traveller24.com/News/satsa-clarifies-its-guidelines-in-light-of-erroneous-wildlife-ban-reports-20200129-2

The issue of canned lion hunting, lion bone trade and the rife poaching of our rhino population have been contentious issues over the years, prompting movements to improve animal interactions and responsible tourism practices.

30/01/2020

We Need a Digital Strategist! 💥

Are you looking to join a Travel company? We are expanding and are looking for someone who wants to make a difference and wants a flexible work schedule.

Please tag any friend that might be interested and feel free to share this to help us find the right person. 🙌

You can find all the information in the picture. Don't hesitate to contact us, should you have any questions.

27/01/2020

Have you ever wanted to experience ‘the real’ Africa? Or do you feel like you need to get away into nature?
You can experience culture and African wildlife whilst giving back to the community of Ekuphumleni that you will be traveling within.

Learn more at www.bealocalexperiences.com/programs

Safari pictures taken at the Kariega Game Reserve

26/01/2020

Curious about the day to day on our program? 🦓

Comment "yes" for the pdf itinerary 💥

Join us for "off the beaten path" travel and give back to the community as you do it 🥰

24/01/2020

On Friday, everyone feels fearless 😎
How do you think the lion felt? 😲

Video taken by David Rushmere at Kariega Game Reserve, our in-country partner.

21/01/2020

We are very proud that as a Social Enterprise we are able to ensure that our community development approach is ethical and sustainable.

As part of this approach, every time you book a trip with Be a Local Experiences, you support the education of a student for a year.

20/01/2020

These beautiful breathtaking beaches are just 15 minutes drive from our accommodation.

Can you picture yourself here enjoying a cold drink with friends at sunset? 🍻

Imagine looking forward to a Monday like this 😍

Happy Monday to everyone!

18/01/2020

Part 1 of the interview between our coordinator Luzuko Kolo with Siiya. Siiya is a young entrepreneur who runs a small business, the The Aloes Tour Company, in the community of Ekuphumleni.

This is an extraordinary story of commitment and drive to get out of poverty and unemployment.

15/01/2020

Have ever seen a group of giraffes walking in a line?

Video credit: Chris Gilchrest
Location: Kariega Game Reserve

11/01/2020

The South African way to warm up before a soccer game: dancing, singing, and smiling 😍