With so much to offer, Canada is impossible to dislike! It is a wonderful blend of French, British and indigenous traditions, which give the country a fabulous three dimensional character. It has so much to see and do that you could spend a lifetime there!
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Iceland is situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its unique combination of glaciers and volcanic activity has made it renowned as the Land of Ice and Fire.
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Sweden offers a truly prime location for wilderness exploration, into areas little visited by other tourists. Accompanied by expert local guides, the team can also learn about basic alpine and outdoor skills.
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Borneo’s greatest single attraction is its vast tracts of unspoilt rainforest, amongst the oldest in the world and home to a bewildering variety of animal, bird and plant life. However this is not all that this amazing country has to offer.
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It is no wonder that this fascinating country is experiencing a tourism explosion; it has almost everything!
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Vietnam has it all; a compelling history, a unique and diverse culture, magnificent scenery, welcoming people and culinary delights. Its history is littered with wars, colonisation and rebellion but this troubled past has lead to an enticing country with a fascinating blend of cultural elements.
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Lao is Southeast Asia’s most unspoiled environment. Renowned for its intact cultures, and relaxed, chilled-out approach to everyday life. For the most part Laos remains untouched by the western world and is the perfect destination in which to really lose yourself.
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Nestled between two giants of Asia this breathtaking country has a unique and captivating culture. This coupled with the jaw dropping mountain vistas and the warm, friendly people make it an attractive destination for an expedition.
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India is a cacophony of sights, sounds, smells, and colours. This culturally dense country has so much to offer and you will experience a sensory overload as soon as you step off the plane!
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China is vast, with an incredible mix of cultures, cuisines, landscapes and history. An expedition to the western provinces of Sichuan and Gansu will offer a glimpse of a more traditional way of life in this rapidly modernising country:
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Mongolia offers a true wilderness experience for the expedition team. Nomads still roam the grasslands, travelling where the grass is greenest and weathering the harsh winters before moving on in spring.
Hospitality is a way of life and spending time with a local family will be a real highlight.
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CloseDiscover spectacular mountainous scenery, vast open steppes, stunning architecture and a friendly and welcoming nomadic culture as you follow part of the ancient Silk Route through the Central Asian Republics of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
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Romania is a captivating destination – from majestic castles, painted monasteries and medieval towns to the extensive Transylvanian Alps. It is a country of surreal contrasts as this former Eastern Bloc satellite state absorbs Western culture.
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Emerging late last century from years of communist isolation, Albania is an exciting new destination on the edge of Europe, with a wealth of fascinating history, a distinctive culture and beautiful scenery, from the Ionian coast to a rugged mountainous interior.
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Morocco is one of the most colourful and culturally rich expedition destinations for any team. It is a blend of Africa and the Middle East and brings with it all the excitement and challenge of both.
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From lush green forests to beautiful white sandy beaches, Ghana really will surprise you with all it has to offer. The welcoming people and easy, laid back attitude make Ghana a fantastic option for personal development in a unique and interesting country.
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Uganda offers a mini African experience. It condenses the best that the continent has to offer into one small but beautiful destination. Uganda has everything that you could want from an expedition destination and is rightly described as ‘the Pearl of Africa’.
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Step out into the vast open plains that dominate much of Tanzania and you suddenly feel very small. It is East Africa’s largest country, stretching from the Great Rift Valley to the Indian Ocean, and the scenery is stereotypically African, with seemingly endless savannah teeming with wildlife.
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Kenya has an abundance of magnificent wildlife, stunning scenery and intriguing people. It is no wonder that it is one of Africa’s premier destinations.
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Malawi is renowned for being one of the happiest nations in the world despite it being one of the poorest! Described as ‘the warm heart of Africa’ due to the genuinely friendly natives, you will be accosted with smiles at every turn.
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Zambia consists of mostly road less savannah, and is rich in wildlife and artistic tradition. Despite being a popular destination for travellers of all kinds, Zambia retains its authentic feeling of a wilderness; wild, beautiful and slightly unpredictable!
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Nestled between South Africa and Mozambique, the Kingdom of Swaziland offers the very best of the quintessential African experience, with a famously relaxed atmosphere. Just next door is the Kruger National Park, a wildlife conservation area with outstanding game viewing.
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This is a spectacular country and a great ‘wilderness’ destination. Wedged between the South Atlantic and the Kalahari it offers visitors stunning wildlife, vast open deserts, rugged mountains, will seascapes and intriguing colonial cities.
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The beautiful island of Madagascar is famous for its unusual and exotic wildlife, including lemurs, unique to the island. The landscape ranges from thick forests and mountains to open grasslands and a stunning Indian Ocean coast.
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An expedition to this beautiful country will offer the ultimate Central American experience and a brilliant opportunity for personal development. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, Nicaragua boasts a diverse range of environments and ecosystems.
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Costa Rica’s natural beauty is astounding and this coupled with the laid back pace of life and the extremely friendly locals makes it a very appealing destination!
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The area of Peru from Lima upwards is an ideal expedition destination in that the region has desert stretching out to the coast; the spectacular cordilleras of the Andes running down its spine and the rich Amazon rainforest in the north east.
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The country’s scenery boasts impressive contrasts including the Andean mountains, tropical forests, low-lying ‘pampas’ swamps as well as the bleak and bitterly cold plains of Patagonia.
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Land of fjords, glaciers and long summer days, regular flights to Oslo give easy access Norway’s spectacular highlands, offering wilderness adventures with first class modern infrastructure.
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the process
our support and training
Wilderness Expertise expeditions are either short-haul (expeditions of up to 14 days in length to relatively close destinations), or long-haul (expeditions of up to 28 days in length to destinations anywhere in the world).
The content of these two expedition programmes differs depending on the length of time in-country, the itinerary and the specific needs of the team (for example – we include health and hygiene training for more remote destinations and harsher climates).
The planning and preparation process typically involves the stages described below, although some elements will vary. We provide support every step of the way and we take into account the destination, the type of expedition or project, the school’s ethos and also its location. Here is a taster of a UK2 training expedition:
An initial visit to the school by one of the Wilderness Expertise team gives us the opportunity to talk about the school’s broad aims and objectives, as well as possible destinations.
Long haul expeditions generally require 15-18 months to allow time for itinerary planning, choice of project, raising funds and training.
For short haul destinations, the whole process takes 12-18 months to allow for itinerary planning, choice of project and training.
One of our Expedition Managers will come and give a presentation at your school to students in the agreed year groups. This is crucial to give them an outline of the expedition, the destination, the personal development outcomes and what the whole process will involve.
The presentation will take roughly 10-15 minutes. Afterwards students who are interested in applying to go on the expedition are given a letter which invites their parents to a more detailed presentation.
This is a crucial stage in launching the expedition as parental support is essential to the formation of a successful team. We give a detailed presentation on all aspects of the expedition, emphasising the benefits and value to participants. Parents are also informed on key issues including safety, supervision, training, insurance, medical cover and finance. This is followed by time for questions so that parents can feel fully informed and aware.
Following the presentation, we will invite those parents who wish to sponsor their son’s or daughter’s application to complete the relevant form and return it to the teacher at school.
This is generally for long haul teams. Once members of the expedition team have been confirmed, their Expedition Manager will come to the school hold a workshop to develop an appropriate strategy for raising funds. This will take place after school and normally lasts approximately one hour.
After this discussion, raising funds becomes the team’s responsibility, allowing them to work together as a group and start to take ownership of the process. They will also be encouraged to come up with an individual fundraising plan.
At this stage the team will begin to focus on what they want to do and where they want to go within their expedition destination. This is their opportunity to design their own itinerary with the support and guidance of their Expedition Leader. For long haul expeditions this typically occurs over a weekend with the team staying overnight at the school. Short haul destinations have an itinerary planning day when the Expedition Leader will work with the team to help them put together an exciting and challenging itinerary.
For long haul teams, given the length of time in the build up to the expedition, there may be a long gap between the UK1 and UK2 training sessions. We therefore offer a Theme Evening, this is a great opportunity for the team to focus on their expedition and students can present their provisional itinerary to their parents. This is also an occasion for parents to meet their Expedition Leader for the first time.
This is generally for long haul teams. Wilderness Expertise provides a one-day health and hygiene course designed to empower students with a certain level of responsibility for their safety and wellbeing, both individuality and as a team. The course includes guidance on how to keep team members safe from illness and accidents.
For short haul expeditions this is their second training. It usually lasts 3 days and involves camping and hiking in an appropriate location in the UK. For long haul teams the training is over 4 days. The aim of the UK2 is to push the team outside their comfort zone in a safe and supported environment. The location and activities will reflect whatever challenges the team have chosen in their destination.
This is a training weekend in the Brecon Beacons:
The day before departure the entire team gathers for their Build-Up Day, normally held at the school. This is when the expedition is handed over to the Expedition Leader and school staff, who together make up the expedition’s Adult Leader Team. It begins with a comprehensive handover by the Expedition Manager and Director, or another senior member of Wilderness Expertise staff.
The Expedition Leader then coordinates all arrangements, meeting with the team and going through documentation, equipment and supplies. The Leader will give a final briefing on health, in-country information and any last-minute updates. On completion of all briefings and checks the team departs for the airport.
After months of planning, training and fundraising, it is time for the students, guided by their Expedition Leader and school staff, to make their expedition happen!
Throughout the expedition, Wilderness Expertise remains in contact with the progress of the group by means of regular call-ins by the Expedition Leader arranged prior to departure. Each team is also required to send a group email to parents midway through their expedition.
An expedition is not over when the team returns home! Equipment needs to be cleaned and checked, accounts finalised, thank you letters written and various other loose ends tied up.
All team members who have successfully completed the expedition will get a Certificate of Achievement, an Expedition Report and an individual report from the Expedition Leader.
Participants will also receive an ASDAN Universities Award. ASDAN state that the level of pre-departure training and elements of personal development included in a Wilderness Expertise expedition meet the needs of this award.
UK Programmes Co-ordinator Fulltime role working both in Reading and home-based Permanent Starts April 2022 Salary £20,000 to £24,000 Wilderness Expertise is an innovative personal development organisation, with a focus on the delivery of high quality, tailored expeditions and programmes for young people. We have operated for over 25yrs and...
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