WELCOME TO ACADEMIA NATURALIS!

The Garden Route Natural Science Research Facility is located at Buffalo Creek Appaloosa Horse Stud in The Crags, Western Cape of South Africa.

We support green projects and socially responsible developments and are always in need of students wishing to glean practical experience assisting with project management. As a student or graduate, you are welcome to come to lend a hand with our Natural Science Library, a Herbarium, the Reforestation Programme and other upcoming projects.

If you are more of the adventurous type and all this sounds too boring to you, enquire about our Gap Year programmes either in South Africa, Botswana or Namibia working with wildlife and academic institutions including social development initiatives.

Our Programmes

Gap year safari

We combine an overland safari with interaction in various communities in neighbouring countries lending a helping hand at their villages with materials and your labour. You will get to enjoy social interaction in these villages and experience some very rural living conditions. Our vehicles are made for the African bush and come fully equipped with camping gear. On your journey leaving the ocean and mountains behind you head through deserts and mopane forests, through game reserves, national parks and wilderness areas meeting a diversity of cultures and people.

You get to explore old San rock art caves and look for medicinal plants and learn some basic survival skills. We are privileged in this part of the world to be able to experience rock art dating between 6 000 - 70 000 years of age and many stone age sites stretching from the coastal region to the interior.

Universities

We are interested in the application and testing of basic science in applied contexts in conservation biology, ecotoxicology, human health, and social injustices derived from over-exploitation of the indigenous natural resources in our particular geographical biome. Full integrative research, crossing levels of all mentioned sciences, from molecular mechanics to global systems and interrelationships, linking theory with our own data analysis interpreted through the use of statistical and mathematical tools, using natural history sciences to guide the development and testing of rigorous accepted conceptual frameworks and designing and formulating alternative methods and hypothesis.

Volunteering

Gap Year Students and Volunteers mainly differentiate themselves by the period of time spent with us. We respect everybody who wants to have a positive influence on our world and environment.

Volunteering is rather the short stay integration we find within the holiday period some people only have available, and very often it involves tailor-making to a specific small group or individual requests and their specific interests too.