'A' Level Low? Fill in that gap year & grab yourself some star quality appeal in Africa!

The ‘A’ level results are in, but you’ve missed out on a place at your chosen university.  According to thisismoney.co.uk, you won’t be alone, but using your time wisely could give you star quality appeal and leave other candidates out in the cold.

Of course, there are heaps of travel opportunities around to fill in that awesome gap year, so where do we come in? OK, we don’t cover gap experiences per se, however, we do offer a host of short stint voluntours and overland trips of up to 58 days that will get you under the skin of Africa, whether its conservation or community based tourism that floats your boat.

Why not start your gap year with an overland experience and hit the open road on our 46-day Ultimate African Adventure. The positives?...

1. You’ll meet a bunch of adventure-minded people, and who knows, maybe a few safari sidekicks you can hook up with after the tour is over.
2. If you haven’t been to Africa before you’ll have a better appreciation of the differing cultures by the end of the trip, and you’ll be brimming with confidence if you’re aiming to go it alone.
3. While our voluntours are based on shorter stints you’ll still be developing a new skill set to help you shine at that all important interview - whether you’re planning to study or put your first step on the career ladder on your return home.

Before we leave you to mull over the options in our current brochure  we’d like to give a shout out to the "Keep Flying" campaign team, as they are aiming to break a Guinness World Record tomorrow (at the Vodacom Tri-Nations Test Match to be held at FNB Stadium in Soweto), by attempting to have the most flags flown in one stadium at one time.  Good luck guys we’ll be flying one too!

And as it’s Friday we couldn’t resist leaving you with this mug shot courtesy of the Skinny Backpacker – Egypt’s answer to Mr. Ed! In fact, strangely enough we think we've found the long lost brother of said camel in our current photo-library!!!

Highly intelligent herbivore with strong sense of family seeks “one hour” dates with adventurers

Some blind dates might leave you wondering why you turned up in the first place, but if you're romancing the Silverback, then we can give you our undoubted assurance that you'll be itching to book another encounter. 

Travelling on a budget - don't worry, as we have plenty of overland options including the 28-day Game Parks & Gorillas experience and the 18-day Mountain Gorillas To The Mara itinerary – the ideal adventure for those short on time.

Michelle Lewis, aka the Acacia Wild Bunch also has some great gorilla viewing tips (page 63) to dole out in AfricaFreak’s Safari 101 E-guide. The downloadable handbook has specific sections dedicated to areas like photography, game walks, voluntourism, and so much more – "real life" safari experts giving you their insider knowledge on what to do, where to go and what to bring. All in all, a great tool to use when planning your next adventure in Africa!

Gorilla viewing certainly tops the list when it comes to Uganda, but we'll leave you with our top five “must dos” when it comes to the Pearl of Africa...

1. Come face to face with a Mountain Gorilla
2. Be amazed at the intelligence of Chimpanzees
3. Check out the great lakes of Queen Elizabeth National Park
4. Gaze upon the source of the River Nile at Jinja
5. Take a boat trip on Lake Victoria - Africa's largest lake

And don’t forget book before 31 August and save 30% on all our September and October overland departures!

Last Chance To Keep Flying & 40% Off...WE LIKE!!!

It’s your last chance to fly the flag for SA this Friday (woohoooooooooooo! – awwww c’mon!!!!!!), but even if that’s not your chosen destination, we do have some action packed tours for you to feast your itchy feet on! And yes, if you were wondering...this flag! Yes this is THE ONE!!!!...

Let’s face it, overlanding has always been the best option when it comes to value added Africa, but we’re slashing our August departure tour prices by 40%, so now, you can spend longer on the continent and splurge more of your hard earned cash on the holiday. Can't be bad!!!

(Save £118pp) 6-day African Insight only £177pp + local payment from £100pp.  Experience game drives in the Kruger, a wildlife cruise on the Chobe River and splash your extra cash on adrenaline antics in Livingstone, Africa’s adventure capital. Departing 12 and 26 August.

(Save £238pp) 13-day Kenya & Tanzania Adventure only £357pp + local payment from £314pp. Make more of the Masai Mara and sample the Spice Island, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater for less.  With extra cash to spare, you can extend the tour with a city stay in the cultural capital of Nairobi, your final destination.  Departing 15 & 22 August.

(Save £298pp) 22-day Zanzibar, Victoria Falls & Kruger only £447pp + local payment from £239pp.  Enjoy the dizzy heights of the bungy in Livingstone, sample the wildlife by boat on the Chobe River, by 4X4 in the Kruger and make more of Lake Malawi, with horse riding, scuba-diving, sailing and village walks offered as optional activities.  Departing 17, 24 and 31 August.

The catch – book before 31 August? What catch?!!! We agree – hahaha..., but wait a minute…you can also save up to 30% on September and October departures and 20% on November and December departures. Overland departures include all camping/accommodation, most meals and services of a local guide &/or driver. Excludes return flight. Acacia Africa (020 7706 4700; info@acacia-africa.com; www.acacia-africa.com) ATOL No. 6499 and ABTA No. W4093 PROTECTED.

All prices through Acacia Africa: Still trying to pin that number one destination down...aha!!!  Gotcha!!!