Year 7 Camp At Disakloof

During the first week of May, the Year 7 group embarked on an exciting camp at Disakloof campgrounds in Betty’s Bay.

We met at school early on Wednesday morning and the students enthusiastically clambered onto the bus in anticipation of their first high school camp. The long trip came to an end, and we were warmly welcomed by the incredible Venture Forth crew at Disakloof.

The camp kicked off with ice breakers and games among the students. Thereafter the students were sent to select their dorms, where they were greeted by a rather terrifying and hairy guest – a passer-by baboon decided to greet the ladies of Blouberg International School right inside their dorm!

After all the excitement and shrieks, we set off on a picturesque hike within the Harold Porter botanical garden. We truly got to immerse ourselves in the natural beauty of the Western Cape by finding King- and Pincushion Proteas growing on the side of the mountains. We even found a small chameleon hiding between the fynbos.

We ended the day off by playing group games in the dark, in the midst of loadshedding.

Thursday comprised of another exciting day filled with adventures. The students were divided into three groups that rotated between three fantastic activities. We got to pay a visit to the penguin sanctuary in Betty’s Bay, where we learned all about penguins, the old whaling station, and we even got to see rehabilitated penguins being released back into the wild. We then had the opportunity to grab hold of some paddles and row on a lovely dam between the reeds and mist from the morning. After a hearty lunch, we trekked to the most impressive sand dunes, where we had the opportunity to practice sandboarding. Beginner students decided to sit down on the board, while the braver souls tried standing up and a few even slid down the hill head-first! Laughs and screams of delight could be heard for kilometers.

We ended off our final evening with a lovely potjie made by the members of each group, as students found a brand-new appreciation for where their dinner comes from.

Friday morning arrived and we could not believe our trip had come to an end. We spent the morning having breakfast, tidying our dorms, and saying goodbye to the wonderful camp counselors. We departed Betty’s Bay just as the rain started to roll in, and we arrived back at BIS, ready to get back to another exciting school week ahead.

Mia Tossel

High School Teacher