EcoTraining’s Rite of Passage – The Sleepout

A “wild night” out with EcoTraining looks slightly different from what one would typically associate with that party hearty term.

The eagerly awaited Sleepout is an EcoTraining rite of passage, a night where one’s senses become heightened to every nocturnal nuance, where you deepen your connection with nature and grow intimate with the sounds and sensations endemic to wild Africa.

Night-time in the African bush is an experience like no other. As the sun slips behind the distant acacias, it’s time to make a fire. Over the coming hours, a small one-log flame will keep the night watch crew awake and warm, create an almost negligible deterrent for predators, heat food, boil water, and enhance the bushveld ambience.

Once the sun has wholly retreated, the stars come out to play. Being detached from the synthetic city glow and the glare of technological devices, students marvel at the celestial bodies and constellations that light up the night sky.

At some point throughout the night, each student must take a turn to keep guard, doing regular flashlight sweeps, stoking the fire, and lapping up the immersive experience. But your hour awake, alert and alone is a magical time. It’s just you, a tiny flame and the dark African wilderness.

As dawn breaks, if you’ve managed to remain asleep, you are awoken by the evocative noises that intensify as the nocturnal creatures send out their final cries and the diurnals greet the day.

The crisp air hits your lungs and brings color to your cheeks. Camp ignites with embellished stories of the evening’s affairs. Coffee from a tin tastes like the finest brew and the crick in your neck feels like an adventure survived. With the lure of a hot shower and cooked breakfast, it’s time to respectfully bow to the bush and head back to the main camp.

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