The Cycle of Life team emphasises diversity and opportunity. There are four permanent team members who will complete the entire expedition, but an additional 15 or so others will join them for certain legs of the trip.

Permanent members

Barty, Jess, Chris and Craig have built the dream behind this expedition and made it a reality. They were students together in Oxford, and now want to see their passion for Africa have a lasting influence on the relationship between rural communities and their natural surroundings.

Centrepoint young people

In collaboration with leading national youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, the Cycle of Life will give the opportunity to a number of homeless young people to experience Africa in a way that may open up their perspectives and enrich their lives.

Xavier and Damian have been chosen to accompany the expedition through Namibia and Botswana. Alongside them will be Centrepoint key worker Zak to make sure the change of scenery isn't too much for them to cope with!

They will have the opportunity to see first-hand the tribulations of African life and the resolute vitality of people who deal with poverty in Africa every day.

Local support in each country

For the duration of our stay in each country we will be guided and hosted by a member of the local community. This person will provide local knowledge about roads and villages where we can stay, not to mention vital translation skills. More importantly, however, he will be able to explain the local viewpoint on the conflicts between rural development and wildlife conservation – exactly what we want to highlight.