Dates and Prices 2011/12 Season
General Surveyors
Below is a list of dates and prices for the general surveyor expeditions with Operation Wallacea in the 2011/12 season. The expeditions run for approximately a fortnight and are divided into expeditions. The dates given below show both the date of departure from the expedition start location as well as the return date for each expedition.
When making travel arrangements, it is essential that you arrive at the start location by the times noted in each section. The earliest time you can depart on the expedition end date is also noted. For more details on the journey to and from the expedition sites, please see the "Information for Volunteers" section for each specific country.
Indonesia
Honduras
Egypt
South Africa/Mozambique
Cuba
Peru
Madagascar
Guyana
Mexico and Guatemala
The start point of the expeditions depends on which point you will be doing first. If you are joining the Lambusango forests programme, expeditions start in Bau Bau on Buton Island in SE Sulawesi on Thursday at 1300hrs. If you are joining the North Buton programme first, the expeditions start at Ereke on Buton Island in SE Sulawesi on Thursday at 1300hs. If you are joining the marine based programme first, the expeditions start in Bau Bau on Buton Island in SE Sulawesi on Thursday at 1800hrs.
The expedition end times vary depending whether your last week is in the forest or on the marine site. Note all those going to the North Buton site will be finishing in Bau Bau. The finish point for those returning from the marine sites will be in Bau Bau on Thursday at 0700hrs whilst for those returning from the Lambusango programme, the finish will be in Bau Bau on Thursday at 1200hrs.
General Surveyors can join the programme in any week except week 1.
You need to book your international flights to arrive in Indonesia on the Tuesday evening before your expedition at one of the following three entry points: Jakarta, Bali (Denpasar) or Makassar. On the Wednesday night, you will overnight in Kendari and on the Thursday will travel by boat to Bau Bau (for the Lambusango and marine expeditions) or Ereke for the North Buton programme. For the UK students, STA (opwall@statravel.co.uk) have organised package flights to Kendari with a local travel agent partner to manage local flights. The STA package includes all your travel to and from the start points of either Bau Bau or Ereke. If you are starting from outside the UK, you need to organise your flights to Jakarta, Bali (Denpasar) or Makassar and your local Opwall office will put you in touch with a local travel agent to organise the rest of your travel. Your return flights from Jakarta, Bali (Denpasar) and Makassar can be arranged from the Friday after your expedition. Note you are responsible for your travel costs up until the start time of the expeditions and from the end point of the expeditions.
Indonesia 2011
|
Expedition Week Number |
Start date in Bau Bau or Ereke | Finish Date in Bau Bau |
| 2 | Thursday 30 June 2011 | Thursday 07 July 2011 |
| 3 | Thursday 07 July 2011 | Thursday 14 July 2011 |
| 4 | Thursday 14 July 2011 | Thursday 21 July 2011 |
| 5 | Thursday 21 July 2011 | Thursday 28 July 2011 |
| 6 | Thursday 28 July 2011 | Thursday 04 August 2011 |
| 7 | Thursday 04 August 2011 | Thursday 11 August 2011 |
| 8 | Thursday 11 August 2011 | Thursday 18 August 2011 |
| 9 | Thursday 18 August 2011 | Thursday 25 August 2011 |
| 10 | Thursday 25 August 2011 | Thursday 01 September 2011 |
Indonesia 2012
|
Expedition Week Number |
Start date in Bau Bau or Ereke | Finish Date in Bau Bau |
| 2 | Thursday 28 June 2012 | Thursday 05 July 2012 |
| 3 | Thursday 05 July 2012 | Thursday 12 July 2012 |
| 4 | Thursday 12 July 2012 | Thursday 19 July 2012 |
| 5 | Thursday 19 July 2012 | Thursday 26 July 2012 |
| 6 | Thursday 26 July 2012 | Thursday 02 August 2012 |
| 7 | Thursday 02 August 2012 | Thursday 09 August 2012 |
| 8 | Thursday 09 August 2012 | Thursday 16 August 2012 |
| 9 | Thursday 16 August 2012 | Thursday 23 August 2012 |
| 10 | Thursday 23 August 2012 | Thursday 30 August 2012 |
Expeditions start in San Pedro Sula on Wednesday at 0700hrs (if you are starting in the forest) or 0900hrs (if you are starting with a marine project) and finish in San Pedro Sula on Tuesday at 1200hrs. You will need to book your flight into San Pedro Sula on the Tuesday before the expedition and contact Maya Temple Tours (dennis@mayatempletours.com) who will arrange for your airport transfer and hotel accommodation for the night. You can book your flight leaving San Pedro Sula anytime after 1400hrs on the Tuesday at the end of expedition. In order to ensure that university volunteers have the various training courses available to them, those joining as Research Assistants or Dissertation/Thesis students can only join the project in odd numbered weeks (in bold). All volunteers move between the forest and the marine site in odd numbered weeks. Thus if you join for 4 weeks, you need to choose either two options from the forest and two from the marine side or choose all 4 options from either the marine or the forest side. General Surveyors can join the programme in any week.
Honduras 2011
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in San Pedro Sula | Finish date in San Pedro Sula |
| 1 | Wednesday 08 June 2011 | Tuesday 14 June 2011 |
| 2 | Wednesday 15 June 2011 | Tuesday 21 June 2011 |
| 3 | Wednesday 22 June 2011 | Tuesday 28 June 2011 |
| 4 | Wednesday 29 June 2011 | Tuesday 05 July 2011 |
| 5 | Wednesday 06 July 2011 | Tuesday 12 July 2011 |
| 6 | Wednesday 13 July 2011 | Tuesday 19 July 2011 |
| 7 | Wednesday 20 July 2011 | Tuesday 26 July 2011 |
| 8 | Wednesday 27 July 2011 | Tuesday 02 August 2011 |
| 9 | Wednesday 03 August 2011 | Tuesday 09 August 2011 |
| 10 | Wednesday 10 August 2011 | Tuesday 16 August 2011 |
Honduras 2012
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in San Pedro Sula | Finish date in San Pedro Sula |
| 1 | Wednesday 06 June 2012 | Tuesday 12 June 2012 |
| 2 | Wednesday 13 June 2012 | Tuesday 19 June 2012 |
| 3 | Wednesday 20 June 2012 | Tuesday 26 June 2012 |
| 4 | Wednesday 27 June 2012 | Tuesday 03 July 2012 |
| 5 | Wednesday 04 July 2012 | Tuesday 10 July 2012 |
| 6 | Wednesday 11 July 2012 | Tuesday 17 July 2012 |
| 7 | Wednesday 18 July 2012 | Tuesday 24 July 2012 |
| 8 | Wednesday 25 July 2012 | Tuesday 31 July 2012 |
| 9 | Wednesday 01 August 2012 | Tuesday 07 August 2012 |
| 10 | Wednesday 08 August 2012 | Tuesday 14 August 2012 |
Egypt
The Sinai expeditions to the St Katherine Protectorate start from the town of St Katherine at 1200hrs on a Sunday and finish in Dahab at 0800hrs on a Saturday. The cheapest way to travel is to organise a return flight to Sharm el Sheikh that arrives before 0800hrs on the Sunday and that leaves after 1400hrs on the Saturday. Then contact our Egyptian partners, the Nature and Science Foundation (NSF). The will organise for you to be met at the airport and taken by coach to St Katherine and will also organise your return (cost approx $50 for the return transfers). If you arrive early they can also organise accommodation for you in a Bedouin camp in Wadi Mandar for approximately $25 per person dinner and accommodation.
Egypt 2011
| Expedition Number | Start date in St Katherine | Finish date in Dahab |
| 1 | Sunday 10 July 2011 | Saturday 23 July 2011 |
| 2 | Sunday 24 July 2011 | Saturday 06 August 2011 |
| 3 | Sunday 31 July 2011 | Saturday 13 August 2011 |
| 4 | Sunday 07 August 2011 | Saturday 20 August 2011 |
Egypt 2012
| Expedition Number | Start date in St Katherine | Finish date in Dahab |
| 1 | Sunday 08 July 2012 | Saturday 21 July 2012 |
| 2 | Sunday 22 July 2012 | Saturday 04 August 2012 |
| 3 | Sunday 29 July 2012 | Saturday 11 August 2012 |
| 4 | Sunday 05 August 2012 | Saturday 18 August 2012 |
South Africa/Mozambique
The expeditions start on a Saturday at 0800hrs and finish on a Friday at 1200hrs. However, the start locations vary for the different projects. For the Kruger projects, the projects start and finish from the Inzikazi Camp in the Mdluli Concession at Pretoriuskop, whilst the KZN projects start and finish at the Zululand Rhino Reserve near to the town of Mkhuze. The Lalongane projects in Mozambique also start from the Zululand Rhino Reserve. If you are working on the Kruger or Pongola projects before you join the southern Mozambique projects you will be transferred to the site without needing to return to Zululand Rhino Reserve. The easiest way to get to these start points is to organise your flight to Johannesburg to arrive by 0800hrs on the Friday before your expedition and then contact Wildlife Ecological Investments (clive@wei.org.za) the NGO that organises the logistics for the research programmes to arrange for your overland return transfers from the airport (7-8 hours) and first night's accommodation. You will be responsible for these costs £195 (approx $350) before the expedition start time. You can book your return flights after 2100hrs on the Friday at the end of your expedition.
If you are doing a project in the Waterberg, the start point would be the Research Camp in either Welgevonden or Lapalala (you will know this after submitting your proposal). Transfers from Johannesburg airport to Waterberg, which take approximately 3-4 hours can be arranged by WEI for £95 (approx $170).
If you are wanting to combine the Waterberg sites with Mozambique you will need to return to Johannesburg after and take an overland return transfer to Mozambique.
Note those joining as General Surveyors can do so in weeks 3-9.
South Africa 2011
| Expedition Week Number | Start date | Finish date |
| 3 | Saturday 25 June 2011 | Friday 01 July 2011 |
| 4 | Saturday 02 July 2011 | Friday 08 July 2011 |
| 5 | Saturday 09 July 2011 | Friday 15 July 2011 |
| 6 | Saturday 16 July 2011 | Friday 22 July 2011 |
| 7 | Saturday 23 July 2011 | Friday 29 July 2011 |
| 8 | Saturday 30 July 2011 | Friday 05 August 2011 |
| 9 | Saturday 06 August 2011 | Friday 12 August 2011 |
| 10 | Saturday 13 August 2011 | Friday 19 August 2011 |
South Africa 2012
| Expedition Week Number | Start date | Finish date |
| 3 | Saturday 23 June 2012 | Friday 29 June 2012 |
| 4 | Saturday 30 July 2012 | Friday 06 July 2012 |
| 5 | Saturday 07 July 2012 | Friday 13 July 2012 |
| 6 | Saturday 14 July 2012 | Friday 20 July 2012 |
| 7 | Saturday 21 July 2012 | Friday 27 July 2012 |
| 8 | Saturday 28 July 2012 | Friday 03 August 2012 |
| 9 | Saturday 04 August 2012 | Friday 10 August 2012 |
| 10 | Saturday 11 August 2012 | Friday 17 August 2012 |
The expeditions start and finish on a Friday at 0800 at the Colony Hotel, Isla de la Juventud, and finish on a Thursday at 1400hrs at the same locations. You need to book your international flights to Havana and then take a Cubana Air flight from Havana to the town of Nueva Gerona on the Isla de la Juventud. Most volunteers are going to be staying at the Colony Hotel on the Thursday night so you may need to arrive in Havana by the Wednesday night before your expedition and overnight there.
On the return journey you would need to organise your flights from Nueva Gerona on the Thursday afternoon and could either overnight in Havana or take an evening flight home from Havana airport.
Once you have your international flights to Havana booked you will need to organise your travel to and from the expedition start and finish points, and for any accommodation needed in Cuba outside the expedition times. These arrangements are most cost effectively made by emailing Ernesto at our Cuban travel agent partners, Quick Viaggi (quickviaggi@enet.cu). You just need to email your full name, passport number, nationality and arrival and departure flight details, and he will organise your accommodation and transfers to meet your international flights much more cost effectively than arranging it from outside Cuba. Note that General Surveyors can join on a number of dates for a 2 weeks expedition.
Cuba 2011
| Expedition Week Number | Start date on the Isle of Youth | Finish date on the Isle of Youth |
| 1 | Friday 24 June 2011 | Thursday 07 July 2011 |
| 2 | Friday 01 July 2011 | Thursday 14 July 2011 |
| 3 | Friday 08 July 2011 | Thursday 21 July 2011 |
| 4 | Friday 15 July 2011 | Thursday 28 July 2011 |
| 5 | Friday 22 July 2011 | Thursday 04 August 2011 |
Cuba 2012
| Expedition Week Number | Start date on the Isle of Youth | Finish date on the Isle of Youth |
| 1 | Friday 22 June 2012 | Thursday 05 July 2012 |
| 2 | Friday 29 June 2012 | Thursday 12 July 2012 |
| 3 | Friday 06 July 2012 | Thursday 19 July 2012 |
| 4 | Friday 13 July 2012 | Thursday 26 July 2012 |
| 5 | Friday 20 July 2012 | Thursday 02 August 2012 |
Peru
All expeditions start and finish in Iquitos. The expeditions to Pacaya Samiria during the high water season (in March and April) begin on a Sunday at 1200hrs and finish on a Friday at 2000hrs. Only 2-week expeditions for General Surveyors are available during this period.
The expeditions to Pacaya Samiria during the low-water season (June to August) also begin on a Sunday at 1200hrs and finish on a Friday at 2000hrs. General Surveyors can join any week.
Most people arrive in Iquitos on the Sunday before the expeditions and then overnight in the beautiful Casa Morey house which belongs to AmazonEco the Opwall partners in Peru. The mansion, situated in the heart of Iquitos, overlooks the Amazon. AmazonEco can organise, pick up from the airport, dinner, bed and breakfast for $30. Return flights can be booked on the Saturday after expedition end.
High-water season 2011
| Expedition Number | Start date in Iquitos | Finish date in Iquitos |
| A | Sunday 06 March 2011 | Friday 18 March 2011 |
| B | Sunday 20 March 2011 | Friday 01 April 2011 |
Low-water season 2011
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Iquitos | Finish date in Iquitos |
| 1 | Sunday 19 June 2011 | Friday 24 June 2011 |
| 2 | Sunday 26 June 2011 | Friday 01 July 2011 |
| 3 | Sunday 03 July 2011 | Friday 08 July 2011 |
| 4 | Sunday 10 July 2011 | Friday 15 July 2011 |
| 5 | Sunday 17 July 2011 | Friday 22 July 2011 |
| 6 | Sunday 24 July 2011 | Friday 29 July 2011 |
| 7 | Sunday 31 July 2011 | Friday 05 August 2011 |
| 8 | Sunday 07 August 2011 | Friday 12 August 2011 |
| 9 | Sunday 14 August 2011 | Friday 19 August 2011 |
| 10 | Sunday 21 August 2011 | Friday 26 August 2011 |
High-water season 2012
| Expedition Number | Start date in Iquitos | Finish date in Iquitos |
| A | Sunday 04 March 2012 | Friday 16 March 2012 |
| B | Sunday 18 March 2012 | Friday 30 March 2012 |
Low-water season 2012
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Iquitos | Finish date in Iquitos |
| 1 | Sunday 17 June 2012 | Friday 22 June 2012 |
| 2 | Sunday 24 June 2012 | Friday 29 June 2012 |
| 3 | Sunday 01 July 2012 | Friday 06 July 2012 |
| 4 | Sunday 08 July 2012 | Friday 13 July 2012 |
| 5 | Sunday 15 July 2012 | Friday 20 July 2012 |
| 6 | Sunday 22 July 2012 | Friday 27 July 2012 |
| 7 | Sunday 29 July 2012 | Friday 03 August 2012 |
| 8 | Sunday 05 August 2012 | Friday 10 August 2012 |
| 9 | Sunday 12 August 2012 | Friday 17 August 2012 |
| 10 | Sunday 19 August 2012 | Friday 24 August 2012 |
General Surveyor expeditions to the North of Madagascar begin at Mahajanga airport at 1000hrs on the Friday and finish on the Thursday at 1000hrs at Nosy Be airport. The best way to get to and from there is to book your international flights to Antananarivo, landing on the Thursday before your expedition and then an onward flight to Mahajanga on the Friday morning. You will be finishing your expedition at the marine site of Nosy be and will need to book an internal flight to Antananarivo on the Friday in order to connect with an evening flight out of Antananarivo on the same day, or any flight the following day. It is difficult to quote exact prices for the internal flights but as at the time of writing for a single person booking (not necessarily the same price as groups) the costs are around £350 for the internal Madagascar flights and hotel accommodation prior to the expedition. This can be arranged through DBCAM (www.dbcam.org) or STA or other international travel agents. it is possible to arrange overland transfers through DBCAM instead of booking flights, but these will be around £250 including accommodation and will mean more than 24 hours in total in converted lorries or buses for the round trip.
Madagascar 2011
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Mahajanga | Finish date in Mahajanga |
| 1 | Friday 24 June 2011 | Thursday 07 July 2011 |
| 2 | Friday 01 July 2011 | Thursday 14 July 2011 |
| 3 | Friday 08 July 2011 | Thursday 21 July 2011 |
| 4 | Friday 15 July 2011 | Thursday 28 July 2011 |
| 5 | Friday 22 July 2011 | Thursday 04 August 2011 |
| 6 | Friday 29 July 2011 | Thursday 11 August 2011 |
| 7 | Friday 05 August 2011 | Thursday 18 August 2011 |
Madagascar 2012
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Mahajanga | Finish date in Mahajanga |
| 1 | Friday 24 June 2011 | Thursday 07 July 2011 |
| 2 | Friday 01 July 2011 | Thursday 14 July 2011 |
| 3 | Friday 08 July 2011 | Thursday 21 July 2011 |
| 4 | Friday 15 July 2011 | Thursday 28 July 2011 |
| 5 | Friday 22 July 2011 | Thursday 04 August 2011 |
| 6 | Friday 29 July 2011 | Thursday 11 August 2011 |
| 7 | Friday 05 August 2011 | Thursday 18 August 2011 |
The expeditions towards the end of the wet season in July and August (expeditions 1-3) start on a Tuesday at 0800hrs and finish on a Monday at 1200hrs at the Iwokrama Research Centre.
The easiest way to get these start points is to organise your flights to Georgetown and then contact the tourism department at Iwokrama (tourism@iwokrama.org) . You need to arrive in Georgetown by 1200hrs on the Monday before you expedition and can fly out on the Tuesday after your expedition. They can arrange overnight accommodation in Georgetown at the beginning and end of your stay and transfers to and from Bina Hill and Iwokrama. Depending on the numbers travelling together, the total cost is around $150 for the in-country transfers and accommodation before and after the expeditions. Iwokrama can also organise visits to the other parts of Guyana outside the expedition dates. Expeditions 1 and 2 are for General Surveyors only, whilst expedition 3 is for university students only.
Guyana 2011 High Water Season
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Iwokrama | Finish date in Iwokrama |
| 1 | Tuesday 05 July 2011 | Monday 18 July 2011 |
| 2 | Tuesday 12 July 2011 | Monday 25 July 2011 |
In 2012, the expedition programme is going ot be expanded and will be helping with the Rupunini wetland surveys at the end of the dry season when water levels are at their lowest. The expeditions at the end of the dry season in March (expeditions 1 and 2) start on a Sunday at 0800hrs and Bina Hill Training Institute and Annai and finish on a Saturday at 1000hrs at Bina Hill. You need to arrive in Georgetown by 1200hrs on the Saturday before your expedition and can fly out on the Sunday after your expedition. Expeditions 1 - 4 are for General Surveyors only, whilst expedition 5 is for Research Assistants only.
Guyana 2012 Low Water Season
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Iwokrama | Finish date in Iwokrama |
| 1 | Sunday 04 March 2012 | Saturday 17 March 2012 |
| 2 | Sunday 18 March 2012 | Saturday 31 March 2012 |
Guyana 2012 High Water Season
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Iwokrama | Finish date in Iwokrama |
| 3 | Tuesday 03 July 2012 | Monday 16 July 2012 |
| 4 | Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Monday 23 July 2012 |
In 2012, the expedition programme is going to be expanded and will be helping with the large scale biodiversity surveys of the Mayan Forests in Mexico and Guatemala. The expeditions start on a Monday at 1000hrs and finish on a Sunday at 1200hrs in Xpuhil. The easiest way to get to Xpuhil is to organise your international flights to Cancun and then request ASK to organise for your transfer to the start point of the expedition. Assuming it is a group travelling together, the costs are around £75 for the transfer, overnight accommodation and breakfast. You will need to fly into Cancun the Sunday before the start of expedition and can fly out the evening of the end of expedition.
Mexico 2012
| Expedition Week Number | Start date in Xpuhil | Finish date in Xpuhil |
| 1 | Monday 09 July 2012 | Sunday 22 July 2012 |
| 2 | Monday 16 July 2012 | Sunday 29 July 2012 |
| 3 | Monday 23 July 2012 | Sunday 05 August 2012 |
| 4 | Monday 30 July 2012 | Sunday 12 August 2012 |
| 5 | Monday 06 August 2012 | Sunday 19 August 2012 |
| UK Sterling | US Dollars | Canadian Dollars |
| £975 | $1,650 | $1,750 |
The price is inclusive of all accommodation and food costs from the start to the end of the expedition, transfers from the start location to and between the various field sites, dive training and participation in the research projects (see Booking Conditions).
This does not include the costs of return flights, pre-expedition internal transfer package (for South Africa £150), dive equipment hire, PADI dive materials and PADI PIC card costs ($30, to register your dive qualification), additional dive courses beyond PADI Open Water, visas, airport/other taxes and any costs incurred outside of the official expedition dates.
