Some memories are captured in photographs. Others come home with you in a slightly more permanent way. For Australian volunteers Jamie, Hayley and Jess, and Cango Academy student Zenny, their time together in the Klein Karoo was marked with an experience they will quite literally carry with them forever.
Cycling his way to Freedom - Yassin Ghallam 'Everest' at Cango Wildlife Ranch

We often meet great people, but yesterday we had the privilege of meeting a real-life adventurer, with a flair for nothing else but freedom.
Yassine Ghallam (34) made his way to Cango Wildlife Ranch from Prince Albert, after spending the night on the snowy Swartberg Mountain. After excitedly telling staff about his journey we just had to know more and met up with him after he spent some time with Raven, our ambassador adult cheetah.
He tells of walking from Morocco to Senegal and then riding his bike for over 23 500km to Mzansi.
From Senegal he decided to continue his journey on a $100 bike, 'because walking will take too long'.
With his bike he travelled from Senegal through Cameroon, through Gabon and the dangerous rebel territories of the Congo. He passed Angola, and after being asked for a Visa at Namibia's border he turned to Zambia instead. He made his way through Mozambique and Swaziland after which he made his way into South Africa.
Ghallam is writing a book about African culture, food, lifestyle and languages.
“My dream is to see the whole world,” he said.
Yassine travels without money and relies on the giving nature of our African culture.
Further Reading
Cango Wildlife CEO Douglas Eriksen recently took Project ZOA to a new audience, delivering the keynote address at the 18th NRF-SAEON Graduate Student Network Indibano in Hazyview, Mpumalanga, on 16 September 2026. The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), a research platform of the National Research Foundation, brings together scientists working across South Africa’s terrestrial, marine, freshwater and atmospheric environments. Its Graduate Student Network connects Master’s and PhD researchers from across the...
The final day of Arbor Month brought with it a fitting moment of growth at the newly opened Africa Skills Cango Academy, as representatives from the Garden Route District Municipality joined the Cango team for the handover and planting of indigenous trees. The Garden Route District Municipality donated 35 indigenous plants, comprising 20 Karee trees and 15 Spekboom, to be planted at the Academy. The initiative formed part of Arbor Month and...














Share This Post