Overview
Three Countries. Two Oceans. Countless waves. Globally recognised qualifications. One Big Adventure.
Embark upon a 19-week journey that combines our legendary 13-Week South Africa & Mozambique Road Trip & Surf Instructor Course with 6 unforgettable weeks exploring Indonesia.
The adventure starts on the road where you'll travel the South African garden route and beyond, from Cape Town all the way to Durban, surfing, exploring, hiking, road-tripping and learning everything that goes into becoming a surf instructor. You'll leave with more than just memories as gaining your International Surfing Association (ISA) Level 1 Surf Instructor Award and Lifesaving Certificate will open doors to working and travelling around the world.
After these 10 weeks in South Africa, we will load up the 4x4's and cross the border into Mozambique, where we will spend 3 weeks navigating off the beaten track, along the palm tree lined terrain, surfing tropical turquoise sand-bottom point breaks, all fuelled by delicious local food.
Just when you think it's time to head home you're only halfway there. After 13 weeks on the road in Africa you'll fly east for 6 weeks of surfing and adventure in Indonesia. Here the excitement will continue, as you enjoy island hopping, more road tripping, world-class waves and tropical beaches, new places, and a whole new chapter with the crew you've spent the last three months travelling with.
Starting in Bali, we will surf the many waves around Canggu and ease you into surfing the famous breaks around 'The Bukit'. The next stop is Lombok to surf some of the most beautiful waves you can ever imagine, then onto Nusa Lembongan where we will take you out at the famous Playgrounds, Shipwrecks and Lacerations. For the last two weeks we fly back to Bali to spend the remainder of the trip traveling up the West Coast, stopping in Balian and Medewi. 500m rides can be expected here...
The Adventure Gap Year is for those who want to see more, travel further and squeeze every drop out of almost half a year on the road. You will gain:
• International Surfing Association Level 1 Surf Instructor Award
• Lifesaving Certificate
• 19 weeks of real-world adventure
• Cultural experience through three countries across two incredible continents
• A whole load of surfing skills
What to Expect
This experience is suitable for all levels of surfer. You can expect coaching from South Africa's most highly regarded surf coaches, and in Indonesia we work with expert local guides to ensure you get the most out of each surf session.
Ticket to Ride’s focus is to get your surfing to the next level, and the next, and so on and so forth. One of the most difficult things with surfing is keeping your progression going as it is easy to ‘plateau’. Your coach will use photo and video analysis to improve your technique, as well as help you to reflect on your surfing and set clear goals. Beyond the daily surf lesson you will also receive a theory sessions to enhance your knowledge, with topics ranging from understanding different types of surfboards, surf etiquette, and reading swell charts.
The Adventure Gap Year Includes:
• Airport transfers
• Shared single-sex accommodation
• Daily breakfast
• Trip leaders and support for the duration
• Surf coaching for duration
• Surf equipment hire in Cape Town*
• Surf transport
• Video analysis and surf theory sessions
• Surf specific training sessions
• ISA Level 1 Surf Instructor Course
• Lifesaving Course
• All training and course materials
• 10 Week Tour through South Africa
• 3 Week Tour through Mozambique
• 6 Week Tour through Indonesia
• Loads of extra excursions including Table Mountain, bungee jumping, table, wine tasting, safari game drive, white water rafting, volcano hike and snorkelling trip
• Job interview at the end!
*During these 2 weeks your coaches will assist you in purchasing the best board for your progression. South Africa has some of the cheapest and best boards in the world as so many are manufactured there!)
What's Included
Airport Transfers
Breakfast
Surf Camp Accommodation
Trip Leaders For Duration
Video Surf Analysis
All Surf Lessons
Surf Guiding To The Best Beaches
All Surf Transport
Welcome Meal
Involvement In Community Projects
Photos Of Your Surfing
Additional Excursions And Activities
Shared Accommodation
Surf Instructor Course
Free WiFi
Trip Timeline
Here you'll find a day by day breakdown of your course.
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10 Weeks
Cape Town to Durban, South Africa
• These first 10 weeks are an epic road trip up the east coast of South Africa, where you will stay and surf 9 different locations: Cape Town (14 days), Plettenburg (4 days), Cape St Francis (4 days), Jeffreys Bay (14 days), Chintsa (7 days), Coffee Bay (10 days), Umzumbe (3 days), Durban (10 days) and Ballito (4 days).
• You'll chase world class waves, be immersed in stunning scenery, have exciting wild life encounters, and enjoy loads of extra included excursions including climbing table mountain, visiting the penguins at boulders beach, wine tasting, bungee jumping off the world's tallest bridge bungee jump, visit a surfboard factory and do a safari game drive in Hluhluwe-imfolozi National Park.
• You will also complete your ISA level 1 surf instructor course and lifesaving award in Durban.
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3 Weeks
Mozambique Road Trip
• Kick things off with an early start as you head for the Kosi Bay border crossing into Mozambique. Once across, continue on to the laid-back coastal town of Ponta do Ouro, soaking up the changing scenery along the way. You’re finally in Mozam - time to get stoked, breathe in that ocean air, and settle into the rhythm of the coast. Expect around 6 hours of driving today.
• Travel north to Chidenguele, taking in Mozambique’s wild coastline and rural landscapes. Arrive for sunset and enjoy some incredible local cuisine after around 6 hours on the road.
• Today you'll reach Tofo Beach, the first major surf stop of the trip. Surf the famous point and beach breaks, explore the local markets, and enjoy a boat trip to the crystal-clear waters of Pansy Island.
• Continue to the remote paradise of Pomene, one of Mozambique’s hidden gems. Expect 3–4 hours of driving before arriving at this raw, untouched stretch of coastline.
• Spend time surfing Pomene’s incredible right-hand sand point break and soaking up the peaceful beauty of its palms, mangroves, and endless beaches.
• Begin the journey back to South Africa, travelling via Chidenguele and Ponta do Ouro, where you'll enjoy one final surf session before returning to Durban for a farewell dinner and the next adventure...Indonesia!
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6 Weeks
Indonesia Adventure
• Arrive in Canggu, Bali, where you'll meet your Trip Leader, settle into your accommodation, enjoy a welcome meal.
• Spend the next two weeks exploring Bali's world-class surf breaks while enjoying unforgettable adventures including volcano hiking, white-water rafting, a visit to the Uluwatu Monkey Temple.
• Fly to Lombok and stay in the fishing village of Gerupuk, surfing a variety of boat-accessed breaks.
• Take the ferry to Nusa Lembongan, where you'll build on everything you've learnt while surfing some of the world's most beautiful waves, with time to snorkel in the crystal-clear lagoon.
• Finish with an epic Bali road trip along the west coast of Bali, stopping in Balian and Medewi, surfing legendary long waves of up to 500m before returning to Canggu for a farewell dinner and celebrations ahead of your journey home.
Qualifications
What past riders say
FAQs
Got a question about this course? Here's the best place to start. If you don't find your answer here, you can request a callback or get in touch using our contact page.
You will need a flight into Cape Town International Airport (CPT) on or before the trip start date of the 23rd Jan 2027.
You will need a flight from Durban International Airport (DUR) to Denpasar International Airport (DPS) that departs on the 24th April 2027, to land in Indonesia on the 25th April 2027.
Lastly, you will need a flight out of DPS on 5th June 2027.
South Africa
For most countries South African immigration will issue you with a holiday visa on arrival. This visa is free of charge and valid for 90 days. If you will be staying longer than 90 days you will need to apply for your visa extension early on in your trip. The 90 day holiday visas are only issued on the grounds that you have proof of return/onward travel out of South Africa. Please do double check with your embassy before departing for South Africa and check out the latest Foreign Travel Advice by going to www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
Mozambique
For Mozambique most foreign citizens require a 30 day visa for entry to Mozambique which is now in the form of an online ETA. Your trip leaders will guide you through the process of securing this visa. When leaving Mozambique to re-enter South Africa, to fly home, you will get a short 1 - 7 day visa until your flight leaves.
Indonesia
You can either apply for a 60 day eVOA (electronic visa) online before you arrive, or you can get a Visa On arrival (VOA) when you land. These 30 day visas can be extended once for an additional 30 days.
It is important that you double check with your embassy for the entry requirements for your country, as this can vary depending on your country of residence.
If you fly into Cape Town International Airport in South Africa on the arrival day and out of Denpasar International Airport on the departure day we will pick you up and drop you off with a smile :)
In South Africa, Mozambique and Indonesia breakfast is included. Meals in all of these countries can be extremely cheap if you eat locally, but a budget of £150-200 per week will suffice. Additionally, everywhere we stay in South Africa has self catering facilities if you wish to prepare any meals yourself. Typically the group will be eating out at local restaurants, or being catered for at our accommodation.
Loads of extra activities and excursions are already included, so additional spending will be mostly on meals, drinks and any shopping you wish to do!
This varies, but typically on a course of this length we will have a significant number of late teens/early twenties on their gap years, as well as people in their late twenties, thirties and beyond! The one thing that everyone has in common is they want to improve their surfing, travel, meet like-minded people and gain their surf instructor qualifications.
You can have absolutely no experience at all and we will teach you the skills required to become a full qualified surf instructor throughout the course.
Generally speaking, people tend to struggle with the timed swim in the lifeguard course and the practical surfing element of the surf coaching course. The timed swim is 400m in under 9 minutes. The test will take place during the final two weeks of the trip in a swimming pool, and you are allowed to wear goggles. We strongly recommend that you practise this swim in advance to ensure you feel confident and prepared. However, during the trip, we will also visit a few pools so you can continue practising before the assessment.
Similarly, we believe that everyone has the ability to pass the practical surfing element of the instructor course as long as they keep focused and practice throughout the trip. Our current pass rate is approximately 95 per cent and if you don't pass first time around, you can always retake elements that you may not have passed and provide video evidence to the course presenter.
Your first year's ISA (International Surfing Association) Membership is included in the course fee. You must ensure you pay your membership annually (directly to ISA via their website) in order to hold a valid qualification and membership with ISA. If you miss this deadline, you may be required to take the course again.
The lifesaving course is valid for 2 years. After this time you will need to take a 'refresher' course. This is shorter and cheaper than the full course and is designed to refresh your skills and update you on new methods and techniques. After this, you're required to take a Refresher course every 2-years. Should you miss any of these deadlines then you will be required to take the full course again.
We will set you up an interview at our partner surf schools; WaveHunters or Harlyn Surf School in Cornwall, UK, Latas Surf Camp in Spain, or Surf Camp Australia. We currently have a 100% success rate in secure course graduates a job at the above locations.
If you've already got a board, then please do bring it out with you. However, if you're not a proud owner yet, surfboard hire is included in Cape Town. Following this, your coaches will assist you in purchasing the best board for your progression. South Africa has some of the cheapest and best boards in the world as so many are manufactured there. Brand new board prices range from £250 - £400 depending the model and exchange rate. Indonesia also has a great board market for new and second hand boards.
There is a malaria risk in Mozambique. We recommend checking with your doctor about the best preventative measures or anti-malarial medication to take during these 3 weeks.