This trip includes a combination of ministry work and safari game drives.

You will enjoy multiple safaris to see wild animals, including a night safari and a Big 5 safari.

Perhaps most importantly, you will meet some of the pastors, deans and ambassadors we will be sponsoring and have the chance to get to know them, where they live, and how you can be praying for their communities.

Hippo Lakes offers a combination of luxury tents and Green Rooms; to learn more about the luxury tents, click here (Note: Ignore the pricing on the Hippo Lakes website; we have negotiated much better rates on your behalf).

To learn more about the Green Rooms, click here.

Lakeside Family Tents are the only tents that allow up to 4 people in the same tent. This could either be 4 members of the same family, friends who are willing to split the same room, or 2 couples who would like to share the same tent. Be aware there is only one restroom in each Hippo Family Tent. We ask that single travelers do not register for the Family Tent unless all other options are booked.

Each registration on this form is for each specific person. You will be asked who you want to room with during registration.

Minimum # of days: 10 days (inclusive of travel)

Maximum # of days: ~15 days (days vary depending on optional trip extensions)

Guests have the option of extending their trip to visit Cape Town, Victoria Falls, hunting, Marksman Missions, or building their own extension.

Our group size will be around 56 people, including other pastors from other churches that are joining our group.

In addition to our group, there will be approximately 20-30 pastors, deans and/or ambassadors from other countries joining us at Hippo Lakes. 

Hills Church has partnered with a Christian organization called TEN (Teach Every Nation) that trains and equips pastors from all over the world in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission.

A portion of the base cost includes a built-in sponsorship of pastors who will get trained by TEN and then go back to their village to share the message of Jesus Christ with their community.

You coming on this trip makes their education and training possible.

While you do not have to personally teach pastors, deans or ambassadors, there are still additional opportunities to pray with African leaders, encourage them, inspire them, and add value to them.

Hippo Lakes does a great job respecting the dietary needs and/or restrictions of guests. If you have specific food allergies or requests, you will have a chance to share all dietary restrictions directly with Hippo Lakes a few weeks before the trip.

Hippo Lakes has a full-time chef for food preparation for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Breakfast options typically include omelets, pancakes, yogurt, granola and fruit.

Lunch options typically include cold cut sandwiches and boxed lunches for safari game drives.

Dinner options include more exotic food options such as kudu, eland, buffalo, ostrich, crocodile, etc.

American food options are available for each dinner in case you don't prefer the taste of the African food options.

One of the dinners will be a bush braai, an outdoor BBQ dinner cooked under the stars in the wilderness. This is normally offered as an optional upgrade with Hippo Lakes, but we were able to get it included in your base cost of your trip at no additional charge. 

Green Rooms start at $1,999/person. Green Rooms are luxury condo units with a king bed. Only married couples or same gender singles may stay in a Green Room. To see photos of a Green Room, click here.

Lakeside Tents start at $2,999/person. All tents are less like camping and more like glamping in nice hotel rooms with hot water, showers, electricity, a mini fridge, heating, air conditioning, etc; see tent options here (ignore the pricing online since Hills Church has negotiated better rates on your behalf).

While all Hippo Lakes tents are luxurious, some are nicer/newer than others; Lakeside Tents were constructed around 2013 where as Mountain View Tents are brand-new and slightly more spacious.

• Flight Cost: ~$1,799/per person (rate is an estimate as of March 2025 Delta rates from ABQ; actual costs may vary; Comfort Plus rate: $2,787/person; Premium Select rate: $3,586/person; Delta One rate: $10,492/person; you may purchase flights as part of the Hills Church group, purchase separately on your own or use points for flights outside of our group) 

• Travel Insurance: we have 3 companies we will recommend for you or you can seek out your own; rates vary based on age, but on average, travel insurance should range from $150-600 per person; travel insurance is required for all guests (no exceptions) 

• Tips are suggested if you need baggage assistance in the airport to/from the hotel and for safari game drive rangers; all tips outside of the airport can be made via credit card at Hippo Lakes; tips in South Africa are suggested if and only if someone does a great job; estimated tips per person: $150/trip at Hippo Lakes and maybe another $20 for random other people

• Total Cost: Base Cost + Flight Cost + Travel Insurance + Tips = $5,250 (total cost is an estimate; costs may vary depending on what tent you select, what flight option you select, whether you wish to extend your trip, and your age for travel insurance; this Total Cost estimate is just intended to give you a ballpark idea of how much the trip will cost) 

• Tax Deductions: the mission portion of your trip may be considered a tax write-off; see your tax advisor to determine how much of your trip will be tax deductible

• South Africa accepts all major credit cards as well as the US dollar; no money exchanges will be necessary or required

Yes. While some guests may opt to pay for their entire trip up-front, all guests are welcome to space out payments with the following payment plan.

In order to reserve your spot for the trip, a $250 non-refundable deposit will be required to book your space along with your agreement to honor the dates listed below:

• May 31, 2025: Proof of Trip Insurance due date

• June 30, 2025: 25% of your base trip cost must be paid by this date (ie. If you were to reserve a Lake View tent for you and your spouse, your base cost for each person would be $3,299 for a subtotal base cost of $6,598. If you both get coach flights through our travel agent, each flight would be $1,799 for a subtotal of $3,598 for both flights. Travel insurance would be around $150/each for a subtotal of $300. Total trip cost would be $10,496, but since you will be paying for your flight and travel insurance separately, your base cost would be $6,598 (not including your flights and travel insurance), and 25% of the $6,598 that would be due by June 30 would be $1,649.50. If you were to add on Cape Town as an extension, that would add $1,999/person for an added subtotal of $3,998. Your base cost would then be $14,494, and the 25% due by June 30 would be $3,623.50.)

• July 31, 2025: 50% of your base trip cost is due by this date

• August 31, 2025: 75% of your base trip cost is due by this date

• September 30, 2025: 100% of your base trip cost is due by this date  

For payments for flights, you have 2 options: 1) Pay in full at time of booking, or 2) For an extra $140, you can make payments on your flight rather than paying in full at the time of booking. 

Payments made for the base cost of the trip (Hippo Lakes & TEN) will be made to Hills Church. Payments for travel insurance and flights will be made separately directly to your insurance provider and airline. We will help you connect with both the insurance provider as well as our travel agent who will help coordinate flights on your behalf. 

Guests who miss payments in their payment plan run the risk of their trip being canceled.

Yes, travel insurance is required.

Rates vary based on personal factors, but most people can get travel insurance anywhere from $75-600/person. 

Proof of travel insurance must be purchased by each guest and submitted to Hills Church by May 31, 2025. Airlines also offer trip protection to cover flights, but most travel insurance packages include airfare coverage in the event that you must cancel your trip. 

If you do not secure travel insurance by May 31, 2025, you may lose your spot on the trip. 

We offer 3 different vendors for travel insurance. You are welcome to explore any of the preferred vendors we offer or find your own. If you successfully register for a spot on the trip, you will receive a confirmation email with the 3 travel insurance providers that we recommend. 

Yes, a current passport book is required for entry into South Africa as well as re-entry to the United States. Passport cards are not valid; only passport books are accepted in South Africa. 

Authorities recommend having a minimum of a 6-month buffer on your passport beyond the date you are scheduled to return from the trip. This means your passport should be valid through 10/2026. If you need to apply for a passport or renew your passport, click here. 

Maybe. If you are just going to South Africa to Hippo Lakes on the main portion of the mission trip, you do not need a visa. If you add on Cape Town, you do not need a visa. If, however, you add on Victoria Falls or any other Marksman Mission trip as an extension, you will need a visa. Guests may purchase a visa in the Zimbabwe airport for $30 US (cash only). 

While this trip will not require much physical exertion, you must be capable of long flights (16 hours airtime from ATL to JNB and JNB to ATL) and riding in open-aired Land Cruisers on bumpy roads for the safaris.

Yes. However, South African electrical outlets are different than the US.

The InterContinental Johannesburg Hotel has USB ports to charge phones, but if you need to plug in anything else (ie. laptop, curling iron, etc), you will need a converter like this.

The Hippo Lakes tents and Green Rooms have surge-protected extension cords, but most outlets still need converters.

Free WiFi is available at both the InterContinental Johannesburg Hotel as well as Hippo Lakes. WiFi nor cell service is available in some of the remote areas we will be visiting, but you should have access to WiFi at some point each day.

Most cell phone carriers require an international plan for South Africa. We strongly recommend adding on whatever international plan you would need so you are not billed outrageous rates.

Alternatively, you may also consider getting an international SIM card like this for your phone for much cheaper rates than your carrier likely provides.

There are always risks for this type of trip, ranging from potential dangers in Africa to health issues preventing you from taking the trip to animal encounters. We will minimize risk as much as possible, but by going on this trip, you are also accepting the fact that some risks are impossible to mitigate 100%. A liability release form will be required. 

Johannesburg, Pretoria, Vaalwater, Hippo Lakes, the TEN Campus, and Cape Town are all in malaria-free zones in Africa. You should be fine with normal bug spray to deter mosquitos at Hippo Lakes, but shots/capsules/pills are not considered necessary for where we will be staying. To view a map of malaria zones in Africa, click here. 

If you plan on extending your trip to Victoria Falls, Marksman Missions, or plan on traveling farther north into Africa past South Africa, we strongly suggest that you consult with your physician malaria prevention options depending on where you plan to travel.

Yes. The airport in Johannesburg has many shops where you can buy souvenirs and clothing. Most major credit cards are accepted.

There will also be an opportunity to leave the Hippo Lakes property at one point to do shopping at a local shopping center. 

If you extend your trip to Cape Town, there are quite a few more shopping opportunities in outdoor markets and malls. 

Not really. If you want to convert money to South African Rands, you may do so at your local bank in the US for a fair exchange rate.

While most stores in South Africa accept the US dollar, they may not give you a fair exchange rate.

Most credit cards are accepted in South Africa with very small exchange rate fees.

All room rates are based on double-occupancy. If you select a room as a single, you may either pay a single-occupancy upgrade of $2,499 in addition to the regular registration cost, or we can do our best to pair you with another guest of the same gender.

You can select the single-occupancy upgrade during registration. However, due to high demand for this trip and limited space, we kindly ask you to be open to rooming with a same-gender roommate so we can accomodate more guests.

Guests must be over the age of 18 at the time of the trip departure date.

Any exceptions must require advanced written permission.

You may invite friends to register with you on this trip. However, we do not allow unmarried individuals of the opposite sex to room together.

Furthermore, you are not allowed to invite non-registered, non-paying guests to join you or the group at any time in the trip.

Guests who attend Hills Church will be given top priority for booking. In the event that this trip does not sell out, any additional spots may be opened to the general public.

Given the missional expectations of this trip, only Bible-believing Christians are invited to join this trip.

A full-service spa is available for all guests at the Mountain View Lodge.

Guests staying in Green Rooms, Lakeside Tents, and Mountain View Tents are all welcome to book spa treatments.

Spa treatments are first-come, first-serve. You may pay for spa treatments directly to Hippo Lakes.

There are also spa options available at the InterContinental Johannesburg Hotel. You likely will not have time to book a spa treatment upon arrival to the InterContinental Johannesburg Hotel, but you may consider booking a spa treatment before flying back to the US.

Yes, there is a small gym with a few machines at the Mountain View Lodge.

You are welcome to go on a walk or run on the Hippo Lakes property, but for your own safety from wild animals, you should never exit the gates/fences protecting the property.

An optional Sky Safari in a helicopter may be available weather permitting.

If Sky Safaris do become available, the add-on rate is $220/person once we arrive in South Africa.

We expect all guests to act like Jesus during this trip. We ask that you be patient, remain flexible, and treat others with kindness and respect.

Guests are expected to remain with at least one "buddy" from the group during travel times aside from our time at Hippo Lakes. If you abandon the group at any time, you may incur additional costs for your own private transportation and may be banned from future trips with Hills Church. 

Alcohol is not provided at Hippo Lakes, but if you buy any of your own, please drink responsibly.

Hills Church offers a grace period through May 31, 2025, for all registrations.

If you choose to cancel your trip before May 31, 2025, your $250 deposit will be refunded. After May 31, 2025, deposits are no longer refundable.

Furthermore, should you need to cancel your trip at any point after May 31, 2025, refunds for any payments cannot be made back to you from Hills Church since we make a contractual agreement with TEN on your behalf and are still liable for your payment.

However, since travel insurance is required for all guests, you should be able to get a full refund (less costs of your travel insurance) directly from your travel insurance provider.

You are still required to make your final payments even if you cannot go on the trip. This is why travel insurance is required for all guests.

Regardless of your cancellation date, be aware that you will still be contractually required to make your full payment to Hills Church in order to qualify for reimbursement from your travel insurance provider.

If you do cancel, you are required to submit paperwork documentation to your travel insurance provider within 30 days of your cancellation date.

Yes, there will be at least 3 in-person planning meetings prior to the trip so you can meet others who will also be on the trip and gain more clarity for what you can expect. Feel free to ask any questions prior to registering as well. 

The 1st planning meeting will take place on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at Hills Church before registrations officially open. This 1st meeting will be a Vision Meeting so potential guests can learn more about the trip prior to registering. A video replay of this meeting will be made available for anyone who misses the meeting.

The 2nd meeting will take place on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at 1:00p in the Student Center at Hills Church. Guests who are unavailable to join the meeting in-person may join via Zoom. This meeting is only for people who successfully registered for the trip.  

The 3rd planning meeting will take place on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 1:00p in the Student Center at Hills Church. Guests who are unavailable to join the meeting in-person may join via Zoom. This meeting serves as a final preparatory meeting to wrap up final details regarding travel plans, logistics and last-minute details.

Yes. If you choose to arrive early, all expenses for hotel and food costs are on your own until our scheduled start date. You will just have to let us know your flight and hotel information.

Hippo Lakes is where Pastor Matt and his wife Ashten visited on vacation in April 2024. Pastor Matt nor Ashten had much understanding of what to expect, but their experience was far more than they could have ever asked or imagined. In discovering that the mission of Hippo Lakes and TEN is to make disciples of all nations, Pastor Matt connected with the leadership of TEN to explore a strategic partnership with Hills Church. During those discussions, Pastor Matt was able to negotiate much lower rates than are made available to the general public. In addition, Hills Church guests get an additional 6th day at Hippo Lakes rather than the 5 days that guests usually receive. Furthermore, 50% of your base cost actually goes directly to sponsoring pastors throughout Africa, meaning that this trip not only allows you to experience some of the best of what Africa has to offer, but your trip also provides education to pastors allowing them to reach more people for Jesus. 

While we are exploring the possibility of offering this trip on an annual basis, there are many unknown details at this point to know for sure whether we will offer this again down the road. If we do offer the trip in 2027 and beyond, you may have other opportunities to be part of this strategic partnership in the future. However, because we cannot guarantee that we will offer this again, this may be the only additional opportunity you get. 

This mission trip is unlike most other mission trips to Africa. Many other trips require manual labor from participants as they dig wells or build churches. This particular trip requires no manual labor, but rather, we will be equipping and empowering leaders and pastors who have ongoing influence in villages through Africa. This allows our impact through this one trip allows your investment to continue impacting others in Africa for years to come. 

Considering you will be supporting pastors and their education, there is the possibility of establishing a long-term relationship with your pastors, deans and/or ambassadors. If you join this trip and support a leader in 2026, you may be able to continue to support their ongoing education in 2027 and beyond. TEN plans to offer a decade's worth of education for pastors, meaning that you could support the same pastor for 10 years if you wish. Additional optional partnership opportunities will be provided for guests who are interested in an ongoing missional support. 

We expect to sell out rather quickly.

Prior to opening registration for the 2025 trip, we had 92 people who registered on our interest lest. When registration officially opened, we sold out all spots in just a few days for the 2025 trip.

Prior to registration opening for the 2026 trip, we had 146 people interested in going on the trip with only 56 spots. Ten of the 56 spots are already taken with staff, board members, and leaders from other churches, leaving only 46 available spots. Therefore, we do anticipate this trip will sell out.

At this point, we do not have plans of taking a 2nd missions team in 2026.

Absolutely. Statistically, we do anticipate 2-4 people who have registered to drop out of the trip at some point.

If that happens, those who are on the waitlist will be contacted in the order that they put their name on the waitlist.

Possibly. It all depends on the interest level of those in our church. Due to the fact that we have 3x the number of guests interested in going in 2026 compared to the number of people we can take, we believe there is a good chance this will become an annual trip.

Yes. There are several options for you to extend your trip. Some options are with official partners of Hippo Lakes (Cape Town and Victoria Falls), whereas other options allow you to explore Africa on your own.

Possibly. First priority for registrations will be given to those who consider Hills Church their home. If we are unable to sell all of our available spots, we will open up any remaining spots. to those outside of Hills Church on June 1, 2025.

Ideally, members of other churches would go on this trip with their home church. If you attend another church, consider going to your Senior Pastor with the idea of your church hosting a similar trip. Your Senior Pastor may join Pastor Matt and Hills Church for an exploration trip so they can better understand the ministry component of this trip and then take members from their own congregation on future trips.

Scholarships are available for Senior Pastors who are interested in attending an exploration trip to Africa.

Yes! If you are a pastor of another church, submit a contact form at the bottom of this page and Pastor Matt will be in touch with you. Our goal is to partner with 51 other churches who will join together in our mission work in making disciples of all nations together. Pastors from other churches may join Hills Church to see the vision of the mission with the hope that they will bring their own congregation on their own trip at some point down the road. Scholarships are available to pastors interested in going on an exploration trip with Pastor Matt.