They toured the wilds where no fence separates man from elephant, giraffe or lion.

They strolled through shantytowns, awed by the smiles on the faces of those in poverty.

They rode ostriches.

“You couldn’t go to South Africa and not be changed by it,” said Arna Hemenway, a Lawrence High School student and explorer. “You couldn’t see these things and come home and not be different.”

More than a dozen Lawrence youngsters, chaperoned by LHS teachers, journeyed more than 9,000 miles to the tip of the African continent. They returned with a bounty of photographs, memories and adventure tales.

“We got to see a lion eating a warthog from 10 feet away,” Lacey Elmore said.

“It was really disgusting, but also really cool.”

Twice a year, Lawrence High teacher David Platt takes a group of students on such journeys: Kenya. France. Germany. Australia.

Some travelers are students. Some are recent high school graduates.

On this adventure, the group visited Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Swaziland. They toured Kruger National Park and other reserves. They visited the casinos that cater to the rich as well as shanty towns.

Some were struck by the extremes of rich and poor.

“It’s kind of two worlds,” said Nat Wells, a Lawrence High graduate.

Some visited a day care center.

“It was just a shack,” Wells said. “Scraps of wood nailed together.”

But, even in the poorest places, the residents often displayed warmth and happiness. The travelers said they were moved by this.

• 21 Hours: A Journey to the Heart of South Africa

The young people also saw wild animals. Sometimes, they were a bit too close for comfort.

“I was always on the side that was getting charged,” Hemenway said.