South Africa wildlife volunteering vacation










Two week wildlife volunteering, staying in shared accommodation, all meals provided and different tasks daily working with wonderful array of wildlife on a reserve near Port Elizabeth.
Volunteering on South Africa wildlife reserve Elephant rehabilitation Reserve maintenance Tree planting Giraffes Lion monitoring Swimming pools Tennis courts Port Elizabeth
Price
£709 excluding flights
More info
Price includes training, accommodation, airport transfers, three meals a day whilst at the reserve.
Weekend trip options are offered with food at your own expense.
Stays of 2 weeks or more highly recommended.
Additional weeks cost £295 per week.
Weekend trip options are offered with food at your own expense.
Stays of 2 weeks or more highly recommended.
Additional weeks cost £295 per week.
Description of South Africa wildlife volunteering vacation
Price information
Departure information
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel guides
Away from affluent areas, out of sight of Stellenbosch, and past the protected perimeters of private game reserves, there’s a side to South Africa tha...
Vacation information
US pricing:
The currency converter above works on todays exchange rate. We do take bookings in USD but the price is set at a rate confirmed months in advance and is typically above the current exchange rate. Please inquire for details.
Diet:
We cater for both vegetarians and vegans.
LGBTQIA+
Our partners behind this vacation promote inclusivity on all their trips and across their business and we are all committed to ensuring travelers face no discrimination on any part of the trip they control.
Accessibility
Accessible overview:
There are challenges associated with volunteer travel, and these can make accessible travel difficult. However, we are very keen to chat with travelers with specific needs to see if we can make a trip possible.
Reviews
5 Reviews of South Africa wildlife volunteering vacation
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 11 Apr 2018 by Caroline Mancioppi
The highlight was being able to see so many different animals during the multiple game drives: elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos, hippos, zebras, buffalos. It was truly amazing! Read full reviewReviewed on 24 Mar 2016 by Kirstin Runcie
5 I couldn't of had a better time. I truly had the time of my life, I felt at home, happy and really didn't want to go home. It seems crazy now to think its all over but this whole experience couldn't have been much better. Best decision of my life. Read full reviewReviewed on 19 Nov 2015 by Mark Milligan
A fabulous experience and I would be keen to return. Read full reviewReviewed on 18 Feb 2014 by Kim Mackie
The best part was meeting the elephants and having contact with them. They are such amazing animals and I could spend all day long observing them, which I did even on some of my days off Read full reviewReviewed on 14 Nov 2013 by Hugh Quigley
An amazing experience that I will never forget and am immensely grateful for! Read full reviewResponsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) vacation so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.
Planet
WildlifeThe reserve places conservation at the top of its agenda. Through the help of the volunteers, the reserve is made a good place to be for the wildlife within it. Volunteers are taught to care for the animals, to treat them with respect and to make sure that they act appropriately around them at all times.
The project
Throughout their time on the Big 5 project, participants will be helping to conserve the beautiful environment in which they are in. This ranges from removing alien vegetation (which can be poisonous for the wildlife and destroy habitats) to planting seedlings and digging water holes for the animals. The reserve aims to plant 10,000 native tree species each year.
The reserve
We are aiming to become single-use plastic free on this project. Steps have already been made to replace plastic drinks bottle with glass bottles, providing drinking water from reuseable water drums and initiate a recycling programme for any unavoidable single use plastic.
The reserve is becoming very advanced on water harvesting and recycling, using more solar energy (the aim is to become fully reliant on solar energy) and composting kitchen waste.
Protecting the world
We are passionate about encouraging our travelers to be kind to the environment as they travel. Each participant receives advice about how to care for the environment whilst they are away. This includes water usage, how to avoid single use plastic, and electricity usage.
We insist that all participants bring their own water bottles when they travel with us, and clean free water is always available. We have even created a water bottle that can be purchased before departure and encourage people to use it at all stages of their journey including at the airport, on flights and whilst on their project. We are striving for all of our projects to be free of single use plastic.
People
Meeting local needsThe reserve also plays an important role in protecting the local economy. The ‘big five’ wild animals are a key source of tourist income for South Africa and protection of these species is vital for some rural areas, who rely on responsible tourism to sustain them. Through volunteering at the reserve, you will be helping to meet an important local need. You will also contribute directly to the area’s economy, creating jobs for domestic staff at the reserve and by eating locally-sourced food provided by local cooks.You will not be taking jobs away from local people.
Helping local communities
Within the grounds of the reserve is a small community, with a school and several other facilities. Participants can buy souvenirs from their hand crafted goods. These local workers receive fair prices for their goods and are helped financially by the reserve.
Traveling with respect
Before joining the project you are briefed fully on the reserve, the customs there and how you can respect the locals here. Volunteers are encouraged to find out more about the history of the location so that they can travel aware.
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