Leopard conservation vacations
in South Africa
Volunteers provide vital support to research programmes in game reserves which have seen a steady decline in leopard numbers. And while camera-trap sightings are still more likely than in-person encounters, you can rest assured that your vacation will play an indelible role in protecting the future of South Africa’s most secretive big cats.
Our South Africa Volunteering Vacations
Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
Help re-habilitate orphaned monkeys in beautiful rural South Africa
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Award-winning, Fair Trade certified wildlife conservation!
Family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Hands-on family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Wildlife photography & conservation volunteering in south Africa
Enjoy amazing wildlife photography while giving back!
Horse rehabilitation project in South Africa
Work hands on with horses on the South African coast
Shark conservation in South Africa
Conserve sharks, whales and penguins in South Africa
South Africa endangered wildlife conservation
Assist with protecting endangered species in South Africa
Volunteer with elephants in South Africa
Volunteer with elephants on the stunning Garden Route
Teaching assistant volunteering in South Africa
Help disadvantaged kids to learn English in South Africa
Wildlife orphanage volunteering in South Africa
Care for orphaned animals in stunning South Africa!
The great white shark conservation project in South Africa
Encounter iconic Great White Sharks in South Africa!
Volunteer with children & animals in South Africa
Volunteer with children and wild animals in South Africa.
Volunteering with Elephants in South Africa
Study and care for elephants in South Africa
South Africa volunteering with the big five
Take part in the conservation of Africa's wildlife.
Wildlife conservation safari in South Africa
Join wildlife conservation experts in the field
Sports coaching in South Africa
Coach your favourite sport & inspire disadvantaged children
Big five conservation in South Africa
Volunteer with the Big Five in South Africa.
Wildlife conservation in South Africa
Protect wildlife in a stunning coastal reserve
South Africa wildlife volunteering vacation
Conservation & animal care in a South African Big 5 Reserve
Wildlife conservation course in South Africa
Learn species conservation and habitat management in South Africa
Wildlife photography and conservation in South Africa
Photography and conservation on a Big 5 game reserve
Zululand conservation project
Preserve iconic wildlife in the breathtaking South Africa!
Big cat conservation safari, South Africa
Safari with purpose to support South Africa's lions
Over 40s volunteering with elephants, South Africa
Over-40s group volunteer with elephants adventure in Africa
Veterinary internship in Chintsa, South Africa
Hands-on veterinary experience in game reserves and farms
Volunteer at The Shamwari Wildlife Reserve, South Africa
Conserve species on a South African game reserve
Primate rescue volunteer vacation in South Africa
Providing rescued primates with a better quality of life
Family conservation project in South Africa
Exciting family volunteering with the Big 5
Volunteer with elephants in South Africa, 1 week
Care for rescued elephants on the stunning Garden Route
Veterinary internship in South Africa
Veterinary experience in South Africa
Why leopards?
High levels of hunting outside the boundaries of South Africa’s reserves is having a huge impact on the numbers of leopards found within the protected areas. In KwaZulu Natal, this decline has prompted the region’s wildlife authority to instate new legislation on trophy hunting, and on how leopards that enter local villages and communities are controlled.
Volunteers now play an integral role in providing the manpower needed to maintain effective, ongoing monitoring projects to estimate leopard population numbers and densities. These figures will be used to assess whether this new legislation is successfully and sustainably securing the future of these big cats.
What does a leopard conservation volunteering vacation entail?
In the field, you’ll regularly visit the camera sites to make sure the pair of cameras at each are still active and that they haven’t been dislodged, trampled, scratched or destroyed by curious visiting animals. You might also be involved in clearing vegetation to improve photo quality, or conversely create natural screens to hide and protect the cameras from the wildlife they’re out to capture.
You don’t need previous experience to join one of these projects; a reasonable level of fitness, an interest in conservation issues and an upbeat, can-do attitude will get you far. On-the-ground training and close support from the experts leading the research teams will take you the rest of the way.
Expect to spend anywhere from four to seven hours a day downloading, sorting and categorising photos on the research computers with at least two days per week of free time. Your computer-based work is interspersed with drives out to the camera stations, plus you’ll be based in the African bush, with its accompanying wild repertoire of spine-tingling sights, sounds and smells. This is admin work that doesn’t drag.
Where will I stay?
Your accommodation will be in one of the permanent research camps based in a variety of reserves across KwaZulu Natal. Which reserve you will be staying in will depend on where the leopard population census is focused at the time. Wherever you find yourself you can expect comfortable, but basic rooms with shared facilities and a gorgeously wild backdrop of African savannah. You’ll also be expected to pitch in with camp duties – although cooking dinner to the sounds of distant elephants trumpeting and the nocturnal bush waking up for the night is never a chore.Our top South Africa Volunteering Vacation
Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
Help re-habilitate orphaned monkeys in beautiful rural South Africa
Departures can be arranged at anytime to suit you, all year round
How can I make sure my vacation supports leopard conservation?
Outside KZN, safaris in some of the reserves in the Greater Kruger area, such as Thaba Tholo Wilderness Reserve support the INGWE leopard research programme, which assesses leopard populations in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province.
And leopard-focused vacations aren’t only found in South Africa. Further afield, vacations tracking critically endangered Amur leopards in Russia or snow leopards in the Himalayas all support conservation research, and help local communities understand the value in keeping their sublime feline neighbours alive.
When to go on a leopard
conservation vacation
From July to September, the dry season brings wildlife to waterholes and makes it easier to spot in prolific quantities in KZN’s reserves and in nearby Kruger National Park. The slightly cooler temperatures at this time of year can make early morning game drives a bit chilly, although afternoons are usually very pleasant. April and May can be good options for altogether warmer wildlife experiences, without too much rain.
The South African summer, from October to April, brings rain and high temperatures to KZN; afternoon storms are a regular occurrence from December to February when the heat and humidity peaks.