Family volunteering in South Africa
Volunteering in South Africa is not your average family vacation. Work can be hard, conditions can be basic, clothes will get battered and tantrums won't be pandered to, even if dad really, really, really, wants a rest.![]()
The rewards for families volunteering in South Africa – both culturally and emotionally – are infinite. Forget kids’ clubs so parents can laze about; volunteering in South Africa allows families to work as a team. Mum and Dad get to show they're actually more than washing, tidying and nagging machines. Volunteering with orphaned primates allows kids to become parent, whilst parents get to remember what it feels like to care for a helpless infant.
Community volunteering projects are better suited for older children – 12 years plus. Kids get to share a classroom with students who are as eager to get to know them as they are in their lessons. Helping someone of the same age can be an inspirational experience and can help visiting families to appreciate what they’ve got. From accommodation with swimming pools to safari tours before or after a project - volunteering in South Africa as a family flips vacations of the past right out of the park.
Entry requirements
Be aware that immigration rules introduced by South Africa in 2015 require parents traveling with children under 18 to bring a full unabridged birth certificate for each child, with the names of both parents, as well as the child’s. Short, abridged versions that only include the child’s details aren’t accepted. Check the FCO website for more details.
Family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Family volunteering with baboons in South Africa
From
US $1110
14 days
ex flights
Family wildlife volunteering in South Africa
Create lasting memories as a family on a wildlife adventure
From
£1275
7 days
ex flights
Family marine volunteering, South Africa
Discover and help protect marine life as a family
From
£875 to £1075
6 days
ex flights
Primate rescue volunteer vacation in South Africa
Providing rescued primates with a better quality of life
From
£545
7 days
ex flights
Family wildlife volunteering vacation, South Africa
Volunteering for older families in Cape Karoo
From
£3695 to £3995
7 days
ex flights
Family conservation project in South Africa
Adventure, wildlife & volunteering with your family
From
US $1500
6 days
ex flights
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VOLUNTEERING HOLIDAYS FOR FAMILIES
What type of project?
Anne Smellie, from our top volunteering vacations partner Oyster Worldwide:
“Families are often better suited to volunteering with wildlife in South Africa rather than community projects. Often kids might be quite shy at first; however, once they’ve been given a task, such as caring for an infant monkey or helping to prepare food, they stick to it and often display a really keen work ethic as well as growing in confidence as their vacation progresses. It’s also great for children and their parents to work side by side. This allows adults to show a different side to just being mum or dad, in addition to the whole family working as a team towards a common goal.”
Is it for you?
Anne Smellie, Oyster Worldwide:
“Families thinking about volunteering with wildlife should remember that this is not your average family vacation. Accommodation can be basic. There will be cultural and physical challenges. You will become really immersed in rural South Africa where you’ll be helping to make a positive difference and working within a team; a positive attitude is a must for all members of the family.”
Why volunteer as a family?
Jon Arnold, from Oyster Worldwide:
“Volunteering vacations give the kids much more of a cultural understanding, it’s giving them a lesson in how great it is to volunteer, and really making the most of their vacation time. They’re not just staying in an all inclusive vacation resort and lying on a beach. They’re actually doing something really worthwhile with those two weeks. And these are projects that we’ve picked particularly because there are things for the children to do and to contribute to as well – the minimum age is around seven.”
More South Africa Volunteering articles
Volunteers are needed all year round, so go when temperature and rainfall are best.
An immensely beneficial endeavour, and not only for the communities and wildlife in need.
Our top picks, from volunteering with monkeys to cage diving with great white sharks.
The different types of tour that we offer, and how to manage your expectations for what you can do.
From endangered wildlife monitoring to community construction projects...
Discover the issues, from pollution to poverty, cultural traditions to respecting animals.
