Volunteer travel guide
Volunteering abroad used to be a long term commitment for a highly qualified few but that has since changed.
Where to go on a wildlife conservation vacation
From the vibrant culture of Thailand to the tropical savannah of Belize, the locations that host wildlife conservation vacations are as diverse as the work you can do in them. Once you’ve arrived you could be traveling on foot and by bicycle to animal sanctuaries and enclosures, or in a 4x4 across the vast pains of game reserves, it’s worth thinking about how you’ll actually get there. Some projects are located in isolated areas where travel links are poor, so your journey could involve internal flights or lengthy road travel, which not everyone will be comfortable with. Think about the logistics involved and don’t be immediately wowed by the location.
1.
Borneo
2. Costa Rica
3. Greece
4. Italy
5. Malawi
6. Namibia
7. New Zealand
8. Romania
9. South Africa
10. Sri Lanka
11. Thailand
12. Uganda
2. Costa Rica
3. Greece
4. Italy
5. Malawi
6. Namibia
7. New Zealand
8. Romania
9. South Africa
10. Sri Lanka
11. Thailand
12. Uganda
Borneo
1. Borneo
Best time: Feb-Dec. Borneo has become a bit of a poster child for ‘giving back’ vacations and though slow loris, sun bears and orangutans do all need your help, don’t be lured in by the idea of cuddling babies. You should never touch an orangutan, but they’re beautiful to watch and construction and reforestation work is a really rewarding way to help.
Costa Rica
2. Costa Rica
Best time: Jul-Dec. Costa Rica is the ultimate beach destination and working on a turtle conservation project there gives you the chance to explore its unspoilt coastline while helping to protect the precious environment of its shelled inhabitants. You’ll patrol the beach, monitor nests, protect new hatchlings and record observations for future protection campaigns.
Greece
3. Greece
Best time: Apr-Oct. Travel to the remote Northern Pindos mountains where vacations to track wild brown bears support ongoing conservation research. Or head to the quiet, lush island of Alonissos where you’ll join research teams out on the crystal clear Adriatic each day on the lookout for dolphins; photographing dorsal fins for identification and noting GPS coordinates of sightings.
Italy
4. Italy
Best time: May-Oct. Join expert biologists surveying the marine mammals of the Pelagos Sanctuary in the Ligurian Sea, home to the highest concentration of whales and dolphins in the Mediterranean. Spending all day at sea you’ll be taking identification photographs, monitoring behaviour, recording data on sightings and conducting acoustic surveys, with evening on-land lectures from marine biologists.
Malawi
5. Malawi
Best time: Year round. Conservation work in Malawi involves helping with wild animal rescue, rehabilitation and release as well as being part of an important programme of community initiatives from education projects to tree planting – everything is aimed at repairing the fractured relationship between animals and humans, and reducing deforestation.
Namibia
6. Namibia
Best time: Year round. Namibia has a rich concentration of wildlife conservation opportunities. Play a part in the conservation of wild cheetahs in the wilderness, game-counting, camera trap setting and collecting footprints; help to track and monitor elephants in the desert; or care for rescued animals in a sanctuary surrounded by lush vegetation and mountain views.
New Zealand
7. New Zealand
Best time: Year round. Volunteer with some of New Zealand’s iconic endemic creatures in some of the most spectacular scenery in the southern hemisphere – but also where rates of species loss are some of the highest in the world. You might be combating coastal erosion, reforesting, restoring habitats, collecting seeds and undertaking wildlife surveys. You’ll also learn about traditional Maori culture.
Romania
8. Romania
Best time: Year round. The tale of Romania’s brown bear population is a sad one: for years they’ve been trapped in cages outside restaurants, forced to dance for ‘entertainment’, and trophy-hunted, so the rescue work done in the country is invaluable. Volunteering at a sanctuary, your days will be spent prepping and distributing food and monitoring their wellbeing.
South Africa
9. South Africa
Best time: Year round. From hands-on care of baby monkeys to wild animal research in the heart of under-funded game reserves, wildlife conservation in South Africa is varied. You might be setting camera traps, radio-tracking rhino and inputting data into research computers at your remote bush camp. Or preparing food and undertaking maintenance work in a sanctuary rescuing birds, monkeys or even African elephants.
Sri Lanka
10. Sri Lanka
Best time: Year round. Wildlife conservation work in Sri Lanka focuses on its wild elephants, and how human-elephant conflict can be minimised to ensure the survival of these endangered creatures. You’ll spend time in the remote Wasgamuwa National Park monitoring wild elephant populations and behaviour, and working with local communities to develop ways to live harmoniously with their gigantic neighbours.
Thailand
11. Thailand
Best time: Year round. Wildlife conservation in Thailand is varied. Work with elephants, getting to know the intelligent, gentle giants directly with their mahouts; live with over 30 of them in the wilds of the Thai jungle; or volunteer in a wildlife rescue center for neglected, or injured animals caring for gibbons, slow loris, bears, small mammals and reptiles.
Uganda
12. Uganda
Best time: Jan-Oct Iconic wildlife is at its finest in Uganda, where you can volunteer at a sanctuary housing the country’s only white rhinos, with the aim to re-establish a wild population after being poached out of their natural habitat in the 1980s. Alternatively head into the steamy highlands where mountain gorilla conservation focuses on community engagement, education and projects to bolster local livelihoods.
Orangutan sanctuary volunteering in Borneo
Care for stunning endangered orangutans in beautiful Borneo
From
£1195 to £1895
13 days
ex flights
Namibia wildlife sanctuary volunteering vacation
Care for rescued animals in Namibia
From
£1195 to £5895
15 days
ex flights
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Volunteer with endangered species in South Africa
From
R 33440
14 days
ex flights
Costa Rica wildlife conservation
Work with sloths and other wildlife in Costa Rica
From
£995 to £1795
15 days
ex flights
Orangutan volunteering in Borneo
Volunteer at an award winning orangutan rehabilitation center
From
£795 to £1995
8 days
ex flights
Over 50s volunteering with elephants, South Africa
Over 50s group volunteer with elephants adventure in Africa
From
US $1880
8 days
ex flights
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Belize wildlife conservation vacation (14 days)
Volunteering with monkeys in South Africa (14 days)
Endanagered wildlife conservation in South Africa (14 days)
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Choose a wildlife conservation vacation that really matters using advice from our partners.
From preparing food for rescued brown bears in Romania to remote research expeditions...
Join long-term researchers in monitoring wild herds, or spend a week working in a sanctuary for rescued elephants.
A fantastic combo: effective citizen science in idyllic beach settings around the world, from Costa Rica to the Seychelles.
From tracking leopards in South Africa to caring for rescued bears in Romania...
Learn about accommodation, training, and see the big picture behind your efforts.
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