Volunteer travel guide
Volunteering abroad used to be a long term commitment for a highly qualified few. Today, opportunities have opened up for people of all skill levels, in virtually every country in the world.
Wildlife conservation activities
Live alongside the locals
The amount of involvement between volunteers and locals does vary from trip to trip, but generally there will be plenty unless a project is very remote. One of the key markers of a successful wildlife conservation initiative is how well it works in the local community because if they’re not behind you, the chances are your goals will either be achieved, but only in the short term, or not achieved at all. Volunteers are encouraged to visit local schools to teach some English, or run simple presentations illustrating what the conservation work they’re doing means for the local environment and how everyone can get involved.
Our Wildlife conservation Vacations
Conservation volunteering in Belize
Join an award winning research team in Belize
From
£895
7 days
ex flights
Namibia wildlife sanctuary volunteering vacation
Care for rescued animals in Namibia
From
£945 to £5445
15 days
ex flights
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Award-winning, Fair Trade certified wildlife conservation!
From
US $1544
14 days
ex flights
Volunteering with bears in Romania
Volunteer at an inspiring bear sanctuary in Transylvania
From
£925
7 days
ex flights
Thailand wildlife sanctuary volunteering vacation
Volunteering break at a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand
From
£739
7 days
ex flights
Wildlife conservation in Borneo
Conserve orangutans and elephants in Borneo's rainforests
From
£1285
12 days
ex flights
Borneo Wildlife Volunteer Project
Encounter orangutans and elephants in the Bornean jungle.
From
£1295
12 days
ex flights
Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
Help re-habilitate orphaned monkeys in beautiful rural South Africa
From
£769
10 days
ex flights
Brown bear tracking in Northern Greece
Track wild bears & explore the wilderness with park rangers
From
€650
5 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with turtles in Costa Rica
Family turtle conservation volunteering in Costa Rica
From
£749
7 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with bears in Romania
Unique family volunteering vacation at a bear sanctuary
From
£925
7 days
ex flights
Orangutan volunteering in Borneo
Volunteer at an orangutan rehabilitation center in Borneo
From
£795 to £1995
8 days
ex flights
Elephant conservation vacation in Sri Lanka
Volunteer with elephants in stunning Sri Lanka
From
£845
7 days
ex flights
Wildlife orphanage volunteering in South Africa
Care for orphaned animals in stunning South Africa!
From
£530 to £2590
7 days
ex flights
Orangutan conservation in East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Work with orangutans & sun bears in stunning East Kalimantan
From
£1295 to £1995
13 days
ex flights
Shark conservation in South Africa
Conserve sharks, whales and penguins in South Africa
From
£829
7 days
ex flights
Sailing & conservation vacation in Greece
A unique wildlife & sailing adventure
From
£683 to £759
7 days
ex flights
Mountain gorilla project in Uganda
Work towards conservation of the majestic gorilla in Uganda
From
£2995
14 days
ex flights
Volunteer with turtles in Costa Rica
Protect nesting turtles on Costa Rica's beautiful beaches
From
£989
7 days
ex flights
Wildlife rescue volunteering in Costa Rica
Assist caring for rescued animals in Costa Rica
From
£695
7 days
ex flights
Orangutan conservation vacation in Borneo
Meet Iban tribes and encounter orangutans in Borneo
From
£1195
13 days
ex flights
Malawi volunteering vacation
Volunteer at Africa's top wildlife sanctuary
From
£1370 to £4350
14 days
ex flights
Elephant & wildlife conservation volunteering in Sri Lanka
Help wild elephants and wildlife in Sri Lanka
From
£945 to £3105
7 days
ex flights
Namibia carnivore conservation & research project
Assist the team as a Big Cat Conservation Volunteer!
From
£1340
17 days
ex flights
Costa Rica wildlife conservation
Work with sloths and other wildlife in Costa Rica.
From
£803 to £1491
15 days
ex flights
Dolphin conservation vacation in Greece
Vacation on stunning Greek Island with daily dolphin tours
From
€750
7 days
ex flights
Volunteer at The Shamwari Wildlife Reserve, South Africa
Conserve species on a South African game reserve
From
£1295 to £7295
14 days
ex flights
Plant trees for koalas in Australia
Plant trees for wild koalas near Melbourne
From
AU $1620 to AU $1900
3 days
ex flights
Family volunteering in Thailand
Family wildlife sanctuary volunteering in Thailand
From
£739
7 days
ex flights
Erin Sparks, from our supplier, PoD Volunteer, shares her opinion on the importance of local engagement: “In our wildlife project in Belize, there is a specific education role where you can be heavily involved in getting out to local schools and running educational programmes there about wildlife conservation for those children that can’t get out to the project. If you want to have a successful project on the ground, you need the backing of the local community; it needs to be beneficial for them and in turn they need to know about animal protection and habitat protection. It doesn’t matter if people from all over the world believe in because it if the people who live right there on the doorstep don’t, it just won’t work.”
Get out and about
Whether it’s spent strolling around a local craft market, exploring the native landscape, or grabbing a local guide and letting them lead you to the best live music, local beer and food, your free time will be precious so use it to experience something new.
You will get some free time on your wildlife conservation vacation; how much ranges from an afternoon to an entire weekend and how you spend it is entirely up to you.![]()
Our top Wildlife conservation Vacation
Volunteering with bears in Romania
Volunteer at an inspiring bear sanctuary in Transylvania
From
£925
7 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
Flexible departures available throughout the year, minimum stay 1 week
Flexible departures available throughout the year, minimum stay 1 week
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Wildlife conservation or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
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What to do in your downtime
Erin Sparks, from our supplier, PoD Volunteer, shares her advice on what to do in your downtime: “In order to be ideally located for the animals, a lot of wildlife conservation projects are not sat slap bang in the middle of a tourist hub, or near adrenalin activities, but you do get downtime. You are working in a team and the work is tiring, so one of the best things you can do is just chill out getting to know your fellow volunteers. Our elephant care and wildlife rescue project in Cambodia is really remote, but is near a beach where you can spend the day and there’s even a spa in the local town, which makes most of its money from volunteers - after you’ve been mucking out elephants for a couple of weeks, there’s nothing better than a hot soak and a massage.”Capture your memories
Most people take photos on vacation, but not all vacations are designed for photographers - of course, while working you won’t have time to get snap happy, but you will get free time and there’s nothing stopping you finding a local guide and organising a game drive, or a walk out into the wilds to take some incredible shots.
The animals' majesty and funny quirks, as well as their incredible natural habitat in which they live are memories that you'll definitely want to capture on camera.![]()
More about Wildlife conservation
Find out whether wildlife conservation is for you and what wildlife conservation entails as you pour over our wildlife conservation guide.
From the vibrant culture of Thailand to the tropical savannah of Belize, sometimes choosing a wildlife conservation vacation can be as exciting as the world you’ll find once in resort.
If you want to know where to go on a wildlife conservation vacation then read on to discover what Responsible Travel recommends and typical daily timetables to get a glimpse of a day in the life.
From preparing food for rescued brown bears in Romania to remote research expeditions searching out endangered lynx in the Montenegrin mountains and more!
Choose a wildlife conservation vacation that really matters using advice from our suppliers Johan Maree and Anne Smellie.
Here we reveal the best places to enjoy a responsible elephant conservation project, where you might be joining long-term researchers to monitor wild herds, or working in sanctuaries.
Turtle conservation projects from Costa Rica to the Seychelles offer opportunities for effective citizen science in idyllic beach settings. That makes them perfect for families wanting a worthwhile volunteer project to take on together. Read on for more information on what to expect on a turtle conservation project, and why we no longer support turtle hatcheries that use tanks.
From tracking leopards in South Africa to caring for rescued bears in Romania, the places a wildlife conservation vacation will take you are as varied as the work you will do.
Learn about accommodation, training and advice on seeing the bigger picture before you set off armed with advice on how to do wildlife conservation safely.
There are no excuses for not being able to travel right on a conservation vacation with the responsible wildlife conservation tours that we advertise on this website.
More relevant guides
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