South Africa Wildlife Volunteering

Participants on this volunteering program stay at a private Game Reserve about an hour NE of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The Reserve was set up on old agricultural land and covers around 6,000 hectares, with a perimeter stretching over 80 km. On this unique project, you live and work at the park, actively helping with the effort to protect endangered species in an area home to all of Africa’s Big 5 - Lions, Leopards, Rhinos, Elephants and Cape Buffalo.

The Reserve engages in extensive and vital conservation programs, as without these conservation efforts, wildlife in the area would not be sustainable.

Volunteer Role:

As a volunteer, the activities you can look forward to participating in include, but are not limited to:

- Removal of alien vegetation
- Lion tracking and monitoring
- Tree planting and landscaping
- Flora & Fauna workshops
- Wilderness trail walks and patrols
- Fence patrol
- Game counts (in season)
- Game captures & tracking (in season)

Training:

During your time on the Reserve, you will also learn a number of key skills from the many guides and animal experts who work there, including:

- Orientation in the bush
- Introduction to wild animals
- Animal tracking (footprints)
- Bush survival skills
- Various tree species and their benefits/ harms
- Anti-poaching and fence patrol

Life on the Reserve:

You will start your days volunteering at 0830 and finish at approximately 1630 Monday to Friday, with timely breaks for re-fuelling! Food is varied and plentiful, with western favourites as well as local specialities available.

Your home away from home will be comfy dormitories shared with other volunteers. Dorms are single sex, with 2-bed partitioned areas for privacy. Volunteers at the centre come from all over the world, creating a lively community of like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Weekend Excursions:

Weekends are free time. Either relax and un-wind at the Reserve, enjoying the park and its close-knit community, or head out on a weekend excursion to Port Elizabeth. Transport and shared hostel accommodation for weekend excursions are included in your fees.