Volunteer in South Africa

Programs start from $653 for one week in Cape Town, deposit included, covering accommodation, the meals listed for your program, airport pickup, orientation, placement and 24-hour support. Port Elizabeth programs include three meals a day and daily project transfers; the medical program and the penguin rescue center cost more because of specialist placements. Longer stays cost less per week and each program page shows the full week-by-week total. Flights, insurance, local transport in Cape Town and personal spending are extra.

Citizens of the UK, Ireland, most EU countries, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can enter South Africa visa-free for up to 90 days with a passport valid for at least six months and blank pages. If your placement is longer than 90 days you must apply for a volunteer visa before traveling; our pre-departure guide explains the process. Other nationalities should check with the nearest South African mission.

South Africa has real crime, and we plan around it rather than ignoring it. You are met at the airport, live in a volunteer hostel used only by participants (Cape Town) or a secured house near the beach (Port Elizabeth), get a detailed safety briefing at orientation and have coordinators on call 24 hours a day. The rules — no walking alone after dark, arranged transport at night, valuables out of sight, minibus taxis only on known routes — keep thousands of volunteers safe every year.

18 on the Cape Town programs and the wildlife and penguin projects, and 17 (with parental consent) on the Port Elizabeth community childcare and youth program. Families with children are welcome on the Cape Town childcare program, the 2-week special and the wildlife reserve program — tell us your children's ages when you enquire.

From one week (Cape Town childcare, Port Elizabeth community and the wildlife reserve) or two weeks (teaching, sports, medical, animal rescue) up to 24 weeks; the penguin rescue center has a four-week minimum and the 2-week special is fixed at two weeks. Cape Town programs start on Sundays and Port Elizabeth programs on Mondays throughout the year; the next available start is 27 Sep 2026.

In Cape Town, at a volunteers-only hostel in the suburb of Observatory (4–8-bed dorms, lounge, kitchen, 20 minutes from the center) or with a host family in a local community. In Port Elizabeth, at a secured volunteer house with a pool, a fireplace and the beach within walking distance (private rooms on request). Wildlife-reserve volunteers stay in same-gender dorms on the reserve.

It depends on where you stay. Cape Town hostel volunteers get a self-service breakfast on weekdays and buy or cook their other meals; Cape Town host families provide three meals a day including a packed lunch. Port Elizabeth volunteers get three meals a day from a weekly set menu, and reserve volunteers are fed seven days a week. Vegetarians and vegans are catered for with notice.

Yes. Cape Town volunteers are met at Cape Town International Airport and taken to the hostel by shuttle (the return transfer can be arranged at extra cost; overland arrivals make their own way). Port Elizabeth volunteers are collected at Port Elizabeth Airport on their Monday start date and dropped back at the end — wildlife-reserve volunteers must land before 4pm for the transfer.

None are required for entry from Europe, North America or Australasia; a yellow fever certificate is needed only if you arrive from a yellow-fever country. Routine vaccinations should be current and hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended. The animal rescue and rehabilitation project requires rabies and tetanus vaccinations. Check NHS Fit for Travel or the CDC before you travel.

November to March is summer — warm and dry in Cape Town, ideal for beaches and hiking. June to August is cooler and wetter in Cape Town but the best season for whale watching and game viewing. Schools follow the South African calendar, with the long summer break in December and January. Programs run all year round.

Yes — the medical program in Cape Town is open to medical and nursing students, physician assistants, CNAs and EMTs (not pre-med or pre-nursing students). You observe and assist in clinics and hospitals under supervision within your level of training, and must provide a background check, passport copy, CV, proof of studies or registration and a short motivation letter before you start. The program runs from two to 24 weeks.

Layers — Cape Town can be hot by day and cold at night, and winter is wet — plus smart-casual clothes for placements, scrubs for medical volunteers, sturdy shoes and clothes you can ruin for animal and reserve work, a hat, sunscreen, a small bag that closes securely, a flashlight, a first-aid kit and any regular medication. Reserve volunteers get a T-shirt and cap; teaching and childcare volunteers can bring stationery, books or sports equipment.