Overview

Volunteering Solutions provides a great opportunity for volunteers who are interested in having a true African experience while making a difference to the local wildlife and environment. The Wildlife Volunteering Program in South Africa is an exciting opportunity for all wildlife enthusiasts looking to volunteer abroad with animals.

Volunteers under this program are placed at a wildlife reserve area, which is a huge 6000 hectares land, located around 45 minutes outside mainland Port Elizabeth; filled with a variety of game, birdlife and wild animals, including the BIG 5! The wildlife program will capture your imagination, leaving you physically and mentally rejuvenated, soulfully inspired, and delayed in awe of this magnificent slice of South Africa.

When working to volunteer for wildlife in South Africa, a mystical blend of nature and history awaits to awaken the body, mind, and soul. Set in the splendor of the malaria-free Eastern Cape, within the heart of Frontier Country. In addition to the mixture of grasslands, sub-tropical vegetation, fynbos and bushveld, the reserve also has naturally formed pockets of water, amazing rock formations, and splendid flora.

Want to see other ways to make an impact? Check out our Volunteer in Africa programs.

Volunteer Work Schedule

Volunteers joining the wildlife reserve program in South Africa, Port Elizabeth are accommodated at the reserve itself making the daily schedule highly flexible and focused more on volunteer work for animals at the reserve. A typical schedule for volunteers looks something like;

Monday - Arrival in Port Elizabeth
Tuesday - Orientation + Introduction to the project. Orientation session will be conducted by the local coordinator, covering topic areas; such as safety, culture, language, places to visit, behaviour, food, and other suggestion over things to do in South Africa, Port Elizabeth.
Wed to Fri - Volunteer Work
Breakfast - 09:30 am to 10:00 am
Working hours - 07:30 am to 04:00 pm (all other activities; such as meals and breaks are adjusted within this time)
Lunch - 01:00 pm to 02:00 pm
Dinner - 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm

The same volunteer work schedule continues from the second week onwards
Weekends - Free to explore the city, and do activities such as;

Note: Please note, the schedule may vary depending on the particular project the volunteer is participating on.

Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

Activities for this programme vary on a day to day basis and are dependent on weather and other factors. There is an itinerary of all the activities which are scheduled for each week. The itinerary is designed in such a way that volunteers are divided into groups of up to 10 volunteers per group, depending on the number of volunteers. Each group will have an outdoor volunteer coordinator as a leader and mentor. The groups will be engaged in different daily activities, but will all do the same type and number of activities by the end of the week. In some cases all the groups might do the same activity at the same time depending on the type of activity e.g. game capture.

At the reserve will notice that your activities include some but are not limited to:

Removal of alien vegetation in and around the reserve
Lion tracking and monitoring
School feeding schemes (speak to us if you would like to go as this is voluntary)
Wildlife structures
Tree planting and landscaping
Game drives
Predator interaction and caring
Elephant sanctuary
Fauna and flora work in the nursery
Wilderness trail walks and patrols
Fence patrol
Game counts
Game capture
Anti poaching efforts

Project Requirement

Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the time of joining the project. Participants should have an open mind and flexible attitude for working outdoors and should have a keen interest and love for animals and wildlife. All volunteers must provide a clean criminal background check report prior to joining the program.

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Living

Airport Transfers

Volunteers are picked up from the Port Elizabeth Airport. Scheduled transfers are arranged to and from the airport to the reserve. The reserve is approximately 45 minutes from the airport. All volunteers need to arrive at Port Elizabeth Airport on Monday before 4pm, as transfer is provided till that time only.

Orientation

The volunteers would be a given a basic orientation with guidelines and instructions by the project coordinators. A weekly itinerary is also prepared assigning roles and responsibilities to the volunteers.

Accommodation

Volunteers are housed in dorm style accommodation. The dorms are alotted on same gender basis. In cases where volunteers want to stay as a couple, this can be arranged at an extra cost and also depends on the availability of rooms unless arrangements were made prior to arrival. Volunteers are more than welcome to socialize in the common area such as the entertainment area, lounge, TV area etc.
Internet service is also available during certain designated hours.

Meals

Volunteers are provided with meals on all seven days of the week. Your basic breakfast will consist of cereals, bread, butter, jam, tea, coffee and cheese, but sometimes volunteers are also served eggs, sausages or baked beans, and sometimes a combination of the both.

Port Elizabeth, Wildlife- Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Dates

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December