Description

Volunteer with the truly awesome African Big 5 gang (Lion, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and Black Rhinoceros).

This is a wildlife and conservation project located in South Africa that aims to protect, preserve and educate those interested in an up close and personal experience with mother nature and the African Big Five.

On this volunteer programme, you will get the opportunity to get hands-on involved in several ongoing projects within the reserve such as:
* Assisting at the Elephant sanctuary
* Game capture
* Caring for lion cubs
* Looking after the various other animals
* Game tracking and research
* Parks maintenance and many more tasks.

On your weekends off excursions will be organized for you to places of interest in the surrounding area and the fabulous Garden Route.

Highlights

Volunteer in a Big Five Conservation Project in South Africa. Explore African Wildlife and live the life of a trainee Ranger.

Once you are picked up in Port Elizabeth, you will be taken on a city tour and then to the reserve which is about a 45 minute drive from Port Elizabeth to the program.

You will be met by the volunteer coordinator and taken for an orientation tour. After that you will be shown to your accommodation, given your uniform and introduced to the rest of the team.

You are expected to work for about 9 hours a day (from 7:30 am to 5 pm), 5 days a week.

During the weekends you will have the opportunity to take part in some excursions to Port Elizabeth, Jeffrey's Bay, Knysna, etc. These are all included as part of the price.

Your tasks as volunteer will include but are not exclusive to:
* Assisting with game captures
* Fencing and maintenance
* Assisting at the Elephant Sanctuary
* Caring for orphaned lion cubs
* Monitoring free roaming lions
* Removing alien vegetation
* Tagging and surveys

You will find the following facilities in the Game Reserve:
* Predator Educational and Rehabilitation Centre, caring for endangered species
* Elephant sanctuary, where there are tame elephants used for educational purposes
* Sporting facilities

Travel Types

• Eco Tours
• Volunteering

Qualifications

* Minimum age 18 yrs.
* No specific animal care skills are required, as all training will be given on site. You will need to be reasonably fit and able to be out all day - there is hard physical work!
* The greatest attributes you can posses are flexibility, a willingness to get involved and a great sense of humour.
* International volunteers are welcome as long as they are eligible for a tourist visa.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

from 650 GBP

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

* You will be accommodated in the five star volunteer house (dorm style with 32 maximum capacity, please see pics)
* The volunteer house has it's own chef preparing the meals, it's own dining and lounge area and an entertainment centre
* The premises include a convenience store, internet facilities, sports facilities (tennis courts and a cricket field) and entertainment room
* Please note that the Reserve has an `Alcohol free` environment.
* You will be provided with 3 meals a day
* From a breakfast buffet to rice and tasty stews, burgers, pizzasand local cuisine with pap and meat.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Dormitory
• Group living

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Phone/Video Interview

Typically The Application Process Time is

48 hours

WAVA's Mission Statement

WAVA's Responsible Travel policy is its mission statement. It's not an ideology. It is not a cast-iron set of rigid guidelines and procedures. Rather, it is a spectrum of principles and concepts that promote co-operation and learning not only by those in the London office, but also with all other parties involved - travellers, partners and host communities - ensuring each can mutually benefit. We do our best to understand our travellers' needs, responsibly preparing them to have great experiences, and we produce content that accurately informs our travellers of what they can expect to encounter when abroad.

Year Founded

2010