Animals Gap Year Programs After College in South Africa

I loved every second of my time in South Africa. All the staff at the reserve were fantastic, especially the rangers who were really knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the conservation that was happening there. There was a really good blend between all aspects of the course, including the classroom learning, field learning and also participating in some of the volunteer activities as well. The accommodation on the reserve was really nice and well looked after too!

I have recently come back from my gap year and while I was there I spent a month working on the relationships between humans and elephants. So why would I recommend Oyster? I am so glad I picked to do this project with Oyster because they made me feel very well taken care of and looked after me before and during the project. They talk you though everything you need to know before the project takes place and what clothes and necessities you may need to pack. So what does the project consist of? I would do this project a million times if I could, and if you don’t believe me lots of people who were doing the project had already done it before and had come back because of how much they enjoyed it. So the project is on a two week program and you have the option to stay from two weeks to 3 months. The first week is amazing because you build walls for the local community. Some days some of the locals will come and help, or a few kids will come and keep you company, that is amazing because you feel so immersed, it’s definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The second week is spent tracking elephants. This was my favourite out of the two because you learn all about the elephants foot prints. We also managed to see a two day old elephant which we were lucky enough to name !!! So why pick this project? I think this project and Oyster have a lot of selling points. For starters Oyster takes very good care of you and help you organise yourself before the project starts so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Secondly you are in the middle of the desert, I don’t think you could get anymore rural than that. You don’t really have much service so it’s lovely to disconnect for two weeks. You get to spend some time with lovely people who you may not meet on a day to day basis, people from different countries, locals, and different ages. You camp under the stars which is also amazing. Overall I would always recommend this amazing project, such a special experience!!

Oyster Worldwide responded to this reviewAugust 13, 2024

Wonderful to read about your experience, thank you Emily! The Oyster Team

Honestly, I don’t want to leave! I’ve met a lot of incredible people from different countries, I’m in love with the staff here, the kids at my site have stolen my heart. I feel so content – my heart is full.”

I received a warm welcome. The guest house hostess is kind and lovely.The school teachers and staff are awesome. All the volunteers are friendly and caring too. Immersed in this welcoming community, every moment feels like a step towards unforgettable experiences and lifelong friendships.

It was an amazing experience and I have come away with a profound respect for the country and people I volunteered with. The accommodation is lovely, the food is great, and the girl I’m rooming with is really nice too. Everyone at the project so lovely and welcomed me warmly.

I was fortunate enough to travel through African Conservation Experience for six weeks at four amazing projects: Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, The Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience, Care for Wild Africa Rhino Sanctuary, and Phinda Wildlife Research Project. Being an 18-year-old who had just graduated from high school, I was slightly intimidated to travel on my own for as long as I did. As soon as I reached Johannesburg airport any nerves I had instantly vanished because of how welcoming and friendly the in-country team from ACE was. There ended up being about six ACE volunteers who sat in the lovely Mugg & Bean restaurant at Johannesburg airport and had a complimentary breakfast. It gave us some time to get to know one another and ask any questions to the ACE staff. We also got to hear a very insightful talk from the ACE team that prepared us for some of the realities that we would face when dealing with conservation in South Africa. Some of the other volunteers I met in the airport I later reunited with, which was so cool! Volunteer tip: I recommend trading social media details at the airport with the other ACE volunteers, to keep up to date with the cool things they are doing at the other projects! The first project I visited was Moholoholo. I spent two weeks there and fell in love with all of the animals. I was in the group that was responsible for taking care of 3 eagles, 3 spotted eagle owls, and two servals. Later I was put in charge of two nyala and helped out with many other animals. The work wasn't easy and the days could feel long, but I loved every second of it because the animals and staff were amazing. Each week new volunteers came through, including a group of 18 university students the first week, and so I found it so special getting to meet so many new people. There were multiple presentations that I got to listen to, including a conservation talk from vet Dr Peter Rogers. There was also a talk about the terrible poisonings that are threatening many of Africa’s vulture populations by Dr Lindy Thompson, who works with Endangered Wildlife Trust. I was privileged to be a part of Moholoholo’s release of 10 vultures, including the cape vulture (vulnerable), lappet-faced vulture (endangered), white-backed vulture (critically endangered), and hooded vulture (critically endangered). Another volunteer and I got to spend the whole morning helping the staff and Dr Lindy Thompson and her partner prepare the vultures for release by taking measurements of each one and attaching GPS trackers or tags to them. This was an incredible experience. Leaving Moholoholo was not easy, but fortunately, my next location was amazing as well. I spent one week at the Vikela Kruger Project and was accompanied by one other volunteer. The project staff here are experts at what they do and are accompanied by their beautiful working dog Letta. They taught the other volunteer and I so much about tracking wildlife by foot, and one day we spent 6 hours tracking the critically endangered black rhino in the Kruger and were able to observe their natural behaviours. Right after we spotted some black rhinos and started to collect vital data on them, we encountered a wild dog, a very endangered species - how amazing! We spent every morning and evening driving around the Kruger National Park, monitoring the species that we encountered, and some days we could work on projects such as bush removal and road repairs. We saw a huge variety of animals, including the Big 5, giraffes, hyenas, hippos, many different types of antelope, mongoose, and so many more. The Vikela Kruger Project is an amazing experience that opened my eyes to the importance of saving Africa’s wild animals. My third location was Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary (CFW). I only spent 6 days here, but I wish that I had stayed for longer. CFW is an incredible sanctuary that is home to many orphaned rhinos who are in the process of being rehabilitated and released. Tasks at CFW included preparing bottles and fish cakes for baby rhinos, preparing feed for the older rhinos, and cleaning enclosures. CFW does so much for their community, such as their Lomshyio Community Farming Project and their Junior Ranger Program! I was so impressed by CFW's exceptional treatment of the animals in their care and their commitment to the betterment of their local community. All of the staff at CFW were incredibly kind and welcoming, and even though I only spent 6 days at CFW, I fell in love with the animals and organisation, and would definitely love to go back in the future. My final destination was Phinda Private Game Reserve, where I spent my last 2 weeks. Phinda is a beautiful reserve that is home to a large diversity of species, both plants and animals. At Phinda much of our time was spent locating elephants with telemetry, observing them, and collecting data. I loved this as I got to know many of the heards' different personalities and distinguishing features. We spent so much of our time with the elephants because there was a long-term study on the effects of the contraception used on their elephants. I was also fortunate enough to participate in the horn trimming of one of Phinda's black rhinos, which is an effective anti-poaching method employed to protect South Africa's rhino population. It was amazing to see this technique in action as I learned a lot about the severe effects of poaching on rhinos and other species. I even got to watch the amputation of an injured cheetah’s toe and got to observe it throughout the beginning of its recovery. My highlight of the management work at Phinda I got to be involved in, was the multiple elephant captures for relocations and checkups. This was an incredible experience to learn about. While at Phinda I saw so many beautiful animals and landscapes. I was glad that my last location was spent with such amazing staff and volunteers. ACE is a great company that I would highly recommend travelling through. I loved my experience in South Africa and am already wanting to plan my next trip. All four of the locations I volunteered at were eye-opening in different ways and taught me so much about wildlife conservation, research, and rehabilitation. All of the locations that I went to were very accommodating to my vegan diet and had great food. I felt safe at every project and made friendships with staff members and other volunteers that have lasted until this day. I would highly recommend volunteering through ACE at these locations!

The last few weeks I have been travelling around South East Asia with Oyster Worldwide, completing my Gold The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

 This has been a truly once in a lifetime experience, meeting many new people from all around the world and learning about the Asian culture and lifestyle.

 From volunteering at an ethical elephant sanctuary in Chaing Mai, Thailand to partying on a yacht in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, I enjoyed every second of it. 

 Oyster Worldwide have been super professional and helpful throughout the whole experience and made a complex and daunting trip, a breeze in the park!

Oyster Worldwide responded to this reviewJuly 20, 2023

Sounds like you made the most of your time Bailey and had a wonderful tour - thanks for sharing!

My time volunteering with ACE is one of the best experiences in my life to date. Having done two weeks at Phinda and then a two week rhino focussed course split across Kruger and then Care for Wild, I really feel I had a in-depth insight into the African Conservation world. I’ve always been interested in wildlife and conservation and this time taught me so much about reserve management, conservation strategies and the threats they face. It even helped me understand the more political and sensitive issues that affect conservation on a daily basis. The ACE team helped direct me to the projects that were of interest to me and the placements all ran smoothly. I’d certainly travel with them again!

I spent 2 months in South Africa under the care of ACE and I couldn't have been happier with my experience. From arranging very reliable and friendly transfers to ensuring an excellent visit during your stay, ACE will do it all for you and will only ask that you gain from the experience what you can. I did the intensive rhino course, Care For Wild and the Phinda project and they all blew me away. From my trip I can tell how important conservation is to the people who run ACE and the passion that they have for eco-tourism. Everyone at ACE was extremely friendly and helped you to understand the real conservation issues that are affecting South Africa today, rather than other companies which will encourage activities for people to simply have contact with the animals, but have little to no conservational value. The projects that ACE run and support have the best interest of the animals they care for always as their main priority. The rhino intensive course was very interesting to see the realities of the rhino-poaching crisis and you get a very different perspective to what is portrayed in mainstream media and get the chance to try and think of answers together to tackle difficult issues. Care For Wild was an UNFORGETTABLE experience which i shall certainly be doing again very soon. Working with orphaned rhinos and an incredible team paired to make experiences for me where I learnt so much about myself and changed many views. Also the social side of CFW is brilliant and I spent my 3 weeks there with 3 different groups who were all amazing. Phinda had incredible bio-diversity and the tour guides were very informative and fun to work with. Using telemetry and other methods to track animals we were able to gain a greater understanding of the species that we saw and had an incredible experience being on such an amazing reserve and helping with research to help aid conservation. If you’re thinking of coming to South Africa to see animals, please use ACE because they will guarantee that you can see incredible animals and have great experiences, without it being at the expense of the animals or conservation.

I had a fantastic experience with ACE. The projects they offer are amazing and the way they have things organized is so great. I felt totally safe and taken care of during my trip to south Africa. Before, during and after my trip they were always there to answer questions, give tips and recommendations and ensure that everything moved smoothly. I would 100% recommend booking a trip with them!

Working with all the rhinos at Care for Wild is a definite highlight, along working with some of the most inspiring people I have ever met who all strived to involve the volunteers in as much as possible. The amount of wildlife I saw at Phinda was incredible and watching the vet check up and tube feed the pangolins was just astounding.

My time volunteering with ACE is one of the best experiences in my life to date. Having done two weeks at Phinda and then a two week rhino focussed course split across Kruger and then Care for Wild, I really feel I had a in-depth insight into the African Conservation world. I’ve always been interested in wildlife and conservation and this time taught me so much about reserve management, conservation strategies and the threats they face. It even helped me understand the more political and sensitive issues that affect conservation on a daily basis. The ACE team helped direct me to the projects that were of interest to me and the placements all ran smoothly. I’d certainly travel with them again!

These guys are great, from the office in England that we went through who organised everything for us to Martin who greeted us at the airport and helped us get on our way. I couldn’t think of any improvements for ACE. Martin was great at the airport offering to pay for food and explaining everything about our conservation And then sent us on our way. All our questions were answered and the team are very friendly. Would recommend coming through this company to do anything in Africa!

I had a really great time as a volunteer teaching assistant at a school in Coyhaique, Chile. I was teaching a huge range of ages (4-17) and it was great to be able to interact with classes at various stages of their English development. The teachers I was supporting were amazing and very eager for the help, particularly with the younger years and keeping their interest. I absolutely loved my time living with my host family as they were so welcoming. Being able to speak a little Spanish already definitely helped my integration but they were also incredibly helpful in helping me improve and understanding of my many mistakes! Coyhaique in itself is a smallish town with not too much to offer however there are two national parks surrounding it with some good hikes. It is easy to travel out of Coyhaique by bus (just book in advance) either going north or south and getting to Balmaceda airport is also simple should you wish to go further afield. Having people on the ground in Coyhaique was encouraging as you knew you had support should you need it but we didn't interact much. The Spanish lessons were fine but I feel they would be more helpful to someone of a lower level, as for me, I just needed to practice speaking so the best thing was just being with my host family! Overall a good experience and I'm so glad I did it.

Oyster Worldwide responded to this reviewAugust 09, 2019

Thank you so much for leaving a review!

I had just finished my A Levels and wasn’t sure whether uni was an option for me - so a gap year was on the cards. My friend and I had a passion for animals so decided to go on a trip to see some of the worlds most magnificent. After lots of research, Oysters promise of responsible travel and support was what made us sure they were the best company to go with. I went to South Africa for 4 weeks to volunteer as a wildlife conservationist with the Big 5. I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved the programme. I got to see and experience a culture and lifestyle I never thought possible, made life long friends all over the world and have memories to last a life time. Oyster provided non-stop support as soon as I applied until the very moment I returned home. It would take me a whole book to write all the amazing things I saw and experienced and why Oyster Worldwide was the best choice - cliché as it sounds, taking a gap year with Oyster was the best decision I have ever made and I cannot wait to get on a plane to another one of their awesome projects.

Oyster Worldwide responded to this reviewFebruary 04, 2019

Many thanks for taking the time to review us! <br/><br/>Oyster Team

Costa Rica's Turtle Conservation Project was one thing I will never forget! Such an eye opening and amazing experience. The IHQV program is an amazing way to explore the world in a feasible way. Not only is it affordable but I would have never experienced anything like it! IHQV Brings so much more, more ham any guided tour, more than a resort, and more than anything you could experience on your own. They have demonstrated such strong dedication to make sure every part of the trip is a great learning exprenice while keeping it fun. One of my most memeroble moments would be seeing the indangered leather back turtle lay her eggs. Because the leather back is in such danger it is critical that her eggs are gathered and re-nested in the hatchery where they can be taken care of and monitered to keep them safe from predators. I was lucky enough to be able to personally collect her eggs and dig a new nest to place each egg carfully. It was truley an amazing experience. I wish I could go back to see them hatch! Not only was this such an amazing experience, but every single person I met on this trip through the program m, I will dearly miss. IHQV brings everyone with similar ambitions together and from all over the world. I loved to meet people from the UK, Australia and Italy. Never could I go anywhere and meet such amazing people in one single place. I would recommend this program a million times. Leaving was hard, I'll miss my friends I have made and most importantly all the work that was done everyday to help such a wonderful project!

International Volunteer HQ [IVHQ] responded to this reviewMay 21, 2018

Hi Drew, thank you for sharing your incredible experience on the Turtle Conservation project in Costa Rica! It's amazing that you were able to help in the protection of the leatherback turtles eggs as this is such an important task in the conservation of the turtles. We would love to have you join us again in the future! ^Rachel - IVHQ Costa Rica Program Manager

My time volunteering in Portugal was the most amazing experience. It gave me the comfort and growth to travel and experience new adventures on my own. The staff, locals and coordinators ensured my stay was the best possible experience.

International Volunteer HQ [IVHQ] responded to this reviewApril 09, 2018

Hi Andy - It's awesome to hear about your time on the program, and I'm so glad you enjoyed your experience in Ghana. Our local team is awesome and I'm thrilled to hear you felt supported by them in every capacity during your time on the program. I wish you all the best! ^Caroline - IVHQ Portugal Program Manager