Wildlife Experience with the Big 5

I'm back and I had the best time ever!!!!! Sorry I'm replying so late and thank you for making this trip possible. I absolutely loved volunteering in South Africa.

I joined the Wildlife Conservation in South Africa, Port Elizabeth at 17 years old and had an amazing experience! The staff were all very helpful in settling you in and I met people from all over the world across different age groups and really bonded with everyone during my short stay there! Definitely something you can go do alone (like I did) or go with a friend!

Kate was so helpful. Everything was set out really simply and was flexible with timing. I did South Africa wildlife conservation and it was great. The highlight was seeing 4 of the big 5, and the incredible people I was with. At one point I was momentarily put in the wrong group during the activity, but I was quickly put in the correct group and got to meet even more people!

My daughter booked a weeks volunteering in South Africa for her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Oyster were fantastic throughout, providing all the information, ensuring we had everything completed and the experience was excellent. Thank you Kate and Georgie, highly recommend.

I had an amazing time in South Africa, made lots of friends from all over the world, and saw some incredible animals on game drives, as well as helping with tasks such as tree chopping, going to a local school, and planting trees. Kate was super helpful, and this made the trip go really smoothly, I would definitely recommend!

I LOVED my time in South Africa doing the conservation experience! I was unsure what to expect but this exceeded everything I was anticipating! The accommodation was good (but cold, bring warm clothes if weather doesn’t look good!), the other volunteers were really nice, staff were friendly and approachable, food was decent and activities were good as well, however not as hands on as I was expecting - generally wildlife monitoring in the park however I only went for one week and the activities vary week on week so my experience may not be a good representation of all the activities . I fed the big cats, did game drives, collected litter around the park/on the edges of the fence, went on a walking safari, and did quad-biking (however I had to pay for this last activity myself, would recommend!). I also advise to go for two weeks + as 1 week went by very quickly, especially as I went to Port Elizabeth on Friday. Accommodation in PE deffo needs some work but it is still sleepable and the hot showers were nice! Overall an amazing time!!! Best holiday of my life so far!!!

I just wanted to thank you Kate, and the organisation for, what by all accounts, has been such an amazing experience. It seems my son has made some great friendships, loved the staff and is thinking about next year already. Thank you for all of your support over these last few months, you made every step of the process seamless, were so responsive and professional and again I so appreciate everything.

I went to South Africa for a little over two weeks and in those two weeks I participated in two of Oyster Worldwide trips (one week per trip plus a couple days between flights for transport purposes) and I had an amazing time. The main reasons I went on this trip is for work experience however I also had my birthday during my time there and it was important to me that there would be no complications. I had a very kind and informative member of the admin team, her name is Kate, who helped my sister and I during the entire process, from the booking of flights, to the arrangements of mid-trip transport (my experience was unique due to taking part in two different excursions which were located in different areas of South Africa- Kate helped us arrange overnight accommodation due to flight times, transport to and from the airports and so much more when it came to moving from one excursion to the other). Kate also was extremely helpful when I had some technical difficulties when trying to access my personal oyster worldwide portal and she very efficiently got it sorted for me. This was my first time flying long haul as a young person and my first time flying without my parents and naturally I was nervous about the many things that are entailed in the planning of a trip like the one i was on, Kate made my experience a lot more comfortable and explained everything clearly and concisely and overall much more manageable process. I am so grateful to her for helping make my trip as magical as it was and it has definitely convinced me to user Oyster Worldwide again in the future.

My son was 17 when we booked his trip to South Africa as part of his Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. I just wanted to let you know what an amazing time he had at the reserve. He loved everything about the trip, had some fantastic experiences and met some lovely people. Thank you so much for helping us along the way. You were able to put our minds at rest and answer our questions. I will definitely be recommending your company.

The Wildlife conservation experience was amazing thank you Oyster Worldwide, I loved every second and had the best experience ever, I wanted to say thank you for being able to help with everything and allowing me to do this.

It was all very well organised from the very beginning. All the staff were absolutely amazing, so lovely and welcoming. The highlight was seeing all the animals thriving in their natural habitat, and the knowledge and care the staff showed towards them.

Just back from an incredible experience at the game reserve in South Africa. I had two weeks over there and definitely wish I’d gone for longer. As I’m 17 I was one of the youngest in the group of volunteers but that didn’t matter at all because everyone was really welcoming and we had lots of fun. The accommodation and food was all great and I did lots of different activities across the two weeks all across the reserve. The staff at the reserve were all really friendly and helpful, and they helped booking weekend activities for me which was an amazing bungee jump. The My Oyster portal was really helpful before I went as it gave me so much information and Kate was great at making sure I had all the right paperwork as I was classed as a minor travelling alone. I would love to do a similar experience again in the future and would use Oyster again as they made the organisation of it all so easy.

Jacks mum here. He has already done so much on the reserve, made lots of friends, done loads of different things. His high points last week were the game drives and also loved clearing all the trees with a machete! He had an amazing weekend travelling across to Jeffreys Bay and staying in a surfers backpacking hostel and then travelled to do the world’s highest bridge bungee jump. I was both worried and proud at the same time when he sent me the video. I heard from him today that he had been to a school in a local township and as a group they bought the kids food and made them lunch then played with them and he bought them a football. He said it was an amazing experience. It’s safe to say that this has been a real experience for him and a real eye opener. I already have my youngest asking to do something similar so I’ve said he can when he’s 17 too so we’ll definitely be using Oyster again as the whole thing has been so well organised and given Jack such a great time – thank you for this!

This is an incredible experience. I’ve met some amazing people, I’m now extending my stay to explore Cape Town which is also incredible! From the moment I enquired to the moment I returned my project manager Georgie has been so helpful. I will for sure book another trip with you soon. Thank you!

Loved the whole experience. Being so close to the animals was amazing, every day we went on game drives including sunset and sun rise. The rangers were so knowledgable and passionate and were more than happy to share this with us. The most dramatic was being within a few feet of 3 lions. The accomodation for us was lovely. We had twin bedded rooms with lots of storage space. The showers were modern and powerful And all areas were spotless. The work involved was at times challenging including tree cutting, cacti clearance, invasive plant removal and fence maintainance. There was no pressure to do anything but most tasks were great fun. It was hard sometimes in the heat and factor 50 is a must as is large water bottles. The wifi was generally very good but there are very regular power cuts that disrupts it. The food was generally good and filling but a little limited on variety and fresh fruit. Definatly dont take any new clothes with you they will get dirty but there is a laundry service. It is fair to say that things move at a different pace so dont expect things to happen immediatly, there are times when the systems seem disorganised for example not knowing what activity is planned in advance but there are good reasons for this even if it does seem frustrating at the time. I found oysters pre departure service excellent and the information provided really helpful, that attention to detail continued during my stay with emails and even a post adventure advice email once home again. I wouldnt hesitate to use oyster again and just wish I had gone for longer.

In December 2018 I had the pleasure to spend 2 weeks on a Big 5 Conservation program in South Africa. I can honestly say, the weeks I spent there were some of the best weeks in my life - thanks to the place and the people there. The nature and wildlife are great. I can only recommend this trip to all nature lovers. The work you do is varied and rewarding. Sometimes, regarding the weather in the summer months, you feel exhausted from previous days, but – and I very appreciated this attitude – nobody is forced to work and you can stay back and relax enjoying the beautiful place. The volunteers feel free to go on the activities. Personally, I tried to participate in every activity as it makes fun to work with all the people together and you learn a lot from the rangers. (Almost all the work is conducted in the nature inside the reserve and many times you go on a game drive) When I left, I left not only this beautiful place and the (great !! and helpful) stuff there but also many new friends from all around the world. This experience was really amazing! Oysters Worldwide provided great support and did a great job. I was feeling more than very well prepared before leaving. I received all necessary information and prompt responses for all questions I had. They kept in touch with me during and after the trip to ensure that everything’s fine. So overall, I had the feeling that they really care about you and that you get the most out of your trip. A big thank to Oysters for providing me this unique opportunity. After this great experience I want to continue with travelling and volunteering around the world and now I first check if Oyster offers something I'm looking for.