Volunteer Programs in Swakopmund, Namibia

We are finally back after being bumped off our flight on the way home and having to stay another day in Windhoek. What an amazing trip! This project was phenomenal and everyone in our group got something differently positive about it. The team were super inclusive and accepting of Finn's additional needs and actually celebrated him and what he could do which was really special. We had some very close elephant encounters and although we experienced the death of a calf, this meant that we got to have hand-on experience of working with the vet and facing the reality of the challenges. Namibia felt super safe and very easy to get around although the distances are vast and the terrain often bumpy. We'd definitely recommend this trip to any other family but be prepared not to wash for many days at a time!

I would rate this 5 out of 5. There were frequent reminders and emails which ensured I was doing everything on time. It was very easy to follow guidance Kate gave me and my trip wouldn’t have been possible without her! Overall it was an amazing experience and a highlight was building the wall for the local village.

Super support from initial enquiry right up to departure. Kate was attentive and patient with my enquiries. Super friendly and great customer service. I would recommend Oyster & the Elephant conservation in Namibia

Elephants are awesome. I travelled from the UK to Namibia by myself at just 17 years old which was awesome and I went from home sleeping to sleeping under the milky way. The first elephant herd I saw was headed by the matriarch Mathilda, and she was confident and one can never underestimate the power and beauty of nature in a perpetually hectic urban life. You don't have to go,but if you want to do something great and at the same time inspire yourself I thoroughly recommend it.

Oyster Worldwide responded to this reviewDecember 18, 2024

So glad that you enjoyed your experience Dan! What an adventure :) The Oyster Team xx

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!!

I thought my experience was great with Oyster. I thought it was an amazing project and I would definitely recommend to family and friends. The only thing I would note is adding more information about the project on the website for example we slept under the stars every night that was amazing and may encourage more people to join! I loved the projects connection with the community and seeing the benefits that our work with the company has on the locals. I thought the communication and project organisation was brilliant and it made arriving in a different country a lot easier.

I spent two weeks in this program and it was really challenging and satisfying. We had to build a wall to protect the water from elephant, and after to find them in the desert. Living in group with strangers who became friends, with the minimal comfort but safety, and learning so much about the country, the community and the nature was absolutely nice. I recommend this great expérience !

We all really enjoyed the project, the best part of our trip to Africa. We felt prepared for the time there although the list of what to take was a bit out of tune with what was actually needed, so took some things around for several weeks unnecessarily. Like mosquito nets as not sure when or if they get mosquitoes, although in the summer I think it is useful for all mopani flies! Snacks .. we took snacks from UK but actually the local supermarkets have lots of biscuits, nuts and most things you would like. Otherwise the kit list was great! Out of our travels away it was the part we all enjoyed the most and yet before we left the UK it what we were most apprehensive about. All the people we corresponded with were helpful. When we met Rachel for a pre-departure info slot she was so helpful and responsive to my daughter and her worries, changing plans to accommodate her which made a real difference to her enjoying the trip. Fabio was so informative and ran the project to give us the best experience of the elephants and the habitat they were in. We learnt a great deal about the people, country and animals. All in all a fantastic, memorable time!

After my graduation from High School in 2016, I participated in a volunteer project in Nambia for one month in August. Till now my time in the project has been the best time I have ever had and I recommend it to everyone! The project is divided into two blocks, which are organized the same way every time, but still you will get a different experience each time. First you meet up in Swakopmund and get to know the rest of the volunteers. When I was there for my first block, our group had 15 volunteers and for the second block we were 12 participants. 12 to 15 people in one group is the largest it gets. The groups are mixed regarding age and also very international, which means it ranges from 15 to 60 years, but as a team of like-minded people the group members connect pretty quickly. On the following day the volunteers leave for a night at the basecamp which is a well-built camp next to a riverbed. If you are lucky you will see elephants which come around for a visit. Even though the camp is very basic, you feel comfortable straight away. After settling in the group starts straight away, by taking a 4x4 vehicle to Damaraland wherever our help is needed. In my case we started working close to a school by constructing walls around a water tank for the local farmers, which were not able to use this tank, because the pipe was destroyed regularly by elephants passing by. The work was tough but with a motivated group and a goal in mind the four working days go by very fast. We started working at 7 o'clock in the morning and stopped at 5 o'clock in the evening, with two breaks in between during the hot day times at noon. In the evening, the group spends time together. At the self-constructed camp, everyone sleeps next to each other on a canvas cover. Every day two people of the group are responsible for all tasks during the day, including cooking over the fire. This way, everyone gets his/her turn within the two weeks, which means that the rest of the time you get a fresh hot beverage every morning – with a Namibian sunrise, it simply does not get any better! For the weekend, the group heads back to the basecamp and next to some daily routines at the camp you have free time. I can promise you It will never get boring with so many nice people and such wonderful nature around you! The second week is the reward for the hard work of the week before: Tracking elephant herds to collect data for research! This means you and the group are driving around the different landscapes Namibia has to offer, whilst spotting giraffes, zebras, lion and hyena tracks and – of course – elephants. Observing these amazing animals in the wild is just incredible, this moment will take your breath away every time! To set up camp at a different location every day and to sleep on the ground gives you the most unique and authentic experience and impression of Namibia you can get, that’s what I think at least. After the last night the group returns to Swakopmund. First, I thought that repeating the whole procedure would be boring, but I proved to be wrong! With a new group and unpredictable nature it will never get boring and you will always experience new things. Our guide Chris and Old Matthias have an incredible knowledge about Namibia and elephants, so that you will learn a lot about and feel safe. For many people, this is probably the biggest challenge, as you are sleeping outdoors in Namibia, where there are snakes, scorpions, spiders and predators - and elephants, whose strength is beyond imagination. Where I am from, we are not used to these circumstances, but in Namibia you will learn and understand quickly how to live in harmony with nature. During my time at the project I did not meet one person who did not feel safe or to whom anything had happened. I want to thank NATUCATE for recommending this project to me. It was the start to my gap year and I had no experience regarding going abroad and did do a lot of research on projects which are only making profit, without thinking of conservation. In my opinion, you can be certain that with NATUCATE you will support a good cause and a sustainable project. Not to forget the support they gave me, which was unbelievable. During several phone calls they explained the project to me very clearly and I received answers to all my questions regarding flights, packing, vaccination and the whole preparation for my trip. Even while I was already in Namibia Daniel did check on me from time to time to see if everything was okay. It also made me feel comfortable to be able to get in touch with him quickly if I had a question and to receive a detailed response from him straight away. Overall, I can only recommend this project to everyone. I will never forget my time in Namibia and I hope that I will be able to come back. (Tobias, 18 years, 4 weeks)