Animal Welfare Volunteering in Johannesburg, South Africa

Walking with elephants has definitely got to be one of the highlights for me. Additionally, I have met the most incredible group of people that includes other volunteers and all staff affiliated with the project. Every person that has assisted me, from the moment I got off at OR Tambo international, has been amazing. Thank you for the experience.

It's difficult to pick a specific moment, as the experience as a whole was very memorable to me. Being part of the day to day life at the farm, working with the animals, and just living differently than at home was very enriching.

There was such a good vibe and drive in the group, so fixing the fence one of the days went fast as everyone was working hard and cheering each other on and we all felt we were making a difference. Feeding all the animals was more than amazing! Tassin made us feel very welcome in her home and was very helpful.

This volunteer program is super meaningful and fun! I learnt about animals care and also wilderness, witnessing all the staffs and curators in the ranch taking care of the animals with passion and love. The lodge is super beautiful and luxurious! Hosts are super helpful and friendly, they always check on us and explain to us on our programmed work. During weekends, they drive us to do all the activities, bring us to approved restaurants, make sure we have the best experience and safe!

The Project Leaders at the Wildlife Sanctuary were amazing! The program is well-organized with a great balance between work and fun activities/experiences. The food served to the volunteers was delicious, to! Horse back ride that got us so close to the giraffes. They are such massive and graceful creatures. It was very surreal!

Overall, the trip was incredible. The site/location itself is ideally suited for those interested in animal welfare and environmental conservation. Interacting and feeding the animals onsite was incredible - we were fully immersed in the day-to-day operations and had a truly unforgettable experience.

Out of the 3 travel volunteer experiences I've completed, this was the most impactful for me. You have teamed up with an amazing organization in South Africa. The people, the culture and the work with the animals was truly a life changing experience. Soweto and the graffiti tour was really amazing to see prior to the project.

This trip has been the best thing I've ever done. Being so close to the animals at all times. Hearing the lions roaring while laying in bed. Seeing the monkeys and the giraffes walking thru the area while eating lunch. Best trip of my life!

It’s impossible to choice just one memorable part of my experience. I overall loved everything about this project and what we did. I personally loved the animal enrichments we did over the time I was there. I also loved building the enrichment area. This was truly an amazing program.

The program itself was so amazing. the staff were very friendly. I loved the interactions with the animals. also learning new things. Just being up close to the animals you don't get to with back at home.

The most memorable experience from the South African Wildlife Sanctuary program was working with the Lions and elephants. It was also incredible to meet all the different people from around the world

This trip was absolutely AMAZING. From the beginning to end, everyone was incredibly helpful throughout the whole process. Thank you for providing a wonderful program that serves such a rewarding feeling.

I had a great time. We had to do a lot of manual labor, but i loved working outdoors. But it was not all work we had down time and lots of animal interaction time from feeding the cats, to game drives, exercising the lion/tiger/cheetah. I also learned a lot about the animals and well as each individual personalities they have. The staff and project leaders were great. They really love their jobs, and care about the animals as well as you. I would consider many of them my friends after the experience. We had opportunities to go on excursions twice a week, ranging from skydiving, to a cultural village, and world heritage sites. Interaction with the animals (elephant and lion walks), but especially the project leaders and other staff at the lodge were awesome. They knew what they were doing and treated you well, almost like family.

It was absolutely incredible to be in the midst of the South African bush. The wildlife plays such a pivotal role in not only the environment, but the local economies as well. Tourism is the main attraction to the Greater Kruger Area. Being able to photograph and help protect these animals has given me a new appreciation for them. I feel as if many animals are misunderstood because of the communication barrier; however, they are so much more inquisitive than the normal person would suspect. Truly a life changing experience. It was incredible to have met so many like-minded people from all over the globe. In 4 weeks my project formed a family relationship, making it that much harder to leave and go our separate ways. For me it was my first time traveling outside the United States alone and it has inspired me to keep going and see the world and different cultures.

The interactions with the animals and the different activities we had we them were great. My personal experience at this project was excellent, I got all the personal contact with the different animals I was looking for and also had the opportunity to contribute towards their well being. Meeting different people that have a similar passion for animals was also great.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the wildlife sanctuary. The staff and team leaders very very friendly. The animals were amazing and I would return to do it over again. It was great being able to contribute to the welfare of the animals and the sense of accomplishment when something was completed for there welfare. Also the team leaders and other volunteers were all friendly, helpful and informative.

This project was work hard, play even harder. Had a fantastic time with all the animals, waking up to go for an elephant walk as the sun rises was just the best. They had 18month old lion cubs while I was there and a rhino who came over at the call of her name which was an incredible experience. It an amazing experience, getting to work with animals, have parties in the bush and learn and do all the maintenance work. An unforgettable experience was participating in the fire breaking. We also got to do lots of activities on our 2 breaks per week such as zip lining, quad biking, visiting the cradle of human kind, lesedi (a cultural village), the list goes on and I was only there for 3 weeks. The staff were just absolutely incredible and made everyone feel so welcome. I felt at home within a few days and did not want to leave when the time came. Everyone was very friendly, the staff were all so much fun and joined in with all the partying. It was incredible doing the elephant walks in the mornings, best thing to wake up to. And just all the free roaming animals you cross on your way up to the meals. Also include the lion training and running away from hippos was an unforgettable experience.

This trip was incredibly enlightening, as it introduced me to a whole new culture from its inside rather than as if I was just one more tourist, which really broadened my mind by showing me the worst and best of India all at once, and I loved it. It was also a great opportunity to learn how to live with complete strangers, respect their space and share this adventure full of memories. The trekking trip was one of the trip's highlights, together with the volunteering at Delhi and at Elephant Village.

I had a great time. We had to do a lot of manual labor, but i loved working outdoors. But it was not all work we had down time and lots of animal interaction time from feeding the cats, to game drives, exercising the lion/tiger/cheetah. I also learned a lot about the animals and well as each individual personalities they have. The staff and project leaders were great. They really love their jobs, and care about the animals as well as you. I would consider many of them my friends after the experience. We had opportunities to go on excursions twice a week, ranging from skydiving, to a cultural village, and world heritage sites. My favorite part of the program was the interaction with the animals (elephant and lion walks), but especially the project leaders and other staff at the lodge were awesome. They knew what they were doing and treated you well, almost like family.

My personal experience at this project was excellent, I got all the personal contact with the different animals I was looking for and also had the opportunity to contribute towards their well being. Meeting different people that have a similar passion for animals was also great. The interactions with the animals and the different activities we had we them were great.