• Life On Land
  • Life Below Water

Island Conservation Expedition

location
2 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Excellent 4.8  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate
Volunteer project with the highest quality. This project sets unprecedented standards in quality - an unparalleled level of excellence.

Highlights

  • Developing valuable skills needed for a career in conservation
  • Contributing to the conservation of endangered species
  • Living the island life on an uninhabited, untouched island
  • Snorkeling in clear blue waters and spotting dolphins, fish and coral
  • Experience spectacular sunrises and sunsets while living on an uninhabited island

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
50+

About the program

Travel to the Seychelles and engage in crucial conservation initiatives alongside one of the leading marine & terrestrial data collection organisations. 🇸🇨

Travel to the pristine, uninhabited island of Mahe in the Seychelles and join an international group of volunteers on marine and terrestrial conservation initiatives. 

Work alongside partner organisations such as the Seychelles National Parks authority to contribute directly to the UN Sustainable ...

About the program

Travel to the pristine, uninhabited island of Mahe in the Seychelles and join an international group of volunteers on marine and terrestrial conservation initiatives. 

Work alongside partner organisations such as the Seychelles National Parks authority to contribute directly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as #14 – Life Below Water, #15 – Life On Land, #4 – Quality Education and #17- Partnerships For Goals. 

Project work varies depending on seasons. You could expect to be working with endangered green & hawksbill sea turtles; collect data on the understudied sicklefin lemon shark pups; conduct beach profiling surveys to monitor coastal erosion or partake in a yearly census of giant Aldabra tortoises. Rotating between various focuses provides the chance for you to make a valuable impact and to develop a vast range of new skills. 

This program includes a complimentary Wildlife conservation online courses which must be completed in order to obtain a certificate offered in partnership with the University of Richmond in the United States. 

Typical day

Volunteer work is Monday through to Fridays with weekends free to explore. The Island is only accessible by boat.

Participants are expected to remain flexible as project work changes based on weather as well as needs of our project partners. 

Estimated Schedule:
  • 5 or 6am: Wake up call
  • 6 - 10 am: First ...

Typical day

Volunteer work is Monday through to Fridays with weekends free to explore. The Island is only accessible by boat.

Participants are expected to remain flexible as project work changes based on weather as well as needs of our project partners. 

Estimated Schedule:
  • 5 or 6am: Wake up call
  • 6 - 10 am: First Survey 
  • 12pm: Lunch
  • 1pm - 4pm: Second Survey 
  • 6pm: Dinner 
  • 9pm: Bed Time

Free-time activities

You will be based in and around the Cap Ternay national park in the north west of Mahe. Travelling around the local area is fairly easy, although access to and from the base can be infrequent so travel may be limited to weekend breaks. For further exploration you may choose to hire a car or make use ...

Free-time activities

You will be based in and around the Cap Ternay national park in the north west of Mahe. Travelling around the local area is fairly easy, although access to and from the base can be infrequent so travel may be limited to weekend breaks. For further exploration you may choose to hire a car or make use of the inter-island ferry services.


In your down time you will be free to travel in the local area and can expect two free days per week. In this time you could explore the islands of Praslin or La Digue, visit the capital of Mahé, Victoria, visit local beaches, snorkel or just relax on base. Before and after your program you could spend a little more time in the Seychelles on the inner islands of Praslin and La Digue, or join a charter to sail even further afield. Please allow several days if you hope to travel between islands, there are over 100 in the archipelago but getting around takes time – the possibilities are endless!

Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (fluently)

Criminal Background Check

required

Required Documents

Medical Form and Passport Copy

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

No specific skills required, all training is provided online 8 weeks prior to program start through self paced training materials. Must be physically very fit as surveys involve walking for many hours in humid conditions on rough terrain

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

What's Included

What's Included

Services by GVI

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • 24-hour emergency phone
  • 24-hour in-country support
  • Access to Alumni Services and Discounts
  • Airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated)
  • All necessary project equipment and materials
  • All necessary project training by experienced staff
  • First Aid & CPR training
  • Live and work in a protected reserve under GVI
  • Location orientation
  • Long term experienced staff
  • Meals while on project (except on work placements for long term internships)
  • Safe and basic accommodations (usually shared)
  • Welcome meeting

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

  • Additional drinks and gratuities
  • Airport transfers
  • Extra local excursions
  • Flights
  • International and domestic airport taxes
  • Medical and travel insurance
  • Personal items and toiletries
  • Police or background check
  • Visa costs (where necessary)

Airport Pickup at Seychelles International Airport

Volunteers arrange international flights to Seychelle's main international airport on Mahé Island, arriving on or before the expedition start date. 

We highly recommend that you arrive on Mahe Island the Friday prior to your program start date, to ensure that you acclimatise to the new surroundings and be on time at the meeting point on your program start date. It is a 1h travelling time from La Perle Noire restaurant in Beau Vallon to the GVI Base by taxi. It is highly important that you are on time to meet the team at 11:00 AM on your program start date. Late arrivals will not be accommodated

Accommodation

Accommodation is in shared (mixed sex) dorm rooms (up to 10 people). The tap water is safe for drinking on the expedition base and there is cold running water available. Bathroom facilities are shared but split-sex, and participants also share base duties, including cooking, cleaning and other chores including boat and dive equipment maintenance. Refrigeration is available for communal food only

Food & Beverages

Participants take it in turns to prepare meals for the group. Food is basic but nutritious, with vegetarian options and optional fish or meat available each week. Breakfast could be porridge, or occasionally pancakes or cereal; lunch and evening meals may include pasta, lentils and beans, rice, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, etc. We do ask you to remember that it can be difficult to cater to certain food allergies or dietary requirements due to our remote location and access to specific items. Sources of protein for vegetarians/vegans are: beans, eggs, lentils and fresh vegetables. 

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) in Mahe Island. We assist you to find cheap flights to Seychelles. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Seychelles provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Seychelles you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Seychelles. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

2024

  • 09 Nov 2024
  • 23 Nov 2024
  • 07 Dec 2024
2025
  • 04 Jan 2025
  • 18 Jan 2025
  • 01 Feb 2025
  • 15 Feb 2025
  • 01 Mar 2025
  • 15 Mar 2025
  • 29 Mar 2025
  • 12 Apr 2025
  • 26 Apr 2025
  • 10 May 2025
  • 24 May 2025
  • 07 Jun 2025
  • 21 Jun 2025
  • 05 Jul 2025
  • 19 Jul 2025
  • 02 Aug 2025
  • 16 Aug 2025
  • 30 Aug 2025
  • 13 Sep 2025
  • 27 Sep 2025
  • 11 Oct 2025
  • 25 Oct 2025
  • 08 Nov 2025
  • 22 Nov 2025
  • 06 Dec 2025
  • 20 Dec 2025
Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

2 weeks (min. stay) 2,345€
4 weeks 3,645€
6 weeks 4,795€
8 weeks 5,595€
10 weeks 6,445€
12 weeks (max. stay) 7,395€
Average fees 894€/week

Program fees

894€ per week 2 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Duration

2 - 12 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.

Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with GVI during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

Meet your organization

GVI

Excellent 4.8 rating (221 reviews)

Agency - founded in 1998

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Bianca

Spoken languages: English

About the project

GVI tackles critical local and global issues by operating award-winning education and training programs on sustainable development projects around the world.

Meet your organization

Founded in 1998, GVI runs programs in 21 locations, in 13 countries around the world, each manned by our own staff and aligned to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or UN SDGs as well as the objectives of local partners. We welcome participants from all around the world and help facilitate their development into global citizens. This is how we achieve our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.


We are truly a global family brought together by our dedication to long-term positive impact. At the root of our success is our commitment to investing in authentic, meaningful connections with one another, which is why mutual respect and trust are central to our operations. Although we respond with empathy to difficult situations, we believe that most circumstances can benefit from taking a light-hearted approach. By sharing stories of local achievement with our teams worldwide we build the momentum to catapult us toward our vision for the future.

221 reviews · rating4.8

Beatrice Quin rating2.8

2024 at Island Conservation Expedition

This website is unfortunately very misleading about what this programme actually is. Whilst I adored my time spent on base on Mahé and had some of the most amazing experiences there, I also feel a warning is due. The base on Curieuse Island no longer exists, so both the marine (diving) and coastal ...
I took part in the 4-week Conservation Internship on Curieuse Island, Seychelles and had an amazing time. The staff are very friendly and I met likeminded people from all over the world. We were focused on collecting data on turtle hatching success via daily hikes to different beaches, giant Aldabra ...
Brendan Goldspiel rating2.4

2023 at Island Conservation Expedition

Very helpful staff, went the extra mile to help fix a medication issue. Should be much better once accommodations are updated (I was part of the last group before renovations), as they were very rundown. There was a big rat problem, but recently funding for rat removal has been approved for the ...
Alice Perry rating4.4

2022 at Island Conservation Expedition

I spent 2 weeks on Curieuse, Seychelles with GVI in August 2022, and it was the experience of a lifetime! I was looking for something worthwhile to do during my long summer holiday as a teacher, and my GVI program was perfect. It was very well organised (e.g. organising travel from the airport to ...
Helena Klapwijk rating4.2

2022 at Island Conservation Expedition

It’s hard to begin with talking about what I enjoyed while on my program. For starters, I’ve done volunteer work before and I loved how I finally really had the feeling that I was making an impact and honestly doing something good instead of just being able to put something nice on my CV. Aside ...
I can honestly say that joining the GVI Turtle and Lemon Shark Conservation Project was the best thing I have ever done. It is an experience I will value for the rest of my life. Right from the very beginning with the field manual I knew this trip was going to be amazing but nothing can prepare you ...

Location

Africa > Eastern Africa > Seychelles > Cap Ternay

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Volunteer Abroad  >  Environment  >  Conservation Work in Seychelles
Contact Bianca
  Very high response rate
English

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