• Life On Land

Game Reserve Volunteering - South Africa

location
2 - 4 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Perfect 4.6  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Below average response rate

Highlights

  • Support a project that is as authentic as it can get - from locals and for its local wildlife: passionate, experienced and sustainable
  • Don't just talk - learn and see what Wildlife Conservation means, get active and broaden your horizon!
  • Vital field experiential education contribute to your future career goals
  • Be part of an international team, make friends and memories for lifetime
  • Enjoy weekend excursions to Port Elizabeth

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups
50+

About the program

Relocate to the incredible setting of the South African bush for the animal encounter of a lifetime, working closely with the entire spectrum of safari wildlife on a work

The Project:

Participants on this volunteering program stay at a private Game Reserve about an hour NE of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The Reserve was set up on old agricultural land and covers around 6,000 hectares, with a perimeter stretching over 80 km. On this unique project, you live and ...

About the program

The Project:

Participants on this volunteering program stay at a private Game Reserve about an hour NE of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The Reserve was set up on old agricultural land and covers around 6,000 hectares, with a perimeter stretching over 80 km. On this unique project, you live and work at the park, actively helping with the effort to protect endangered species in an area home to all of Africa’s Big 5 - Lions, Leopards, Rhinos, Elephants and Cape Buffalo.

The Reserve engages in extensive and vital conservation programs, as without these conservation efforts, wildlife in the area would not be sustainable.      

Volunteer Role:

As a volunteer, the activities you can look forward to participating in include, but are not limited to:

  • Removal of alien vegetation
  • Lion tracking and monitoring
  • Tree planting and landscaping
  • Flora & Fauna workshops
  • Wilderness trail walks and patrols
  • Fence patrol
  • Game counts (in season)
  • Game captures & tracking (in season)

Typical day

Training:

During your time on the Reserve, you will also learn a number of key skills from the many guides and animal experts who work there, including:

  • Orientation in the bush
  • Introduction to wild animals
  • Animal tracking (footprints) 
  • Bush survival skills
  • Various tree species and their benefits/ harms
  • Ant

Typical day

Training:

During your time on the Reserve, you will also learn a number of key skills from the many guides and animal experts who work there, including:

  • Orientation in the bush
  • Introduction to wild animals
  • Animal tracking (footprints) 
  • Bush survival skills
  • Various tree species and their benefits/ harms
  • Anti-poaching and fence patrol

Life on the Reserve:

You will start your days volunteering at 0830 and finish at approximately 1630 Monday to Friday, with timely breaks for re-fuelling! Food is varied and plentiful, with western favourites as well as local specialities available.

Your home away from home will be comfy dormitories shared with other volunteers. Dorms are single sex, with 2-bed partitioned areas for privacy. Volunteers at the centre come from all over the world, creating a lively community of like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Weekend Excursions:

Weekends are free time. Either relax and un-wind at the Reserve, enjoying the park and its close-knit community, or head out on a weekend excursion to Port Elizabeth. Transport and shared hostel accommodation for weekend excursions are included in your fees.

Free-time activities

Weekends are free time. Either hang out at the Reserve, enjoying the park and its close-knit community, or head out on a weekend excursion to Port Elizabeth. Transport (subject to scheduled times) and shared hostel accommodation for weekend excursions are included in your fees. If you would like to ...

Free-time activities

Weekends are free time. Either hang out at the Reserve, enjoying the park and its close-knit community, or head out on a weekend excursion to Port Elizabeth. Transport (subject to scheduled times) and shared hostel accommodation for weekend excursions are included in your fees. If you would like to upgrade to private accommodation, volunteers are welcome to do so but at your own cost. Volunteers are also free to organize their own excursions around the Eastern Cape Province at their own cost.

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 (intermediate level)

Nationality Restrictions

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

Other Skills

Commitment and passion for nature, animals and Africa, fluency in English, teamwork

Time Commitment

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

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Gapforce

Included in the price is accommodation, 3 meals a day from Monday to Friday and brunch and dinner on the weekends, project equipment and project training, return airport transfer and project donation. 

Airport Pickup at Port Elizabeth International Airport

A dedicated transfer service to and from Port Elizabeth runs at set times every weekend.


If multiple volunteers are arriving on the same day, you may have to wait for the last arrival to land. Transfer time may vary for this reason. If your outbound flight departs on Sunday morning, you will be transferred to Port Elizabeth (as per the above schedule) the day before and provided with accommodation so that you can be fresh for your journey. Should you be departing on the Monday or later, you will have the choice of going on the weekend excursion and staying over in Port Elizabeth on the Sunday night, or spending your last weekend on the Reserve and returning to Port Elizabeth on Sunday afternoon to spend the night there. 

Accommodation

Your home away from home will be comfy dormitories shared with other volunteers. Dorms sleep up to 20, with 2-bed partitioned areas for privacy. Sleeping areas are single sex, with shared lounge and dining areas for all. Wi-Fi is available throughout. In some cases where volunteers want to stay as a couple, this can be arranged at an extra cost and also depends on the availability of rooms, unless arrangements were made prior to arrival. A laundry service is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays subject to a nominal fee.

Food & Beverages

All your hard work will give you an appetite to match your favourite Big 5 animal. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered:

Breakfast: 0930 – 1000
Lunch: 1300 – 1400
Dinner: 1800 – 1900

Basic breakfast consists of cereals, bread, butter, jam, tea, coffee and cheese, with extras like eggs, sausages
or baked beans. Western menus feature heavily for lunch and dinner with as much variety as possible, ranging
from burgers, chicken and chips, vegetarian dishes, potato casserole etc. You definitely won’t go hungry!

Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth. We assist you to find cheap flights to South Africa. 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 South Africa provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

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

Details on arrival

Arrival and Departure
Your entry and exit point when travelling to South Africa is Port Elizabeth International Airport. You must arrive on a Monday in time to catch your 16:00 transfer to the Reserve. The reserve is approximately 85km NE of Port Elizabeth. Homeward flights should also depart on a Monday, if possible. If you choose to stay in Port Elizabeth after your program has ended then you will need to organise your own accommodation and transport to the airport.

If you would like some help booking your flight then let us know and we can provide you with details of flight providers.

We are able to offer this program on a rolling basis, meaning you can start on any Monday starting from November 2021. If your ideal travel dates aren't shown below do contact us and we can arrange a date for you!
Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

2 weeks (min. stay) 1,591€
4 weeks (max. stay) 2,386€
Average fees 696€/week

Program fees

696€ per week 2 - 4 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Duration

2 - 4 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 Gapforce during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

Meet your organization

Gapforce

Perfect 4.6 rating (17 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 1989

Verified by Volunteer World

  Below average response rate

Coordinated by

Gapforce

Spoken languages: English

About the project

Gapforce runs volunteering projects in many areas, such as marine & wildlife conservation, child care, community development & animal welfare.

Meet your organization

At Gapforce, we are proud to offer unrivalled experience in structured gap year programs, volunteer projects and extreme expeditions. Founded in 1989, the Gapforce family takes great pride in organising unique, exciting gap year and overseas volunteer projects that enable young people to become global citizens and make a real impact on the world.

What Makes Us Different

There are a number of organisations that offer programs abroad, and here’s what sets us apart. We feel these are important to consider when making such an important decision and starting your adventure.

  • Our overseas gap year projects are run by UK-trained leaders. Trained from the top down, our leaders are prepared and knowledgeable on our destinations.
  • Our UK-trained leaders are well-researched and our local programs are vetted for sustainability and longevity.
  • Supported and safe.

Credibility

Some of the biggest adventure names have been involved in our programs.

  • Bruce Parry (BBC TV "The Tribe" & "Amazon") was a Gapforce Expedition Leader for over 6 years.
  • Ben Fogle (TV Presenter) filmed "Extreme Dreams" reality TV series on our projects.
  • Jack Osborne (MTV "The Osborne’s") filmed "Adrenalin Junkie" on our programs. In addition we have had the BritishRoyal Family member and over 15,000 student participants.
Safety

Safety is the number 1 priority on all Gapforce programs. Our programs are basic, potentially hazardous and should not be considered a conventional holiday, however with over twenty years’ experience we aim to reduce your level of risk compared to independent travel.

To guide us, we have been independently inspected to BSI8848 “Specifications for visits, fieldwork, expeditions and adventurous activities outside the UK and now self regulate. We are also members of YearOut Group, who set guidelines and policy for UK Gap providers, Marcus was Chair for 7 years of the Membership and Safety Committee overseeing members safety.We are a Professional Association of Dive Instructors Education Centre and aDuke of Edinburgh Award Centre.

17 reviews · rating4.6

Sarah rating5

2020 at South American Experience

I was really scared going into it because I’ve never traveled alone before but I had nothing to worry about. Everyone I met was fantastic. They were down to earth, nice, and so much fun. I can not describe how beautiful Peru and Ecuador are, I’ve never been anywhere like it. There are definitely ...
Christian rating5

2020 at South American Experience

I had a great time on the South American Experience program. I only did the 4-weeks, but I really enjoyed everything in the program. I’d have to say my favorite activity was the Salkantay trek to Macchu Pichu, despite it getting hard at times, it was a great experience and very rewarding once you ...
Alexander Lorenz rating4.8

2020 at South American Experience

It was a lot of fun, great combination of travelling and volunteering. Very nice atmosphere in the travel group and great leader. A lot of fun activities. You see a lot of each country and get a great feeling for every place. Definitely ...
Zara rating4.8

2020 at South American Experience

I did this trip just before everything locked down and I can safely say this was the best trip of my life. The treks have amazing views and are hard enough to make seeing machu picchu rewarding but not too tough for those who want an easier walk! The itinerary for this trip is completely action ...
As a bit of a nature freak who dreamed of traveling to Costa Rica since I was about 5 years old, this program seemed too good to be true. Based in Quepos, not 15 minutes from the world famous Manuel Antonio national park, prepare to be surrounded by a cornucopia of exotic animals ranging from ...
Katie rating4.8

2017 at Orang-Utan Protection

I felt it was a life-changing experience. I had a great 6 weeks living in the jungle, learning many useful skills. I met some great people and made life-long friends. The local people were also amazing as they were so hospitable and ...

Location

Africa > Southern Africa > South Africa > Sidbury

You might also be interested in

Volunteer Abroad  >  Animals  >  Wildlife Conservation in South Africa
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