South Africa is rich in culture, adventure, and its diversity.  Whether you explore the national parks with the Big Five animals, relax at the beaches and watch whales, participate in some of the adventure sports, or help in a community, your trip to South Africa will be memorable!

Located on a unique private game reserve that overlooks the Indian Ocean in the malaria free Eastern Cape, our Conservation Initiative program is home to four of the Big Five animals (elephants will be re-introduced soon). At the reserve, participants will be able to partake in a wide range of activities that will include: fence patrols for snares and other threats to wildlife, alien vegetation and soil erosion control, game counts and wildlife monitoring, helping with game capture and release, animal rehabilitation when necessary and game relocation.  Volunteers also have the opportunity to learn about the African wildlife as well as the magical world of the oceans as the reserve is set close to the coast allowing for frequent trips where participants learn about the rocky shores and coastal ecology. The chance to explore nearby rivers and even abseil down cliffs is also available.

The program includes a two-day orientation before you are placed into the game reserve. The focus of the orientation will be at a socio-cultural level with the environmental aspects being picked up once you are in their wilderness placement.  The base camp where you will be staying is a permanent Safari Tented Camp in a bush setting.  The camp overlooks some of the best areas on the reserve for wildlife viewing.  Due to the nature of game reserves, you may not at times have daily access to TV, internet etc. but you will have the opportunity to communicate should you wish.  You will also be provided with three meals a day.  This is truly a world-class program that gives you the chance to work behind the scenes in this amazing commercial game reserve.

Volunteer Activities may include:

• Working with trained staff in wildlife monitoring as well as possible animal rehabilitation and relocation
• Helping to conduct game counts
• Fence monitoring
• General conservation and maintenance of the park including removing alien vegetation and repairing areas suffering from soil erosion
• Participating in South African socio-cultural classes
• Participate in classes on costal conservation and ecology