Overview
Wildlife and Community Volunteer Expedition to Kenya, East Africa

This volunteer expedition combines wildlife conservation and research with community work. Based in the exotic Shimoni Archipelago, on the coastal border between Tanzania and Kenya, East Africa, you will divide your time between the island Wasini, Shimoni village and satellite camps on the borders of national parks. Here you will take part in dolphin, turtle, and humpback whale research, as well as primate research with Angolan Black and White Colobus monkeys in the coastal forest. Volunteers will have the opportunity to journey in-land to the heart of East Africa’s savannas, working alongside rural communities to develop livelihood alternatives to wildlife poaching and so protect Kenya’s big game

There is also volunteer work on community development projects, teaching English and helping to develop sustainable tourism, making this one of the most extraordinarily varied volunteering opportunities. College credit may be available for those attending this expedition. Consult GVI’s college credit page for helpful tips and advice.

View Film Footage, images, blogs, volunteer stories from the field, volunteer video diaries and more at the programs media centre

The best volunteer program that it is possible to have – so many sights, so many activities! You can do more in this time than most people do in their entire lives, and it’s of direct benefit to others and the long term conservation of the region. Who wouldn’t want to do it?

Sophie Greatwood, 2009

What Difference Does This Expedition Make?

The GVI Kenya Expedition is making a difference by supporting our partners, including Kenyan Wildlife Services, in three focus areas; cetacean research, community development and Terrestrial ecology studies. Through education, environmental awareness and current wildlife monitoring studies, our collaborative work has been building capacity within the communities, assisting them in developing sustainable tourism practises and protecting cetacean and primate species within the area. Volunteers choosing to join this project will focus on the community development side of the program but will ultimately aid all aspects of this long term multi focused program

Highlights

Assisting local and international researchers to monitor wildlife; camping out under the African stars; living on an African island; developing your knowledge of marine studies, including about dolphins and whales; experiencing the amazing mega-fauna of the island that includes whale sharks and manta rays; studying primates; gaining some bush and tracking skills; exploring beautiful national parks that are filled with a variety of spectacular flora and fauna; spending a week with the Kenya Wildlife Service having some amazing, close-up big game encounters; integrating with the local community and learning some Swahili.

Location

If you are looking to go on an adventurous expedition that takes you to a truly exotic location, this is the one for you! Shimoni is a peninsula located next to the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Area, which lies at the tip of the Pemba Channel, 76km south of Mombasa, as part of a large bay area which makes up the Shimoni Archipelago. With long stretches of white sand beaches fringed coral reefs and scattered with islands, Shimoni is a tropical haven and divers’ paradise. The expedition’s main base is located on Wasini Island, which is situated alongside the famous Kisite National Marine Park. A satellite camp is held at Shimoni Village where volunteers can study primates in the rainforest. Every five weeks volunteers spend a week camping and working on the borders of an inland national park (normally Tsavo) to work with anti-poaching community groups, in conjunction with the local partners.

See Life on the expedition page for more information

Field Conditions

Accommodation is in shared housing that has a large communal banda where volunteers can eat and have lectures. The communal area has a beautiful view of the channel and Mkwiro beach. The base camp will have limited electricity, powered by solar panel and backed up by a generator. Volunteers can wash either in the ocean or using bucket-style showers on the base. Wholesome and varied meals will be cooked on a rotational basis.

See Life on the expedition page for more information