Overview
Southern Africa Volunteer Explorer

Would you like to learn about conservation in some of the best wildlife locations on Earth or would you rather help provide education to underprivileged children? On GVIs 'Volunteer Explorer' you can do both! You will spend 5 weeks participating in a wildlife research expedition in the Limpopo province of South Africa, after which you will assist at an orphanage for 4 weeks in a township outside Cape Town. In addition to this you will spend a further 2 weeks in Namibia protecting and tracking the elusive desert elephant.

This trip allows you to enjoy a mixture of different projects and countries and offers you the opportunity to explore the region in-between your time on each program. You will arrange the travel/flights from one location to the next, allowing you more flexibility and the option to build these worthwhile programs into your travel itinerary.

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

The knowledge we gained whilst out on drives was awesome and the entire experience of being out in the midst of the african wilderness was something that was breathtaking to say the least. I will never forget my time there. Our guides were informative, and patient with those of us who wanted to ask questions. Staff were knowledgeable, eager and very enthusiastic.

Simon Hersee, GVI volunteer

What Difference Does This Project Make?

On the research expedition in South Africa you will follow predators around the reserve collecting vital data used to determine predators impact on prey populations, social structures, genetics and spatial movement. Whilst in Gordons Bay, GVI volunteers will work in a small, but rapidly expanding children’s home, where there is a desperate need for extra hands and the skills to implement our educational program. In Namibia volunteers will help build walls that not only protect community windmills but also allow the elephants to drink. Volunteers will then spend a week tracking and mapping the elephants movements.

Highlights

Track and observe big game, such as lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant and rhino, work alongside qualified guides, master radio telemetry techniques and explore nearby regions such as the Blyde River Canyon in the Drakensberg Mountains. In Namibia you will sleep out under the African stars, learn to cook over an open fire and watch the elusive desert elephants in areas no other tourists can visit. Travel to the small coastal community of Gordons Bay where you can interact closely with the local community. Here there are optional trips available to Robben Island, Table Mountain, Cape Point and Penguins, and for wine tasting in Stellenbosh.

Location

You will be working in a one of two reserves situated in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, approximately 500km northeast of Johannesburg. This area is true ‘Big Five’ (lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalos) territory and reveals the African bush at its best. While volunteering in the orphanage you will be living in Gordons Bay which is a picturesque coastal village just outside Stellenbosh and 35 minutes from Cape Town. Gordons Bay is also the beginning of the scenic and well-known Garden Route, making this the perfect base to explore the best sites and activities the Cape has to offer. In Namibia volunteers will be located in Damaraland, one of the most scenic wilderness areas in Namibia. As well as the desert elephant, expect to find black rhino, ostrich, springbok, giraffe and kudu and hear the roar of desert lions!

Field Conditions

When on the wildlife expedition you will live in an old farm house or a stunning permanent tented camp, which contain dormitory-style sleeping arrangements, bathrooms, a kitchen and an outside area. Gordons Bay accommodation will be modern apartments within walking distance of the amenities. Electricity, hot and cold showers, flushing toilets and internet access are all available. In Namibia volunteers will sleep in tents, A frame huts or out under the stars. The food will be simple but nutritional. There is no electricity at our bush camp and when away from camp there are no toilets.