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Eastern Cape Conservation Experience Project

South Africa is a wildlife rich country with a whooping number of 299 species of mammals and 858 species of birds. It is an excellent project for volunteers who are into nature and wildlife, and are passionate about it. The volunteers will get to be directly involved in conservation efforts of the game reserves and will gain a basic understanding of the real picture

The Eastern Cape Conservation Experience Project gets volunteers directly involved with the conservation efforts of the famous game reserves. The volunteers have an opportunity to get behind the scenes and the experience will give them a real picture of how day to day activities are carried out while operating and managing the reserve.

Goal of the Project

The Easter Cape Conservation Project is a project focused on conservation initiatives that promote ethical wildlife principles in South Africa. The project activities are focused on ensuring sustainability for the future generations to come.

Involvement and activities

The Easter Cape Conservation Project is a project focused on conservation initiatives that promote eth Visits and tasks at the Born Free Foundation and Animal Rehabilitation Centre are undertaken according to the requirements at the time of a volunteer's stay at the project. Volunteers will be required to get involved in short or long term projects. Please note that volunteers may have to do tasks which may require physical work.

There are several monitoring projects which assist in capturing vital information used in the research and management of all species on the reserve. The experience is divers and unscheduled as a result of the reliance on prevailing conditions.

The program generally runs in-week from Monday to Friday as it is required by the operations of the reserve's conservation efforts, so volunteers are asked to assist and conduct related weekend duties from time to time. By time schedule, operations run on a 08H00 to 17H00 basis with the need for early morning or late night activities dependant of the tasks at hand at the time of your stay.

Though volunteers will not have to get involved in human interaction with wildlife every day, but during times of crisis and need, they may have to get safely close to the wildlife and observe. During these times, volunteers will get to participate directly with hands on involvement in conservation of wildlife.

Fees and Dates

Except our registration fee of $299, our fees are as affordable as $1,050. The detailed fee structure of wildlife programs are as follows:

Duration Projects
  1 Week   N/A
  2 Week   $1,320
  3 Week   $1,915
  4 Week   $2,510
  5 Week   $3,105
  6 Week   $3,700
  7 Week   $4,295
  8 Week   $4,890
 Extra Per Week   $595
Year Starting Date Ending Date
2017
  • 8, 15, 22, 29 January
  • 5, 12, 19, 26 February
  • 5, 12, 19, 26 March
  • 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 April
  • 7, 14, 21, 28 May
  • 4, 11, 18, 25 June
  • 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 July
  • 6, 13, 20, 27 August
  • 3, 10, 17, 24 September
  • 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October
  • 5, 12, 19, 26 November
  • 3 December
  • 22, 29 January
  • 5, 12, 19, 26 February
  • 5, 12, 19, 26 March
  • 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 April
  • 7, 14, 21, 28 May
  • 4, 11, 18, 25 June
  • 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 July
  • 6, 13, 20, 27 August
  • 3, 10, 17, 24 September
  • 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October
  • 5, 12, 19, 26 November
  • 3, 10, 17 December

Free time

Volunteers with Orphanages Children

There are many activities volunteers can participate once they are done with their daily tasks. They can choose to participate on game drives, bush walks, camping, target shooting, and of course, cooking famous African cuisines.

It is important to note that these activities are subject to availability of vehicles and guides. Also, these activities may cost some money, which will not be provided freely by the project staff. If volunteers wish to participate on these activities, it is important that they bring extra money with them.

Major FAQ's

  • Where do I need to fly?
  • From Eastgate Airport, volunteers need to arrange their flights to Hoedspruit.

  • How can I get to the project?
  • Volunteers will be picked up on Eastgate Airport by one of the members of the project staff. Once all the volunteers have arrived and are ready, they will be taken to the project site for discussion.

  • What vaccinations do I need?
  • It is recommended that you take extra precautions on this trip to South Africa. While majority of South Africa has been declared to be free of malaria, the Kruger National Park isn't. Therefore, getting a vaccine against malaria is very much recommended.

  • How can I communicate with family?
  • Volunteers can send emails to their friends and families every once a week by visiting the town. They can also choose to bring along a mobile phone so that they can call their loved ones at their leisure.

    If you wish to bring a mobile phone with you, be sure to activate the roaming functionality of your phone as well as bringing along enough mobile credits. Use the credits sparingly as well, as you will only be able to replenish your mobile credits every once a week when you visit the town.

  • How safe is the project?
  • This project is entirely safe. The only things unsafe in here are the volunteers' belongings, which can easily be remedied by putting all your valuables and important documents (e.g. passports, travel documents, etc.) on a safe and secure place. The project staff will not be held liable for any loss of items, but will try to help in finding these lost properties.

  • Will there be someone to guide/supervise us?
  • Volunteers will be supervised by a project staff every day, giving them the knowledge they need to be able to work on their daily activities. Once volunteers prove to be capable of doing the tasks by themselves, they will be left to do it independently.

  • Will there be other volunteers?
  • Other volunteers are present at all times. There will always be around 2-24 volunteers at any given point in time. Make sure to mingle with them and make new friends.

  • Any other important information to consider?
  • This project is very strenuous and can be physically demanding. If you are not able to work for long hours or you are not capable of doing highly strenuous work, then it is advised that you look for other projects instead.

    Patience, adaptability, and travel experience is a must when taking on this project, as volunteers will be surrounded with unfamiliar faces on unfamiliar places. Love for animals is also a vital trait a volunteer should possess, as taking care of animals is the main focus of this project.

    While animals are the main focus on this project, safety and precaution when in the company of these animals is a must. These are wild animals. As such, they can be feral and aggressive. Be sure to observe and adhere to the safety rules detailed on the project discussion to avoid getting yourself injured.

    Another thing to note is that you should arrive on the airport on a Tuesday, as this is the only day when project staff members will pick up volunteers from the airport. If you arrive at any day besides Tuesday, you will have to get on the project site on your own.

    Once you are done with your volunteer experience, you can go on various tours such as:

    • 7-day trip to Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls
    • 7-day trip to Okavango Delta
    • 5-day trip to Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls
    • 10-day trip to Okavango Delta and Chobe and Victoria Falls

NOTE: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is derived from generic information about the country, and should not be used as a definitive travel guide. Travel information and situations abroad change constantly, and the information contained here may not be up to date. Participants should consult Helping Abroad staff or travel advisors to verify this information