Join Our Wildlife Volunteer Projects

For me, I probably never made a bigger decision - to give up all those comforts I had lived with for so many years. Why did I do it? Because I wanted to do something that could make a difference to the wild animals in South Africa. Driving along in search of the target species for that day, with the wind in your face and dodging leaves from overhanging trees, you will use an antenna and radio set to indicate the direction of where your chosen animal is located, eventually pin-pointing its position. And then the excitement begins... as you turn a corner and see the animal, whether it be a Lion, Lioness with cubs, or a Wild Dog resting after a hard night's forage for food.There is a feeling within you that you’ve never felt before, at the sight of these beautiful beasts in their natural habitat. It is indescribable and something that will stay with you forever. For me it has been an experience I will never forget. I have never woken up in the morning with such anticipation of what the day will bring and what sights I might see. In a small way I hope I am making a difference. And with my photos, I have immortalised some beautiful animals that are under threat.

I would qualify my overall experience at wildlife ACT as eye-opening, extremely enriching, and filled with incredible moments. Having already been on other conservation projects from different organizations, I must say that Wildlife ACT really puts into perspective what volunteering really is. Bronwen was lovely from start to finish during the booking process, the accommodation and the camp were really great and I loved spending time there.As for the field work, it was certainly one of the most challenging things that I had to do as a volunteer, but it was incredibly enriching and it felt like we all had our part to play in everything that happened during the monitoring sessions. I properly felt that every session had its importance. We got to experience real, valuable conservation, understand the impact of everything that Wildlife ACT does on the reserve, and learn what is at stake here to protect wildlife species.

It was one of my best experiences, if not the best experience, I've ever had. I absolutely love the monitors and the scanning/work we did was exceptional. I have been able to learn about and see the animals up close. It has made me fall in love with Wild Dogs and I really appreciate the opportunity to have been here and to have done what I have. I wish everyone and everything well, especially the monitors. I appreciate each and every monitor/manager that I have met and have never seen people who are so welcoming and fun to be working together.

Life in the bush is the best. If you want to get really involved in nature and conservation, I think this would be the perfect first step for you. If you want to do something with wildlife, but you're not 100% sure of what to do or where to begin, Wildlife ACT is a really good bet. It's not about saving the world in 2 weeks or however long you're going to spend there; it's about being conscious of the reality of what's going on in Africa and how you can change something or contribute to a worthy cause. I learned a lot during my time with Wildlife ACT and feel that I now have the tools to spread the word and keep the wheel turning. Africa needs you! And you will be very happy giving it a hand.

Very fascinating and interesting. First I had to learn all about how Wildlife ACT is working, but afterwards I made so many great experiences out in nature but also with the other volunteers. For me as a volunteer, the accommodation was amazing! Tembe was simply wonderful and way much more comfortable than I was expecting it. We had more than we needed. The pre-arrival information was also really informative and useful.

An amazing experience! I saw and experienced stuff completely different from a mere safari experience and it felt very fulfilling to get a sense of what wildlife conservation should be like. The field work made this experience amazing and it gives the volunteers a real experience as opposed to a very touristic experience, which is what happens in most wildlife conservation volunteering experiences.

My experience was amazing. I enjoyed every moment of it. The people here are people to remember. I felt safe every step of the way and everything is well organised. It is an experience I will never forget! I learnt so much in the space of 2 weeks as everyone has such great knowledge and is very understandable. I felt very comfortable in everything that I did and everywhere that I went. I had such an experience and would love to come back! THANK YOU!!

I was lucky enough to spend a month with Wildlife ACT. My first 2 weeks were at uMkuze Game Reserve. The bush is so thick I was worried that I wasn't going to see anything. That feeling of finding an animal by using telemetry and the receiver is amazing. I had a great bunch of people with me to share my experiences with. The days are long - early mornings and late nights, but it was well worth it. My 2nd placement was at Manyoni - a very different experience as they have many more animals and there are many open spaces but still hard work as wild animals work on their own system. Nothing is guaranteed with them.I will definitely be back as I do feel like I made a difference. I met some wonderful people. My monitors were awesome so a shout out to Wihan, Megan, Dani & Travis who helped me have a great time. One thing that I will say to anyone that is hoping to take part in this experience is, make the most of it. You need to come with an open mind, be prepared for long days come rain or sun, and you will gain so much knowledge. I had the best time even when I had to have quick showers, too much toast with tomato & cheese, too much sun and many hours sitting on the back of a bakkie, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Volunteering with Wildlife ACT was a childhood dream come true. I was there for 2 weeks and everything went so smoothly, from pre-booking the trip to actually getting to the reserve. The rhythm is intense, but we still had time to relax in the afternoons. The thing I liked most was being able to ask the monitors questions; they have such amazing knowledge about the animals and the environment. The work is diverse and we saw an average of two lions a day, which was a personal favourite. I am still in awe almost a year after my experience of how amazing this experience was. I highly recommend volunteering with Wildlife ACT, it will challenge your views and you will see and learn so much. Thank you Wildlife ACT team!

I would thoroughly recommend Wildlife ACT to anyone of any age who is considering volunteering in conservation. Many iconic species are threatened with extinction, and I was compelled to volunteer and make a small difference in helping to prevent this. Volunteering in South Africa on reserves in KwaZulu-Natal was an amazing experience – witnessing and taking part in REAL conservation with such dedicated people. I cannot speak highly enough of the monitors I assisted on uMkhuze Game reserve (Teegan and Megan) - two inspirational young women. Also meeting staff from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife who are on the front-line of conservation. It was my first trip to South Africa as a lone female, but right from point of booking I was well looked after, with details of places to stay before being met at St Richards Airport to be taken to the reserve. I saw amazing wildlife, took part in important conservation, and made amazing life-long friends. Thank you Wildlife ACT.

I volunteered with Wildlife ACT for a month in September 2018 at iMfolozi Park and Tembe Elephant Park. Wildlife ACT delivers a real wildlife conservation experience. It's a hands-on experience teaching ethical conservation practices. It's an opportunity to work alongside elephant and lion experts, a chance to meet other volunteers from around the world, and have unforgettable wildlife sightings. Thank you for this truly remarkable experience.

I had an absolute amazing experience with Wildlife ACT. The way the projects are organized is very personal and efficient. I got to see four different reserves in Zululand: absolutely the most stunning, natural region in South Africa I have ever visited. The contribution you make with the small groups together with the professional and enthusiastic monitors, feels very important. You will help Wildlife ACT with everything that's most urgent and they will teach you a lot about nature and everything that matters for wildlife conservation. This unique exchange of work and knowledge is of great importance to gain attention on wildlife conservation. Personally, the best thing about Wildlife ACT is that the results of what they are doing are purely for the benefit of African wildlife; nothing more, nothing less.

My experiences with Wildlife ACT have been absolutely amazing and unforgettable - experiences that will stay with me forever. It was a childhood dream to be able to visit Africa and see the wildlife in its natural home, specifically elephants. Each time I visit South Africa, I leave a little piece of my heart behind. I can’t wait to return for my next experience volunteering with Wildlife ACT; I would go back tomorrow if I could!With each project you get to be part of real conservation, learning from amazingly dedicated and knowledgeable wildlife monitors, being part of a small team of international volunteers that very quickly become your bush family and hopefully lifelong friends, and of course seeing the wildlife. There is nothing like having an African elephant walk directly down the road towards you, seeing a lion napping under a tree, and spotting an African Wild Dog pack. These are experiences that most people will never have.Though sometimes you may not find the animals you are looking for, there is no shortage of things to see. There is amazing bird life, plants and trees, as well as other animals all around the reserves. You will quickly learn the difference between a nyala and an impala! There are a lot of photo opportunities as well as time to get to know your monitor and team better, and just being in South Africa and taking in the natural surroundings is enough.While not all of the work is easy or pretty, you know that what you are doing is actually making a difference to the conservation and future of these animals and the reserves.

I participated as a volunteer monitoring animals at Tembe and iMfolozi. These experiences have been very meaningful to me and I hope I made a contribution. All I want is to come back to improve and help more. Some volunteers are amazing and real experts in telemetry. As for me, I realised that I could spend hours waiting under the burning sun, to see through binoculars if a Cheetah had stopped napping and had decided to make a move. You learn patience. You learn to put yourself aside for the mission. You feel so small compared to the beauty, frailty and greatness and truth of the wildlife. You feel it in your gut and heart, and in helping, you become greater than what you are. As a volunteer, you share the monitors workload. Monitors who are young, multitaskers and very responsible. It is a privilege to be with such beautiful people, in such beautiful places. For me, it would have been a mistake not to be in the field with Wildlife ACT.

Working in a small group you get to help the monitors in the reserves doing real field work - mainly scanning for animals with collars, trying to get a visual to make sure they are healthy, setting up and checking camera traps, data input to create maps with animal movements, helping with things that might be necessary like call-ups / habituation, collaring of animals, relocations and so on.I'll never forget one touching moment when one of the cheetahs (who was a problem animal) went up a tree in front of our vehicle, scent-marking and looking at us before coming down and passing us. Just incredible. We also had great sightings of animals we were not scanning for, like leopards, giraffes necking each other, spotted hyena a few times, side-striped jackal, vultures and so much more.Our rooms were simple, but nice, and the camp not fenced, so we often had lots of animals around like nyalas, impalas, monkeys, baboons, big water monitors, beautiful birds, and once an elephant quite close. The highlight was a bush-baby family living in a tree beside the rooms. A lodge (with swimming pool) is not far away and we were allowed to go there and walk around or sit at a bird hide which I enjoyed a lot. We had bonfires & "braais" sometimes where we could chat to other researchers. Three of us did a two night trip to St. Lucia at the beginning of the 2nd week. The luxury tents, hippo and crocodile tour, night drive and restaurant food were awesome, but quite touristic, so I was happy to be back in the bush.The only really sad thing is the snare/poaching problem in uMkhuze, that does exist in all parks, but not as extreme. But it shows how important volunteers can be, because without the money they pay for their stay, all the monitor work couldn't be done. It was a great experience and I would do it again. My body did hurt sometimes, but my mind and heart found what they were looking for: pure African nature at its best and meaningful work. My cameras were very busy as well. All the footage will keep me busy for a while :) Absolutely rewarding. Thank you to Wildlife ACT, the monitors and all the people I met!

I have volunteered with Wildlife ACT twice before, and the second time was much more rewarding than the first. Like many other adventurers, my passion for going back to Africa was driven by my interest in photographing animals. I had a two-week window in which I could fit a volunteer session with Wildlife ACT and it was the best decision I made this summer. Every morning we went in search for either lion, wild dog, or the cheetahs, and every morning and afternoon there was something different to chase. The chase was difficult! Many days we rewarding as it showed us “tourists” that wildlife conservation is a tough job and that the work needs to be done in the field. Of course we were often rewarded with sightings of cheetah, lions, and a variety of animals we didn’t expect to see. We were also extremely lucky to have witnessed and participated with tagging and collaring one of the wild dogs; it was the highlight of the trip.There isn’t enough that can be said about our conservation leaders - two women are dedicated and passionate individuals who did everything in their power to get sightings of animals. During the two weeks, we often drove late into the night, working long hours and were often rewarded with sightings. They educated us on the real struggles and rewards of conservation. They were true professionals during my time on uMkhuze. I would completely recommend anyone interested in the survival of wild animals in Africa to volunteer with Wildlife ACT. If you want a true authentic experience where you are pitching in, and getting your hands dirty, this is the trip you want to book. I think what I enjoyed the most about the trip was that I didn’t feel like I was a tourist being catered to, I felt like I had a job to do every day and that I had to pitch in. I loved being in the middle of the park, without the amenities of home; it was an excellent time to visit with other volunteers and reflect upon the morning or afternoon experiences. You will experience the ups and downs of conservation, understand the struggles against poaching and loss of habitat, work with knowledgeable and passionate people, and you’ll see and encounter wild experiences that you will take with you for a lifetime. I would not visit the continent of Africa again, without volunteering with Wildlife ACT!

For a first time in South Africa, you best believe that Wildlife ACT goes out of their way to deliver and provide everything that they state in their project descriptions. It is by far Real Africa and Real Conservation from the moment you arrive at your project location. I am so grateful to the wonderful monitors at Somkhanda and Manyoni that made me fall in love with the bush and made me understand the true meaning of wildlife conservation. If you want to monitor and protect wildlife the correct way, then this is the project for you. I will be coming back!!!

If you have a burning desire to be of service and play a small part in conservation efforts for the wildlife in Africa, then volunteering with Wildlife ACT is for you! I spent one month this year in two camps, Tembe and Hluhluwe, located in the Zululand. These two camps are in two distinctly different areas and terrain and greatly broadened my perspective of the work being undertaken to monitor and protect various priority species in different circumstances and habitats. The Wildlife ACT website offers very clear and complete descriptions on the volunteer experience - the activities, participation, camps, and the accommodations to be expected. So, really, the only surprises there will be, which can be absolutely amazing, are the encounters to be experienced in the bush while out on monitoring sessions, observing wildlife, recording data, and sometimes very up-close encounters with any number of species. Each and every day is a completely new experience!Days can be long, but the rewards of this experience will last a lifetime. I have made new life-long friends that share my passion for conservation and deepened my love of Africa and my resolve to do whatever, in the small way that I can, to make a difference. Wildlife ACT affords a meaningful hands-on participation opportunity to do just that - make a difference! So, if protecting endangered species is important to you, look no further. Wildlife ACT is a wonderful organization run by committed and passionate conservationists, and will be a life-enriching experience for anyone of any age.

From February until May 2018, I volunteered for wildlife ACT and would like to thank them for an amazing time. I really enjoyed helping to contribute to conserving the beautiful nature in KwaZulu-Natal. Moreover, I had the idea that wildlife ACT, besides doing a great job for nature there, tried to give the volunteers a fantastic time. I really enjoyed my stay and felt completely safe and I think everything was so well organised. After my three months with wildlife ACT, I did another volunteer project in Namibia. I told a lot of volunteers about wildlife ACT, so hopefully I made them enthusiastic for volunteering as well! Thanks for everything and all the best.

I just returned home from another wonderful year volunteering with Wildlife ACT in South Africa, and my heart is bursting with love and fullness from the rich experiences I had with the animals, my fantastic wildlife monitors, and my team over the past few months. I have truly made friends for life in my South African home the past couple of years, so much so that I have already booked my six weeks for next year, and my 77 year old father is planning on joining me for a couple of weeks! As a fifty something year old, I can attest to the fact that this opportunity is for everyone who is adventurous, flexible and loves supporting the wildlife in Africa. Age becomes irrelevant among your team mates, as everyone has something unique and special to offer. It has been my experience the past few years that the groups I have been placed with mesh together and form very deep bonds during our time together! So, don’t be shy, come give Wildlife ACT a try! It will be one of the things you go home dreaming about, until you return the year after!

Wildlife ACT is amazing!!! Volunteering in South Africa with this program was definitely one of the best choices I've made in my undergraduate career, and I am truly grateful for having chosen such a phenomenal program that carries out real conservation. As an intern I learned so much about conservation and made many amazing contacts that I'm sure will be useful to me in the future. The people and monitors were such a pleasure to work with, and the experiences, landscapes, and wildlife were awe-inspiring. This was also my very first time in Africa in general, so gaining such a positive first impression was wonderful too. Thank you so much as well for such a smooth booking process; it was all very stress-free from the start!

My two weeks at iMfolozi was, without question, the most incredible experience of my life. Having always had a passion for wildlife and conservation, the monitors and the landscapes here have been inspiring and unmatched. Since the day of my arrival, my excitement and willingness to learn only grew with each session and interaction. My passion has only increased and my only wish is to continue to grow in my knowledge and understanding of African wildlife conservation.

We've had some wonderful times working with Wildlife ACT. If anyone wants to do some conservation work then this is definitely the best organisation to choose. You just have to keep going back for more, but then that's how Africa gets to you - especially those Wild Dogs (Painted Dogs) of uMkhuze. Thanks Wildlife ACT for having us!

An absolutely enriching experience. It is not only about helping on-site and enjoying watching animals, it is about getting involved in this real problem of conserving endangered animals; about contributing to preserve their habitat; about learning with experts what the major issues facing conservation are and why. And probably a factor of utmost importance: about spreading the word and raising awareness. Species are disappearing from their habitats because of human activity. Although there are many ways of contributing to wildlife conservation, it has been exciting working with Wildlife ACT and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife - two of the organisations tackling the many problems facing the threatened and endangered species of South Africa.Being in the field monitoring various priority species daily, we are exposed to mind-blowing wildlife experiences. The contribution of a volunteer may appear small at first glance, however, overall this contribution adds up day-by-day, with the monitoring team providing invaluable information to help maintain the equilibrium of the whole ecosystem. This includes endangered and non-endangered species, their habitat, and ultimately protecting them from the threat of extinction.