Volunteer Abroad South Africa: Siyafunda wildlife monitoring

You must be at least 18 years old. Younger participants can only take part in the volunteer project if accompanied by their parents. Additionally, you must also be able to communicate in English in order to understand safety instructions. Volunteers must be in good physical condition to carry out physical activities if required.

The price includes the airport transfer, both on arrival and return. We will support you in all preparations. Accommodation, food and drinking water will be provided on-site. You will receive training and be supervised by English-speaking, long-term experienced staff.

Flights, visa costs, travel insurance, snacks, soft drinks and alcohol are not included.

Prior to travelling to South Africa, consult your doctor for advice on possible dangers, vaccinations and protective measures.

Malaria is endemic in this area. There are several protective measures to prevent malaria infection. Talk to your doctor about a good and suitable malaria prophylactic for you. Pack mosquito repellent, long clothing and a mosquito net to minimise contact with mosquitoes.

Don't forget to bring a first-aid kit with medicines for diarrhoea, pain and travel sickness. To be able to participate in the project, you need to have travel health insurance.

Yes, travel health insurance is compulsory. We can support you in finding the right solution for you.

We recommend that you bring gardening gloves for the habitat work. Other helpful equipment would be a head torch and binoculars.

You must participate in the Limpopo volunteer project for at least two weeks and can book up to 12 weeks.

You will need appropriate clothing and footwear to wear during the activities. Neutral earth tones are preferable. Depending on the travel time, you should pack items for variable weather. We also recommend a large refillable water bottle that you can carry in your daypack. We will provide you with a detailed packing list before your departure.

You are responsible for all travel arrangements to the agreed pick-up location and must inform the Natucate team of any last-minute changes. No additional travel costs (e.g. international flights and shuttle from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit) will be covered other than the transfer from Hoedspruit to the volunteer base.

There will be a safety meeting where vital rules of conduct in an unfenced camp will be explained. In addition, there will be a guided tour to familiarise you with the camp.

The main camp takes 12 to 14 volunteers and the tented camp 8 to 10 volunteers. The busiest times of the year are typically Jul and August.

The project has two different types of accommodation. We cannot tell you which accommodation you will stay at in advance. This will be decided by our project partner according to need and availability.

Both camps are located in the same nature game reserve and are not far from each other. And both locations have a high level of adventure, as the camps are unfenced. Therefore, wild animals may walk through the camp.

The camps differ in that the accommodation is in solid buildings at one location and at the other in large tents. At both sites, the sleeping area is shared with other participants. The bathrooms, with western-style toilets and bush showers, are also shared. The main camp has permanent power. The power supply in the tented camp via solar panels is relatively stable. Wi-Fi can be only booked at the main camp for a small additional fee.

In general, it is possible to be accommodated with a travel partner, but it depends on the structure of the group and the number of participants. We ask you to let us know in advance if you would like to get accommodated with a partner as soon as possible, so we have enough time to organise everything. It cannot be guaranteed that you can share rooms with a partner.

On Mondays, not only the new project participants are picked up. The weekly shopping is also done. The project provides food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The group prepares the food.

For breakfast, cereals, rusks, fruit, yoghurt, toast, butter and jams are available for everyone to help themselves. Lunch and dinner are operated from a set menu. Examples for lunch are pasta salad, sandwiches, eggs and bacon. For dinner, the menu might offer burgers, braai, babotie and wraps. A cooking rota is fixed and can be found as a hangout in the kitchen.

There is also a private fridge for personal food , snacks and drinks. On Mondays, the volunteers can visit the town and do some shopping.

The camps’ tap water comes from a borehole and is, therefore, of drinking water quality.

A vegetarian diet, as well as other special diets, can be considered. We ask you to let us know in advance so that our partner has enough time to arrange everything accordingly. In general, a vegetarian diet is covered. But for some allergies, participants may have to get some specific supplements themselves (e.g. lactose and gluten).

In this project, communication is in English.

Volunteers work 6 days a week. Sometimes you will have half of Saturday and half of Sunday off. Other times, Saturday is a working day and the whole Sunday is free.

Sundays, lunches and evenings are usually free. During this time, you can relax, read, play games or spend time with the other volunteers.

There is a contact person on site. You can always contact the Natucate-team if there are any questions or problems.

The South African currency is the Rand. It is helpful to have a small amount of South African rand (e.g. 500 ZAR) with you. You can find currency exchange bureaux at the international airport or in Hoedspruit. In town (on Mondays), you can also use your credit card at ATMs or buy things in stores with your credit card.

If you have activated international roaming, your phone will automatically switch to the South African Vodacom or MTN service. Alternatively, you can buy for your phone a South African SIM card when you arrive.

Wi-Fi is only available in the main camp at an additional cost.

From September to April, the Limpopo Province has very hot summer weather. Temperatures can exceed 40ºC during this period. From May to August, it is cooler. The lowest temperatures during this period are around 5-6ºC, and the average daytime temperature is around 20ºC. It gets especially cold at night and in the early morning hours - particularly on the back seat of the game drive vehicle.

Smoking is prohibited in all buildings and vehicles. Cigarette butts must be properly extinguished and disposed of in the ashtrays provided or in your bag when participating in an activity.

Use of illegal drugs and inappropriate consumption of alcohol will result in you being asked to leave the project.

Good preparation minimises the risk of accidents: Emergency procedures are explained to volunteers during the induction session. Written versions are available for reference. Radio and telephone links are provided with instructions. First aid kits and fire extinguishers are located in various places.

In case of emergency, alert a member of staff immediately. For instance, if you are bitten or stung, notify a staff member right away, who will seek emergency help and take the appropriate action.