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Fantastic 4.53rating (30)
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Two Weeks Helping Out, Plus a Safari Weekend

location
2 - 2 weeks  Â·  Age 18 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Two weeks, fixed: nine working days at a Cape Town project plus a two-day Garden Route safari, all planned before you arrive
  • Choose your project on application: childcare, classroom teaching or sports coaching in Cape Town's community suburbs
  • Guided walking tour of the city centre on your first Monday, so you know Cape Town before you start work

Highlights

  • Two weeks, fixed: nine working days at a Cape Town project plus a two-day Garden Route safari, all planned before you arrive
  • Choose your project on application: childcare, classroom teaching or sports coaching in Cape Town's community suburbs
  • Guided walking tour of the city centre on your first Monday, so you know Cape Town before you start work
  • Big 5 game drive in a private reserve, a night on the Garden Route at Sedgefield, and the Cango Caves on the way home
  • Volunteer hostel in Observatory with 4-8 to a room, weekday breakfast included, twenty minutes from the city centre
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    A fortnight in Cape Town for people who cannot take a month off: nine days at a childcare, teaching or sports project, plus a Garden Route safari weekend.

    Most volunteer programmes assume you can disappear for a month or more. A lot of people cannot — annual leave is finite, term dates are fixed, and a career break is not on offer. This is a fortnight, built deliberately as a fortnight rather than sold as an offcut of a longer placement.

    How the two ...

    About the program

    Most volunteer programmes assume you can disappear for a month or more. A lot of people cannot — annual leave is finite, term dates are fixed, and a career break is not on offer. This is a fortnight, built deliberately as a fortnight rather than sold as an offcut of a longer placement.

    How the two weeks are actually spent

    • Nine working days at a project in Cape Town
    • One weekend on a two-day Garden Route safari and Karoo trip, included in the fee
    • One guided walking tour of the city centre on your first Monday
    • Free evenings, plus the second weekend and your final day to yourself

    Your project

    You choose between three placements on application:

    • Childcare and social welfare — feeding, clothing and playing with children at a community centre, homework help, art, craft, dance and drama, and helping with meals and daily activities
    • Classroom teaching — supporting an over-stretched teacher in a community school
    • Sports coaching — running sessions in schools that often have no PE staff of their own

    All three are in Cape Town's community suburbs — Grassy Park, Athlone, Philippi, Mitchells Plain, Belville — alongside local staff who have been doing this work for years. You are there to add hands, not to run anything.

    Being straight about two weeks

    Nine days is enough to be useful and it is not enough to be indispensable. You will follow a routine someone else designed, and the project will carry on when you go. If you want to lead your own initiative, book longer. If you want to contribute properly inside the time you actually have, this works.

    The safari weekend

    Not an add-on you buy on arrival — it is in the fee. You leave Cape Town on Saturday morning for the Garden Route, take a morning game drive in a private reserve in search of lion, elephant, giraffe and buffalo, and overnight at Sedgefield in backpacker dorms. Sunday runs back via the Outeniqua Mountains and Oudtshoorn, where you visit the Cango Caves or the Cango Wildlife Ranch, then home along Route 62.

    Who it suits

    Anyone 18 or over: people using annual leave, students with a short vacation window, first-time solo travellers who want structure, and older volunteers who would rather not commit to two months. A clean criminal background check is required.

    Typical day

    Day 1 — Sunday. Arrival at Cape Town International (CPT). You are met at the airport and taken to the volunteer hostel in Observatory to settle in and meet the others starting with you.

    Day 2 — Monday. Self-made breakfast, then orientation at the office: your project, what the work involves, ...

    Typical day

    Day 1 — Sunday. Arrival at Cape Town International (CPT). You are met at the airport and taken to the volunteer hostel in Observatory to settle in and meet the others starting with you.

    Day 2 — Monday. Self-made breakfast, then orientation at the office: your project, what the work involves, safety, and how Cape Town works. Afterwards, a guided walking tour of the city centre.

    Days 3–6 — Tuesday to Friday. Your first working week:

    • Morning — Self-service breakfast at the hostel, then out to your placement (usually a shared minibus taxi or Uber with the other volunteers going your way)
    • Daytime — Four to six hours at the project, working alongside local staff
    • Evening — Back at the hostel. Volunteers cook together, eat out cheaply nearby, or have a braai in the yard

    Days 7–8 — Saturday and Sunday: the safari weekend, included. Out of Cape Town on Saturday morning to the Garden Route: a morning game drive in a private reserve, then a night at Sedgefield in backpacker dorms with dinner provided. Sunday goes back via the Outeniqua Mountains to Oudtshoorn for the Cango Caves or the Cango Wildlife Ranch, then home along Route 62. Roughly 450 km out and 600 km back — long days in an air-conditioned bus.

    Days 9–13 — Monday to Friday. Your second working week. By now you know the children, the staff and the routine, and the days are noticeably more productive than week one.

    Day 14 — Saturday. Programme ends. A free final day in Cape Town for shopping, the Waterfront, or whatever you did not get to. The airport drop is not included — ask the coordinator to arrange one at extra cost.

    Hours — Four to six hours a day, weekdays. Evenings and the second weekend are yours.

    Free-time activities

    The safari weekend is already in the fee, which leaves your evenings, the second weekend and your final Saturday genuinely free — and Cape Town is a good city to have free time in.

    Table Mountain — Walk up Platteklip Gorge or take the cable car. Lion's Head at sunset is the shorter, sharper ...

    Free-time activities

    The safari weekend is already in the fee, which leaves your evenings, the second weekend and your final Saturday genuinely free — and Cape Town is a good city to have free time in.

    Table Mountain — Walk up Platteklip Gorge or take the cable car. Lion's Head at sunset is the shorter, sharper alternative and the view is arguably better.

    The Cape Peninsula — Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Point, and the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, all doable in one long day.

    Robben Island — The ferry from the V&A Waterfront; tours are led by former political prisoners. Book ahead, it sells out.

    Bo-Kaap — The painted streets above the city centre, and the best Cape Malay food in Cape Town.

    The Winelands — Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are under an hour away; the Franschhoek wine tram is the easy way to do it.

    Beaches — Camps Bay and Clifton for the scene, Muizenberg for learning to surf, Llandudno for the drive.

    Back at the hostel there are two lounges with cable TV, a pool table, table tennis, a dartboard and braai facilities indoors and out. Most evenings sort themselves out without anyone planning anything.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check (police clearance), copy of passport and proof of travel and medical insurance.

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    No qualifications or previous experience are needed. Bring an open mind, patience and energy. Any background in teaching, childcare, coaching or youth work is useful but not required. A clean criminal background check is mandatory for all placements. Volunteers must be in good health and 18 or over.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 09:00 - 14:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    What the fee covers

    • Fourteen nights' accommodation at the volunteer hostel in Observatory
    • Self-service breakfast at the hostel, Monday to Friday
    • Airport pickup on arrival at Cape Town International
    • Orientation and a guided walking tour of the city centre
    • Your placement at a childcare, teaching or sports project, with in-country coordinator support
    • The two-day Garden Route safari weekend — transport, a night at Sedgefield with dinner, breakfast, a Big 5 game drive in a private reserve, and the Cango Caves or Cango Wildlife Ranch, with a registered guide throughout
    • Pre-departure guide and 24/7 in-country support
    • Certificate of participation on request

    What it does not cover — read this properly

    • The return airport drop. Arranged at extra cost. Budget for it.
    • Daily transport to your project. Minibus taxi or a shared Uber, paid by you. Cheap per trip but it adds up.
    • Lunches, dinners and weekend meals at the hostel (breakfast on weekdays is included; host-family placements get three meals a day instead)
    • International flights, visa fees, vaccinations and travel insurance
    • Personal spending

    Airport Pickup at Cape Town International Airport

    Arrival pickup is included. The return drop is not.

    Arrive on a Sunday at Cape Town International Airport (CPT), the programme start day. A driver meets you in arrivals with a signboard and takes you to the hostel in Observatory.

    🚩 The pickup only applies to volunteers arriving by air at CPT. If you are travelling overland, or you are already in South Africa, no pickup is provided and you make your own way to the accommodation.

    🚩 The return airport transfer is not included. The coordinator can arrange one at extra cost — ask early in your stay rather than the night before you fly.

    Cape Town International has direct connections from Europe, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia, so most volunteers arrive without a domestic hop.

    Accommodation

    You stay at the volunteer hostel in Observatory, a leafy suburb about twenty minutes from the centre of Cape Town, close to shops, cafes, public transport and some very good beaches.

    Backpacker-style dorms sleeping four to eight, shared with volunteers from all over the world. The house is used only by programme participants — it is not open to the public — and every gate has electronic keypad access.

    What is there:

    • Two lounges with cable and smart TV
    • Two fully equipped kitchens — fridge, stove, microwave, kettle, crockery
    • Communal showers and toilets
    • Braai (barbecue) facilities indoors and out
    • Pool table, table tennis, dartboard
    • Uncapped high-speed Wi-Fi, plus a local SIM for data when you are out
    • Lockers — bring your own padlock
    • On-site hostel manager and daily cleaning staff

    Host family instead? You can ask to stay with a family in one of Cape Town's local communities, around thirty minutes from the centre. That option includes three meals a day and is the deeper cultural experience, though most projects are then within walking distance rather than a taxi ride.

    On the safari weekend you sleep in backpacker dorms at Sedgefield, with shared bathrooms, an honesty bar and a free shuttle to the beach bar.

    Food & Beverages

    Be clear on this before you book — it is not full board.

    At the hostel: self-service breakfast is provided Monday to Friday — cereals, eggs, bread and toppings, tea and coffee, and a selection of fruit.

    Lunches, dinners and weekend meals are not included. Both kitchens are fully equipped, so most volunteers shop locally and cook together, which is cheap and turns into the social centre of the evening. Eating out in Cape Town is also good value, and delivery reaches the house.

    On a host-family placement, three meals a day are included — breakfast before your project, a packed lunch, and a home-cooked dinner.

    On the safari weekend, dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday are included in the fee.

    Vegetarians and other dietary requirements can be accommodated — say so on your application form, in advance, not on arrival.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town. We assist you to find cheap flights to South Africa. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for South Africa provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in South Africa you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for South Africa. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    Arrival is a Sunday, at Cape Town International Airport (CPT). Programmes start on Sunday and you should book your flight to land that day.

    🚩 The pickup only covers volunteers arriving by air at CPT. If you are travelling overland, or you are already in South Africa, no pickup is provided and you make your own way to the accommodation. Plan for this before you book.

    🚩 The return airport drop is NOT included and is arranged at extra cost. Budget for it.

    Getting to your project — Daily transport to the project is not included. Volunteers travel by minibus taxi or share an Uber, both cheap by international standards, but it is real money you should budget for.

    Spending money — Allow roughly US$70–80 a week for lunches, dinners, local transport and everyday costs, more if you add weekend trips.

    Bring — A padlock for the hostel lockers (they are provided, the padlock is not), comfortable clothes for project work, layers for the safari weekend (early mornings on a game drive are cold whatever the season), sun cream and a hat.

    Visa — Most nationalities receive a 90-day visitor's entry on arrival, provided you hold full return flight details. Your passport must be valid for at least six months with two empty pages, or you may be refused entry.

    Insurance — Valid travel and medical insurance is mandatory. Bring the documents with you.

    Health — No malaria risk in Cape Town. Consult a travel clinic on routine vaccinations before you fly.

    When to come — The programme runs year-round with weekly Sunday starts. July and August are the busiest months, so that is when you meet the most other volunteers; the Southern Hemisphere summer (November to March) is warm and dry.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $547 per week 2 - 2 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    2 - 2 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.5
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers

    Location

    Africa > Southern Africa > South Africa > Cape Town

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    30
    reviews
    4.53
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

      Below average response rate
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