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

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.

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.

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.