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  • Life On Land

Lion Monitoring & Big Five Reserve Work

location
1 - 4 weken  ·  Leeftijd 18 - 50+
Geverifieerd

Highlights

  • Work across 6,000 hectares of malaria-free Big 5 reserve in the Eastern Cape, 45 minutes from Port Elizabeth.
  • Do the real conservation labour: alien vegetation clearing, tree planting, fence patrol, game counts, road maintenance and anti-poaching support.
  • Join lion tracking and monitoring, and help with game capture operations when the reserve runs them.

Highlights

  • Work across 6,000 hectares of malaria-free Big 5 reserve in the Eastern Cape, 45 minutes from Port Elizabeth.
  • Do the real conservation labour: alien vegetation clearing, tree planting, fence patrol, game counts, road maintenance and anti-poaching support.
  • Join lion tracking and monitoring, and help with game capture operations when the reserve runs them.
  • Work in a group of up to ten with your own outdoor coordinator, following a weekly itinerary so every group covers the same activities.
  • Live on the reserve in shared dorms with all meals, both airport transfers and weekend trips to Port Elizabeth or Jeffreys Bay included.
    • Je hoeft nog niets te betalen

    Vooral geschikt voor

    Leeftijd 18+
    Alleenstaanden
    Koppels
    Groepen
    50+

    Over het programma

    Conservation work on a 6,000-hectare Big 5 reserve near Port Elizabeth: lion monitoring, game counts, fence patrol, anti-poaching and habitat work.

    Six thousand hectares of the Eastern Cape, forty-five minutes inland from Port Elizabeth, holding the Big 5 along with a great deal else — grassland, subtropical bush, fynbos and bushveld, natural waterholes and rock formations. It is malaria-free, which matters more than it sounds when you are ...

    Over het programma

    Six thousand hectares of the Eastern Cape, forty-five minutes inland from Port Elizabeth, holding the Big 5 along with a great deal else — grassland, subtropical bush, fynbos and bushveld, natural waterholes and rock formations. It is malaria-free, which matters more than it sounds when you are working outdoors every day.

    You live on the reserve and work on it.

    What the work actually is

    Reserve management, and most of it is physical. Activities are set out in a weekly itinerary and vary by the day, driven by weather and by what the reserve needs:

    • Alien vegetation removal — unglamorous, endless, and one of the highest-value things anyone does for South African habitat
    • Lion tracking and monitoring, and game counts across the reserve
    • Fence patrol and wilderness trail walks — the perimeter is what keeps animals in and poachers out
    • Anti-poaching support
    • Game capture when the reserve is running an operation, which is a genuine event to be part of
    • Tree planting, landscaping, nursery work with indigenous flora, wildlife structures and road maintenance
    • Game drives, and an elephant sanctuary on the reserve

    There is also a school feeding scheme in the nearby community, which is entirely optional — say so if you would like to be included.

    How the days are organised

    Volunteers are split into groups of up to ten, each with its own outdoor coordinator acting as leader and mentor. Different groups do different activities on a given day, but by the end of the week every group has done the same set. Occasionally everyone works together, which is usually a game capture.

    That structure means you are never left to work out what to do, and it also means you cannot pick and choose — you will spend days clearing invasive plants as well as days tracking lions, and the first is the reason the second is possible.

    Be honest with yourself about the physical side

    This is outdoor work in a hot climate, involving tools, thorns, dust and long days. It suits people who want to be tired at the end of the afternoon. If you are picturing mostly game drives, this is not that.

    Who this suits

    Anyone 18 or over with a genuine interest in wildlife and conservation and a willingness to work outdoors. No qualification is needed, though any ecology, land management or veterinary study will be put to use. A clean criminal background check is required.

    Dagelijkse activiteiten

    🚩 Arrival is a fixed window. Read this before booking flights.

    You must land at Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ) on a MONDAY, before 4pm. The scheduled transfer to the reserve runs up to that time only. Arrive later, or on another day, and there is no transfer waiting for you. This is the single most ...

    Dagelijkse activiteiten

    🚩 Arrival is a fixed window. Read this before booking flights.

    You must land at Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ) on a MONDAY, before 4pm. The scheduled transfer to the reserve runs up to that time only. Arrive later, or on another day, and there is no transfer waiting for you. This is the single most important booking detail on this programme.

    Monday — Arrival and transfer to the reserve, about 45 minutes. Orientation with the project coordinators: guidelines, safety and instructions, and the weekly itinerary showing your group's roles.

    Tuesday to Friday — the working pattern:

    • Morning — Breakfast at the reserve, then out with your group and coordinator on that day's activity
    • Through the day — Whatever the itinerary sets: vegetation clearing, fence patrol, game counts, lion monitoring, nursery or landscaping work, or a game capture if one is running
    • Evening — Back at the accommodation. There is a common area, lounge and entertainment space, and volunteers tend to spend evenings together

    Activities shift with the weather and with what the reserve needs, so the itinerary is a plan rather than a promise. Flexibility is genuinely required here.

    Weekends — Transport is provided on Saturday and Sunday to Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay or Grahamstown. Jeffreys Bay is one of the best-known surf breaks in the world and worth the trip on its own.

    Internet — Available at the reserve during designated hours only. Tell people at home before you go.

    Vrijetijdsactiviteiten

    Transport runs on Saturdays and Sundays to Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay or Grahamstown, so weekends are genuinely usable rather than spent stuck on the reserve.

    Jeffreys Bay — Supertubes is one of the finest right-hand point breaks on earth. Even if you have never surfed, the town is worth the ...

    Vrijetijdsactiviteiten

    Transport runs on Saturdays and Sundays to Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay or Grahamstown, so weekends are genuinely usable rather than spent stuck on the reserve.

    Jeffreys Bay — Supertubes is one of the finest right-hand point breaks on earth. Even if you have never surfed, the town is worth the trip: board hire, lessons, and a long beach.

    Port Elizabeth — Beaches along Algoa Bay, the Boardwalk, shopping, restaurants and Bayworld. Boat trips out of the bay regularly turn up dolphins and, in season, whales.

    Grahamstown — A university town of Georgian and Victorian buildings, museums and bookshops, and home to the National Arts Festival.

    Addo Elephant National Park is close by and easy to reach for a day, with one of the densest elephant populations in Africa.

    The Eastern Cape end of the Garden Route — Storms River, Tsitsikamma, the bungee at Bloukrans — is within reach for volunteers extending their stay.

    On the reserve itself there is a lounge, TV and an entertainment area. Evenings are quiet, dark and full of stars, which most volunteers count as a feature.

    Voorwaarden

    Voorwaarden

    Minimum leeftijd: 18 jaar

    Om deel te nemen aan het programma dien je tenminste 18 jaar oud te zijn op de startdatum van het programma. Er kunnen uitzonderingen gemaakt worden indien je een bewijs van toestemming kan aantonen van uw wettelijke voogd(en) of samen met je ouders deelneemt.

    Bewijs van goed gedrag en zeden

    verplicht

    Vereiste documenten

    Criminal background check (police clearance) and a copy of your passport.

    Nationaliteitsbeperkingen

    Geen beperkingen. Helpende handen van over de hele wereld zijn welkom.

    Andere vaardigheden

    No qualifications or previous experience are required. You do need a genuine interest in wildlife and conservation, a reasonable level of physical fitness and a willingness to work outdoors in heat, dust and thorn bush. Studies in ecology, land management, zoology or veterinary science will be put to use, but they are not a condition of joining.

    Tijdsinzet

    Uw helpende hand wordt verwacht op maandag, dinsdag, woensdag, donderdag en vrijdag van 08:00 - 17:00

    Diensten ingesloten

    Diensten ingesloten

    Diensten op locatie

    What the fee covers

    • Accommodation on the reserve for the whole of your stay
    • All meals, seven days a week
    • Airport transfers both ways between Port Elizabeth Airport and the reserve
    • Orientation, and a project coordinator with your group every working day
    • All conservation activities and equipment
    • A guided wildlife tour of the reserve
    • Weekend transport to Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay or Grahamstown
    • One reserve T-shirt and one peak cap
    • 24/7 in-country support and pre-departure guidance

    What it does not cover

    • International flights to and from Port Elizabeth
    • Visa fees, travel insurance and vaccinations
    • Personal spending, souvenirs and weekend activity costs
    • Any extra excursions arranged privately

    Couples can be accommodated together at additional cost — tell us before booking.

    Afhaal aan de luchthaven op Port Elizabeth International Airport

    Included both ways — the arrival pickup at Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ) and the return drop at the end of your placement are both covered by the programme fee.

    🚩 The hard rule: you must land at PLZ on a MONDAY, before 4pm. The scheduled transfer runs up to that time only. If your flight arrives later, or on another day, there is no transfer for you and you will have to arrange and pay for your own transport to the reserve.

    Book your international flights around this window before you book anything else.

    The drive from the airport to the reserve takes about 45 minutes.

    Most volunteers reach Port Elizabeth on a domestic connection through Johannesburg or Cape Town — leave enough margin on that connection to protect the Monday-before-4pm arrival.

    Accomodatie

    You live on the reserve rather than in a town half an hour away, which is rather the point — you wake up inside the place you are working on.

    Dorm-style rooms, shared with other volunteers and separated by gender. Bedding is provided. There is a lounge with a TV, a communal entertainment area and outdoor space.

    Internet is available at designated hours only. This is a working reserve, not a hotel, and connectivity is treated accordingly. Warn people at home before you fly.

    Couples who want to share can usually be accommodated at extra cost — arrange it in advance rather than on arrival.

    Evenings are quiet and the sky is genuinely dark. The group is small and everyone is doing the same work, so the social side takes care of itself.

    Eten & Drank

    All meals are included, seven days a week, for the whole of your stay. There is no self-catering gap and no weekend gap.

    Breakfast before the day's work, lunch (often taken out in the field on longer activities) and a cooked dinner at the reserve in the evening.

    Food is straightforward South African home cooking — substantial, which matters when you have spent the day clearing bush.

    Vegetarian, vegan and allergy requirements can be catered for. Tell us at the time of booking so the kitchen knows before you arrive, not on the day.

    Drinking water is available at the accommodation. Alcohol and anything bought on weekend trips is at your own cost.

    Internet toegang

    Beperkte toegang op de project site
    Je hoeft nog niets te betalen

    Wat is er NIET inbegrepen?

    Wat is er NIET inbegrepen?

    Vlucht tickets

    De dichtste luchthaven is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Port Elizabeth. We assisteren u met het vinden van goedkope vluchten naar Zuid-Afrika. VIND GOEDKOPE VLUCHTEN

    Reisverzekering

    Naar het buitenland reizen is een avontuur en het is best om goed voorbereid te zijn. Plots ziek worden of gewond raken, annulaties of diefstal - een reisverzekering voor Zuid-Afrika biedt zekerheid en is een meerwaarde. KRIJG EEN OFFERTE

    Vaccinaties

    Als je de intentie hebt om als vrijwilliger aan de slag te gaan in Zuid-Afrika dien je eerst medisch advies in te winnen alvorens je eropuit trekt. Kijk de benodigde vaccinaties na voor Zuid-Afrika. VACCINATIE CHECKER

    Gegevens over jouw aankomst

    🚩 Arrival: Monday at Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ), before 4pm. The scheduled reserve transfer only runs until then. Book your flights around this, not the other way round.

    Getting there — Port Elizabeth is usually reached via Johannesburg or Cape Town. The reserve is 45 minutes from the airport.

    Transfers — better than most of our programmes

    Scheduled transfers both ways between Port Elizabeth Airport and the reserve are included in the fee. Unlike our Cape Town placements, you are not paying for the return leg.

    What you get on arrival — A reserve T-shirt and peak cap are included, along with a guided wildlife tour.

    Bring — Sturdy closed boots you do not mind destroying, long trousers and long sleeves for thorny work, a hat, high-factor sun cream, work gloves, and a torch. Layers matter: Eastern Cape mornings can be cold and afternoons hot in the same day.

    Health — The Eastern Cape is malaria-free, which is one of the reasons this reserve is a good first African wildlife experience. Make sure your tetanus vaccination is current given the outdoor work.

    Visa — Many nationalities enter South Africa visa-free as visitors for up to 90 days. Check your own country's position. Visa fees are not included.

    Duration — Bookable from one to four weeks.

    When to come — The reserve runs year-round. South African summer (November to March) is hot and the work is harder in it; winter (June to August) is cooler and more comfortable for outdoor days, though mornings are cold.

    Beschikbaarheid
    jan. feb. mrt. apr. mei. jun. jul. aug. sep. okt. nov. dec.

    Programmakosten

    $883 per week 1 - 4 weken Leeftijd 18 - 50+

    Betaalmethodes

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    GEEN CREDITCARDKOSTEN

    Duurtijd

    1 - 4 weken

    Aanbetaling

    Reserveer je plek met slechts een paar klikken en een kleine, veilige aanbetaling. Je kunt betalen met creditcard, PayPal of andere handige methoden.

    Restbetaling

    Tijdens de aanmeldingsprocedure spreek je met de lokale organisatie af hoe je de restbetaling doet. Deze restbetaling is pas verschuldigd dichter bij het begin van je reis.

    Je hoeft nog niets te betalen
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    Afrika > Zuidelijk Afrika > Zuid-Afrika > Port Elizabeth

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    Sahil
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    reviews
    4,54
    Fantastisch
    2007
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