from 2,260€

Outstanding 4.9rating (189)

Wildlife Tracking & Field Research

location
2 - 4 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Outstanding 4.9  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Highlights

  • Enjoy up close and personal time with African wildlife
  • Stay in African bush
  • Participating in habitat conservation
  • Make memories you can't get anywhere else in the world
  • Make lifelong friendships

Especially suitable

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups
50+

About the program

This project provides volunteers with a unique opportunity to participate in ethical wildlife research, studying African wildlife free roaming in their natural habitat

The Project

During this program, you will learn to navigate and track animals through the South African bush while undertaking vital conservation research into some of South Africa’s most iconic animal species. The project has a strong focus on safeguarding the well-being of the animals and their ...

About the program

The Project

During this program, you will learn to navigate and track animals through the South African bush while undertaking vital conservation research into some of South Africa’s most iconic animal species. The project has a strong focus on safeguarding the well-being of the animals and their environment and employs non-invasive methods of data collection.
 
The structure of the project helps to maximise learning for volunteers, combining four days of field work every week with one day of theoretical learning by way of lectures or workshops.  The first two weeks focus on wildlife training where volunteers learn dangerous game approach methods, wildlife tracks and signs, useful botany, navigation and survival skills, animal behaviour and warning signs. You will spend the remainder of your time participating in scientific research in the field.  Yes, you will learn how to approach a lion and how to react should you come across one accidentally which happens often! Research activities have a strong conservation focus and aim to improve the welfare of wildlife in South Africa in an attempt to ensure the long-term sustainability of wildlife reserves.

The Location

The project is located in Mossel Bay, in the Garden Route area of Western Cape, South Africa. 

Mossel Bay is halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth boasting 60 kilometres of beautiful clean beaches. It is a popular tourist destination with the wider Garden route region being known for its natural diversity and mild climate.

The Surrounding Area

Volunteers have weekends free to explore the surrounds and attractions of this beautiful coastal region.

South Africa has lots of sunshine and Mossel Bay has many beautiful clean beaches at which to swim, surf or relax. It is considered one of the best whale and dolphin viewing locations along the southern coast. Why not go shark diving in a cage while you are here? Or maybe crocodile cage diving instead?

Embark on one of the local hiking trails and experience the Cape’s famous native fynbos (macchia) vegetation which is a form of flowering heathland believed to contain one of the highest diversities of plant species in the world.

If you are keen for adventure, Mossel Bay offers a wide range of activities to get your adrenaline pumping, including high-speed wave riding, shark cage diving, abseiling, quad biking, sand boarding and skydiving.

For a more relaxing experience, explore the rich history of the area at one of the regions museums or historical walks, or chill out on the beach

What to bring

There is no need to bring any special equipment.  Simply pack comfortable walking shoes and sensible field gear that will reduce wind chill and possible out of season rainfall conditions.

Please Note 

The second instalment of your project fees is due within 1 week after you paid the deposit on Volunteer World. This is a total of $495 AUD and comes off your balance. The balance is due 90 days prior to travel. For all further information about the fees, please scroll down to the section "Program Fees“.



Typical day

You will spend four days of the week in the field observing animals, learning skills and recording project data. As the animals roam freely in their natural environment, each day will be different, depending on what the animals choose to do each day! One day will be spent in town attending lectures ...

Typical day

You will spend four days of the week in the field observing animals, learning skills and recording project data. As the animals roam freely in their natural environment, each day will be different, depending on what the animals choose to do each day! One day will be spent in town attending lectures or workshops. The knowledge and skills you will learn in the lectures will assist greatly with your activities in the field.

Free-time activities

Volunteers have weekends free to explore the surrounds and attractions of this beautiful coastal area. 

South Africa has plenty of sunshine and Mossel Bay has many beautiful clean beaches at which to swim, surf or relax. It is also considered one of the best whale and dolphin viewing locations along ...

Free-time activities

Volunteers have weekends free to explore the surrounds and attractions of this beautiful coastal area. 

South Africa has plenty of sunshine and Mossel Bay has many beautiful clean beaches at which to swim, surf or relax. It is also considered one of the best whale and dolphin viewing locations along the southern coast.

Embark on one of the local hiking trails and experience the Cape’s famous native fynbos (macchia) vegetation; a form of flowering heathland believed to contain one of the highest diversities of plant species in the world.

If you are keen for adventure, Mossel Bay offers a wide range of activities to get your adrenaline running, including high-speed wave riding, shark cage diving, abseiling, quad biking, sand boarding and skydiving, just to name a few.

For a more relaxing experience, explore the rich history of the area at one of the regions museums or historical walks.


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.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level)

Nationality Restrictions

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

Other Skills

Volunteers must be fluent in English, willing to work and able to take direction from staff. Volunteers should also be in good physical condition (ie. moderately fit and healthy).

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 07:00 - 06:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers


The prices start from $2330 for the first 2 weeks and $4330 for 4 weeks.

*A one week option is not available. 

All project fees are payable in Australian Dollars (AUD).

A deposit of $495 Australian Dollars is payable when you complete the online application form.

Prices include 10% Australian Goods & Services Tax (GST).

What's included in this project?

  • Pre-departure support
  • Project Information Pack .
  • Transfers from George Airport to the project
  • Daily transfers from the accommodation to the project
  • On the job training
  • Accommodation Breakfast 7 days per week
  • Lunch Monday to Friday
  • 24-hour in-country support
  • 24-hour O2E emergency phone
What's not included in this project?

  • Flights
  • Nighttime and weekend meals
  • Snacks
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal spending
  • Visas

Airport Pickup at George Airport

Fly to George, South Africa. You may choose to be collected from the airport, or take a bus to Mossel Bay and be collected from there.

Accommodation

Dorm-style shared accommodation

Food & Beverages

Breakfast is supplied and lunches are provided on weekdays. Volunteers must supply and prepare their own evening and weekend meals. There are several food stores within walking distance of the volunteer accommodation.

Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is George Airport (GRJ) in George. 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

The project starts the 1st day of most months of the year. 

To get there, fly to George, South Africa. We can pick you up from the airport, or volunteers can take a bus to Mossel Bay and be collected from there.


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

Program fees

2 weeks (min. stay) 2,260€
3 weeks 3,230€
4 weeks (max. stay) 4,200€
Average fees 1,089€/week

Program fees

1,089€ per week 2 - 4 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

2 - 4 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers

Outstanding 4.9 rating (189 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 2011

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Tracy

Spoken languages: English

About the project

Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers is a non-profit organisation that was founded for the purpose of providing resources and financial assistance to animal welfare and conservation

Meet your organization

The O2E Founders are animal lovers and committed volunteers. They founded and established the organisation in Melbourne, Australia, having seen firsthand that volunteer recruitment agencies were not always aware if the projects they supported had the best interests of animals and environment in mind. Instead, unethical and harmful behaviour including elephant riding, unsustainable tree nursery projects and the consumption of scarce community resources by the presence of volunteers were often the result. Local wildlife communities and the animals’ environments were also clearly disadvantaged. For this reason, we created our Oceans 2 Earth Ethical Standards and the Wildlife Code and measure all potential projects by these policies prior to partnering with them.

Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers offers volunteering and adventure travel experiences for ethically minded animal and conservation lovers looking for the trip of a lifetime.

In creating Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers, the O2E founders challenge and engage individuals to contribute to meaningful animal welfare and conservation projects. As wildlife carers and avid animal welfare and rights campaigners, they uphold a vision to promote ethical volunteering as an advisable travel alternative.

We believe the way to solve the issues of animal mistreatment and environmental destruction and degradation is to provide people with the opportunity to contribute and interact so that they may develop their own personal culture of responsibility and global conservation. People exposed first hand to challenging bio diverse environmental issues are more likely to draw on those experiences and continue to make a positive impact once they arrive home. 

Oceans 2 Earth recognise that individuals really can make a difference. However small the work effort is from one person, if you combine the actions of many people as a whole, the result can become quite significant. By bringing like-minded and ethically conscious animal lovers together, Oceans 2 Earth believe that there is no limit to what we can achieve. 

Our Mission

Promote environmental sustainability and to be accountable for our impact on the environment.

Take action and find solutions to improve the natural, bio-diverse way of life for all. Promote the ethical treatment and natural living ecology of all animals.

Expose and educate volunteers to the plight of animals ill-affected by conflict or interaction with man, encouraging them to take action and find solutions to these global issues. 

189 reviews · rating4.9

Ida Stilbo rating5

2024 at Aussie Wildlife Homestay

I had the best time staying with Peter and Caroline! In my 3 weeks stay I got to experience the Aussie Wildlife on close hand. I spend lots of time with the roos and wombats both feeding, playing and cuddling. There are also plenty of other animals to talk to during the day. The rooms and house were ...
Susanne Everding rating4.4

2023 at Forest Elephant Sanctuary

The best animal welfare project I have ever experienced - everything was just great! Highly recommended!! The founder LEK is an incredible woman who achieved unbelievable changes for ...
kate minchin rating5

2023 at Forest Elephant Sanctuary

I ventured by myself on this trip and found it very rewarding. I was part of a group of 20 people where we worked together on many various tasks from carting watermelons, to cutting bananas or grass to visiting a school for the day. We had lots of time to also explore the park or walk a dog or ...
Spent my best time in Australia so far. It’s been such a pleasure to know and work with a group of amazing people. Great shout out to Helen, Tim and all the other volunteers. This is the perfect experience where you get to know Great Barrier Reef from a different perspective while doing ...
It is such a unique and an amazing experience. I’ve met so many wonderful people and learnt so much about the Great Barrier Reef while volunteering for a great cause! Highly recommend and would like to do it again. Thank you ...
Over the past week I have undergone the oceans2earth volunteering program situated in Cairns that took place on both Green Island and Fitzroy Island. I found the experience very enjoyable as well as highly educational. The programme became enjoyable through the knowledgeable and supportive group and ...

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