Overview
Kenya Community and Conservation Volunteer Expedition

This expedition takes its volunteers to Kenya in East Africa to combine marine, primate and forest research, and become involved in local community development projects, including teaching English and sustainable tourism programmes. Living and working in the beautiful Shimoni Archipelago, off the coast of the Indian Ocean on the border with Tanzania, volunteers can experience the amazing white sand beaches and biodiversity of the area. You will conduct dolphin research with visiting seasonal humpback whales from a surface vessel, snorkel to observe turtles, and help vital wildlife conservation with Angolan Black and White Colobus monkeys in the coastal forest. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to journey in-land to the heart of East Africa’s savannas, working alongside rural communities to develop livelihood alternatives to wildlife poaching and so protect Kenya’s big game. This expedition is run in partnership with the world renowned Kenya Wildlife Service and other local partners.

Also available on this expedition GVI's unique BTEC in Biological Survey Techniques qualification, click here for more info.

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I had an incredible time in Kenya and learned so much in my ten weeks – the volunteer work was hard but so rewarding.

Shelley Pope, Kenya Volunteer 2009

What Difference Does This Expedition Make?

The GVI Kenya Expedition is making a difference by supporting our partners, including Kenya Wildlife Service, in three focus areas; cetacean research, community development and Terrestrial ecology studies. Through education, environmental awareness and current wildlife monitoring studies, our collaborative work has been building capacity within the communities, assisting them in developing sustainable tourism practises and protecting cetacean and primate species within the area. Volunteers choosing to join this project will divide their time between all areas of this multi-focused programme and will ultimately aid conservation of some of Kenya’s most critical ecosystems in harmony with sustainable development of tourism and local communities.

Highlights

Assisting local and international researchers to monitor wildlife; camping out under the African stars; living on an African island; developing your knowledge of marine studies, including about dolphins and whales; experiencing the amazing mega-fauna of the archipelago that includes whale sharks and manta rays; studying primates in a biodiversity hotspot; learning bush and navigation skills; exploring beautiful national parks that are filled with a variety of spectacular flora and fauna; spending a week with former wildlife poachers surrounded by Tsavo West’s big game, Mt Kilimanjaro and Lake Chala; integrating with Kenya’s diverse tribal communities, experiencing their cultures and learning Swahili.

Location

If you are looking to go on an adventurous expedition that takes you to a truly exotic location, this is the one for you! Shimoni is a peninsula located next to the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Area, which lies at the tip of the Pemba Channel, 76km south of Mombasa, as part of a large bay area which makes up the Shimoni Archipelago. With stretches of white sand beaches, fringing coral reefs and scattered with islands, Shimoni is a tropical haven and divers’ paradise. The expedition’s main base is located on Wasini Island, which is situated alongside the famous Kisite National Marine Park. A satellite base is located in Shimoni Village where volunteers can study primates in the coastal forest. Volunteers spend a week camping and working on the edge of Tsavo national park to work with former wildlife poaching community groups, in conjunction with the local partners.

See Life on the expedition page for more information

Field Conditions

Accommodation on the main base is in shared housing that has a large communal banda where volunteers can eat and have lectures. The communal area has a beautiful view of the channel and Mkwiro beach. The base will have limited electricity, powered by solar panel and backed up by a generator. Volunteers can wash either in the ocean or using bucket-style showers on the base. The satellite base at Shimoni has a large communal hut for sleeping, access to mains electricity and showers. Wholesome and varied meals will be cooked on a rotational basis.

See Life on the expedition page for more information