Project Life
Volunteer Work with Desert Elephants in Namibia

Sample Fortnight

For this project we work in 2 week rotations. Volunteers will spend the first week at a remote desert camp building walls, made from local stone and cement, around vitally important water sources for Damaraland homesteads. To cheat the heat, we wake up early for our first cup of coffee around the campfire. After the team member on duty has served breakfast, we head out to our project site for the day. Activities will include; building a wall around a local farmer’s windmill, doing work on our base camp, or helping some community members in building a tourist camp or fixing a rural school. Each volunteer group’s projects will be dependent on where the greatest need is at that time. Then we head to our camp for lunch and a bit of a siesta. You could be tasked to update data forms, or be on kitchen and camp duty for the day. The evenings are spent around the camp fire eating and talking about the day’s events. We live closely in our desert camp.

After a few days of hot and tiring work the weekend is spent relaxing at base camp in the Ugab River. The next week is spent on patrol, so we pack some basic camping equipment in the 4x4 and set off looking for the elusive elephants. On patrol, we camp wild and sleep under the stars. We follow elephants on foot, sometimes for hours, under the desert sun, and sit patiently observing from some rocky outcrop whilst they laze away in the shade! In general, the project is split so that in a two week period you would do one week of building / community work, and one week of elephant patrol. However, volunteers will be working where they are most needed, so be aware that you should be flexible as this schedule is subject to change. At the end of patrol week volunteers and staff head to Swakopmund (usually for 3 nights) to relax and buy supplies. Some volunteers may be finishing that weekend whilst others will return to the desert and another two week rotation will commence.