Volunteer in South Africa

Get up close and personal with Africa’s large game such as lion, leopard, elephant and hyenas whilst volunteering on a conservation program in a South African game reserve. This incredible expedition is based in two stunning locations of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Learn to use conservation and research equipment to help locate collared predators in the reserve, receive invaluable training in large animal identification, tracking and behavioural study skills and learn to appreciate the c...

This 20 week Internship starts with a 10 week wildlife research expedition. You will establish your field guide skills while obtaining in-depth knowledge of African game, their habitats and conservation techniques. You will learn how to live and work with a research team in a remote environment and attain basic skills essential for your work placement. Upon your successful completion of this expedition you will undertake a 4-week safari field guide course to further your field guide skills and l...

As part of this internship you will work alongside a dedicated staff supervisor to research Africa’s large game such as; lion, leopard, elephant and hyenas on conservation programs in a stunning South African reserve in the Limpopo Province. You will learn to use conservation and research equipment to help locate collared predators in the reserve, receive invaluable training in large animal identification, tracking and behavioral study skills and learn to appreciate the complex nature of predato...

By joining this internship you will make a real difference to the lives of orphans, aged from birth up to 8 years old, and gain invaluable hands on practical experience in a variety of fields including project management and team leadership. You will work outside of Cape Town, alongside a dedicated staff member, to implement educational programs which focuses on fun, interactive activities in an informal environment. These activities will enhance the children's development in basic English conve...

Volunteer abroad this Christmas to help out at an Orphanage in Cape Town, South Africa. This program is in the heart of one of the townships just outside Stellenbosh and only 45 minutes from Cape Town city centre. The placement involves running a holiday program for children with no family, during the Christmas period. The ages of the children range from birth to 8 years old. These children have been orphaned due to their parents having HIV/Aids or because their parents have abandoned them. Vol...

This volunteer project is in the heart of a township just outside Stellenbosh and only 45 minutes from Cape Town city centre. The project involves volunteering with children from birth to 8 years old who have been orphaned. Volunteers will be involved in implementing an educational program which focuses on fun, interactive activities in an informal environment. These activities will enhance the children's development in basic English conversational skills, arts, music and drama as well as their ...

This volunteer project involves teaching primary school children using dedicated one-on-one sessions to help bring them up to required standards. The aim is to give certain students extra attention as they have fallen behind the rest of their peers. Some of the children struggle to understand their teachers because their home language is not English. You will work through a specially designed 2 week program which has been developed by GVI and the local teachers. You will be assigned to approxima...

Volunteers will be teaching children a range of subjects, including basic literacy and numeracy, in townships that surround the beautiful city of Cape Town. Many of the schools which are situated inside townships are suffering from severe over crowding and volunteers might be assisting teachers with as many as 50 students in their classroom. By volunteering you take a lot of pressure off the local teachers and can give the children more personal attention. These long-term volunteer placements pr...

This volunteer holiday in South Africa is a great opportunity for those wanting an African safari experience with a big difference. Working deep within the African bush, small teams will assist GVI research scientists with vital conservation projects while also undertaking basic field guide training, such as tracking and wildlife identification skills. This is a great chance to experience Africa’s famous animals like lions and elephants while also learning about this unique habitat.

This volunteer holiday involves volunteering in townships that surround the beautiful city of Cape Town in South Africa. It includes tours to all the hot spots in Cape Town, such as; Robben Island, Cape Point, Boulder's Beach and many others. A safari and a wine tasting tour is also included so volunteers have the opportunity to make the most of their stay in South Africa. Volunteers will either help local school teachers with English literacy workshops, assist in sports coaching, or help wi...

Volunteers will be teaching children a range of different sports including football, netball, cricket, tennis, athletics and rugby in townships that surround the beautiful city of Cape Town. The aim is for you to assist teachers and GVI staff to run sports programs at the schools and to give more personal attention to the students. This GVI volunteer program runs in conjunction with community leaders and teachers from the communities. Without this program or volunteer assistance, the children wo...

This volunteer project looks after over 700 monkeys, of which most are vervet monkeys, indigenous to South Africa. This hands-on project gives you the chance to get involved in just about all aspects of the work done at the centre, including preparing for and feeding the many baby monkeys received by the centre each year. Joining GVI to volunteer in Africa will give you the opportunity not only to work with these fascinating wild relations of ours but also to spend time in South Africa’s pictu...

Situated on the world famous Garden Route, Mossel Bay attracts researchers from all over the world to gain insight into one of the most charismatic marine species, the Great White Shark. Volunteers will gain first hand experience on some of the most exciting White Shark research projects, obtaining not only theoretical but also practical training. Volunteers will assist staff run the research vessels and tasks include; tagging and genetic sampling of white sharks, manual acoustic tracking of whi...

If you are looking for a career that will be an adventure, or a hands on experience in the bush that you will never forget, this course is for you. This six month or one year course is the ideal platform for a successful career in the challenging game lodge industry. All the trainers are from The Field Guide Association of Southern Africa (FGASA). Content is both theoretical and practical, with an optional six-month work experience placement programme at a variety of game lodges around South Afr...

Interns on this fantastic programme in South Africa will undergo a comprehensive two week training placement in Kruger National Park delivered by industry specialists, before gaining high-profile environmental education and conservation experience working at one of South Africa's twenty National Parks. GVI is looking for independent, ambitious applicants to work for 6 months to one year in one of these parks, to be placed in the ‘People and Conservation’ department. Wildlife is abundant and cult...

This South African adventure takes participants to join our field guide course in the Kruger National Park, the largest game reserve in South Africa. Here you can experience first-hand what it is really like to be a Field Guide in South Africa, amid the amazing diversity of landscapes and wildlife that the reserve is home to. The field guide course will allow you to go on spectacular bush walks and game drives, and attend lectures on mammals, birds, trees and more, presented by experienced game ...

This twelve week programme combines two popular community projects and three adventure trips. Volunteers will be based in Swaziland for the first 6 weeks, and during this time you will enjoy two side trips. One is to Kruger National Park, where by day you will be looking for the Big Five and in the evenings you will be cooking on an open fire and camping under the African skies. A further week will be spent exploring the coast of Mozambique, where you will visit local markets, enjoy water sports...

Would you like to help provide education and much needed care in local communities or assist and learn about conservation in some of the worlds most exciting natural environments? With GVIs ‘Southern African Explorer’ you can get the best of both. You will have the opportunity to participate in wildlife monitoring projects on a reserve in the Limpopo province for 5 weeks, and you will spend 4 weeks helping to implement an educational program in an orphanage just outside Cape Town. These opportun...