At a glance
- You will live on a beautiful reserve close to the Limpopo river, surrounded by wildlife, and learn from conservation experts.
- Through your volunteer work, you will be part of our efforts to help preserve and protect elephants, leopards, lions, giraffes and more as well as local ecosystems.
- At the camp, you will live with other teenagers your age, and be supervised by our staff.
- On the weekend you'll go on a walking safari and learn about local handicrafts.
During school holidaysSee Dates
Your work will focus on the following areas:
Build dams and waterholes for wildlife
Water is a scarcity in Southern Africa. As a Conservation volunteer, you will help construct and repair waterholes, boreholes, and rainwater tanks. This will ensure that water is stored during the wet season and that there is lots of water during the dry season. This is vital for wildlife to survive during times of drought.
Track animals during surveys and help gather research data
The Tuli region is home to large and diverse wildlife populations, which is one of the most exciting things about the area. It is important for us to keep track of population growth and movement. You'll help us do this by taking part in surveys. You'll also conduct research and collect data to help track animal movements and family units of the local wildlife.
Remove wires and snares and participate on anti-poaching patrols
Illegal poaching of bush meat is a major challenge to conservation in Botswana. As a volunteer, you will help reduce poaching efforts in the Tuli area. You will mainly do this by joining local staff members in removing snares around the reserve. By removing hundreds of these snares, we are able to save the lives of hundreds of animals.
Set up camera traps
As animals are very active by night, camera traps help us study their natural habitats, behaviours and movements. You will be involved in setting up these cameras around the reserve.
Camera traps have produced a couple of first sightings for us. A baby brown hyena, a honey badger, a leopard and an aardvark were seen for the first time on our cameras. This is incredibly exciting, as it tells us that our efforts are creating an environment where animals thrive and breed.
Work with volunteers from around the world
You’ll volunteer with teens from around the world. There will be plenty for you to learn from your new friends, like the customs and cultures in their home countries. And during your leisure time, you will all get to experience life in the African bush together.
Who are our project partners?
We partner with a reserve in Botswana.
The reserve is owned by Dr Helena Fitchat and Mrs Judi Gounaris, two passionate conservationists. They both share our spirit of adventure and passion for African wildlife and ecosystems.
Where in Botswana will I work?
The Tuli Block
Located on the banks of the Limpopo River, you will find yourself in the very heart of the bush. With large populations of elephants, crocodiles, hyenas, and other species, Tuli is a truly wild place.
You’ll spend your evenings next to the campfire with other volunteers and staff members. All of the rooms of the camp are divided by age and gender, so you’ll have roomates the same age and gender as you.
We encourage you to fully immerse yourself in the experience. However, while the project is thoroughly risk assessed and supervised, please remember there are wild animals around. Therefore, our policy is that you must never leave the camp without a staff member with you.
We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.
Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.
Measuring our impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Safety and staff support
Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have all the extra support you need as a young person travelling abroad. Our Projects Abroad staff are there for you 24 hours a day during the week and over weekends to provide constant support and guidance. Our staff also make sure you feel comfortable and safe at your placement and accommodation. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.
Find out more about safety and backup.
Meet the team in Botswana
Not quite what you’re looking for?
Take a look at the following pages where you'll find collections of similar projects: