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Big 5 Wildlife Experience, Zimbabwe
Your 6 week expedition will take you behind the scenes into some of Zimbabwe’s most stunning National Parks areas, a Black Rhino Conservancy and Antelope Park – home to our world-first lion breeding and rehabilitation project. Work hands on with Elephants, Rhinos and Lions during your trip!
Visit www.freewebs.com/big5project to find out more from one of our past volunteers, Kelly Rolf-Jones.
Big 5 African Wildlife Conservation - Lion & Black Rhino Breeding, National Parks - Volunteer Project in Zimbabwe, Conservation Areas
| Location |
Zimbabwe conservation areas |
| Project Length |
6 weeks |
| Age Limit |
Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health |
| Project Fee |
£2195 / $4390(6 weeks)
Includes all transfers, meals, accommodation, canoe experience, bush survival course, Antelope Park lion rehabilitation project visit, black rhino breeding programme and accommodation in Victoira Falls for sightseeing. 2008 dates: 2nd March - 6th April; 2nd July - 6th August; 2nd August - 6th September and 2nd September - 7th October. |
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Volunteer Project Information
The following links will jump you to different sections on this
page, which provide all the information you will need for this Africa volunteer
project: Big 5 African Wildlife Conservation - Lion & Black Rhino Breeding, National Parks, Zimbabwe.
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volunteer & travel highlights
» project fee includes & excludes
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» volunteer support & orientation
| » accommodation & meals
| » getting there
Photos
Zimbabwe Photos of Big 5 African Wildlife Conservation - Lion & Black Rhino Breeding, National Parks in Africa.
More about the Big 5 Wildlife Experience in Zimbabwe
Week 1: Pathfinders Zambezi River Canoe Expedition
As you pioneer your way down the Mighty Zambezi River in a canoe, your days will be busied with various exhilarating team oriented tasks as well as breathtaking sightings of elephants, hippos, crocodiles and a plethora of other wildlife. Your evenings will be spent around the campfire enjoying the rush of the wild African night.
Return to the quaint town of Victoria Falls at the end of your trip and spend the next two days exploring the mighty flowing waters that make up the World’s largest waterfall, such as white water rafting, River cruises and bungee jumping. Elephant back safaris, cultural African dinner extravaganzas, flights over the Victoria Falls and much more.
Week 2: Pathfinders Bush Survial Course
From the Victoria Falls you will be transported 2 hours by road to our camp on the border of Hwange National Park.
Kelly Rolf-Jones, one of our previous British volunteers on the Expedition said that this week in the bush was ‘one of the best weeks of my life’.
Your 1 week Pathfinders Itinerary will equip you for the remainder of your time on the expedition; and whilst working within the various conservation areas, it will involve aspects of the following:
- Tuning in to the Bush: Lessons from the land - smells, sights and sounds
- Cultural Familiarisation: Understanding the Shona & Ndebele Cultures & Beliefs
- Logistical Planning: When to move, what to take, how to carry it
- Edible Plants and Animals: What you can and cannot eat
- Animal Identification: By shape, smell, and sound
- Identifying Tracks: Matching the animal to the imprint
- Basic Safety: Areas and situations to avoid
- Dangerous Animals: The realistic threat and evasive actions
- Basic Tracking: What to look for, what to avoid, common mistakes
- Basic Navigation: Reading a map, using a compass, estimating time, distance, speed
- Finding Water & Gathering Food: Seeking with all your senses, and tips for collection
- Building a Fire without Matches: Finding the materials, effective techniques, safety
- Basic First Aid: Emergency first aid and general health care
Week 3: Hwange National Park
The world famous Hwange National Park covers over 14,000 square kilometres and abounds in wildlife, including the Big 5. Our volunteer camp is ideally placed right on the boundary of this national park.
This programme allows volunteers to work inside the Hwange National Park, conducting snare sweeps, game counts, and other vital conservation work in the presence of Hwange's Big 5.
Programme Highlights:
- Wildlife population counts and snare checks on wildlife
- Spoor transects and Boundary patrols, which involves the assessment of what game has been in the area, and assisting trackers in searching for signs of any illegal activity from possible poachers.
- A deeper understanding of large-scale wildlife management and in-depth exploration of Zimbabwe’s most famous National Park
Accommodation:
You will be based at our beautifully situated volunteer base on the boundary of the National Park - Miombo Safari Lodge, in rustic yet comfortable rooms shared between 2 or 3 people.
Week 4: Antelope Park
We have included this 4-night stop at our lion rehabilitation headquarters as a holiday section of your programme. You will be transferred from Hwange National Park to Antelope Park, which is a 6-hour trip by road. Antelope Park is the perfect place to relax after your time in the bush. Along with canoeing the river, horseback riding and game viewing, you will be able to:
- Walk alongside lions as part of the pride and enjoy the exhilaration of being part of a hunt as the young cubs learn to stalk their prey
• Visit younger lion cubs if there are any in camp at the time
- Experience the African bush in a very special way on this private reserve. Explore the savannah grasslands on horseback or whilst riding on African Elephants
- Have horse riding lessons from our experienced guides
Accommodation:
• You will be staying in comfortable twin or triple room thatched accommodation at the main camp
- Situated next to a beautiful dam, the camp has modern facilities including internet access, satellite TV and a swimming pool
- You will enjoy 3 cooked meals a day, and eat the same meals as the guests at the Safari Camp. All meals are a served as a buffet style and taken in the main camp dining room, a thatched building overlooking the dam.
Week 5 & 6: Imire Black Rhino Conservation Programme
From Antelope Park you will transfer to the conservancy where you will have the chance to experience the bush through Riley’s experienced professional guides’ eyes, as well as work hands-on with the Rhinos and Elephants that the conservancy is so proud of.
Imire Safari Ranch is honoured to be the custodians of Zimbabwe’s black rhino. So far they have returned 10 rhino back to the Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe. As the rhino adjusted to their new environment, so they were released. The females have bred successfully within the Park and Imire’s black rhino project continues.
Project Highlights:
- You will live in close contact with black rhino, elephants, buffalo and all the other species of wild animal on the 10,000 acre conservancy…you will witness incredible animal relationships, hear their sounds, record vital information, and learn the appreciation of simplicity from the surrounding rural communities.
- Be a part of a world-renowned programme to save this ancient animal from extinction. You will play an important role in rehabilitating these endangered animals back into their natural environment.
- Experience the African bush in a very special way on this private reserve. Explore the savannah grasslands on horseback or whilst riding on African Elephants.
Accommodation:
You will be staying in comfortable twin or triple room accommodation in a thatched volunteer farmhouse near a lake. Two communal sitting rooms with fire-places are where everyone meets in the evening to relax and talk about the days events
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Big 5 Wildlife Experience, Conservation Areas - Highlights
This volunteer project in Africa includes: Big 5 African Wildlife Conservation - Lion & Black Rhino Breeding, National Parks
- Increase your knowledge of the African bush and cultures through our initial Pathfinders Zambezi River Exploration, camping on the River banks and islands of this ancient river by night, surrounded by elephants and other wildlife, and paddling towards the Victoria Falls amongst the complex waterways by day.
- Your Bush Survival course is led by professional guides and will introduce you to the idiosyncrasies of the African bush and give you a deeper understanding of the fragile relationships between man and beast.
- Your expedition will then take you behind the scenes into one of Zimbabwe’s stunning Hwange National Park. African Impact has official permission to operate our volunteer programmes within a number of Zimbabwe's most exciting and interesting National Parks. This is hugely exciting in terms of our goals for conservation in Zimbabwe, and adds enormously to the areas in which we are able to be effective in implementing high-impact conservation initiatives.
- Walk with lions at our breeding and rehabilitation programme at Antelope Park in the Zimbabwe Midlands.
- You will spend your final 2 weeks working hands-on with rhinos at a unique black rhino-breeding programme.
Zimbabwe Travel Highlights
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Project Fee Includes
- Project Fee: this entails financing that goes directly back into the projects that you are involved with. This project fee facilitates funding for items such as food for lions and elephants, radio tracking and collaring equipment
- All transfers for the duration of your expedition. Victoria Falls – Hwange – Antelope Park –Imire
- All airport pick-ups and drop-offs
- Boma Cultural Dinner Extravaganza in the Victoria Falls town
• One day trip to our Livingstone community projects in Zambia
- Various wildlife activities at Antelope Park, including Lion walks, cub viewing, horse ride, elephant ride
- Assistance in your projects by various trained guides and staff during your stay
- Any wildlife education talks that take place during your trip and that you might wish to partake in
- Full board and lodging which includes 3 meals a day at our respective Safari Camps
- Unlimited tea, coffee and juice throughout the day
- Laundry service during your stay
- Cleaning staff to attend to your room each day
Project Fee Excludes
- All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other)
- Flights to and from either: Victoria Falls or Harare International airports and any internal travel necessary to get to Victoria Falls, where the BIG 5 program begins.
- Email and telephone calls made during your placement (charged out at cost)
- Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Zimbabwe e.g. visiting the Victoria Falls; White Water Rafting; Bungee Jumping
- Personal insurance cover for the duration of your placement which is expected to include cover for repatriation
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Volunteer Support
Throughout your placement you will have the support and guidance of our experienced project managers s and professional guides. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, which will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.
Volunteer Orientation
Our initial 1 week Pathfinders Cultural Familiarisation and Bush Awareness will equip you for your time out in the various conservation areas. Pathfinders will introduce you to basic first aid out in the bush; edible plants; basic tracking and navigation and other aspects of basic bush safety.
Volunteers’ introduction at each base camp
- Introduction to all senior camp staff including Guides,
- Further information on our African Impact Conservation Programmes and our ultimate wildlife conservation goals and objectives
- Familiarization with all other duties you will be involved in
- Outlines of the management and control of the conservancy areas and their own unique eco-systems
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Accommodation
Week 1 - Pathfinders. Volunteers will be accommodated in comfortable tented camping, with all meals provided on a participatory basis.
Weeks 2 - 6 You will be accommodated in simple but comfortable twin or triple rooms during the rest of your expedition. How showers and clean ablutions are also available at all of your programme locations.
Meals
Meals during the Pathfinders orientation course will be provided on a participatory basis.
All other meals will be catered for you at our various volunteer base camps and will be simple but nutritious and wholesome.
Please make any special dietary requirements known to our placement coordinators during the booking procedure.
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Getting There
Zimbabwe conservation areas.
You options are as follows:
- Fly direct to Victoria Falls Airport from Johannesburg International Airport, where you will be met by an African Impact staff member on arrival.
- Please note that when making your travel plans that you will need to depart Zimbabwe from Harare International Airport.
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Make an Enquiry
Volunteer Project in Zimbabwe - Big 5 African Wildlife Conservation - Lion & Black Rhino Breeding, National Parks
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