If you’d like to contribute to wildlife conservation in Africa, check out our volunteer programs in Zimbabwe. We offer you the exciting opportunity to live in a private game reserve and be part of an effort to protect African elephants and the critically endangered black rhino. Side by side with conservation experts, you’ll do field-based and hands-on work that makes a tangible impact. And if you’re a keen horse rider, you’re in luck – our volunteer projects in Zimbabwe include the opportunity to do conservation work on horseback. Either way, you can expect a wild and rewarding adventure in a beautiful setting.
Zimbabwe
Every Monday
Impact: Wildlife Conservation
Zimbabwe
Specific Start Dates
Impact: Wildlife Conservation
In 2004, a group of like-minded travellers sat around a small table in the Zimbabwean bush with a big idea. Combining their unique backgrounds in conservation, community development and tourism, they wanted to introduce people to the Africa they knew. The wildlife. The people. The magic. It was here, almost 17 years ago, that African Impact was born.
Zimbabwe holds a special place in our heart at African Impact. If you are searching for the volunteer adventure of a lifetime, we encourage you to consider this incredible nation. A land filled with unparalleled wildlife, natural landscapes, and welcoming communities, Zimbabwe’s beauty is simply beyond words. Our Zimbabwe volunteer programs in Africa work primarily in one unique conservancy; Imire.
A family-run conservancy located less than 90 minutes from Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, Imire is the perfect hub for an African volunteer adventure. Consisting of ten thousand acres of beautiful woodlands, savannah grasses, rocky terrain, and riverine forest, the area of protected conservation land in Imire is as stunning as it is diverse. Focusing primarily on black and white rhino conservation, Imire combines sustainable wildlife protection, local community engagement, and opportunities for incredible expeditions for the ultimate Zimbabwe adventure.
In a country known for its striking landscapes and unique wildlife, the adventures to be had around Imire are endless. Visit the Castle Kopje, a stone fortress in the middle of Imire’s protected land that dates back to the early 13th century! With a local chief guiding your expedition, explore the Makwe Caves – a national monument over 2000 years old, filled with historic and breathtaking rock art paintings. Or, take a journey into Harare, Zimbabwe’s bustling capital city. Abundant in lively markets, incredible local cuisine, and lush community gardens, a trip to Harare makes for the memories of a lifetime.
A trip to Zimbabwe is not complete, however, without a visit to the world-renowned Victoria Falls. Known to locals as Mosi-ao-Tuyna, “The smoke that thunders,” visiting this natural wonder is an unmissable adventure for any volunteers in the area!
At African Impact, our mission is to provide the best international volunteer programs in Africa that create real, sustainable impacts on local communities. While our volunteer projects may be unpaid, we absolutely believe they are a life-changing experience for volunteers and locals alike!
As an African-based company, we know first hand the incredible adventures available on our stunning continent. We live and breathe all things African travel and are passionate about immersing volunteers in the heart of some of Africa’s most incredible natural environments and communities. Developing meaningful relationships with locals, learning about unique African cultures, and exploring breath-taking natural wonders, you’ll experience the true spirit of Africa and the people, places, and wildlife that make it so extraordinary.
To us, epic adventures and sustainable impacts go hand-in-hand. We firmly believe in the power of responsible volunteering to positively transform the lives of volunteers and local communities alike. Developing our projects with local community stakeholders, everything we do is measured, designed, and implemented with the community’s goals in mind. As a volunteer joining one of our projects, your work will not only be a life-changing experience for you but make actual, sustainable impacts on the lives of the local community.
This combination of incredible adventures, responsible impacts, and cultural immersion allows us to go beyond the conventional understanding of “volunteering abroad” and offer innovative African volunteer travel experiences that – while unpaid – can truly transform lives!
In the early 20th century, over-hunting, poaching, and human conflict devastated black rhino populations across Africa. With limited conservation efforts put in place to protect these animals from human predators, the consequences were sadly inevitable. In only 35 years, between 1960 and 1995, known populations of black rhinos dropped by 98%, leaving less than 2,500 alive in the wild.
Since then, intensive conservation efforts across NGOs, African governments and local communities have protected black rhino populations and allowed their numbers to increase steadily. Today, the number of black rhinos in the wild has remarkably doubled to over 5,600. However, black rhinos are still critically endangered and at a high risk of extinction in the wild, meaning the necessary work required to protect these beautiful creatures is far from finished.
As a Zimbabwe volunteer, you’ll make a difference in black rhino conservation by working closely with Imire, a local conservancy leading rhino conservation in Zimbabwe! Assisting in the daily care of resident rhinos and elephants in the conservancy – feeding, walking and cleaning – you’ll spend your days surrounded by incredible African wildlife in a truly stunning setting. In addition to daily care responsibilities, volunteers will conduct valuable research on resident rhinos and wildlife’s health, behaviours, and social interactions. This data will then support decisions around reserve management in Imire, ensuring the sustainability of their conservation initiatives. With regular opportunities to explore Imire’s unique natural environments between volunteer work, the bucket-list adventures to be had on these projects are endless.
If you’re an experienced horse rider, you can join our Hands-On Horse Riding Rhino and Elephant Conservation project for a Zimbabwe adventure like no other. Embarking on daily rides throughout the conservancy, you’ll complete your volunteer work on horse-back, riding alongside resident wildlife and conducting anti-poaching patrols. For those passionate about wildlife conservation and horse-riding, this is an unmissable volunteer experience!
Our Zimbabwe volunteer programs start at $900 and increase depending on which project you join and how long you volunteer with us. These costs cover your volunteer accommodation, meals, 24/7 in-country support, project and airport transportation, project orientation, and any project equipment volunteers may need.
As a commitment to sustainable development in the communities we work in, all volunteers pay an additional $25 to the African Impact Sustainability Fund. This money goes directly to the African Impact Foundation, which independently ensures the sustainability of our projects in local communities and guarantees impacts continue long after volunteers leave. Learn more about the African Impact Sustainability Fund.
Established in 2004, providing high-quality volunteer experiences in Africa has been in our DNA for 16 years. Our volunteers, staff, and local communities’ safety is our top priority and something that is never compromised. From the moment you arrive in Africa to the end of your adventure, we take the utmost care in ensuring your comfort and safety.
To learn more about our health and safety protocols, please visit the following links. If you have additional questions, we would love to answer them. You can click here to contact us, and one of our team members will be in touch with you shortly!
Eager to volunteer in Zimbabwe with us? Check out some of our incredible volunteer opportunities below!
Endangered Black Rhino & Elephant Conservation Project
Horse-Riding and Hands-On Rhino & Elephant Conservation Project
Zimbabwe
Every Monday
Impact: Wildlife Conservation
Zimbabwe
Specific Start Dates
Impact: Wildlife Conservation
