Conservation Volunteer Programs in Africa

Joining a conservation volunteer project in Africa is the experience of a lifetime. From stunning landscapes to unparalleled wildlife, Africa is a truly magical destination for any travelers passionate about the environment.

The Need for Conservation in Africa’s Parks

Right now, Africa’s environments are facing severe threats. Above land, wildlife is being devastated by human activities like poaching and deforestation. Underwater, rising global temperatures, combined with increased CO2 in our atmosphere, are causing oceans to warm and become far more acidic. African wildlife is hurting in unprecedented ways, making sustainable conservation work necessary to ensure our stunning animals’ future.

Benefits of Conservation Volunteering

Joining an African wildlife volunteer program is one of the best ways to get involved in protecting Africa’s precious ecosystems. All wildlife conservation projects at African Impact are committed to making sustainable and long-term impacts on local communities and wildlife. No matter how long you join us, your volunteer work on a project will benefit conservation efforts in powerful ways.

The benefits of African wildlife volunteering go far beyond animals, though. This impact-driven adventure will also transform you, the volunteer! When you give your time in Africa, you receive so much in return. Don’t believe us? Read this blog on how volunteering can change your life!

All of our projects collaborate with local communities, where life-changing cultural exchanges take place. Volunteering with fellow conservation volunteers, community members, and our local staff is a beautiful experience. Here, you can grow in an incredibly inclusive environment and make relationships that will last a lifetime.

Did we mention all the action-packed adventures you’ll have as well? On conservation projects, you’ll explore some of Africa’s most beautiful national parks, where exciting travel experiences are around every corner. Conservation volunteer programs offer the travel experiences of a lifetime, from night drives through the Greater Kruger Area to scuba dives in Zanzibar’s stunning blue waters!

Africa is home to some of the most stunning wildlife and natural landscapes on the planet. We believe that an African conservation experience is one of the best ways to experience everything our continent offers.

Africa is a diverse continent filled with a beautiful array of natural wonders and wildlife. From Kenya’s big cats to Mozambique’s stunning marine life, there are no shortages of incredible wildlife encounters to be had in Africa’s unmatched parks.

Greater Kruger Area, South Africa

Adventure to the Greater Kruger Area and be fully immersed in South Africa’s stunning grasslands. Here, we offer volunteer projects and internships focused on wildlife conservation, wildlife photography and animal care.

The Greater Kruger Area is stunning. Located on Kruger National Park’s edge, it is home to some of Africa’s most iconic animals, including the Big Five – lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo! Whichever wildlife conservation project you join us on in Kruger, you will have opportunities to go on incredible game drives where unforgettable wildlife encounters are everywhere. Combining exciting adventures with sustainable conservation efforts, a conservation project in Kruger is the experience of a lifetime.

Zanzibar

Or, dive into marine conservation with us in Zanzibar! If you are a marine life lover, Zanzibar is the location for you. Here, we run our Dolphin Research and Marine Conservation project. As a volunteer on this project, you will go on research dives to collect important information that supports sustainable conservation around dolphin eco-tourism. Participating in marine conservation work while living on the beautiful Zanzibar coast is an unmissable aquatic adventure.

Masaai Mara, Kenya

Keen to volunteer with animals in one of the most beautiful settings on the planet? Join us on the Masaai Mara Game Reserve edge in Kenya for the ultimate African wildlife experience. Mara is simply stunning. With its rich cultural history, incredible local tribes and diverse wildlife, it is truly a wildlife conservation traveller’s dream. Here, you can participate in our Big Cat Wildlife Research and Conservation program at the Naboisho Conservancy. In the heart of a beautiful African bush, you’ll spend your days completing vital conservation work to secure the futures of Kenya’s iconic cats – lions, cheetahs, and leopards.

Joining an African Impact conservation program is the best way to volunteer in Africa with animals. We fill our projects with exciting opportunities for volunteers to get their hands dirty in animal conservation. Here’s a little information on our conservation project focuses.

Wildlife Conservation Volunteering

Wildlife conservation volunteering is a fantastic impact-driven adventure. Spend your days on game drives in the heart of Africa’s bush, recording data on some of Africa’s most iconic animals in their natural habitat. These wilderness adventures are an incredible way to make a sustainable impact in wildlife conservation for Africa’s unique species.

Marine Conservation Volunteering

Love the ocean? Jump into one of our marine conservation volunteer programs! As a marine conservation volunteer in Africa, you’ll contribute to important conservation projects that aim to protect Africa’s coastlines. Through research dives and marine life encounters, your work will focus on collecting essential data on sea life in a given area. Marine conservation volunteering is an exciting opportunity to protect beautiful marine environments.

Wildlife Photography

Are you an eager photographer looking to use your craft to make an impact? Wildlife photography is an incredible way to use your photography for good! As a wildlife photography volunteer, your work will focus on photographing Africa’s stunning animals. You will add your photographs to critical conservation databases along with data collected by our research teams. Working alongside a professional wildlife photographer, this is an unmissable opportunity for photographers to volunteer in Africa.

Animal Care and Rehabilitation

Volunteering in Africa with animals is the ultimate animal lover experience. As an animal care volunteer, you’ll spend your days caring for injured, vulnerable and lost wildlife at an ethical rehabilitation center. Your work as a volunteer will focus on attending to these animals with the ultimate goal of rehabilitating them to release back into the wild.

Africa is home to some of the most magnificent wildlife on the planet. Unfortunately, many of these animals are vulnerable, endangered, or even critically endangered in the wild. To ensure the future of Africa’s wildlife and landscapes, we must take action now to protect species threatened with extinction.

Vulnerable and Endangered Species

Vulnerable species in Africa are at high risk of extinction in the wild. They include wildlife such as the African Elephant, Dugong and Great White Shark. You can support these animals’ protection by joining projects like our Big Five and Wildlife Conservation project in the Greater Kruger Area or our Great White Shark Conservation program in Cape Town. Endangered species are facing an even greater risk. These species are at a very high risk of extinction in the wild, with populations rapidly dwindling. They sadly include iconic African animals like African Wild Dogs, Chimpanzees and Sea Turtles.

Critically Endangered Species

Unfortunately, some of the world’s most critically endangered animals are native to Africa. Of these is the Black Rhino. Between 1960 and 1995, Black Rhino populations faced a devastating and rapid decline due to harmful human activity. During this period, Black Rhinos populations dropped over 98%, leaving less than 2,500 alive.

However, because of conservation efforts across Africa, their population has been on a steady incline ever since. Black Rhinos are still critically endangered and at extreme risk for extinction but have experienced their population nearly double in the last 20 years. If you are keen to support their conservation and protection, join our Black Rhino Conservation Project in Zimbabwe!

Since our beginnings 16 years ago, African Impact has been committed to running volunteer projects that create sustainable and long-term impacts in the communities we visit. Here are some of the achievements our volunteers accomplished in conservation in recent years:

In 2018 we:

• Removed 87 snares in the Greater Kruger Area
• Took 9,636 photographs for ID kits to track and monitor animals
• Spent 21,187 hours on projects in the Greater Kruger Area with volunteers
• Monitored 1,377 dolphins behaviour
• Ethically trained 15 new boat drivers.