I could give you a lot of “advertising-speak” to try to convince you, but what it boils down to is the personal touches. We’re a small family firm and we rely on our reputation. We do our very best to make sure your trip is even better than you expect.

It’s a particularly nice feeling when we get letters and emails from people we have helped to volunteer in Africa. Here are a couple of examples:

“Hi Frances & Paul,
I am sending you an email to let you know that our time at the Vic Falls Lion rehabilitation project was absolutely amazing.  It exceeded all our expectations.  We were looked after exceedingly well by the project team. We learnt such a lot during our stay and enjoyed some tremendous new experiences eg, surviving in the African bush, about the decline of lions and the reason that we desparetly need to support this project and about african life.

As volunteers we were treated with the utmost respect and our safety was paramount.  We enjoyed close contact with two pairs of lion cubs who were truly adorable.  We enjoyed free game drives, entry to Vic Falls, elephant rides plus more.  The project is run by a really good team always happy to help.

We would like to thank you again for you help in organising this wonderful trip for us.”
Mr & Mrs P, UK

One of our volunteers had concerns over a medical condition. Fortunately not a serious one, but if you’re volunteering in Africa it’s a long way from home and you need to be sure. Our Frances made sure she had all the facts.

“Dearest Frances,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! Yes, I do feel reassured. Thank you too for being so caring.”
Mrs M, USA

If you have any questions about any of our African volunteer projects, Frances is who you deal with. She knows the projects and the people in great detail so she can always give you informed advice. She’ll also help you every step of the way if you choose to volunteer with us.

Some of the African volunteering placements are offered not just by us, but by several different companies. We like to think we do a better job than our competitors, but you do usually have a choice of who you go with.

We had one email asking why our African volunteer opportunities were cheaper than everyone else. Why did we want less money than other people for the same trip?

The answer is simple. Although we have expenses like any business, we believe that as many people as possible should have to chance to volunteer in Africa. As a result, we always keep our prices as low as we can. In fact we guarantee you won’t find better prices anywhere else.

Full details can be found here, but I thought a brief overview might help.

Whether you are an experienced amateur wildlife photographer looking for the ultimate photography experience or a beginner keen to develop their skills, there is probably no photography vacation that will compare with this.

The first three days will be spend with renowned African wildlife photographer Emil von Maltitz. Emil runs several photography courses, contributes to the Oxford Scientific Images photo-library (among others) and has almost twenty years experience photographing in this area. Volunteers are always enthusiastic about the teaching that he gives and how quickly and easily he can pass on expert photography skills.

After this intensive course you will join our African volunteer program where you can use your new skills and work on a variety of volunteer projects. Some of these involve cataloging the work we do. With others you will help teach conservation to local Zulu children. You might also help planting indigenous trees or be working with crocodile conservationists!

All the while your camera will be in constant use and your efforts will help us build an important educational resource. There’s even a chance for your African photography to win a prize.

I’ll stop there because the main page really has much more detail and there’s not a lot of point in covering it twice (don’t forget to check out the extra adventures available at the bottom). I’ll finish with this quote from one of our delighted volunteers:

“I loved every exquisite moment of my St. Lucia experience: beach sunrises, full-day game drives… I loved that the savannah was my workplace and the rhino and zebra my colleagues. I truly loved this program… all I can really remember is being inordinately happy in Africa.” Janet Wu, USA.

More details here.

Obviously if you are interested in volunteer teaching in Africa, or volunteer nursing, you would expect there to be specific volunteer placements – and that’s true – but what if you’re not a teacher, doctor or nurse?

It really doesn’t matter what your skill set or abilities. If you are willing to give some of your time to help the less fortunate people of Africa then you will always be welcome. There is always a need for a willing pair of hands!

Voluntary work in Africa covers a surprisingly wide range of options. If you love animals there is important work to be done volunteering with African wildlife. Our project at Antelope Park working to re-introduce lions is world famous.

If you would rather work with people then Africa has a need for volunteers to help not just with nursing and teaching but also with infra-structure. You don’t need educational qualifications to read to children and help them learn through play and dance. If you have sporting skills there are volunteer places for you too. Everyone who wants to lend a hand can make a contribution that will change people’s lives. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what your job is at home, if you can wield a paint brush, a trowel or a shovel you are equally important!

Volunteer nursing in Africa might get the big headlines but you will be of no less value if you fix up an old building, so it can be used as a classroom, or help plant vegetables to feed people who sometimes struggle to feed themselves.

So if you’re interested in voluntary work in Africa  and you’re wondering what can you do, just have a look at our list of exciting and challenging opportunities. If you’ve got more questions then drop us a line, we offer free one-to-one advice to help you choose.

That’s not really surprising when you consider the opportunity. Peope are more keenly aware of their environment and the negative effects we have on it. As a result, people want to do more to redress the balance whether that’s green initiatives closer to home, or helping some of the most disadvantaged people in the world live better, more fulfilling lives.

There is probably nowhere on earth that a gap year volunteer can have a more positive impact than in Africa.

That’s not the only aspect of gap year volunteering in Africa that is attractive though. Let’s not forget what you can get up to in your “down time”!

When you’re not helping in whatever volunteer capacity you have chosen you have access to one of the most vibrant and diverse areas on earth.

From the multi-cultural city of Cape Town to the African bush there’s something to challenge, inspire and excite. Do you fancy studying the wildlife or would you rather bungee jump off Victoria Falls? You can go for an elephant ride or go white-water rafting down the Zambezi. Have a look through our volunteer projects, there’s bound to be something that will get your pulse racing!

Of course the main focus of your trip is the work you will be doing. Gap year volunteering gives you the chance to do pretty much what you want and we want to work with you to give you the best experience, and to allow you to give of your best to local communities.

So of wildlife is your thing we can help you there. If photography is your thing we’ve got a specific volunteer project for that. If you’re going into medicine after your gap year we have the perfect spot. Teaching? We can give you something to put on your resume that few others will have!

And if you are not interested in any of those things we can still find plenty for you to do! There is always someone who needs a willing pair of hands.

Spending part of your gap year volunteering in Africa will be the experience of a lifetime for you and will change the lives of the people you come to help. There is nothing more positive you could be doing with your time.

Our job is to get you to the place you want to go, doing the things you want to do. You’ve probably got questions so do get in touch. This is a one-to-one service so please make use of it.

The truth is that while African volunteer organizations would love to have you help them, there is so much that has to be paid for!

Whether it’s African lions or other wildlife, medical assistance for HIV sufferers or education for orphan children, supplies cost money. When they are trying to make the most of every penny, you can’t really expect it to be going to volunteers, can you?

Here’s another view. If you volunteer to help teach African children in Cape Town, for example, you will pay around 1800.00 US dollars for a whole month. It would cost you more than that to stay in a half-decent motel in Seattle, Philadelphia or Dallas – and they wouldn’t feed you!

You can do the same sums from UK sterling, Euros or Australia dollars and London, Paris or Sydney (Yes I know Canberra is the capital but everyone knows Sydney!). Whatever way you look at it, volunteering in Africa is not expensive and, quite frankly, you just cannot make a comparison.

And yes, you have flights to add to that cost – like you’ve got flights to add if you live in London and want to visit New York

The other important thing is what happens to your money. Well for a start, you get fed three meals a day. Then there’s your accommodation which, on several volunteer projects, is practically on the beach!

After that, any left over goes to those valuable supplies. Not just day-to-day necessities but long term projects that will change the futures of some of the poorest people in the world. This isn’t a question of hand-outs, it’s about building infrastructure so they can help themselves.

Unfortunately we have heard some horror stories. People left at the airport, people asked to pay for food or even building supplies. No responsible volunteer organization in Africa would ever treat you like this – you are too valubale to us as a person… and as an ambassador for what we are doing.

If you have questions, ask. If you don’t receive an answer that satisfies you the first time, or you don’t have all the detail you want, ask some more – that’s what we are here for.

We wish we could offer free volunteer work placements but we think you can see that it just isn’t practical. For most people who volunteer in Africa it’s not a money thing anyway. You could just make a donation but we would rather have you here, hands on, enjoying the experience and making a huge and very positive impact on other people’s lives. Apart from that, the memories and life-long friendships you make can’t be bought at any price.

On the other hand, and as part of the same trip, you can do volunteer work with lions, photographing African wildlife, teaching and nursing support with orphans, any number of things that will make a real difference to people’s lives. Everything you do will have a positive impact. For young people who want excitement and adventure but who also want to give something back, there’s probably nowhere to compare with Africa.

But quite often the TV is filled with different kinds of images. War, rioting, racially motivated attacks. Not to mention the reputation of some African cities as just plain dangerous places to be.

It is, quite rightly, a concern. Not only for a teen volunteering in Africa but also for parents and family who can, understandably, have a very negative vision of what’s going on.

So what’s the truth behind the headlines? Is volunteering in Africa safe?

Sadly we have heard stories of one gap year organization leaving a teen volunteer at the airport in Africa with nothing more than instructions to make their own way to the project. A dreadful scenario, particularly as this person had never been to Africa before. At Coltgap we would never do that. We meet every volunteer (of whatever age) at the airport.

In fact we instruct people not to find their own way to us, not to get a taxi, not to walk, not to accept the help of strangers. The safety of our volunteers is an absolute priority and a member of project staff always collects you from the airport and takes you to your accommodation.

We completely understand parental concerns – we’re parents too!

If you look through our volunteer options you’ll note we don’t take anyone under 17 – and quite often 18 – so really we’re working with young adults. Still, we’re as happy to discuss things with parents as we are with potential volunteers themselves. Although we don’t publish a phone number on the blog that doesn’t mean we don’t want to talk to you. If you or any member of your family wants to talk to someone just drop us a note with your number and we’ll give you a call.

But what about the general safety of a teen volunteering in Africa?

Well we’re not going to deny that there are parts of Nairobi, Cape Town or any other large African city that are less safe than we might like. Just like there are dangerous parts of London, New York, Paris, Munich…

But it’s a problem of cities, not of Africa, and if you are aware of it then common sense tells you to be careful. We don’t leave it to common sense though because sometimes when we’re on vacation we’re not as sensible as we ought to be (which is as true of people in their forties and fifties as it is of teen volunteers!).

Volunteers are not only met at the airport they are taken care of all the time. Each day a member of staff will take you to your volunteer project and collect you. Other volunteer leaders will be with you through the day. There’s an initial induction chat about your project when you arrive and regular briefings. Accommodation is always in a secure area.

But it’s not a prison and we are not guards.

You are volunteering but you are also going to want to relax and let your hair down. Don’t we all! If you are volunteering in Cape Town we expect that you’ll want to visit the city at night, just as you would any major cosmopolitan, multi-cultural city anywhere in the world. Same for Nairobi or wherever else you go.

We’ll always advise you which areas to avoid and things not to do – like never changing currency in the street for example. You might get a tempting rate… or you might be being set up for a mugging!

Bottom line? Nowhere in the world is absolutely safe. Sadly bad things happen in your own town, not just Africa. At Coltgap we have an enviable reputation and an absolute commitment to volunteer safety. Any teen volunteering in Africa with us is as safe as they would be at home.

No need to worry. Although you can apply for your African visa before you leave, most volunteer organisations (us at COLT included), will recommend that in many cases you get your visa when you arrive. Technically it’s called your “port of entry”. We’ll look at specifics in a minute.

There are a couple of reasons. First, it’s quite simple to do. It might take a little while but it all works, so long as you know the rules. Secondly, it’s usually cheaper at the airport when you land than via an embassy.

On that note, there are various online services that offer to get your visa for you. We can’t comment on how efficient they are because we’ve never used one but it appears they apply to the embassy on your behalf (more expensive) and then they want about $40 or so for the service they provide. If it usually takes you just a short while after you land in Africa to do the same thing, why pay $60 or so more than you need too?

Anyway, let’s get down to details. We’ll concentrate on the countries where we offer African volunteering experiences so that’s visa requirements for Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Whichever country you visit your passport will need to be valid for at least 90 days although we recommend six months – it’s just easier. You will also need at least two blank visa pages. If you are extending your visit for a vacation after your African volunteer work bear in mind you’ll need an extra visa page for each African country you visit.

Each country will have a visa fee which can vary depending on where you travel from. Mozambique for example is $30 (US) as I type this. These fees change frequently so we don’t publish them – best to check with your country’s embassy in the relevant country shortly before you leave.

It’s also best to carry enough US dollars to pay these visa charges because in Africa the US dollar is the currency of choice. They might well have your local currency but equally they may not – and you’ll find some don’t take credit cards either. Getting enough US dollars to cover your African visa requirements isn’t hard so why make things difficult for yourself?

If you are volunteering to work in Mozambique for longer than one month you do need to apply for a 90 day visa in your country before you leave. There is also a multiple-entry visa available in Mozambique so if you are going to pop in and out of the country while you are in Africa this would be your cheaper option.

If you are visiting Mozambique for a month or less than you can get your visa at the airport when you arrive and it will cost you about $30.00. Taking small denomination notes is a good idea (as it is at anywhere you are getting an African visa) because they often don’t have change at immigration.

If volunteering in South Africa you will find that a tourist visa is free of charge for Commonwealth countries, most European Union countries and the USA. Others will probably need to get a visa before they travel but again, check with your embassy or ask us – we’ll be happy to help.

For Zambia you need to get a 30-day business visa which is very simple and can be extended beyond this. If you need a multi-entry visa (if you are going to a neighboring country and then returning) you need to apply before you leave home.

Visa requirements for Zimbabwe are similar and it’s easiest to get your visa at port of entry. A holiday visa can last for up to three months (although you may not automatically be given this). After arrival it’s possible to extend a holiday visa to six months.

Wherever you are doing volunteer work in Africa there is no need to be concerned. African visa requirements are quite simple and straight-forward and although they change from time to time a quick call to your embassy shortly before you leave should get you all the information you need.

If you are volunteering with us we will, of course, keep you up to date at all times – that’s the nature of the personal service we provide!

We would particularly like to thank those people who volunteered in Africa over the past year, whether that was working with wildlife, helping with local African communities, volunteer work with orphans, medical assistant volunteers… if you dug a hole or laid a brick it was equally important.

Every minute given by you volunteers is of immense value. It really does change people’s lives. A lot of the time it’s impossible to quantify but here are a few figures that illustrate the good you’ve done.

In Kenya volunteers have given over 10,000 hours of their time helping in hospitals, HIV clinics and local community projects that ranged from painting walls to teaching arts and crafts.

In the township clinics of Cape Town, South Africa, volunteers have given over 2,600 hours to help the health and well-being of the children and adults in the poorer areas of the city.

In Livingstone, Zambia, volunteers have found 35,000 hours to help with a huge variety of medical, teaching and sports projects which make a tremendous positive impact on the people there.

The list goes on. Some people give a couple of weeks, some have several months to commit. We sincerely thank each and every one of you.

If you’re thinking of volunteering to work in Africa in 2010 we would love to hear from you. Please check out the variety of exciting opportunities here and then drop us a line. We’re here to get you where you want to go – and we’ll help in any way we can. Just ask.

Well what if it could be you? What if you found out that all you needed was the enthusiasm?

Well, not quite all. You’ll need a digital SLR camera of course with an 18-55 lens, and as much memory as you can afford. Well you wouldn’t want to miss anything. More lenses might be helpful to you but that will depend on you, it’s not a requirement. Nor is any experience. You would be going to Africa to learn.

There’s a catch, of course, but it’s one you will probably be more than happy with. You will need to work with our volunteer wildlife conservation organization, and as a volunteer you have to pay your way. But then what would you pay to have a photography expert give you tuition while taking pictures in the African bush? This isn’t instructions from a book, this is actually being there.

Here are the kind of things involved:

1. You will have the highly qualified, intensive help of  a professional photographer in one of Africa’s spectacular national parks. You will have the opportunity to photograph the stunning scenery, like Victoria Falls or those strange Baobab trees, and the magnificent animals.

2. Your photographs will help build a valuable and important library of wildlife which will raise awareness of conservation issues.

3. You will be able to share your knowledge and enthusiasm, using your photography to help educate local children so that generations to come can preserve and manage these areas.

4. While part of the time you are an African wildlife photographer, at other times you can help in the actual regeneration and preservation of the bush itself.

5. With the help of expert guides you can become an expert on the local flora and fauna. A photogropher who knows their subject intimately is always a better photographer.

6. You can increase the scope and diversity of your portfolio. If professional photography is your aim, how much better will your chances be with this kind of spectacular imagery in your arsenal?

7. Experience the adventure that is Africa and make friendships that will last a lifetime.

So yes, you could be that African wildlife photographer. Alternatively I suppose you could visit your local zoo, but you know that’s never going to be the same. For more details about volunteer African wildlife photography in the amazing iSimangaliso Wetland Park in St Lucia, South Africa, click here.

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It’s not going to make a big difference to your actual African volunteer projects but it’s likely to have quite a big impact on flights to and from the continent.

The tournament starts on Friday 11th June 2010 (when South Africa as hosts open against Mexico) and the final is a month later, 11th July. As every continent has representatives in the world cup finals, flight prices from almost anywhere are likely to escalate a while before, and during the competition.

If you’re thinking of becoming a volunteer in Africa during this time we certainly wouldn’t want you to be put off, and there are options.

If you’re considering coming for a considerable time it will be less of a challenge, particularly if you plan to arrive before and leave after. Indeed if you were initially thinking about a short period of volunteering work, it might actually be more economical to stay longer and make the savings on the flight costs. You would need to look into this, of course, and we can help you here if you like (just drop us a line here).

The other main alternative is to choose your African volunteering project now and book your flights as soon as possible. The earlier you are able to do this the better. Although world cup tickets are already on sale, many people don’t book their flights at the same time so there is still some availability – although there’s no knowing when this will change.

The final option is to fly into a neighbouring country and get into South Africa by other means. From Windhoek in Namibia you can get a bus, which you can also do from Gaborone in Botswana. You could also fly to other parts of Africa, Kenya’s Nairobi airport for example, then take an internal flight. Of course many avid football fans will have the same information so you still want to make your decision as early as possible!

We would like your valuable help in South Africa for as long as possible, so not surprisingly we would like you to make your volunteering stay a long one and avoid high flight prices that way – but however you want to do it, we will help in any way we can. Just get in touch.

Here are the South African volunteer projects for 2010:

Medical and Clinic Assistance, Cape Town, South Africa

Sports Coaching and Physical Education, Cape Town, South African

Teaching and Community Development, Cape Town, South Africa

Medical Assistance and HIV/AIDS Awareness, St Lucia, South Africa

African Wildlife Photography and Conservation, St Lucia, South Africa

Orphan Care and HIV/AIDS Awareness, St Lucia, South Africa

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