Full details are available from this free leaflet download but you could, for example, go swimming with dolphins in Zanzibar.

How about a free sunset cruise on the mighty Zambezi river above Victoria Falls? Perhaps a free Cape vineyards tour is more to your taste?

There are half a dozen fascinating free adventures depending on which project you volunteer for so download the leaflet, see which one appeals to you and get in touch.

Places are limited, so you’ll need to act quickly if you would like to join us.

Please note that these trips are in addition to your volunteer placement. We are unable to offer free volunteer placements themselves because the projects and people still need your help and support. These extra adventures are our way of thanking you for that help.

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The African lion conservation projects at Antelope Park in Zimbabwe and Livingstone, Zambia are always popular – and have been made even more so this year by the TV programme covering this important work.

The result is that volunteer placements for July and August are practically full, and September has only a few places left. If working – and walking – with lions interests you at all, you really need to get int touch with us as soon as possible.

Although we always try to fit you in, if you have set holiday plans then as a general rule it is wise to book lion projects at least six months in advance. If your plans or more flexible, then a waiting list does exist, but it is very rare that people drop out.

There are places left for this year, and bookings are open for 2011, but they fill up fast. If you need more info, just drop us a line.

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.

So how would you fancy coming home to this at the end of a hard day? Or waking up here in the morning?

This is the new accommodation that volunteers at our Mozambique projects will be enjoying. As you can see it’s right on the beach – that’s the Indian Ocean in the photo – but if that’s just a bit too far for you there is also a pool

Each A-frame style beach villa has 3 bedrooms with en-suite toilet and shower and takes up to 6 people. Although accommodation is shared, bedrooms are not mixed. There are kitchen and dining/lounge areas with TV and DVD player. Next door there is a dive center that you may be interested in when you are not volunteering.

The place is called Aguia Negra Vilanculos and we think you’ll agree it’s rather attractive. Looks tough this volunteering in Africa, doesn’t it!

More details on our Mozambique volunteer projects are here:

Volunteer Pre-School and English Teaching

Volunteer Pre-School and HIV Awareness

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.

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.