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.

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.

Volunteering in South Africa, in Cape Town in particular, just got tougher… NOT!

Pictured on the right is our new volunteer accommodation and yes, that is a pool right outside the door.

Our South Africa volunteers will now be based here at Noordhoek. The building is spacious and comfortable and in addition to that superb pool has a lovely big garden (with barbeque), satellite TV and a games room with pool table, darts, table tennis, etc… for when you are unwinding at the end of the day.

Alternatively, if you fancy a stroll, there’s a shopping mall and cinema close by.

Not so tough being a volunteer in South Africa then We would love to welcome you here.

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.

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.