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I had a very good experience on this volunteer project. The organisor is absolutely reliable, well organised, and their staff are very professional (field as well as head-offices).
Probably one of the best volunteer organisations out there.
3
Client:
Huon McGifford - from Australia
Trip:
currently unavailable
Rating:
rating 8/10
Comment:
Pre-Departure: The trip notes provided were really helpful but there is one incredibly key thing that needs to be fixed up. In the notes girls are advised to cover their shoulders and chest while on their volunteer placements in Swaziland. Swaziland however, culturally does not accept women having their thighs out and this is so important to know before you get there because trust me, it’s hot there in jeans, but you CANNOT wear shorts to your placement as a girl. Swazi’s could not care less if you had a tube top on , as in it’s fine to wear your chest and shoulders out, but your thighs are a definite no no. So girls need to know to pack light weight trousers or ¾ length pants. It is also important to have at least one skirt that goes past your knees or alternatively a sarong because it is needed for the tour you do of the local area on your first day. Boys are pretty much fine to wear whatever they want.
Arrival: On arrival All Out are so helpful and amazing, actually they are the whole time you are in Africa but they are a definite comfort when you first arrive. I think it’s important to list on the trip notes that Lidwala Lodge is where you will be staying the whole time you’re in Swaziland, this way people arriving early will know that’s the best place to book, rather than just an option. Lidwala is amazing. There are washing facilities and good internet, happy people and a great cooking roster. This was all included on the trip notes, it was so helpful to know in advance too, well done and thanks!
The Trip: What to say? The children that I worked with at the Neighbourhood Care Points (NCP’s) were crazy, beautiful, loving, lovely and intelligent. There is an unfortunate and instant barrier because of the language gap between the volunteers and the children but you quickly pick up the appropriate Siswati words to deal with the children and the demands they place on you. They are the most energetic little things you’ll ever met and at the end of every day you’re definitely worn out. At my NCP there were usually 60-65 children aged between 2 and 16, with varying levels of education and some with disabilities both physical and mental. The NCP’s are taxing physically and mentally but you leave happy, if exhausted, every day. And on days with nice weather there is always the Royal Swazi Spa to calm ones nerves.
Swaziland itself is a beautiful country with gorgeous mountains and scenery. At the lodge there are monkeys running all around and a national treasure, Sheba’s Breast (a mountain), behind which you can climb in a couple of hours. There are 3 wildlife parks in Swaziland, one quite close to where the volunteers stay. However, Hlane, which is a giant trek by public transport away, is well worth the trip because you can do an amazing Rhino walk there and get up really close to wild animals. It’s well worth it! Another very cool thing volunteers can do is a quad biking tour which goes basically all day and includes target shooting and a brai (BBQ) at a different backpackers. The backpackers is a converted cow barn and it’s amazing, the ex feeding trough is now a lap pool and the milking stations have been turned into a bar and bar stools.
The Kruger Safari happens in the first week that you arrive in Swaziland. It is amazing though, I must admit I would have rathered have had two weeks volunteering then have gone to Kruger. While you’re in Kruger you do begin wondering what your placement will be like and then once you’re there in Swaziland volunteering you’re kinda wishing you could go back to Kruger where you get looked after. But both Kruger and volunteering are good, don’t get me wrong!
The Mozambique trip, to Tofo, is spectacular. It’s the best holiday you could ever wish for. Swimming with whale sharks is terrifying but amazing, it’s one of the best experiences you could ever have, ever. We also experienced a sea kayaking adventure to a quite remote island, which was amazing and enlightening. We learnt about life on the island and met the chief and had freshly caught crabs for lunch! Yum!
Overall the whole trip was an amazing experience. Volunteering was probably the best part. It can feel quite hard and stressful while you’re there with the children, and a bit like you’ve been dropped in the deep end, so to speak, but it’s the thing you miss most when you get home. You form such an attachment to your students. I think the sponsorship program is amazing and incredibly valuable.
my time in the Seychelles.... what can i say, it was a fasinating experience.
Learning the coral (all 47 in latin), diving 5 days a week. white beaches; blue, blue water; lots of mega fauna; and the stars, so clear and bright.
The staff were wonderful, very patient and passionate about what they do. always willing to sit down and help or answer any questions you have.
The weather was hot, the water warm, the grass and trees green.
They have a sattelite camp on an island where giant tortoises live, after 5pm it is basically just you and a few others and the tortoises on this island, absolutly beautiful.
The diving in the Seychelles is one of the best i have dived. The vis is almost always 18-20 meters, with green and hawksbill turtles swimming past you. giant humphead parrot fish, the coral are bright and abundant.
Don't mistake me, you work hard also, you cook, clean, fill tanks, help where it is needed, but it is worth it. if you can do this trip, do it. 2 thumbs up.
What an amazing experience this has been! Each day here at the base is a gift, although the base is rustic and has no electricity or hot water. I found that didn’t matter. The game drives are the primary focus of each day, some days are more fruitful than others but in time the rewards are huge with animal sightings. So far I have over 1600 photos to sort through when I get home.
A few of my favourite encounters include a visual of Zero, the male lion, with his zebra kill. Him and the kill were lying side by side facing opposite directions, the zebra head was still in tact so it looked as though they were napping together!
I went weeks seeing only hippo eyes and noses sticking out of the water and then one evening we spotted a hippo making her way into the water and grunting at another hippo to keep it away from the baby.
Also saw a herd of elephants playing together in a huge mud bath. So many memories, so little paper!
Community days are incredible! It’s very gratifying to spend time with the local school children. One day we taught them computer skills and although they don’t speak English they learned their tasks and loved doing it. On our second community outing we had a number of activities for the children to participate in. Mine was a spoon and marble race. The kids were so excited and had a blast. One group, team name hippos, completely surrounded me giving me hugs from all sides, one girl even tickled me. I will cherish that memory for a lifetime.
I am so thankful I had the opportunity to participate in this wonderful adventure. They are a phenomenal organisation.
Itinerary
This project takes you to ‘Damaradland,’ in the northwestern regions of the Namib Desert. This harsh tribal wilderness area runs parallel to the Skeleton Coast national park, and is home to a small population of desert-adapted elephants. This project is not about being an observer of conservation from the comfort of a game drive vehicle. Volunteers will spend days out in the desert on patrol, camping wild and living close to the earth, elephants and people. The majority of the work is with the local subsistence farmers, building protective walls around their water points, and teaching them the skills needed in managing the conflict with the resident elephant populations. You will also assist the project staff in monitoring the elephants. movements.
Besides a willing mind, and a strong back, you do not need any special training to work on this project. During your time spent with us, we will teach you all about camp craft (cooking over a fire, setting up a bush camp, safety and hygiene), bush craft (tracking, approaching animals on food, animal behaviour, navigation etc), compiling identification kits on elephants and traditional building skills.
Location The project is located in Damaraland one of the most scenic wilderness areas in Namibia. Prehistoric water courses with open plains and grassland, massive granite koppies and distant mountains create the Damaraland landscape. As well as the desert elephant, expect to find black rhino, ostrich, springbok, giraffe, kudu and the roar of desert lions!
During the project week you will be living in a mobile camp or at the project base camp, depending on the distance from the project site. You will be accommodated in 2 man tents. Whilst on patrol, we camp wild, and sleep under the stars on our bedrolls with mosquito nets.
A day in the life of a volunteer To cheat the heat, we wake up early for our first cup of coffee around the campfire. After the team member on duty has served breakfast, we head out to our project site for the day. Activities will include building a wall around a local farmer's windmill, teaching some farmers wives to make paper using elephant dung, doing work on our base camp. For each volunteer group the projects will be dependent on where the greatest need is at that time.
Depending on the distance from camp to site, we head back for lunch, and a bit of a siesta. You may have to update data forms, be on kitchen and camp duty for the day, or have to work out an educational play for the local school! The evenings are spent in the boma, eating and talking about the day's events. We live closely in our desert camp. Then we head of on a patrol for a few days at a time. We pack some basic camping equipment in the 4x4, and set of looking for the elusive elephants. On patrol we camp wild, and sleep under the stars. We follow elephants on foot and by vehicle, sometimes for hours under the desert sun, and sit patiently observing from some rocky outcrop whilst they laze away in the shade!
What is included Pre-departure support and discounted services Welcome and Orientation session In country transport All your food Full accommodation All in country 24 hour support
