Big 5 Wildlife Conservation

Our camp is located in the Limpopo game reserve, home to the famous African “Big 5”: you will work up close with elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, and buffalos.
You will learn how to navigate the African bush, as well as the basics of survival in this environment.
During your stay, you will spend a good part of your day on foot or 4×4 expeditions in the reserve, learning how to track animals. All your work will take place under the guidance of qualified rangers.

Each activity has a specific goal, allowing you not only to observe the animals but also to contribute to their conservation by taking part in projects designed to better understand their behaviors and needs.

Your project begins with 2 days in Johannesburg, including pickup at JNB airport and transfer to the hostel. The following day, you will visit Soweto before being taken to the project site.

Sample schedule:

• MONDAY: Trip into town to collect volunteers and restock supplies.
• TUESDAY: Morning game count. Afternoon monitoring drive.
• WEDNESDAY: Morning waterhole monitoring to study species activity. Afternoon visit to the breeding boma to observe buffalos, Livingstone elands, and nyalas.
• THURSDAY: Habitat work: removal of invasive plants, erosion control, or bush clearing. In the late afternoon or evening, monitoring and night patrols.
• FRIDAY: Early morning elephant tracking as part of ongoing elephant contraception research. Afternoon bird monitoring, followed by an overnight sleep-out under the stars with the “Endangered Species” project.
• SATURDAY: Either a planned excursion or a free day where volunteers can relax or go exploring.
• SUNDAY: Morning habitat work, followed by an afternoon monitoring walk focused on the lion population. In the evening, enjoy a trip to the local pub or a traditional South African braai (barbecue).

Between activities, volunteers will also attend a series of awareness presentations about the project’s work.