Safari park holiday in South Africa

There is no other, similar project which educates volunteers into the importance of sustainable tourism and conservation. All the work which participants of this course undertake has a huge significance in conservation. We strongly feel that by educating volunteers beforehand as to the importance of the tasks we set for them, they will be able to gain a deeper insight into the importance of their work, and ultimately a strong sense of self-satisfaction.

Our safari park works closely with the surrounding community, creating jobs and providing many households with a needy source of income. Where possible, we employ people from the surrounding community. Chefs, hotel staff, guides, trackers etc, are all employed from the local community. By training these people in various aspects, they are able to further train and educate other people.

Our other community orientated activities include assisting with painting of houses, education and sustainable community gardens. We are also hoping to establish an AIDS orphanage in the community, thereby helping many orphans deal with the trauma of losing one, and sometimes two parents. Volunteers who show a keen interest in the surrounding community may get the opportunity to spend large amounts of time in the community schools, hospitals, community projects, or in any other sphere which the volunteer feels most needed.

Another aspect which volunteers will get hands on experience with, is our domesticated elephants. Some elephants originated from Zimbabwe and were saved from a culling operation. Domesticated African elephants cannot return to the wild and need constant care which our game reserve is able to provide. As part of the profile and long term vision, the aim of the operation is to provide the constructive utilization of these elephants.