Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
1of10
Our placements are designed to immerse you in a different culture, living and working with local people. There’s plenty to gain personally from this. But we make sure that the project directly benefits local people and wildlife too.
Animal welfare
The park has been operating for 6 years and is run by an experienced and well-regarded team. Although the elephants do have contact with humans, they are helped and encouraged to live as naturally as possible, roaming freely across the sanctuary in a matriarchal herd. As well as protecting individual elephants (via the park and a separate elephant orphanage) the organisation aims to improve public awareness about safeguarding their environment.
Meeting local needs
The park also plays an important role in protecting the local economy. The ‘big five’ wild animals are a key source of tourist income for South Africa and protection of these species is vital for some rural areas, who rely on responsible tourism to sustain them.By volunteering at the park, you will be helping to meet an important local need. You will also contribute directly to the area’s economy, creating jobs for domestic staff at the sanctuary, eating locally-sourced food and making use of shops and leisure facilities in the town.You will not be taking jobs away from local people.The organisation employs as many local staff as it can afford, but relies on volunteers to support them.
Cultural sensitivity
We emphasise the importance of showing respect for local people and their customs in our briefing material. Participants will work alongside permanent staff, forming close bonds and getting an insight into real life in rural South Africa.
We send people in small groups (no more than 15-20) at a time per country. This minimises the environmental and social impact that the participants have on the destination. Once in country, the groups are usually split down further into 2 or 3 people in a village. We do this to enhance the integration of our participants into the culture and for the local people to not feel too overwhelmed and apprehensive of them. Our participants become fully immersed and integrated into the community.
All of our participants receive comprehensive pre-departure briefing. This covers topics on how to be culturally sensitive, how to best look after the environment when in the country and how to stay safe as well as up to date information on the political situation. They are also briefed on how to dispose of waste properly and where possible, to avoid using plastic water bottles as these are not easy to dispose of environmentally.
Environment
Our company is an environmentally responsible one that operates recycling and reusing of waste products. We also offset carbon emissions in our office (gas,electricity, business mileage) and encourage all participants to offset their flight emissions via a carbon offset scheme run in conjunction with Tree Aid.
Participants are advised to use hand wash gel that does not require water. We also advise, during our pre departure course, to take care with water. In many of our destinations, water is precious and expensive.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
