Volunteering holidays
in KwaZulu Natal


Our South Africa volunteering Holidays
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Award-winning, Fair Trade certified wildlife conservation!
Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
Help re-habilitate orphaned monkeys in beautiful rural South Africa
Wildlife photography and volunteering in South Africa
Enjoy amazing wildlife photography while giving back!
Horse rehabilitation project in South Africa
Work hands on with horses on the South African coast
Family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Hands-on family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
South Africa endangered wildlife conservation
Assist with protecting endangered species in South Africa
Volunteer with children & animals in South Africa
Volunteer with children and wild animals in South Africa.
Wildlife orphanage volunteering in South Africa
Care for orphaned animals in stunning South Africa!
Volunteer with elephants in South Africa
Volunteer with elephants on the stunning Garden Route
Teaching assistant volunteering in South Africa
Help disadvantaged kids to learn English in South Africa
Volunteering with Elephants in South Africa
Study and care for elephants in South Africa
Shark conservation in South Africa
Conserve sharks, whales and penguins in South Africa
The great white shark conservation project in South Africa
Encounter iconic Great White Sharks in South Africa!
South Africa volunteering with the big five
Take part in the conservation of Africa's wildlife.
Zululand conservation project
Preserve iconic wildlife in the breathtaking South Africa!
Wildlife conservation in South Africa
Protect wildlife in a stunning coastal reserve
Volunteer at The Shamwari Wildlife Reserve, South Africa
Conserve species on a South African game reserve
South Africa wildlife volunteering holiday
Conservation & animal care in a South African Big 5 Reserve
Photography volunteer program in Cape Town
Make an impact through photography!
Big cat conservation safari, South Africa
Safari with purpose to support South Africa's lions
Veterinary internship in South Africa
Veterinary experience in South Africa
Wildlife photography and conservation in South Africa
Photography and conservation on a Big 5 game reserve
Volunteer at a lion sanctuary in South Africa
Work with rescued big cats in Africa's largest sanctuary
Family conservation project in South Africa
Exciting family volunteering with the Big 5
Volunteer with elephants in South Africa, 1 week
Care for rescued elephants on the stunning Garden Route
South Africa game ranger course
Get your game ranger qualification working with wildlife
Primate rescue volunteer holiday in South Africa
Providing rescued primates with a better quality of life
Wildlife conservation course in South Africa
Learn species conservation and habitat management in South Africa
South Africa marine conservation diving holiday
Learn to dive and contribute to research in Sodwana Bay
Wildlife conservation safari in South Africa
Join wildlife conservation experts in the field
Wildlife conservation volunteering
in KwaZulu Natal
Why is my help needed?
Encompassing sprawling savannah, Ramsar-registered wetlands, coral reefs and mountains, KZN is recognised as one of the most biodiverse wildlands in Africa. This region is home to a vast number of game and bird species including the endangered African wild dog, black rhino, cheetah and several species of vulture. While these animals are protected within the boundaries of reserves such as Hluhluwe-iMofolozi, Mkhuze and Tembe Elephant Park, these parks lack the resources and capacity to be able to maintain effective, labour-intensive monitoring and tracking programmes.Volunteer teams, under the guidance of expert conservation biologists, are able to provide the labour needed to give an accurate overview of the behaviour, movement and health of KwaZulu Natal’s leopards, rhinos, lions, elephants and more. Data collected and inputted by volunteers is vital in allowing conservation experts to identify which populations are most at risk, and what needs to be done to protect them.
What will I be doing?
Rather than a hands-on approach to caring for animals, wildlife conservation projects focus much more on collecting data and preserving ecosystems. These projects are to give endangered species the opportunity and security to flourish in their natural environment, unimpeded and uninterrupted by human influence; they are wild animals and the aim is very much to keep them so. As such, you can expect to be monitoring animal behaviour, identifying species, radio-tracking individual lions, cheetahs, rhinos or elephants, removing invasive plants and even performing the occasional admin task. You might even be lucky enough to be involved with the darting and radio collaring of animals, or the re-release of game back into the wild.Most of the volunteer work is relatively unskilled, meaning a healthy, can-do attitude, flexibility and a reasonable level of fitness are the only prerequisites. You’ll receive full training on the tasks you’re asked to complete when you arrive at your camp, and as you’ll be working under the expert guidance of leading conservationists and skilled local wildlife rangers you couldn’t be in better hands.
Don’t expect a lie in during your working week on a wildlife conservation project in KwaZulu Natal. You’ll be up early and into 4x4 vehicles to head out into the park to track and monitor whichever species are the focus of your project, mapping sightings using GPS devices, noting behaviour and checking camera traps. All against the backdrop of the big, red African sun rising over the KwaZulu Natal wilderness. There are infinitely worse ways to start your day.
You’ll always have time over the middle of the day, when the sun is at its hottest and wildlife is generally inactive, to rest up in camp, read a book, eat lunch and relax before heading out again in the late afternoon.
Be aware, however, that not all your working time will be spent ‘out in the field’. At least one day a week you’ll be back in camp helping input the data collected in the research computers, analysing sightings, and downloading and sorting camera trap images.
Where do I stay?
Your accommodation will be one of a variety of permanent research camps which offer basic rooms and communal facilities. You’ll be expected to muck in with camp duties and you can’t always expect reliable electricity during your stay. However, these camps are usually in the heart of the reserves you are monitoring, so you can expect a variety of wild visitors to your home-away-from-home every day. These trips give you the incomparable privilege of living and working, even for just a short while, in the heart of the wild African bush.Our top South Africa volunteering Holiday
Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
Help re-habilitate orphaned monkeys in beautiful rural South Africa
Departures can be arranged at anytime to suit you, all year round
Other volunteering opportunities
in KwaZulu Natal
Animal rehabilitation volunteering
If you want something more hands-on then KwaZulu Natal’s rehabilitation sanctuaries may offer an interesting alternative for you. Although dependent on the aims of the project, where re-release back into the wild is the goal for example, your contact with the animals themselves may still be limited.You might be at a specialist centre, looking after vervet monkeys which have been injured, abandoned or displaced from their natural environment, or nursing injured birds back to full flight at a wildlife hospital. You might be taking 24-hour care of baby monkeys, taken as pets then later abandoned, or help with the re-release of animals back into the wild.
Whatever project you work on you can expect to be preparing food, cleaning enclosures, monitoring behaviour and tackling admin tasks to support the running of the centre – all on full time working hours (with lunch and tea breaks).
Community projects
These can be combined with wildlife conservation projects and give volunteers an opportunity to understand the challenges faced by the people who live in KZN’s poorest communities. These projects usually focus on the construction of much-needed community infrastructure, for example classrooms, toilet facilities, soup kitchens and water catchment systems. The funding you provide to these projects pays local labourers wages so you can expect to be mixing cement, making bricks and working side by side with members of the local community.You’ll also have the chance to meet the children (and other people) your project is benefitting, share stories, dance and sing together, help with extra-curricular English classes, assist with environmental education, organise sports days… how involved you want to get is up to you.
Can I take the family?
These are not trips for young volunteers. Due to the remote nature of the work and accommodation, most of the wildlife conservation projects require participants to be at least 18 years old. However, families with older teenagers who want to volunteer together will be welcome on some of the community projects, and the rehabilitation centres have a minimum age of 17.When is the best time to go on a KwaZulu Natal volunteering holiday?
July to September is the dry season, and the best time to catch wildlife congregating around waterholes in KZN’s game reserves and in neighbouring Kruger National Park. Temperatures are cooler for manual work and there’s very little chance of rain.