Volunteer travel guide
Volunteering abroad used to be a long term commitment for a highly qualified few. Today, opportunities have opened up for people of all skill levels, in virtually every country in the world.
Wildlife conservation activities
Live alongside the locals
The amount of involvement between volunteers and locals does vary from trip to trip, but generally there will be plenty unless a project is very remote. One of the key markers of a successful wildlife conservation initiative is how well it works in the local community because if they’re not behind you, the chances are your goals will either be achieved, but only in the short term, or not achieved at all. Volunteers are encouraged to visit local schools to teach some English, or run simple presentations illustrating what the conservation work they’re doing means for the local environment and how everyone can get involved.
Our Wildlife conservation Holidays
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Award-winning, Fair Trade certified wildlife conservation!
From
US $1544
14 days
ex flights
Namibia wildlife sanctuary volunteering holiday
Care for rescued animals in Namibia
From
£895
15 days
ex flights
Borneo wildlife volunteer project
Encounter orangutans and elephants in the Bornean jungle.
From
£1295
12 days
ex flights
Conservation volunteering in Belize
Join an award winning research team in Belize
From
£895
7 days
ex flights
Thailand wildlife sanctuary volunteering holiday
Volunteering break at a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand
From
£739
7 days
ex flights
Volunteering with bears in Romania
Volunteer at an inspiring bear sanctuary in Transylvania
From
£925
7 days
ex flights
Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
Help re-habilitate orphaned monkeys in beautiful rural South Africa
From
£769
10 days
ex flights
Brown bear tracking in Northern Greece
Track wild bears & explore the wilderness with park rangers
From
€625
5 days
ex flights
Volunteer with turtles in Costa Rica
Protect nesting turtles on Costa Rica's beautiful beaches
From
£889
7 days
ex flights
Orangutan conservation holiday in Borneo
Meet Iban tribes and encounter orangutans in Borneo
From
£1195
13 days
ex flights
Game Reserve conservation in South Africa
Conserve Wildlife in 4 Game Reserves: Exciting and varied!
From
£1895
14 days
ex flights
Malawi volunteering holiday
Volunteer at Africa's top wildlife sanctuary
From
£1370 to £4350
14 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with bears in Romania
Unique family volunteering holiday at a bear sanctuary
From
£925
7 days
ex flights
Lemur conservation project in Madagascar
Work alongside an award-winning NGO in Madagascar
From
£795 to £2495
14 days
ex flights
Shark conservation in South Africa
Conserve sharks, whales and penguins in South Africa
From
£829
7 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with turtles in Costa Rica
Family turtle conservation volunteering in Costa Rica
From
£709
7 days
ex flights
Animal rehabilitation project in South Africa
Animal Welfare in Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre & Hospital
From
£1395
4 weeks
ex flights
Sailing & conservation holiday in Greece
A unique wildlife & sailing adventure
From
£683 to £759
7 days
ex flights
Namibia carnivore conservation & research project
Assist the team as a Big Cat Conservation Volunteer!
From
£1135
17 days
ex flights
Wildlife conservation in Borneo
Conserve orangutans and elephants in Borneo's rainforests
From
£1285
12 days
ex flights
Volunteer at a lion sanctuary in South Africa
Work with rescued big cats in Africa's largest sanctuary
From
£1495
4 weeks
ex flights
Carnivore conservation & research in Namibia
Rehabilitate and release cheetah in the wilds of Namibia
From
£1135
17 days
ex flights
Ecuador wildlife sanctuary volunteering
Volunteer with amazing Amazonian wildlife in a jungle haven
From
£715
7 days
ex flights
Victoria Falls conservation volunteer project, Zimbabwe
Work with Victoria Falls' wildlife and communities
From
£1120 to £1920
14 days
ex flights
South Africa game ranger course
Get your game ranger qualification working with wildlife
From
£3140
8 weeks
ex flights
Elephant conservation holiday in Sri Lanka
Volunteer with elephants in stunning Sri Lanka
From
£845
7 days
ex flights
Elephant conservation holiday for families, Namibia
Elephant conservation volunteering project for families
From
£880 to £980
11 days
ex flights
Primate rescue volunteer holiday in South Africa
Providing rescued primates with a better quality of life
From
£545
7 days
ex flights
Volunteering in Thailand, wildlife rescue centre
Work with rescued tropical animals such as monkeys and bears
From
£645
7 days
ex flights
Wildlife conservation project in Swaziland
Savannah Conservation Project
From
US $1515 to US $3872
14 days
ex flights
Erin Sparks, from our supplier, PoD Volunteer, shares her opinion on the importance of local engagement: “In our wildlife project in Belize, there is a specific education role where you can be heavily involved in getting out to local schools and running educational programmes there about wildlife conservation for those children that can’t get out to the project. If you want to have a successful project on the ground, you need the backing of the local community; it needs to be beneficial for them and in turn they need to know about animal protection and habitat protection. It doesn’t matter if people from all over the world believe in because it if the people who live right there on the doorstep don’t, it just won’t work.”
Get out and about
Whether it’s spent strolling around a local craft market, exploring the native landscape, or grabbing a local guide and letting them lead you to the best live music, local beer and food, your free time will be precious so use it to experience something new.
You will get some free time on your wildlife conservation holiday; how much ranges from an afternoon to an entire weekend and how you spend it is entirely up to you.
Our top Wildlife conservation Holiday
Conservation volunteering in Belize
Join an award winning research team in Belize
From
£895
7 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2019: 22 Sep, 29 Sep, 6 Oct, 13 Oct, 20 Oct, 27 Oct, 3 Nov, 10 Nov, 17 Nov, 24 Nov, 1 Dec, 8 Dec, 15 Dec, 22 Dec, 29 Dec
2020: 5 Jan, 12 Jan, 19 Jan, 26 Jan, 3 May, 10 May, 17 May, 24 May, 31 May, 7 Jun, 14 Jun, 21 Jun, 28 Jun, 5 Jul, 12 Jul, 19 Jul, 26 Jul, 2 Aug, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, 30 Aug, 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct, 1 Nov, 8 Nov, 15 Nov, 22 Nov, 29 Nov, 6 Dec, 13 Dec, 20 Dec, 27 Dec
2019: 22 Sep, 29 Sep, 6 Oct, 13 Oct, 20 Oct, 27 Oct, 3 Nov, 10 Nov, 17 Nov, 24 Nov, 1 Dec, 8 Dec, 15 Dec, 22 Dec, 29 Dec
2020: 5 Jan, 12 Jan, 19 Jan, 26 Jan, 3 May, 10 May, 17 May, 24 May, 31 May, 7 Jun, 14 Jun, 21 Jun, 28 Jun, 5 Jul, 12 Jul, 19 Jul, 26 Jul, 2 Aug, 9 Aug, 16 Aug, 23 Aug, 30 Aug, 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct, 1 Nov, 8 Nov, 15 Nov, 22 Nov, 29 Nov, 6 Dec, 13 Dec, 20 Dec, 27 Dec
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Wildlife conservation or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
What to do in your downtime
Erin Sparks, from our supplier, PoD Volunteer, shares her advice on what to do in your downtime: “In order to be ideally located for the animals, a lot of wildlife conservation projects are not sat slap bang in the middle of a tourist hub, or near adrenalin activities, but you do get downtime. You are working in a team and the work is tiring, so one of the best things you can do is just chill out getting to know your fellow volunteers. Our elephant care and wildlife rescue project in Cambodia is really remote, but is near a beach where you can spend the day and there’s even a spa in the local town, which makes most of its money from volunteers - after you’ve been mucking out elephants for a couple of weeks, there’s nothing better than a hot soak and a massage.”Capture your memories
Most people take photos on holiday, but not all holidays are designed for photographers - of course, while working you won’t have time to get snap happy, but you will get free time and there’s nothing stopping you finding a local guide and organising a game drive, or a walk out into the wilds to take some incredible shots.
The animals' majesty and funny quirks, as well as their incredible natural habitat in which they live are memories that you'll definitely want to capture on camera.
More about Wildlife conservation
Find out whether wildlife conservation is for you and what wildlife conservation entails as you pour over our wildlife conservation guide.
From the vibrant culture of Thailand to the tropical savannah of Belize, sometimes choosing a wildlife conservation holiday can be as exciting as the world you’ll find once in resort.
If you want to know where to go on a wildlife conservation holiday then read on to discover what Responsible Travel recommends and typical daily timetables to get a glimpse of a day in the life.
From preparing food for rescued brown bears in Romania to remote research expeditions searching out endangered lynx in the Montenegrin mountains and more!
Choose a wildlife conservation holiday that really matters using advice from our suppliers Johan Maree and Anne Smellie.
Here we reveal the best places to enjoy a responsible elephant conservation project, where you might be joining long-term researchers to monitor wild herds, or working in sanctuaries.
Turtle conservation projects from Costa Rica to the Seychelles offer opportunities for effective citizen science in idyllic beach settings, perfect for families.
From tracking leopards in South Africa to caring for rescued bears in Romania, the places a wildlife conservation holiday will take you are as varied as the work you will do.
Learn about accommodation, training and advice on seeing the bigger picture before you set off armed with advice on how to do wildlife conservation safely.
There are no excuses for not being able to travel right on a conservation holiday with the responsible wildlife conservation tours that we advertise on this website.
More relevant guides
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Frontierofficial] [Live alongside the locals - planting trees: Chris H]
[Get out and about (Madagascar): Frontierofficial]
[Capture your memories (Thailand): Nik Cyclist]
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