Wildlife Sanctuary Volunteer Project, Namibia

Volunteering at the wildlife sanctuary will provide you with a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with African wildlife. The project provides refuge for orphaned and injured animals including baboons, caracals, wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards and lions.

As a volunteer, you will be involved with caring for and feeding the animals as well as helping to maintain and develop the sanctuary (please note there is no hands-on contact with predators). During your time on the project, a typical day will include preparing the animals food, cleaning and maintaining enclosures, feeding the animals, taking them on walks and providing intensive care for juvenile wildlife.

Volunteers will also be involved in physical labour such as building new facilities, animal interaction such as taking care of a baby baboon overnight and you will also spend time out in the surrounding environment to conduct game counts.

As a Wildlife Sanctuary volunteer, you will also have the opportunity to visit the clever cubs schools. This amazing pre-school provides free education to the San Bushmen children who would otherwise not have access to education. The school provides a full curriculum as well as being a place for the children to dance, sing and play.

Location

Namibia is located in South West Africa, bordering on South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Zambia. Home to many contrasting environments the country is known for both desert and long stretches of coastline. Conservation is a national priority and Namibia has some of the largest and most well known national parks in the region.

Located only thirty minutes from Hosea Kutako International Airport amongst camel thorn trees, riverbeds, and a stone canyon, the Wildlife Sanctuary is perfectly situated to start or finish your trip to Namibia. This is where the head office is and the main volunteer activities take place. If you choose to combine with the other sites, Neuras is 2 hours away and Kanaan a further 2 hours drive.

Accommodation

For volunteers at the wildlife sanctuary there are two options for accommodation; ‘Bush Camp’ tents and ‘Farm Camp’, with either 2 or 3 people sharing. Some tents have an ensuite bathroom and some share communal shower and toilet facilities. Hot water is supplied by solar power it can sometimes be restricted. Electricity is available in communal areas.

Volunteers are provided with 3 meals each day on a self serve basis. Breakfast includes toast and cereal; lunch includes pasta, wraps, burgers or stir-fry; and dinners include meat and vegetables with rice, potatoes or pasta. On weekends volunteers will often have a traditional braai (barbecue). Vegetarian options are available.

Project Dates

You may stay from 2 weeks to 3 months at any start or end date, however, we have set induction days on Tuesdays and Fridays and thus recommend that volunteers arrive on either a Monday or Thursday. We provide free transfers from either Windhoek centre or the airport on Mondays and Thursdays as these are our preferred arrival dates.

For more details on how the programme works, dates, costs and how to apply, please visit our detailed project page here.