White Wilderness – Carpathian Wolf Tracking Volunteer Project, Slovakia

I had an amazing time! I learnt about tracking and conservation and met very friendly and passionate people. Robin and our hosts at the guesthouse were great. Our group was lucky enough to follow traces of a pack hunt all the way to the kill site; watching the story unfold in the snow, the wolves splitting and running down a dangerously steep hill to close in on a red deer, was breath-taking. I enjoyed every step in the deep Slovakian snow, whether in a blizzard or on a bright sunny day. Hope my schedule allows me to return in the coming years!

I volunteered for 1 week with the project. In this time I learned so many skills. I really felt the work we were doing was important and the whole team seem to reflect this. The leaders were all very knowledgeable, answering any questions we had. I felt very comfortable speaking to them. The group of volunteers were all lovely. I made great friends, saw an amazingly beautiful country and tracked wolves and lynx. Ideal! This project confirmed to me that I would like to work in wildlife conservation. The accommodation was lovely, and the food was delicious! I would highly recommend this experience. I hope to return again someday (I’d stay longer the next time)

I have done a few volunteering trips through Working Abroad now and definitely intend on doing more in the future. The communication and organisation are brilliant and makes the whole process of booking the trip easier. The last volunteer programme I did was in Slovakia with the wolf conservation project, and I had an incredible experience. Not only did I learn a lot, but I also met some amazing people and genuinely felt as though we were playing a key part and contributing to some really important research regarding wolf and lynx conservation. I would highly recommend booking a trip through Working Abroad.

I had a great time volunteering at the project. Coming from an ecology background, it was still very fascinating to learn a new skill in snow tracking. I was also refreshing to see a more untouched, in some ways, environment than in the UK, with a plethora of species commonly found that we no longer have, especially the large carnivores! We had signs of wolf and/or lynx every day for the two weeks which was incredible, and were also lucky or unlucky enough to have a close encounter with a bear. Robin, Peter, Viera and Katka were great guides and in general the trip was very well organised.

It was great! Had hoped to see wolves, lynx and bears and prey, but owing to the terrain, hunting and logging pressure not encountering the above is reasonable. Terrific accommodations, team leaders and team members! Thanks to Aaron and staff.

I found it a fantastic experience and something that I would consider doing again. I did find it hard at times, coming from Australia I had never experienced that type of climate before. But I did climatize and came home very fit! The people running the program were great and meeting them and the other volunteers made the whole experience all the more enjoyable. I loved learning about the art of tracking and being a part of the research. The accommodation and host family were fabulous and very accommodating. I am gluten intolerant and that wasn’t a problem at all. I would definitely recommend it.

I was in Slovakia for a week doing the White Wilderness trip which I thought was brilliant! Robin and the other group leaders were very friendly and helpful. Their knowledge and experience is vast and they were only too happy to share some of that knowledge explaining what we were seeing. The mountains were beautiful and there were plenty of signs of wildlife. The accommodation was nice, Robert couldn’t have been more welcoming and nothing was too much trouble for him. The meals were very generous portions and it was delicious food. Overall it was a very enjoyable trip and well worth doing!

The White wilderness project was fulfilling a dream for me, since I looked for a long period for a project that concentrates on lynx populations. I was surprised in a positive way from the project. Everything was very professional and comfortable at the same time. I learned a lot and very enjoyed those 2 weeks. All the leaders were very kind and professional.

The White Wilderness project was more than great! Everything from the meeting point at Bratislava Station till the last day was well planned and organized. Walking with snowshoes in the silence of the Tatra Mountains was one of the best experiences of my life, I felt myself reconnecting with the planet. The team was friendly, professional and full of enthusiasm, they made me feel part of the project.

Again, I was involved in every part of the day, choosing based on my physical abilities and the activities and routes that were offered. I deepened my knowledge on large mammals and in particular on lynx (I already had a good knowledge of wolves) and on sampling techniques. A separate merit goes to accommodation, really lovely, friendly, clean guest house where I felt pampered and welcomed (and the food was amazing!). I highly recommend this experience to people like me who sometimes feel “trapped” in the city life and struggle to have a true and deep contact with nature.

I was involved for three weeks and am so glad I did, because I could immediately put into practice what I had learned from the previous week, to help cement the skills. We were fortunate to have such good weather conditions to permit almost perfect tracking and data collection opportunities.

The programme was ‘rustic’ but well run and was an amazing opportunity and experience. The guides were knowledgeable and patient and were happy to encourage and teach so as to provide the best experience, and therefore achieve the goals of the program.
The living and sleeping arrangements were adequate, the food plentiful and good (good catering for vegetarians). The equipment provided was adequate and I felt safety was well addressed on each outing.

Overall, I was thrilled to have had this opportunity to participate in such a worthwhile program and would encourage anyone to join in future years.

I was there only one week, too short. However, I appreciated very much the experience. The project is serious, well scientifically managed, with devoted and enthusiastic people. Volunteering is great there, as you are all day in pristine nature, tracking one of the most impressive European animals.

My two weeks spent in Slovakia on the ‘Carpathian Wolf Volunteer Tracking Project’ were absolutely incredible. All the group leaders were amazing and very knowledgeable, and great at training the volunteers. Everyday we were surrounded by incredible scenery while getting the chance to contribute to a worthwhile project alongside people from all over the world. Definitely an opportunity I would recommend to anyone, no matter their prior experience.

I would say the set-up of the project was pretty professional and well taken care of, such as the presentation on the internet, travel info, practical arrangements, documentation, mountain security the evening before starting the work, the wide range of field materials, etc.

At the site itself, there was smooth coordination and also quite some autonomy and responsibility for/from the participants. It was definitely a good choice to have 3 ‘team leaders’; Robin overlooking it all (+ some focus on wildlife/tracking issues, of course), Dan taking good care of the ‘social’ and ‘people’ side of things (and throwing in his field experience from over the years) and Peter sharing his skills as an outdoor person and experienced tracker.

I was also very pleased to see that in Slovakia itself we had excellent accommodation and very attentive and friendly hosts. The delicious meals (always nicely ‘adapted’ for vegetarians), liters of tea and warmth of the stove/fireplace were key and welcome ingredients to keep us going and carrying out the daily work in winterish conditions and often extreme temperatures.

Group-wise things went rather smoothly and I believe we had a good mix of people. There was enough room for participants to choose in which kind of field work they wanted to step into the next day (transects, scrutinizing tracks) and with whom.