Endangered species volunteer | South Africa wildlife reserve

My experience with Hamba Africa was second to none and will forever be a source of fond memories and a wealth of gained knowledge and field experiences.

I joined this trip as a solo female traveller visiting South Africa for the first time, looking to gain further experience in conservation and push myself out of my comfort zone. I could not have selected a better company to fulfil these wishes, as the staff were very friendly and knowledgeable and were able to assist me in achieving my goals whilst encouraging me to take part in new experiences.

I was able to not only get some wonderful sightings of key species such as lions, leopards, elephants and even a pangolin, but I was also lucky enough to be in close proximity to white rhinos and their calves multiple times, and to witness some beautiful interactions and learn about their behaviours up close.

Other fun activities I took part in during this trip included two emergency callouts, vegetation surveys in gorgeous areas of the wildlife reserve, population monitoring, tracking predator species while out on a game viewer, checking camera traps with breaks to flip rocks and find fascinating spider, scorpion and centipede species, and social activities such as braais and campfires in the evenings.

I highly recommend travelling with Hamba Africa if you are looking for an opportunity to learn about a variety of unique species and habitats, challenge yourself to work with a team of new faces in a fun and a beautifully remote environment, and if you are ready to have the experience of a lifetime!

One in a lifetime experience! Met new people from different parts of the world, seen so much wildlife and learned about how reserves looks after them. So much to learn just amazing would definitely go back again. I have learned about elephant behaviour, they have books that you can borrow to read. Amazing photos taken. Great on CV. 1st time travelled alone and met other volunteers and this was all possible because of Harry, he's very funny and smart to be around with he even picked me up from the airport and drove us to the reserve which is big Pro. They also show you documentaries on rhino poaching and lions and elephants and gives you more insight on what's goes around in Africa and how different reserves approach to protect those animals. Honestly best experience and best choice I ever made. Thank you Hamba Africa!

The experience as a whole was one of the best times I've had in my life. I would recommend this to anyone that has any interest in animals, conservation, or just generally travelling - it is well worth the cost. We did work with rhinos, cheetahs, lions, and most of the other wildlife the reserve had to offer; sometimes we were able to get really close to them, which is just a surreal experience.
The staff that work at the reserve are extremely friendly and you get to know them really well throughout your time there. The Hamba Africa staff are also extremely helpful and very likeable, all around making the travelling, social and cooking aspect of the trip very streamlined and enjoyable.

Africa!
This was my first trip out of the UK alone and I picked the right people to do it with.
Harry is so down to earth and is very passionate about what he does - we were treated to a range of information on wildlife, the geology of the area and a whole lot of humour, and that was just on the drive from the airport! He has a lot of knowledge and experience and puts in a lot of time for volunteers! You can really see how much dedication he has for the projects he hosts.

You can be meters away from iconic African wildlife while carrying out your monitoring tasks and even though you have plans for the day, a call might come through where you’re then needed somewhere else to assist with an intervention. Or maybe the call comes through that there’s a special sighting, and then you’re in for a treat!
We also had some educational talks which were really interesting regarding conservation, management of predators and the issues surrounding wildlife’s decline.

The guides were super friendly and were always happy to answer questions and pause at animals and birds people might want to get a better look at or find more information about.
They taught us a lot while we were out working and you get to see first hand how much data and monitoring is needed to make a game reserve exist in harmony.

Travel with Hamba Africa and you will come home with expanded or completely new knowledge and great memories!
3 months later I still have new stories to tell from my time there and can’t wait to return for a future trip!

I cannot recommend Hamba Africa enough. Harry was incredible and knowledgeable. Our guides were just as amazing and able to answer just about any question anyone had on almost any subject about the reserve, and always got us front row seats to things that ordinarily you cannot come close to; such as lion and rhino interventions, game releases and so much more. I had a tent to myself, and got to meet a dozen other like-minded volunteers from around the world. All in all, a truly incredible month.