Make the most of your annual leave on a volunteer holiday with a difference of one week or more. Get stuck into animal welfare and conservation volunteering, all whilst enjoying the area, meeting new people and taking a break from the norm.
“Not only is it a fantastic experience but it’s great value for money. You take a holiday where you come away feeling a sense of achievement as you have made a huge difference” Holly, South Africa
“You should only do it if you are prepared to work hard and have a real interest in undertaking a very important project. If this is you then you won’t have a better experience.” Sara, South Africa
With Ghana, you can always expect the unexpected and this is just as true for the sports that you can find there. Football is the most loved sport, with many supporting their national team – the Black Stars. However, there are plenty of other sports that you could coach, from boxing to golf. Get involved with amazing local clubs and pass on your passion for sport.
Travel to Pokhara, Nepal and see for yourself why so many travellers fall in love with the stunning landscape. Join an empowerment project that aims to reduce the unemployment gap between men and women in Nepal. Teach local women English and skills that will help to increase their career prospects and self-esteem.
Get hands-on with hundreds of monkeys and baboons in the world’s largest primate rehabilitation centre – prepare for plenty of monkey hugs! Become a surrogate parent to these mistreated and orphaned animals, helping them on their journey to a new life back in the wild.
Live life on the wild side and get stuck in to the life of an assistant game ranger on a stunning game reserve, home to Africa’s Big 5. Enjoy the thrills of taking a safari, all whilst helping to promote the survival of African flora and fauna. Experience the lions roaring, elephants trumpeting and antelope running as you work out and about on the reserve each day.
Join an international team of volunteers who are working together to care for rescued elephants in an inspirational sanctuary. Together you will be helping these elephants to have a life as close to the wild as possible, a far cry from their previous lives working on the streets or in tourist camps. Highlights include bathing and walking the elephants, allowing you to really get to know these gentle giants.
Head to Delhi and work with street children in the centre of the city. This is a thoroughly worthwhile projet aimed at hard-working volunteers keen to make a real difference.
Get off the beaten track to live on a beautiful Costa Rican beach, protecting the turtles that nest and hatch on the golden sands. Become part of the local rhythm, immersing yourself in community life and beach life alike as you make a genuine contribution to marine conservation. Pura vida!
Volunteer at Eastern Europe’s largest bear sanctuary, helping to care for the world’s most beloved animal. Watch the bears enjoying their newfound freedom as you look after their basic needs in this beautiful woodland haven. Romania is described by many of our volunteers as “Europe’s hidden gem”, and with its vast number of outdoor, historical, cultural and city pursuits, you won’t want to leave!
Volunteer in Laos, teaching young Buddhist monks in beautiful Luang Prabang, a UNESCO Heritage town. Live and experience day-to-day life in an exciting, culturally rich town, next to the Mekong River. Work with young, novice monks and help them to improve their English, helping them to improve the employability in the future. By giving back to the community, gain a privileged insight into the Buddhist religion.
Experience parts of Australia that many will never get to see by taking part in outback, rural and urban community projects with other enthusiastic volunteers. Chose from 9 gateway cities stretching across this vast land, and why not combine more than one?
Bears, birds, orangutans, monkeys, gibbons, deer, otters – and much more! – are being cared for by volunteers like you at this inspiring sanctuary on the outskirts of Thailand’s largest national park. Help to look after over 400 neglected animals, rescued from the cruel tourist trade, and brought to this sanctuary to recover. If that isn’t enough of a draw, there is even an on-site elephant sanctuary that you may be able to help at too.
Volunteer at a Tanzanian children’s village in the Karatu Region. This is a fantastic community based charity, set up to provide a permanent home for marginalised and vulnerable children. Volunteers can get involved with childcare, teaching or helping at the medical clinic.
Volunteer in Pokhara in Nepal, a city surrounded by the Annapurna mountain range and plenty of stunning lakes. Gain a unique insight into this amazing country and step off the tourist route by living with a host family and working in local schools.
Live with elephants in a beautiful lakeside rescue centre, surrounded by sprawling jungle and jagged mountains, and help to protect these endangered creatures. Work with elephants that have been rescued from the demanding logging industry, and witness baby elephants being cared for in the on-site elephant nursery. The elephant population in Laos, once known as the “Land of a Million Elephants”, is plummeting, and you can be part of the solution to this tragic problem.
Step far off the trodden tourist trails and deep into stunning Sri Lanka, where elephants are still clinging on to life in the wild. Work closely with the local community to help promote the survival of the endangered Asian elephant, all whilst enjoying seeing these creatures roam in their natural habitat – a rare wonder.
Become a research diver on an important volunteer marine conservation project in Thailand. Get involved in daily dives to explore the health of the marine environment just off the stunning island of Koh Phangan. Suitable for new and experienced divers alike, this project allows participants to play in active role in tackling marine decline, all whilst enjoying the wonders of life under the sea.
Become part of an elephant research team, monitoring these gentle giants in their daily lives together. The project is located in a beautiful park, where you will be working closely with orphaned elephants as they recover from previous trauma and stress. In your free time, explore the stunning Garden Route and immerse yourself fully in this wonderful corner of Africa.
Explore one of the most beautiful and untouched destinations on earth – New Zealand! Help local conservationists with their efforts to preserve some of New Zealand’s most beautiful locations. Chose from two gateway cities on the North Island and one on the South Island.
Volunteer with over 200 exotic Amazonian animals in a beautiful rain forest sanctuary. From monkeys to forest cats, from caimans to birds, from tortoises to rodents, this wildlife haven is home to amazing animals aplenty. Contribute to their rehabilitation and care during the week, and explore this stunning corner of Ecuador on your weekends.
Head to Borneo, an island that has gone down in legend as one of the best places in the world for wildlife lovers. Volunteer with Bornean sun bears at a leading rescue and rehabilitation centre, watching them become accustomed to life in the wild, and helping them on this incredible journey to freedom.
Step into the heart of Borneo’s rainforest, helping to regenerate habitats and monitor local wildlife, from orangutans to pygmy elephants and from primates to crocodiles. This is a once in a lifetime experience to live in a small remnant of paradise, immersing yourself in the local way of life and helping to preserve this magical area and its creatures for the future.
Get stuck in working with a wide range of cheeky primates at an inspirational rescue centre on the fringes of the Amazon rain forest. From spider monkeys to squirrel monkeys, from woolly monkeys to capuchin monkeys, help to provide for these rescued animals, enabling them to live a life as close to the wild as possible.
Work with orangutans in two stunning settings, assisting with orangutan welfare and habitat restoration. Actively be part of the orangutan care programme in a primate centre in mainland Malaysia, before heading out into Borneo’s rain forest to help protect and monitor these graceful creatures in the wild. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to volunteer with orangutans in one of the most stunning settings on the planet – don’t miss it!
Volunteer with endangered white rhinos, recently reintroduced to Uganda after they were tragically poached to extinction in the 1980s. Aid the team at the sanctuary to care for these rhinos, and understand the impact that their reintroduction is having to local biodiversity. After 10 amazing days at the rhino sanctuary, head off on a 3 day safari at Murchison Falls National Park to search for elephants, lions and leopards, before taking a cruise up the Nile to the foot of the impressive waterfalls.
Experience rare desert elephants in the wild, helping these endangered animals and rural communities to co-exist in harmony. Enjoy all that desert life brings, from cooking over camp fires to sleeping under the stars, and throw yourself into the volunteer role, which includes tracking elephants, doing building projects and helping the local community.
Come together with a remote Karen community to enable elephants to return to the wild after a lifetime of working in the tourist industry. Experience the joy of seeing these elephants learn how to live in their natural habitat, monitoring the progress that they are making. Live in home stays alongside local people, properly immersing yourself in this hill tribe community.
Live in a stunning city, nestled in a valley between the Mekong River and majestic mountains and become part of a inviting and intriguing community. This is a fulfilling programme for volunteers looking to join a movement that aims to increase disadvantaged women’s access to education, helping to boost their future employability.
Head to Nepal with your fellow University students and spend 4 weeks trekking, white water rafting, living with Nepali families and volunteering on a worthwhile community project. This is a great way to spend your holiday time whilst raising money for ADM Nepal Charitable Trust to support the excellent work that they do in Nepal.
Giant tortoises that date back to the dinosaurs, sea lions that sunbathe next to you on the beach, glittering blue waters with amazing marine life – the Galapagos is undeniably one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Join a conservation mission that is working hard to preserve the fauna and flora on the Galapagos Islands, promoting its survival for generations to come.
If you only have a few weeks off work this year, make it count by volunteering for a worthwhile cause with animals or in wildlife conservation. Push yourself outside your comfort zone and experience living in a totally foreign environment. You’ll be able to work with unique animals, meet friendly locals and experience local culture whilst making a difference to the lives of endangered animals and bring recognition to the environmental impact of humans. A volunteer trip also gives you the opportunity to enhance your C.V, learn a range of new skills and could create valuable work experience for a future career. Make new friends and make great memories to share with your friends and family when you go back to work or university!
