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Why take this trip?

If you have a passion for animals and for wildlife conservation, once you go you will not want to leave this place. This trip will give you a wildlife experience that is completely out of the ordinary and is considered like heaven for animal lovers. You will be given the chance to give back to these beautiful animals and contribute to their wellness and rehabilitation in the wild where they belong. As a volunteer, you will learn that animals too need to be respected and given their space and time. That you need to get to know each one personally and let them know you. You will have to spend a lot of time observing them, how they deal with each other and how they react to people, what they love and what they don’t. You will learn that each one has its own personality - the lazy, the playful, the antisocial...etc - and accordingly they have to be treated differently. The love everyone who goes to this place has for animals there and their passion to do everything they can to help save and rehabilitate them is incredible.

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Who is this for?

This program is for anyone within the age range of 18-45 and is willing to work hard and get their hands dirty for the wild animals. Volunteers take part in various tasks and activities such as care-taking of the animals, feeding them, taking them on walks in the bushlands, research and tracking of the animals that have been released back to the wild. Volunteers come from all over the world with the sole purpose of working to help give these animals a better life and hence being an animal lover is an absolute must! You will be expected to work hands on with many of our animals, as well as potentially with sick or injured wildlife. We also ask you to come with an open mind. Life here is likely to be very different from what you are used to back home, but it is amazing how quickly you get used to life on the farm and do not want to leave! You are expected to respect those you are working with, from fellow volunteers, coordinating staff to other farm staff. Every person has their job, which is crucial to the proper functioning of the farm, so please listen to and be respectful of guidelines and instructions.

Every morning you will wake up to a hearty breakfast and get to work with your team. Each team is responsible for a group of animals so you get to work first by preparing their food and then feeding them and cleaning their enclosures. This will take pretty much the first half of the day followed by lunch and a break.
After resting/exploring/reading you will meet your teams again and go for the second round of feeding if needed and you will get some time to spend with the animals you want (only those you are allowed to interact with). Some days there will be games and competitions for all volunteers.
Saturday is your day off which you can spend as you wish starting from hanging by the pool to helping with research or visiting the bushmen's nursery to play with the children there
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Weather

Namibia is considered one of the sunniest countries in the world and thats why it’s weather is good all year round. Being located in the southern most part of Africa, the Winter months are from June to August with average day temperatures of 20C dropping down to 7C at night. Summer months are from November to Feb with day temperatures averaging at 30C and dropping down to 17C at night. Being a desert-like country, the temperature can be very hot in the morning and very cold at night so whenever you go, make sure you pack accordingly

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Accommodation

All volunteers are housed in the volunteer village which is around a 10 minute walk from the main farm area. There are several wooden cabins (4 pax per cabin), communal showers, toilet facilities, and a bar/eating area where you will have all your meals. There is also a small swimming pool for you to relax after the long day or during the weekend. The volunteer village is located right next to a waterhole and there is something magical about watching kudu, wildebeest, eland and springbok—as well as the occasional giraffe or zebra—grazing or taking a drink on your way to breakfast as the sun rises over the grassland. The village is run on solar power and each room has solar panel lights. Since there are no electric sockets at the village, there is a separate room at the main farm, where volunteers can charge their cell phones, laptops and cameras.

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Food

Namibia is a meat-eating country so you will find that more of the meals contains meat but we do cater to all dietary requirements. The farm is located in a relatively remote area of Namibia so please do coordinate with us in advance should you have an extensive dietary requirement to ensure we prepare your meals accordingly. You will receive three meals a day. Meals are generally basic but tasty and filling. Common dishes for lunch and dinner include burgers, goulash, pasta with meat sauces, rice, sauce and potatoes. Breakfast can be porridge, cereal, eggs or pancakes.

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Animals

The farm hosts a variety of animals with different needs. Some are orphaned, some have been insured, some are simply endangered and need to be relocated to a safer area. Though the depth and extent of your contact will depend on the exact animal and species, the following species call the farm a home: meerkats, mongooses, wild dogs, a brown hyena, cheetahs, leopards, lions, baboons, vervet monkeys, warthogs, vultures, caracals, horses, sheep, cows, domestic cats and dogs. Please understand that we have certain guidelines regarding animal interaction in place to protect both our animals and you, the volunteer. This is not a petting zoo or a place where you go to carry lion cubs. The sole interest of the farm is the welfare of the animals and their continued health and wellbeing and we do not support the practice of “lion cub petting”.

your mission

In this program, your main target is to help with the wellbeing of the animals and to contribute in their conservation and rehabilitation in the wild. This is a very long process of course and has several steps in between. Some of the activities you will be doing are the following:

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Food Preparation

This is the major core responsibility of our volunteers and you can expect to spend a significant amount of time working on this task. Food preparation includes all of the preparing of food, feeding and cleaning of enclosures for a volunteer's team’s assigned group of animals. You will chop meat for your meerkats, apples for your baboons, and distribute leftovers for your vervet monkeys. Food preparation brings you close to the animals and it is through this daily interaction that often the strongest bonds are formed.

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Baboon Walks

these walks provide our young orphan baboon troupes with the opportunity to exercise, explore, clambering up and down trees, play-wrestling in the Namibian bush and “just be baboons”. When they get tired, you will likely find a baboon on your shoulders, hitching a ride until the next novelty catches their attention.

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Farm Work

farm work can take many forms, from cleaning out large waterholes to constructing new enclosures, to cleaning up bones and other debris from the large outside enclosures. Though it can be very hard work, it is crucial to the continued wellbeing of the animals that call the farm a home.

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Lifeline Patrol

volunteers on lifeline patrol check the perimeter fences of our Lifeline nature reserve area, ensuring that there are no holes, damaged areas or other concerns, a task that is crucial to the safety of both the surrounding farmlands as well as our animals that have been released into our reserve area.

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Research

volunteers can get involved in research initiatives. Those interested in this line of work may have the opportunity for increased involvement during their stay. Volunteers will help radio-track the cheetahs that have been released into our Lifeline reserve area and to study how these originally hand-raised animals are adapting to independent life. You will record their location, behaviour patterns, as well as if/when they make a kill. We hope this research will go on to help further big cat conservation efforts and see more big cats released into the wild.

PRICE

$1,360

best time to travel:

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

PRICE INCLUDES

    • Arrival, departure, and all transport in a private car.

    • Weekly laundry service

    • Accommodation in a 4 pax lodge

    • Visa application fee and help with the process

    • 3 Meals per day while at the farm

    • Government taxes

PRICE EXCLUDES

    • International flights

    • Personal medical & travel insurance 

    • Namibia visa fee

    • Personal expenses, such as laundry, extra drinks and snacks...etc.

    • Tips & gratuity