Communication

Due to the rural location of the project, there is only very unreliable internet service at the camp and therefore this is used for emergencies only. If you get the chance to take a trip to Windhoek, you will be able to access the internet from there.

We suggest that you bring your mobile phone with you (roaming activated).  It is also a good idea to unlock your phone in case you get the opportunity to buy a local Namibian SIM card for about £15, which will allow you to call and text home cheaply and easily. Due to the rural location of the project, the mobile phone signal is quite weak, although there are a few spots around camp where you can get reception, but you will need to walk around a bit to find these! The international dialing code for Namibia is +264.

Work Visa Requirement

The Namibian Department of Home Affairs requires work visas for all volunteers of all nationalities joining the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary.  We have engaged a company in Windhoek to process all work visa applications and the application fee will be $99 USD.  Please submit your visa application with passport copy and document of independence 6 weeks before arrival.  Unless you have a work visa in hand, you must never mention that you are volunteering at the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary - you may be denied entry as this can be misconstrued by Immigration at working in the country.

Other

We welcome volunteers from all across the world aged 17+ to join our projects. No experience or qualifications are necessary.

Volunteers are required to sign an indemnity form acknowledging and accepting the consequences of working in close contact with wild animals.  

Testimonial - Wildlife Project

"I cannot thank you enough for your guidance in steering me towards the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary and Makalali Game Reserve. I loved both places, each one a perfect counterpoint to the other and both so different. Asking me to choose one experience over the other would be tantamount to asking a mother to pick between her children. I love them both for entirely different reasons.

As you know, the primary focus at the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary is the care and protection of the animals that are fortunate enough to have found there way there, albeit by various means. The dedication of the staff there, Carol, Jo, Flo, Cila (to name a few) is humbling. Working side by side with them was indeed a privilege. Whether it was preparing food, repairing roads, building animal enclosures, pulling up fence posts or just playing with the cheetahs, baboons and caracals, the goal was always a common one: whatever was best for the animals. I developed such a bond with one of the baboons, a young male named "Bucket," that I honestly didn't know how I would bring myself to leave him. I called him my "Bucket of Love" and that's exactly what he was.

Then there were the three cheetah siblings. There simply are no words to describe the absolute thrill I experienced when I first met them. All I can tell you that spending time with them was the culmination of a lifelong dream. These animals embody the plight of so many of Africa's creatures and a more noble representative, Africa could not have.

Makalali, on the other hand, was equally enthralling yet totally different. Rather than having to rely on human intervention for their day-to-care as the animals do at the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary, as you know Makalali wildife is totally self sufficient. Instead of hands on care, as a volunteer I enjoyed the privilege of tracking and monitoring the various animals and their behaviors at Makalali. Never a morning person, I found myself eager to arise at 5:30 AM daily to begin our morning quest for the animals. Never knowing what to anticipate, my experiences included sitting in a landrover surrounded by elephants, watching a large male lion and a female lioness mating just a few feet away and tracking a rhino and her calf on foot. Like the staff at the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary, the Makalali rangers/trackers are a dedicated group with whom I developed a real bond and for whom I felt great affection. This was especially true of Mike, Andrews, Hannes and Katie. I wil always be grateful to them for their knowledge, support and patience in guiding and educating me in my efforts."

-Anne Robertson

Testimonial - Research Project

"As part of the research project, four of us volunteers, Paul, Cristina, Rob and Rebecca, were asked to help our researcher Flo in tracking 3 cheetahs that were collared and released in a nature reserve in Southern Namibia. Prior to our departure, we organized all of our food and supplies as we knew we would be in a remote part of Namibia where there were no amenities for over 200km. After a long drive, we finally arrived at the entrance of the nature reserve where we were welcomed by lots of game including a group of ostriches and an aardwolf. After another hour and a half of slow driving, so as not to scare the game away, we arrived at what would be our home for the next 17 days.

Our accommodation was comfortable but basic with no electricity or hot water unless you heated the donkey for two hours. However this was more than compensated by the amazing view we had from our front porch. The mountainous area was beautiful and being in the wild made you forget about everything else going on in the world.

The reserve was semi-desert with open plains of grass and large boulders emerging out of the ground. These boulders gave us great views when we climbed them. Our task for the next 17 days would be to find and track the cheetahs that were released ten days prior to our arrival. We needed to check their movements within the reserve and also the condition they were in, to make sure that they were fit and healthy.

For our first nine days we couldn’t find the cheetahs, so we used the opportunity to check for spoors and to do a game count of the surrounding area which included, springbok, oryx and ostriches. After, nine days, 30 mountains, 120km, annoying grass seeds and even more annoying flies (which flew into our eyes, mouth, ears and nose), we finally got our reward a signal from the cheetahs….Hurray!!!! After finding the signal we stayed there for the rest of the day looking through our binoculars until our eyes were red. Later that afternoon we found what we had been waiting for three black spots in the distance running through the grass…our cheetahs!

For the next eight days the cheetahs stayed in the same area. Each day we sat on the same boulders recording their activities into a data sheet. We did this using telemetry every 15 minutes. In addition to watching the cheetahs, we had plenty of time to count game and watch the wildlife, as well as sunbathing and having 14 minutes naps… although snoring was not allowed as it would scare the cheetahs away! We got to see lots of wildlife, including aardwolves, hyenas, porcupines, puff adders (we ran for our lives!), ground squirrels, hyraxes and also a very scary leopard!

After our daily work, our evening duties consisted of cooking, heating our water, and washing up (which caused the only arguments amongst the group!). We amused ourselves in the evening by having some cool beers, playing cards and eating chocolate. After 17 days without any contact with the outside world, with no phone signal, and the semi-desert sun shining on us, we almost turned into monkeys.

In all, our time at the reserve has been one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. Our team grew very close, which made our working and living together a unique and unforgettable experience." -Cristina, Paul, Becca, Rob