Wildlife Conservation Volunteering with African Impact

I had an amazing 4 weeks at the beautiful Dumela Lodge and was able to improve my (wildlife) photography, had superb animal sightings and loads of fun with the other volunteers and staff members (e.g. on one of the many provided weekend activities).
The schedule is well balanced and interesting throughout the weeks.
Local staff is very professional (as is the whole organization African Impact) and helpful.
The lodge we stayed in is great and very luxurious, especially for a volunteering location (pool, fireplace, little garden, lounge with projector...).

Overall from my experiences I can definitely recommend this program and would also recommend other projects that are run by African Impact without having experienced them myself.
Especially if you are a wildlife and photography enthusiast, this is the best pick for you!

I can only recommend the Photography Project in the Greater Kruger Area, it was perfect for me in every way. It was amazing to spend so much time on Game drives either in the near Buffaloland or in Klaserie, where you will actually spend the night camping in tents after a tasty dinner and campfire talks. At both day- and nighttime we have gotten many chances to put the things we learned in the classes to practical use. For me, especially the Macro Photography Bushwalks in the early mornings let me have a look into a world I have never really looked into before. Thanks to the honest, constructive and frequent critique sessions we had many chances to improve our photos.
It was so nice meeting so many different people from all over the world, volunteers and staff, which made my stay in the Dumela Lodge unforgettable. We spent so much time together, both on the project as well as in weekend activities. During the week, asides from the Game Drives, Bushwalks, classes, critiques, and presentations, we gave one to one English classes in a school nearby, played with the kids, removed invasive plants in the bush and worked in a garden designed to teach young African's how to grow and harvest plants. On the weekends, there are many options you can choose from, as long as enough other volunteers want to go as well. Going on hikes, taking a trip to Swaziland, more Game Drives in the Kruger Park, taking a microlight flight and a town trip to Hoedspruit are some of the numerous options.
I can't wait to go back to South Africa and hope to see you there :)

I decided join the Dumela family at Kruger for my sabbatical and had several goals in mind:
- do somethng comletely different than what I do professionally
- work on a sustainable / environmental issue
- find like minded people
-discover the beauty and culture of the country
-don't get stressed
-enhance my skills as photographer
The Photography Programm from African Impact at Dumela turned out to be the perfect choice to achieve all that. From day one you felt like home, still in an professional environment where volunteering doesn't mean partying but real work; 8 hours a day, five days a week. At the weekends they offer a great variety of trips and tours where you can discover the surrounding area and get to know your volunteer friends in a more relaxed atmosphere. What I liked most about the whole program is that by all the explanations the staff gives you, you can enlarge your knowledge, get aware of the real environmental challenges the country faces, you find loads of spectacular facts and "wonders" of nature and at the same time understand that your daily work adds up to a massive impact. As they have research, community and photography projects in one place you'll also learn a lot about the other's work and the schedule offers plenty of opportunities to collaborate and at the same time document their doing by taking pictures.
It's in every regard a very special time you'll definitely enjoy!!!

The month I spent on the photography project in summer 2017 was truly fantastic. It is a totally different experience volunteering compared with your standard safari style holiday. Not only do you encounter amazing animals, you learn the importance of conserving their environments and the research being done to aid this in addition to how your images can also benefit this. Without a doubt you will be taking better shots with more confidence by the end of your stay. The project had a great variety of activities, challenging your photography skills using a range of repertoires and settings, giving a well rounded experience. I loved the opportunities to do community work and bush clearing in addition to the drives at the reserves.

It was great to meet such a variety of people from all over the world. The lodge and all of the staff were fantastic with all the staff really passionate about the work they are doing which is essential for a project like this.

I came away from this project with a completely different understanding of how I can use photography and enhanced my passion for the subject, so much so it has completely changed my plans for the future. I cannot wait to get back there!

I had an amazing time on the photography course African Impact offer in summer 2017. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime - we saw so many amazing animals, were given the best advice for getting the best photos possible, and all around had an amazing month in South Africa. The extra trips offered on weekends were great too, as there was a big variety of things to do. I'd love to go back, and hopefully will do soon!

To go to africa and to african impact was one of the best choices i made in my life. The photography project helped me a lot to understand my camera and to get used to lightroom. To work in such an amazing place for one month, with the animals and the beautiful landscape gave me a lot of awesome memories. The staff and the people I met during this time were just great. To volunteer with african impact means to work hand in hand with people, nature and animals. And I had the possibility to do what I love, beeing able to spend hours and hours in the nature with wild animals and my camera and just live in the moment.
I am thankfull for every minute I passed at this beautiful place.

Previous to me volunteering at African Impact, my experiences with Africa where purely based around safari holidays and photographic expeditions. What I didn't realize was just how these trips had blinkered me from a much wider and more encompassing experience.

The photography project was perfectly in line with my own personal opinions and viewpoints of photography and ethical approaches to wildlife, and it was nice to be taken back to basics and to rebuild my skills and creative techniques with more focus. Getting to know more about the research being done and, in particular, the community was fantastic and knowing how photography aided these projects was great. The fact that our photographs weren't just for our own use but making an 'impact' too, it reaffirmed my love and passion for photography and opened my eyes up to just how important this artistic medium can be if correctly tapped into.

The lodge was beautiful, all staff were enthusiastic, passionate and kind, the food was plentiful and tasty. The worst thing was having to say goodbye to people who had become more like family by the end of a short four week stay.

Volunteering with African Impact in their Big 5 Wildlife Research and Conservation program is the best thing I've done! I had always dreamed of experiencing Africa's wild in person, so my expectations for this program were very high. To my delight, African Impact surpassed these expectations. There were all sorts of magical experiences in the bush: encountering a leopardess and her cub, eating and talking around a bonfire while an elephant ate just a few yards away, and sleeping in tents to the sounds of lions, elephants and hyenas. African Impact is very professional and I felt safe at all times. Dumela Lodge is a great place to stay and the food is really nice. I highly recommend this program.