Lion Encounter Volunteer Program

Volunteering with Lion Encounter was a great experience. It was my first time to Africa and I fell in love with Zambia and its people.

The program itself was very interesting and everyday was different. Although walking the Lions was the main purpose, behind the scenes tasks also needed to be done like meat prep, enclosure cleaning/maintenance, behaviour enrichment and snare sweeps to mention a few. Research tasks also needed to be conducted for hunting purposes with the cubs and activity budgets with the release site lions and elephant research as well.

Client walks were also conducted for tourists in the area wanting to experience walking with lions. All in all a great experience and every task related back to the purpose and need of the program.

Not only were the tasks varied they were well organized and conducted by experienced handlers/guides who were always open to questions and helped along the way.

The accommodation was basic but comfortable for Africa and the food was amazing. Our chef was very talented and could cater to various dietary needs.

This program also allows interaction with a couple of local schools through teaching an Environmental Club and Kids Club either during the school week or on a Saturday morning.

Volunteering really made me appreciate the time I spent in Zambia with both the animals and the people. The African way of life if quite different than that of the western world but rarely do you see someone without a smile on their face!

I would highly recommend volunteering in Zambia, Lion Encounter specifically was amazing but I believe anywhere in Zambia would create amazing experiences and the locals are very welcoming and thankful.