Program Reviews

My time at the Betary Reserve was absolutely lovely! Being surrounded by such a large amount of beautiful nature was a very welcome change from my daily city life back in Australia. I assisted in many of the projects on the reserve from photography to monitoring of ponds to inventories of trees and wildlife. There was never a boring day and I would have loved to stay longer to keep on learning about the many things the area has to offer.

Translated Review:
My name is Raphael Ribeiro Francisco, I'm 26 years old. I'm a student of veterinary medicine.
During the months of April and May / 2018, I had one of the most rewarding experiences of my life working as a volunteer at IPBio.
Aside from the ambiance being amazing, the staff are incredibly responsive and I could feel at home right away in the early days.
My initial goal was to work with the monitoring of wild animals, large and medium-sized mammals, and I was responsible for the assembly of the trap cameras and the analysis of the captured images.
In addition, I had the opportunity to help make several other contributions, such as: fish inventory, forest inventory, tadpoles monitoring and aquatic habitat monitoring.
The Volunteer Project at the Betary Reserve was an accomplishment, would recommend to all people who love being close to nature and want an extra experience in that environment.
Thank you IPI for the incredible work I had the opportunity to contribute in that short space of time.

Original Review:
Meu nome é Raphael Ribeiro Francisco, tenho 26 anos. Sou estudante de medicina veterinária.
Durante os meses de abril e maio/2018, tive uma das experiência mais gratificantes da minha vida trabalhando como voluntário no IPBio.
Além do ambiente ser incrível, os funcionários são incrivelmente receptivos e pude me senti em casa logo nos primeiros dias.
Meu objetivo inicial era trabalhar com o monitoramento de animais silvestres, mamíferos de grande e de médio porte, diante disso fiquei responsável pela montagem das câmeras trap e a análise das imagens capturadas.
Além disso, tive a oportunidade de ajudar a realizar também diversas outras contribuições, como: inventário de peixes, inventário florestal, monitoramento de girinos e monitoramento de habitat aquático.
O Projeto de voluntariado na Reserva Betary foi uma realização, recomendaria para todas as pessoas que adoram estar próximo a natureza e querem uma experiência a mais nesse meio.
Obrigado IPBIo pelo incrível trabalho que tive a oportunidade de contribuir nesse curto espaço de tempo.

Your search is over! If you are looking for somewhere to volunteer in South America and you love animals or science, then this is the place! I have been volunteering around South America with my husband for the last 5 months, and this has by far been the best place yet! There is such a variety of activities that we have been doing that it is never boring. We have monitored trap camera footage, observed birds, monitored ponds and trees, and collected fish and river data! It has been so incredible being able to help the research efforts and get to see the amazing biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest first hand! The accommodations were also incredibly comfortable, from private rooms with personal air-conditioning units, to a fully stocked kitchen and living area, it was really lovely! This is such a special place and I am really sad to be leaving, but it has been such an amazing experience that I will remember it forever! I would definitely recommend volunteering at the Betary Reserve! This place is truly unlike any I have ever seen before. On top of the beautiful destination, the amazing research, and the fun activities, this place is so well organized! That is one thing we have had some difficulties with at previous volunteer locations, is a lack of organization. So it has been such a breath of fresh air to have things lined out, planned ahead of time, and on schedule!

IPBio was a dream come true!
Get out of your zone of comfort (your country) to carry out a volunteer/internship in another country, culture and language are the experiences that you must live. People should be more interested in how biodiversity is affected by the fault of the human being and how much we are losing. In the reserve, what is being sought is preserving biodiversity through research and the different projects that operates with qualified personnel.
Take the opportunity to live a unique experience and seek to develop their fullest potential. Also enjoy the different attractions that has Iporanga and its surroundings to offer, enjoy the most because when one less think about it, you have to return to their country (always missing friends that left in the Reserve)

I spent 2 months as an eco-volunteer at the Betary Reserve getting involved in a wide range of projects. Despite not having any biological background, while i was at the reserve I worked on projects such as fish inventory, habitat monitoring , mushroom and tree inventory, all of which gave me time to work outside and enjoy the beautiful Atlantic rainforest. I also spent time helping to sort through all of the spectacular footage they have of the local wildlife and activities. Through all this I was able to was still able to learn a lot about biological research and conservation.

On the weekends I had plenty of time to enjoy some of the local tourism activities, such as caving, waterfall hikes and visiting cananeia, which were great fun and provided more opportunities to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and wildlife.

My experience at IP Bio has been incredible and definitely something that I will never forget! The staff and volunteers have all been so friendly and made the reserve feel like home. The reserve itself is beautiful, with amazing wildlife around every corner.

There are a great range of projects on offer, giving volunteers the chance to try a bit of everything or to specialise and focus upon something that they really enjoy. As well as this, the range of weekend activities and the chance to hang out with the staff and locals is amazing and has meant that there is never a dull moment when you volunteer here.

My environmental and aquatic science background has meant that this volunteering experience has not only helped me to learn new skills but also put my own knowledge that I learnt whilst studying into practice. I hope that I have made a positive impact upon the research center and I am excited to see how they will develop and grow in the future to influence conservation work in Brazil!

I came to the Atlantic Forest after deciding to take a sabbatical from the business world before starting my Master’s at Oxford. I was determined to go to Brazil and decided that travelling without a purpose was not for me. I had heard about the Betary Reserve as my friend Imran is a volunteer coordinator. The project also appealed to me in its conservation and research aims.
When I arrived, I had no experience in biology, conservation or research. Still, I hit the ground running, soon having a number of projects to contribute towards. During my time at the Reserve I helped set up a course for volunteers, prepare volunteer presentations in addition to helping around the reserve around the research projects. It was validating to watch my efforts contribute to the crucial conservation and education aims of the organisation. My favourite research projects were the Fish Inventory, where I searched for Fish in the river on a hot sunny day, the Frog Night Search, where we looked for Frogs (you guessed it) at night to gauge the biospheres biodiversity.
Outside of the Reserve I didn’t lack things to do either. I arrived on the weekend of the town’s anniversary and had a reggae concert to attend pretty soon after. Still, the best party was definitely Carnival. We all decided to go to Cananeia (a beach paradise, 2.5 hours away from the reserve) for a day at the beach, dolphin and crab watching, before heading to town for an amazing seafood dinner and the main event: Samba schools parading through town. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I have had so far.

Volunteering for IPBio is something I could not have imagined. And I mean that in all the best ways. The welcome was warm and informative at the same time and my six-week-stay in the volunteer house couldn't have been better. During the day I was working as a video producer, putting my editing skills to good use. There already is an immense archive of footage made by the great biologists and previous volunteers on site and images caught with camera traps in the forest. The beautiful tropical plants and animals only make you want to add your own sightings to the film stock. With these images I was able to make some video's for the website and the youtube-channel (you should check it out, it gives a good idea of what life and volunteering here is all about). In the evenings and during the weekends you had time to take part in group activities or you could just chill. The surrounding area has a lot to offer: caves to explore and rivers to swim in. The forest in itself is amazing and has a diversity that is unmatched anywhere on the planet. It was delightful to actually experience this wonder of nature and take part in the effort of conserving it.

I have stayed at the reserve for three weeks, and I am still captivated by the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest. IPBio offers volunteers a chance to experience living in a rainforest, without having to sacrifice certain comforts (such as WiFi!). There is a great family dynamic at the reserve, and the place does start to feel like home.

Undertaking field research in the Atlantic Forest was an unforgettable experience, the views, the wildlife and the people made it both interesting, and enjoyable.
Contributing to Atlantic Forest conservation was incredibly rewarding, I only wish I could have stayed for longer. I highly recommend IPBio, it was a fantastic experience and one that I would love to try again.

In Reserva Betary, you will get a glance of the immensity of the Atlantic forest, the biodiversity is ridiculous, you will see more trees and insects than you can count, you will be amazed at the colors of plants and birds and you will be tired of the size and quantity of insects.
The people here really makes it easy for you, not only the volunteer coordinators, but also the local Brazilians working here, the biologist, gardener, managers, everyone is really welcoming and will always make your stay great.
There is always something interesting to do on weekends, either if you want to do some tours to giant caves or waterfalls, or having a barbeque with the other volunteers in the reserve, advancing and going deeper in your job, or just getting your camera and going for a walk into the jungle, it is very hard to get bored here.
Overall, I had a great time, learned a lot, got to know great places, great people, saw incredible landscapes and got amazed by the biodiversity of this place, it is an experience I will always remember, and will also, always recommend, eyes closed.