Program Reviews

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.

For myself, the best part of volunteering with African Impact was that only once during my 6 week stay, did I feel like a tourist. The rest of the time I felt like I was fully submersed in all the amazing things that South Africa has to offer. I walked away with a very personal and true understanding of the plants, animals, people, communities, cultures and lifestyles which has all contributed to the most amazing memories of an unforgetable experience.

All I can say is that since I left Thanda in Sept.2011, I've been planning my next trip back again in 2012. It was amazing, awesome, fantastic. The project managers, the game-drives, the laughs, the braai under the stars, the children we gave presentations to, the road trips to the market to get ice-cream, the photography workshop with Emile, the lions eating a warthog at night, watching the elephant herd for four hours, and everything in between. If anyone asks me, I recommend this program 100%. You will need a sense of adventure and maybe be ok with roughing it a little, and give my sincere regards to the project managers who will be your friends for life... :)

The experience with African Impact was unique in every sense. The volunteers were involved in different types of projects from medical, to farming and teaching to helping entertain the elderly. It gives you so much on the inside its hard to describe. Africa (and Zambia in particular) as a continent is amazing to visit, and when you combine it with voluntary work its a real catch. Volunteers become friends and you create memories to carry for a lifetime. I would recommend it to everyone wishing to do something out of the ordinary.

Im doing it again in April.

This trip to africa helped change my life. The African impact project made me realize how blessed I was and how great it was to make an impact in the lives of other people. I came home knowing that I truly made a difference in the lives of the children I was involved with. The group leaders did a great job of keeping us informed of what was going on and I didn't feel out of the loop as some people might feel when starting on a new project. I was very involved with everything and my group leaders were there every step of the way to help the volunteers out. They even took time out of their busy schedule to take us to the doctors office when a few of us got sick in the middle of the week. I could no ask for a better experience and I want to work with African Impact in the near future.