Program Reviews

Traveling to South Africa truly is an amazing experience. I am an avid traveler -- I have traveled to many locations in my home country and in other parts of the world. Even with that experience, I must admit I had butterflies in my stomach before leaving. I thought about the length of the flights, finding my staff member at the airport, what kind of people I would meet, the level of difficulty of the research, and how interesting the excursions would be to name some items.

However, from the moment I met my project staff member at Johannesburg airport, I knew what kind of tone this experience would entail. He was very welcoming and right away I meshed with the other volunteers on the way to the bush. The accommodations did not disappoint, as the food was delicious and plentiful and the rooms were very clean. The staff gave us a sufficient amount of training before we went into the field. Everyone was responsible for a different task related to research. These tasks were educational but not overwhelming. The sights and sounds in the South African bush were extraordinary. Our schedule kept us busy but still allowed some time for resting and sharing photos. There was a wide variety of tasks to be completed, including research, conservation work, community involvement, camping, and social events. On the weekend, everyone got to sign up for a fun excursion. My trip to Swaziland proved to be memorable.

My time in South Africa went extremely quickly. Meeting people from all over the world was truly a great experience. By keeping an open mind and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone a little, it is amazing what you can accomplish. I highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in a life-changing experience!

Working at the orphanage was the best experience of my life. The goal of the orphanage is to help and to give a second chance to injured or orphan animals. It’s not always likely to release the animals but I can tell that the staff is making everything they can to make that possible. I loved being a volunteer there because everything you do helps the animals to recover. For example, you will be given tasks like cleaning and redecorating the animals’ enclosures, feeding them, playing with them and most of all, making sure that they’re having a good life. Having volunteers around is very important and it is not only because of their help, but also because every dollar invested by them helps the animals to recover and to be in a good shape.

I’m very proud of myself to have been on the team for three weeks and I hope that my photos will encourage people to participate in the project too. Every animal has their own story and this is exactly what inspired me during my trip. Believe it or not, when I went home after this project, I was kind of a different person. You learn so much and you may realise things you never thought of.

Please take note that the orphanage is not a zoo, and that there’s always a reason why all these animals are not released in the wild yet. For example, they have to wait to have a few more monkeys to release them all, because they are animals that live in a group.

The other aspect I really enjoyed is that you have the chance to do other trips during your stay. For example, the staff can arrange a trip to the Matopos National Park or at Victoria Falls for you. All you need to do is to pay and to have a wonderful experience there!

It's a beautiful country with unique culture and rich in exotic animals and plants. Why wouldn't you go is the best question I can ask! This is you're one and only life. Why not make it meaningful?! Give back to this pristine ecosystem and leave this earth better than you found it. :)

The Volunteer Travel Summer Camp was enlightening in every aspect. It showed me how much misfortune there is in underdeveloped countries and taught me how badly people in India need our help. It all starts with education, how we raise and fill up with knowledge the children of tomorrow.

Our western way of living differs drastically from the way people live in India. As volunteers we saw incredible things we would have never imagined during our stay, such as how people really live in the slums. This was thanks to coming as a volunteer rather than as a tourist, which allowed us to immerse ourselves into the culture in a special way. We were able to see this unbelievably chaotic borough from the inside (even the inside of the houses!) thanks to the students from the school who guided us through.

The sightseeing in so many different cities of India gave us a very complete idea of the country, its history and its traditions, in conjunction with the trekking trip through the Himalayas with left us speechless due to the beauty and the peace that we perceived during our night up there. This was for me one of the trip’s highlights.

The accommodation was quite satisfactory, which isn’t usual there, and everything was well communicated in such way that we could take an autorickshaw to wherever we wanted to go, always bargaining (this was the fun part), once we had finished the voluntary work for the day.

The great thing about this trip is that you get to see almost every sector of India, which means that you can also judge the differences between life in rural, crowded or more touristic areas. It has been really exciting to embark on this adventure, and to live it with amazing people I met along the way.
Good luck with your adventure!

I’ve always wanted to be a veterinarian since I was five years old and I’ve always wanted to work at a zoo because I’m in love with wildlife, so I thought this internship was a perfect opportunity to see if my dream is what I wanted and to also be a part of a volunteer project. During the project, I was able to do so many things I would have never thought I’d been able to do for years to come. I was able to give a Nyala an IV, which is probably one of my highlights of the trip. We were always asked our diagnosis on an animal to figure out what was wrong with it, which helped you start thinking like a vet, and then we were able to treat the animal if the medicine was at hand and if we were able too. After being at the project for 3 weeks and being able to visit the same townships, during dog dipping, you could see the impact you were making on the animals which is honestly the best feeling in the world. You would notice the decrease in mange, ticks, fleas, and worms that dogs had. You would see the growth of puppies and see how much healthier looking they would be after you treated them. Additionally, we were able to practice tasks of a large animal veterinarian as well. These tasks include, pregnancy testing, pig AI, cow dehorning, etc. The program offered a great selection of tasks where you could work with wildlife, livestock, and domestic animals. I realized from this trip that I do not want to be a zoo veterinarian anymore because I believe animals shouldn’t be in enclosures and instead roaming free like they were supposed to be. You could see the happiness of animals when they were in their own environment with freedom to do as they pleased. It was an amazing feeling being apart of such an awesome program that made a difference in the local towns and its surrounding reserves. And thanks to this internship, I now know that I want to travel to different countries that need veterinary help due to animals that have poor health and living conditions and be a part of the impact veterinarians are making around the world.

Growing up I have always loved animals especially cats since my mom always made sure we had at least one! So when I found this experience to go help in a wildlife reserve and Moda specifically the white lion I was giddy excited! It was more than what I had ever dreamt of! The staff at the park were so nice and I loved staying right there at the park! goeco.com has a ton of wonderful wildlife and conservation programs it was hard to choose which one but this was an experience I'll never forget!

I volunteered at an orphanage with GoEco for 4 weeks and I absolutely loved it. Still miss it, actually. You get to work with a variety of animals including antelope, monkeys, lions, birds and more! The staff and team really care about the wellbeing of the animals at the orphanage. Bring a positive mentality because their will be snakes, bugs and creepy crawlers! But hey, you're in Africa. Truly an adventure that I will never forget, if you're looking to make a difference in animals lives while being hands on - this is the place for you!

From the minute I arrived at the Abraham Hostel any fear I had disappeared. I arrived at 01.30 in the morning and the lady was so helpful and all my bookings were correct as I had changed details a few times. Next morning our GoEco team leader was great and took care of us, Because of the recent troubles, instead of having to make our own way to the projects he took us all personally. The orientation day was great and we had time to get to know others in the group and was very informative and interesting. The team leader was available all the time and sorted out any problems, always with a smile.
During my time on the social food programme I learnt a lot about myself and was challenged about a lot of my thinking on certain issues.
The team straight away made me feel accepted and valued. I thought I was going to give of my time and help but received so much back.
It was humbling when we delivered the food parcels to the older people and wonderful to see how the gentleman from the programme interacted with the them. Each person was so lovely and I received lots of hugs.
Something happened that was very personal, may not seem much to others but it was a special moment for me.
A party was held by the institute for the older people and we were invited to go. There was a poet and a man who sang and played the keyboard. I noticed in the audience 2 ladies, when they saw each other from across the room they waved and made there way to each other. They hugged each other and held each others hands and chatted and laughed. It was nice to watch especially for me as my own mother died earlier in the year and these 2 ladies just looked like my mum and her best friend, the way they greeted each other and looked in their appearance. It made me smile and tearful at the same time. I phoned my mums friend's daughter and told her straight away.
I made friends with 2 other girls, one I shared a room with and one who was on the same project. We became very close and are meeting up in Germany in January.
From start to finish it was a great experience.

It’s already been a month since I finished my internship with Hello BCN Hostel and I miss it and the people I've made had the opportunity to get to know.

Barcelona is an incredible city. I had previously been to Barcelona for a few short days while on a holiday tour in 2012 and I knew that one day I would need to come back and explore this fascinating city more. Being able to volunteer for 7 weeks with Hello BCN Hostel made that dream a reality.

What made this volunteer program special for me were the activities that myself and the other volunteers organised for the guests. We were not only able to explore new parts of the city and surrounding towns, but we were able to share our love of travel, our secret spots in Barcelona and make the guests holidays memorable.

I made wonderful, lifelong friends with the other volunteers who were with me. Coming from all parts of the world, we were able to bond over our wanderlust and experience that magnificence of Barcelona together. With alternating between working on breakfast shift, bar or organising activities for the guests left a lot of free time to explore the city.

From nights out at tiny bars in the Gothic Quarter, to the pub crawl which leaves every night from the hostel to the clubs along Barceloneta – the city certainly has a lot to offer for nights out on the town. Every night can be an amazing experience in a city that never sleeps at night (those siestas really help)!

But it wasn’t all about drinking and partying. We managed to find some wonderful treasures during out free time: the open air museum (aka bunkers de Carmel) took some finding but the views over Barcelona were well worth it! Tibidabo amusement park overlooking the city, Montjuic Castle, the Olympic pools, the hedgemaze gardens north of the city, seeing the ruins of the old city in El Born Marketplace, the Picasso Museum, the Magic Fountain and the Citadella Park. Even if you don’t know what to see or do in Barcelona – there is a lot on offer to keep everyone happy.

Day trips outside of the city were also a fantastic opportunity to experience more Spanish culture and see what else Spain has to offer. Girona with the beautifully colourful houses and Roman ruins; Figueres with the overwhelming Dali Museum (and crypt of the man himself); Sitges with its beautiful beaches and Montserrat with its hiking trails and Monastery. These were incredible days and ones that I wouldn’t have had without my time volunteering.

And who could forget the amazing architecture of Barcelona? From the Sagrada Familia to Park Guell to the Block of Discord – the famous architecture of this city is something everyone should experience first-hand.
Being able to visit all of these places whilst volunteering really helped with the guests as well. People don’t always know what a city has to offer and it was wonderful recommending to guests what they could do and see whilst in Barcelona.

My time at Hello BCN Hostel was only made better by the wonderful staff that work there and the volunteers who were with me. It is an experience I would never forget and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

One of the best parts of my internship in South Africa was treating a sick rhino. When we arrived she was very skinny. Because she was quite weak, we were able to hold her against the ground while the veterinarian and the volunteers gave here some fluids and glucose. After this we tried to get her on her feet, so she could recover faster. Unfortunately, she never stood up, because she died three days later. After she died we had the opportunity to do a post-mortem on her, to see why she died. I was incredibly lucky to be that close to a rhino and to see what was wrong with her by doing a post-mortem on her. It was very sad that she died though, but unfortunately this is part of the job. Not only did I get some hands-on experience with a variety of beautiful animal species, I also learned a lot from the veterinarian who worked there at that moment. He taught me a lot of useful stuff, which I can use for my further studies. For example: pregnancy testing, the drugs he used, darting animals, working with horses, doing intravenous injections and so one. I absolutely recommend this project, because it is diverse, educational, fun and a thrilling experience you will never forget.