Program Reviews

My friend and I went for a 1 week volunteer program.
My friend is not a animal lover like me so she was scared at first, when days went by, she was more passionate than me. Overall, it was life changing.

My two week volunteer experience at Jogja Wildlife Rescue Centre was absolutely incredible. From the word go, I was welcomed by centre staff and made to feel at home. Each day I was given the opportunity to assist in various tasks such as feeding and preparing food, cleaning enclosures and providing enrichment to the orangutans, gibbons, sun bear, bear cat, parrots, eagles, porcupines, slow loris and a whole list of rare and intriguing animals! It was a privilege to be up and close with such animals and to work alongside the animals keepers and centre staff.

My entire time spent at the centre was amazing but some highlights for me were learning more about the illegal wildlife trade, getting to know staff and volunteers at the centre, riding amongst beautiful Jogja on the back of a motorbike, teach Environmental English at the local school, Javan dinners at a member of staffs home on a Friday night and visiting Borobudur Temple!

This is an exprience you will not regret! I just hope I will get to visit the staff and animals sometime again!

From the start of the adventure, everybody was very welcoming, the trip was laid out to us so we knew what to expect. The first few days were difficult adjusting to the heat and the time difference so it was nice to take it easy and there was just enough time for me to fully adjust to changes before starting the trek.

All activities eg. the flying fox, badminton etc were great fun and allowed us to gel into the group. Sri was excellent with translating and could answer all of our questions. Although sometimes tricky eating new food, the opportunities and variety of food we were given was amazing. My favourite part of the adventure was visiting the Orang Asli, as it was so interesting and great to experience a completely different way of life. Teaching the children was amazing but would have been nice to perhaps do it over two days as the children were slightly shy to begin with.

Overall, the experience has given me some unforgettable memories and have made some great friends. Would love to come back and visit again.

My experience volunteering was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. It's a real life changer and really makes me appreciate everything a lot more. The Orang Asli has really taught me that it's not always the nice things in life but family and friends and helping the community that can get you by in life and enjoying every moment.

The Ecoteer team were amazing and I have made so many more friends but the worse part was saying good bye.

The Mount Korbu Trek has really made me push myself and my limits which I would like to say a thank you .

I've enjoyed every second of the last week and all the people I have met and been with, it has been like being part of a family. As well as enjoying it, I feel like I have learnt so much about the forest, the local community and Malaysia in general.

Sri is so enthusiastic about what he is dong you can't help but get caught up in it with him. The fact that you feel like you can see where your money has gone and that Ecoteer cares about having a positive impact on the local community and everyone who is involved in the project is another really important part for me. I fell like I have got so much out of doing this and would not hesitate for a second to recommend it to others.

I interned as Yellow House Volunteer Coordinator for 2 months in Sept and really enjoyed my time there, living in a real Malaysian community.

Since Yellow House is a hostel which includes local volunteering activities, my role was to help with the running and up keep of the hostel whilst accommodating guests with local volunteering activities.

My highlight was volunteering at Hilla Community Centre for reguees ( a 10 minute walk away). Every weekday I taught the kids English, science and sport (but any subject you can teach is welcome!). I felt my time there was really appreciated and I think Yellow House bringing volunteers to Hilla is really great for the kids. Its also just a happy place to spend your time! I loved it!

I am 3 months into my internship at the moment and loving every minute. I am a volunteer coordinator in Java, Indonesia where I look after volunteers traveling to the project as well as helping local children and the staff at the centre develop their English skills. The centre here rescues animals that have been trafficked illegally and kept as pets, commonly in poor conditions. The main goals of the centre is to rehabilitate and eventually release whatever animals still stand a chance of survival in their natural habitat. The days are busy and hard work but it's really rewarding to know I am making a difference to the lives of animals such as orangutans, gibbons, eagles and even more species that have been rescued through the confiscation process and also improving the future prospects of the local children who are all eager and keen to learn English from a native speaker. Every day is new with experiences I would never have thought possible if I hadn't applied for the internship through Ecoteer :)

I started the programme at the Yellow house in KL.This is a quaint volunteer hub with a rustic charm,it provides with the basic creature comfort with a token cost.I was greeted by Daniel,who will be leading the programme.I get to meet fellow volunteers from Europe,Australia and US,off to another volunteer programme in Ipoh.Glad were we to be hosted by the hospitable neighbour who hosted an authentic Indian dinner,wonderful curry,thosai,rice etc.

Next day we took a bus and public transport to meet our guide Mr. Ashley,and he brought along his daughter Eleanor.Together we head off to Merapoh for the programme proper.

The guest house in Merapoh have nice comfy bed,kitchen and outdoor shower rooms.Next two days we went for a recce at the fringe of Taman Negara National Park,charting new future patrol route. We have many interesting sighting along the way : animal tracks,droppings ,creepy crawlies etc.We also done some camera trapping work,and I was elated to see the pictures of the many megafauna denizens in the park:tigers,sun bears,panthers,elephants,tapirs,dholes,wild boars,porcupines etc.Seeing them on picture is all that worth my while,as it is extremely difficult to see the animals in the park due to their shy and elusive nature.But we do see red Muntjac on the trail,albeit only a fleeting second.

Daniel and I spent one night in one observation hide,staking out a salt lick.No animals were spotted,but the experience was wonderful.There are fireflies in the forest,and the cacophonies of the night illustrates the vibrancy and diversity of life in the rain forest.

Another day was spent camping in the elephant cave,known as Gua Gajah.Evidence of elephant presence was everywhere.It is truly a unique first time experience for me,camping out in a limestone cave.It was breezy and cooling,we set up a bonfire,and were quickly lulled to sleep in the unique ambiance.

I have a half day adventure in one of the limestone cave,gua Hari Malaysia.The guides from SGI outdoor are experience and helpful people,and we had a good time exploring up to 400 m into the cave.At certain stretch,we have to swim across pools with the ceiling a few centimeter from our head,while we have to rappel up mini falls twice during the exploration.Bats were abound in the cave,and I saw whip scorpion and some spiders in the cave too!

I have spent day with the indigenous people of Malaysia,the orang asli.They are the original denizens in the Taman Negara forest,and have learned all the necessary survival skills to live in the rain forest.I was amazed at the speed they travel through the forest at ease,traversing the water-logged and muddy ground.The ladies are good fishers too,being capable of reeling in good catches in no time,using nothing more than a bamboo rod and earthworm bait.

This is definitely a lifetime experience for me.Trekking in Malaysian forest may not be new to me,but to experience the life in the forest doing my part in forest conservation is something I have always wanted to do. Never mind about the rain,who put off some of the planned activities,and leeches,boggy ground,bugs and creepy crawlies,they are an essential component of nature ,like you and I.Go with an open mind,and you will reap in an experience of a lifetime.Thanks to Ecoteer and MYCAT for the great experience.

I love that we get to interact with the village people(the children were AMAZING!!!). The food was so good I manage to gain weight despite there was so much physical activity. We have the opportunity to talk with the school children about the importance of conserving the health of the sea(some of the children even thought us a lesson or two), we paint a mural for the school library and we learned how to prepare traditional food from the ladies of PILA. And the Jetty Jump was EPIC...I have never been so scared but yet so EXCITED to do something. It was wonderful and I hope to go there again soon.

I spent a week in July 2013 on the tiger trail volunteer experience, and let's just say it wasn't one to forget.

To start off with, I'd never done anything like this before and didn't really know what I'd got myself in to. I'm 19 so was one of the youngest in the group.
My friend and I spent our first few nights in KL, and then met the rest of the group at a bus station to head off on our journey to Merapoh. This took about 5/6 hours, the busses were comfy so it wasn't so bad.

We arrived in Merapoh with all our bags and got picked up by the owners of the chalet. They took us back and we were given a quick tour. It was extremely basic, which at first I thought I was going to absolutely hate. As soon as I got over this, it turned out to be absolutely fine and just what we needed. I was made to feel at home, everyone was so nice and the accommodation did exactly what it needed too.
The rooms were single sex, we had 2 girls rooms and one for boys. There were 2 bunk beds in each, again very basic. This is all that was needed, we were living out our backpacks and by the end of all that trekking it was like heaven getting in to bed!
There was a lounge and kitchen area as well where we all could sit in after the treks and chill out for a few hours. We all felt very safe staying there and by the end of the week we didn't want to leave!

We had some lunch and a run through of the week, it was all quite overwhelming at the start because it sounded like a lot to cram in.

We had about 7 volunteers altogether, at the start it was a bit awkward and everyone was quiet but by the end of the week we were such good friends and we were all just having a laugh together. Helping each other out and working together on the treks created a bond almost straight away and I met some of the most amazing people.

Let's move on to the actual trekking itself.
We started in the mornings at about 8, and drove to different corridors of the Taman Negara. The treks would include going down poacher trails and looking for any animal evidence (prints etc.). This lasted about 7 hours for 4 of the days of the week, and is definitely not for anyone with a poor fitness level. We had regular breaks and stopped off for lunch. If anyone was finding it difficult the team were there to support them and the MyCat guides were excellent in making sure everyone was alright. I didn't know what to expect and the first trek really brought home to me what the week was going to be like. The terrain was tough and it included things such as walking over logs that had fallen between two banks over a river.
Just a word of warning: Proper walking shoes and at least 2 pairs of trousers are required! I only bought one pair of trousers which were wrecked in the first day, I then had to go out and buy another pair! Another member of the group also bought trainers to wear, and after a few hours the soles had completely fallen off. A good backpack would also be handy. Be prepared for clothes to be ruined! Also, getting leeched is inevitable. It doesn't hurt, and although pretty gross you have to just flick them off or leave them.

Don't let the long days or tough terrain put you off though, the experience wasn't one to be missed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was completely different to anything I'd done before and didn't really know what to expect, but it was so much fun.

We spent one night sleeping in the jungle, which was an experience I will never forget. Some of the members of the Batek tribe came and cooked us chicken and rice in bamboo, which was absolutely incredible. We arrived at camp and they had already made themselves a shelter out of leaves and sticks. I felt like I was cheating putting up our tents and hammocks! The nights sleep wasn't one of the best but staying right near a river surrounded by wildlife was an incredible experience and will never be forgotten.

Another day was spent caving. This really helped to break up the week of trekking as it wasn't so physically demanding. It was run by the owners of the chalet. We arrived at the site of the cave and were immediately thrown in to the deep end as we had to rock climb up a verge with only a rope behind us. This was completely safe and the leaders of the caving helped us to get up. We then started walking through the cave, which was amazing. We saw all sorts of wildlife, including snakes and scorpions. The caving included crossing through a river, about waist height. If you weren't confident in water the guides were happy to put a rope through to help. We were in the caves for about an hour and a half, until we got to the end. It soon dawned on us we were going to have to abseil down a 30m cliff if we wanted to get back. This was scary, however we all managed to do it and all felt as though we'd accomplished something after (if not a little shaky...)!

We spent another day going to visit the local Batek tribe. This included another trek, where we went with the women to collect leaves in order to weave baskets. It was amazing watching them work, they were about 70+ and much fitter than us! We then went back to their village and taught them an English lesson in their school. They knew very basic English, but responded to the lesson very well and it was such a rewarding experience.

The food throughout the week could not be faulted. It was mainly Malay style curries. We were given a packed lunch every day, which was rice with a sauce and meat/fish. It was quite mild but so tasty. In the evenings we would go to a local restaurant and eat something of our choice off the menu. Every night I ate well and their portions were definitely generous! Couldn't say a bad word about it.

Some evenings we spent down at a lake, which was really refreshing and fun. (Note: don't bomb off the log, it hurts.) We also went out for a Chinese and some beers one night to celebrate, which was amazing.

Dan, the owner of Ecoteer and a leader on the treks was so kind and helped us through the whole week. We wouldn't have done it without him. The trek guides were also brilliant and we had good fun with them. Everyone looked out for each other and we formed a sort of family.

Overall, although daunting at the start the whole experience was incredible. I overcame things I didn't think I would be able to do and a massive thank you to everyone that made it happen. I never expected to meet such great people, we got on so well and by the end of the week we all clicked. It was almost a shame it was over in such a short space of time!