Program Reviews

Having never volunteered abroad before I was unsure of what to expect but my whole experience with GVI was excellent. Everything was very clear and well organised from beginning to end.
Although my time there was cut short (due to the corona virus pandemic, I only completed 6 out of the 12 weeks) my time in the Seychelles was some of the best weeks of life.
The base at Cap Ternay is situated in a beautiful area by a marine protected bay.
We did have to complete duties around base in small groups during the week (Tanks and grounds, Kitchen or Boats) but also had sufficient time to ourselves during the week. We also went diving twice a day in the warm, clear sea. I had done a fair amount of diving before I went to the Seychelles but learning about the coral and local marine life (including turtles, rays and sharks) has only increased my love for the ocean and the need to protect it.
At weekends we were free to do what we want, like go on hikes, visit the towns or nearby islands or just sit and relax on the beach near base.
I have nothing but good things to say about the staff on base. The were very professional and always there to help but would also never miss a chance to let their hair down on party night.
I would highly recommend the GVI Marine Conservation project in Seychelles to anyone. You learn so much, meet some amazing people from different areas of the world and enjoy the weather, culture, stunning scenery and incredible diving the Seychelles has to offer.

This trip was the best of my life! I've done a lot of traveling before this, and since, and nothing can come close to the time I had in Dawasamu. While I was there, the focus was on a new recycling program that was being developed so I spent the majority of my time creating content for that. There was also time spent working in the garden, with building, and even working in the mothers and babies clinic. Something that I've really come to like about GVI over the trips I've taken, is the the way that your volunteer experience is tailored around your interests. Of course this can't always happen, but the organization does its best. There were activity options for our free time, and since we live right in the village, we were very integrated into the community! If community development is your passion- look no further.

I actually was in South Africa this past summer through my University and we worked with GVI. It was amazing. It was 100% the best summer of my life. GVI gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in new cultures and connect with people I wouldn't have been able to do before. Forever grateful for the opportunity I had. Those children and women in the township I worked with taught me so much. I loved every part of that experience. They taught to appreciate what you have not to dwell on what you do not have.

I spend two months with GVI in Luang Prabang, Laos, volunteering as an English teacher. I felt very much welcomed and the field staff took great care of all volunteers. After a few training sessions, I jumped right into teaching. Working with the students and novice monks was a lot of fun, sometimes challenging, always rewarding. We were encouraged to get creative in our teaching and not to be afraid of making mistakes or looking funny. During my time in Luang Prabang, I learned as much from my students as they learned from me. Besides teaching, I had plenty of time to explore the city and surroundings. Laos is a beautiful country and home to kind, respectful people. I was fascinated by its nature and eager to learn about Lao culture and ethnic groups. I am very grateful for this experience and all the memories I collected.

With GVI I was able to travel to a remote village and be involved learning about elephant conservation programs in Chiang Mai in Thailand. In such a small amount of time I was able to see how the staff GVI take data and health checks on the elephants as well as encouraging volunteers to become immersed with the Karen Tribe culture by teaching us the native language, have us practice this by staying in homes of the local villagers. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet other like minded people from all over the globe of different ages, back grounds, life experience together to make a difference for good of this community.

In January 2019 I traveled to the Seychelles. During my travels I spent two weeks on Curieuse Island as an volunteer for GVI. I would completely and 100% recommend this to everyone and anyone!
We did work with turtles and lemon sharks. As I've been fascinated by the ocean my entire life and started diving when I was 8 years, the work with the shark was life changing. I was so humbled by these amazing animals.
In the weekend we could go diving and explore other islands.
I am already planning my next trip back...

I chose to complete an internship in Seychelles with GVI because I truly loved my experience volunteering with them the first time and thought it could only get better. I was absolutely correct! I spent six weeks on Curieuse Island and loved every second. I met wonderful people from around the world with similar interests as me. I spent my time learning about the island and all of its many projects from giant tortoise survey, sicklefin lemon shark catch-and-release, to my own intern project on land crab diversity on different beaches. I loved the daily hikes around the island and snorkeling experiences. Our down time we spent getting to know each other and having game nights. I would recommend this adventure to anyone looking to find new adventures and maybe a little peace and quiet.

I chose this trip as my first experience with GVI because I am fascinated by elephants and loved the idea of traveling and learning about them. I loved how GVI was there every step of the way, during booking and questions from slight confusion when landing to the best way to find a taxi at the airport, I always had support. The experience of staying in the village was absolutely amazing. My home-stay family was friendly, accommodating and nice. I got the opportunity to learn some of their language and to interact with the local children at the school teaching English and playing games. All the volunteers were super friendly and I met people from all over the globe. I loved following the elephants through the forest and learning about their behavior and history. These beautiful gentle giants were adorable and showed their individual personalities the longer you watched them. It was truly an inspiring adventure.

I had never been to South Africa before but I spent six months over there, spending 4 weeks at GVI Karongwe. I did this straight out of high school as a lone travelling female with a love for wildlife. I had heard a lot of tales of some companies being misleading in their contributions to wildlife so I didn’t really know what to expect before I arrived but it was better than I could have ever imagined. I saw so many amazing animals and had the opportunity to experience many of them up close. I also met so many incredible and interesting people from all over the world which helped make the whole experience even better and I’ve remained in contact with several of them! The GVI staff were so helpful in the months leading up to the trip and were so kind and lovely too when I was there it was one of the easiest and well organised programs I spent my time with.

Every day we went on game drives and collected data on a variety of species for their research.I have to say it changed my life in so many ways and actually guided me on my path to the career I am pursuing now.
The team was made up of incredibly skilled drivers, guides and researchers who taught me so many things about conservation, wildlife and the bush as well as research, but I also met people from all over the world and all ages and backgrounds, united by the common goal to contribute to wildlife conservation in South Africa which was incredibly refreshing!

The first week was pretty busy with training week to prepare us for our research drives in the bush and teach us mammal, bird and reptile identification, tracks & signs as well as how to use the equipment, take care of the vehicles and clean and cook for a house of 20+ people but I’m so glad they did that! It makes a world of difference to anyone who has nerves about being new to the South African wilderness.

I would recommend to any traveler looking to visit an unknown country to do it through the GVI programs, it’s an incredible way to learn and contribute to the community/wildlife in a hands-on way. I can’t recommend it enough, it’s put me on the path of wildlife research for the rest of my life!

My time in GVI Phang Nga, Thailand was amazing. The staff are all incredibly supportive and so dedicated to the cause, and were always open new ideas, allowing for the constant evolution and growing success of all the projects. The fact that GVI are so well respected within the local community just goes to show the extent of the impact that GVI are creating, and it was amazing to be a part of the positive work going on through GVI. I would not fail to hesitate to recommend GVI and hope I can return soon to the Thailand base to continue to support the amazing work being done by GVI there.