Program Reviews

I recently spent the past 6 weeks volunteering with the Leap on Nosy Komba and can honestly say it was the best and most unforgettable experience of my life. I met so many great people, saw fascinating animals and made some great memories that will stay with me forever.

On arrival I was absolutely amazed by the camp and accommodation which far exceeded my expectations. Huts are scattered amongst the boulders and trees on the hillside which overlook the beautiful views of Turtle Cove. The huts are furnished with comfortable bunk beds and are lit by solar powered lights.

The Leap prioritise your safety and concerns, which is perfect for first time travellers like myself, they provide support unlike other volunteer companies which can be quite comforting when being in a new environment. At the same time you are given the freedom to enjoy the experience independently.

Some of my greatest memories include snorkelling with a huge turtle through the coral reefs on Nosy Tankelli. Seeing many of the geckos and chameleons that we had learned during forest program on the night walk at the top of Nosy Komba island, including my personal favourite the Uroplatus Henkeli. Another of my favourite memories had to be playing beach football in Be village where we got to know the local Malagasy children and teenagers, also conversing with them in Malagasy which we had learned during the teaching program.

To anyone contemplating travelling to Madagascar with The Leap do not hesitate, just go for it, it will be the best experience of your life- I cannot thank the staff and volunteers enough!!

It was an amazing 6 weeks - from start to finish. The connection that I made with the children at the school was incredible, making it extremely emotional and difficult to leave. Cambodia is an amazing country, with even more amazing people. Everyone was so friendly - some people too much so (tuk tuk drivers). Siem Reap is great fun. There is always a buzz in the town and something is always going on. Nightlife-wise, this place is fantastic. Perfect for anyone looking for a worthwhile experience, but also looking to make new friends.

I could tell from the lively group chat that this group was going to be a great one, and I was not disappointed. Experiencing Madagascar was epic, but what I really cherish from my 10 weeks there are the friends I gained during my time there. For me, Madagascar was a great program that was made better by my companions. I'd highly recommend this program to anyone pursuing a life-changing gap year experience. The lemurs are neat too ;)

Madagascar was a dream. The country is absolutely stunning and the people are so friendly. The marine and forest conservation aspects were fantastic and I learnt so much from the amazing diversity of nature out there. Teaching however, even though I thought it would be my least favourite aspect of the trip, was so inspiring and just so much fun. When you're trying to teach a class of 60 the body parts using 'head shoulders knees and toes' it can get rather manic, but seeing the kids grasp it and ask for more when the bell rings (not running from class like we do back here) really makes you feel like you're making a difference! Wouldn't chance the experience for anything!

Nearly 5 weeks ago I got back from an amazing 10 weeks in Madagscar! From snorkelling with whale sharks and turtles, to teaching local kids and adults English, as well as collecting data on local species such as Black Lemurs, Crested Drongos, and Green Pigeons, it was truly an experience I won't forget! The Leap is great to be able to talk to people who've been before, have comfort in the fact you won't be travelling there alone, and have a solid group of people to share the memories with, who you become incredibly close with - lots of reunions have already happened! The Leap also kept everyone back home updated, made sure we were safe, and had fun! In the MRCI (Madagascar Research and Conversation Institute) camp there were volunteers from other organisations as well as members of staff who are there to support you! I made so many amazing memories and met so many wonderful, friendly people, locals and volunteers, and am grateful to the Leap for giving me this opportunity! Interested in Madagascar? You should definitely go!

My trip to Madagascar was a truly enriching experience that I will never forget. The Leap were great at organising the trip and were very helpful with questions always answered. Going with The Leap means that you can happily go by yourself knowing you will be thrown together with a group of likeminded people that are around your age (we were all between 17-21). You'll be staying at the Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute (MRCI) when you aren't living on the boat, which means you'll be leaving with about 50 other volunteers that came with other organisations. The camp is really nice with a main area, lots of 6 bed huts and 4 bathrooms. The food is pretty basic- rice, beans and occasionally meat and salad- but it's all really tasty and there are never complaints. Nosy Komba is an incredibly beautiful island and the locals are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. The remote-ness of it was possibly my favourite thing as you really do feel so far away from life at home which is so relaxing. I was teaching while I was out there which was fantastic as you learn the ropes really quickly and all the kids are so eager to learn and befriend you. I had some incredible experiences in Madagascar and really made friends for life and can only recommend you stay for as long as possible- (my short 6 weeks really wasn't enough!). The boat trip is equally if not more incredible but very different, as it's more of an island hopping holiday which allows you to really see what Madagascar has to offer while also allowing you to form great bonds with the rest of your group. I really can't recommend it more highly! Thanks for a great trip.

Booking my trip to Borneo and the Philippines with The Leap was easily the best decision I've ever made. I knew I wanted to travel with The Leap as my sister had previously gone to South Africa with them and had an absolutely amazing time. They make you feel safe and secure, providing brilliant guides that you can confide to about any problem. The reason I chose Borneo was the vast variety in activities they offered. From setting up our own jungle camps, to scuba diving around the coral in the Philippines and even swimming with whale-sharks, The Leap offers you so many great opportunities. My favourite part of the trip was that we spent a lot of time with local communities in more rural areas. This gave us such a better insight into their culture and such a unique experience, with the families welcoming you into their homes happily. We also got to see the most amazing variety of wildlife, even an orangutan in the wild which is something so rare. I've made lifelong friends within the group and made so many unforgettable memories. If you want to make the most out of your gap year, I would definitely recommend The Leap as a company!

I was lucky enough to be in the first team for the Leap's new Philippines program which is 4 weeks in the Philippines after 6 weeks in Borneo. From Manilla a short flight took us to Legazpi City and then a 2 hr drive down to Bulusan on the East Coast. The people we met in Bulusan were lovely, so welcoming, kind and friendly. We worked on different projects in Bulusan, a huge beach clean-up which the local people took part in too, on a beautiful palm-fringed beach. We worked in a local school, planted rice in a paddy field and helped volunteers clear the trails around the lake.
The 2nd part of the program takes you to Ticao Island where you live with local families in the village on the beach for the first few days and then to Ticao Island beach resort. We island-hopped, saw fireflies, snorkled with beautiful fish, rode horses and there is a dive centre there too. If you should run out of things to do there is always a karaoke machine around.
The volunteering projects on the island are working in local schools and teaching children as well as teaching them about waste management.
I had an amazing time in the Philippines, lovely people, beautiful surroundings, fun and worthwhile projects, even the food, from what I understand not generally highly rated, was great.

I embarked on my adventure in January 2015 to Cambodia. The group was made up of 12 and we spent 6 weeks in Siem Reap. We split into two groups so there was enough work for everyone. Our first project was building a water pump and a toilet. The hospitality from the locals was amazing very friendly and caring.. making sure we were hydrated with coconuts and trying local delicacies.. one of my highlights Cobra soup! When we weren't building we taught English in two schools. Despite having no teaching experience I enjoyed the children's enthusiasm to learn. Then we spent two weeks in Sihanoukville where we volunteered at an art project centre for children. It was amazing to see the effects of the community coming together to improve their childrens future. Finally we spent two weeks at an Elephant Sanctuary where we chopped down banana trees and fed the elephants along with manual labour on the farm for the new banana trees to grow. It was amazing living in the jungle with electricity on for a few hours each night.

My 10 weeks in Cambodia were truly 10 of the best in my life. It is amazing how many different experiences I was able to have over the 2 1/2 months. I really loved teaching english and forming a great relationship with the children we taught. It was amazing to see their smiles and hear their giggles when they saw 'teacher Lucy' for another day. I had a lovely class in ELMA school with 4 girls (it was rare to stay at the school until 'Level 3' so it was a very small class). Sreymom, Sreyneath, Elita and Pisey were all so eager to learn and make friends with us. We taught them the cup song it was so special to hear them sing it to us when we left. At KIDTEA in Trang Village I had the opportunity of teaching a class of students our age (between 16 and 19) and it was great to make friends with the Cambodians and compare our interests. My other highlight of volunteering was working at the Elephant Valley project in the beautiful tropical forest in the North-East of Cambodia. All the views we had the joy of seeing were incredible and I really loved living there without the disturbance of phones (with no phone signal or wifi). Building the well and the toilet was very challenging especially in the heat of the sun but the work was eventually very rewarding particularly as we got meet the families we helped. I was talking to another girl who had been on a Leap project and she said she was surprised ny the amount of work you have to do. I must warn you that if you are expecting a holiday with a little bit of volunteering here and there you have the wrong program, you work 7-5 (with a nice lunch break) Monday to Friday. I personally enjoyed that the program had this level of intensity as it kept us busy and made sure we really felt like we were making a difference. Other than volunteering, many of the trips we went on were amazing, seeing waterfalls, (Phnom Kulen highly recommended) the beautiful island of Koh Rong, floating villages, a traditional Cambodian circus (in Siem Reap--jaw dropping), Angkor Wat obviously and many more. A highlight of Koh Rong was an $8 boat trip which included snorkelling, fishing, BBQing the fish we caught, watching the sun set on long beach with a whiskey coke in hand and then when night fell seeing the incrdible, luminous green electro plankton. The only thing to be wary of is that none of these trips are included in the cost of the program and you may need to budget up to $400 or even $500 to go on all of them. The nightlife is also surprisingly happening in Siem Reap with Pub Street boasting two clubs opposite each other promoting dancing in the street. The best, cheapest pre-drinking bar is Angkor Famous where you can get strong vodka/rum mixers for $1. In Sihanoukville Utopia at the top of the hill is a good bar for cheap beers (25 cents at happy hours) where I worked for a few nights as a promoter handing out flyers in exchange for free drinks. Dolphin Shack is the new place to be after 11/12 where I spent most my nights. Surprisingly Sen Monorum (the town below the elephant valley where you go on weekends) also has things going on after dark. Chilli on the rocks' signature lemongrass mojito has to be one of the best drinks I've ever has and for $1.75 is a no brainer. There's also Sovannkiri run by a lovely Australian guy Callum who married a Cambodian and will just stay open until his last customer leaves.
I really would recommend the program. The only thing that slightly let it down for me was our project leader Sovann who was inefficient and impolite. I would ask who your leader is and take this into account. I wouldn't say it's a reason for not going--as you can tell I still had an incredible time but it's worth considering.
I would also recommend reading up about the history of Cambodia before you get there and when you're there making the effort to learn some of the language--it's really appreciated by the locals.