Location
  • South Africa
    • Hoedspruit
Length
1 to 8 weeks

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
18
Age Max
75
Timeframe
Year Round
Housing
Rondavel
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)
Travel Type
Budget Family Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
670
Price Details
*Rates on site
1 week $670
2 weeks $1 190
3 weeks $1 750
4 weeks $1 960
5 weeks $2 310
6 weeks $2 640
7 weeks $2 980
8 weeks $3 330
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Your fees include:
- Transfers on Saturdays for arrival/departure
- Three meals per day, tea, coffee, juice
- Accommodation including bedding and towels
- Laundry
- One trip to town per week
- Working in the community
- Wifi
//
Your fees exclude:
- Flights, internal/international
- Travel Insurance
- Personal toiletries such as shampoo, sunblock, mosquito cream
- Sodas, cokes, alcohol
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation Wifi
What's Not Included
Some Activities Airfare Domestic Airfare Equipment SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa
Jul 24, 2022
Feb 23, 2023
152 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

DAKTARI Environment & Wildlife Education Centre is set in a beautiful nature reserve close to the Kruger National Park. The comfortable camp is located in the heart of the reserve where you will work with the children and the animals of the sanctuary.

You will teach the local children about the importance of protecting the environment and blossom their passion for animals through the care of the animals in our sanctuary.

Please note that all animals kept in captivity in our sanctuary are not able to go back to the wild. We do not encourage animal petting.

DAKTARI also runs an outreach program for a greater impact on the communities. The weekly ECO CLUB and Wildlife Crime campaigns give the children the opportunity to ignite positive attitudes towards their valuable environmental heritage.

The volunteers are vital to the success of our programs and really make an impact on the communities, the future of our environment and our wildlife.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Educate underprivileged children about the environment, anti-poaching and important life skills.
  • Care for injured and/or orphaned wildlife and help us give them the second chance they deserve.
  • Get involved with local communities and learn about South African culture.
  • Go on trips and excursions and discover the beauty of South African beyond the gates of our camp.
  • Become a part of the DAKTARI Family, make friends for life and memories you'll never forget!

Program Impact

Our programs have reached more than 4,500 children in 16 years, cared for hundreds of animals, and helped employ dozens of youth.

What makes our Teaching Program different?
The children get to spend a full week at our camp with our volunteers and get to have fun, as well as learn a lot! Because we only take eight children each week, they benefit from one-on-one attention and participate in every lesson. Each day has a mix of lessons, activities, and animal interactions.

The teaching program is very hands-on. The children get to see the animals up close at our wildlife orphanage and interact with the animals every day. The lessons are interactive and practical and the children leave here with a passion for learning.

The program is completely taught by volunteers with the help of a local volunteer coordinator. They get a detailed teaching program before they arrive so that they can learn the material. The lessons include outdoor activities,

To get an impression of what the life of a volunteer at DAKTARI is, check out the video below!
https://youtu.be/PrVswQF57rU Life of a Volunteer

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Program Reviews

4.93 Rating
based on 68 reviews
  • 5 rating 92.65%
  • 4 rating 7.35%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.85
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.9
  • Value 4.85
  • Safety 4.95
Showing 33 - 40 of 68 reviews
Default avatar
Bethany
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Home away from home!

Everyone at Daktari were so friendly and made me feel welcome and helped me adjust to my stay there. I had an amazing experience which I will never forget, or the friends I made while I was there. Daktari makes a big impact on the children that go there and seeing that impact made the experience so much better! I had so much fun as everyday was a different experience, creating a wonderful atmosphere for learning and growth in skills and mindset. The food and accommodation was amazing as the staff are lovely and well skilled. Living in the bush meant I saw amazing sunsets, sunrises, animals and plantation, showing the beauty of Africa. Trips into the community were amazing as it gave a wonderful insight to the culture and the lives of the children that visit Daktari.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
2-3 weeks stay is not enough for a proper experience in my opinion, a longer stay enables a better relationship with other volunteers/ staff and allows for more excursions and to properly see the African bush.
83 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Chloe
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing time at Daktari

I had an amazing time at Daktari! It gave me the opportunity to work with kids who need education and animals who need care. Daktari has a community minded vision and will do whatever possible to accomplish small and big goals.
A day at Daktari looks like this; you wake up and at 7:30 we go on a dog-walk outside the camp. After de dog-walk we to stabling; cleaning the enclosures of the animals and the feedings. When the animals are happy we have breakfast; the food here is amazing! after breakfast we start the morning-lessons. We have lunch at 12:30 and some free time for some swimming, reading, sleep, ... At 14:00 [or 15:00 at Wednesday] we start afternoon classes until 16:30 when we do stabling. Before dinner the kids have a class we call social talk. These classes are about politeness, respect and the sex talk. After dinner there are fun activities with the kid and volunteers. And every Thursday there is this fun bonfire, be prepared to dance, sing and laugh all the time! At weekends you can do many fun excursions or hang out at the camp.
Daktari gave me the best experience i could have asked for here in the bush. I will never forget my time here.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Do not be surprised to see any animal walk by out of nowhere ... In the bush anything can happen!
81 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Loni
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

DAKTARI is amazing!!!

DAKTARI is an incredible volunteering programme. It includes education of the children from the village and the caring of animals who live in their orphanage. The people here are amazing! Big hearts and big souls. I had a lot of fun, improved my english, learned with the kids and was able to experience amazing moments with the animals. The staff members are great! Each week we received 8 kids from the Oaks Village and thought them about the environment in South Africa and around the world. Also, we encouraged them to appreciate the bush and the wild life present in their country. The rooms were great and always clean. Laundry was amazing and fast. Food incredible! I really don't have any bad observation to make! I had such a great time :)
I recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy a great time with animals, local children and international volunteers.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would definitely have arranged more time to stay there. I stayed at DAKTARI for two weeks and leaved wanting to stay more. One of the best experiences of my life
85 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Marjo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteer experience

Great volunteer experience. The combination of taking care of animals - teaching children is amazing. I loved the bushlive and the interaction with the community. I have experienced impressive moments. It's a challenge to teach the children, it get's better when you did it a few times. I think the program really has an impact on the children. I would advise everybody to go to Daktari. At least for 4 weeks. The interaction with people from all over the world is also very nice. The atmosfere at Daktari is very welcoming and the staff members are amazing. They are always there to help you out. Lots of of fun, lots of animals, lots of impressive moments. There are a lot of young people but it's also very nice for older people. You can make beautiful excursions

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go for at least 4 weeks! 1 or 2 weeks is to short, the teaching needs some practice.
73 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Zaida
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Be a part of the Daktari Family

You want to make a difference in children‘s life? You want to be with and care for animals? You want to be a part of a team which combines working for the important things in life and having fun? You want to grow yourself and be a part of other people‘s growing? Then you are definitely right at DAKTARI. It is an amazing place to be, where you are a member of the „Daktari-family“ and just support the right things which count in life. Enjoy the bush feeling, see animals in their natural habitat, learn about the South African culture, dance with the kids at the bon fire, sing the African songs, see the sunrise at the dassie rock and the sunset at the leopard rock and just enjoy being a part of an amazing experience. If you haven’t been there, then you are definitely missing something out!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Take all the courage you have in your heart and enjoy every activity and chance you get there! It is definitely worth it!
73 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Maria Fernanda
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Home away from home!

I spent 3 amazing weeks in Daktari! The best experience I've ever had! From the bush, animals and the camp to the loving and caring staffs and volunteers who I met there, everything was just incredible! Daktari is like a family, I will miss this place like crazy!
At Daktari I was able to get to know people from all over the world, make really good and amazing friends, exchange couture, practice my english and even other languages! We also learn a lot from the local people that works there! Lebo, Pacience, Pretty, Rahaba, Cyntia and all the other staffs are amazing! I also got to learn more about living in a sustainable way, which I'm really interested in.
I just want to thank Daktari for everything I learnt there, and for the best 3 weeks of my life!

What would you improve about this program?
I think the impact would be much bigger if we had more oportunities to go to the village and also be in touch with the kids for a longer time to see their actual progress!
77 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
stephanie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A great experience!

One of the best experience I had so far. Meaningful activities throughout the day that you feel a great sense of fulfilment. I have learnt a lot from the stabling staff, volunteer coordinators, and even the children themselves. Coming from a country where we do not get to see and interact with animals in our daily lives, I am amazed by the efforts and thoughts put in to protect and take care of the animals which were injured/harmed. I really love the lessons here with the children, and to see how they grow and improve through the week. Some were really shy and reserved at first, but as the days go, they opened up and they are definitely a joy to teach! This is definitely a great experience for me and I will be more than willing to encourage more of my friends to come !

77 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Tianhe
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An amazing experience!!

If your passion lies in community enrichment via education, wildlife, nature conservation, then Daktari Bush School is definitely the place to go. It is a unique experience that goes beyond teaching or wildlife conservation, but it is also about connecting the local children with the wildlife and nature in their homeland. There is also a great support system from the volunteer coordinators and also fellow international volunteers that will make you feel right at home, even if this is your first time teaching or getting close to animals/wildlife.

For my first time in South Africa and overseas volunteering experience, the only bad point I could think of was that I was only able to stay for a week and not longer, and I'll definitely come back again.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Try to stay for at least two weeks or longer to get a full experience of the program.
79 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

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