Volunteer in South Africa: Cheetah Rehabilitation

It's hard to explain the feeling of hunting with cheetahs and hand feeding cubs. While there is not a lot of variety to your days and you must be prepared for a physically demanding experience (walking 5-15 miles per day), the intimate experience with these beautiful, loving, powerful animals is simply amazing. Yuko who works with volunteers is wonderfully supportive and ready to answer all of your questions. The reserve is beautiful and there is a wide variety of animals beyond the cheetahs.

It has been an amazing three weeks during my stay at Modgaji.
At first the landscape, it is mindblowing, just bush as far as your eyes can see with 'springbokvlak' as my personal favourite.
The variety of game that's walking around and the close encounters you sometimes have with them.
And also the hyena's, caracals and servals have been big fun to work with.
But above all; the cheetah walks, they were without a doubt the top of the bill!
How much closer to nature do you want to get?
If I had the chance to go back tommorow I would have left yesterday!

I went there one month ago, in june 2014, with 3 friends, and we can say that it was an amazing experience. The game reserve offers so much and we were delighted to participate in such an amazing program ! We are 4 vet students from France and we really wanted to be a part of a conservation program, especially when it's about big cats like cheetahs !
The contact with animals, the walks with the wild cats, the work in the reserve, all of this was part of the deal and we really loved it ! But there is sometimes a certain frustration : the fact that the cottage is away from the main house makes you feel that you're not really a part of the team, but more like a guest which we pick him up when we go take care of the animals. And we were quite often asking for work as we wanted to move things and be a part of all the improvment the team planed to do.
However let's remind all the good memories, and i write this post to recommend this amazing experience, cause i believe that Modgaji will become a greater and successfuller game reserve in the future !
Let's protect the cats !

Assisting in the rehabilitation of Cheetahs and helping with everyday work on the property was totally rewarding. The semi-desertic Karoo was a delight after the opening of the skies. A blessing with so many wildflowers, such as the spectacular Aloe Vera. This area is very isolated, which is also a blessing as there are no tourists around. Walking the Cheetahs going about to their prey was an absolute privilege. The landscape is rugged and fascinating. You have to let the noble cats approach you and stick to their rule. They are not house cats. One of the most precious aspect of the whole experience was the unique contact with the local tribe who worked with us side by side, and the joy of having a meal in an authentic African restaurant (I don't remember her name, but the lady is famous and is a delight not to miss !). The little town of Steytlerville offered a very friendly and safe atmosphere. A bonus, again, no tourists. I can't wait to renew the experience !

I had to do an internship for school and chose to do this programme. i had a great time and it was a great experience, honestly... better than i expected! Friendly people, and friendly co-volunteers. Would expect some more aspects on the rehabillitation part on the reserve, we didn't see much of the purpose, although we've heard stories of cheetahs being sold to other reserves and being released there. i really liked it, and i would maybe go back some time after i'm done with school.

Waking up early in the morning, ready for a cheetahwalk. As soon as you walk out of your cottage nature hits you, the sun is rising, a cheetah by your side. Both overlooking the view. It is incredible.

If you love rough nature and big cats, Modgaji Cheetah Rehabilitation Project is the project you would want to go to.
The volunteer houses are basic, but the beds are good, so really, what else do you need? The surroundings are rough and beautiful, the cheetah, carachal, serval and hyena are amazing to take care of.
The owner and staff are dedicated to their animals and the breeding program of cheetah is very important, for there are so few of these wonderful animals left...
Walking with the cheetah is an experience you will never forget. It's nature at it's best.
I loved every minute of being at Modgaji and if I can get another opportunity to go back, I will.

We did a lot of things and it was amazing. We had the time of our lives. Hopefully we can come back within some years. Especially the cheetah walks were fantastic!