LEO Africa - Big 5 Monitoring, Conservation & Sustainable Living

I originally came to LEO at the beginning of the year as a volunteer. The experience was like no other, with the very knowledgable staff, the amazing wildlife encounters and the general serenity the program had to offer was very nice.
My eyes were opened up to a whole new world in the bush. I was shown by the staff many different aspects of nature which made everything come to life. From everything from the soil and vegetation to the tiny animals, birds and of course the beautiful Lions, Rhinos, Ellies etc.

On a day to day basis we were exposed to either Lions, Ellies, Rhinos, Leopards helping the staff track them and record the data to be logged on each animal. On the way we were also blessed to see all plains game such as giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, antelopes and all things super cute.
This whole experience changed my perspective on life and i have since then moved to Africa, got my qualifications to become a nature guide and I am now back with LEO gaining some practical work experience.

Like before, every day is filled with so much learning opportunity, and different things to see each day. I would highly recommend this program to anyone

Looking for an eco-volunteering experience in South Africa ?
I've got what you need ! I volunteer at Leo Africa . This association do a monitoring activity for Lions , Rhinos , Elephants , Leopards , hyenas and many other animals !
The goal is to keep an eyes one the balance of this large private reserve of 30,000 hectares. Volunteers go on drive twice per day to look for these majestic animals , especially lions. Our most precious ally is the telemetry ( antenna who lets you know the position of animals) ,so all volunteers learn how to use this tool to monitor lions, elephants and leopards who wear a collar. Volunteers have also the opportunity to spend a full day in the bush to check the condition and the location of Black Rhino ( endangered species ) . The day on the quad is an opportunity to discover the most remote areas of the reserve but also to discuss with your guide every aspect of wildlife that interests you. The two classic safaris are an opportunity for the staff of LEO to teach us a lot of things on vegetation , animal behavior ( predators, antelopes, rodents , hyenas, monkeys , birds ...... ) .
Volunteers can also assist in the maintenance of the reserve ( repair roads, remove trunks blocking roads in the reserve ( dead tree or « victims » of the elephants) . LEO 's staff can also arrange for you a sleep out and bushwalk (experience to live once in your life) .
So even if the safari ended in failure because we don't always find the animals, we always come back to base knowing a little more about the bush before our departure.
Selati is a private reserve which offers luxury to LEO volunteers to be almost the only people allowed to drive in 30,000 hectares of bush . It allows us to observe the animals without being pressed by other vehicles.
Last but essential ! If you are not very comfortable with English Leo is happy to have guides who speak Italian, French , German and everyone is full of goodwill to help you to be more and more comfortable.
I share my experience with you because I took a long time to find a project that I was looking for. I finally found it, and I came to spend 2 months in Leo in November and December 2012. This experience was so great that I have been back other 2 months in June-July 2013 and planning to go back for a longer period in 2014 !

My time at LEO has been the best experience of my life! Monitoring lions,rhinos,elephants,leopards in a non-commerciale game reserve.LEO is a truly African experience that I'd recommend to everyone!:)

I have always wanted to travel to Africa and as a single female traveller, never quite plucked up the courage to do so. That was until I found the LEO Africa project.
LEO made it easy to arrange my trip and right from the start, it was clear that the staff were very supportive by answering all of my questions about what to pack and what to expect and if you are willing to time your arrival in to Phalaborwa just right, the team will even pick you up and take you back on your departure.
If you arrive on the first flight, you may have to pass time with the staff in town to wait for anyone arriving later by bus. We had a wander around the shops, bought some supplies and then had a drink whilst getting to know a bit more about whom I was going to be staying the next few weeks with. It was during this time (and asking poor Stacey lots of questions) that I came to realise that we weren't going to 'play' at conservation, we were going to get quite hands on and play a vital role in to the research that maintains this contained and delicate eco system.
Upon arrival at the base camp, you are warmly greeted by all the other volunteers and staff, shown around, joined everyone for the evening meal and given your bed. I arrived after sun down and after a long 30 hour trip; I could only manage a few introductions before I was tucked up for an early night in my bunk!
Waking up on day 1, sitting on the patio at the back of the house with the sun rising over the koppies, this beautiful place hits you. The landscape is amazing, you can see for miles and knowing that this place is your home for the oncoming weeks is a good feeling.
The first morning, we were given a full orientation talk that covers the roles we would be doing, the rota's, the health and safety requirements and the rules of the house. The house is wonderfully self sufficient with solar power and a wood burning water boiler for the hot water. During this, if you weren’t already, you will become aware of the potential dangers of being in the wilderness. During my stay we had a sachs spider and a spitting cobra visit base camp. The staff are on hand 24 hours a day and are well trained in handling and capturing these animals. So, whilst the dangers are there, I felt safe at all times.
When the afternoon came, I and the other new arrivals got to go on our first drive and what an amazing first drive it was. We were to track 2 of the lionesses and the 2 cubs. It took us a while to get to the location that these lionesses were at but on the drive down we spotted white rhino, giraffe, impala, crazy guinea fowl, an endangered brown baboon spider to name but a few. Stacey (our guide and driver) answered all of our questions and started to teach us how to recognise the tracks and even what animal had produced the dung!
When we got the lionesses on a strong signal, everyone's adrenaline kicked in as we all fell silent and scanned the landscape for them. All of sudden, one of the other volunteers whispered 'she's there!' and sure enough, 10 metres ahead, one of the lionesses came out in to the clearing then followed by another. We sat quietly and stole a moment to take some photos but then they were gone and Stacey had to move quickly to off road to get our visual back. The signal told us the lionesses were on the move and quickly. Using the telemetry and all of our eyes, we continued to track the lionesses. Everything was quiet then the air was filled with the squeal of a warthog. The lionesses were hunting and had secured their meal. A bit more off roading and we got visual of the 2 lionesses again with their kill. Acacia, the mummy lioness, disappeared and Stacey told us to sit quietly and wait as she was probably off to fetch the cubs. We couldn't believe our luck when sure enough, Acacia returned with 2 of the cutest little things I've ever seen. We sat there, only about 10 metres away, for over an hour observing what most people will only ever get to see if they watch a David Attenborough documentary. It was at this moment that I realised that taking part in this programme was a privilege. It was a privilege that the landowners had opened up the opportunity for us to stay here, it was a privilege to be guided by such well trained staff, it was a privilege to share this experience with some amazing volunteers from all over the world and it was a privilege that the lionesses allowed us to spend that time with them.
I won't describe each of my drives but I will clarify that you cannot expect that each drive has a 'big 5' visual. One thing that you learn and appreciate is that you are not at a zoo, you are in the wilderness and the animals are not on demand and will grace you with their presence when they want to. Sometimes they will hide on the koppies or in thick bush where you can get so close you can hear them breathe but not see them. So whilst the programme cannot guarantee a 'big 5' visual on each drive, I can guarantee you that they will do everything they can to get the visuals needed for the research (even if this means a bumpy off roading experience) and that the Selati game reserve offers other equally stunning and beautiful wildlife which makes each drive special.
I still can't decide what my favourite moment was. Was it coming face to face with a curious hyena 5 metres ahead, was it the leopard that we spotted in Selati or the one that I saw at Kruger? Was it the rhino's or the elephants that were so protective of the calves crossing the road ahead? Was it finally seeing Mbhurri (the male lion)? The waterbuck that stared at us for too long? Learning about the vulture behaviour which led us to discover a kill? Watching the sunrise and sunset on the drives? The late night anti poaching watch and listening to the sounds of the bush? The sleep out in the river bed and being on watch for animals roaming in to camp?
There's too many more and it is impossible to say that one single thing was what made the experience. You’ll learn so much about the wildlife, about conservation, about the eco system and about the threats and challenges that the reserves and it’s animals face to ensure that the endangered animals survive.

Now for the questions that I had asked before I went -

What are the duties that you have to do?

Each day 2 of the volunteers will be responsible for the cooking of lunch and the cleaning of dishes after both lunch and the evening meal.

1 day a week, the safari vehicle is cleaned and every volunteer pitches in.

1 day a week, the volunteers will collect wood on the afternoon drive to burn for hot water.

Whilst out on drive, you will soon realise that the elephants like to knock down trees across the road so you will get involved in clearing the road. You will also get involved in building or repairing bolsters (bumps in the road) that help to control drainage on the roads in the rainy season.

Each drive had 3 jobs for the volunteers to complete, which we received training for. 1 person prepared phuza (drinks) for the drive, 1 person did the telemetry to track the signal on the animals and 1 person collected the data so that these could be entered in to the system when we got back to camp. The rest of us that weren't on rota were free to enjoy the drive, supporting the others by keeping an eye out and spotting for other wildlife.
The person who collects data on the morning drive will input the data in to the computer when they get back.

I was there during full moon which is a high risk time for poaching due to the poachers not needing additional light that gives them away. As such, the volunteers took it in turns to help with night watch. A shift at base camp where you maintained radio contact with the anti poaching teams across the reserve, listened for any unusual sounds and kept watch from the bases vantage point.

The rest of the time is yours to relax and enjoy the scenery, spend time with the staff to learn more and just clean up after yourself!

Other things you can do.

The staff will kindly help you arrange day trips if you wish to experience something out of the game reserve. You can pay for a member of staff to be your guide and the price to do this is really low. I chose to spend a day at Kruger National Park and a day doing the panoramic route. Both I can seriously recommend.

What to pack?

The LEO brochure has a full list; I would recommend taking heed of the advice. Whilst I was there, it was extremely warm during the day but on the afternoon drives, when the sun went down, it got cold. Everyone had brought jumpers, jackets etc but when you have to hold on to the truck whilst driving, your hands get icy!! It was only by accident that I had brought my gloves (they were still in my coat pocket) but these proved useful particularly for the people controlling the spotlight.

My advice? Stay for as long as you can as you will get more from your time with LEO than you could ever put in. It is a truly amazing experience and when you leave, it’s like leaving family. Everyone I was there with wants to come back and I am already in the process of organising my return. As cheesy as this sounds, LEO changed me. I am a project manager professionally and I am now looking to switch my skill set in to conservation projects.
So what are you waiting for? Volunteer, trust me, you won’t regret it!

My name is Emanuele from Milan (Italy). I’m 35 and I spent all the month of August ’13 at LEO “Limpopo Eco Operations – Volunteers research programme” in South Africa.
It was my first experience as a volunteer and it was utterly amazing.
LEO is a wonderful association and the only one that offers volunteers the great opportunity of enjoying a real wildlife sanctuary natural reserve by learning about nature and all the animals.
I would recommend this experience to everyone who loves nature and wishes to live an unforgettable adventure. It is suitable to all people independently from their age, where they come from, their culture and their ways of daily life.
LEO’s main activity is focused on monitoring Lions and Black Rhinos, but during your volunteer’s activity you will come across in every kind of animal like white rhino, every species of antelope, colorful birds, eagles, vultures, giraffes, elephants and a huge quantity of many other animals that everyone dreams of to see in Africa.
At LEO there is a well prepared staff to face up every situation making you feel at home, comfortable and in security.
When you get LEO at your arrival, you will immediately receive a warm welcome and feel part of an amazing group of friendly people that are always ready to help you in every necessity of yours.
LEO is located in the middle of one of the most beautiful wildlife sanctuary nature reserves in the world. Its name is Selati Game Reserve. This area is closed to the traditional tourism, its access is only allowed to LEO’s volunteers and to nobody else. This last detail can already explain a lot of things to you, because you will be part of an environment thoroughly preserved from the human presence.
As a volunteer you will be supporting the staff in lions monitoring activities, for instance you can learn to manage the telemetry, an instrument to follow the radio collar lion’s signal, thus giving you a help to find out where that lion is located in the bush.
You will be living in a house shared with other volunteers and the staff. This will give you one more chance to make a lot of new international friends. Friends that you won’t forget for all your life and that may be you will wish to meet again in a next future.
I would deeply suggest visiting LEO’s website www.leoafrica.org to everyone interested in a wonderful new experience and do not hesitate to ask for any doubt or information you may need because you will know wonderful people such as LEO’s manager Sabrina always ready to help you in the best possible way.
Do not think over too much to be different from being only a tourist!
I will never forget this adventure and all the people I made friends with!