Plan My Gap Year - Volunteer in South Africa from $435

I took a chance and booked my trip to South Africa with the £2000 saving I had and it was worth it. The experience I had was completely different to what I imagined but also just as incredible. To be there among animals in a reserve, going out on safaris everyday. Everybody at Kwantu was excellent and so enthusiastic. Each day we had the opportunity to partake in 2 activities and they were different each day. They jncluded road maintenance, perimeter checking, game count, planting, tree chopping and more. We would have enrichments there such as African dance shows or an animal handler.

I did the volunteer project at the Kwantu Game Reserve and my experience with PMGY was great!!
They took time to answer every question I had for pre-departure and for my stay, and explained everything for my arrival so I felt secure. Also, the fact that they organize zoom calls and also they send us this very well detailed volunteer handbook was really helpful, everything we need to know was in it.

To talk about the project, every word would not be enough to describe how incredible this experience was. It was sooo much better that I expected it to be, and I expected it to be amazing! The local team was so nice, the project and activities/work we did was really interesting, it was so uplifting to think that we did contribute to the improvement of these animals life and environment!

And to come back to PMGY, if you are thinking about doing a volunteer project, I would 100% recommand booking with this organization.

The experience during my time volunteering with PMGY was simply perfect. The experiences I gained, from the program exceeded my expectations. Even though I could only go for one week with a friend of mine the local guide managed to show us everything we needed and although a couple more weeks would have been great when I left I felt full of experiences and memories. On top of the great activities I perticioated in, the people I met were amazing. The locals that guided me throughout the activities were as helpful and friendly as they could and they provided a personal experience during the entirety of my trip. The other volunteers I met the days the program lasted are very social and we started talking and sharing stories almost immediately. It was unfortunate that I had only one week time though and I didn't manage to bond with the rest of the volunteers as much as I would like. All the things I did during my stay though was perfect. I went in safaris where I observed and took photos of the wild animals mostly in the morning and one time in the afternoon when the animals that hunt in the night were out. Another lifetime experience was our visit in a village nearby where we gave food to a school and played with the children. In that particular village there had not been volunteers in two years so the excitement and happiness we provided to the children was truly a once in a lifetime experience and made me appreciate some things I took for granted.

The volunteer trip to South Africa was a unique experience that you live once in lifetime. First the country of South Africa has the most beautiful and majestic landscapes I have ever seen. The nature and the wild animals combined just astonish you! The program was perfect when it comes to the transportation, quality of accommodation and food in the reserve and staffs communication and friendliness. Especially the staff were so kind and caring that are one of the main reasons that I would return to the program just to see them again and see how they doing. The program has the full Africa safari and animal close encounter experience that it promises.

I took part in the SOUTH AFRICA WILDLIFE RESERVE VOLUNTEER project. It’s possible to arrange pickup from the airport so you don't have to worry about getting to the volunteer site. The place is very clean and meet western standards. The accommodation on site was beyond my expectations, food was very tasty with a choice of many dishes at each meal. Free water is always available.

Activities included things like tree chopping, fence clearing, building fences, giving water to animals, feeding animals, and more relaxing activities like animal counting, game drives. There is also something like a wild cats hospice, besides the reserve, so if you are worried that you won’t be able to see the cats in the reserve, you have nothing to fear because there will always be some in the hospice. In addition to work, you will also learn about the animals that live in the reserve, you will learn their names and the most interesting information that will be provided to you by the caretakers and volunteers who were there before you.

I was in Kwantu in October (the beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere), so the weather was perfect, warm but not too hot, only rained a few times.



All the people working there and the volunteers are very friendly and helpful. They often work with volunteers to improve the place. There is a very nice atmosphere.



PMGY's pre-departure support was very helpful and quick. The volunteer handbook I received was comprehensive.

Overall I had an amazing trip, met lovely people and contributed effectively to help preserve the area. I had lots of help and support before leaving so I knew exactly what I needed, the handbook is very useful and you should scan it before leaving. Whilst in South Africa the staff were very friendly and provided help whenever it was needed. The accommodation was average but was always kept clean by everyday cleaners which was very good. We did conservation work and even though it was tough, it was good fun and we were never overworked and we were never forced to do any work if we didn't want to.

I will keep this short and simple because this is the way I am. I've been to Kariega reserve for 4 weeks, been surrounded but lions, allies, rhino. There isn't actually word that can describe this experience because it's just magic. I've been dreaming this probably for my entire life. I was so happy to speak with baboons in the morning, helping young turtles to survive, been able to live the bush experience

I've just got back after two weeks in South Africa where I was doing the wildlife conservation programme on Kariega game reserve. Whilst there I had the fantastic experience of being around magnificent wildlife whilst contributing to conservation projects that I was privileged to be a part of. The support I got when I was in Africa was brilliant, I never felt lost or clueless. More importantly I felt that I was prepared for anything that could be thrown at me. The information I was given before leaving was great also, I had all my questions answered and pretty much everything I needed was in the volunteer handbook that I received. My advice to anyone considering volunteering with pmgy is simply to just throw yourself in at the deep end. This might sound like strange advice but it's what I did and I can tell you that I got far more out of this experience than I ever imagined I would. The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. Just don't let anything hold you back. And there is no such thing as a stupid question. I urge everyone to go for it, I've met amazing people from all around the world who are now lifelong friends.
Thank you to everyone at pmgy for giving me this life changing experience