Seeing elephants and rhinos up close, helping in the local community and staying in the most amazing accommodation!
My name is Ella and I’m 19 years old and volunteered with The Mighty Roar for 9 weeks in 3 different programmes. I spent 7 weeks in South Africa and 2 in Zimbabwe.
The pre departure support was amazing and I couldn’t have asked for anymore. Chris was a life saver in many situations and always replied promptly. I had different experiences in the 3 different places I visited, but all of them were very smooth and very easy to navigate through. It was also perfectly explained in the pre departure pack sent via TMR.
"The highlight was definitely the day you get to have breakfast with the elephants. It’s such a surreal experience that you genuinely can’t believe you’re living in. "
I quite literally had the time of my life in my 9 weeks volunteering. I firstly volunteered in a game Reserve in Port Elizabeth in South Africa. I then took a short flight to Cape Town where I was a volunteer on the Teaching Programme for 4 weeks. My last leg of the trip was over to Zimbabwe where I was a volunteer at the elephant and rhino Sanctuary for 2 weeks. This trip was the most amazing, life changing experience for me and I can’t stop talking about it!
A couple of days before flying into Zim, I was contacted by the co-ordinator via Whatsapp to give me information on where I needed to go in the airport, where to get a sim for my phone and who to look out for for my transfer to the sanctuary. On arrival into Zimbabwe, after going through immigration I went to get a sim for my phone and then to the meeting point in the airport where there were already a couple volunteers waiting. We were then greeted by the driver who would be taking us to the volunteer house.
During my two weeks I did a wide range of activities, my favourite being the time we spent with the elephants and the rhinos. The back story behind the sanctuary is truly inspiring and the people there really make the place a home. I also visited the Numwa Woman’s Centre. The ladies there make sanitary supplies for women and young girls and we spent our time with them helping them produce their materials so they can continue making their products. I also had the chance to visit the local community where we got to see the native dances.
We built rhino bomas (feeding areas) out of large rocks which involves all the volunteers as well as cutting down dropper trees to fix the boundary fences. It is a very physical programme, but it makes it so worth it when you get to see the result of your work. In between the physical elements to the programme, we also had down time where we got to feed the elephants, rhinos and giraffes. The highlight was definitely the day you get to have breakfast with the elephants. It’s such a surreal experience that you genuinely can’t believe you’re living in.
The accommodation is to die for. It’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s so clean and looked after and the food is some of the best I've ever had. There were chefs and cleaners that work in the house who are around for whatever you need. They also cater to all dietary requirements. There’s the most amazing spot in the garden for a bonfire / braai whilst watching the sun set over the dam. On Saturday afternoons and the whole of Sunday you get free time to do whatever you want. Although there isn’t a lot around the sanctuary, after the long week of work, all you’ll want to do is nothing! You can sunbathe by the pool, go for a kayak on the dam or take time to yourself with a book.
Whilst I was there, there were about 8 other volunteers all of different age ranges. A lot of the activities we were doing were perfect for ‘team building’ and by the end of the day we would all sit around the dinner table talking about the day and the week to come. In the volunteer house, the coordinators place you in rooms with people of your age or whoever you’re travelling with. If there is a problem, you can always go to the house coordinator and they will help regardless of the situation.
Thinking back, what I remember the most is the experience I had with the elephants. It was a once in a lifetime experience which I will never ever forget and I couldn’t recommend it enough booking through TMR.
