Hear how our volunteer, Charlotte, got on helping conserve The Big Five in South Africa.
I decided that for my first ever solo trip I was going to do something that I wouldn’t normally get the chance to do. That’s why I chose to spend two weeks doing conservation work at Amakhala Safari in South Africa. I had no idea what to expect, I just knew that I was nervous and excited. From the moment I googled volunteering abroad and looking through all of the programmes that The Mighty Roar had to offer to stepping foot off the plane and being picked up by the local team, I couldn’t fault the Mighty Roar at all.
Even before I made the decision on which programme to do, the team at TMR were always on hand to answer any questions. I was quite nervous as being 26 I thought that I would be too old to do something like this and that it would normally be for people on gap years. This wasn’t the case at all! There were so many different ages and it was so lovely to meet so many people from different places and backgrounds.
Having never done anything like this before, I was very scared and nervous, but also excited for this once in a lifetime experience. I travelled from London to South Africa and once I arrived in South Africa, the team picked me up from the airport and we transferred to our accommodation, where I met the rest of the volunteers! The first week, there were about 12 of us and the second week it went up to about 15. Everyone was so lovely and it really helped to settle my nerves. The programme leaders - Nicky and Justin - made everyone feel so welcome and they were so funny and friendly. They were always there to answer any questions and to have a chat.
"Some of my favourite memories from my two weeks were being able to get so close to the animals in their natural habitat. There wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t see something."
Even though I was only there for two weeks, we did so much! It was a lot of early mornings, but I didn’t mind because the sunrises in South Africa were absolutely stunning. We would spend most mornings going predator monitoring and observing the animals to make sure that they were all okay. I found out so much information about the animals, how to tell between male and female, eating habits, sleeping habits, how to tell the different antelope apart and also lots of information about poaching which is still such a huge problem for many reserves in South Africa.
While I was there, we were also lucky enough to be able to assist the vet students with a game capture. I can honestly say it was so surreal, it felt like I was in an action movie! We also had to help with bush maintenance and making sure the roads were accessible for the cruisers.
During our free time, we would all usually hang out at the house, chill round the fire pit, go to the local pub across the road, head to social events (where we would meet up with other volunteers from different reserves) or go out for dinner. What was really lovely too was that our weekends were our own, most of the other volunteers and I all decided to head out on an excursion together, so we went to Addo National park one day, and we also went zip lining and also headed into Port Elizabeth. I made some really great friends during my time at Amakhala, friends that I will have for life!
The accommodation was lovely, it was clean, comfortable, safe and spacious. There was plenty of room for us to all hang out together, but also if you wanted a quiet space to sit by yourself, you could.
Some of my favourite memories from my two weeks were being able to get so close to the animals in their natural habitat. There wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t see something. I also thoroughly enjoyed my night stay at the safari lodge (it was amazing). I enjoyed doing community projects too and helping the children at the local school, I enjoyed being out in the fresh air every day and just getting stuck in.
Most of all I enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone and meeting new people. I had the absolute time of my life and I would highly recommend The Mighty Roar! If you’re thinking about doing something like this, then just go for it! I promise you won’t regret it!’
