Kariega- Game Reserve – Conservation Volunteer Programme

This time last year, I was lucky enough to embark on one of the best experiences of my life. For the month of August 2023 I volunteered at a safari park/game reserve near Port Elizabeth in South Africa. 11 other volunteers from all around the world and myself, stayed in the very heart of the Kariega game reserve, surrounded by only flimsy wiring and a not so rigid gate, which we had to fix on multiple occasions!

Throughout the programme we worked with conservationist specialists in helping to keep the wildlife as free as possible and able to roam the rainbow nation with as little interruption from humans as possible, so that they could truly live in the wild. This included performing observations of lions, giraffes, elephants, springboks, and severely endangered rhinos. Poaching is extremely common in South Africa, with Kariega being home to Thandi, the first and only rhino that has survived an attack. From cleaning out cheetah bomas, to fixing fencing, it was a really unique experience but lots of fun.

The reason I did all of this – my mum is from Port Elizabeth very close to where the game park is so I thought this would be a great opportunity to visit family that I don’t get to see often and to see the real country and all of its beauty.