Conservation through Community Volunteering

Come and join the Kariega Foundation team as a conservation and community volunteer working on Kariega Game Reserve and in the surrounding communities. 

Where conservation & community volunteering merge!

This is a first of its kind hybrid conservation and community programme allowing you to get behind the scenes and make a lasting difference by assisting in conservation and community activities on and around Kariega Game Reserve. 

We are situated in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where volunteers also get the opportunity to explore an amazing coastline as Kariega Game Reserve is a mere 10 km from the sea... the beautiful Indian Ocean is literally on your doorstep! This coastline has particularly rich marine fauna and flora as well as endless sand dunes and beautiful beaches.

Volunteers with the Kariega Foundation receive stimulating practical experience in the following four areas: research, conservation management, education and community development. We recommend a minimum 2 week stay to get a chance to experience a good variety of activities across both conservation and community work.

Make a real difference, grow your skills in conservation and have the experience of a lifetime!

Your Conservation Experience

The conservation aspect of our Volunteer Programme will see you contributing to many different projects and activities. Kariega Game Reserve is a 11 000 ha Big 5 reserve and this means that every bit of help is needed to get the jobs done on this extensive piece of protected land. The different activities you will get involved with will depend on what the Ecology and Wildlife department needs to have done on the reserve at that time. This could include anything from wildlife monitoring, game capture, alien plant control to removing old fencing. Every day is different in the bush and even planned activities can change in an instant.

Your Community Experience

Kariega Game Reserve has a few impoverished communities on its borders and we believe that you can’t do conservation right if you don’t engage and uplift the communities who live alongside you. As a volunteer, you will experience different cultures, meet new people and do some great activities. From helping to upgrade a pre-school, cook and serve food at a soup kitchen, to helping in the communal vegetable gardens, you will leave with a warm heart knowing that you’ve made new friends and help improve their lives and environment.

How The Programme Works

When joining our Volunteer Programme, you will do both Conservation and Community activities. Each weekly schedule includes 3 days conservation work and 2 days community engagement. During a 2 week stay, you will do 6 days of Conservation work on Kariega Game Reserve and 4 days of Community work. All activities contribute to the vision and mission of the Kariega Foundation and make a significant contribution to annual conservation and community impact and output.

Conservation Activities

Wildlife Conservation Research Projects

Kariega Foundation volunteers will contribute to one or more of the following research projects on Kariega Game Reserve.

• Predator and Prey Selection Monitoring
• Anti-Poaching and Rhino Monitoring
• Endangered & Priority Species Tracking and Monitoring
• Bird Research
• Elephant Research

Conservation Management

Conservation management activities form a large part of the volunteer programme. Some of these activities involve physical work and therefore a certain level of fitness and determination from the volunteer’s side is required. Keep in mind that the reserve needs are always taken into account and you will help to fulfill those needs as a volunteer. Daily activities are interesting and varied and could include assistance with some of the following activities.

• Wildlife introduction, capture, translocation and veterinary procedures
• Annual wildlife census
• Vegetation surveys
• Motion sensor camera monitoring
• Create and update ID kits for individual animal monitoring
• Biodiversity mapping

Reserve Habitat Management

Kariega Game Reserve has an inspiring conservation history. As recently as 35 years ago the Bushmans and Kariega River Valleys, over which Kariega Game Reserve spans, was all farmlands that had been occupied and cultivated by the 1820 settlers. However, the rugged and dramatic landscape did not lend itself to farming as most of the natural vegetation, particularly the Albany Thicket, was impossible to clear for pastures. The current 11,500 hectare protected area has been created by knitting together and re-wilding of 23 different farms. Volunteers will participate in on-going efforts to restore this habitat including:

• Alien invasive plant control
• Bush encroachment control
• Soil erosion control
• Fence removal and reserve clean-up operations
• Road clearing
• Wildlife introduction boma maintenance

Community Activities

The Kariega Foundation is working to unite a conservation community with the collective will to protect and preserve our beautiful, biodiverse landscapes and wild animals forever, by creating awareness and raising funds to advance the development, education and well-being of communities that live within and around our expanding boarders.

Our numerous and diverse projects flow from these core motives to conserve and protect our wild spaces and facilitate community development, education and welfare. We are building conservation through community.

Volunteers will work in the following community projects:

• Community infrastructure upgrades
• Environmental education
• Community permaculture gardens
• Sport
• ECD Centres (Early Childhood Development) and soup kitchens
• Domestic animal care
• Youth development

Field Conditions

Volunteers will stay at the Kariega Conservation Center (KCC), on the periphery of the Big 5 Kariega Game Reserve. You will be accommodated in either Cheetah or Hyena quarters. The facility is newly renovated and fully furnished. The house / Hyena quarters has a lovely lounge where you can relax, a refreshing swimming pool and a covered braai (BBQ) area. There are 3 shared bedrooms in the Hyena quarters.

At Cheetah quarters, there are 3 bedrooms. They are all en suite with their own shower, basin and toilet. There is an entertainment area with comfortable seating, a coffee / drinks station, pool table & library. All volunteers can use any of these areas.

The spacious garden allows you to stretch your legs or do some sport activities.

The working week is from Monday to Friday. Working hours depend on the season and may vary from 7 – 9 hours per day. The evenings are at your leisure. Each Wednesday afternoon all volunteers enjoy a town trip to the nearby beachside village of Kenton-On-Sea where they can shop, eat out and spend some time on the beach. Saturdays and Sundays are off time.

There are also additional activities that can be organised for you on a Saturday (at your own cost and on condition that a few others in the group also want to partake in the activity), including:

• Horseback riding on the beach
• Sky diving – tandem (that means you are strapped to an instructor!)
• Deep sea fishing
• Pottery classes with Meshack
• Sand boarding in Port Alfred 
• Addo Elephant National Park field trip
• Whale, dolphin and penguin island excursion
• Weekend trips away can include bungee jumping, canopy tours and shark cage diving
• Surf lessons in Port Alfred

When you send an email to us to enquire about joining this volunteer programme we will reply with a detailed information pack. This includes further information about living conditions, off time over weekends, transfers between the airport and the reserve etc.

Dates

There are no set arrival/departure dates for this project, but please note all arrivals are scheduled on Mondays. Departure days can be Fridays, Saturdays or Mondays (please note: no Sundays). Volunteers are required to sign an indemnity form acknowledging and accepting the consequences of working in close contact with wild animals. Applicants must be 17 years of age or older. The minimum time period for a booking is a two week placement and the maximum period is 12 weeks.

Please note that our activities are based on a stay of four weeks. Although many of the activities listed below may take place in two to three week placements, not all are guaranteed. So the longer your stay, the more in depth your experience.

Enquiries and Reservations

Prices include accommodation for the duration of your placement, all work activities on the reserve and three meals per day. Please email us to enquire about our weekly rate. Not included are entertainment expenses over weekends, socializing costs (drinks and meals volunteers choose to have while out in town) and transfers between the airport and the reserve. Please note we can unfortunately not offer any free placements in return for work.

Arrangements will be made by Kariega staff to collect incoming volunteers from Port Elizabeth Airport. Kariega is approximately 140 kms (two hours drive) from Port Elizabeth. Volunteers are to pay for the transfer to and from the airport themselves.

Contact

For a personalised answer to all your questions or to enquire about our latest prices, please feel free to email our Volunteer Programme Manager, Helena Warren, at volunteer@kariega.co.za or call directly on +27 76 100 6809.

Volunteer Testimonials

For more volunteer testimonials please visit our Volunteer Testimonial section on our blog.

"My time here has been full of new experiences. Meeting new people, seeing wild animals and helping within the community. I have learnt to be grateful for everything at home and gained skills that will last me a lifetime. Thanks to you, this time will be unforgettable & I will hopefully see you again in future!"“My time at Kariega has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I arrived with excitement and curiosity, but leave with a heart full of gratitude, love and countless memories. Every single day was different and each day has given me something I will carry with me forever. A very special thank you goes to Mali, who welcomed us into the community with so much kindness and guided us through moments that opened my eyes and heart. And to the volunteering team, who shared his passion and knowledge of wildlife and conservation in such an inspiring way, you have shown me the beauty of nature through your eyes. Kariega is more than just a place. It is a feeling and a part of my heart now. I will carry these memories with me wherever I go- and I know this is not a goodbye, because I will be back.” Meli, September 2025 (3 weeks).

"It would be impossible to properly encapsulate this life-changing four week experience in just a few sentences. How can I truly express the humbling hugeness of the elephants! Or the majesty found in the eyes of a lion! Or the joy on the face of a six-year-old
kid when he just gets a ride on your shoulders. This programme shows you the beauty of life. Between the reserve, the community, the beach town, and the people that make this place awesome. You've stolen my heart. I hope to be back! Salani kahleOne week had passed during my stay and I had already wished to extend my two-week experience. I use the word ‘experience’ because it is. It is not a holiday or volunteering opportunity. You are immediately immersed into the culture and values of what the Kariega Foundation and Game Reserve stand for. Conservation through Community is what they are achieving and they’re doing a great job at it. Mali and the KCC staff made my experience one to remember and the story will be told many times over. Thank you for it.“One week had passed during my stay and I had already wished to extend my two-week experience. I use the word ‘experience’ because it is. It is not a holiday or volunteering opportunity. You are immediately immersed into the culture and values of what the Kariega Foundation and Game Reserve stand for. Conservation through Community is what they are achieving and they’re doing a great job at it. Mali and the KCC staff made my experience one to remember and the story will be told many times over. Thank you for it." George from UK, September 2025 (3 weeks)

“Big thanks to the whole Kariega team! From the moment we arrived we have felt so welcomed and included. No question has been too stupid. We have learnt so much and laughed a lot.” Ellie from Norway, October 2025 (1 week)

“Thank you for a great visit. I really enjoyed my volunteering at Kariega. This was my 10th trip. Age 77, is just a number on my door. I am already looking forward to my next trip.”  Graham from Isle of Man, December 2025 (3 weeks)

“Another incredible 3 weeks here at KCC. This place really does feel like a second home. Thank you for making it an extremely memorable trip yet again! The camping and lion procedures had to take the top spot, as well as a lovely meal out with Mali and the team. Thank you to everyone at KCC who makes it possible. Your hard work is much appreciated. You are all fantastic! See you all again soon." -Izzy and Ollie from the UK, January 2026 (3 weeks)

“It’s hard to leave a place where your heart blooms and your mind is at peace. Kariega will always have a special place in my heart. Thanks to Mali, Thomas and Jo! Take care!!” Martina from Switzerland, January 2026 (2 weeks)

“I have had the most amazing 3 weeks here and cannot believe that I have to leave. What drew me to Kariega was the chance to see animals – but- upon leaving it is for different reasons that would see me return. Firstly, the people I have met and shared this experience with and secondly, the people in the communities. My favourite moments have been working with the kids and seeing Mali’s genuine passion and enthusiasm for making a difference, no matter how small it is. 100% I will be back and hope everyone here continues to be so welcoming, hard- working and passionate." Harry from the UK, February 2026 (3 weeks)

For more volunteer testimonials please visit the Volunteer Testimonial section on our blog.