Male or female, eighteen or eighty, serious athlete or casual traveller, it really doesn’t matter! Our local partner welcomes hundreds of people each year, all from different walks of life and from all over the world. This provides for an enriching exchange opportunity during your arrival week. Ordinarily the projects will accept up to 5 volunteers at a time, so you can expect to live and work alongside other international volunteers.
Generally, most of the volunteers and activities are rather youth focused. The majority are aged 18-25. More mature applicants are welcome and on average 20% of the volunteers are aged 25+.
You do not need any specific qualifications. However, the types of work that you will become involved in will vary and volunteers who have appropriate environmental or zoological related experience may have the opportunity to become involved in some of the more specialised tasks.
We are looking for friendly, enthusiastic team players who are looking for a hands-on experience working in a game reserve/park environment.
At BUNAC we believe that each volunteer should be treated as an individual. All participants will have a one-to-one orientation interview by phone. It is not a formal interview, but a chance for us to get to know more about you and your reasons for volunteering. We’ll explain how the programme works and what you can expect, as well as going over issues such as health and security to help prepare you for your time away. It’s also an opportunity for you to ask us any questions you might have.
The latest date we can consider your application is 6 weeks before your UK departure date.
However, places are available on a first come first served basis so we recommend that you apply as soon as you can.
If BUNAC rejects your application at any stage you’ll receive a full refund of your programme deposit.
We have a 7 day cooling off period, so if you feel that you’re not suited to the programme and you contact us within 7 days of attending the orientation interview you can cancel and receive a full refund (less £50 administration fee).
More information regarding cancellation refunds is included within the Terms and Conditions which form part of the online application.
As part of our responsible approach, each participant must provide a police background check before they travel. For this programme the required check is called an ACPO Police Certificate. Information on how to apply for this can be found on the ACPO Police Certificates page. The check costs £45 for a 10 day process. Once received you should send the original document to BUNAC. If you already hold a CRB from an existing or recent employer issued within 3 months we can accept this as an alternative to the ACPO Certificate.
BUNAC is pleased to partner with Interhealth, a charity which specialises in providing health advice for overseas workers. Your programme cost includes membership to Interhealth and as part of your application process you will complete an on-line medical screening to ensure that you are suitable for the challenge of volunteering in a developing country. Following the screening you will receive comprehensive medical advice regarding inoculations specific to your destination along with some general travel health advice. Your programme cost also includes post-trip clean bill of health screening and on going remote health care advice through Interhealth.
The inoculations you will require may vary depending on the places you decide to visit within South Africa and also your personal medical history so it is very difficult to provide a guide to the typical cost. However, please be aware that whilst some injections are relatively cheap others (specifically anti malarials) can be very expensive. Interhealth will provide you with further information following your screening.
The 3 projects that we work with are in what are considered “low risk” malaria areas. However, if you plan to travel to Kruger or other areas to the north of the country you will need to take appropriate malarial prophylaxes. Please discuss this with either Interhealth or your GP.